Even When it Works; There’s More Work

Let’s suppose an article has the exact effect that you’re hoping for. The phones are
ringing day and night. Both your business and your bank account are flourishing. Success! Now you can forget about that story and move on. No. No. No. Whether the article elicits a negligible response or a huge response, you still need to work it. This is where most people fail to understand the process. Because their short-term goals were met, they stop in mid process and neglect their long-term goals.

My first public relations firm specialized in representing clients in the entertainment field. We were once retained by a young actress who perfectly illustrated this point. She had been a regular in a prime time TV series. The series had been canceled, and she wanted to do more film work. During the time that the series was on TV, she had received a mountain of press, including stories in People, The Los Angeles Times and Entertainment Tonight, but when I asked to see copies or video of some of her media, she just stared at me. She hadn’t kept any. While she had been on the series, the media exposure had accomplished its short term work, keeping her in the public eye, and that’s all she had been concerned with. She never looked at her long term goals. The media coverage she had received was worth its weight in gold, but she didn’t see it. You don’t need to be in the entertainment industry to learn from her mistake. When it comes to launching an effective, ongoing public relations campaign, you not only need to see the forest but the trees, grass, and bushes, as well as all the furry animals along the way.