PUBLICITY 101

How to do it without embarrassing yourself and others

by Eleanor J. Lang

CONTACTS

Rule #1 about contacts: They change. Unless you're in pretty frequent communication with someone, don't assume that they're still there, or that they have the same focus. Big publications frequently rotate or reassign people. Small publications get a high degree of turnover. This doesn't mean that you shouldn't call the person on your list; you should. What you shouldn't do is send something to someone who hasn't been contacted for six months without making sure that they're there.

So you're planning to do a mailing, and you're wondering how you know who to send it to. There are ways.

Call the people on your list and see if they're still there.
Call publications and ask who covers oneness-with-thingy CD-ROM applications at their magazine, or whatever.
Go buy magazines. Look at the masthead. It will tell you who the editors are.
Update your own rolodex frequently. Make a note of the date of all entries. Use your current contacts.
Use Bacon's publicity books or another industry reference (you can find them at your local library). Again, you have to verify contacts, but it will allow you to identify all magazines about beer, or find out which weekly newspapers have a circulation of 73,000, or whatever.
Most importantly, do research. Got a multiplayer online game? Know who covers them? Think about it. Identify your audience. Go to a magazine stand. Use Bacon's. Pick up area publications when you travel. This will be mentioned again later, as will calling techniques.

MAILINGS, PART #1: CONTENTS

You've identified the need to let people know about something. Great start. Before addressing the more important questions of who or why, lets talk about what: release, pitch letter, articles, kit, keen stuff in color or desk sets with the company logo.

The Release: In all cases, you need one to tell people about a new product or thingy. It should be short, no more than two pages under any circumstances. It should have the contact information (name, phone number and maybe e-mail) either at the beginning or end; it's a matter of style and personal taste, and the only rule is that it's easy to find and read. It's swell if the release is brilliantly crafted and fun to read, but that's a plus. At a minimum, it must be clear, present the basic information early on, and should contain pull quotes so that someone doesn't have to bother calling if they're lazy. If you don't hold their interest in the first paragraph, you've probably lost them. It shouldn't be longer than it has to be, as editors get squillions of releases a day, and should be interesting enough to read. Finally, imagine how you'd feel if you saw 20 releases a day. Write accordingly, or hire a writer. People who write releases for a living get $125-$200 per release, on average, with $500 per kit content design being pretty average, too.

The Pitch Letter: You need one of these, too. The release doesn't have to say everything, as the pitch letter can contain information, too. Think of the relationship between the release and letter like the relationship between a resume and cover letter: the one gives basic information, clearly stated, the other sets the tone, customizes the document, and gives additional information not necessarily appropriate in the main document.

The Kit: You don't need one if you can't explain why you do, and then you probably don't anyway. You need a kit if you have much more information/documents than the two mentioned above, if visuals will help sell the product, or if you think that you need to make a really big impression. As with the release, editors get squillions a day. It should be short. It should have nothing unnecessary. To an editor, reading a kit is work. The more (and harder) the work, the less likely they are to do it. Each component should serve a function. In fact, it will help if you think of each piece as a modular component.

About articles: some people think that if you put them in a press kit, people won't cover you because they'll think it's been done. Others disagree. The bottom line is that if you're trying to get a client, investor or article about the company, load in the articles. If you're trying to get product-related press, add just a couple of swell articles.

I can't stress enough that short is good. If it's too long, it won't get read. Unless they're industry-shattering or involve billions, deals do not and should not get more than a release.

Swell Promo Items: If you have them, great. If not, it makes little (if any) difference, unless you have a particular catchy campaign in mind, which most likely you don't and shouldn't; it falls under the "kids, don't try this at home," section.

MAILINGS, PART #2: Why Bother?

Because one or all of the following conditions exist: The company needs increased exposure to grow and survive; you have a new product that won't sell/generate ad revenue without exposure; you have something pressworthy, which could be the product or could be something else; you need a better press portfolio to show investors. "Because we can," or in response to the competition are not good reasons.

MAILINGS, PART #3: Who Gets Them?

