Product
publicity is the "secret pathway" to business success
everyone
wants. In simple terms, product
publicity is a kind of
advertising
that costs you nothing, yet brings in the orders for
you.
Regardless
of what kind of business you are operating, you
should
want, and strive for, as much publicity for your business
and
your products or services, as possible.
After all, it's
"free
advertising" that is essential to the growth of your
business. However, your publicity efforts should be
well
thought
out, and pre-planned for maximum results.
The
first, and basic form of obtaining publicity is through what
is
known as the press or news release. This
is generally a one
page
story about your business, your product/service or an
event/happening
related to your business that is about to, or
has
recently occurred. These publicity
stories are generally
"shot-gunned"
to all the various media: local
newspapers, radio
and
TV, and trade publications.
Problem
number one is getting the people to whom you've sent
these
publicity stories, to use them - publish or broadcast
them. And this leads us back to the "right way
" of writing
them
and sending them in.
In
every case, send a short cover letter addressed to the person
you
want your material to be considered by... This means that
you
send your story to the city editor of the newspapers; the
news
directors of the radio and TV stations;
and the managing
editors
of the various trade publications. It
will do you no
good
what-so-ever, to send your material to the advertising,
circulation
or business managers - describing how you're a
long-time
advertiser, subscriber or listener. The
most
important
thing is that you make contact with the person who has
the
final say as to what is to be published or broadcast, and at
the
bottom line - this person's use of your material will
somehow
make him a "hero" to his or her readers, viewers or
listeners.
The
cover letter should be a short note. Go
to a paper supplier
-
tell him you want a hundred or so sheets of good bond paper -
8
1/2 by 11" preferably in a pastel color such as blue or ivory
-
and that you want this paper cut into quarters, giving you a
grand
total fo 400 sheets of note paper.
"From the desk of..."
note
sheets are too elaborate until the people you're contacting
get
to know you - first time around, and until they use your
material,
don't use these semi-formal note sheets...
On
this note sheet, begin with the date across the top - skip a
couple
of spaces and then quickly tell the recipient of the
note:
the attached material is new and should be of real
interest
to his readers, viewers or listeners. We
advise our
dealers
and distributors of MONEY MAKING MAGIC - our regular
publication
for serious wealth builders and extra income seekers
-
to send the following note to the editors and news directors
of
the media in their areas:
"Here's
something that 's new, and for a change, truly helpful,
to
people trying to cope with inflation - the soaring costs of
living
- and those engaged in building extra income businesses
of
their own. Should be of real value -
interest - to your
readers. Please take a look - any questions, or if you
need
more
info, give me a call at: (503)
666-5824..." Then, of
course,
you skip about four spaces, type your name, your
business
name, and your address - sign your name above where
you've
typed it, and staple this note in the upper right hand
corner
of your news release. This note should
be typed and
double-spaced.
So
now, you've got a cover letter, and you know who to send it
to...
We type up one such note, and take it to a near-by
quick-print
shop. They xerox the note 4 times, past
these
4-copies
onto one sheet of paper, print 50 to 100 copies, and
cut
the paper into individual notes, all for less that $10... Do
not
try to save money by photo-copying or xeroxing - a
photo-copy
is a photo-copy is a photo-copy, and will not do the
job
for you...
Now
you need the actual publicity release, which also must be
"properly"
written if you expect it to be used by the media.
Above
all else, there's a proper form or style to use, plus the
fact
that it must be typed, double-spaced, and short - about a
half
page in total length.
About
an inch from the top of the paper, with an inch and a half
margin
on each side of the paper; from the left
hand margin,
type
in all capital letters: PRESS
RELEASE: Then, underline
these
words. Immediately following the colon,
but not in all
capital
letters, put in the date. Always set the
date forward
by
at least one day after the day you intend to mail the release.
On
the same line, but on the right hand side of the page, and in
all
capital letters, write the words, FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
Underline
this, and immediately below, but not in all capital
letters,
type your name - your phone number - and your address...
Skip
a couple of spaces, then in all capital letters - centered
between
the margins - type a story headline, and underline it...
Skip
a couple of spaces, and from the left hand margin, all in
capital
letters, type the words, FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
From
there
on, it's the news or publicity story itself.
You
can write the headline before the story, and then a story to
fit
the headline - or the story before the headline, and then a
headline
to fit the story - either way, it's basically the same
as
writing a space ad or a sales letter... You attract attention
and
interest with the headline and fill in the details with your
story.
