How to Get Great (Free) Publicity
Identify holidays, seasons and special months that correlate to your product and pitch the press during that time., Extract the aspect of your product that makes it totally different from the competition and focus on that only when you talk to the...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Identify holidays
For example, if you are a chocolate company, call the press with a February Valentine's Day story.
If you are a bra company, call during October Breast Cancer Awareness Month. -
Step 2: seasons and special months that correlate to your product and pitch the press during that time.
Note:
Price, service and speed do not count.
For example, for two former Seagram’s executives, we focused on Redcliff liqueur as the “first American liqueur” because it used a cola taste.
Cola is a flavor uniquely American and born of Coca-Cola fame. , Come up with a sentence pitch about your product for each section, then call the editor with your customized pitches.
There may be up to three places your product may fit in one magazine.
For example, there are “new product” sections near the front of the magazine, “feature” stories in the middle, and sometimes “back of the book” profiles on personalities and CEO’s. , The press are more apt to report about a commercial product if part of the proceeds benefit a charity.
Find an organization that matches the purpose of your product.
For example, Wine & Spirits magazine works with water conservation organizations because the publisher believes that water bottles litter the environment.
They even created a slogan around it: “Drink Wine.
Save Water.” , Tokyo Coca-Cola’s Green Tea Terrace made green tea lattes and cappuccinos.
When we called the press about them, we started with “The ‘Starbucks of Green Tea’ is opening stores throughout the U.S.” Making the comparison to Starbucks describes what the company does, and the phrase provides a vivid Polaroid picture image in the mind.
Developing words into images is a killer secret that wins the hearts of journalists and tells the story of your product in one simple sentence. , Journalist’s #1 pet peeve about phone calls are from people who “don’t know what they write about.” They abhor unspecific pitches and do not have the time to brainstorm with you about how your story will work for their publication.
Before you pick up the phone, Google a writer to see what kinds of things they like to write about and note the tone of their writing.
Customize your pitch to fit exactly into their style. , Pitch the story about your product in a way that would interest that particular reader/listen/viewer.
For example, The View’s Elisabeth Hasselbeck has talked on air about her allergy to gluten and frustration in finding foods that will nourish her without an allergic reaction.
Her viewers are women who are concerned about their health and the rate of gluten intolerance is rising at an alarming rate.
Hasselbeck’s viewers want to know about solutions for their Celiac disease and she happens to be a personal advocate.
These were very important to think products, so their CEO contacted Hasselbeck to become a “celebrity spokesperson” for their gluten free products. , Be like a detective to find the exact right phone number.
Leaving voicemails for the wrong person is a disappointing waste of time.
Make the receptionist your friend.
Use Hoovers.com and Linkedin.com to find phone numbers.
You can subscribe to Bacons’ Media Directory (www.baconsmediasource.com) to get detailed lists of the entire staff of any magazine, newspaper, online or broadcast outlet. , Beauty? Business?” After they answer, follow with your pitch by saying “great, because I have a food product that is filled with pure functional food and prevents cancer.
Does that interest you to report?” , Morning radio shows start work at 4 am. and are gone by 11 a.m.
Daily newspapers are rushing to get their stories done at the end of the day, so avoid afternoons and call them first thing in the morning at 8 a.m.
Magazine reporters work on “long leads” that are 2-8 months ahead of time, so tag your story to coincide with the issue they are most likely working on now.
For example in April, Body + Soul magazine is working on their October issue. -
Step 3: Extract the aspect of your product that makes it totally different from the competition and focus on that only when you talk to the press.
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Step 4: Look through a magazine and notice all the different sections that might include your product.
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Step 5: Tie your product launch to a nonprofit.
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Step 6: Develop a one sentence “elevator speech” that pithily describes your product
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Step 7: and let it be the first thing out of your mouth when you pitch the press or are selling someone on your product.
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Step 8: Do your research before you call a journalist.
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Step 9: Consider who the reader/listener/viewer of a media outlet is before you call them.
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Step 10: Make 100% sure you have the right phone number for a journalist you are calling.
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Step 11: When you do reach a journalist
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Step 12: qualify they are the right contact by saying “are you the person who reports about food?
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Step 13: Call journalists when they are most likely to answer the phone.
Detailed Guide
For example, if you are a chocolate company, call the press with a February Valentine's Day story.
If you are a bra company, call during October Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Note:
Price, service and speed do not count.
For example, for two former Seagram’s executives, we focused on Redcliff liqueur as the “first American liqueur” because it used a cola taste.
Cola is a flavor uniquely American and born of Coca-Cola fame. , Come up with a sentence pitch about your product for each section, then call the editor with your customized pitches.
There may be up to three places your product may fit in one magazine.
For example, there are “new product” sections near the front of the magazine, “feature” stories in the middle, and sometimes “back of the book” profiles on personalities and CEO’s. , The press are more apt to report about a commercial product if part of the proceeds benefit a charity.
Find an organization that matches the purpose of your product.
For example, Wine & Spirits magazine works with water conservation organizations because the publisher believes that water bottles litter the environment.
They even created a slogan around it: “Drink Wine.
Save Water.” , Tokyo Coca-Cola’s Green Tea Terrace made green tea lattes and cappuccinos.
When we called the press about them, we started with “The ‘Starbucks of Green Tea’ is opening stores throughout the U.S.” Making the comparison to Starbucks describes what the company does, and the phrase provides a vivid Polaroid picture image in the mind.
Developing words into images is a killer secret that wins the hearts of journalists and tells the story of your product in one simple sentence. , Journalist’s #1 pet peeve about phone calls are from people who “don’t know what they write about.” They abhor unspecific pitches and do not have the time to brainstorm with you about how your story will work for their publication.
Before you pick up the phone, Google a writer to see what kinds of things they like to write about and note the tone of their writing.
Customize your pitch to fit exactly into their style. , Pitch the story about your product in a way that would interest that particular reader/listen/viewer.
For example, The View’s Elisabeth Hasselbeck has talked on air about her allergy to gluten and frustration in finding foods that will nourish her without an allergic reaction.
Her viewers are women who are concerned about their health and the rate of gluten intolerance is rising at an alarming rate.
Hasselbeck’s viewers want to know about solutions for their Celiac disease and she happens to be a personal advocate.
These were very important to think products, so their CEO contacted Hasselbeck to become a “celebrity spokesperson” for their gluten free products. , Be like a detective to find the exact right phone number.
Leaving voicemails for the wrong person is a disappointing waste of time.
Make the receptionist your friend.
Use Hoovers.com and Linkedin.com to find phone numbers.
You can subscribe to Bacons’ Media Directory (www.baconsmediasource.com) to get detailed lists of the entire staff of any magazine, newspaper, online or broadcast outlet. , Beauty? Business?” After they answer, follow with your pitch by saying “great, because I have a food product that is filled with pure functional food and prevents cancer.
Does that interest you to report?” , Morning radio shows start work at 4 am. and are gone by 11 a.m.
Daily newspapers are rushing to get their stories done at the end of the day, so avoid afternoons and call them first thing in the morning at 8 a.m.
Magazine reporters work on “long leads” that are 2-8 months ahead of time, so tag your story to coincide with the issue they are most likely working on now.
For example in April, Body + Soul magazine is working on their October issue.
About the Author
Jessica Martinez
Creates helpful guides on organization to inspire and educate readers.
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