 |
. |
|
. |
   
|
Publicity AddictBy Paul Hartunian Okay, I'll admit it. I'm an addict. There's something almost electrifying about coming up with a concept and then suddenly watching it take off. I suppose that's probably true of any profession. A surgeon must get a high out of walking down the hall after saving a life. A construction worker is sure to feel a sense of pride every time he drives by a house he knows he built. But it's hard to imagine any other business offering the level of elation you can get as a publicity addict. Imagine driving down the road and noticing construction taking place on the Brooklyn Bridge. It almost sounds as absurd to you as it probably will to anybody else, but you decide there might just be a market for the pieces of the wood they're removing from the bridge. So you make a deal to buy the wood and get busy cutting them up into tiny wood chips. You write a press release about selling the Brooklyn Bridge. What could be more preposterous? You fax your releases and then you wait. But not for long. Suddenly the phone is ringing off the hook. News crews are interested in personal interviews. Talk shows would love to figure out when they can fly you out to be a guest on their programs. Radio stations are willing to take their number and wait their turn at promoting your venture. Even Japanese newscasters are interested in flying out to do a segment on you. The world stop to take a closer look at something you created. That's exciting! That's also exactly one of the publicity campaigns I ran. My reward was not only an avalanche of publicity but also an avalanche of money, selling little slivers of the Brooklyn Bridge along with certificates of authenticity for under $15. And it didn't hurt my publicity addiction, either. You can read the whole story of my Brooklyn Bridge adventure at www.Hartunian.com/bridge Since then I've promoted countless products and concepts that way. I average between 150 and 200 talk show interviews just around Valentines Day promoting my book How to Find the Love of Your Life in 90 days or Less (www.LoveIn90Days.com) I've even done quite well at promoting my course on how to get free publicity on radio and television stations. The very stations I'm showing people how to talk to are asking me to explain myself on their shows. Yes, there's a definite system for success in the publicity business. It begins with a press release. You can find out about writing a powerful press release at www.PressReleasesMadeEasy.com. You should also get information about my do-it-yourself publicity kit at www.Hartunian.com/prkit. It contains everything you'll ever need to easily run your own exciting, profitable publicity campaigns. But the process involves much more than just understanding how a press release is laid out. It involves finding angles that make what you do exciting and promotable. You need to constantly be on the lookout for ways to make what you do unique, exciting or amazing. Stop and look through USA today, or better yet, look through the National Enquirer. Study the headlines. Some of those story lines are so absurd and incredible that it's almost impossible not to pick one up and read it. If you can come up with an angle that's as powerful as one of these and then be able to back it up with facts, you're well on your way to becoming a news story. But remember, you're looking for a news angle. The fact that you just made your first million means absolutely nothing to anybody other than maybe your relatives and work peers. You're looking for the kind of stuff people will stop what they're doing to find out about. How can your company make life easier for them? What have you done that makes you an interesting story the people at the water cooler will want to talk about? I've been at this for years and I'm constantly finding new ways to present my story that gets the attention of the media. In fact, a good publicity addict will probably make it a point to stop everything for a few minutes every day to see if they can find any new angles to promote. Understanding just how powerful (and lucrative) new ideas can be makes it well worth your time to watch for them. Organizing surveys usually translates into stories that are easy to publicize. The press loves to find out what the masses are thinking. Even medical research and governmental programs are structured around the results of surveys, so why not do one of your own, seeking to find out what people like (or don't like) about the product you sell. You can also parlay affiliations with non-profit organizations into plenty of free publicity. The Ronald MacDonald houses have certainly managed to make McDonalds the "good guys" in many news stories. Walkathons, telethons, charity golf tournaments and fundraisers can all be converted into media events. Just be sure to add your name to the event. For example, "Jiffy Dry Cleaner's Walkathon for Abused and Neglected Kids". But finding your own news angles is just half the battle. You'll usually be even more successful when you can offer to become a story a station is currently looking for. Watch the news. Make a point of getting up early and checking the news. Find out what happened last night and try to figure out what the "hot stories" are going to be in the morning news. Finding out that a certain make of car is being recalled because the gas tank might blow up on impact might be a perfect opportunity for an insurance agent to shoot out press releases offering to "tell it all" from an insurance adjuster's point of view. Auto dealers might fax in releases offering to explain how the recall process will take place and exactly what a customer can expect when they walk in the door. Child advocacy groups might fax in releases discussing how many children have been killed due to corporate negligence during the past year. Heck, local bus companies might even fax in reports explaining why public transportation might be the answer to many unneeded deaths. Stations love to come across as being "right on top of the story". They love to have an expert available the moment a story breaks, which brings us to the last element that'll qualify you as a bona fide publicity addict. Keep on submitting. Get your name out there. Have enough things going on so stations start looking at you as the authority on certain topics. One of the many pots I keep on the burner is a reputation as one of the top national authorities on the value of autographs. Having this on file at stations around the country guarantees me a call any time a famous person dies. People want to know how that will affect the value of their autographs. Without even having to make the calls myself, I sell plenty of my autograph packages a year just by keeping that reputation alive. It really is all about making yourself into a news story. If you're looking for publicity for your company, it's about finding how what you do helps the general public. Find angles that are unique and stay on top of the news. And nurture a reputation as a dependable, informative guest on certain topics. And soon you'll find yourself making a fortune selling tiny pieces of scrap lumber from old bridges! Have fun! Want to learn more about how publicity can help you? Click on the links on the left side of this page. © COPYRIGHT PAUL HARTUNIAN - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED |
 |