Exposed - The PR Myths!
How was your Halloween? Was it as scary as your current, publicity activities?
Well, if you’ve had bad publicity experiences in the past and are afraid to move forward, don’t be!
After hearing from many entrepreneurs who were “taken” by a big agency or just didn’t have the money to pursue PR activities, I decided to write a book to expose the myths about PR and provide a simple guide to get started.
And as a fellow, small business owner who started with an extremely low budget, I can relate… so with this in mind, here’s a free excerpt from my book, “Simple Publicity – How to do your own public relations to boost sales, awareness and credibility fast… without spending a lot of money.”
“The 4 PR Myths – Busted!
As an entrepreneur, there are many advantages to using PR that are really exciting. In fact, after working with numerous, small businesses for many years, I’ve found that there are four major myths about having a successful, public-relations program.
No, you don’t! Halleluiah! Just what you wanted to hear! Yes, it is simply not true that you need a lot of money to pursue public-relations efforts. It really just takes time and effort.
In fact, as a new entrepreneur, you may lose a lot of money and sleep by spending big bucks on a large, public-relations agency. I’ve talked to a lot of business owners who were completely frustrated at the process. After spending thousands of dollars, they received minimal attention and press mentions.
Why? Many large, PR agencies will be interested in having you as a client and taking your retainer fees. But then, as one of their smaller accounts, you may not get the attention you deserve.
This doesn’t happen all the time, but a recent college-graduate or intern may handle your account. Then, you may not see the results of working with a well-known agency. And by the time you realize this, your complete, PR budget can disappear!
If you are just starting out and don’t have the money to hire a publicist, you can get some fantastic press coverage on your own. But you need to be willing to take the time to make it happen. This book aims to help you do just that.
After creating a plan, conducting the appropriate research and taking action, it is possible to get targeted media venues to spread the word about your business.
And this refers to more than just the local press. You can book interviews with nationally-syndicated television and radio programs. You can appear on the cover of The New York Times, Fortune and The Wall Street Journal, talk to “Oprah” and the morning radio-show-host, chat on a popular blog, and be on any other media venue you go after!
It’s just a matter of researching in advance and taking action.”
(Copyright 2010 by 1Win Press)
Check in next week to find out the other two myths. And if you can’t wait and want to start taking advantage of the power of PR, check out the book here or write to me below.
November 5th, 2010 at 10:42 am
Ms. Rembrandt,
I am looking forward to reading your book very much and especially afterwards when I get to pass it along. As a recently hired Director of Public Relations at an online startup - Pricefalls.com - I am coming into a situation where the previous firm they worked with took their money and gave nothing substantial back, effectively souring the thought of PR as a whole. Because of this terrible experience they chose to bring PR internally but now I need to express the importance of PR as a whole. Any suggestions?
Thank you very much for the tips and I will be checking back in to read the others as well as keeping an eye out for your book!
Josh Weaver
Dir. of PR, Pricefalls.com
November 5th, 2010 at 12:07 pm
Hi Josh,
Thanks for your nice note, and congratulations on your new positiion.
Let me know what you think of my book, “Simple Publicity.”
It should help you show the value of PR to your new employer. In addition, let them know that PR is the only way to gain third-party credibility in media venues - something you simply cannot buy.
I hope this helps, and I wish you all the best,
Melanie
P.S. You may want to check out the free information and newsletter I offer at rembrandtwrites.com.