Gold Medal Publicity

Pitching an eye-catching story to the media can be a tricky task when you imagine the sheer number of news releases that cross reporters’ desks (and flood their email inboxes) every hour of every day.

Here’s a tactic you can borrow from every publicists’ toolbox: tie your story into the headlines of the day. The day before the Opening Ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, I sent a news release to community media outlets about the PTA raising $45,000 for a new gymnasium floor at Creek View Elementary School in Alpharetta, Ga. The angle? The flooring installation company has also provided gymnasium floors for a variety of Olympic venues.

This doesn’t exactly put the gold-winning USA men's basketball team playing ball in the Cheetah Zone at Creek View ES (I wish!), but it certainly makes the story relevant.

Another trick: think like an editor - make a list of headlines you know are coming up, like Labor Day celebrations, the political conventions and elections, even college football season and see how you can tie your story into theirs.

Which of today’s headlines is the best fit for your media pitch?

“The big shots are only the little shots who keep shooting,”—Christopher Morley

Fame, Fashion and Real Estate

Wanna be on the Oprah Winfrey show? In a national magazine? A cool how-to show? It may be just a click away. Two of my good friends (and DIY marketers) are using the Internet as a way to land major national press. Here’s their secret:

Staci Jacobi of Gables and Gates Realty in Knoxville, Tenn. landed a prime placement as an expert real estate agent on HGTV’s “My House is Worth What?” How, you ask? She simply went to http://www.hgtv.com/, where the producers list their needs for experts and others to appear on shows. She checked back regularly, and when they needed a real estate agent in her area, she sent in a tape, and her darling personality and savvy real-estate know-how landed her the gig.

Meredith Mallon, founder of Trendy Togs, an upscale children’s Internet boutique, is in the running for Cookie Magazine’s Annual Reader’s Choice for online shopping. By keeping these sorts of contests on her radar, Meredith may get a terrific placement in a national parenting magazine (full of reader moms who dress their kids in trendy, gorgeous clothes). Vote for Trendy Togs now by clicking on this link and choosing the online category.

Here’s the point: you don’t need a pricey public relations firm to increase your sales through publicity. You can do that yourself by keeping tabs on your favorite media outlets on the web – and who better than you to passionately sell your product?

All publicity is good, except an obituary notice.-Brendan Behan