Promoting Your Business with PR

Public relations is about managing the media and developing a brand. It isn’t about making someone famous through managing appearances or mingling with celebrities – which is one of the biggest misconceptions to date.

Public relations professionals don’t book work or appearances outside of media interviews, talent or literary agents do this. Public relations professionals book media appearances based on what a client is doing. If you have to do the work yourself (you can’t quite obtain a publicist just yet), please pay attention to my top 3 common PR mistakes listed below.

1. It is two different things entirely to pitch news your clients force you to pitch against your better judgment and pitch something to a reporter without the thought of you believing it is news in the first place.

2. Your timeline isn’t what the press cares about. In fact, you need to care what the media’s timelines are. I recently read this piece of advice and couldn’t agree more. “Let’s say you are sending a Christmas wish list to a monthly magazine. When do you send that pitch? October? August? Try June or July.

3. Know the news. Everyone thinks their clients are special, and they are. However, you will not get your clients picked up by every single news outlet. In fact, for every 500 outlets pitched, expect a 3% return and not right away. Remember, editorial calendars exist!

As you move forward, you will create connections that will make it easier for you to pick up the phone and bump competing press agents and their stories. Until then, follow the rules and don’t make these 3 major mistakes.

Until tomorrow,

Twyla N. Garrett

2 Simple Ways to Succeed!

We get caught up in our day-to-day routines. We start gaining a little success and then it stops. Instead of moving onward and upward, we move downward and lose ground. Why does this happen. Fundamentally business owners and CEOs can lose sight of two very important things in business, which can collapse any pending or current success.

Be Efficient is the first simple rule for success. If you offer a deadline to your client, meet it. There is nothing worse than getting a client all pumped up in a presentation and then disappointing them later because you failed to meet a deadline. Even if the presentation is the best in the world, it will not matter. Deadlines are important. Always make sure you meet them!

Be a pleasure to work with. If you are not pleasant you will lose customers and vendors. We all rely on vendors to help us get our work done and to service our customers. If you are not professional and kind, vendors will stray away and you will lose both customers and employees. Keeping people happy means your business is gaining a great reputation within your industry. People can test you, I know this. Chose to be polite and kind, even if you have to be firm.

Until next time,

Twyla