Page 211 - Duct Tape Marketing

Duct Tape Marketing

by potential clients and really help tell how your firm is different. In
addition, it is easy to show how these types of stories can benefit the
readership of a publication without appearing too self-serving.

“Contrary to Popular Belief . . .”
A little-understood PR approach that has worked wonders over

the years is to sit back, view the current landscape, and then find a
way to present a marketing argument that goes against a current fad or
perception.

This strategy can be a great way to win occasional media attention.
Media folks are commonly taught to get both sides of the story. So, if
everyone is preaching the merits of X, they will search high and low
for someone who says Y. The point is, you should look around your
industry for ways to buck trends or start trends and then publish an
article, letter to the editor, blog post, or ad to help differentiate your way
of thinking. Be careful, though; contrariness for contrariness’s sake or
bucking a belief that is so firmly established as to be beyond a trend can
end up making you look foolish.

The PR Toolbox—Creating Sticky Pitch Letters,
Press Releases, and PR Kits

The primary publicity tools in the Duct Tape Marketing PR system
are the pitch letter, the press release, and the publicity kit. Here’s how
to create and format each to put them to work for your business.
(Later on in this chapter I will show you how to use each of the tools
systematically to earn media attention.)

The Pitch Letter
A pitch letter is a very effective way to interest a reporter in your

story idea or present yourself as a perfect guest for a show. The pitch

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