I'll take the free one...
So, you're telling me that I can pay $10,000 for a page in your magazine, or I have the option to get a free page and have your editors write it for me. I'll take the free one... In fact, why would anyone pay for space. Why don't they all take the freebies?
The truth is, the majority of companies do opt for the freebies... and come up empty handed. The number of press releases that a news outlet can receive on a daily basis ranges from the low hundreds to the thousands. Some of these are investor relations nuggets that major corporations need to release. Some are stories pitched by PR firms whose clients are also buying media space. The majority, however, are companies who don't want to pay for the media space.
If you have followed this path in the past and found disappointing success, then listen up. The media needs to make money, too. If you want to fight through the clutter, you have several options.
First, pay a PR pro that has relationships with the media - not someone who can write a good press release and put that release into the stack with the other thousand. However, do not call a PR firm and explain that due to your limited budget, you need PR. PR costs money, too.
Second, give them news! If you saw an article on your competitor and thought it was a good idea, you're right. It was a good idea... once. You will not succeed in a "me too" press release. Think of something new, or something that plays into the overall focus of the publication's editorial content, such as politics in November.
Third, go alternative. Alternative PR is hitting the blogs, discussion groups, wikipedia, etc. I have generated about 15% of my site traffic through the posts that I create in other discussion forums, as well as the entries where we are mentioned in Wikipedia. It's harder. It takes longer. But guess what, thats what it takes when you don't have a media budget.
The truth is, the majority of companies do opt for the freebies... and come up empty handed. The number of press releases that a news outlet can receive on a daily basis ranges from the low hundreds to the thousands. Some of these are investor relations nuggets that major corporations need to release. Some are stories pitched by PR firms whose clients are also buying media space. The majority, however, are companies who don't want to pay for the media space.
If you have followed this path in the past and found disappointing success, then listen up. The media needs to make money, too. If you want to fight through the clutter, you have several options.
First, pay a PR pro that has relationships with the media - not someone who can write a good press release and put that release into the stack with the other thousand. However, do not call a PR firm and explain that due to your limited budget, you need PR. PR costs money, too.
Second, give them news! If you saw an article on your competitor and thought it was a good idea, you're right. It was a good idea... once. You will not succeed in a "me too" press release. Think of something new, or something that plays into the overall focus of the publication's editorial content, such as politics in November.
Third, go alternative. Alternative PR is hitting the blogs, discussion groups, wikipedia, etc. I have generated about 15% of my site traffic through the posts that I create in other discussion forums, as well as the entries where we are mentioned in Wikipedia. It's harder. It takes longer. But guess what, thats what it takes when you don't have a media budget.
Labels: advertising, marketing communication, public relations
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