Originally published in Western Massachusetts Homebuilder Magazine

Ever read an article about your competition’s new products? Your name’s nowhere in sight, is it? "I wish I could afford a press agent" you sigh deeply. Meanwhile, your competitor’s laughing at you. He’s getting sales leads from that publicity, while it cost him next to nothing!

Publicity is a must for every company’s marketing plan. But publicity doesn’t just happen. You can’t just scribble down a few stray thoughts and mail it to your favorite magazine, never to be thought of again. Public relations must be approached with the respect you give product engineering or quality control. Here’s how to make the most of it:

1. Start with an idea. You can describe your latest product update, introduce your most recent hire, or announce your new locale. Choose subjects by the audience you’re addressing. Trade publications will have you talking to largely industrial audiences, while consumers will be reading the community newspaper.
2. Know where to send it. Knowing your audience and message is only the first part of the challenge. Many would-be publicists just send their story to the local newspaper. While the editors probably appreciate hearing about everything in the region, this dependence on one communications vehicle causes a bottleneck, delaying or even eliminating your message from publication. Meanwhile, other media (radio, cable, business and trade magazines) are ignored. Bottom line? Casting a wider net of media contacts will improve your chances of getting free press.
   
   Take a moment to think how you learn about things. Determine which media you want to tell your story, and make some phone calls. Get the editor’s name to whom you should send press releases. Confirm the mailing address. Make a list with editors’ names (spelled correctly!), organizations, and phone numbers, and keep the list handy.
3. Understand your objective. Do you want a quick mention or something thorough? If you have an easy story to tell (an employee is promoted or you had a banner year), write a one-pager that contains the critical details, a contact and a phone number for additional information.
4. Go for the right story. If your new widget will revolutionize the industry, you’ll want an in-depth report to trumpet it to the world. Pick one publication you dream about having a feature article about this wonderful invention in. Call the editor and ask if they’d be interested in this story. Perhaps there’s a special issue planned that will make a good tie-in. If the editor asks for an exclusive story about your widget, consider giving it to him - especially if you haven’t generated much interest from other publications. If you agree to the exclusive, don’t give the story to anyone else!
   
   And don’t be afraid to ask questions. What length article do they want? Will they publish photographs of the widget if you provide them? Will they write the article, or should you? If you’re writing the piece, do they prefer it on-line or on computer disk? If the latter, which format? Naturally, if you send it on disk, send along a hard copy (double-spaced) as a courtesy and to minimize problems in case your disk doesn’t read properly.
   
   Your most important question: “What is the deadline for materials I’m submitting?” This date is carved in concrete! Miss it, and you’ve done a lot of work for nothing, as well as losing credibility for future press opportunities.
5. Speak to two audiences. Most would-be publicists forget they must satisfy an editor before they reach any readers. Editors are the guardians of the information portals. They look at two things in the thousands of press releases crossing their desk:
   
   • Is the story timely?
   • Is it well written?
   This means honestly assessing how well you write. Ask someone who speaks well and whose opinion you respect to critique your grammar, spelling, and ability to tell a tale that holds your audience’s attention. If your writing isn’t up to snuff, consider hiring someone to write the story for you. Western Massachusetts has a wealth of writing talent suited to creating press releases and feature articles at reasonable rates. Since readers tend to give more credence to editorial coverage than to advertisements, it’ll be a good investment.
   
   Providing materials to an editor accomplishes several goals:
   
   1. The work is done at no cost to the editor, making you an asset and eliminating stress from his life.
   2. You control the angle the story is written from. Names will be spelled correctly.
   3. You are now an expert in this editor’s eyes. Should he or others need future materials on similar subjects, you’ll be thought of first.
6. Follow-up. Whether you have a one-page product overview or a comprehensive corporate profile, call all editorial contacts a week after you mail them material. This ensures your envelope arrived, got to the right person, and is acted upon in a timely manner. Just don’t be pushy. If they say it’s been filed for future use, they don’t (necessarily) mean the circular file. Many news organizations save press releases that are not time-sensitive for slow periods, using them as filler. It is not at all uncommon for press releases to appear in print months after being submitted to a publication.
7. Plan a press campaign. Publicity shouldn’t be your entire marketing program. If you think "if George writes this article, I’ll be all set" and George doesn’t write it (or delays publication six months) then you’re in trouble. It is wiser to plan a complete marketing program, seeing free press as just one piece of it.
   
   Most importantly, don’t think one press release is the answer to all your marketing woes. Publicity, like all other marketing applications, should be planned with a regular schedule in mind. Monthly press releases ensure your organization’s name will pop up regularly over time, providing a steady flow of business leads and giving you the appearance of an industry leader.