Public Relations Programs

Every good marketing program should include an intelligent public relations plan. An understanding of the important aspects of the public relations process will help you to develop a well thought-out program.

Many people believe that press releases are free advertising, unfortunately this is a misconception. A simple explanation is that advertising is paid media space that you contract for in order to appear in specific media outlets at specific times while press releases are not paid media and offer no guarantee of actually appearing in the media. This is because your press release is subject to the discretion of the editorial department.

Achieving success with PR is dependent upon gaining an editor’s interest in your feature story or press release. The important questions in an editor’s mind are always:

Will this story be of interest to my readers?
What value or benefit will my readers receive from this information?
Is this information timely or is it old news rehashed?
Have we recently run a story of this type?

Many public relations professionals perpetuate the myth that it’s all about the contacts they have; also a misconception. There is no doubt that knowing whom to call or having their direct phone number or email may help expedite the process. However; a good story will always evoke interest from editors.

Today, it is easy to get editors contact information, most editor’s information is posted on their specific publication websites. An important tip to keep in mind, is that most editors will list their preference for delivery of information- fax, email or phone. It is best to adhere to their preferences.

The most important concept is your story and how you present it to an editor. Editors will immediately see right through an over hyped story or an ad in disguise. Not only will your story never see publication but future correspondence on your letterhead will be met with even greater scrutiny. This is the most serious mistake that people make with editors. Your goal is to cultivate a strong long term professional relationship for future articles that have real substance

AvizaGroup will help you set up a successful public relations program. We show you how to recognize a story with great potential for media interest. We advise you as to how to work with editors.

Not getting results with your current public relations program? Need help setting up a new program? Let’s talk. In absolute confidence, send an email to John.h@AvizaGroup.com or call John Howlett at (908) 303-4440.

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