You've heard the saying a gazillion times:
"Charity begins at home."
But in this age of mass media, charity that begins at
home can also proceed straight to your bottom lineby
generating traffic to your web site or your business.
And best of all, the mass mediaespecially the news
media are ready, willing, and more than able to
partner with you.
Charity events and stories about community involvement
appeal to the media for a couple of reasons.
1. They're very sensitive to criticism that "You only
want to show bad news," and will make every effort to
show uplifting, positive stories whenever possible.
2. It's in their best interest to build goodwill by
taking part in community events.
3. In the case of radio and TV stations, they MUST show
that they're serving the community. Otherwise, their
FCC license would be in jeopardy.
4. For the most part (there are exceptions), they're
good-hearted people who WANT to help others.
So, when you want to generate new traffic or more
traffic to your business or web site, consider hosting
a fundraiser for a charity or community organization.
Let the media know you're involved through a news
release. It's often a good idea to ask a high profile
person from the media to be your honorary chairperson.
Also, if possible, offer the media a story about
someone who has benefited from the charity. If you can
"humanize" the work the charity is doing, "put a human
face on it" so to speak, your chances of getting
coverage (that is, publicity), will skyrocket.
And don't forget to look for opportunities to pre-
publicize your event, especially on radio talk shows.
Fundraisers and events that benefit the community
amount to a win-win-win situation. Obviously, the
charity gets money and attention to their cause, the
station or newspaper gets points for its community
spirit, and you get publicity that would have cost you
thousands of dollars if you had to pay for it.
Early in my radio career, one of my friends used to
sign off his show
every day by telling his listeners this:
"Remember, do good and you'll always do well."
It's true in life. It's especially true when you want
to get free publicity in the media.
About the Author
During his 31 year broadcasting career, George's
TV reports have appeared on ABC, NBC, CBS, ESPN.
George offers a free 7-day mini course to anyone who
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