‘How can I deal with the media/press without any money involved?’
Q: I read your column about advertising. I would also like to ask something regarding public relations (PR). I am new in the PR industry and I find it difficult dealing with the media (because our job is to get free publicity). I notice my former classmate (who is in an advertising agency), as she can demand things in the press. I understand that in the field of advertising, it is all about money talk but how can I deal well with the media/press without any money involved?
Last Saturday, we had an event. I invited the media people (TV). I’ve been calling several times for updates but same answers were stated “Call later at___. We still can’t find a reporter to cover your event.” And so, I called again at the given time. Our event started and yet, TV media still had no further updates. I felt so stressed and pressured because I don’t want to look weak in front of my client. At the end of the day, none of them showed up. Please give me advice/tips on how to handle this problem. I don’t want the same situation happening again. I hope you can help me.
PR’s view
For this week, we’ve turned to PR expert Brad Geiser, managing director of PR firm GeiserMaclang Marketing Communications, to give Ms. AV some much needed wisdom and career advice.
Dear Ms A,
You have my sympathies, facing a client in those circumstances is really tough. Let’s see if we can turn this weakness into a strength.
First things first: You have to stop calling it “free publicity.” There are only two kinds of exposure: Earned or Paid.
“Free” implies that there is some kind of charitable cache and that the media doleout is an act of goodwill. This implies that all you need to do is be good buddies with a few journalists to earn good exposure or coverage. However, I think what you are looking for is “Earned” publicity. This kind of publicity is granted because the media see the story as interesting to a wide and influential swath of their audience. This is where your real opportunity lies. Your friend in the ad agency might have the juice to get a story run; but it doesn’t mean they have the ability to get people to read it or be influenced by it.
Newsworthy
Given this, it’s important to make sure that any material you release—from press kits to interview pitches—is newsworthy. You have to ask yourself: Is there anything groundbreaking about your story? Is it introducing a new trend? Is it timely and relevant? Are there any major personalities involved? Is it something that will affect or change how people see things? Oftentimes, if you look hard enough, you can find a kernel of interest. Then it is a matter of how far you will go to pop that kernel into a full-pledged story. If you answered no to all of these questions, or it would take more effort than the story is worth, it’s time to head back to the drawing room and think of another story, another angle to pitch to the media.
Aside from ensuring the newsworthiness of your material, you also have to let the media see you—the PR agency—as a resource. In our case, GeiserMaclang is representing not only some of the region’s number one and two brands; but we’re also humbled to be working with quirky entrepreneurs, artist visionaries and even experts on some of the most unpredictable subjects (believe it or not, we set meetings with worm doctors, city planners, crocodile hunters, financial geniuses, NGOs and national artists all in the same day). As a PR agency, we are a repository of stories—stories about the hottest fashion trends, breakthrough medical technologies and even the most relevant financial forecasts. And we make sure that the media can tap into our client and network base for good-quality content, for good-quality stories.
Media relations
Of course, this doesn’t mean that you don’t have to cultivate good media relations—because you do. But don’t ever make the mistake of just banking on having good PR with the media. Your article might get run or your event might have many attendees; but this doesn’t guarantee that your story will get read; this doesn’t guarantee that you will be able to persuade and influence.
In summary, it’s really about knowing what matters to the media, and no, it’s not the freebies, the giveaways or the junkets; it’s about giving them good stories that they can in turn write about and share to their readers and viewers.
Try using this circumstance as challenge to develop more compelling news. Good luck and hope this helps.
You can contact Brad or his agency directly at (632) 856.4624 or visit www.geisermaclang.com. Keep sending your questions or comments to [email protected] or [email protected]. God bless!
