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GET FREE PUBLICITY EZINE
August 22, 2002
Published by
George McKenzie, Editor
See the bottom of this newsletter for
Subscribe/Unsubscribe Information
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Here are the headlines (also known in the news biz as
"teases"):
*** Time flies when you're having fun, right? But if you're
a journalist on deadline, time also flies when you're NOT
having fun -- a fact anyone pitching a story can't afford to
ignore. See the Advanced Media Marketing Article below.
*** Beauty is only skin deep, they say. But a lot of
"beautiful" media kits get UNDER the skin of working
reporters, producers, and editors. See this edition's Quick
Media Marketing Tip.
*** Does your brain lock when someone starts talking tax
law? Do your eyes glaze over when you see stories about
401(k)s, 529s, 503(b)s, etc? See our "Press Release
Critique of the Week" for an example of how one company took
a dull and sometimes complicated subject and turned it into
a pretty good pitch for free publicity.
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SPONSOR MESSAGE
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FREE MARKETING EBOOK - "Six Deadly Small Business Marketing
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Quick Media Marketing Tip:
Packed-and-Pretty Media Kits = Money For Nuthin'
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By George McKenzie
In the last edition of Get Free Publicity, I described the
difference between a press release and a media kit.
And...I promised I'd share my thoughts on how much money you
should spend creating a slick, glossy, and fully-packed
media kit.
Well, here's my opinion: None.
Or at best, very little.
I’ve seen people and companies spend a fortune producing
large, glossy, media kits with 20 pages of information,
knock-out graphics, a beautiful folder, and so on and so on.
I suspect folks who send these kits believe that a big,
beautiful package will impress journalists and raise their
chances of getting coverage.
It’s been my experience though, that most media kits wind up
in the trash.
First of all, hardly anyone has space to space to store
them.
And more importantly, few journalists have time to read them
(see the week's Advanced Media Marketing Article below for
elaboration).
If you dump a lot of dough into trying to impress
journalists with a fancy media kit, you probably won't get
anything near your investment in return. To borrow a line
from a Dire Straits song, you'll wind up spending a lot of
"Money For Nuthin.'"
Media kits CAN be useful to journalists.
They just don't have to cost a fortune.
To learn how to assemble a boffo media package
inexpensively, check out Joan Stewart’s Special Report #8-
Media Kits On A Shoestring: How To Create Them Without
Spending A Bundle
Joan also has an excellent Special Report on how to build an
online media room. See Special Report #22-How To Create An
Online Media Room And Keep The Media Coming Back
Both are available for $7.00 each at
http://www.get-free-publicity.com/specialreports.htm
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SPONSOR MESSAGE
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For more quick but powerful media marketing tips, get
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It's a full hour of bits and bites with veteran broadcasters
and editors who give you the "scoop" on how to get free
publicity that's more believable, powerful, productive, and
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http://www.get-free-publicity.com/fasttrack.html
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Advanced Media Marketing Article:
Help Reporters "Beat the Clock" and
They'll Help You "Beat the Drum"
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By George McKenzie
Imagine that you had lunch with an important client or
prospect. You thought you had plenty of time, but the
client/prospect got chatty, the restaurant was jammed and
service was slow.
It’s now about 1:45 and you’re due back at the office for an
important 2:00 o’clock meeting. You can’t afford to be
late. If you hit the traffic lights just right, you’ll walk
into the conference room right on time.
But you don’t hit the first couple of lights just right, and
you’re starting to sweat.
Then at 1:55, half a mile from the office, you see the
blocking arms coming down just as you’re pulling up to a the
train crossing. A freight train lumbers into view.
Now you’re really sweating about being late.
Ever had that feeling? Not fun, huh?
That’s the feeling most people in the news business live
with. Not just once in a while either.
Every day.
Unless you’ve been through it, you can’t imagine the gut-
wrenching and hand-wringing that goes on as a deadline
approaches and you’re battling to get your column written,
your radio report ready, or your TV live shot on the air.
There are constant challenges --
Journalistic: Is my information accurate? Have I confirmed
it? Is there anything important I’m leaving out? Will my
competition have something I don’t?
Human: there are other people screwing up their jobs all
around you, but you still have to get yours done as if
everything and everyone performed flawlessly.
Technical: Computers crash, cameras and tape recorders
don’t work, tires go flat. Technological advances in
newsgathering have been breathtaking since I got into the
business. But one thing hasn’t changed: Murphy’s Law.
