There is no such thing as traditional PR anymore, I mean sure I can write up a press release and send to the masses and wait for my phone to ring. Or…I can be proactive, creative and smart about it.
Reporters are inundated with requests hourly, if you can’t be creative with how you reach them, then you will be lost in the shuffle.
Also, as a side note, be realistic with your expectations of your agency. You are not going to be on Good Morning America and would that even drive sales for you? You need to invest time and energy into the sources that will drive readers back to your website to interact with your brand. So, don’t be a dumbass and listen to the PR professional you hired.
Here are my recommendations:
- Create a list. What publications do you want to be in? Have they covered your industry before? Do they have an online presence? If not, it isn’t worth pursuing. The readership will be very limited and it will be much more difficult to determine ROI. Once your list is created, follow the pubs on all social networks and monitor.
- Interact on social media. By retweeting and engaging with the publication, you are getting your brand in front of them. Find the reporter that is the best fit for your industry and develop a digital relationship with them. A lot of bloggers will put out requests for stories or product reviews, if you are paying attention, you can capitalize on it.
- Create a story. In other words, don’t pitch boring. Customize the story you are going to tell to the reporter you are telling it to and only to them. If you pitch the same story over and over, you better be tweaking it for each publication’s writing and coverage style.
I have lots more thoughts on this subject, but these 3 items will start you on the right track in your quest for media coverage. Public relations is an incredibly time intense process, results do not happen overnight, don’t expect it to. Also, Oprah does not give a shit about you.
