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For anyone wanting to build brand awareness, good publicity remains a cornerstone of the wider PR strategy. Your all important digital marketing and messaging will be all the more effective when tied-in with the bigger PR picture – and publicity, online or in good old-fashioned print, gives a third party seal of approval that money can’t buy (and that consumers trust).  So, what’s the secret? How do you get your story published? How do you get on the radio or TV? How do you become the industry expert the media call up for comment?
Well, first of all – you have to be newsworthy. Now that might sound obvious, but you’d be amazed at how often the mark is missed. And the key factor in whether your story gets picked up or spiked is newsworthiness. You have to remember it’s always the journalist’s call – if you want to ‘place’ a story, you need to pay for an advert or promo (they’re running a business too). But if it meets their criteria for being newsworthy, it’s a win win; they deliver relevant content to their readers and you grab trusted coverage. What makes a story newsworthy? Timing It has to be timely. Don’t send old news. Timely story topics are ones that are new or current. It doesn’t have to be ‘breaking news’ but it should offer something new or tie into a current event in order to be considered timely. Interest It has to be interesting. Journalists hate blatant attempts at a free plug. Delete. Your story has to offer something to the audience - so think about its interest and relevancy and big it up. Human interest is a big factor considered by journalists and editors the world over. Stories that are unique, compelling, inspiring, amusing, or otherwise have emotional impact or appeal will climb the news agenda. Proximity When you're looking local, pitching out of area is a waste of everybody’s time. Prominence Famous people get coverage simply by virtue of being well-known. Readers and viewers are interested in celebrity, and because of this interest, famous people are automatically newsworthy. But prominence can work for topics and places too and be a very handy hook. Pitch clever It’s not who you know (although a good contacts book is always a bonus) it’s what you know. Pitching to the right people at the right time is crucial. Magazines deadline months in advance, so don’t send them a story about something happening in 2 weeks’ time and expect to make it into print. Local newspapers are fiercely geographic – if you’re out of area (even just a little) you are not relevant to their audience. If you want to get on radio, you need a confident speaker. If you want to get on TV, you need to pitch a package they can ‘see’ on film. Plan, plan, plan Successful publicity is all in the planning. Get the strategy and the content right and it will fast become an absolutely fundamental part of your PR. Nothing builds awareness like it. Get in touch to see how we can win you media coverage! |