| So You Got Some Press. Now What? |
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We've had clients who--in the past--had spent a good chunk of money on public relations and had fabulous results with "landing press." Yet sales didn't increase. Clients didn't flock. When we talked to these clients about what they did AFTER they landed the press, many looked at us perplexed. "You mean having press isn't enough?"
No.
This brings us to the difference between public relations and marketing. A good PR company or publicist can land you an interview on a hot radio show or successfully pitch your company's story to a magazine editor. But what happens after the segment airs or the feature goes to print? That's where marketing comes in. The function of press is to land you exposure. Marketing's function is to maximize it.
Maximize your press successes through strategic marketing. Here are six things you can do right now.
1. Get article reprints. Post them on your website's press section (you have one, right?) as well as a blurb on your homepage, which will lead to the press section. Use the article reprints in your marketing kits. When you meet new prospects, send them a copy of your most recent article along with a brochure and business card. The editor of the piece thought you were worthy enough to be written about-now you need to share this information with all the people who may not have seen it.
2. Cross-medium marketing. Did you land a TV interview? In your next newsletter, include a link to your segment. Place a prominent link on your website. So many mediums vie for our attention. You can't assume clients were watching that segment on the 11:00 news.
3. Spiffy up your e-mail signature. People like working with experts in their respective industries and what better way to boost your expert credentials than to add a line in your e-mail signature: "Read my expert advice in this Boston Globe article on mortgages" (include a link to the article). Or "Check out my monthly column on landscaping design in Publication X."
4. Be prepared for business. Sometimes press (think of what an appearance on Oprah does for a writer's book sales) can increase business fast, right away. Are you prepared? Make sure you triple check systems so that you can handle a sudden onslaught of orders or inquiries. Otherwise, the great exposure goes to waste, and unhappy customers may suddenly offer a different kind of publicity that your company wasn't looking for.
5. Learn to brag a little. Do you belong to an organization that puts out announcements, news, or kudos on members? Even your college alumni magazine may be a place to share some of the great PR exposure you or your company has been getting: "Bill Jones and his company Happy Campers were featured in The New York Times in May" is a great, non-intrusive blurb that these sections are usually more than willing to print.
6. Your PR Consultant and your Marketing Consultant are working for you. Introduce them. Just as you might have your accountant and financial advisor in the same room for certain discussions regarding your finances, consider introducing your PR person and marketing guru. If the two work in tandem, you're already a step ahead of everyone else.
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| About Precision Marketing Group |
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Precision Marketing Group helps companies make more money with their marketing. Call or email us if you are looking for practical marketing solutions, programs or advice that will move your business forward!
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Press Release Writing & Distribution Tips |
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Press Release Writing & Distribution Tips
1. The first question to ask yourself is this: Do you really have something newsworthy to say? Journalists don't want to write about how wonderful you and your company are; they want to write meaningful stories for their readers. If you're simply looking for free exposure, you're wasting your time writing a release. Journalists are trained to see right through that and often respond with "buy an ad" when you follow up.
2. The best way to get a "mention" in an article is to relate what you're trying to promote to something that's relevant in the news. Do you deal in security? Have there been burglaries in the area where your business is located? Send a release focusing on five unusual ways people can protect their homes from burglaries during vacation season. Remember, your goal is to get the journalist to pick up the phone and call you as an expert source. Simply writing a release on your latest security product is not (usually) newsworthy enough to warrant a whole article (see the "buy an ad" comment above).
3. Write a powerful headline (think of the headlines you see in newspapers). The headline should draw the reader in and "sell" whatever it is you're writing about. Keep headlines short and punchy and write it in all caps. Use a sub-headline to give more information, and write this in the title case.
4. Write a compelling lead. Your lead paragraph should cover the basic who, what, where, when, why, how. Keep in mind that news services cut from the bottom on up, so make sure you have all pertinent info early in your release.
To continue reading more press release writing tips, click here. |
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