 You spend all that time crafting a press release, it's a shame that once you send it out, that's all there is to it. Well, not really.
In fact, if you're not re-purposing your press releases you are missing out on some great opportunities for additional PR exposure. Here are a few examples of what to do.
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 President's Day today provides many people with a three day weekend. Most government offices are closed, including schools, and all but essential services are staffed. So, the temptation is to assume the media is on holiday as well.
Actually, just the opposite is often the case. Oh, sure, there are some reporters who take the day off to be home with their kids, but most working news rooms are struggling through what is generally described as a "slow" news day. They're looking for good stories.  President Barack Obama released his $3.7 trillion 2012 federal budget this week. In Illinois, Governor Pat Quinn released his $52.7 billion spending plan. It was a week of mind-numbing numbers. How can anyone possibly wrap their minds around such amounts of cash?
Time to pause and remember how to handle numbers when it comes to press releases, news conferences and when speaking to reporters. In most cases, spewing numbers like the ones above simply cause most eyes to glaze over. Instead, present numbers or figures in ways to help you make your case.  News is not only being consumed on line, but it's going to be served up in new ways for computer tablets like the iPad. The latest example is Yahoo's "Livestand." Yahoo calls it a "personalized newsstand."
The Huffington Post reports, "Yahoo believes Livestand will appeal to advertisers because it will collect information about users' interests and their whereabouts." The announcement follows closely on word of Rupert Murdoch's new iPad newspaper app, "The Daily." Murdoch says, “Our aim is for The Daily to be the indispensable source for news, information, and entertainment.” Business now moves at the pace of real time or "on demand." We don't get the luxury of hitting the pause button very much any more. That's even more true with the news media these days.
News gets "tweeted" and "shared" in seconds. Photos and videos can go viral with the push of a button. So, how has your public relations and media relations strategy changed?  Sun Times Blizzard Coverage As difficult and as dangerous as this week's blizzard was, there were also some takeaways in the form of public relations lessons we can learn from the storm.
First, everyone had a story. We all had to endure the storm and its aftermath, and each of us experienced it in a unique way. How long did it take to clear your driveway? Did you lose power? How long did it take before your street was plowed? That's the very thing you need to tap into when it comes to PR and media relations. Make what you do a story to which people can relate.  Chicago Tribune Web Site The challenge of getting favorable news coverage can be daunting at any time. It's difficult to predict how an editor, reporter or producer will view your story.
Media relations is more art than science. However, you might as well pack it in when one story totally dominates news coverage to the point that the media and everyone else is talking of little else. Such is the case with this week's blizzard. |
