4th Quarter 2003 Publicity = 1st Quarter 2004 Prosperity

As the year starts to wind down, many businesses and entrepreneurs are making plans and budgets for the year 2004. Those plans could include anything from setting up goals for new products to preparing marketing, sales and PR/publicity campaigns. When it comes to your publicity plan, WHEN you launch your campaign can be just as important to what and how you launch.

HOLIDAY PUBLICITY OPPORTUNITIES

If your product/business lends itself to increased holiday sales, the next few weeks are a perfect time to get a publicity campaign launched - given the right media targets. Many holiday issues are already been laid out for magazines, and many other media outlets are feverishly seeking information/pitches on innovative stories for the holidays. Some media outlets even reorganize or beef up staff around the holidays to allow for an increase in stories on products. Have your publicist help you take advantage of this increased media opportunity. PLANTING

PUBLICITY SEEDS NOW FOR 1ST QUARTER RESULTS

Some business owners may be of the mindset: "I think we'll wait to launch a publicity campaign until after January 1st." The problem is -- if you wait to launch your publicity campaign until the first of the year hoping for a quick media interest blast in January, you may be in for a quiet month. Keep in mind most media outlets have editorial lead-times of a few weeks to 6 months. Also what some entrepreneurs don't realize is this. Because of the increasing number of publicity pitches media outlets receive, anything you send out is subjected to what I call the "media digestion period" - simply put - that is a period of time (sometimes weeks, sometimes months) that it takes media outlets to:

  • see/understand your release and decide if they are interested;

  • find space/time in their editorial calendar to place the article/news story/show segment.

    The potential placement is also directly dependent upon how quickly and efficiently your publicist or PR agency can help the media secure the placement. Media relations is crucial. Your publicist's job is to make the reporter/editor/producer's job as easy and as effortless as possible - which will lead to quicker and more numerous placements for your business.

    When it comes to publicity pitches, the facts are: placement is totally up to the discretion of the particular media outlet; and very few media responses are immediate. I have in fact had media outlets respond even before the media release seemed to settle in the fax machine tray. Conversely, I also had one media outlet that responded 17 months after a pitch. (I had to ask the reporter what the YEAR was on the release!) NO placement is guaranteed, but you can definitely increase the odds. Even if your product/business if a dead-on perfect match for a media outlet's editorial profile, you are not guaranteed placement without some hard work and media relations. That's why timing of your publicity pitch is so critical.

    Have your publicist get your pitch to the media, allow the editorial staff to digest it a bit, and strategically and professionally "rattle the cage" over the next several weeks to generate as many placements as possible.

    What we are trying to do is plant seeds in media outlets' editorial garden so they will bear fruit -- in the form of articles/show placements -- continuously over the next several weeks and months. Like the plant that comes from a seed, publicity placements can also grow roots and lead to other arterial media placements in other media outlets. Given the right tending, the publicity seeds you plant over the next few weeks/months will indeed germinate and you'll reap a wonderful harvest for your business well past the first quarter of next year.

    About The Author

    Todd Brabender is the President of Spread The News Public Relations, Inc. His business specializes in generating media exposure and publicity for innovative products, businesses, experts and inventions. http://www.spreadthenewspr.com / todd@spreadrthenewspr.com / (785) 842-8909

    In The News:

    • pen paper and inkwell


    cat break through


    How About MANAGING Your Own PR?

    It's one thing for a senior manager to approve story... Read More

    Getting Articles Published - Eight Steps for Trade Publications

    Trade publications present an excellent opportunity for organisations to gain... Read More

    When Should You Outsource Your PR Efforts?

    1) Do you NEED solid, consistant media exposure...week after week,... Read More

    Media Relations: When Google Got Googled

    Before meeting my soon-to-be-wife for the first time, I "Googled"... Read More

    Public Relations: Why it Works

    The short answer is, it works best when its fundamental... Read More

    For Financial Planners, Marketing and Publicity Is About You

    For financial planners, getting publicity, in the end, isn't about... Read More

    Yes, There is a PR Sweet Spot

    And here it is: public relations alters individual perception leading... Read More

    A Great Way to Do PR

    As a business, non-profit or association manager trying to get... Read More

    Your Organization: What Role PR?

    As a manager, does your current business, non-profit or association... Read More

    Marketing-Minded Financial Planners: Put Extra Content in an E-Zine

    As you start getting more media-savvy, you'll find yourself coming... Read More

    8 Ways to Use Local Publicity to Drive Your Business

    While scoring anice story in BusinessWeek or USA Today is... Read More

    Using Media and PR to Your Advantage.

    Lights...camera...ACTION.That's what often happens when people think of using media... Read More

    Passion with Purpose - The Winning Combination

    The power of PassionPassion is an extraordinarily powerful spring. Without... Read More

    Publicity Wont Thrive on Press Releases Alone

    Press releases are a useful tool for announcing news and... Read More

    Between Now and Economic Recovery

    There's still time to review your public relations program like... Read More

    Media Contact Lists and How to Build a Fantastic One

    I got the latest issue of Internet Works in the... Read More

    Publicity - How To Get Your Story on Television

    A press release telling about "Stevie, the Water-Skiing Squirrel" will... Read More

    CD ROM Business Cards

    Created properly, an extremely effective marketing tool.It's a great concept,... Read More

    What Determines PR Success?

    As a business, non-profit or association manager, occasions will arise... Read More

    Killer Press Kits - Press Kits That Demand Attention

    So, you've had your book published or you've gone the... Read More

    The Four Seasons of Publicity - Building an All-Year Publicity

    If you're like most publicity seekers, you probably think oneproject... Read More

    Managers Who Leave PR to Others

    You're a business, non-profit or association manager who needs to... Read More

    What Many PR Users Ignore

    Simply that the behaviors of their most important outside audiences... Read More

    How PR Helps Managers Win

    Anything that lets managers achieve their managerial objectives is a... Read More

    How to Generate Free Publicity for Your Product, Service, or Cause

    One of the most misunderstood and most underutilized promotional tools... Read More

    If I Were Coaching You

    If I were coaching you as a business, non-profit or... Read More

    Do You Have A Press Package?

    How do you make a friend of the media? A... Read More

    Post Your Press Release Online ? For Free!!

    Are you launching a new product or website? Announcing a... Read More

    Can Newbies Avoid The Pitfalls?

    Yes indeed! If you are a young person who has... Read More

    Anxious About Your Public Relations?

    Shooting from the hip always creates anxiety.Especially when managers order... Read More

    Take the High Ground With Quality PR

    Quality public relations does something positive for business, non-profit and... Read More

    Writing a Press Release: The Design Basics

    Big corporations like General Motors and Coca-Cola spend thousands of... Read More

    PR: Short Form for Managers

    Experience tells me that too many business, non-profit and association... Read More