The REALITY of publicity

By on April 6th, 2009 In Best Practices

There is nothing better than free publicity. But getting it isn’t always easy or glamorous. Here are 20 things your clients should be aware of and ready for when seeking those 15 seconds of fame through TV, radio or print.

  1. Many times there is an immediate sense of urgency in the media. You must act if you want media coverage. If a reporter calls and you miss it, return their call as SOON as you can. Do not ignore or wait a day to call back. If it’s a topic you aren’t comfortable discussing or you aren’t the right person, that doesn’t mean you can ignore them. They reached out to you for a reason and its better to be honest and either recommend another source or idea for them.
  2. You may have to drop your lunch meeting or plans if a reporter calls. For example, they could get a story assigned at 1pm and need an interview and story done by the 5pm newscast. If they call, find a way to make this work for them.
  3. You might have to get up at 4am for a 5am interview. A few hours of lost sleep is worth the great exposure you’ll get from morning show viewers. Yes, there are people watching this early!
  4. You may spend hours prepping for a TV segment and only 20 seconds of it is shown in a story. This is the reality of editing and time elements behind the scenes with producers.
  5. Sometimes you are only half of the story. And the other side is offering a different view regarding what you do or say. Journalists don’t write sales copy, they report news. To be unbiased, they will sometimes took for another source to discuss the topic at hand. This is especially true in health or medical related stories.
  6. Unless you are a big-name celebrity or did something absolutely amazing, an article won’t be all about you. Most reporters look for a variety of people to profile or quote to make the story balanced.
  7. Don’t expect a profile story or front page story every time you have news to share.
  8. Never threaten a reporter or try to bribe them into a story. You’ll get blacklisted and so will I!
  9. Just because you advertise does not mean you get any special priority for stories. Reporters will cringe if you tell them you’re an advertiser and want them to do a story. Yes, there are some situations and media outlets that offer play for pay, but that’s a whole other topic to discuss for marketing plans.
  10. Sometimes you’ll have a five minute TV segment that ends up being only 2 minutes. That’s just how the cookie crumbles.
  11. Sometimes the interviewer won’t ask you anything from the talking points provided prior the interview. Be prepared for possible off-the-wall questions or controversial viewpoints, too.
  12. A reporter is working on a variety of stories at a time. They may not even know your name until they look at their script/notes or understand what you do. Be aware and be prepared for your interviews so your point and name/biz come across when speaking. Everyone is human, too. Sometimes a reporter will call you by the wrong name or mispronounce your business or service. Politely explain the right way to say it.
  13. There are no guarantees. A reporter may be planning a big story centered around you and then its dropped. You may have a bunch of live shots and interviews set up and then a big fire or national news happens. Many times there is no make-up story afterwards. This is the reality of news…and why its important to do multiple things to promote your event or special. Yes, this does happen when you woke at 4am and spent 2 hours prepping.
  14. A story could be rescheduled many times. Sometimes the reporter doesn’t know when it will run. You may have something happening on a Saturday, but the reporter wants to do it Sunday. Find a way to make it work.
  15. Cold hard fact. Sometimes the interviewer doesn’t really care about the topic. For example, in a TV interview they will have a producer and director in their ear (an IFB) talking as you talk, so you may feel ignored, that they aren’t listening or don’t care. This could be true. But that doesn’t matter, you still need to get your message out to the audience, so be on, be energetic and be informative in everything you say.
  16. Visuals are important. A photograph or TV segment needs to tell a story about the topic at hand. Many media don’t have the staff on hand to come out and shoot your photo. Have hi-res photos available of you, your customers and your services/products. Its worth the investment and you can use these for your website, your promotional material, etc.
  17. A media coach is a VERY wise investment. If you want to get the right message across, you need to know how to do it and you must practice, practice, practice. If you bomb in an interview, your friends may not say anything, but that reporter or producer will..either to their co-workers, you or me and that’s NOT good.
  18. Your clients or customers are needed for stories. If you are talking about a new way to lose weight, the media wants to talk to someone who lost weight on the diet plan. Always have a few people in mind that are willing to speak to a reporter.
  19. Don’t ask for media coverage and then get shy about the calls or attention or coverage. Whats the point?!
  20. Everything IS on the record. Don’t say “No comment” or ask for certain things to be “off the record.” This is why it’s important to go over talking points and be prepared through media coaching so you know how to get your point across in the most effective manner.

