You Finally Landed a Print Interview
5 Tips for Making the Most of It
Getting media exposure means putting yourself out there. It might be chatting live on the air with a radio talk show host, taping an appearance for TV, coming up with posts for social media, or being interviewed by a print journalist.
The first couple times can make you apprehensive, but trust me, that disappears quickly. You realize the interviewers tend to ask the same questions, so there are few surprises. You figure out your best sound bites and the responses that get a nice chuckle, and you polish those up.
No Shock – Talk Radio’s a New Game! Part 1
Article at a glance:
- Why radio interviews have gone from one hour to today’s norm of 7 to 10 minutes.
- How radio stations are rated and what this means to you.
Last week I introduced you to our new Creative Director, Penny Carnathan, an award-winning former newspaper editor who shared tips for getting press coverage in this era of changing media. I got such great feedback, I thought I’d introduce you to some of the other members of our team who can share similar insights about the media.
I’ll start with Alex (“Dro”) Hinojosa, who spent 15 years as a talk radio host, as he’s got some excellent insights into this industry, for those looking to use radio to get their message out. As with newspapers, it’s a new age in the world of talk radio.
The 2011 “How We Learn From Others” PR Awards
Five of the Year’s Best Lessons From the Wild World of The Media
Article Highlights:
- Arnold Schwarzenegger’s head-on diffusion and Anthony Weiner’s denial and implosion.
- Lindsay Lohan’s cry for attention.
- Herman Caine’s affair denial that cost him his campaign and Newt Gingrich’s upfront admission that made the issue a non-starter.
Should auld acquaintance be forgot – and this year, there were a few that some media figures would certainly like to.
Now is the time the media looks back on the most significant stories of the year. Since we work with the media, we like to look back on the most significant stories in terms of PR. As comedian Jeff Foxworthy says, “You can’t fix stupid,” but what we can do is learn from others’ mistakes (and successes) to make better PR choices for ourselves.
Read more on on the year’s five best PR lessons from the wild world of the media. →
Decking the Halls Doesn’t Mean Slowing Down
While Your Competitors Guzzle the Eggnog, You Can Be Getting the Media
And now, the season begins.
In the office, everyone is hanging around the coffee machine longer and enjoying holiday deserts. Outside the office, people are caught up in the holiday parties, shopping, food, family gatherings, and enough reruns of holiday programs that they are replaying the Grinch song in their head. They spend a little more time online surfing eBay for gifts and writing emails to associates hoping to put any real work off until January 2.
Want To Promote Yourself?
The Secret is that it’s NOT all About You
Sometimes the harshest truths are the most important ones.
In public relations, one of the most important truisms revolves around the primary question that the media asks itself as it evaluates the potential stories it may cover: Who really cares?
They ask that question not out of rudeness, but rather out of a genuine desire to serve their audiences. Now, as consumers of the media, we may argue some of their choices of stories (I’m completely mystified with the media’s fascination with the cast of the Jersey Shore, but that’s just me), but we have to remember that the media’s revenue comes from the size and scope of their audiences. If they believe their audience wants to hear about a particular person or story, you can be assured they’ll cover it.
What is a 3-D PR Campaign?
How the Different Elements of Your PR Campaign Work Together
With all the movies coming out in 3-D these days, I started thinking about how a good PR campaign also has its own 3-D elements. Well, really, there are four types of media outlets today – TV, radio, print (offline and online) and social media – so you really need a 4-D strategy (a point I am sure I will be arguing online at some point with a smart-aleck physicist who takes issue with my science).
In PR, unlike movies, 4-D is the only way to go. I mention this because people frequently ask me which of the four media outlets I think is better. I try to explain that each one is effective in its own right, however, as the media feeds off of itself, the most effective PR campaign will include using all elements in a strategy that leverages a 4-dimensional approach.
What Should Your “Promotional Tagline” Be?
Best To Let the Media Determine That
In my role as the head of a PR firm, one of the most common misconceptions I see has to do with the superlatives people choose to describe themselves. Now, I’m not referring to how the media positions someone, but rather how someone seeking PR wants to refer to him or herself.
I once overheard my senior strategist, Tony Panaccio, having a conversation with a client about what their tagline should be. It went something like this: Read more
Social Media is How the Big Boys Play
How Social Media is Changing the Way the Media Markets Itself
You don’t have to tell Kevin Reilly, entertainment president of Fox Broadcasting Company, that social media is a good way to market new shows. He already knows.
