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Use Smart PR to Unearth Prospects
by Bob Bly
News releases about your products can give you results-to-expenditures unmatched by any other promotion or marketing tool. By investing a few days’ work and often less than $500 you can achieve results comparable to those produced by and ad or PR agency-for a fraction of an agency’s charges.
For direct marketers, news release have one prime purpose-to produce sales leads or inquiries that can be followed up with literature and/or qualified by telemarketing.
The key is to target your news release the same way you target mailings to your
database. Don’t simply mail to lists of magazines obtained from standard directories, like SRDS, Bacon’s Publicity Checker, or Oxbridge. Screen copies of each magazine to get a feel for its editorial approach, and tailor your release to the needs and interests of its readers.
Five Tested Ways to Produce Inquiries
As with direct mail, a lot depends on your offer. Don’t just tack a sentence onto the end of your release like “For more information, contact...” Make your offer specific. Make it tangible, like one of these:
1. Free booklet and other free information. Business prospects are always
on the lookout for ideas and information. The offer of a free booklet or report stops busy readers and get them to act, dramatically increasing lead responses Surprisingly, a modest charge does not improve quality but does cut down response.
2. Free article reprint. A variation on the free booklet theme. Trade journal articles written by company executives can be reprinted and offered in a news release. Even competitive magazines in the field will run the offer. A lengthy article can be called a “special report” or “monograph” a short one, a “tip sheet.”
3. New product release. Short reports of new products, with photos, are published by “product news” tabloids or in new product sections of industrial magazines. The product need not actually be new. Enhancements, new features, models, upgrades, or applications will do. Again, for best response, offer a free brochure or data sheet.
4. New literature release. New product brochures, catalogs, capabilities brochures, or other literature can form the basis of a release. You can follow-up a new product release in a month or two with a new literature release.
5. “New angle” release. Put a new slant on an existing product. The product may not be new, but find a new angle or application and you’ve got the makings of a news release. Is it newsworthy? That’s the key. If it’s simply a blatant puff piece disguised as a news release, the magazine, quite rightly, may suggest that you buy an ad. But make it bright, creative, imaginative, add a free offer-and you’ll be surprised at the response.
Some Common Myths About PR
1. Myth: Mailing press releases is archaic and ineffective. Use modem, e-mail, fax, floppy disk, Fedex, or other rapid-access media.
Reality: I see no evidence that editors give faxed materials more consideration than first class mail. Long articles sent via floppy disk or modem are acceptable, but will not increase chances of acceptance.
2. Myth: You can’t buy public relations with advertising.
Reality: In some cases, you can. but not in quality publications with editorial integrity. Small magazines may give advertisers preferential treatment (I have seen it many times and know it to be a fact beyond dispute.) But chances are, the quality of responses won’t be worth the effort.
3. Myth: You need “contacts” to get publicity.
Reality: Yes, contacts help, but you can succeed without them. Everytime you get coverage, add the editor’s name to your Rolodex or database. Send a short, sincere thank-you to the editor or reporter.
4. Myth: Editors want to be wined and dined.
Reality: It’s unnecessary. A few may respond to lunch at a post restaurant or tickets to a basketball game. But most editors prefer to keep PR sources at arm’s length. A simple thank-you note is all that’s called for.
5. Myth: PR promotions don’t work without follow-up.
Reality: Follow-up may get some editors who missed your material to consider it, but overall, a well-written press release, targeted to the publication’s readers, will do just well without it.
Publicity has to be managed. Postage, clerical time, media research, writing, checking, photos, addressing, mailing-all take time and supervision. As a direct marketer, you’re in them middle of things. Even though you don’t have the time, you may have the clearest insights in your company into markets, applications, customers, and prospects, so the responsibility for publicity may fall on your shoulders.
Product publicity conversion rates are typically low. Still because of its comparatively low cost, it can be a very profitable way to generate sales leads.
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