Who would be interested? Start with magazines that cover that sort of thingy. Go on to newspapers; minimally, you should target your top 25 cities (go to the library if you're not sure what they are) and all editors who might be interested at those papers. Then if you still have time and energy, you can move on to general interest magazines, if they have an appropriate column. Keep in mind that even the beauty magazines have a high-tech editor. When you've finished with that, you might want to take a look at weekly entertainment papers around the country, the local equivalents to the Village Voice or The Boston Phoenix. There are still things you can do after that, but you probably shouldn't without a dedicated publicist; in fact, you probably won't even be able to complete the first two items on the list. However, other things you can do include radio call-ins, university newspapers, and WWW-based publicity. The latter includes everything from reregistering with search engines and with site-of-the day stuff to doing a comprehensive search of on-line publications and doing e-mailings. It's a targeted market and a good approach. ALWAYS SEND A RELEASE, KIT OR E-MAIL TO YOURSELF, SO YOU KNOW WHEN THEY ARRIVE.

HOW TO CALL PEOPLE FOR INFORMATION

General Dos and Don'ts will be covered latter, as will how to make a pitch. This section is devoted to how to find out who is covering what, mentioned above, and it's really pretty simple.

First, identify what you need to know. This may be as simple as knowing that you need the name of the high-tech editor. You need to be able to ask a simple question clearly without stumbling all over yourself, so if you need a mailing address or the spelling of someone's name, figure it out in advance.

Next, get the number, if you don't have it. This can be easily accomplished by calling (area code) 555-1212, by using Bacon's or by cruising the Web; your choice.

Finally, dial the number and ask. It might go like this: Does Joe Smith still cover doogie applications for US News & World Report? Great, Thanks, and by the way, can you please spell "Smith" for me? Thanks lots. Click. If the answer to your questions is no, find out who does, and be prepared to explain to the receptionist what you need in as few short words as possible.

HOW TO RECEIVE A CALL

Additional information will be listed under Dos and Don'ts, but in general:

Return calls right away.
Find out the name and publication of the person you're talking to. You can ask people to spell things or repeat things, if needed.
Find out if they have a deadline or not.
Give them the information they ask for first. Anything additional (like a full pitch or another company product) second.
Find out if they have a run date for the article.
Ask if there is a good time to call back and check with them about whatever.

HOW TO MAKE A PITCH

It's always better to follow up then cold call. Translated, this means that it's much more effective to call about the kit/release that you sent than to call out of the blue.
Speak quickly but clearly. Adjectives like "brisk" or even "clipped" come to mind. People are pressed for time, and probably don't want to talk to you at all, so don't waste their time.
Be prepared to elaborate.
If they claim not to have received a kit, don't tell them you sent it, or even that you have a signed oh-happy-mail-release-form; offer to send another.
If they seem pressed for time, offer to call them back and ask what's a good time. Make sure you remember to call them at that time.
Finally, it's feel and intuition, and takes practice. Instincts are good, and usually to be trusted

WHEN TO CALL

About a week to ten days after mailing material. Earlier, they probably haven't looked at it. Later, they'll forget. If you are trying to set up an interview for someone who is traveling, you must send the information 4 - 6 weeks before and call within a week. It's possible to do it in less time, but not desirable.

