BEST PRACTICES FOR MARKETING
Invite the Media to Tell Your Story
by Vickie L. Milazzo, RN, MSN, JD
People often ask me how I managed to get a major newspaper like The New York Times to write my story. My response is, "Nineteen years of growing a successful business." You have to lay the groundwork before you can expect national media attention. The heavy hitters won't call you until your name is well known in your industry.
It took me 19 years to build the kind of professional presence that would attract the interest of a national media outlet like The New York Times. But you don't have to wait that long to see your name in print. You can start right now enticing local and regional media to tell your CLNC® story. Unlike advertising and many other forms of marketing, you don't pay for this type of publicity. It comes from the media free of charge, but in turn requires more effort than advertising.
Media relations is also riskier than paid advertising. When you pay for an ad, the publication is committed to running your ad just as you designed it. The same is not true for media relations. There are no guarantees that just because you gave an interview the media will include a story about your company and, more importantly, that the story will say exactly what you want it to say. You have no control over who else they might interview or how they'll slant the story. Don't expect to see, much less approve, a copy of your story before it runs.
However, when a positive article about your CLNC® business does run in the media, you get a big pay-off. The public perceives a news story as far more credible than any advertisement. A published article or broadcast news item is accepted as a media endorsement of your company. Also, even though the story might not match your expectations exactly, you can still benefit tremendously.
Vanquish 3 Myths
Before beginning a media relations effort, you'll need to overcome the myths about media relations that could prevent you from creating an effective campaign.
Myth #1 – The media will discover me. False. You have to help them along. You must boldly and unabashedly offer the media a relevant, valuable, fascinating story about your CLNC® business. Many of the stories published or broadcast about companies come directly from the companies themselves. The media needs and appreciates story ideas, but they're not likely to come up with an idea about your company unless you give it to them.
Myth #2 – The media would never be interested in me. Not necessarily. Even a small company can grab the media's interest. You can, too, by carefully developing the story of your CLNC® business to speak directly to the media outlet's audience. Think about how your unique experience on a specific case can be interesting and helpful to that audience. Look for ways the story of your success can educate or inspire others.
Myth #3 – I could never speak persuasively to the media. Of course you can. Calling on the media is no more difficult than calling on any new attorney-prospect. All it takes is preparation. Make notes before you make contact, practice what you want to say and be ready to catch a reporter's interest in the first 15 seconds.
With preparation and diligence, you will overcome almost all media relations challenges.
Implement 11 Media Relations Strategies
Any public relations activity must be designed to answer one simple question: What's in it for the reader, viewer or listener? The media marketplace you're trying to reach must gain an important benefit – either information, education or entertainment – from what you have to share with them, or your story has no value in that marketplace.
Think about your target audience. What do they read? What radio stations would they listen to? Consider local community and daily newspapers, weekly business journals, legal journals, business radio programs and other outlets of interest to your target audience. Those media will be the focus of your public relations strategy – don't waste your time with others.
Get to know your target media. Before you can successfully "sell" your story to the media, you must be familiar with the types of stories they want. Read the publications and listen to the radio programs you've targeted. You'll need to adapt your story to fit the style and tone of each outlet.
Develop your story. Think about what would make your CLNC® business interesting to each outlet's audience. Can you share business lessons you've learned? Do you have a great success story? Were you involved with a highly publicized case that you have permission to discuss? Does something in your personal background make your success as a CLNC® unique or inspiring?
Look for connecting story ideas. The media thrive on a variety of unusual stories. Not every successful PR effort will focus directly on your CLNC® business. Most of you know that my husband Tom works for the Vickie Milazzo Institute. When my public relations agent pitched a story to Entrepreneur magazine about women who employ their husbands, the Entrepreneur editor liked it and ran with it. We've pitched stories about everything from what our company does to why we're unique in building employee relationships.
Some of your most successful story ideas will come from linking what you know and do to current events. A perfect example is mad cow disease. It's all over the news. Yet medical errors in hospitals, according to a 1999 study by the National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine, kill 268 patients every day. Don't you think an editor might be interested to know how those figures stack up against the death toll from mad cow? Write a letter to the editor with these valid statistics and you'll get attention. Then you can segue into how Certified Legal Nurse ConsultantsCM provide important input on the issue of medical-related deaths.
