I am wondering how does one reach out to the national media and get to appear on their talk shows / news segments etc. For example the milliondollarhomepage guy before he even started to build his site he hired a PR expert for 7 grand a month. Who got him on all the news shows etc. So I’m trying to think, what exactly does this PR expert do? Is this something I can do myself? Oe is this more of a “who” you know rather than “what” you know?
Who does one have to contact / start contacting to get the media’s attention?
January 2nd, 2010 at 8:23 am
PR people generally have connections that can get people on shows.. If you don’t know people in the business it will be tough to do on your own.
Unless you are a serial killer or something.
January 5th, 2010 at 7:51 pm
>Shoot somebody.
January 7th, 2010 at 7:55 pm
~Ricans ain’t gonna do you no good. Find yourself a nice Teuton agent.
January 9th, 2010 at 10:39 pm
It’s all about connections…PR experts have spent years cultivating these connections. They build a level of trust so when they pitch an idea to Media (in any form), they have the pitch composed well.
You can do it yourself- but you’re going to have to think locally first and start with small newspaper chains and then build from there. You need to know how to write a press release, you need to know who to send it to and you need to follow up. It’s a lot of work…and you’re probably running your other part of your business at the same time.
My advice is look for a freelancer- you can usually start by paying them per job. If you build a good relationship, then think about a monthly retainer. Build a very specific list of outcomes- and understand it will take a year to get the PR for your local area.
Then you can build on that- going to larger and larger entities.
I have a small business- for three years I had PR experts doing work on a retainer basis.I work well with my writer and PR teammates- we meet once a month to review our plan, update and rehash how things are going. PR is part of your marketing plan- just as advertising and direct mail and other forms of getting the word out about your business. This is part of your marketing budget.
Think about what you do best- and try to think about “delegating” that which you can do, but would require a sacrifice.You can’t do it all- or you might risk some aspect of your life or businessif you try .