Want to add to this list? Share your thoughts…

Comments

Abbie S. Fink Says:
April 6th, 2009 at 11:16 am

Charlotte — thanks for this list. Very valuable information for those of us who pitch on a daily basis as well as for our clients.

Wendy Kenney Says:
April 6th, 2009 at 11:24 am

Excellent article! Can you recommend some local media coaches? I recommend Kathy Kerchner.
Kathy@MasterYourMessage.com
http://www.MasterYourMessage.com

Brian Camen Says:
April 6th, 2009 at 11:29 am

Charlotte,

That’s a really good list. Number 10 really stands out to me. Those 5 minute TV segments more often than less always become shorter.

Charlotte Risch Says:
April 6th, 2009 at 3:04 pm

Media Training:
Laura Holka: http://www.myhattricktv.com/
PTPR: http://ptprconsulting.com/
Kathy Kerchner: http://www.masteryourmessage.com/
Cary Pfeffer: http://www.clear-comm.net/

Deb Says:
April 6th, 2009 at 10:21 pm

This is a GREAT list. I especially like #9… I feel like I’m hearing this more often from clients now and am conintually explaining that paid advertisements and editorial placements are not and should not be dependent upon another (at least the quality ones, anyway!). Thanks, Charlotte!

The Power of Twitter . . . and helping out a fellow colleague « HMA Time Says:
April 7th, 2009 at 9:21 am

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Mike Padgett Says:
April 7th, 2009 at 9:24 am

Charlotte: Excellent advice. Your advice should be on the must-read list.

Christine Marek Says:
April 7th, 2009 at 10:39 am

Explaining the process to clients is crucial.

Thanks, Charlotte, for taking the time to put these important points in a list!
It helps everyone prepare and meet expectations. Then when things go right we can celebrate all the better.

Kathy Kerchner Says:
April 7th, 2009 at 11:05 am

Great advice Charlotte. Also, sometimes I think people still ask to see the article/story before it goes to print/air. A big no-no in mainstream media, though trade press will often oblige. Much better to be more tactful: “If you have any questions while you’re writing your story, here’s my contact info. Call at any time.”

Rebecca Armendariz Says:
April 7th, 2009 at 12:43 pm

Great advice, Charlotte! I think your notes re: broadcast were particularly on point. It is a very unpredictable medium, but very powerful. Clients have to support media as much as possible (i.e. visuals, early morning wake-up calls) expect change and go with the flow.

Beckman Perry Says:
April 7th, 2009 at 1:09 pm

I really enjoyed reading over this list. It is very beneficial advice, especially for students such as myself wishing to enter into PR and tackle gaining free advertisement and publicity for clients. It seems to me that PR practitioners are the the reporters every call, but that makes since seeing that in a way the reporter is doing you a favor by giving you and your client free coverage. And in my opinion, when someone does you a favor you bend over backwards to make it convenient for the other party, especially if it means your client will be satisfied with the end result.

Comment on “The Reality of Publicity” « Beckman’s PR Blog Says:
April 7th, 2009 at 1:12 pm

[...] on “The Reality of Publicity” Jump to Comments Check out my comment on “The Reality of Publicity” by Charlotte Risch on Valley PR [...]

Andrew Waite Says:
April 7th, 2009 at 1:49 pm

I am sure this sort of PR centric fascism is what won the Republic their stellar business success and journalistic excellence.

Who are you people kidding. Join the real world of journalism where you are lucky to tie down a busy source as much as they may want free ink.

PR is great theory, sales is practice.

