June 2nd, 2010
When you begin a public relations campaign, one of the most important things of which to be aware is what each media clip means to you in the bigger picture.
You might get a local TV interview here, or be quoted in an article there, and so on. It’s exciting each time coverage rolls in…nice for the ego, it drives people to your website, as well as all the other opportunities I’ve discussed in the past few weeks. But it’s what that coverage can do for you, collectively, that really takes your brand to the next level.
Each time you appear in the media, your “star” rises a little bit. You receive instant credibility and have paved another section of the road on your way to being seen as a national expert. Once you have a nice portfolio of coverage, it’s time to leverage it by creating a reel, which simply means having a video editor take clips from your TV interviews and print coverage, and put them in an exciting and media-friendly format.
Once you have a reel, you can use your coverage to create larger opportunities that will put you in the national spotlight, such as:
- Move from appearing in local media outlets to being an expert on national TV shows, or in national magazines
- Submit to magazines (local, regional or national) or online sites to pitch yourself as a regular columnist
- Send to casting directors of shows that would be appropriate for you to host or co-host
- Send with a book proposal to major publishers
I will continue to delve more deeply into securing some of these national opportunities in the coming weeks, including how to successfully make money from your media coverage.
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May 26th, 2010
Sometimes, despite all your best efforts, your business may not appear in the light you want it to. So what do you do?
Tell the truth, prove it with action, listen to the customer, manage for tomorrow, conduct public relations as if the whole company depends on it, remain calm, patient and good-humoured!
Kmart’s Anzac Day backflip is an example of good crisis PR. A single story on news.com.au garnered 430 negative comments in response to its decision to apply for pre-1pm trading. Kmart acted swiftly, within 24 hours issuing an apology, withdrawing its application, with managing director Guy Russo accepting personal responsibility.
“I got this one wrong and on behalf of Kmart, I apologise to the RSL, retired and current members of the Australian Defence Force and the wider community for any offence that this application has caused,” said Russo.
If you compare the viewing stats on the Google News Chart, Russo’s personal apology garnered close to the same amount of views as the original story that caused the furore in the first place. The issue was handled effectively, quickly – and as a result faded off the news agenda as fast as it had arrived.
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May 20th, 2010
Microsoft’s first version of its Xbox gaming console sold out within 24 hours of being available in stores, and had an awareness rate among consumers around 88% percent two weeks before launch, and prior to the start of any advertising. And this was also before the use of social media as we know it today. The results were achieved almost exclusively through media relations.
Now, Microsoft may have planned its PR campaign around a major launch of a new product, with national distribution and months of planning, but the same ‘phenomenon’ of reaching clients and generating sales through public relations can easily be replicated on whatever scale fits your business.
- Firstly, simply let the media coverage do the job of leverage for you, as it instantly drives new clients to you because they saw, read or heard about your book, product or service.
- Send out a mailer or email highlighting your press coverage to prospective clients, as well as to your own list, to convert those merely following you to purchasing. The credibility the media coverage offers may be just the incentive - or reminder - that they need to buy. And, no matter how well YOU promote your company to target clients, having the media do it for you gives it that much more impact.
- Highlight your media results on your website. Now, when people visit your site, or someone new finds you through an Internet search, you are no longer a ‘generic’ business - you have the (implicit) endorsement of the press that you are among the best in your industry!
- You just never know what other opportunities, deals or partnerships may be leveraged through the mere act of ‘being seen’ in the media. In next month’s teleclass I interview Justin Herald, whose appearance on ‘A Current Affair’ led to hundreds of calls from retailers wanting to stock his Attitude clothing line. Retailers who’d previously ignored him!
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