Publicity Queen

ONE OF THE HOTTEST TIPS FOR GETTING PUBLICITY IS… a great photo can mean great publicity for your business!

If you’ve got the opportunity to create and/or capture a unique, unusual or intriquing photo that relates to your business – than take it and send it to the media!

Here’s an example and idea for you…

I’m doing some work for a company that imports a large range of industrial equipment, and to generate some publicity, we’re going to take a photo of the General Manager doing a star-jump in the middle of a fully loaded shipping container!

With this photo, we’ll make sure that it’s really eye-catching (just keep taking shots until you’re sure you’ve got one you can use) and we’ll link a story to the picture centering around the increased product range now available and ready for delivery within a 48-hour turnaround time.

Do we have a story without the photo – in a word, no!  The unusual photo will create interest to an otherwise bland (perhaps even boring!) story.

So, consider what photos you can create and capture for your business and how you could write a story to contextualise it.

Going back some years now, I remember the best-ever success I had with this strategy where I got NATIONAL COVERAGE for a client that was attending a trade show!  Outrageous, I know!

This client manufactured mobile heavy-vehicle hoists so, we put them into action and took a shot.  We had the company’s Sales Manager and a client sitting on the bonnet of a big Mack truck which was lifted more than one metre in mid-air by the hoists – we got coverage all over the country in every major trade magazine as well as some newspapers – it was covered everywhere!!! 

Are you attending a trade show and can you incorporate something a bit ‘outrageous’ that your trade magazines will pick up?

I’ll be expanding on this topic over the coming weeks with an indepth interview with one Australia’s most talented media photographers, so watch this space…

  Yours in publicity

When a highly respected business/media mogul espouses the power of publicity – it’s time for small business owners to listen!

David Koch, who has worked in the media for 30 years and has a strong interest in small business outlined some key publicity tips for small business owners in his article in June’s issue of My Business.  Here is an exerpt:

“The media is incredibly powerful.  Businesses which understand that can reap the benefits, but businesses that don’t can miss out on vital publicity or even worse, attract negative publicity.  When I refer to ‘publicity’, I mean the sort of media coverage you can’t buy, it’s not advertising but it can be far more powerful.  One good news story or feature can generate just as much revenue as an expensive advertising campaign.

….here  are some of my tips:

• Keep on top of issues, from global right down to those in your local community.  If you or your business has experienced or relates in any way to those issues, don’t be shy – let the media know!
• The easiest way if you don’t have a direct journalist contact is via a short, sharp press release.  It should have a catchy headline, two or three key points and a quote from you.  Bear in mind that newsrooms get hundreds of these a week so the best way to make sure it at least gets read is to ring and find out the name, email and fax of the person it should go to.  Don’t be afraid to email AND fax; most PR consultants do.  (I have to say that I don’t, I only email then ring – PQ)
• A press release should have all your contact details, remember that journalists generally work on very tight deadlines, so respond as quickly as you can or you could lose the opportunity. (So true! – PQ)
• Building relationships with journalists is the best way to ensure longevity of your publicity attempts.  If you can become a spokesperson in your community, town or state for your industry or small business in general, you’ll find journalists will start to call on you regularly for comment.
• Write pieces on your area of expertise and submit them to local papers and specialist magazines.

The key is to provide an angle.  No matter how interesting you think your business is, the very fact that it exists isn’t enough to warrant media coverage.”

So, for all of you thinking about publicity, here are a few great tips – straight from a guy who is not only a business and finance journalist guru, but has also owned a media company as well.

And if you are a small business owner in Australia, My Business is one of the great informational resources you should consider buying regularly, or even better subscribing to – I’ve been reading it for years and I lurv it!

  Yours in publicity

Well I've been doing publicity for about 14 years and I have to tell you I still get such a BUZZ when I get a really good 'run' for a client.

Yesterday I received a fantastic tearsheet from the '50s Lifestyle' newspaper – the latest edition of this paper included a half-page spread on one of my clients Humphrey Law & Co (Humphrey Law & Co make scrumptious socks from the finest Australian merino wool – in fact I have a black pair on right now!).

The story was actually my news release printed verbatim and also included a product photo of the socks – it's just wonderful to get this kind of publicity for a client and while the space alone is worth $1606 (incl GST) it's actually so much more valuable because of credibility associated with editorial. 

To have a look at the coverage and the original news release, click on the links below…

  Yours in publicity