Use Sensory Media To Get Publicity

Written by Ana Ventura


A few months ago, I was pulling out of a parking lot when a huge van caught my eye. It wasn'trepparttar vehicle so much asrepparttar 124480 fact that there was a gigantic television screen attached torepparttar 124481 back. I was so wrapped up in watchingrepparttar 124482 screen that whenrepparttar 124483 van pulled out of my view, I finally remembered that I was driving, not in a position to be paying attention to anything other thanrepparttar 124484 road.

No, I'm not going to give you a ten point guide to safe driving. The idea here is that our society is becoming more attune to electronic information everyday, whether it happens to be through computers,repparttar 124485 Internet, or traveling TV screens.

More people are getting their daily dose of news or information from CNN.com, orrepparttar 124486 twenty four hour a day news channel, or fromrepparttar 124487 radio onrepparttar 124488 drive home. It's imperative to remember that while print can still be a great form of marketing or public relations contacts, our minds are much more used to pulling in sensory information from electronic sources.

Furthermore,repparttar 124489 intimacy of radio, television, and sometimesrepparttar 124490 Internet can give yourepparttar 124491 upper hand when it comes to selling yourself to prospects. Seeing your face, hearing your voice, or getting to viewrepparttar 124492 actual product are big factors in easingrepparttar 124493 natural anxieties many prospective buyers have when it comes to purchasing.

SUMMER SLOWDOWNS IN MEDIA NEWSROOMS SHOULD HEAT UP YOUR EFFORTS TO GET FREE INK

Written by IAN EDWARDS


If you understand how positive news stories can contribute to positive business performance, then you should know thatrepparttar summer period offers you a unique media relations opportunity to increase your coverage and "free ink." Here's what you need to know to formulate a headline-generating PR strategy in July and August.

Customers and other stakeholders like doing business with winners and one marker of success is a positive news story with your name in it. In stark contrast to paid advertising, media consumers believe that news stories are objective and that translates into greater influence, better sales and improved public awareness.

We all know, however, that placing a story inrepparttar 124479 media can be a challenge, depending onrepparttar 124480 "newsworthiness" of your story pitch. Your pitch, whether it is a phone call to a reporter or a news release distributed by wire, will succeed or fail on your ability to offer journalists news they can use.

Inrepparttar 124481 summer months, however, news stories with lesser news value have a greater chance of success. Strong news stories will get better play or more prominent placement inrepparttar 124482 media. Here's why:

• NEWSROOM STAFFING CHANGES: Likerepparttar 124483 rest of us, experienced reporters, editors and producers take holidays overrepparttar 124484 summer months. Also, most newsrooms take on student interns and replacement workers for vacationing employees.

What does this mean for placing stories? "Green" reporters, eager for their first bylines and credits, are often more approachable and open to story pitches than veteran beat reporters are.

• OVERALL NEWS VOLUMES DROP: While breaking news such as crime and accidents seem to generate a consistent stream of articles overrepparttar 124485 year, there is generally less competition for non-breaking news such as features, trend stories, and special reports. For instance, governments are usually not in session, business deals tend to slow and special events are few in summer.

A story pitch that wouldn't get any attention inrepparttar 124486 busy fall period, therefore, may be substantially more interesting to a journalist inrepparttar 124487 summer simply because it conveniently fills repparttar 124488 "news hole." But it's never an easy sell to get your story placed, just easier inrepparttar 124489 summer.

• THE POOL OF EXPERT COMMENTATORS SHRINKS: A very successful way that executives get intorepparttar 124490 news is by providing "expert commentary." For example, if you are an investment executive, you may be able to explain shifts inrepparttar 124491 stock market. If you work inrepparttar 124492 health sector, you may be able to provide context regarding a new medical discovery. Reporters tend to rely on a stable of quotable experts and inrepparttar 124493 summer, more than any other time ofrepparttar 124494 year, those experts are less available. If you are an expert, you should be introducing your credentials torepparttar 124495 reporter covering your sector.

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