Publicity

7 Publicity Tips for Successful Online and Offline Publicity

Is publicity part of your marketing? Here’s an obvious publicity tip: If not it should be. It’s estimated that publicity has 7 times the credibility compared to marketing or advertising. Why is that? Well, because publicity is seen as news. No one is selling you something. At least, not blatantly. In fact, that same halo of credibility even extends to online press releases.

Publicity by its very nature, is free. You don’t buy media space or time. So when you do get publicity, especially in print or broadcast, that visibility is worth thousands of dollars. Or more. Of course, no one would question the value or impact of publicity.

So why do so few people practice do-it-yourself publicity?  There are certainly plenty of free publicity tips out there.

Somehow, somewhere there is a real disconnect. Fear of failure, perhaps? Or maybe it’s intimidation from all the publicity, public relations and PR experts out there doing the very same thing. Not to worry. Listen up all you D-I-Y publicity folks. Because the web has leveled the playing field and dramatically so.

In terms of publicity tips, there are some proven best practices, that when followed, can put you miles ahead of even PR professionals who often take the easiest rather than the most memorable route. And being memorable makes you more likely to get media coverage.

Publicity Tip #1: Use the Google to find media and reporters

For traditional media publicity, do some online searches for your topic. You can add your location to further narrow your search as well as connect with media in your area. Once you’ve located the reporter, DO NOT email them. Read some of their past stories. If their stories allow comments online, comment on them. The goal is to build an understanding first and then a relationship later.

Publicity Tip #2: Use Twitter to join conversations with reporters and media personalities

Twitter, a microblogging platform, has removing many barriers between the public and the media. You can follow these reporters and media personalities, see what stories they are covering and give them feedback. Often, they will ask for feedback and read “Tweets” or responses on Twitter live on air. To learn more about publicity and PR leads watch for my new article coming soon on how to maximize PR Leads on Twitter.

Publicity Tip #3: Give current events your own unique twist

You can subscribe to Google Alerts on any topic, any keyword, even names. So if you find a reporter that covers your industry, add their name. That way those stories will show up via email and it’s all automated for you.

One resource I like is what’s called a news aggregator or mashup. Alltop is my current favorite. You can also dig deeper on Alltop into categories and sub categories. Hey, there’s even an Alltop portal page on bacon!

Keeping tabs on what’s making news gives you the perfect springboard to launch your publicity. For example, a student of mine had a baby sling product and when Brittney Spears was dropping her children, he was ready with a press release and “piggybacked” off those embarrassing incidents. (Something to the effect that Brittney wouldn’t have had those baby fumbling challenges if she was using the right type of baby sling.)

Publicity Tip #4: Become sound bite worthy: speak in pictures

Every see a professional sports athlete or coach interviewed? Most of the time it’s cliché city. Reporters really don’t have a choice; they’ve got to cover those stories.

Your story is another matter. So the better job you do at presenting your sound bite with a twist, the more likely you’ll be the one the media goes to first. Here’s an example: when I had my ad agency, it was common to submit press releases that highlighted new accounts, employees and other company news.

In this particular case, we changed the name of the company. From Harty Communications to HartyCom. Again, by itself, not news. However, in the release, I had my own original sound bite which summed up the service-driven ad industry perfectly. Here’s what I said: “All the time we save by saying the shorter name will be put towards client deadlines.” This gave the reporter an immediate image of our industry. It had a touch of humor and out of the thousands of company news items, this one stood out. It was published in the Dallas Business Journal.

Publicity Tip #5: Going beyond text to images and video

When people think of powerful publicity tips, they often focus on words, not pictures or images. So look for photo or image opportunities locally, nationally and internationally. The web makes this much easier. You can find photo opportunities just about everywhere. Here’s just a sample: local newspapers, trade journals, TV stations, weekly shoppers, authority blogs, and other media are always on the lookout for photos that help to tell a story. Call the media with ideas, or submit your own photos.

And don’t forget online video as both a viral marketing and publicity tip. Your videos can be viral for marketing purposes. Or tutorial and more education-driven. Google ranks images and videos that are optimized correctly. And online software allows automation of uploading videos that saves time.

Publicity Tip #6: Use the calendar to your advantage

One of the most overlooked publicity tips is simply doing some research about how news organizations actually prepare the news. Most print publications have an editorial calendar they publish way in advance. For example, many magazines will start producing holiday issues in the summer.

Another calendar advantage is simply to know what days are slow news days. Typically, they’re around holidays and weekends. That may be a great time to pitch your story.

Publicity Tip #7: get started and ditch the “being perfect” syndrome

Flub an interview? Hey, it’s not the end of the world. No one becomes an expert first time out. Use it as a learning experience. You can even work into a funny story you share on stage if you do any professional speaking. The goal is to keep moving forward.

Recommended publicity tips resources:

• This online PR blog. Get publicity tips and updates on autopilot. Just subscribe via the opt in box on the right side of the page here
• Get free publicity tips every week. Learn what makes news from someone who did the news for over 25 years, Jeff Crilley