Unlocking the Power of Publicity
Robin D. Cook
Paperback, 5.5x8.5 in, 120 pages
Wheatmark, July 2009
ISBN: 9781604942248
Description
If you run a business or nonprofit organization, you understand how
important it is to make people aware of who you are and what you
do. But in a world where everyone is bombarded with messages
twenty-four/seven, how do you get anybody to notice yours?
Unlocking the Power of Publicity reveals how you can get
the exposure you want. Written by the CEO of a leading public
relations firm, this book provides step-by-step instructions on how
to create a comprehensive publicity plan.
- Build a newsworthy message
- Get reporters interested in what you have to say
- Use social media to communicate directly with your
audience
- Give impressive interviews
- Turn good publicity into great publicity
The people you need to reach are out there, waiting.
Unlocking the Power of Publicity gives you the tools you
need to find them -- and connect with them.
About the Author
Robin D. Cook has distinguished herself as one of the most
effective and innovative marketing professionals in Arizona. With
nearly thirty years of marketing and public relations experience,
her approach to marketing goes beyond traditional methods, with a
strong emphasis on integrity. Her willingness to take risks and her
ability to quickly assess situations have empowered her to lead her
agency, Marketing with a Flair, to national recognition in
marketing, advertising, and public relations.
Excerpt
Progress Begins with Planning
Most people would never attempt to travel across the country
without a roadmap. Few people would try to circle the globe without
having an itinerary or making travel arrangements ahead of time.
Football teams don't take the field without a playbook, and
business owners usually don't start their companies without some
type of mission statement. Most successful endeavors in life begin
with a plan.
If I simply gave you the steps to create a solid message and
showed you how to get in touch with the right media professionals,
you would most likely dive right into it and forget some very
important preparatory steps. I can't blame you. I am certain that
you are chomping at the bit, so to speak, to get your company some
attention in our competitive economy. Still, I want you to maximize
the publicity you are going to receive as a result of the knowledge
you glean from this book, so I am going to make certain that you
have a solid plan at your disposal.
Let me give you a brief overview of where we are going in this
chapter. First, I will give you a few tips up front. Next, we will
talk about the elements you need to consider when you create a
comprehensive publicity plan. We go into detail about these
elements here because you will need to understand them when we talk
in the next chapter about constructing your message. Finally, we
will spend some time discussing the importance of staying proactive
in your publicity efforts. Once you begin to see what publicity can
do for you and your organization, you will want more of it. Taking
simple steps to stay proactive and connected will empower you to
capitalize on media opportunities and avoid media catastrophes. So,
without further delay, let's get right to the tasks at hand.
Simple Tips for Successful Public Relations
I want to share some tips that will help you succeed in your
attempts to draw attention to your business. In the process, I will
talk about some of the classic mistakes that many people make when
venturing into the realm of public relations. Now, don't worry.
Nobody expects you to achieve perfection right out of the gate. You
are allowed to mess up here and there. However, if you can avoid
some common errors, you will be well on your way to achieving the
attention you want. I think you will see right away that these
mistakes are fairly obvious and can be avoided with just a little
forethought.
That said, we won't simply dwell on mistakes. We'll focus on the
positive steps you can take to optimize your publicity efforts. I
present these tips as positive statements so that they can serve as
helpful reminders. They will give you the solution while also
identifying the problem.
Successful Publicity Seekers Plan for
Success
I've already mentioned the importance of planning ahead. This is
important not only for the campaign itself, but also for its
aftermath. If you take steps to get attention for yourself and your
company, you'll need to know what to do with the publicity once you
get it.
Quite often people step into business ventures hoping to achieve
a certain measure of success without developing a plan that will
enable them to manage it once they get it. How often have you seen
the latest hot spot struggle shortly after opening because its
owners didn't have a solid plan to manage the large influx of
people who decided to give their place a try? The owners wanted to
succeed. When they began, they were planning to make money and
hoping people would like the package they put together.
Unfortunately, they weren't prepared to manage the degree of
success they achieved.
Planning ahead for success in the publicity realm means planning
to succeed. It means anticipating that your efforts will actually
work and preparing to field calls when reporters begin to contact
you. I've worked with clients who were surprised by the amount of
attention they received and the speed at which they received it
once we got their stories into the hands of the right media
professionals. If people aren't prepared for the media frenzy that
can surround certain stories, they can become overwhelmed by the
attention. Fortunately, that won't happen to you, because the
information I am giving you will prepare you for what is to
come.
Hear me loud and clear -- plan ahead. Have a statement or
talking points prepared ahead of time to share with people who
contact you for an interview. I will coach you on how to prepare
those messages, but for now, just know that you will need them when
your hard work and effort pay off.
This leads us to the next tip.