GENERAL INFORMATION: What to do and what to avoid

Do know your media. Pick up a copy of the magazine or newspaper, if possible. Look through it. Who's their audience? Do they think that technology is the tool of the devil? Are the read only in a local area or nationally? What's their average circulation? If you don't know the answers to these questions, you shouldn't be initiating phone calls.
Do get e-mail addresses when possible.
Do find out if a person prefers phone, fax, snail mail or e-mail.
Do try to be aware of when non-dailies go to press: if you keep calling the editor of a weekly as she is trying to put the publication through production, you'll make an enemy very rapidly.
Do be aware that for the most part, people don't want to talk to you. Take as little of an editor's time as possible. Elaborate if you have an opening, and only if you have an opening. Offer to call back if they're rushed or not paying attention.
Do be positive. Don't tell they that the competition sucks. Certainly don't tell them that your product sucks, or even that it doesn't suck; not sucking isn't news or interesting. Tell them what's good and interesting about your product. Whenever possible, talk about the bits you like most, as you'll do the best job when you actually like what you're talking about.
Do try to have the thing you're talking about in front of you while you're talking about it.
Do research. Find out as much as you can about the publication your talking/mailing to, your competition, and your own product.
Do be friendly. Enthusiasm counts. Let the person you're talking to feel that you care about what you're telling them about, they you're sharing this swell thing with them.
Do track on clips as they come in. When possible, call and thank the writer.
Don't hesitate to say "I'll get back to you" if you don't have an answer. Be sure to get back to the person quickly.
Don't fax, unless the material really is of a timely nature or unless you know that someone prefers to receive faxed information.
Don't repeat yourself. If you stumble over what you're saying, keep moving.
Don't start what you can't finish. Every piece of mail send without a follow-up, and preferably a decisive "yes" or "no" is money down the sewer. On average, it takes six months to make a real impact, and as a freelance publicist, I never sign less than a three month contract; can't deliver in less time, look bad if I don't deliver. Realistically, a full publicity campaign requires a bare minimum of one person doing it a half-time hours for at least three months; don't try to execute a campaign while you're responsible for designing three games by next month.

Various press options include the following:

A simple, news-related release. A programmer discovers the cure for the common cold while writing code. Send out a release to industry sources, in this case both computer/high tech and medical communities. They'll pick it up.
A very small, targeted mailing. Fred is vacationing in Boise. Publicity thinks that the company needs press in Boise. You would send out generic kits to all Boise media, and follow up with phone calls in Boise. Alternately, an investor wants to see Fred in Rolling Stone. You would send kits to the appropriate editors at Rolling Stone (different editors might be responsible for business, entertainment and high-tech) and follow up with phone calls to those people.
A larger campaign. You want to send information to the high-tech editors of the 50 largest papers in the country. Send to those editors only if you think you'll be able to call them. Don't send to the 100 largest papers if you think you can only call 25.
A full campaign. This means high-tech and other appropriate editors at top 50 - 100 newspapers, industry-specific magazines and publications, general magazines, entertainment magazines, online, weekly entertainment newspapers and maybe university newspapers.

The above all translates to the fact that it's better to do a small amount well than a large amount poorly, so do what you can, and then you can always do more.

FINAL POINTS TO REMEMBER

EXPECTATIONS

Ask yourself what you want out of any particular mailing or publicity campaign. Then try to asses what's possible, and what thing or combination of things will substitute for what you really want. It's better to know that you want to be on the cover or Rolling Stone than not having any clue as to what you'd like, but unless Shak and the HTML Drones hit the charts in a big way, it's not likely to happen. Will a game review do? A game review in both Spin and Rolling Stone? What if you throw in an interview with the Boise Herald? Try to be both clear and realistic, because you can't always get what you want. You know the rest of the lyrics.

FREE PUBLICITY?

NO. No such thing. It works like this: you pay perfectly good money for advertising space. Therefore, if you get an ad without paying, like the USA Today ad, it's a free ad. Publicity can't be bought at any price. That's why it's publicity, and that's why it's more valuable; it implies an impartial endorsement. You can't get something for free if it's not for sale, and anyway, most publicists insist in being paid in cash, not mallomars, so each column inch you get costs in salary, in effort, and in aggravation. What you can get is EARNED PUBLICITY or EARNED SPACE, either term will do. This may seem like a pissy lecture in semantics, but it's not. Well, maybe a little bit, but it is an important distinction, and once you grok it, the process is much more comprehensible, economically and logistically. You can't completely control the outcome. You can expect to get a certain amount of attention as a result of a certain amount of effort, but there's no guarantee that the New York Times will do a story, no matter how hard you try, or the Newsweek won't bump you after committing to run an article. Try to be Zen. You can only control the things in your sphere of influence. It won't help, so eat Mallomars, which will at least elevate your blood sugar enough to make you a little happier. Good luck.

This is most of what you need to know. The rest is experience.