At the MIPCOM show, a TV and entertainment conference and market held in Cannes, France every year, Reilly said the network is using social media to build awareness of new shows with tremendous success. Reilly gushed over how social media has made shows hits like Glee and New Girl, almost before they even hit the airwaves.
So, How Many People Am I Going to Reach?
It’s a More Complex Question Than You Think
Irony has a way of sneaking up on you when you least expect it.
One of our clients was at a convention this week, and among his activities, he was hosting a panel on the digital revolution in the entertainment industry. While his credentials in the entertainment business are solid, he has yet to figure out how to operate his new Droid smartphone.
So one of my staff emailed him, pointing out the irony and the client emailed back, “I thought ‘digital’ meant they were going to talk about fingers!”
Going Away for the Holidays? The Media Won’t
Having just gotten through Labor Day, I’m reminded that we’ll soon be closing in on the BIG holiday season. It’s a time when many businesses are closed for several days and business slows to a crawl in most of the country from Thanksgiving right on through New Year’s Day.
However, there is one industry that doesn’t close down. It’s the media and here are some statistics to back that up:
So, What’s The Value of All My PR Efforts, Anyway?
How To Measure The Results of Your PR Campaign
I tend to use this space as a “how to” venue. I like to share my insights on how to get the media excited about you, your message, your products, your services and books. My hope is that the information I offer will enable you to generate media placements for yourself to further your public relations efforts.
However, I’m frequently asked about the value of PR in relation to the business goals it’s designed to enhance. People wonder what will happen if they’re able to achieve a picture-perfect PR campaign and get the media to notice them and generate coverage for them. They wonder if the upside is increased sales, or if it’s in the branding or maybe it’s just the increased exposure for their company or projects or their book.
The short answer is yes, but the long answer is a bit more complicated than that. First thing’s first. When we do a print campaign, for instance, we rate it based on the reach of the publications in traditional print outlets and online outlets. We use two key terms – circulation and visitors per month (VPM) – and while one of those terms is old and the other is new, they are based on the same principle. Read more
Christmas in August?
You Need to Start Now To Be in Your Customers’ Holiday Plans
Oh, the weather outside is frightful
But the shopping’s so delightful
So since we’ve got cash to blow
Let it go, let it go, let it go.
Okay, so I’m no Burt Bacharach, but you get the idea.
The fourth quarter – that holiday spending season between October and December – is still a month and a half away, so I’m sure you’re wondering why I’m riffing on a holiday classic. My point is that the holidays is when consumers and businesses make a disproportionate amount of purchases compared to the rest of the year, but just because they spend the money in Q4 doesn’t mean that’s when they also make the decisions on what to spend it on. Read more
So, You Want to Be The Next Big Talk Show Star?
There Are Two Ways In The Door, Depending On Your Resources
We’ve all said it at least once in our lives.
It usually happens when we’re watching TV and a talk show host is stumbling over their words or simply not being articulate, and we say either out loud or to ourselves, “I could do better than that.”
In my business, I get a lot of people who are of that belief, and many of them genuinely can do better than that. The disconnect is they believe that because they can be good on the air, it automatically means if they hire a PR agency to attract attention, they’ll have their own talk show and be a national celebrity. Read more on so, you want to be the next big talk show star? →
Why Social Media is More Than Just a Numbers Game
About a year ago, the big social networking news was that Ashton Kutcher set a record on the most rapid rise to having more than one million followers on Twitter.
That record, and five dollars, could have bought him a small latte at the Starbucks on Wilshire Boulevard. As I discuss the use of social media with people, too many times I get drawn down that same vortex of talking just about the numbers. And, don’t get me wrong – numbers are important. In social media, numbers equate to people with whom you can communicate directly about your message. In my business, numbers are a paramount concern and that’s why I take pride in the fact that my in-house team (the same team who work the social media network for our clients) has built my profiles to a cumulative 55,000 followers and rising every day. Read more on why social media is more than just a numbers game →
Why Can’t I Just Talk About My Book On The Air? Why Using the Media to Sell Books is a Finesse Play
Unless you’re Oprah, a former president or a major celebrity, there is one question you will likely never be asked by the media when promoting a book.
