Media Publicity and How to Get It
You've heard the saying a gazillion times:
"Charity begins at home."
But in this age of mass media, charity
that begins at home can also proceed straight to your bottom line--by generating
publicity for your web site or your business.
And best of all, the mass media--especially
the news media--are ready, willing, and more than able to partner with
you and give you plenty of free publicity.
Charity events and stories about community
involvement result in publicity from the the media for a couple of reasons.
1. People in the media are sensitive to
criticism that "You only want to show bad news," and will make every effort
to show uplifting, positive stories whenever possible.
2. It's in the media's best interest to
build goodwill by taking part in community events and giving publicity
to them.
3. In the case of radio and TV stations,
they MUST show that they're serving the community. Otherwise, their FCC
license would be in jeopardy.
4. For the most part (there are exceptions),
media people good-hearted people who WANT to help others and are happy
to give an event publicity--if it's a worthwhile event.
So, when you want to generate media publicity
that results in new traffic or more traffic to your business or web site,
consider hosting a fundraiser for a charity or community organization.
Let the media know you're involved through a press release. It's often
a good idea to ask a high profile person from the media to be your honorary
chairperson.
Also, if possible, offer the media a story
about someone who has benefited from the charity. If you can "humanize"
the work the charity is doing, "put a human face on it" so to speak, your
chances of getting coverage (that is, publicity), will skyrocket.
And don't forget to look for opportunities
to get media publicity prior to your event, especially on radio talk shows.
Fundraisers and events that benefit the
community amount to a win-win-win situation. Obviously, the charity gets
money and attention to their cause, the media get points for its community
spirit, and you get publicity that would have cost you thousands of dollars
if you had to pay for it.
Early in my radio career, one of my friends
used to sign off his show every day by telling his listeners this:
"Remember, do good and you'll always do
well."
It's true in life. It's especially true
when you want to get free publicity in the media.
To see an expanded, more detailed edition
of this article, including tips on how to get media publicty for a charity
fundraiser of community event, see http://www.publicity-pro.com/charityevents.htm
Author-Bio: Former TV anchor and radio
talk show host George McKenzie |