I used to drive “PR flacks” nuts by paying them based on column inches published, air time minutes won and mentions against quota. Sorted the theory professionals from the “networkers” right quick.

Best:

Andrew Waite – Publisher (profitable)
Personal Real Estate Investor Magazine –
Now the seventh best sell-through business and finance newsstand title in the USA.

Laurie Perez Says:
April 7th, 2009 at 2:47 pm

This is a generous and helpful post, Charlotte. It clearly emphasizes everything GOOD journalists require from solid sources. These days, good journalism is at a premium and ALL reporters are at the edge of their income-earning comfort. Good stories with solid research are at a premium – and no one is getting paid appropriately to ensure that standard is maintained. You and your clients are relying on integrity and good, old-fashioned journalistic discipline.

Your guidance supports your clients in understanding the mindset of the professionals they are speaking with – a huge benefit to both sides of the equation. Anyone who fails to see the value of your post is clearly too stressed out to read it accurately.

Brent Diggins Says:
April 7th, 2009 at 3:52 pm

It is critical for practitioners, agency or otherwise, to lay down the law EARLY in the game with their clients/employers.

It isn’t easy; we don’t want to rock the boat too much in the early stages of a new job or client saying what PR ISN’T and what we CAN’T do, but it is necessary to set expectations.

Brent Diggins
Mindspace PR
@bdiggs

Deb Krol Says:
April 7th, 2009 at 4:56 pm

I’ll put my reporter hat on for the moment and make a couple comments about Kathy Kershner’s comments–

–as a journalist working primarily on Native issues, I know all about tribes wanting to see the article before it goes to print. News flash: They’re usually not asking because they want to control the story [although there ARE those out there who do!]–it’s usually because many [NOT most, thank goodness!] journalists seem to get the facts all dorked up when they write about Indians so often that they are getting more defensive. Even those who have communications people are really concerned that with all they do, that pubs still get the story wrong.

Once it goes into print, it’s there forever and it’s a devil of a time getting the facts corrected. And then some other reporter on deadline will go back to your article with the factually incorrect stuff and assume that “heck, the Daily Planet published this, it must be right.” And thus the dorked-up facts spread like herpes…

What I recommended doing at last weekend’s panel on covering tribal communities at the SPJ Region 11 Conference [if you didn't come, you missed a great conference!] is to factcheck, factcheck and factcheck again. Even if you KNOW the fact, call them back anyway.

If your client is a tribe, check back with the reporter and offer to help with the factchecking process–but stress that your interest is just in the facts that reporter wrote about your client, not the article!

Also, back to my PR hat–if any of you have ANY questions about tribes, call us here at the Heard! If we don’t know the answer right off the tops of our collective heads we know who does, and we are always happy to help reporters out as a disinterested third party when it comes to checking facts.

Tony Felice Says:
April 7th, 2009 at 7:34 pm

I take issue with what Andrew says above. Those of us who have been PR professionals for a long time, whether on the client or agency side know that reputations are based on reliability and professionalism. My clients understand that the media is as much my client as they are and that my reputation is as much a direct reflection of my work for them as it is my work with the media. My job is to deliver great stories. Period. It’s a shame that Andrew sees it only as an opportunity to make a sale. A short-sided and fairly jaded opinion.

Managing expectations in any field is a challenge. Over-delivering while under-promising is the hallmark of a true professional.

It’s true that not everyone understands how to pitch the media and conversely how newsrooms work, but to suggest that one cannot exist without the other is frankly naive. The public creates the news, the media reports on it. It’s our job to deliver great stories. Cheer Charlotte.

Geri Koeppel Says:
April 8th, 2009 at 10:48 am

I want to piggy-back on Deb’s comment. Fact checking: It’s not just for Native American stories!

The media gets a bad rap for getting things wrong because WE GET THINGS WRONG. PR people can help — not by asking to review a story prior to publication, but reminding the reporter that their client is happy to get a follow-up call and do some fact-checking.

