Publicity is a Top Priority for a New Business
Media Publicity Can Even be Free Publicity if You Do it Yourself
Dec 30, 2008
The key difference between advertisement and publicity is that you pay for the advertisement while publicity is ostensibly "unbiased" news about you that appears in the media. Such news has much more credibility than paid sales pitches. Publicity becomes particularly important in crisis management when a company has to protect its reputation. Let's look at how a new business can go about gaining favorable publicity.
Media Publicity
Media like newspapers, magazines, radio and TV are the traditional forums where news about you appears (or where you make yourself visible in other ways). The Web has opened up new avenues for publicity such as discussion forums, blogs and social networking sites. The issue before you is how to create a good image of your business using these media.
Here are various options available to you.
Press Releases
The press is always hungry for information that is of value to their readers. Not all the information comes through reports filed by their field reporters. Much of it comes through press releases that land on the editors' desks.
You take a detailed look at your business, product or service and check what kind of information about it can be of value to a publication's readers. Based on your findings, you write a "pitch" letter to the editor explaining how the readers will benefit from the information.
Next, you write a press release that conveys this information in a convincing and readable manner. You support the information with product data sheets, testimonials from customers, product photographs and even samples if possible.
Finally, you send the whole "kit" along with your business card to a selected press contact. Address the pitch letter personally to the recipient. If you don't receive a reply after a few days, you can phone the person and fix up an appointment. Provide additional materials at the meeting to show how the information will be of value to the publication's readers.
For a local business, publicity in the local newspapers can bring better results.
Talk Shows and Guest Appearances
Radio and TV programs regularly include talk shows and such programs as cooking demonstrations. You can look for programs that are relevant to your product or service and participate in these programs. The emphasis here is to get indirect publicity instead of directly announcing your business as in a press release.
For example, you get introduced as the owner of your business and if you create a good impression at the show, it can carry to your business. You also get to be known among the public and people prefer to buy from "celebrities" rather than some obscure entity.
Here again, you try to convince the program manager that you can make a contribution of value to their audience so that they allow you in.
Seminars and Articles
By speaking at relevant seminars, and writing articles on relevant topics, you can come across as an expert, in addition to getting known. Such perceived expertise can get even more prospects to buy from you.
Creating awareness about your business is a key function at the start of a new business. You can do this through direct and indirect media publicity and participation in events that showcase your expertise. Detailed preparation is necessary however to make these produce desired results.
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