As I have said to you in the past, the media – newspapers, radio, television and magazines are always searching for stories and angles. The key to good public relations is to determine who will be interested in your particular story or angle.
Just two of the many techniques which you can use to succeed with your long term public relations strategy are:
Provide news — Position yourself as an expert.
If you can do one or more of the following four things in a way which affects enough people — you can turn almost anything into news:
Solve a problem or create an opportunity
- Identify a trend. Journalists love trends — especially those which affect a lot of people in their audience
- Provide advice to the readers, listeners or viewers
- Help the community
Patience is the name of the public relations game — it’s an activity in which there are few overnight successes. You really need to persevere and things will begin to fit into place. Harassing a journalist to publish your story is not a recommended practice.
Let’s focus on just one aspect — providing advice.
The sort of press releases which you can write and distribute which provide advice could include the following:
- 7 Tips to Reduce Your Income Tax
- Throw Away the Shoe Box — 10 Commandments for Good Record Keeping
- 8 Often Overlooked Tax Deductions for Property Investors
- How to Get the Most out of Your Computerised Accounting System
- 9 Ways to Reduce your Taxes Which Won’t See You in Jail
It should be noted that these are snappy headlines which should guarantee that you capture the attention of the journalist, presenter or producer to whom you are forwarding your press release. You should always include the major theme of the press release in your first paragraph or you will guarantee only one thing — you will lose the interest of the recipient and you will not achieve publication.
Another strategy worthy of consideration is to add your own story or angle to a popular news item. This can often lead to substantial media coverage. It’s a good idea to keep your eyes and ears open for any tax changes to which you can add a local flavor or personal comment — you are most likely to gain some coverage and enhance your image in the process.
