Want To Be A Pr Success Story? Think Like The Media
Most companies think that they know the stories the media want to cover. They also generally think that their business is so fascinating that if the media only knew about it Oprah, Time, the Wall Street Journal and CNN would form a line hoping to be the first to land an interview. Well, sad to say, most companies are sadly mistaken. I have to admit that I fell into the same trap. When I wrote my book "Spin to Win," I figured that the public and the media would be more than eager to find out how <a onClick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/article_exit_link');" href="http://www.anthonymora.com"target="_blank">PR</a> worked, how media relations differed from advertising and direct marketing, and how to write an effective press release. As happens with most business owners, I was too close to my business. Here I was in the business of public relations and I was making the same mistakes that I steered clients away from. Luckily I'd also worked as a journalist and magazine editor and after hitting a few closed doors, I snapped back to reality and remembered my job wasn't to pitch my book, or the story I thought would work. My real job was to create, develop and pitch stories that would meet the media's needs. I had to think backwards in a sense. I had to put myself in the place of the various editors and producers, remember what it was they needed and what would interest their viewers, readers and listeners and pitch those stories.
So, I shifted my PR campaign. No longer was I pitching stories about me as a public relations consultant who could discuss the ins and outs of launching a PR campaign. Now I was a media and pop culture expert. I positioned myself differently. I could tell the media how and why celebrities and politicians were correctly or incorrectly handling their media coverage. I could explain why a company's branding efforts were working or failing. I could outline <a onClick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/article_exit_link');" href="http://www.anthonymora.com"target="_blank">PR damage control strategies</a> that stars and celebrities could use after being caught in compromising situations. The shift in strategy worked. From landing a few local media stories I went to being interviewed by CNN, MSNBC, the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and Newsweek. So what changed? Not my book, not my information and know-how; what changed was my pitch. I stopped thinking like a client, focusing on what I thought was interesting. I shifted, and started thinking like a PR consultant, focusing on what the media found interesting. And that shift made all the difference.
Copyright © Anthony Mora 2009
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About the Author:
Anthony Mora began his media career as a freelance journalist for such publications as Us, Rolling Stone and other local and national publications. He served as editor-in-chief of two Los Angeles-based entertainment and lifestyle-oriented publications, and co-founded Phillips & Mora Entertainment, a public relations and personal management company, which ventured into video and film production. In 1990, Anthony formed Anthony Mora Communications, Inc. a Los Angeles-based media relations company that specializes in media placement, image development, and media training. AMC Inc. has placed clients in: Time, Newsweek, 60 Minutes, CNN, The Wall Street Journal, The Oprah Winfrey Show, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and other local, national, and international media outlets. Anthony has been featured in: USA Today, Newsweek, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, The BBC, CNN, Entrepreneur, Fox News, MSNBC, and other media. He has written three books. The most recent, "Spin to Win," is a step-by-step guide on how to define goals and utilize the power of the media to achieve success in any field. Practical and user-friendly, "Spin to Win" can be utilized by heads of major corporations, small business owners, and entrepreneurs.