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
whatsoever,
to send your managerial to the advertising,
circulation,
or business managers - describing how you're a long
term
advertising, subscriber or listener. The
most important
thing
is that you will 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
them you want a hundred or so sheets of good bond paper - A4
size,
preferably in a pastel colour such as blue or ivory - and
that
you want this paper cut into quarters, giving you a grand
total
of 400 sheets of notepaper.
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. If you were promoting business
opportunities, yours
would
read something like this:
"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, call
me
on 12345". 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 where to send it
to. We type up one such note, and take it to a
near-by quick
print
shop. They copy the note 4 times, paste
these 4 copies onto
one
sheet of paper, print 50 to 100 copies, and cut the paper into
individual
notes.
Now
you need the actual written 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 half a
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 - centred
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
one
of our products:
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
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 it 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 in 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 interesting to the
readers,
viewers 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
our product. Say there's a deluge of
chain letters and pyramid
schemes
making the rounds - 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
that
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 have the
most
chance to read the paper.
For
articles you'd like to appear in the Sunday paper, you'll
generally
have to get your releases 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 spelling
mistakes
- and don't photocopy it. Always have
each letter
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 re-written, or cut it
short
- just try, and try again!
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