Get Noticed 20th July 2005
The www.doyourownpr.com newsletter
I remember from my trainee days on a local regional newspaper how it lovely it was to get out in the summer and meet the readers. Agricultural shows, summer balls, charity events, “It’s a Knockout” Type competitions – it was a fantastic opportunity for press and readers to meet and touch base on what’s going on in the local community.
Is there something happening in your area that you can take advantage of? For the urbanites amongst us don’t forget that many magazines (Harpers and Queen and Country Living to name two) have reader’s events and exhibitions where often the same results can be achieved.
Of course it’s not the appropriate time to collar the poor reporter and tell them your life story but it could be a great chance to say hello, maybe exchange cards and generally put a face to a name. That way, next time you call your local newspaper you know that they’re not as scary as you previously thought (and you can cunningly say” remember me we met at the pig judging contest at the summer fayre)!
So keep an eye out for regional and local events that the press will be covering. This means getting copies of your local newspapers and listening to local radio stations to get an idea of what’s on. Good luck!
Putting The Record Straight
My last piece on what to do if a publication misprints your contact details seemed to have hit a chord with past sufferers. Reader Faith Attwell from www.passiononline.co.uk has this extra tip:
“One more tip you may be interested in… If the publication publishes the wrong website address you could potentially lose loads of sales! This happened with us last year, we got into the top selling lifestyle mag for guys with 4 winning products - but they published our address as www.passionline.co.uk instead of www.passionONline.co.uk
What we did was check if this address was registered, and it wasn't. So for just ten pounds, we registered it and pointed the domain to our existing website. And then we benefited from the feature and got loads of sales!”
This was a technique also adopted by Garri of http://www.shtstr.com when Kerrang printed the wrong website address.
Finally, PR practitioner (yes, even PR people read Get Noticed!) Peter Thomas of www.ptcommunications.co.uk has this to add:
“I'd like to endorse you comments on putting the record straight. I find
most mis-reporting is actually mis-understanding. Journalists are expected
to be instant experts on every subject they have to write about - which, of
course, they can't be. Spending a bit of time to make sure they've
understood can be well worth it.
I always tell my trainees 'assume the journalist is thick' (I can get away
with this as an ex-journo) or at least 'assume they know nothing about your
subject.' By making sure they've understood, mis-reporting is far less
likely to happen.
Generally speaking I find papers will publish corrections to wrongly printed
phone, e-mail or website details. But no one likes admitting they've made a
mistake. Often the best way is to try to offer them a follow-up story at
the end of which they can print the correct contact details. That way you
get two bites at the cherry. They feel guilty, so publish the follow up
story, and you get your correction.
If you have been the victim of mis-reporting/a hatchet job you can go to the
Press Complaints Commission. But it's virtually never worth it. It may get
you an apology but it will wreck your relationship with that publication for
ever. Far better to try to make friends and clear up the misunderstanding.”
This Week’s Ecourse
Writing articles is my favourite method of PR. It’s creative, fulfilling and I love the fact that I’m providing advice that helps people rather than just straight forward advertising about my business.Although writing articles for your own newsletter and website helps promote your business, imagine how much more could open up to if your articles were published in national publications, trade journals and the net!This 30 day ecourse (it arrives in 30 days segments, but it’s fine to take longer to complete the course) takes you through to process of deciding what type of articles would best boost your PR, who to approach with them, and how to approach them. It will show you how to write a proposal and give you practical exercises in writing your own articles – from first person soliloquies, to interviews and factual pieces.
You can read more, and buy online at:
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Client News
Well done to Paul McGee of www.TheSumoGuy.com whose book SUMO (Shit Up, Move on) was W H Smith’s book of the month. Also life coach Lynn Burgess of www.magickey.co.uk is in the August edition of Zest magazine. Karen Roem’s tips on how to train and tame (and get the best from) your computer have been picked up by a number of publications and websites. You can see them for yourself at:
http://www.roem.co.uk/hints.html
I’ve been a subscriber for about a year, and found them very helpful.
And Finally...
I’ve had my sister Dinah staying for the past 10 days. It’s been wonderful to catch up as we haven’t seen each other for three years (she works on a newspaper in Beijing). She left this afternoon, for a five day trip to the Gobi dessert. Hopefully it won’t be another three years until I see her again.
I’ve also been doing some PR work for www.bobangles.co.uk. I first met Bo a couple of years ago, when she came to me for a mini consultation and I was impressed by her hard work and determination to just get on and do what she’s got to do. Since then she’s been in She, OK and Closer magazine (and had her jewellery on GMTV). She has now added some gorgeous new items to her collections, including one range specifically for men and one specifically for brides, and I’d like to help her continue her success.
And yes, I have had my head stuck in the new Harry Potter. I’m three quarters of the way through and it’s a good one!
Until next time,
Paula Gardner
www.doyourownpr.com
07941 244343
"The Do Your Own PR e-course is a brilliant in terms of both content and delivery. It's delivered in a way that is easy to digest, understand and action and teaches you all you need to know to get yourself noticed by the right people at the right time. Brilliant!" Cheryl Rickman, www.webcritique.co.uk
You can check out the Do Your Own PR ecourse at:
/products/do_your_own_pr_ecourse.asp
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