An inexperienced journalist is as likely to get your story wrong as right and will probably churn out an article that will get poor play and little readership.

A journalist who is interested in your company before you call probably has an agenda in mind. Odds are this journalist will discard your message and focus on that agenda while pretending to deeply care about what you have to say.

Publicity is not advertising. It is not a product or a service for you to buy. You cannot place an order. You cannot dictate content. You are not in control.

You must negotiate for publicity with those who are in control: news media. And that means you must give a good reporter a reason to report about your company.

You must be newsworthy. You must perform.

Copyright 2003 by W.O. Cawley Jr.

The key is that analysis must at least appear to be objective and accurate.

The analysis allows reporters to take your story seriously. It also gives reporters a subconscious excuse to listen to their feelings.

3. Crisis is inherent conflict within story. Without conflict, there is no news. This is what reporters mean when they talk about getting “both sides of story.”

Every story must have at least two sides. Ideally, for news media, story has a hero on one side and a villain on other.

You want portray your company as a hero that is solving a problem.

4. Energy is what results from mixing feelings, analysis and crisis in right proportions.

Energy is what drives story.

It is what compels reporter to want to write story. It is what compels editor to give story good play.

It is what compels reader to finish story, to remember your story, to pass it along to friends.

The PR Rainmaker knows: You never take on media without putting on your game FACE.

Copyright 2003 by W.O. Cawley Jr.