Valley PR Blog

The Oprah ‘miracle’ is not reality

By Charlotte Risch on March 31st, 2007 In Advice

I am an indie. I don’t work at a big PR firm and I don’t work with multi-million dollar ad budgets. I help the small business owner. I have decided that is my niche and I like it because I can relate to it. I want to help them see the reality of getting on Good Morning Arizona or reading their name and event listed in the community paper. I want to nurture their business as it grows with their marketing plans. So with that being said, with the little biz, comes the little budget…but many times a BIG dream. OPRAH.
When it comes to an effective PR plan…its a marathon, not a sprint. Any client who thinks one segment on Sonoran Living or one mention in the local paper will keep their sales up is in trouble. But because of the “Oprah Miracle” (My term to describe how everything she mentions or gives away turns to gold for that business.) I have to deal with the perceptions of some people who pay me very little, but say they want to be on Oprah. Or Good Morning America. or even if they are centered enough to know that their first steps may just be getting in the Business Buzz section of the Republic, they expect business to go off the charts and continue like that.

Let me guess..now you are thinking “But are you explaining what PR is to them and setting up realistic expectations?” Yes, I am trying. But, I am also learning. I started my business from a very good understanding of what happens in a newsroom and from promoting the interesting stories as a promotion producer. I know it, because I was on the other side. I know what producers scoff at and toss into the trash. As I have grown in the past year from working in PR I have made mistakes, though too. Probably a lot like my clients in their attempts to grow. And I will continue to improve my business and relationships with my clients…but right now I am really annoyed with the Media Goddess, Oprah…I need to go find my copy of The Secret and simmer down.

Comments

Yoo sound frustrated. Yes, many of us have heard of the BIG KILL that every small client wants, that could happen–but not on their piddly budget.

You should take a day off this week just to read a good book. uninterrupted, no email, no phone.
Try it–it will make you smile.

oops, I hit SUBMIT too fast. It’s “you” not yoo.

As a former Oprah employee and marketing professional, I’d like to add my two cents to this conversation. You do not “miraculously” get to be on the Show unless you really appear ready. And that means… your company is clean with no faulty background… your brand story is compelling… your customer service would be ready to handle hundreds of calls in hours… your website can handle millions of hits in minutes… you would be able to deliver a quality product on-time… because if you can’t then you’ve also destroyed this golden opportunity and created a lot of bad word-of-mouth for your company.

Could you tell I was frustrated when I wrote that entry?? To a client, they just see #1 Bestsellers and Oprah’s favorite things making a business big bucks. As a PR professional, I completely understand the efforts and time and education and preparations it takes to get someone on Oprah…or anything national….Whenever a client keeps pushing for “Oprah” type of PR, I tell them a lot of what you said: “Lets just say we get you on Oprah next week. Do you have the inventory, the distribution, the website readiness to fulfill the demand of interest that may come from your appearance on Oprah? If you can’t and you fail–you will have ruined your business in so many ways.”
That usually keeps them quiet and helps them understand some elements to consider when trying to get national coverage…

I work with small businesses in town and hope someday their dreams and goals might get them to a fabulous show like Oprah or GMA or Today, but for now, I like to focus on getting their feet wet in the Phoenix markets and develop an aggressive marketing plan and budget to grow your biz.

Thanks much for the info and insight on what it takes to get on the Oprah show!

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