SIX P.R. SUCCESS TIPS

When launching a public relations or publicity campaign, you want to highlight your company, product or service, but to be successful you need to go a few steps further. You want to educate, to enlighten and you want to entertain. It’s important to realize how important it is to meet those objectives.  Many business owners mistakenly think of media relations as fluff and hype.  Granted that type of PR does exist, but the glitter and flash isn’t what makes for an effective campaign. What makes PR and media relations effective is that it tells a story, educates, entertains, enlightens and it gives the public information on a particular topic or field that they otherwise wouldn’t have access to. So, how can you create a media pitch that meets those requirements?  To start, study these tips:

1. Study the various media outlets.  You’re going to succeed by learning how the media thinks, not by assuming you think they know what they want.  Put yourself in the place of the editor or producer that you’re pitching.  Rethink your presentation with an eye at how you could fit a story on your business, product, or talent into the format of that media outlet.  What story would work?  What would the focus be?
2.  Broaden the way that you view your business.  Don’t just pitch the obvious, look for various hooks and stories, including human interest stories, business-based stories, etc.  For example when we worked with a Hyperbaric Oxygen Center, we made sure to broaden our approach so the pitches were media appropriate.   We pitched it as a medical story and placed them in the L.A. Times, pitched it as a beauty-oriented story and placed it in W magazine, and other women’s publications.
3.  Press conference, events.  Events and press conferences can be helpful if used judiciously.  But you have to be realistic and have a really strong hook.  If it works, it can help take a campaign to the next level, but keep in mind that it takes quite a bit to get the media to an event or a press conference.  Make sure you’re offering a compelling reason for the media to show up.   Also, if a big story hits on that day you’re in trouble, so always be aware of that fact.
4.  Write a book.  I know, easier said than done. But a book makes for a great media calling card.  He helps present you as an expert in your field
5. Tie your story to a story that is being covered in the news.  Look for current events or news stories that are being covered in the media.  Now see if you can find an angle that you can use to tie your story to the larger story.  For example, when I was doing PR on my book Spin to Win, I would scan the news to see if there were any stories of celebrities or companies that were having media or PR issues.  I’d then pitch a story on how said celebrity or company could best handle their image problem.
6. Find the editorial calendars for publications and pitch them stories that fit in with stories their planning.  Most every publication uses an editorial calendar.  Study them and see what stories they’re working on that you can tie your pitch to.  It makes it an easier pitch if you already know they’re working on a particular topic.

These are a few tips to get you going.  Remember you want to pitch towards the media’s needs.  Do that and you’ll meet your needs.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2012

Whaling, Heather. “How to Take Your PR Pitches to the Next Level.” Photo. Mashable. 03 Mar 2012. 15 Aug 2012. <http://mashable.com/2012/03/03/better-social-media-pitches>