| NUMBERS, NUMBERS EVERYWHERE | | | | Therefore, any organization seeking press attention |
| You just placed a terrific story on the local news. Your | | | | needs that ten percent. Measuring media relations |
| boss asks you how many people saw it. | | | | success based on raw rating and circulation numbers |
| "Well," you say, "The latest Nielsen ratings showed that | | | | simply doesn't work, since those numbers may be |
| 211,000 people watch the 11 o'clock news on Channel 7 | | | | comprised exclusively of non-influentials. |
| each night." | | | | WHERE TO FIND THEM |
| "Terrific," your boss says. "Nice work." | | | | The influentials get their news primarily from the written |
| But do those numbers really mean anything? Raw | | | | word. Of the four top mediums, they get their news in |
| rating and circulation numbers make it easy for PR | | | | the following order: (1) Newspapers (2) Magazines (3) |
| professionals to track the effectiveness of their work, | | | | Radio and (4) Television. |
| but do they tell the complete story? | | | | The general public gets their news much differently, |
| Too many of us media relations types are under the | | | | emphasizing broadcast. They prefer getting their news |
| influence of numbers devoid of context, and we may | | | | in this order: (1) Television (2) Newspapers (3) Radio |
| be doing our clients a disservice in the process. | | | | and (4) Magazines. |
| Why? Because just ten percent of the audience | | | | Those findings have huge implications. They mean that |
| matter. | | | | although the general public may favor broadcast news, |
| THE INFLUENTIALS | | | | you're not going to reach the influentials with that story |
| Okay...that's a bit of an overstatement. The other 90 | | | | on the 11 o'clock news. Suddenly, that story seen by |
| percent do matter. | | | | 211,000 people seems less impressive. |
| But the results of a recent survey make it clear that | | | | Instead of chasing big numbers - the top rated radio |
| ten percent of Americans have a hugely | | | | station in town or the largest circulation newspaper, |
| disproportionate influence over what the other ninety | | | | ask yourself who the people are who matter the |
| percent do and buy. The study, released by the | | | | most, and consider alternate ways of reaching them. |
| research firm NOP World, shows that the influentials | | | | Sometimes, the niche magazine that reaches only |
| persuade the rest of us to eat, drink, wear, like, dislike, | | | | 7,000 people is better than landing a radio interview |
| watch, listen to, and read the things that they do. | | | | beamed into tens of thousands of homes. |