Follow these steps to maximize your public relations message. First define your public relations goal. Goals can be sales-, financial- or humanity-oriented. For example, publicity can:

• Provide sales material in the form of reprinted reviews and articles.
• Create visibility nationally
• Create visibility overseas
• Attract sponsors
• Create opportunities for strategic alliances
• Make the organization and overnight sensation

Produce a goal statement. Make it explicit, measurable, achievable, important to you and deadline-oriented, such as:

• Our specific goal is…
• We can measure results so we know we've reached our goal by…
• The estimated time needed to reach our goal is…
• The money and staffing needed to achieve the goal is…
• Reaching the goal will mean (what?) for the organization.
• Reaching this goal will mean (what?) for you financially, professionally, or personally.

Determine your product message. Identify your product with short (10 seconds) and full positioning statements. Give an executive summary of the organization. Product positioning statements are critical to the program's overall success. Create a task force to voice opinions to see your organization from a variety of perspectives.

Establish your organization's position statement. A company position statement describes your organization's main mission in a very few words. Create short and full statements. When people hear the name of your organization you want them to think of:

• Key products and services you offer.
• Board or advisory members' educational and community background.
• Educational credentials and community services relating to the organization.
• The organization as a division of, or subsidiary of, or affiliated with…

Write compelling press releases. Here are the six basic elements common to all press releases: Release information, contact information, headline, dateline, body text and positioning statement. Press releases can be used to publicize personnel, board of directors and advisory boards.

A press kit is a set of material designed to communicate your message in detail to reporters. It can contain any combination of the following informational pieces about your organization.

• Press Release
• Organization's background/fact sheet of three to four pages.
• Charts compairing you with competitors.
• Reasons to review
• Reviewers' guidelines
• Case histories, including testimonials.
• Photographs
• Charts, graphs, and line art.
• Response card (Prepaid to encourage requests for more information.)
• Business/media contacts.

To target the media, know your reporters. Find the right targets, identify your priorities, keep track of your media contacts and obtain editorial calendars.

Know what's news! Call the news editor. Think in these terms:

• Awards
• Contracts
• Personnel appointments
• Case histories
• Signed articles
• Letters to the editor
• Calendar items

Pitching a story by phone is one of the most effective strategies for getting press coverage. Use the phone to:

Convince a reporter to write a news article or review

Determine what action the reporter will take

Build rapport that will help us in the future

Write effective pitch letters. Include a cover letter with the press release. Use e-mail, faxes and wire services to:

• Gain attention
• Give the essential facts
• Call to action

Follow up on publicity by acknowledging good reviews. Follow up on errors in reviews and respond to bad reviews. Build on positive reviews and obtain reprint rights. Keep in touch. Monitor results. Measure results.  

Active Image Marketing (AIM)
2102 Business Center Drive, Suite #130
Irvine, Ca 92612
888.AIM.4888
714.552.3334
714.252.1113 fax
mail to: aimmkt@earthlink.net
http://www.active-image.com

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