Top 10 tips for getting free publicity
Why do some community groups seem to have their events and activities publicized more than others? Short answer: they know what they’re doing. As someone who has organized some special events, dating back to when I was in high school, I offer tips as both an organizer and a newspaper man on how to create an advanced buzz. Miller’s top 10 tips:
1. Begin with a press release. Make it short – going on too long loses your audience. If you know a journalist or good writer, ask for help. The best press releases are the ones that are camera ready for agencies to cut-and-paste. That means leaving out lines such as “the $75 tickets includes a delicious roast beef buffet by our terrific chef Arnold.” (That sounds like an ad, not a new story.) Also avoid using the words “we” and “our” in the press release.
All news agencies are under-staffed and they love quality, ready-to-use copy.
2. When accompanying a photo with a press release, see that it’s high quality ... everybody looking at the camera and well cropped. Also provide a short cutline (caption) with the first and last names of each participant, with correct spelling. Go left to right.
3. Shorter is better with press releases and at the end include the name of a contact person, their phone number and email.
On the day the media release is sent, make sure the contact person is available for phone calls.
4. For posters, the lesser, the better.
If it’s a concert poster, for example, you only want to list:
Who: Artist
What: Event
Where: Location with address
When: Hours
What for: Any charities?
How: Price of tickets and where to get them.
5. Many groups like to send announcements out weeks in advance to get a jump on sales.
Unless it’s the Ice Cube concert, it’s a bad idea because media outlets will toss them in the in-basket and forget about them.
If a story is done too far in advance, people figure they have plenty of time to buy tickets, then forget about it. Humans are last-minute creatures, let’s face it, so I believe one week prior to the event is the perfect time.
6. Include all news agencies. While I like to think print is by far the best option, also email the allnews websites, radio and television.
Press releases and free plugs are exactly that – free.
If budget allows, you may want to enhance your message with some paid advertising. It shows the public you’re serious.
7. Take the time to send each outlet your monthly calendar of events. Several outlets have community calendars. We do.
Even with an activity buried with many others, if you get two people to come out because they saw it in an events guide, that’s two more people you wouldn’t of had for an investment of 90 seconds of your time.
8. If you don’t receive an email acknowledgement, nobody will be offended by a follow-up. Newsrooms get literally hundreds of emails per day – most of them from out-of-town and irrelevant to local readers. It’s possible they’ve overlooked your email.
9. If an outlet ignores or doesn’t publish your announcement or media release, don’t write them off. It’s possible they were short-staffed that week or simply didn’t have time to process your request.
10. A few days after your event, send a thankyou note, even if it’s a text or email.
Let’s face it, people appreciate being thanked, especially when they go the extra mile for you. I hope these tips helped.
And we now return you to Leave It to Beaver, already in progress.
James Miller is valley editor of Okanagan Newspaper Group.