| Do small-business owners always have to rely on | | | | attention. Doing this also helps in flushing out your |
| large PR agencies to get attention from the press? An | | | | overall marketing plan -- which PR is only a part. |
| entrepreneur recently asked me this question during a | | | | Research the reporters who cover your company's |
| networking event for women business owners. Of | | | | industry and study the types of stories that they like to |
| course my answer was, "No," but not for the reasons | | | | write. |
| one might expect. | | | | Learn their deadlines and how they prefer to be |
| Ultimately, I do believe the time comes when a | | | | contacted. Introduce yourself by phone and make it a |
| company needs professional guidance from a PR | | | | point to speak with them regularly -- not just to talk |
| agency -- be it a large or small one -- to secure media | | | | about your company, but also about the industry in |
| coverage. But I also believe that a really media savvy | | | | general. Use those conversations to offer up source |
| small-business owner, or a two-person marketing team | | | | materials that will help reporters write terrific stories. If |
| can do a fantastic job in promoting an organization. | | | | you are able to do this successfully, you will become a |
| Here's how I know it can work. | | | | trusted source that reporters return to repeatedly, and |
| A few years ago during the boom, I worked for a | | | | you will significantly increase your chances of gaining |
| small online publishing company. We had a terrific | | | | coverage for your company. |
| technical team and staff, two great products, but no | | | | Always Return Media Phone Calls Immediately. |
| one knew the company existed. As a start-up, it was | | | | Keep yourself and your organization at the ready to |
| crucial for the company to gain awareness through | | | | receive phone calls from the press. Make sure that |
| media exposure because advertising was too | | | | reporters know how to reach you in a 24-hour cycle. |
| expensive. | | | | This means they should have your office, cell, home, |
| Since our marketing department only consisted of two | | | | and pager numbers, as well as a contact e-mail |
| people -- the marketing director and myself, there was | | | | address. If you still happen to miss the call, return it |
| a bit of concern within the organization as to whether | | | | ASAP. Always prepare yourself or members from |
| we had enough in-house resources available to | | | | your organization to conduct interviews from |
| successfully get the company much-needed ink. So | | | | anywhere, at any time. |
| the company's executive team hatched an interesting | | | | Conduct proper follow up after the interview. |
| plan. They offered our in-house marketing team the | | | | This is not a call to find out when a story will be |
| chance to bid on the company's PR project as if we | | | | published, but rather a call to make sure that the |
| were an outside agency. | | | | reporters have everything they need in order to write |
| My experience had always been in public relations, | | | | a favorable story on your organization. |
| rather than product marketing. My boss' experience | | | | Whenever our company executives were interviewed |
| had always been the opposite. We seized the | | | | by reporters, one team member would always |
| opportunity to combine our knowledge, skills and | | | | accompany them to the interview to take careful |
| research. | | | | notes. Alternately, the other team member would |
| Our tiny two-person team matched PR wits squarely | | | | remain in the office on standby. If, during the interview, |
| against four established pros - including one former | | | | the reporter indicated a need for specific information, |
| White House aide. Guess what? Our ideas prevailed, | | | | an urgent message would be relayed back to the |
| and the company decided to ditch the notion of hiring a | | | | office so that the team member had time to gather |
| big PR firm in favor of keeping the in-house team. | | | | the information. Without fail, we always had the |
| Before long we were generating some memorable | | | | requested information waiting in the reporter's e-mail |
| press for our company. Over a two-year period we | | | | inbox before they arrived back to the office. This may |
| placed stories on our company in more than 100 media | | | | seem like a small task, but getting it right could really |
| outlets - from MSNBC and Forbes to the Wall Street | | | | decide whether or not a reporter selects your story, or |
| Journal and Wired News online. We did it by studying | | | | moves on to a new one. |
| what the big PR agencies did well, and also by using | | | | The important point to remember here is this. Never |
| our department's "smallness" to our advantage. Here's | | | | underestimate the power and dedication of your |
| how you can do it, too. | | | | in-house staff. Before you make the investment in |
| Research your company. | | | | retaining a PR agency, look at your internal talent first. |
| Forget that you own or work within the organization. | | | | What you find just might surprise you, and their drive to |
| Really invest the time in understanding your company's | | | | succeed will become contagious throughout your entire |
| structure, the executives and their backgrounds, the | | | | organization. And when the time comes to hire a PR |
| products and technology, the industry in which your | | | | firm, you will have a ready-made collaborative team in |
| company belongs, competitors and experts, and most | | | | place to work with your outside agency. Your in-house |
| of all the target audience -- the people who stand to | | | | team knows your company better than anyone and |
| benefit most from your product or service. If you | | | | that's where you, as a small-business owner, have an |
| know all of this information, then you'll be in a better | | | | advantage over the "big boys" at the large PR |
| position to brainstorm ideas on how to get the media's | | | | agencies in getting the media's attention. |