Q: OK,
I've followed your advice on how to pitch an editor, and
I've sent press releases. I'm still not getting my PR
placed in publications. What more can I do?
A:
This is common among those not focusing on what the editor wants,
needs or, more important, what the reader wants to read. So many
times you blast a press release to the world, and it's not
right for the publication. Editors see this and ignore subsequent
communication. You can get a bad reputation in the media world
regardless of how small you are.
It's often said that PR takes not only initiative, but also
ingenuity. Typically the PR do-it-yourselfers of the world start
with a press release. This is their best communication conduit to
the media. If you blast out your press release to multiple
publications and sit back and wait for the publicity to happen, I
can almost guarantee you will be disappointed.
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"Blasting" implies sending to as many publications
that you can just to play the numbers game. There are many e-mail
programs that will blast to publications' e-mail addresses.
There are also fax programs that will do the same. The error that
many make at first is to send to everyone. You should only send
press releases to publications that you think might be interested
in your product. Make a list of them before sending your release
out. Find out what kind of articles, news and stories the
publications tend to communicate to their readers.
Also, if possible, find out who the key editors, reporters or
writers are. Don't send the release to the publisher or
executive editor. They receive many releases each day, and they
don't have time to sort them or forward them. Start lower on
the totem pole. If you can't find the information in your
initial research, call the publication. Ask who should receive your
information and what the preferred delivery method is (e-mail, fax
or snail mail).
Once you have all this information, you can actually craft a
personalized cover letter and include information about their
publication. The little bit of homework you do for this will go a
long way with editors and reporters. They know at this point that
you've not just blasted to the world--that you've been
selective in your targeting. You can also mention at this point why
you think your information is relevant to their readership and even
go so far as to suggest how it might be used or where it might be
placed.
Even with all this homework, your press release still has to be
newsworthy. You have to have a news angle to your information. It
can be of local interest or of human interest and still be
newsworthy. If you want to know whether your information is
newsworthy, compare it with the other information in the
publication you are targeting. As a reader, is it the sort of thing
that you would want to see if you were a paying subscriber? One of
the questions that you can use to test the interest to the
readership is to ask the question "So what?" If you
don't have a good answer for this question, chances are, your
information will not pass the newsworthiness test.
The other test that your information must pass is the
"no-hype" test. Editors hate promotion. They don't
care whether you or your company's name gets in their
publication. They have no interest in promoting your company. They
only care about their readers. If they spot hype or promotion, you
go on their bad list. Send enough of these, and you get a
reputation. If you get a reputation, even your most newsworthy
items will be ignored. Start off on the right foot, and you will
have recurring publicity and a good relationship with the
editor/reporter/publication.
Lastly, if you follow up, always start by asking if the editor
or reporter is on deadline. If so, ask when you can call back for
five minutes of additional information. If you can't reach them
or get past the gatekeeper, don't despair. Persistence and
consistency pay off in this game. Send out regular newsworthy
releases to targeted media, and you will soon be in the
headlines.
Alfred J. Lautenslager is an award-winning marketing and PR
consultant, direct-mail promotion specialist, principle of
marketing consulting firm Marketing Now, and president and owner of
The Ink Well, a commercial printing and mailing company in Wheaton,
Illinois. Visit his Web sites at http://www.market-for-profits.com
and http://www.1-800-inkwell.com, or
e-mail him at al@market-for-profits.com.
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.