Public Relations: The art of creating interest in you, your company, and your product/service by convincing others (namely media outlets such as print, TV, and radio) to report about who you are, what you do, and why it’s important to the world at large.

Sounds pretty simple, doesn’t it? PR is perhaps a little deceiving in definition. PR involves a lot of hard work and dedication. There are several things you must do (and do well) in order for the media outlets to recognize your expertise and your business.

First and foremost: You must be an expert at something. No one will want to book you for their show or write an article about you unless you’ve done your work and are an expert in your field. So, before you go any further, be aware that if you are not already an expert (usually, if you own a small business, you are an expert) you need to take some time and learn about everything related to your product or service. The worst publicity is the kind that says you don’t know what you’re talking about.

The next thing to do is to zero in on your buying audience. Take your buying audience and identify various segments – different segments of your audience will require different promotional efforts. Figure out what magazines and newspapers they read, the news and television programming they watch, and the radio stations and programming to which your audience listens.

Now you can zero in on the media audience that will be the most effective in your PR Campaign. If you’re selling high-end computer servers, for example, sending a press release to Parenting magazine is not your best bet. I would suggest gathering an extensive list of all media outlets that might be interested. If you are sending your materials to several hundred media outlets, you will have a greater chance of publication (or booking) than if you send it to only 20. So be exact; but find a LOT. A good resource for finding the best media outlets for your product or service is Bacons MediaList Online (http://www.medialistsonline.com).

TIP: You must fully believe in what you’re publicizing – the media has a way of sifting through the hype and seeing the product/service for what it’s worth. Enthusiasm is contagious. When you promote your product, be enthusiastic and sincere. Impassioned people always find their way to the top! Believe from the heart that what you’re promoting will change the world, that you promoting it makes a difference, and that YOU know more about it than anyone else. You can’t fake it!

The next logical step is to create a press release. Generally, TV and radio producers do not have the time to read press releases. Send it to them anyway. It may just fall through the cracks and find its way into an interested producer’s hand. Newspapers and other print publications will usually pay more attention to your press releases than their radio and TV counterparts.

Press releases sent to print publications should differ than those you send to radio and TV outlets. Print outlets can publish a press release at little or no charge; so make sure that your press release is newsworthy and includes all the information (the who, what, where, when, why, and how) as concisely as possible. You should limit all your press releases to a single page. The first paragraph of your press release is vital. Many editors won’t get past this first paragraph if they do not like it. Use this paragraph to inform them of what you are promoting. It should be no more than four sentences and should include all the points you are making throughout the rest of the press release. Do not go into great detail here. Most of the people to whom you are sending your press release will not care about the details unless they read the rest of the press release. If you insist on going into greater detail about you or your product or service, include the details on another page in your media kit. Make sure to include your contact information at the top and bottom of every page you send to the media.

Press releases sent to radio and TV producers should be much shorter. Generally, they don’t have the time to read the press releases. When they do, they just read the headlines and sub-headlines. These headlines should only be one line. They should only take a couple seconds to read; and they should immediately show the value/benefits of what you are promoting. The media is obsessed with certain topics – sex, money, and health – so try to incorporate these ideas in your headlines. Make sure to bullet your main points. Keep the bullets in order of importance; readers probably won’t get past the first three. And keep the list short, five bullets is probably best.

Make sure you record who you send your press releases to. Keep track of their names, addresses, phone number, employer, specialty area, source information, and any other information you have on this particular person. Make sure your list is always up-to-date, there is a huge turnover rate in the media. You don’t want to waste your time sending your media kit/press release to people who no longer work for those outlets.

Follow up with the editors/producers to whom you send your press release/media kit. Telephone them within 3 days of receiving your press release/media kit (Note: FedEx packages are opened more frequently than any other delivered package – so if you’re sending your press release/media kit out and you have the resources, send them via overnight FedEx delivery). When you get these people on the phone, ask them if they got the press release, if they have any questions about it, or if there’s anything further you can do to help them. Building relationships with media outlets is essential; but it’s a one-way information street. To have a successful relationship, you must be willing to give them information, to do some extra research for whatever project they’re working on – YOU must help THEM in some way. Offer your expertise for whatever project on which they are currently working. Or, if you have no expertise in that area, offer to make contact with some of your associates on their behalf for their piece. These people are addicted to information. The more information you give them, the more apt they are to help you promote yourself! So don’t be shy! Ask if and how you can help them!

Your media kit should highlight your press release. Without a great press release, sending a media kit is an act of futility. Media kits are no longer necessary for initial mailings; they do better as a follow up tactic. Your media kit should be presented in a nice two-pocket folder with your business card included. Keep your media kits short, no more than a few pages; and you can include any of the following in addition to your press release:

• Company history • Personal history • Suggested questions • Brochure • Articles • Your photograph • Testimonials • Quizzes, trivia, or giveaways

Make sure to print your logo and contact information on the cover of your folder. If you are in a money crunch, print out some labels and stick them on there – but make sure that information is there. You will also want the entirety of your contact information on every page of your media kit. If any of these elements get separated from the rest, you want them to be able to reach you!

As you can tell, this information is really only the tip of the iceberg. While PR is time consuming, it is an integral part of your marketing efforts. Take the time, plan what you need to do, and get a PR strategy working for you!