Dispel Those Publicity Myths: Get Your Business the Attention it Deserves

Understanding the Power of the Press

How Publicity and Public Relations Affect Your Marketing Plan

Public Relations Articles

“Your guide to better marketing and advertising.”


Dispel Those Publicity Myths: Get Your Business the Attention it Deserves
by Pam Lontos

Every business needs a cost-effective way to keep their name, their products, or their services in front of their prospects and customers. For many business owners, publicity is the key to such recognition and awareness. When done correctly, publicity develops your name recognition, gives your business instant credibility, and ultimately leads to increased sales. And best of all, publicity is absolutely free.

Publicity can come from anywhere and in many different forms. It can be as simple as having a letter published in the editorial column of your local newspaper, or as dynamic as having a front-page article with your company’s name splashed across the headlines. Unfortunately, because of the many myths that shroud the whole concept of publicity, many business owners fail to seek it out.

Before you can get your business the publicity it deserves, you need to separate the PR facts from the media fiction. Below are the most common publicity myths and the truths behind them.

Myth #1 – I need to own a "big" business to get the media’s attention

While it’s true that big business names are common in magazine and trade journal articles, the fact is that big business makes up only a small percentage of the American economy. Most readers know the big business names, but they often can’t identify with them or their challenges. That’s why many magazines and trade journals are eager to hear the opinions and perspectives from owners of small and medium-sized businesses. So whether you’re a solo entrepreneur, a franchise operator, or a family business owner, find out what the reporters want and then enthusiastically give your slant on the topic.

Myth #2 – My business will be a household name from that one big hit

Getting mentioned in or interviewed by a major national publication with a circulation of over one million readers is certainly impressive. But will such a stroke of luck make your business a household name? Not likely. To become a household name, you need to develop "top of mind awareness." What is top of mind awareness? It’s when people think of you first to fulfill their product or service needs. It’s when publications of all sizes quote you and publish your articles. It’s when customers and prospects say, "I’ve seen your company everywhere." Most important, it’s when people purchase your products or services because they know your company’s name and they perceive you as the marketplace leader. The only way to get top of mind awareness (to become a household name) is through constant exposure in a variety of publications.

Myth #3 – I need to use big words to impress the interviewer

In most cases, the person interviewing you, as well as the publication’s readers, are not as intimate with your industry as you are. Therefore, they need the information you give them to be understandable and at a layperson’s comprehension level. The best approach is to avoid speaking with industry jargon or using techno-terms. Instead, speak as if you were explaining something for the first time. The simpler you can make your information, the better your chances of being quoted as the expert source.

Myth #4 – I need a unique theory or insight

While you don’t want to rehash old news, there’s no need to rack your brain for a totally new theory or perspective. The best approach is to present your findings, opinions, or topic of expertise in a new light – one that may be close to someone else’s, but that catches the reporter or editor’s interest. Perhaps you have information that can refute a recent claim or that shows how a current business challenge is affecting the publication’s target readership. When you simply put a new spin on a current theory or insight that interests the publication’s readers, reporters will want to present your findings.

Myth #5 – I can’t get my business into that publication

It’s common for small and medium-sized business owners to feel intimidated by the big name publications. They envision high-powered magazine editors schmoozing with big company CEOs and lining up interviews with well-known figureheads for the next six months. In reality, editors scramble daily to find people to interview who have knowledge on the latest trends and topics. Realize too that editors must find new and exciting people to interview either weekly or monthly, so the more knowledgeable people they can add to their database, the better. Make yourself stand out as a reliable information source and you will get the media’s attention.

Myth #6 – Small publications don’t matter

Small publications are just as important as the big ones. Why? Because you never know who reads them. You may think that a magazine with only a 10,000-15,000 circulation could never get your business the kind of publicity you want, but what if half of those readers were your target customers? Even better, what if your interview or article in a small publication prompted an editor from a large publication to call you? So target small publications as well as the large ones. As long as your information is interesting and accurate, you will gain more attention and get the publicity you need.

Getting publicity is the best way to promote your business. And when you know the facts of the PR business, you can attain the publicity you need easily and then use it to your best advantage. With a constant stream of good publicity, your business is destined to grow.

Pam Lontos is owner of PR/PR, a public relations firm that specializes in professional speakers and authors. Having been an author, speaker, and former VP of Disney's Shamrock Broadcasting, she knows the ropes of getting good you publicity and how to use it to really boost your sales. Call for a free consultation at (407) 299-6128.

