Want to Get Free Publicity? Then You Must Ignore the Publicity Myths
Tuesday, March 16th, 2010Many people don’t attempt to get free publicity because they believe the myths about publicity. Here are seven that you need to know the real truth about:
Myth 1. Advertising and Publicity are the same. Advertising is exposure that you pay for. Publicity is free, unless you are working with a professional publicist. Even so, the cost of hiring one is much less than the cost of advertising, and because it is treated as news, it has more value.
Myth 2. You must first have media contacts to get free publicity. While having contacts can help, thousands of businesses and individuals without contacts get publicity every day.
Myth 3. You have to be one of the big guys to get publicity. Wrong. See Myth 2 above.
Myth 4. It’s a good idea to send your press release everywhere. Wrong. You should target your release to the right media outlets and the right journalists. Send it only to the reporters and editors who cover the type of story you want to pitch. Don’t waste journalists’ time by sending them a press release that doesn’t pertain to the types of stories they do. If you send them too many unrelated press releases, when you have something great to pitch, they won’t even read it.
Myth 5. You should send out lots of press releases. Wrong again. Don’t pester the media with a press release about every minor thing that happens. If you do, they will stop reading your press releases altogether. Wait until you have something newsworthy. Then go after free publicity.
Myth 6. Bigger is better. Don’t write long press releases. Journalists have too many to read. The ideal length is 400 – 600 words. If you have more to say, you can provide additional items such as a bio (biography), company history or fact sheet. If the release interests journalists, they will then read your supporting material for more information.
Myth 7. If you buy and ad, the media outlet will also give you free publicity. With the exception of smaller media outlets and trade publications, it will not help if you buy and ad. In fact, journalists will resent you if you try to coerce them into doing a story on you by telling them you are an advertiser.
Danek S. Kaus is a veteran journalist and publicist. He is the author of the book “You Can Be Famous! Insider Secrets to Getting Free Publicity.” Visit his site for More free publicity tips and learn about his Publicity and Writing Services and a free phone consultation.