Bungalo Group

I recently received a call from a friend who was planning a benefit concert: she wanted to know how to write a press release. I pointed her to PRweb’s article,
Tips, Guidelines and Templates for Writing an Effective Press Release, a very good how-to summary.

Unfortunately, she’s a little late — her press release should have been sent three weeks ago. Her event is Nov. 7, which means she’s already missed the deadline for a number of special event calendars, which will be published at the end of this month.

Some people think “publicity equals press release.” But they forget (like my friend) what happens after the press release is written  – distribution. If you want publicity, you need more than a story or press release — you need to get it to the right people, at the right places, at the right time. So here’s some quick distribution tips to remember:

1. Identify the media outlets that will be interested in your story/expertise. Develop a list of media contacts, phone numbers, and emails. Include specialty publications and websites on your list — neighborhood newsletters, tv and radio programs, magazines, community publications, and websites are all possibilities. Keep your list up-to-date, so when it’s time to get the word out, you’re not starting from scratch.

(You can also include editors and writers on your direct mail list and send them newsletters and promotional literature, just to build general awareness of your company.)

2. Pay attention to media calendars. Plan for LOTS of lead time. Monthly publications often require calendar submissions six weeks or more in advance. In many cases, the stories you are reading this month, were written several weeks ago, and planned months ago. Dailies, weeklies, TV, radio and web outlets usually have shorter cycles.

3. Save time, don’t waste it. If you have a story, images, or content that might be useful, it’s OK to contact the appropriate editor and offer assistance. Remember, editors and writers are busy people. Saving them time is good. So is making their publication interesting for readers. Wasting their time is bad, so don’t “cry wolf” by offering expertise, story ideas, or imagery unless you can deliver the goods.

4. Follow up, but don’t harass. If an editor indicates interest in your story for future publication or use, it’s good to keep in touch. We recently arranged a radio appearance for a client — all it took was a targeted pitch to the right editor, and a series of polite followup calls and emails over a period of three months.

5. Develop a media relations strategy. Most monthly publications publish their editorial calendars and rate cards in the fall. So now is a good time to pitch feature stories to editors for 2010 and beyond.

In addition to print media, consider how you might share your expertise with tv, radio, and online news outlets such as websites, podcasters, and popular bloggers. Be careful when pitching a story to more than one outlet at a time. Sometimes it’s best to offer the story “exclusively” to one publication, before offering it to another.

6. Publicity is not free. People often talk about “free” publicity. No such thing. Publicity takes time — time to develop the plan, build the list, coordinate distribution, write the press releases, pitch the stories and followup. Can you do-it-yourself? Yes you can. Does it make sense to do-it-yourself? Only if you have the time to spare. And you’re willing to learn the ropes. If not, then outsourcing some or all of your media relations to Bungalo Group is a sensible alternative.