“Mind Your Business Call” with Betty Galligan
Queen of PR
June 19, 2007
The top five things a woman-owned business can do to get publicity and recognition
What publicity can do for you and your business;
Sassy PR tips and techniques based on Betty’s proven track record of working with the media
Webster’s Definition of publicity: the quality or state of being public; information designed to advance the interests of a place, person, cause, etc. usually appearing in public print; advertising of any kind; any matter which secures public attention; also the attention so gained. In a word: “Exposure”
Publicity is a tool of public relations.
Top Five Publicity Strategies for Woman-Owned Businesses:
1. Be committed to the process
You must have a comfort factor with exposure, usually takes time to develop relationships with the media, just when you do so, reporters change. Be ready for interviews.
Feed the pipeline: This means coming up with regular, on-going news items that you can send to the media. If you visualize a long pipe, if you put something into one end, it will come out the other. If you stop feeding it, nothing will come out. It will dry up. If you put too much into one end, it will get blocked so don’t ‘flood’ the media, either.
2. Toot your own horn
If you don’t toot it, who will? This goes back to the comfort factor. Be proactive in alerting the media to your news. Display your press clippings in a frame for customers/prospects to see. Some people direct mail the clippings to their customers/prospects.
a. Newsworthy topics include:
Events
Stats/survey results
New hires, promotions (including yourself!)
Recognition, awards, grants rec’d
Unique angle of employee, human interest
Public speaking gigs
New products, literature
Community involvement (Board seat, etc.)
Partnerships
Other
3. Be trendy/Tie in with a trend
Style and fashion is what we know! What is the trend in your industry? Piggyback on current issues. For example, if you own a greenhouse, perhaps the trend is in edible flowers. Suggesting this story angle may interest a newspaper or television station in doing a feature story on your business, vs. just suggesting a profile piece on how wonderful your business is. Think like a journalist!
4. Be seen/Get out there
Get speaking opportunities, schmooze at events, be top of mind. Network. Word of mouth is very powerful. Nametag can be a walking billboard! Make it memorable (‘I’m looking for a job’) Women can’t always carve out the time in the day that men can; use the politician’s strategy by dropping in to two or three events in one evening and not staying very long at any.
5. Share info/help others
Women can do this so well! Send info about another woman business owner (or male) to your media contact; be a resource not just a source to the media. Be the ‘go to’ person. Be part of a larger picture.
BONUS TIP: Have a Web site, even if it’s just a home page where media can find you and verify your existence.
TOP THREE SASSY PR TECHNIQUES for working with the media:
1. Constantly hone your Media list: know beat reporters, editors
Get a copy of publication/research, keep up w/changes
- When following up by phone on a news release you’ve sent, don’t ask if they’ll run the release unless you have good reason. [Rather, inform them about a mistake or update/correction]
- NEVER ask if they are going to run the release.
3. When in doubt, ASK. [How to spell a name, what deadline is, if they’ll cover something like that, is this a good angle, how they prefer to receive news, etc.] (After emailing a release and following up by phone, editor asked me to fax it so the person wouldn’t have to go through all the emails!) Coverage tips for writing/sample news releases are available online at most newspapers’ sites.
Two Sample Press Releases available here:
Sample Calendar Listing
Sample News Release