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JECH~
TOOTING
YOUR OWN HORN
By Henry Holtzman
S
ay !he words "public relations" and
most businessmen conjure up one of
of two visions. First, the brash press agent of
pre-'50s movies. Second, the well-oiled
machinery of a multi-million dollar agency. No
matter which view is taken, businessmen who
own and operate their firms get the message
... good public relations costs lots of money.
Without money, you can forget public rela-
tions. What a very wrong impression to have!
Public relations can be the least expensive
kind of advertising available. And you don't
need a glib, brassy press agent (they're an
endangered species these days, anyway), or
a high-powered organization to do a good
basic job for you.
Agencies with a real flairfor public relations
can be quite inexpensive; however, if you're
really pressed for bucks, there's quite a bit
you can do for yourself. Although very helpful,
you don't need a temendous creative flair.
You will have to know how to write a simple
English declarative sentence, how to serve
the needs of communications media "news-
rooms," and a sensitivity toward good
salesmanship.
THE OBJECTIVE OF
PUBLIC RELATIONS
As in any other form of marketing communi-
cations, the ultimate objective is to boost
profits. You start becoming a bit more sophis-
ticated in your approach when you ask yourself
who the customers are going to be and where
they will come from. The answers to questions
such as these will allow you to set objectives
for your public relations activities. Objectives
that can pay off in the kind of sales you wantto
make in your portion of the marketplace. Just
bear in mind that within your overall goal of
making a profit, the marketing result that you
seek from public relations is to predispose
the buying public - your buying public, your
customers - to buy from you.
THE MEDIA
Media is simply marketing communications
jargon meaning how you will get your mes-
sages, in this case your public relations
messages, through to the people you want to
influence. The real value of public relations is
that the media in most cases lend a third party
influence to your message because it appears
as a bona fide news item. The media are
newspapers, magazines, radio and television.
And it isn't as "sneaky'' as it may sound. A fair
portion of the news you see and hear is the
result of good public relations. For example,
the sale of the first commercial jet airlinerwas
announced by press release from the
manufacturer.
Obviously, not every business (large or
smalQ will be announcing historical milestones
on a regular basis. That's not the way the
world operates. However, good editors are
continually searching for honest, factual,
well-written stories they believe will be of
interest to their readers, listeners or viewers.
When you are able to satisfy their needs for
news (the "need of the newsroom"), you're
making the editors' jobs that much easier.
And your communications become effective
because they are published to your market.
HOW TD PRl!PARE A
Nl!W■ Rl!LEA■ I!
The first rule in journalism is that the opening
paragraph of a good news article must contain
the answers to five questions . . . WHO?
WHAl?WHEN?WHERE? HOW? If the reader
doesn't get the answer to those five questions
rather quickly, it's assumed he won't get past
the first paragraph.
When you set up yournews releases, keep
journalistic style In mind. The less re-write the
editor must do, the more chance your story
has of seeing daylight.
" ... keepalerttoallthe
low-cost high
potentials of using
public relations as
another sales tool for
your business."
No one is fooling anyone else. An editor
knows you have the story prepared for the
benefit of your business. But there's a better
chance of his printing it if it contains straight
facts and no unsubstantiated claims. In other
words, you aren't writing advertising, so stay
away from sales adjectives and superlatives.
They'll only get deleted and may get your
whole story scrapped. Consider your story as
a news article, slanted from the point of view
of your readers ... what it does for them and
how it does it.
The appearance of the release should be
as follows:
1. Neatly typed, double-spaced, on your
letterhead.
2. The words"FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE"
should appear at the top-right side of
the page. If the date some event is
happening is in the future, place the
appropriate time at the top-right. For
example,
"FOR
RELEASE
ON
OCTOBER 3."
3 . Remember "who, what, when, where
and how'' go into the first paragraph if at
all possible.
4. Give the editor the name and phone
number of someone to contact for more
information. This is normally put at the
top-right of the page above the"release"
line.
PICTURE ■
ARE A
PLU ■
If possible, send a photograph with your
release. It provides more interest and gets
you more space or time in the media. What
you're looking for is a simple, vertical shot.
Not arty lighting, but good sharp, contrasty,
basic stuff. The vertical shot seems to fit in
better in the editorial layout of newspapers
and magazines. Here's a money saving re-
minder. Send 5" x 7" photo prints. It can cut
your photo print expense and reduce mailing
co.sis considerably. The 5" x 7" shot is just as
effective as an 8" x 1 O" print, and you can cut
substantial costs by going to the smaller
format.
When you mail your photo (attached to the
news release), don't forget to insert a card-
board stiffener in the envelope to protect the
photo. Today's mail handling means photos
need all the protection you can give them.
WHAT TD PUBLICIZE
There are some times of the year for some
publications when an announcement that
you've repainted a truck loading dock will be
news. That's the rare exception these days.
Most good publications are pressed for
space, so consider what you want to announce
accordingly. But don't be depressed because
you believe you have nothing to say. You may
be so close to an event or situation that you
don't recognize its news value.
Recently, in Nashville, Tennessee, I met
with an operator of a medium-sized business.
He said, "I hear you when you talk about
public relations and publicity, but I don't think
I have anything worth saying." After asking
him a few questions about how long his
company was in business, and a few more
about the nature and character of his town
and customers, we came up with the following:
• It was the 100th continuous year of
business for the company which has
been in the family since just after the
Civil War.
• The business had just moved from its
original location to a newly expanding
neighborhood.
• The current president of the company
was retiring, and his son would be con-
tinuing the business.
There was enough "news" here to fill three
press releases and get a spot on local tele-
vision. Yet, otherwise astute businessmen
failed to see the opportunity this represented.
Not only for simple publicity, but for sales-
generating promotion.
Here's a simple checklist of just a few
things or special occasions that offer you an
opportunity for public relations: