Beat Recession Blues-Do Your Own PR-Part 2
On Tuesday, I gave you the first two steps for doing your own PR. It is possible to get some great publicity on your own, but you need to spend time on research and preparation in order to be successful.
And if you missed Tuesday’s entry, you’ll find the first two steps to start your own PR efforts here.
Moving on, here are the next two important questions in your PR research efforts:
3. What does the reporter talk about on a regular basis?
Now that you know who you need to contact, review all of the stories each media member has created in the past.
This will help you learn their unique tone and style. Plus, you’ll discover which topics are of interest to the reporter.
And as you review all of the data, think about how your business benefits fit into each venue. What kind of unique and refreshing story ideas can you offer that would be interest to each media member?
4. How will I remember all of this information?
Make notes about each of the media members as you conduct your research. Contact information is usually available on the websites, or you can always call for additional information. Your notes will be the beginning of your own media contact database.
And I highly suggest that you use a simple Word table or Excel spreadsheet and make columns that include: Media Name, Address, City, State, Zip, E-mail Address, Phone, Fax, Notes, and any other pertinent data you need.
You want to sort and find the information quickly. Plus, you’ll be updating this on a regular basis so your media database needs to be something you can easily manage.
Moving On
After following these four steps, you will be ready to contact the right people at the right media venues (more on this in future blog entries). This takes time, but it is essential to prepare prior to starting your PR efforts. Otherwise, you can make a bad first impression and waste a lot of effort.
You don’t need to hire a publicist for your PR efforts. But if you find that it’s taking up too much of your valuable resources, it is well worth it to outsource these activities to an experienced expert.
Thanks for reading, and I’ll be back next Tuesday with more insights and tips.
In the meantime, feel free to contact me with your comments, suggestions and questions at any time!
June 19th, 2008 at 12:54 pm
Melanie, I agree taking a DIY approach to PR is a great way to overcome a small budget. Here are two resources I found to make it easier:
http://www.petershankman.com- Help A Reporter is a mailing list of reporter requests that arrives 3 times daily to my inbox. You select the queries that match your business and contact the reporter yourself.
http://www.mediabistro.com- a community of freelance writers where you can learn to do a pitch letter and other essential skills.
My problem is that it feels awkward to write stories about my blog, This Marriage Thing myself. Besides, it’s not my best use. I’d love to find a freelancer to pitch the stories and write them as the opportunities arise. Any ideas?
June 20th, 2008 at 4:51 am
nice post and i agree for taking that approach