Understanding the Power of the Press
By Sue Furman

I once read an article that said McDonald's was right up there with Santa Claus as having 100% name recognition around the world. Wow! That is impressive. In your business, you need name recognition, too. When people see your name, or the name of your business in the media, it reinforces you as an expert in your field or your product or service as the best in the market.

Marketing promotion is made up of three elements: sales, advertising and public relations. Any one of those three elements can stand alone, but together, they form an image of your company that drives its success.

Sales is self-explanatory. But consider advertising for a moment. If you see an advertisement, whether it's in a newspaper or magazine, you can usually tell it's an advertisement. When you see an advertisement in print, it is usually located in a special section for advertisements, and if it is designed to look like an article (called an advertorial), it actually says "advertisement" at the top of it. We aren't fooled by advertisements; we know exactly what they are and who pays for them.

Public relations is somewhat more complex. Like most business activities, your PR campaign should start out with a plan, most often done by a public relations consultant or media relations specialist. It can involve print and electronic (radio and TV) media, but we will just discuss print for now.

The goal of PR is to get your business story told by writers in publications your audience will read. Editors and writers at magazines and newspapers can selectively choose what they want to write about. Getting them interested in your business is the trick - what is it that you do that will interest their audience?

One of the proven ways to get the media interested in "your" story is by sending a press release. Press releases are sent to newspapers and magazines all the time...but getting yours to stand out usually takes expertise and experience and is best left in the hands of professionals who do that for a living.

When the press releases you send out to the media turn into articles and stories in magazines and newspapers, readers get the impression of a third party endorsement of your person, product or service. Articles do not look like advertisements. They have built in credibility. They project the image that you have portrayed to the author of the article. This image, along with your advertising campaign and sales, will help to create the collective marketing program that will increase revenues and grow your business.

In future issues of this newsletter we will talk about writing news releases and talking to the media. There are many nuances to doing these things correctly, which we will investigate more thoroughly next time.
For now, if you want more information about creating a professional public relations plan, visit www.furmancommunications.com, or call Sue Furman, President of Furman Communications at (610) 278-4060.

How Publicity and Public Relations Affect Your Marketing Plan
By Eileen Hunsicker

In over twenty years I've never heard of a product, service, cause, or issue that wouldn't be able to get plenty of free publicity, or benefit from strategically planned public relations. So, don't spend one second wondering if you have something worthy of publicity. You do.

While working with many business owners developing marketing strategies and plans, I have often observed there is a great deal of confusion between the definitions of publicity and public relations. Publicity is defined as any kind of media or news coverage. It is free and perceived as objective. Public relations is harder to define in concrete terms because it has such an expansive purpose and diverse format. My definition is that public relations is the function of perpetuating an image, through a variety of means, that connect specific sectors of the public with the product (or person) that image is attached to.

Executed properly, public relations leads to valuable publicity and vice versa. Think how a public relations gesture by your business could be a catalyst for publicity. For example, your properly created and strategically placed press release could become a feature article on the front page of your regional newspaper. In fact, public relations activity should almost always be strategized with the publicity component in mind. You just have to find a good angle that the media will flip over. When planning a public relations event, keep in mind the following questions: Who is your target audience? What's the message and purpose of the event? Can I generate media coverage from this event? By keeping the answers to those questions in mind you will easily see how public relations can drive publicity. Also, remember as you plan that a few inches of free publicity in a newspaper or magazine equal (potentially) thousands of dollars in advertising costs in that same publication.

Work hard to develop your overall plan for contacting and staying in touch with targeted members of the media. Develop a media relations campaign. There is enormous benefit to your company to be mentioned in newspaper, magazine, or TV broadcasts viewed by your target audience. Media people want good stories. They are willing to help you in any way if you just help them.

For small businesses, the services of an aggressive public relations firm can level the playing field against much larger competition. But before you start to look for one, make sure that you clearly define your objectives, and consider the pros and cons. Make sure that they like dealing with growth companies, and that they train their younger employees well. Research the cost. Some firms charge a retainer, some based on the interviews that they book for you.

As you move forward, with the publicity and public relations parts of your overall marketing plan clearly defined, always, always keep in mind that there are no guarantees of placement in publicity. There are only effective strategies. With public relations, there is always the benefit of that personal contact with your target audience, and when publicity follows, it's a wonderful gift!

Eileen Hunsicker is a highly respected marketing executive and teacher who has spearheaded award-winning marketing campaigns for several Fortune 250 corporations, non-profits, and many medium and small businesses in the Eastern Montgomery and Bucks County areas. She is the Founder and President of Small Business Marketing Strategies. You can reach her at: ehunsicker@comcast.net.