Q:
After months of sending out press releases, we finally got two
responses. One journalist interviewed me for a trade magazine
article, and another call was from a producer who lined up a brief
interview on a radio show. Although both interviews helped get our
company name out, I don't think either one really communicated
what's unique about our business. What did I do wrong?
A:
Whether you've been pursuing press coverage for months or a
journalist calls you out of the blue, there's one surefire way
to ensure your core messages don't get lost. What you need is a
public relations platform that's in tune with your
company's central themes. An important component of any
effective marketing program, this platform should relate to the
messages you convey through all other marketing channels. And you
need to prepare it well in advance of any public relations
activities.
Create your platform. To align your PR platform with your
company's central themes, review the principal messages carried
in your advertising and sales materials, on your Web site and in
any product catalogs. Then write a PR platform that ties in with or
even expands on these themes.
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For example, imagine your company sells rugged outdoor gear for
mountain biking, and your products are set apart by their
durability and the way they stand up to tough use in all kinds of
weather. That's one of your key messages. Now let's say
you've sent a special press kit with safety tips for mountain
biking to select media. When preparing for interviews, you'd
create a public relations platform that includes an important tip
that illustrates why it's essential to have ruggedly dependable
equipment. Get the picture?
A solid public relations platform should be no more than one
long paragraph and include three central points--these are the
themes you must cover no matter what you're asked. Write and
polish your platform carefully. Then rehearse and memorize it, but
don't read directly from it during an interview. It's vital
to keep your answers sounding spontaneous, so it's important
never to read from a canned script.
Ace the interview. An interview is only valuable to the
media if its content is of special interest to their readers,
viewers or listeners. An effective public relations platform meets
a media outlet's needs with information that's new or
noteworthy, controversial or entertaining, and also weaves in your
company's unique messages. So let's say you own that
outdoor gear company and an interviewer asks how long you've
personally been involved in the sport of mountain biking. You'd
reply by saying, "I started mountain biking about 10 years ago
and learned early on the importance of equipment that could stand
up to that rugged environment when..." then lead into an
anecdote illustrating how your company has become expert in
ruggedly dependable gear.
No matter what you're asked, it's always possible to
bring an interviewer back to your central messages--just be sure to
do so in a way that's relevant to the needs of the journalist
and his or her audience. This is crucial, since very few interviews
are "live." The majority of broadcast interviews are
prerecorded and edited, and print journalists can use the
information you provide in whatever way suits them. So to minimize
the chances of your key messages getting buried or simply edited
out, it's essential to relate the bulk of your answers to the
three points in your platform.
And here's a final tip: Keep your answers concise. Short and
interesting comments are more likely to be used in their entirety,
which guarantees your message won't be garbled or lost.
Kim T. Gordon is an author, marketing coach and media
spokesperson-and one of the country's foremost experts on
entrepreneurial success. Her newest book, Bringing Home The Business, identifies the
30 "truths" that can make the difference between success
and failure in a homebased business. Kim offers one-on-one coaching
by telephone to motivated individuals, providing practical
marketing advice and budget-conscious strategies unique to your
business. To receive free how-to articles and advice, get
information on coaching and appearances, read a book excerpt, or
contact Kim, visit http://www.smallbusinessnow.com,
a huge site devoted exclusively to marketing your small
business.
The opinions expressed in this column are those
of the author, not of Entrepreneur.com. All answers are intended to
be general in nature, without regard to specific geographical areas
or circumstances, and should only be relied upon after consulting
an appropriate expert, such as an attorney or
accountant.