The document provides tips on how to get free publicity and public relations for a business. It discusses identifying newsworthy story ideas, preparing press releases and media advisories, avoiding common PR pitfalls, and getting stories to the right media contacts. The presentation emphasizes thinking beyond paid advertising, having a compelling story or angle, knowing your key messages, and being prepared for interviews to turn good publicity into great publicity.

1. Unlocking the Power of Publicity 6120 W. Bell Road Suite 100 Glendale, AZ 85308 602.374.4923 [email_address] MarketingwithaFlair.com

2. Agenda Why are we here today? To learn how to get free advertising. You will discover how to… Think beyond advertising Avoid common PR pitfalls Get the right story to the right people Turn good publicity into great publicity

3. Free doesn’t mean easy Focused efforts will pay off Effective PR takes preparation The Real Name of Today’s Presentation PR Is Not for Sissies

4. Beyond Advertising When I say MARKETING what do you think of? Most business owners say advertising The two words are not interchangeable Marketing Is the Bigger Picture – the Four Ps Product or Service S Price Placement or distribution S Promotion

5. Advertising Paid advertising You have control. You are charged. Unpaid advertising – publicity Story ideas submitted to media representatives or online services No control over key messages No financial exchange for air, No guarantee of coverage

6. The Power of Publicity Publicity will help you… Grow your business by increasing your awareness and visibility Generate more leads Increase interest in your business Build credibility Increase client loyalty Assist in recruiting

7. Publicity – So You Think you have a great story idea? How to identify a newsworthy story? Why do I care about this story? Why should anybody else care? Assess the relevance of your story or topic Look for the local angle to your story idea What was the BIG topic last week? Name a few stories you saw. List a few other story ideas the media could have included?

8. All News Stories Contain at Least One of the Following: Timeliness Confidentiality Novelty Romance Well-known people Sex Public interest Future Conflict Money Tragedy Human interest Humor Animals

9. Your Turn… Write down three potential story ideas . Before you do ask yourself… Why do I care about this story? Why should anybody else care?

10. Identifying a Newsworthy Story Does your story idea… Interest others or just you? Is it timely or does it piggy back on a national or local issue? Involve a new product or service? Contain unusual or funny components? Include information that would be important to lots of people? Contain unique product or service information?

11. Preparing information for the media. Now that you have identified a newsworthy story, it’s time to determine how to interact with the media: Press release Media Advisory – typically for events Social Websites Inbound Marketing Optimizations – distribute based on keywords

12. Social Media Social Websites (aka Web 2.0) The social Web of consumer-generated content and mass collaboration is an integral and powerful part of our lives and how we influence others.

13. Press Releases Press release tips… All Upper Case Characters - Never submit a press release in all upper case characters Grammatical Errors - Proof read, edit and reproof your press release Lack of Content - About 10% of all press release are rejected for lack of content

14. Press Releases Press Releases that Scream BUY ME! - Do not write your press release like an advertisement Word Wrapping - Do not break each line at 70 characters. Let your sentences wrap naturally. Do not place a hard return at the end of each line. This will help the editors when they cut and paste your content Spell Check – Yes this could be included with grammatical errors but it is important enough to say it again Spell Check! Spell Check!

15. PR Pitfalls

16. Anatomy of a Press Release Open with a strong headline to grab the reader's attention. The lead sentence contains the most important information in 25 words or less. The first couple of paragraphs should answer the who, what, when, where, why and how questions.

17. Press Release Layout 4. About Your Company : Include a short corporate backgrounder, or "boilerplate," about the company or the person. About The Craniofacial Foundation of Arizona Craniofacial Foundation of Arizona provides financial and emotional support to craniofacial patients and their families. Founded in 1990, the foundation provides financial assistance, educational programs and a family support network. The non-profit organization is supported by individual and corporate donations and by charitable grants. For more information about Craniofacial Foundation of Arizona, visit www.azcranio.com.

18. Print Media Publicity Sample

19. How to get the Right Story to the Right People Know the media and what they are looking for Select the most appropriate media for your topic or story idea Talk show or evening news Morning paper or local independent paper Magazine or tabloid Radio Social media sites, RSS feeds, etc. Identify three media sources that might be interested in your story idea

20. How to get the Right Story to the Right People Who covers your topics ? Get to know the media. Most print publications have comprehensive website that will help guide and navigate you to the right personnel. City Editors, Feature Editors, or News Editors AZ Republic and many other print publications note the reporters e-mail address at the end of many articles and on their website. (See Newsroom Directory on AZCentral.com. Contacts listed by name, assignment, and desk). Several publications have story idea blogs

21. How to get the Right Story to the Right People Many local television stations allow story submission right from their websites Remember your story must have a significant visual appeal to attract TV “ The Infamous Morning Meeting” Story ideas for magazine are often submitted 60-90 days in advance. Review their editorial calendars to determine what topics they have planned

22. How to get the Right Story to the Right People PR Secrets Maintaining an accurate media database is the greatest challenge Regardless of the outlet, placing a story is all about relationship building Many PR firms have access to media lists Subscription based on the Internet – Cision, Burrelles, PRNews, PRWeb, Associated Press and many more with online services PR firms have the ability to optimize the release content to maximize an online presents

23. Turn good publicity into great publicity Know Your Key Messages Develop a word picture “Happy as children at Disneyland” Develop an appropriate visual “That equates to stacking 500 dollar bills end to end” Do you have charts, graphs or a model? How about photos or images? Relax and have fun – this is your time to shine Identify what you can provide that adds value to your story

24. Interview Preparation Wear solid jewel tones on camera and speak clearly and slowly on the phone or in-person. Say it to the reporter and ignore the camera. Prepare talking points if time permits. Write down your key messages Respond quickly to media inquiries. Respond honestly. It’s okay to say “I don’t know”. Assume that ALL comments are “on the record”.

25. Interview Preparation Never say “no comment” Offer to secure additional information Never deny what you know to be true Never speak for the competitor or opponent Never use jargon or “buzz” words Never speculate Never miss an interview Always thank the reporter for their time

26. Did we accomplish our learning objective? Think beyond advertising Identify a newsworthy story Ask yourself Why do I care about this story? Why should anybody else care? Avoid common PR pitfalls Get your story idea to the media Select the most appropriate media for your topic Get the right story to the right people Check the publications website for specific contact info Turn good publicity into great publicity Be prepared for your interview

27. Unlock the Power of Publicity Now that you… Have a Great Story Idea Have Identified Potential Media Know How to Turn Good Publicity into Great Publicity What’s stopping you... Go Unlock the Power of Publicity!