“So why did you write your book?”
They won’t ask it, not because they don’t know you’re an author nor because they’re being rude. They won’t ask because the media doesn’t exist to help authors sell books. The media exists to create content that informs and entertains its audience, so that their audience stays tuned in. The more audience they have, the more advertising dollars they can charge for their print space and air time. Audiences are what make them money.
This is one of the most common disconnects we usually see with those who are new to the game of PR. Authors expect they can use the media as a venue to talk about their books, while the media is only interested in them for their expertise and the information or entertainment they can offer their audiences. Read more on why you can't just talk about your book on the air →
How Do I Gauge My PR Campaign? Why The Internet Hasn’t Changed The Rules
Recently, I received a question from one of my clients regarding how we track the success of our print and online PR campaigns. In the process of thinking through the question, I realized that the changing landscape of the media (due to the fast face of technology) really hasn’t changed the way we look at these kinds of campaigns.
Since time immemorial, the only way to actually gauge the success of a print PR campaign was to indicate where placements were made and then list the circulation of that print outlet. For instance, if the Tampa Tribune ran your story on a weekday, the print circulation would be in the 150,000 range. On a Sunday, it would jump to 225,000. Now, that’s not to say, nor has it ever been intended to say, that 225,000 people read your article. It simply rated the size of the news outlet that carried the piece. Read more on how to gauge your PR campaign →
Is the TV Commercial Dying? Why What Happens Between the Commercials Has Become Even More Important
My Senior Campaign Manager, Tony Panaccio, wrote a great piece the other day about the state of TV advertising and I thought it was so interesting I wanted to share it with you.
Maybe it’s me, but I read something the other day that made me wonder if I’m the only one who doesn’t see the logic here.
The Nielsen Company tracks the audience viewership of TV programs so that programmers and advertisers can get a handle on how many people are watching certain shows. Programmers take that data and figure out how much they’ll charge to advertise on their shows. Of course, they pay attention to key demographics and more granular statistics, but at the end of the day, this is the data that helps them figure out that they’re going to charge $3 million per minute to advertise on The Super Bowl broadcast and $1 – $3.80 per minute on reruns of the recent reboot of Hawaii Five-0. Read more on is the TV commercial dying →
Are You Losing Faith in Your Book? Maybe the Problem Is Your PR
You’ve done all that you know how to do, but it still seems like the only one interested in your book is you.
Okay, maybe some friends and family have offered their support, but they’re supposed to do that. Your real problem is that you’ve done all you know how to do, but you still can’t seem to generate any buzz. You’ve sent out press releases, you’ve blogged, you’ve tweeted, you’ve called the media and you’ve sent out books to reviewers, but the response has been underwhelming.
I’ve seen this happen to authors trying to publicize their books and I can see why some people would begin to lose faith in their books and their messages. But, my point to you is you shouldn’t lose faith in the things that drive your passion. Maybe the problem isn’t your book; maybe it’s your approach to PR. Here are just a few of the common pitfalls I’ve seen: Read more on losing faith in your book →
Marketing Expert and Author, Al Ries, Shares His Insights on Positioning, PR & More–Part 1
Over the 2010 holidays, I had the privilege to interview Al Ries, who is an international marketing expert and author of 12 books on marketing, advertising and PR (The 22-Immutable Laws of Marketing, Positioning, The 22-Immutable Laws of Branding, Marketing Warfare, The Fall of Advertising & The Rise of PR, War in the Boardroom, among others). Al is also an internationally renowned speaker and consultant to many of the mega brands and corporations.
In this interview, Al shared many insights that I am excited to share with all of you. I separated the interview into three parts and below we start with part 1. If you wish to read parts two or three, click on the following links:
Why Your Promotional Message Is Not Your PR Angle
Whether you’re promoting a company, book, product or service, the goal is to get your message out so people will decide to buy whatever it is you’re selling. Promotion often revolves around your key market differentiators – the things about you that make you different and better than your competition.
However, when it comes to your PR campaign, the press isn’t interested in your market differentiators or whatever it is you’re selling.
Their position is that they don’t exist to provide coverage to help you sell or to make money at all. The press corps in broadcast, online and print exists to inform and entertain their audiences so THEY can sell advertising and make money. Read more on why your promotional message is not your PR angle →
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