Beware Public Relations Scams
Production Companies Try to Trick Unwary Business Owners
It's difficult these days to get a company noticed by the media. So when the telephone rings and a professional-sounding person announces, "I'm from an internet cable news channel, and we'd like to do a half hour interview show about your business," most small business owners pop the champagne and celebrate.
The caller may be part of an ever-widening circle of video marketing firms preying on the desperation of small business owners to get their companies noticed. While companies that produce news videos, marketing videos, and B-roll (background roll, or background video for video press kits) are legitimate, many are using the current difficult economic climate to lure unsuspecting businesses into participating in these so-called news segments. It's only after the marketing manager has raced to the CEO's office, announcing the coup, that she finds out her company has to pay $20,000 or more to be on this so-called program. Many companies do indeed fork over the cash, either because the marketing department is so embarrassed they don't want to admit a mistake or because the company managers legitimately think it's a good promotional idea.
How Press Releases Turn into News Stories
Public relations is a useful and valuable part of small business marketing, and as part of the marketing mix, provides an excellent outlet for companies to share legitimate newsworthy stories with the press, and, in turn, with their customers. In traditional public relations, a marketing manager or marketing communications professional writes a press release and sends it out through the major story distribution services, such as PR Newswire, Business Wire, and similar services. Editors of traditional print media, television, radio and internet sites peruse the wires for leads on hot stories. If they select the press release, they may use it verbatim or contact the company to schedule an interview with an executive about the topic described in the press release. This type of news coverage is marketing gold, and a wonderful way to gain free publicity. Among the many tools used in the marketing plan, it can be one of the most powerful. Customers, potential investors, and even competitors view news stories about a company as trustworthy and non-biased. News stories gained through successful public relations tend to elicit the strongest response among all the tactics in the marketing mix simply because when a story appears as ‘news’, customers believe it. With advertising, most people remain skeptical of the message.
Advertising Masquerading as News
One type of advertising, called an advertorial, can be found among the pages of magazines and newspapers. Written to resemble news stories, companies pay for the advertising space and must place a statement at the top of the page that the information presented is advertising.
The problem with the pay-for-television coverage model is that such programs masquerade as journalism, yet never take off the mask to reveal their true face. News shows seek stories the same way traditional editors do; television editors search the daily wires, listen to readers and reporters, and go by gut instinct. Real television news programs do not ask guests to pay money upfront for coverage. Like getting a press release printed in a newspaper, television programs may ask individuals to be on the show as their guest, but they will not charge the guest to be on the show.
Do Paid Television Programs Work?
Many marketing plans call for television advertising or infomercials to sell products. It seems reasonable that such a paid placement as a paid spot on a television program would work. Yet most of these shows run during timeslots that only insomniacs and mothers of newborns ever see. The shows are often sandwiched among the cheap cookware and odd products infomercials, cheapening the message. Worse still, they may prejudice legitimate journalists from covering your company.
Don’t be fooled the next time the phone rings and someone suggests charging for the privilege of being on their television show. Hold out for a legitimate opportunity. You’ll gain much more in the long run.
Legitimate PR Does Not Require Payment
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