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Ken!
10 Steps to Unleash Your Lead PR Machine
Copyright © 2006 John Jantsch
PR is a powerful small business marketing tool. By PR, I mean
getting positive press mentions about your firm in local, trade and
national publications.
The reason these mentions are so powerful is because they are seen
to come from unbiased 3rd parties. So, they are more believable.
People are conditioned to think your ad messages are just sales
hype, but when they read about how great you are in the local
business journal, it must be true.
A lot of people think that gaining positive PR is luck. Maybe that's
true to a certain extent, but more than luck, its the result of a
systematic commitment to generating PR.
PR is a funny thing, the more they write about you, the more they'll
write about you. The hardest part is getting the PR machine rolling.
Here's my step by step system for generating positive press
coverage.
Step 1 - Target your media sources, including a growing list of
Internet based media and news resources. Start networking with these
media targets today by requesting editorial calendars, sending
industry information, commenting on stories they write, passing on
surveys and data, inviting them to workshops. Build relationships
before you ask for the order! Tip: Network with the advertising
sales folks at the publications too, they will give you lots of good
information about who does what and where in the course of trying to
sell you an ad.
Step 2 - Create three or four central media themes for the year that
support your core marketing message.
Step 3 - Create a list of ten to twelve minor, but interesting,
marketing related themes for ongoing PR. You need to fill in with
volume while you are working on the front page feature.
Step 4 - Create a PR calendar and assign a PR theme and goal for
each month. Focus on one publication or one writer and you will be
amazed at how much you can accomplish. Remember to target editorial
calendars (Publications will often assign themes to a month. Match
your pitch to their theme.)
Step 5 - Write a fully developed pitch for each of your major themes
- A pitch is a story idea that you can "pitch" to a member of the
media. This is not a press release, but more of a sales job. Wrap
your story idea around a news angle or trend and package the pitch
to interest the readers of a specific publication you are pitching.
You can change and repackage your pitches as needed. These are
reserved for your central media themes.
Step 6 - Formulate one page press releases with catchy headlines for
each of your minor themes. Here's my free press release writing
application.
Step 7 - Once a month, target your core media list and distribute a
press release or pitch for a major theme. Post all press releases on
a national wire service such as PRWeb and send copies of your press
releases to clients and prospects. Don't forget op-eds and letters
to the editor.
Step 8 - Follow-up with your core media list by telephone and offer
some new piece of news or trend angle that you did not include in
your pitch or press release.
Step 9 - Track media coverage in local and trade press, set-up
Google Alerts for a number of key related terms and reprint for
marketing purposes any media coverage received.
Step 10 - Send handwritten thank you notes (or t-shirts) to members
of the media to thank them for an interview or mention.
Are you starting to get a glimpse of how combining advertising, PR
and referrals can build momentum and create marketing energy?
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John Jantsch is a marketing coach, author and creator of the Duct
Tape Marketing System. You can get more information about the Duct
Tape System and download your free copy of “How To Grow Your Small
Business Like Crazy by visiting
http://www.ducttapemarketing.com/