When it comes to generating publicity for a product, business or website,
one of the hardest decisions entrepreneurs have to make is whether to launch
the campaign themselves. What makes it tough is trying to determine the
amount of time it might take to launch and maintain a successful publicity
campaign. This article will help address a couple of those critical
elements: the length of your publicity efforts and; the respective number of
hours it may take to get the job done effectively.
In my PR career, I have launched campaigns that needed the blast of just a
few weeks of publicity and I have also maintained lengthy campaigns that
generated media exposure for years. From my professional experience, I can
tell you that a single distribution of a media release is rarely effective.
Most times, editors and reporters are working on multiple stories at once
and need some time to consider your pitch. Although your release may indeed
be interesting and newsworthy, the editor may simply not have the space to
use your pitch at that point in the media outlet's editorial calendar. So
make sure he/she sees it again when that editorial calendar opens up a few
weeks down the line. Keep in mind also that because media outlets receive so
many media releases and story pitches these days, it can sometimes take them
weeks before they actually get to something you may have sent their way.
That's why it's important to conduct extensive media follow-ups over the
course of several months to ensure media reception, proper media digestion
and hopefully media acceptance of your release or pitch.
I tell my clients, "No PR agency or publicist in the world can FORCE the
media to use their releases, but they CAN make sure that by the end of the
campaign, the media has seen or heard about your message in one form or
another - which will lead to solid media coverage."
One of the keys to determining the length of a successful campaign is
knowing when you have fired all your publicity bullets; when it's time to
re-pack the chambers with new ammo; or when you should move onto other
marketing targets. Over the past several years, here's how the campaign
lengths have broken down for my clients:
1-2 month campaigns : 9%
3-6 month campaigns: 46%
6-9 month campaigns: 29%
9+ month campaigns: 16%
· 1 - 2 month campaigns are most often timely, date-sensitive campaigns a
release or message tied to a current event that may be outdated in 6 - 8
weeks. A while back, one client of mine quickly produced a website aimed at
stopping Napster's file sharing services. We launched a campaign a few weeks
before the Supreme Court ruling and generated some great spot coverage in
newspapers and TV news shows nationwide the site and the campaign were
finished in 6 weeks.
· Most new product publicity campaigns are best suited for the 3 - 6 month
time frame allowing for the often drawn out lead-times of some media
outlets. Having said that though, some product campaigns can be extended for
several more months based on media reaction and subsequent consumer
interest. For instance, the "scooter" product publicity campaign likely
started out as a six-month program, but that was stretched out over a year
because of the sales fervor and popularity of the product.
· The longest campaigns are for those clients whose businesses or expertise
are "evergreen and regenerative" - meaning they are not tied to the shelf
life of a new product launch; aren't linked to a specific date; and can be
re-stoked for a new round of media interest every few months. One of my
longtime clients is a "tradeshow specialist". Her expert advice is
newsworthy anytime of year and can be covered editorially year after year -
especially in business and trade magazines. That lends itself to multiple
articles and features month after month in a wide array of media outlets.
Remember creativity and media pitching ingenuity can help add months of
success to your publicity campaign.
HOW MANY HOURS:
A large number of hours will be spent planning and shaping your publicity
campaign for the media market. The preparation of the media market research
and the polishing of the media release may seem painstaking, but when done
right, they are well worth the effort. After the initial launch of the
campaign, be prepared to spend at least an hour or two each day maintaining
it: conducting numerous media follow-ups and making new media pitches,
(emails, faxes, mailings and phone calls); fulfilling media requests
(forwarding product photos, media kits/product samples, arranging
interviews) and tracking/clipping articles and features.
Here's a brief rundown on the number of hours that may be involved in a
typical campaign:
(These hours are averaged estimates. Many PR specialists might be able to
get the work done more efficiently for you.)
CAMPAIGN LAUNCH
Media Release Writing/Editing: 5 hours
Media Market Research: 15 hours
Media Distribution: 10 hours
TOTAL LAUNCH HOURS: 30 hours
CAMPAIGN MAINTENANCE: 30+ hours /month
(3-Month Campaign) (90 hours)
TOTAL CAMPAIGN HOURS -120+ work hours
If you have the time, staff and expertise to launch your own campaign, then
take advantage of the media and get your message to them. But if your
expertise lies in another area, and you or your staff lack publicity
generating skills (or have little or no experience in dealing with the
media) it might be best to hand it off to someone who can make sure its done
right - the first time. Ask yourself these questions when deciding whether
you can handle your own publicity campaign:
· Do I have the expertise and time to get it done effectively without
hampering my current workload or that of my staff?
· Do I have the writing capabilities to put together a media release or
feature pitch to which editors, reporters and producers will respond?
· Do I have the resources to conduct the media research and distribute my
release to those media outlets?
If you answered "yes" to all, not just some of these questions, then perhaps
you can benefit from launching your own publicity campaign. Best of luck!
About the Author
Todd Brabender is the President of Spread The News Public Relations, Inc..
His business specializes in generating publicity & media exposure for
innovative products/businesses/websites.
http://www.spreadthenewspr.com
(785) 842-8909
todd@spreadthenewspr.com