How to Dazzle the Public with Publicity
How to Dazzle the Public with Publicity
When it comes to promoting your business, there are two stars: advertising and publicity.
More and more, publicity is taking the lead. Online media craves great content, then great content attracts advertising to sustain it.
Which star sparkles brightest in marketing’s celestial atmosphere? When it comes to building a business, the brightest star is publicity. Here’s why publicity dazzles and outshines the rest.
1. Publicity is about getting buzz and press that you do not pay for, including mention in print and online magazines, blogs, newspapers, trade and financial papers. Advertising is not a product of a publicist. A publicist does not place stories requiring advertising. (However, advertising is often attracted to great content.)
2. A Publicist generates non-fee based recognition, which means that you are not asked to exchange advertising dollars for editorial space. The result of publicity is attention, visibility, market share, recognition and branding.
3. Publicity is gained through the hiring and activities of (you guessed it), a publicist. Think that publicists are only for stars? Think again.
4. Publicity is a powerful tool for promoting your business. Therefore, a publicist is most assuredly for business owners. The reason for that is simple. People pay more attention to what others say about you than what you say about yourself. We are social beings, and want to trust our associates.
5. Publicity is the most effective, non-fee based activity a company can pursue. There is no other single activity that can produce such dramatic results, such as an 85% increase in recognition in less than a six month period.
6. A Publicist is adept at establishing core messages and fundamental corporate goals, and introducing them to the media and the public through high interest stories and press releases about products, people, services and benefits. The reason you read your favorite magazine, newspaper, blog or online news site is that you expect to find something there that is of use to you in your life — it educates, informs, is relevant, useful for your needs, astonishes or entertains you. The reason you hire a publicist is to promote your business in a way that fulfills these expectations.
7. A Publicist knows how to format and engage interest through press releases and pitches for highly interesting feature stories that will be written in magazines, news and trade outlets, and written up on blogs and shared through social media. There are rules of engagement, and the press release is bound by the rules of who, what, when, where and why (as in why should I care?); a publicist knows how to craft the release in way that will make it clear why they should care.
8. A Publicist understands the reason and purpose of the press release. Press releases are a precursor to feature stories, because press releases are the vehicles used to build credibility and understanding of who you are, what relevant issues your company brings out, what your company stands for and what products or services you offer that might benefit others.
9. A Publicist understands what makes a story newsworthy. This is called the Rules of Three — what makes a story newsworthy from your perspective, what makes a story newsworthy from the reader’s perspective and what makes a story interesting and newsworthy from the publication’s perspective.
If you want to promote a business, get a publicist. Publicity builds business — it is the brightest star in marketing’s sky.
Leslie McKerns
@strategicprpro
Strategic public relations and brand building specialist – turning startups into brands and bringing brands to new markets.
· http://www.mckernsdevelopmentandpr.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/mckernsdevelopmentandpr
McKerns Development and PR. 264 Cypress Trace, Royal Palm Beach, FL 33411.
561-305-4264
lesliemckerns@mckernsdevelopmentandpr.com
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