This weekend Patricia be speaking at the Women in the Pet Industry Conference in Portland, Oregon. Today she’ll be participating in the Expert PR Panel and tomorrow she’s hosting a “meet the experts” roundtable where she will present her “Top 10 Tips for Launching a Media Campaign,” which focus on strategy and not ‘throwing spaghetti against a wall’ and seeing what sticks.
Patricia is one of 5 finalist nominated for WIPIN’s Advocate of the year, and one of 20 finalist nominated for the WIPIN’s Women of the Year. The winner will be announced on Saturday–so wish her luck!
TOP TEN TIPS FOR LAUNCHING A MEDIA CAMPAIGN
- Decide on a concise, “newsworthy” story that highlights your company.
- Make a list of media outlets you want to pitch and research the best reporters and editors to contact.
- Have a good ‘live’ visual to help tell your story on TV and photo opportunities available for print/blogs.
- Write a press release that is no more than one page. Focus on the newsworthy aspects—no fluff.
- Reference statistics and trends (if applicable) and tie your story to a “news hooks.” (Example: seasonal tips, holidays etc.)
- Put together a calendar for the best times/deadlines to reach out to media outlets. Example National magazines (ie: Bark, Cat Fancy etc.) work on a long lead deadline – up to 4 months in advance.
- When emailing press, do not send attachments. Follow up with a phone call in the mid-morning (before deadlines are looming).
- Be prepared to be interviewed. Choose the top three messages you want to convey to the public.
- Practice, practice, practice! Study your speaking points, prep with a colleague.
- Share your success! Post a link of your coverage on your website and be sure to promote via social media and any other channels of communication.