Marketing - Publicity
Publicity for Every Business

Publicity for Every Business

There's Always A Publicity Angle!
When I went into the book business, it was a no-brainer to spend a lot of effort getting publicity--every other publisher was doing it. But I made a big mistake not seeking publicity for all the other tiny businesses that I had previously operated.

No matter what business you are in, there is a publicity angle that you can capitalize on! For example, let's say that you sell life insurance in a small town-how can you possibly get publicity? Well, you could offer to write an article for the local paper helping people determine what level of insurance coverage is appropriate for their situation.

One of the great values of publicity, especially print publicity, is that you can save a copy of the article and show it again and again to current and prospective customers.

Target Your Publicity!
How can you get publicity? Look for the media that your customers use and that might be interested in your story. For example, for a local service business it'll be easier to get publicity in your local newspaper than in the major metro paper--and you'll reach the same people you want to, anyway.

Develop a story angle that might appeal to each media outlet. For example, if you are pitching your restaurant to a TV station, offer to demonstrate your cooking.

Get a list of contacts-the appropriate editor at newspapers and magazines or the specific show producer at radio and TV shows. Mail a one-page pitch letter explaining why your story will interest their audience, perhaps also including a press release, photos, or a video. Follow up with a phone call-then get ready to meet the press!

The Big Media Isn't Always The Best!
Develop a strategy for getting publicity. Even if you do your own publicity, it does cost time and energy.

Target the media that is most likely to benefit your business--not necessarily the most prestigious media. Back in 1981, I first published a job-hunting book called The New York JobBank. The New York Times ran a wonderful feature story, and I even appeared on NBC's Today show and was featured in People Magazine. But the publicity that sold the most books by far was a very short article that appeared in the relatively downscale New York Post.

For many product firms the best place to get publicity is going to be in a trade publication; for many local service firms, the best place to get publicity is going to be the local newspaper.

How Publicity Helped Build IBM
Always be ready to talk to the media.

In 1955 Time Magazine assigned a staff writer, Virginia Bennett, to write an article about office automation in America. She first visited Remington Rand, famous at the time for its UNIVAC computer. But its executives weren't available for interviews. On the way back she passed a window display of computers at another firm and tried to get an interview there. At this company the founder was an absolute stickler on how the public--and especially the media--should be treated at the door. Within minutes Bennett was interviewing a very forthcoming Tom Watson, Jr., CEO of IBM. A major cover story followed, equating IBM's products with the advance of civilization. In his autobiography, Watson portrays this publicity coup as a major turning point in his battle to overtake Remington Rand and to clinch the lead in the race to computerize corporate America.

"NO COMMENT" IS NO GOOD!
How do you respond to the media during a crisis?

It's really tempting to say, "Call me back later." Or simply not return calls. But this is the worst approach. When the media reports that you did not return phone calls, it appears to many people--rightly or wrongly--that everything the media says is true and that there are no good explanations.

Another approach is to downplay the actual seriousness of a problem-also a big mistake. Intel tried to downplay what truly was an obscure error on one of its microprocessor chips. Nonetheless, the media had a field day.

On the other hand, the classic success story in handling a media crisis occurred during the Tylenol scare. The executives in this situation were very up-front and highly accessible, and they quickly developed and unveiled a massive corrective action plan.