Page 250 - Duct Tape Marketing

234 Part IV: Getting the Word Out without Advertising

Getting real with your expectations

The fable about the oil driller who tossed in the towel just feet before reach-
ing liquid gold is a good analogy for what most small businesses term their
failed publicity programs. They send out five, maybe even ten, news releases,
nothing happens, and they quit — disappointed and without a clue of how
close they came to achieving the result they so badly desired.

To generate publicity for your business, commit to a long-haul program and
keep the following in mind:

ߜ Don’t expect instant or even consistent results. Most news releases never
make it into the media. Don’t expect to bat 1.000, or .500, or even .250.

ߜ Tailor your story to individual editorial contacts. Universal news
releases — the same exact releases sent to all media — are less apt to
be picked up than releases that are customized to specific audiences
and news vehicles.

ߜ Don’t try to get news coverage as a perk for your advertising invest-
ments. To obtain news coverage, submit newsworthy information and
avoid anything that smacks of editorial arm-twisting. Your advertising
investment will help your publicity effort only in that it will pave the way
by building awareness, so that when your release arrives, your editorial
contacts will be familiar with your name and brand.

ߜ Don’t peddle hype as news. If the focus of your story is why you think
your product is better than that of a competitor, that’s hype. But if your
story announces a major change of importance to the public, that’s
news. Newsworthy releases announce financial results, special events,
awards given or received, staffing or management changes, reactions to
legal or financial difficulties (see “Dealing with bad news” later in this
chapter), and announcements of new products, technology, or industry
updates.

ߜ Don’t hound the media. Never demand an explanation for why a release
hasn’t run. If you are concerned that your releases are being ignored,
buy an hour or two of a publicist’s time to receive a professional assess-
ment of your efforts and to obtain guidance for presenting your news in
the future. Also see the section on “Establishing media contacts” for
help in establishing editorial relationships.

ߜ Aim for quality — not quantity. Don’t try to get publicity by papering
the world with releases and don’t write releases that are even one sen-
tence longer than they need to be. Send releases only when you have
news of interest to readers or viewers. Keep each release hype-free and
to the point. Follow a standard or electronic news release format (see
the following sections), and get it right in terms of grammar and typing.