I can’t tell you how many times I have finished the interview and then can’t reach the source a few days later for the fact-checking stage. Often, I am up against deadline and the source simply won’t return the call. I am sure they’re thinking, “I did my part; the interview is finished. I don’t have time for this.”

I call back my sources to fact-check on 99 percent of my stories (the other 1 percent are generally the stories I’ve covered time and again with sources I’ve interviewed multiple times, etc.)

I have found that in 100 percent of the stories I fact-check, I have an error. Sometimes it’s a matter of semantics, but often it’s a major fact that I simply misunderstood in my notes or in the conversation.

Virtually everyone I’ve interviewed has told me I am the only reporter or one of very few who fact-check. I am told often that I’m the only writer who has gotten everything right. Not to say I always do — I still make way more mistakes than I’d like (I strive for a perfect score, but hey, I’m human). Having clients willing to participate in fact-checking should minimize errors.

Just please remind them that we are checking FACTS, not re-writing the article to suit them.

Charlie Powell Says:
April 9th, 2009 at 7:38 am

Good tips. Here are couple more from someone who has worked at the human/animal interface for more than 30 years.

You are never talking TO media, you are always talking THROUGH media. They are a conduit to a shared stakeholder base. The challenge is to deliver your messages in a way that is saleable for media so that it gets broadcast from them to the stakeholders.

A sound media relationship is a sound business relationship not unlike any other vendor you may work with but carrying much higher stakes. There are three entities in this triangular relationship; your entity, media, and stakeholders.

Do not underestimate the power of so-called social media. Frankly, I hate that term. Traditional media no longer has a lock on messaging to your stakeholders. Almost anyone can do this and competent PR today takes advantage of the opportunity afforded. You can and should set up your own blogs, Facebook, My Space, Linked In, Twitter, etc., and not be held hostage or outcompeted by those that do.

You can now make product for media unlike any time in the past. Raw digital images and raw tape provided via FTP sites and by other mechanisms can and will be used by traditional media because many outlets can longer afford the expense of employing and assigning their own. The challenge? Your product for media must be within reason and as transparent as possible in order to advance the sound media relationship.

Lauren Says:
April 9th, 2009 at 7:54 am

I think it’s also important to stress that a writer will write the story as he or she sees it… which isn’t always what the client WANTS to read/see. We can only influence the media up to a certain point.

Sarah Evans Says:
April 9th, 2009 at 7:55 am

Thanks for this great post. I’ve shared across all of my networks today and am sending to my team.

Tressa Robbins Says:
April 9th, 2009 at 8:15 am

Great blog post (thanks to @prsarahevans for tweeting the link). I think your #15 Cold Hard Fact is so dead-on. Reporters are under tighter deadlines than ever these days as they all multi-task and “multi-job”. Just because YOU are psyched about your topic, does not mean they are. But who cares?! You still get to tell your story. Spot-on Charlotte! :-)

You can follow me on Twitter @tressalynne

Susan Ditz Says:
April 9th, 2009 at 6:03 pm

Thanks to @prsarahevans for tweeting the link to Charlotte’s outstanding blog post! As a PR consultant and sometime reporter, everything you mentioned here Charlotte is invaluable for me to remember and also share with clients.I appreciate all the comments as well, (although I respectfully disagree with Andrew).
The best business stories I’ve written have resulted from access to an optimal amount of easily understood information from very effective PR people and also making sure I fact-checked everything. I learned that lesson the hard way as a rookie reporter. Journalists these days are way more overworked and underpaid than when I started out, so I do my best to help them tell the story in the best possible way by seeing to it I give them everything they need and then some (including access to me 24/7 via phone). At the end of the day, as Lauren says, how the story is written or broadcast is ultimately the reporter’s call (and their editor).
I’m passing this blog post along to every PR person I know! Thanks again.

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Ann-Marie Nieves Says:
April 21st, 2009 at 6:42 am

Thanks for this! Perfect summary.

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