Have you ever heard of the saying, "One person's
trash is another person's treasure?" Well, that statement
is a true one, but never more so than in the realm
of media relations where so many small-business owners
find it so difficult to garner media coverage for
themselves or their companies. Allow me to illustrate
my point below in an actual incident that happened
to one of my clients and the lessons we learned from
this experience.
One day a new client approached me about getting
media coverage for her company. She had tried writing
and submitting press releases on her own but with
little luck and decided that it was time to contact
a media relations company. We made an appointment
to meet and we discussed her business and brainstormed
about ways in which to secure coverage in a creative
and affordable way.
During that meeting and subsequent other ones, I
became very familiar with her business and learned
why she was so successful. But it was in a casual
conversation, which had little to do with her business,
that I learned about the information that would allow
me to secure news coverage for my new client.
This particular client is a visual arts designer
and runs a very successful business in the Midwest,
but her one true passion since childhood is gymnastics.
She participated in the sport as a child. She still
follows the sport on television and even incorporates
the sport into the name of her company. I learned
that she liked to have people take photographs of
her performing handstands near historic structures,
and that she had done this all around the country.
It was through that conversation that I learned that
she even had a photo taken of her performing a handstand
just outside of the World Trade Center several years
ago. I asked her why she hadn't shared this information
with me earlier and she said, "It was such a little
thing that I really didn't think it was very important."
In reality, it was that little-known fact that sealed
the deal for local newspaper coverage. When I spoke
with the reporter, I I was able to strategically mention
this "little" fact to the reporter and explain that
I could supply the actual photo. It mattered less
to the reporter that this client was a self-published
author and ran a successful business. While all of
that information was great, it was the World Trade
Center photo that peaked the reporter's interest.
In the end, instead of receiving a small blurb in
the newspaper, which was what we really expected,
she in turn got a front-page story complete with her
photo and references to both her business and her
love for gymnastics. Plus, this was a very affordable
decision because the client could never have afforded
an advertisement the size of that article generated.
The point that I'm trying to make is this. Sometimes
small-business owners need to depend on the services
of communication companies in order to secure media
coverage. But whether you are dealing with a big agency
or a boutique agency or a freelancer, it's always
important to share every detail because sometimes
it's the little details, which can make or break a
story.