Throw all these challenges together, and simply doing your
job everyday can get fairly uncomfortable.
For an interesting insight into what I mean here, go to
http://www.get-free-publicity.com/ford.html
It's the story of a near-disaster I experienced shortly
after I had done an interview with former President Gerald
Ford.
I’m not asking for sympathy here. If you’re in the
business, you know that’s how it is and you accept it. It’s
part of the job description. It "comes with the territory."
I’m describing it to you, however, so you know the normal
mental state, the mindset of the people you’ll be dealing
with when you're trying to get free publicity for yourself
or your business.
And the mindset is "get to the point, tell me what I need to
know, and don’t waste my time with anything unnecessary."
When I was doing a weeknight sportscast at KMOL TV in San
Antonio, I used to hang a sign on my office door every night
at "crunch time," which was 60 minutes or so before I went
on the air.
The sign read:
"If it’s important, say it fast.
If it’s not, say it later."
As you send your press releases to people in the media, keep
that in mind. Nothing will hurt your chances of getting
publicity from them as much as wasting their time with non-
essential stuff.
Help them "beat the clock," and they'll be more likely to
help you "beat the drum" by giving you thousands of dollars
worth of coverage -- and free publicity.
***Excerpted from George McKenzie's soon-to-be-published
ebook, "Start Spreading The News." See future editions of
this ezine for publication details.
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SPONSOR MESSAGE
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Joan Stewart has authored a series of 39 "Special Reports"
that are a "must have" for anyone seeking free publicity
from the media. These reports are single-spaced, at least
five pages long, and go into incredible depth on each
topic. $7.00 each. Learn more by going to
http://www.get-free-publicity.com/specialreports.htm
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Press Release "Critique of the Week:"
Website Promotion
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In every issue, we'll offer you a lengthy evaluation of a
genuine news release that was recently sent to a working
news room.
We'll look at it the ways a media decision maker would,
using the following criteria (among others)
The Instant Eyeball Test: What's the overall "look" of the
release? You'd be amazed at how important this is.
The Headline Test: Does it make the reader want to keep
going to find out more about the story?
The Hot Button Test: Does it legitimately offer
information people need to know or would like to know?
For this week's critique, go to:
http://free-advertising.biz/o/critique.htm
You'll see how investment firm took one of the world's most
boring subjects -- tax regulations -- and turned it into an
interesting and relevant story possibility for journalists.
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Give me one hour and I will show you
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Success Stories Needed
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Tell us your success story and get a free one-hour audio
seminar (downloaded from our web site). Plus you could get
additional free publicity if we publish your story in this
ezine.
Email your stories directly to me at
mailto:successstories@get-free-publicity.com.
In doing so you grant permission for your story to be used
in an upcoming edition of this ezine or in a free ebook to
be offered to readers upon compilation.
You'll receive an email offering you a choice of audio
seminars within 24 hours after you send in your story.
============================================================
SPONSOR MESSAGE
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Get a free weekly marketing tip directly from Marlon
Sanders. Sign up at
http://www.get-free-publicity.com/weeklytip.html
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Recommended Resources
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These are some of the resources that have been most helpful
to us in building on online presence:
Terry Dean's NetBreakthroughs...
http://www.get-free-publicity.com/terrydean.html
"Click" by Tom Antion. EBook. A "gotta-have-it" guide for
Internet marketers.
http://www.get-free-publicity.com/speakershop.html
Internet Marketing Course-Cory Rudl
http://www.get-free-publicity.com/imc.html
"The Amazing Formula"
http://www.get-free-publicity.com/amazing.html
But THE ONE RESOURCE that has made the biggest impact on our
e-business:
A shopping cart and automation system so simple even I
figured out how to do it. Autoresponders, client database,
coupon and ad tracking, this system has everything. If
you're serious about doing business on the net, DEFINITELY
check this program out.
http://www.get-free-publicity.com/tip.html
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Add another stream of income to your web site by offering
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Join our affiliate program. Generous revenue sharing.
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FREE ARTICLES FOR YOUR PUBLICATIONS
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We have many articles available for reprint in your
publication, company newsletter, etc. You may use
articles that you see in this ezine. Back issues
can be viewed at
http://www.get-free-publicity.com/backissues.htm
or
http://www.get-free-publicity.com/articlelist.htm
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GET FREE PUBLICITY
EZINE
August 22, 2002
Publisher:
http://www.get-free-publicity.com
Editor: George McKenzie
mailto:george@get-free-publicity.com
Copyright 2002 by George McKenzie
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