Here's
an example of the headlines we use on publicity blurbs
for
MONEY MAKING MAGIC:
HELP
IN MAKING ENDS MEET
NEW
PUBLICATION FOR EXTRA INCOME SEEKERS
Notice
how we continue to sell or involve the editor - His
readers
are always looking for better ways to make ends meet,
and
he's specifically interested as to what our promise
involves...
He wants his readers to "think well" of him for
enlightening
them with this source of help, so he reads into the
story
to find out who, what and how...
Suffice
it to say that your headline, and the story you present
to
the editor, must sell him on the benefits of your product or
service
to his readers. Unless it specifically
does this, he'll
not
use it. You must sell the first person
receiving your
materials. Keep this fact uppermost in your mind as you
write
it. The person you send your press or publicity
release to,
must
quickly see and understand how your product or service will
benefit
his readers - thereby making him a hero to them - and he
must
be assured it will do what you promise in your headline.
Come
right to the point and say your product is lower in price,
more
convenient to use or in what way your product or service is
useful
to the people in general. It's also a
good idea to
include
a complimentary sample of your product or an opportunity
for
him to sample your services.
Remember,
the editors receiving your information are fully aware
of
your purposes - Free Advertising! They are
not in the least
interested
in you or your credentials - If you've sold them on
the
benefits of your business to their readers, and they want
background
details, they'll call you. That's why
you list your
telephone
number and address...
These
people are busy people. They have not
got the time nor
the
interest in reading about your trials and tribulations or
plans
for the future. They want only "a
flag" that alerts them
to
something new and of probable real interest to their readers.
Sell
the editor first. Convince him that
you've found the
better
mousetrap. Show him that your product or
service - that
your
business - fills a need and/or will interest a large
segment
of his readers, his viewers or listeners.
When
an editor uses your publicity release, always follow-up
with
a short thank you note. Never, but never
send a publicity
release
to an editor and then call or write demanding to know
why
he didn't use it, use it as you wrote it, or only gave you a
quick
mention. Do this once, and that
particular media will
"round-file"
any further material received from you, unopened!
If
your first effort is not used, then you should review the
story
itself; perhaps write it from a
different angle; make
sure
you're sending it to the proper person - and try again!
As
stated earlier, these people are busy, with hundreds of
publicity
releases passing across their desks every day - They
only
have so much space or time - therefore, your material has
to
stand out and in some way, fit with the information they -
the
editors - want to pass along to their readers, viewers or
listeners. Regardless of your business, product, or
service,
you
must build your press release - write it - around that
particular
angle or feature that makes it beneficial or interest
to
the readers, viewer or listeners of the media you want to run
your
press release. Without this special
ingredient, you're
lost
before you begin!
The
timing of your press release is always important. Try to
associate
your press release with current events in the news. A
story
on job lay-offs and increased unemployment carried in the
newspapers,
on TV and radio would prompt us to get a publicity
release
out to all the media on the help and opportunity offered
by
MONEY MAKING MAGIC! Say there's a deluge
of chain letters
and
pyramid schemes making the round - the media picks up on it
and
attempts to warn the people to beware... Within 5 days, we
would
get a publicity release out, explaining the availability
of
our report on chain letters and pyramid schemes - a report
that
explains everything from A to Z - who're the winners and
who're
the real losers.
There's
another kind of timing also to keep in mind...
Publication
deadlines... For best results, always try to time it
so
your material reaches the editor in time for the Sunday
paper. This is because that's when the papers have
their
greatest
circulation; the most space is
available; and the
people,
the most time to read the paper.
For
articles you'd like to appear in the Sunday paper, you'll
generally
have to get your release in at least nine days prior
to
the date of publication. If you're in
doubt, call and ask
about
the deadline date.
IN
SUMMARY:
Choose
the media most likely to carry your press release.
Select
those that carry similar write-ups on a regular basis.
Always
use a cover letter of some kind. It pays
to call ahead
to
find out the name of the person you should be sending your
press
release to.
Use
the proper press release form, complete with a headline that
will
interest the man deciding whether or not to use your item.
Be
sure your press release is letter perfect - no typo's or
misspelled
words - and don't photo-copy - always have each
letter
or press release individually typed or printed.
When
your item is used, send a thank you note or call the editor
on
the phone and thank him for using your press release.
Never,
but never call or write an editor demanding to know why
he
didn't use your press release, why he had it rewritten or cut
it
short - just try, and try again!
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