How You Can Utilize the Celebrity PR Angle

February 15, 2012 Leave a Comment

When it comes to PR, business owners and entrepreneurs generally think of the obvious.  An owner of a hair salon will think of stories that have to do with hair care.  On optician will think of stories that have to do with eyewear, a florist will think of stories that have to do with flowers.  That all makes sense, right?  Yep.  And that’s a start, but if you really want to get your story covered in magazines, newspapers and TV segments, you need to be a bit more creative than that.  For example, if you do own a hair salon, come up with the top ten best celebrity hairstyles and explain why, or maybe give the worst celebrity hairstyles.  You don’t have to be the hairstylist who worked on the celebrities, but you can be the one to comment and position yourself as a hairstyling expert.  If you’re an optician, develop a story on why glasses are really jewelry for the face and then come up with a list of celebrities that illustrate why glasses are a beauty item.  If you’re a florist, come up with a pitch based on flower arrangements used at celebrity events, political events, or any event that is featured in the news.  Comment on why the floral arrangements worked or didn’t work and what you would suggest in the future.

The best way to launch a successful media campaign is to give the press options.  You have a story that you want to tell through the media.  Chances are you have one or two main angles or story ideas that you want covered.  Those are where your focus lies, they are you primary objectives.  But don’t stop there.  Broaden your approach.  For good or bad (and I think I know which one it is) we live in a celebrity-based culture.  The media loves celebrity-oriented stories, so brainstorm a bit and see how you can tie your story into a pitch that offers a celebrity angle.  This might be the furthest thing from your mind and that type of story might very well bore you to tears, but don’t let your personal bias, keep you from presenting a story angle that the media will pick up.  Have fun with it.  Think out of the box.

This celebrity-oriented approach can often be the way to prime the pump and get your media relations campaign off the ground.  From there you can broaden into a more comprehensive campaign.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2012

James. “Celebrity News”.  Photo. Celebrity Cheeze. 02 Feb 2012. 15 Feb. 2012. <http://celebritycheeze.com/the-history-of-celebrities/>

Filed under Entertainment, Lifestyle PR Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Why Your Clients’ Stories Define Your PR

February 13, 2012 Leave a Comment

Your best stories are those that show how your product or service helps your clients.  For example, if you’re a physician, your best stories are patient success stories.  A doctor is the expert who can explain how to treat a disease or how a particular procedure works, but it’s his or her patient stories that are going to connect with the media and the public.

It’s the same in any business.  Regardless what your profession is, you have an impact on the lives of others.  And the impact you have on your clients can make for your most compelling stories.  Those are the stories that, in essence, tell your story.  Perhaps you made someone’s life easier by saving her time, money, or stress.  Maybe you helped someone lose weight, feel better, look better.  What are your success stories?  Whether you’re an attorney, a plumber, a life coach or an artist, you have an impact on the lives of others. And the impact you have on your clients can make for your most compelling stories.  Those are the stories that, in essence, tell your story.

Before launching a marketing or public relations campaign, take some time to work on the anecdotal stories which you feel best illustrate what you do, those which most effectively tell your story.   Now match the various anecdotal stories to the appropriate media outlets.  For example, using a medical story again, a story about a ten year old struggling with Autism, would be pitched differently than a story about the latest in bio-identical hormone replacement therapy.  If you’re an author of a how-to book, the stories you’d pick to pitch to Redbook or Ladies Home Journal, would differ from those you’d pitch to Forbes or the Wall Street Journal.

Make a list of clients you have worked with who have interesting, impactful or inspiring stories they can tell.  You want these stories to illustrate how by working with you, their lives were changed or transformed.  Keep in mind; these transformations don’t have to be huge.  You don’t have to save someone’s life for your stories to resonate; your stories could be serious, fun, lighthearted, or practical.  Perhaps you made someone’s life easier by saving her time, money, or stress.  Maybe you helped someone lose weight, feel better, look better.  All of these make for good anecdotes, which in turn can lead to great PR pitches, which can land you media coverage – which in turn can help you land more clients, build your business and grow your business.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2012

Filed under Medical PR Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Making The Right PR and Marketing Choices

February 7, 2012 Leave a Comment

You need to market, that’s a given.  The question should not be if, but how.   Your best choice is to hire a firm or a professional consultant.  If you’re on s shoestring budget, that makes it tougher, but there are still myriad ways to approach it.  Going the do-it-yourself route is one choice, but if you do chose to go this way, you have a big learning curve ahead of you.  For example, let’s say you decide to handle, create and launch your own media relations campaign; to start, you need to learn the hows and whys of putting together a successful campaign.  And you need to know how to define a campaign.

Keep in mind that landing an interview on TV program, or in a magazine, is not media relations.  That is simply one small step.  I’ve had potential clients tell me that they tried PR and it simply didn’t work.  When I asked them to define exactly what they did, they usually explained that they were featured in a magazine or newspaper or TV segment and nothing happened.  When I then asked them how they utilized or maximized that one media placement, I’d generally be met with blank stairs.  In their mind, that one media placement was a PR campaign; it didn’t change their life, so PR didn’t work.  The trouble was, they never really tried a public relations campaign, they simply appeared in a story or two.  Being featured in the media a few times is not a media relations campaign.  It’s a start.  It’s nice.  It can help, but it’s not a campaign, and that’s what public relations firms focus on creating, launching and implementing effective PR campaigns.

This is not to say that you can’t do some initial PR work on your own.  You can, but your goal should be to shift from doing your own marketing to brining on a professional as soon as possible.  Your job is running your business.  Your marketing team should be marketing your business.

Effective media relations is an art and a full-time job. It takes skill, know-how, experience persistence, and contacts. The art of effective PR entails more than writing releases, posting releases on paid wire services, putting together press kits – and praying. If a campaign is launched haphazardly or incorrectly, it’s often best not having been launched at all. The last thing you want to do is alienate the press, which is often what happens when well-meaning but inexperienced individuals try their hands at running their own media campaigns.

So until you can bring a team or a consultant on board, do what you can on your own.  But be selective.  Keep your efforts targeted and focused.  Once you’re ready to hire a PR firm or marketing company, choose wisely.  Choose a firm or individual you’re comparable with.  You need to be able to communicate with you representatives. You also need trusted advisors who will tell you when they feel you’re steering off- base or making a wrong move. If you pick wisely, do your part and work with your PR firm, (to paraphrase Bogie in Casablanca) this could be the start of a successful and profitable relationship.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2012

Filed under Marketing Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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