Do You Know What is Missing From Your Public Relations Plan?

Marsha Friedman, Chief Executive Officer of Event Management Services, a national publicity firm says ” In my nearly twenty years of experience in the public relations industry the missing link to many publicity campaigns is positioning! If you perfectly position your product you will maximize your media exposure and media opportunities.” Friedman adds, “What do I mean by positioning? It is simply the art of presenting your book, product or service to the media in such a way as to convey an immediate interest and understanding of the subject. It “positions” your topic with other similar topics in the news so that those reading your press materials can easily understand the subject and see how it compares to others like it. Positioning has been used for decades by Madison Avenue with much success, yet there is little understanding of it. So what this means is that when you consider your press release, the rules need to be rewritten.

Marsha Friedman adds, “A creative and well thought out presentation of your product to the media is an absolute must! The competition for attention makes the job of publicity increasingly more difficult. Positioning is the missing link to your promotion that will really help you add lots of media successes to your public relations initiative.” Let’s let Marsha Friedman share some tips that her firm uses to position her clients at EMSI:

1. Your press materials must have a good understanding not only of your unique message but also how it is relevant to today’s society.

2. Really look at what you are actually promoting and find the “hot” pieces of information that really put it in front of the pack. Find out what is ground breaking about it.

3. Take a close look at the media and see how other items like yours are being handled and portrayed. Are they being treated well? Ignored?

4. Then start writing your press release! Make sure that you get all of these “pearls” of wisdom down on a two page (maximum) release and slap an eye-catching headline at the top. The audience of your press release is a very inundated producer, so make it eye catching!

5. Be plain and obvious. If you the producer or editor has to really think hard to decipher your message, they will pass over you. Give them an instant concept!

6. Don’t send out the same release to the different media. Remember that they are each looking for something different. A 20 minute interview on a talk radio show is not the same as a 5 minute television news interview.

7. Always include those special features about yourself (or your spokesperson) that make you an authority on the topic; why you would make a good guest (and not put the audience to sleep) and what questions could be asked during the interview.

8. Radio releases can be “salesy”, although they should give all of the information a host will need to do the show - a clear concept of the show topic, background data on the subject, sample questions and a separate page for your bio.

Marsha Friedman adds, “So there you go, some tips to really get your press release in order. But don’t forget that without a relentless phone follow up campaign you may not be able to reap the fruits of your labor. Often times the media never receives your materials or was interested but just too busy to call for more information. Following up by phone puts you ten steps ahead of the hundreds of publicists desperately vying for their attention.”

If you would like to learn more about gaining national media exposure for your company, product or service, without the financial burden of monthly retainers, Friedman is here to help . Feel free to contact her directly at mfriedman@emsincorporated.com or visit her firm online at http://www.emsincorporated.com. As a public relations expert Marsha Friedman has the ability to get the media attention that you desire without breaking your budget with costly monthly retainers .

Marsha Friedman has been a leading authority on public relations for nearly two decades as CEO of Event Management Services, Inc (EMSI). If you would like to receive her free Ebook “How to Be a Great Talk Radio Guest” visit http://www.emsincorporated.com.

- Marsha Friedman