Don't forget the "R" in media relations. Identify and get to know the individual reporters or editors who are most likely to be interested in your stories (i.e., reporters who cover small businesses, entrepreneurs, woman-owned businesses, healthcare issues or the legal field). Again, it's important to be completely familiar with your target media, to understand the types of stories each reporter seeks. It's also important to develop these contacts before you need them. Or as business whiz Harvey MacKay says, "Dig your well before you're thirsty." Develop your media relationships now.
Create a "media pitch list" and a strategy for reaching the people on that list. Effective ways to contact a reporter include calling, emailing, sending a letter, faxing a news release and mailing a press kit. Find out how and when your targets prefer to receive pitches, and include that information, along with all pertinent contact information and relevant deadlines, on your media pitch list.
Refine your pitch. Find an objective person (or several) to read your news release or listen to your pitch and ask them for feedback. If your friends don't find your story interesting, the media definitely won't. Keep refining your pitch until you've got something that truly piques interest.
Proceed confidently. You are a successful businessperson with a unique story to tell. Create an interesting angle, an angle that showcases how your story benefits readers, viewers or listeners of your chosen media outlet, and reporters will respond enthusiastically.
Avoid arrogance anytime you're dealing with the media – this will definitely lessen your chances for winning coverage. Present honest, thoughtful and compelling information, and reporters will value your contribution. The media needs you as much as you need them.
Follow up. If you don't hear back from a reporter after your initial contact, wait three to five days and follow up with a brief phone call. Reporters are often inundated with story ideas, and a quick reminder call will bring your story back onto the radar screen. Be respectful of the reporter's time and don't push.
Keep working at it. Like prospecting for clients, securing a story with the media can be challenging and may require contacting several different reporters before you find the right fit. Don't be discouraged by a "not interested" response. You will find the right person, and your media relations efforts will reap big rewards.
Express your gratitude. After your story runs, call or drop a note to the editor to say "thank you" and to report on the response to your story. You'll be surprised and thrilled to see how much interest a story in the media can generate. By sharing these positive results with the editor, you credit her insightfulness in using your story. Everybody appreciates acknowledgement.
Research Media Opportunities Today for Future Coverage
Your media relations plan should be an active, growing part of your overall business plan. Once a publication has run your story, don't expect the editor to be interested again until some time has passed, probably a year or more. Meanwhile, use the following free resources to target other outlets for future coverage.
Search for articles related to your type of story on Google™, Yahoo®, MSN and other sites that compile news stories. This will help you identify reporters who cover similar topics.
Watch publications closely, both online and off. If you see relevant articles contributed by a freelance reporter, that person probably writes frequently on your industry (health, legal) for various publications. Contact the publication and find out how to reach the freelancer.
Contact media trade associations for information on reporters and freelancers specializing in your industry area. For example, The Society of American Business Editors and Writers (www.sabew.org) will provide information if you submit your request in writing.
PublicityInsider.com is a good general PR resource with a list of useful publicity links. You can sign up for free emails with PR tips. They also have a paid ezine that provides much more of this type of information.
With the above resources, you'll invest a lot of time finding what you need. If you're serious about using media relations to promote your business, you might consider investing in paid subscriptions to services that identify specific reporters and their topics. Subscriptions usually range from $200 to $500 annually for individuals (more for larger organizations).
ProfNet, run by PR Newswire, is a compilation of queries from reporters looking for resources in all different sectors. ProfNet emails groups of these queries to subscribers several times a day. When you see a query for which you can be a resource, pitch the reporter directly using the contact information provided.
MediaMap provides a similar service called SourceNet.
Bulldog Reporter produces several publications useful for learning what reporters are covering. Their media placement newsletter, Bulldog Reporter, provides good information about individual reporters covering all industries and includes what they're working on, how to reach them and pitching tips. They also publish The National PR Pitch Book, a huge compilation of media contacts, along with reporters' beats and pitching tips.
Any media exposure is a learning experience. Bring your CLNC® business into the spotlight by making a concerted effort to attract local and regional media. Learn by developing relationships with smaller publications, so that you're ready to speak out confidently when USA Today® and The New York Times come calling.
Vickie L. Milazzo, RN, MSN, JD is the founder and president of the Vickie Milazzo Institute in Houston. She pioneered legal nurse consulting in 1982.
