| 1) |
Reprint, Reprint, Reprint!
A favorable article on your company or products is marketing gold
- it implies that the publication or website has given its endorsement. The best
part is that you can enjoy the benefits of this "third party endorsement"
long after the article has appeared.
If you want to re-print an article from an offline publication in its
entirety, you must get permission from the publication. Most publications have
special re-print departments to help you.
The same rules apply for stories appearing on websites. To re- print,
take a screenshot - make sure to include the logo of the media outlet. If there
is a particularly juicy section of the article that you'd like to highlight,
make sure to use a "blow-up" quote to enlarge and separate it from the
rest of the article. |
| 2) |
Add it to Your Website
What better place to drumbeat your newly acquired media placement than
your website. If you get a lot of publicity, set up a special area (for
example, "As Seen In") to display your placements.
For a
great story, highlight it on your homepage. (Software company
Columbia Data Products is a good example of
doing this - ed.)
Note: if a publication displays your article on its
website, make sure to link to it. Remember to check your link often - media
websites constantly change. Better yet, take a screenshot of your article
including the publication's logo, and place it permanently in your "As Seen
In" area. |
| 3) |
Stop the (Electronic)
Presses
Mention Your Placement in Your Ezine. If your business has
a regular ezine, by all means let your subscribers in on your publicity success.
It's human nature to be attracted to a popular, successful business
or a famous person. "Celebrity" status is very valuable in and of
itself. |
| 4) |
Email Existing or
Potential Clients
Impress your existing or potential clients by tooting your own horn
with an email alerting them that you've been published or seen on TV!
Use the power of PR to your advantage. Advertising is clearly
understood as coming directly from the sponsoring business and, as a result, is
usually taken with a grain of salt. An article initiated (or "placed")
by publicity efforts is viewed as the product of the reporter who wrote it - an
objective, third party observer whose positive comments about your business will
carry great weight. Click
here for more information on PR versus advertising. |
| 5) |
Pitch it Again, Sam!
Take your story angle to a different publication or website - make
sure to bend the angle to match the publication's editorial slant or specific
reporter's column.
DO NOT mention that the story appeared in another
publication.
Why let a reporter know your angle has already been
reported? If it's newsworthy, the story will stand on its own.
Click here to learn
how to make a story newsworthy. |
| 6) |
"Internal" PR
Place your article in a handsome frame and hang it in a visible
area of your office's waiting area. The story adds legitimacy to your business
and provides entertainment for your waiting customers. If you don't have a
waiting area, put the article behind your desk facing your visitors or in your
meeting room.
Make sure to distribute the story to your employees and suppliers to
build loyalty and company pride. |
| 7) |
Other Suggestions
- Sales Brochures, Direct Marketing Materials & Trade Show Handouts
- Like advertising, claims in self-produced brochures & mailings are taken
with a grain of salt. But, if a credible publication makes those same claims on
your behalf, make sure it gets "front page" placement in your sales
materials.
- Speech handout: - One way to keep your speech working for you long
after the chairs are folded up is to distribute your article with your business
card and company information to all attendees.
- Business card: - Place an important quote from your article on your
business card.
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