| The number one rule of being successful in
the world of publicity (or in just about any other field, for that matter): Don't sabotage
your efforts with dumb -- and easily correctable -- mistakes. Here then are the dumb
things that publicity seekers do. Avoid them, and you'll be well on your way to scoring
great coverage!
1. Thinking Like an Advertiser
The more you remind a reporter that you're a commercial
entity seeking promotional exposure, the less chance you have. Blatant ad copy, excessive
use of trademark symbols, overblown quotes, puffed-up claims and other techniques better
suited for advertising copy are sure ways to assure that your release gets trashed. You
must think like an objective journalist and have a sense of perspective about who you are
and what you sell, and communicate that in your materials. If you just can't do that,
chances are you've been...
2. Getting Too Close to Your Product
If you spend all day eating, breathing and sleeping packing
tape, it's easy to start believing that the slight change you made in the thickness of
your company's new packing tape is an advance on par with the printing press and the polio
vaccine. Now, if you're planning on working with Packing Tape Monthly, perhaps the editors
of that fine publication will agree. But the guys down at USA Today may hold a different
opinion. In deciding (a) what's newsworthy and (b) how to present this news to the media,
it's vital that you take many steps back and view your company as a marginally interested
outsider might. If you can't do that, ask friends, family and other outsiders to help.
3. Getting too Close to a Journalist
I've worked with lots of reporters whose company I enjoyed.
I've shared meals and drinks with a bunch of them. One thing I've never done, however, is
forget who they are and what their jobs are. If a reporter is interviewing you, whether in
person or on the phone, never say anything you wouldn't want to appear in a story.
Journalists have different interpretations of what "off the record" means, and
it's foolish to try to test those limits. Carefully think about everything you say, don't
be pressured into commenting on things you don't feel comfortable about, stay on message,
don't gossip, backbite or share secrets. In short, just as the journalist has his or her
job to do, so too do you. Stay smart.
4. Obsessing Over the Big Hits
Maybe you really will get on Oprah. And maybe you'll win
the lottery and never have to work again. In either case, it's probably a good idea to
have some backup plan in place in case you don't beat out the 10 million or so other folks
who harbor the same dreams.
It's fine to think big, but smart publicity seekers know
that time spent getting actual press coverage is a better investment than chasing dreams.
So go ahead and send that press kit to Oprah but, in the meantime, work your butt off to
get placement in weekly papers, syndicates, e-zines, local radio and other less glamorous
places. Scores of successful businesses have been built on such "small"
publicity. You don't need Oprah or Newsweek or The Today Show. You need coverage -
anywhere and anyway you can get it. Dreamers dream. Publicists get publicity.
5. Reading from a Script
It's pretty annoying to pick up the phone at dinner time
only to have some guy reading a script about how great vinyl siding is. Now imagine how a
journalist, who's busy working on deadline, feels about "publicists" calling up
to do the same thing again and again. If you're planning to phone pitch a journalist,
never read from a script or repeat a rehearsed spiel. She's a human being, so talk to her
that way. (And always start your call with "Is this a good time to talk?". Never
just launch into your pitch.)
6. Using Outdated Media Lists
News flash: Look magazine is out of business. So too are
about half of the new magazines launched in the past decade, for that matter. Your media
list is the lifeblood of your publicity seeking efforts. Take the time to keep it fresh
and up to date, or you'll be wasting your time. Invest in Bacon's media guide
(www.bacons.com), visit websites of publications that interest you, visit your local
library or bookstore's magazine rack. Do a little homework and you'll get a big edge.
7. Not Understanding Timing
A non-savvy publicity seeker would ask, "Why do a
story about Christmas publicity in June?" A smart publicity seeker understands
completely. It's all in the timing. If you're not thinking months ahead, then it's
probably too late. In early summer, you should be working on "back to school"
releases for newspapers and other short-leads (it's already too late for long- lead
magazines). Have something to offer for Thanksgiving? Start planning now. Learn the lead
times for various publications, plan out a yearly schedule. Plan ahead. Plan ahead. Plan
ahead.
8. Not Being Accessible
If a journalist wants to use your release, he may call to
get some more information, get some clarification or even to see if you actually exist. If
he gets voice-mail (or a busy signal) and doesn't hear back from you, you've probably
blown it. On your releases and pitch letters, include the most accessible phone number you
have (your cell phone, perhaps, if you're on the road a lot) and an e-mail address you
check throughout the day. If you miss a call from a journalist, or receive an e-mail, get
back to him immediately. Don't put it off -- he could be on deadline and have calls in to
your competitors.
9. Not Telling the Truth
There may be worse people to lie to than journalists --
detectives, IRS agents, the guy who's administering your lie detector test -- but not
many. Think about it folks: these men and women are trained to discover the truth. They
know how to do research and how to talk to others in your fields to determine whether or
not you're being truthful. So don't take any chances. Don't even think about inflating
your sales numbers, or making up a story, or pitching something that's mostly BS. Not only
will they figure it out, your attempts to bamboozle them may even make it into the press.
10. Being Sloppy
Typos, bad printing, hideous press kit covers, poorly shot
photos, improperly formatted press releases...these are the signs of an amateur. Amateurs
don't get coverage. Before you send out anything, proof it. Then proof it again. Then give
it to someone else to proof. Then proof it again. |
