Do You Know What is Missing From Your Public Relations Plan?
Marsha Friedman, Managing Director of EMSI, a national public relations firm says "From my experience it seems that the missing thing in many people's pr plan is positioning. If you perfectly position your product you will maximize your media exposure and media opportunities." Friedman continues, "So what is positioning? It is simply the art of presenting your book, product or service to the media in such a way as to convey an immediate interest and understanding of the subject. This will position your topic next to other hot and similar news stories!which will really help people have a quick and simple understanding of your topic. Even though positioning has been around for years, it is still an elusive fact for many people looking to promote their book, product or service. When it comes to writing a release to attract media attention - radio, television, and print - the rules of press release writing need to be!well!.rewritten.
Marsha Friedman adds, "A creative and well thought out presentation of your product to the media is an absolute must! The competition will always grow exponentially, so you need to get aggressive. Positioning is the missing link to your promotion that will really help you add lots of media successes to your public relations initiative." Let's let Marsha Friedman share some tips that her firm uses to position her clients at EMSI:
1. Make sure that the materials you will be supplying the media with will present a good, clear communication of your message and it's relevance in today's world.
2. Really look at what you are actually promoting and find the "hot" pieces of information that really put it in front of the pack. Find out what is ground breaking about it.
3. Take a close look at the media and see how other items like yours are being handled and portrayed. Are they being treated well? Ignored?
4. Then start writing your press release! Make sure that you get all of these "pearls" of wisdom down on a two page (maximum) release and slap an eye-catching headline at the top. The audience of your press release is a very inundated producer, so make it eye catching!
5. Be plain and obvious. If you the producer or editor has to really think hard to decipher your message, they will pass over you. Give them an instant concept!
6. Personalize the press release for each of the mediums that you are pitching to. Everyone is looking for something different, so know the formats and pitch accordingly.
7. Always include those special features about yourself (or your spokesperson) that make you an authority on the topic; why you would make a good guest (and not put the audience to sleep) and what questions could be asked during the interview.
8. Radio releases can be "salesy", although they should give all of the information a host will need to do the show - a clear concept of the show topic, background data on the subject, sample questions and a separate page for your bio.
Marsha Friedman adds, "So there you go, some tips to really get your press release in order. But don't forget that without a relentless phone follow up campaign you may not be able to reap the fruits of your labor. You should realize that these are busy, busy, busy people. So many times your release will not even pass their eyes. If you want to get your press release noticed, you will need to call them to follow up. This will definitely put you heads and shoulders ahead of the pack."
If you would like to learn more about gaining national or local media attention for your company, product or service, without the financial burden of monthly retainers, Marsha is here to help . Feel free to contact her directly at mfriedman@emsincorporated.com or visit her firm online at http://www.emsincorporated.com. As a PR expert Friedman has the ability to get the media attention that you desire without breaking your budget with costly monthly retainers .
Marsha Friedman has been a leading authority on public relations for nearly two decades as CEO of Event Management Services, Inc (EMSI). If you would like to receive her free Ebook "How to Be a Great Talk Radio Guest" visit http://www.emsincorporated.com.
Published April 10th, 2008
Filed in Advertising, Marketing