Consider Cable Access Host a Member of Media

Research each show's topic to make sure you and your company's services offer proper fit, and then pitch story ideas. Follow up with them regularly and prove that you are a great expert to have on show. Provide hosts with media kits, adhere to their deadlines, answer their questions immediately, and take time to find out how they would like to be contacted. These are all normal steps you'd take with any other journalist.

We lost election, but use of cable-access television helped to keep race close until very end. More importantly, well-established political incumbents began to take notice at what we had achieved. Appearing on cable-access television was no longer taboo, and many of them now have their own shows. They now see value in using cable-access television to get their messages out to their constituents -- a communications medium that has always been available to them for free.

The bottom line here is this. There really aren't very many differences between promoting a small-business owner and a political candidate. Each can achieve favorable results simply by properly executing their messages. And while it is true that we are a nation of channel flippers, most people will and do stop -- on occasion, to listen to guests on cable-access television. Furthermore, you'd be surprised by just how many of them do act on what they have seen.

So don't get angry next time a business competitor laughs at you for appearing on cable access television to promote your services. Just tell them same thing I did, and take comfort in knowing that your competitor will likely learn too late that cable-access television can be an excellent way of introducing small-business services to potential customers in your town.

Throw all these challenges together, and simply doing your job everyday can get fairly uncomfortable.

For an interesting insight into what I mean here, go to

http://www.get-free-publicity.com/ford.html

It's story of a near-disaster I experienced shortly after I had done an interview with former President Gerald Ford.

I'm not asking for sympathy here. If you're in business, you know that's how it is and you accept it. It's part of job description. It 'comes with territory.'

I'm describing it to you, however, so you know normal mental state, mindset of people you'll be dealing with when you're trying to get free publicity for yourself or your business.

And mindset is 'get to point, tell me what I need to know, and don't waste my time with anything unnecessary.'

When I was doing a weeknight sportscast at KMOL TV in San Antonio, I used to hang a sign on my office door every night at 'crunch time,' which was 60 minutes or so before I went on air.

The sign read:

'If it's important, say it fast. If it's not, say it later.'

As you send your press releases to people in media, keep that in mind. Nothing will hurt your chances of getting publicity from them as much as wasting their time with non- essential stuff.

Help them 'beat clock,' and they'll be more likely to help you 'beat drum' by giving you thousands of dollars worth of coverage -- and free publicity.