Financial Planners Make Sure Reporters Comprehend Your Topic

Writen by Ned Steele

Don't assume that a reporter understands financial planning. If anything, assume the opposite until proven wrong. See if you can't develop a couple of questions for the reporter that delicately explore their subject-matter knowledge. Freddy Newshound may cover personal finance, but he's no expert. He may have started on the beat yesterday and not know a T-Bill from a municipal bond.

Fill in any necessary gaps so that the reporter can grasp the significance and context of your story. Making assumptions about a reporter's knowledge base is risky business.

You can also enhance the reporter's understanding of your topic by avoiding industry jargon. You'd be amazed at how much of it creeps unconsciously into our daily language. Save it for professional peers – except for an elite few trade press reporters, the media will be confused by it.

Near the end of your interview, recap and gently probe to ensure the interviewer has understood your main points. Many of them are adept at making it sound as if they know what's going on. Sometimes they don't. Judge too, by the questions they ask, whether they are absorbing your information properly. Trust your instincts – if you fear the reporter may be misunderstanding, act firmly and proactively to set the interview straight. It's better to do this now than when it's already on the air or in print.

Ned Steele works with people in professional services who want to build their practice and accelerate their growth. The president of Ned Steele's MediaImpact, he is the author of 102 Publicity Tips To Grow a Business or Practice. To learn more visit http://www.MediaImpact.biz or call 212-243-8383.

Four Things You Have To Do To Get Free Publicity For Your Business

Writen by Paul Hartunian

It's true about any profession. The "old pros" somehow always seem to get everything done much quicker and more effectively. They've made their mistakes and are sensitive to the pulse rate of the industry.

Most professions take years of experience or education to master, getting free publicity doesn't. It's much more an issue of finding out the little "insider secrets" that work, and learning how to apply them to your publicity campaigns.

Above all others, there are 4 cardinal rules you can't afford to ignore if you hope to be successful. Not following them is a sure fire way to start depending entirely on luck instead of skill for your progress.

These rules that should be spray painted across the wall in the front office of every business are:

1. Be Organized. It's fun and definitely rewarding, but becoming a publicist isn't a game. You need to have a good idea where you're headed and how you plan on getting there. Success doesn't come from a single "flash in the pan" encounter with the press. You become successful when you start developing a steady flow of income. This only happens when you're organized. Carefully plan your campaign before you get started. Have your press release, bio sheet and Q&A ready to go before you start any publicity campaign.

2. Be Different. Remember you're in the news business. By definition, something isn't news unless it's unique. Being different isn't that bad a business strategy, either. If you offer the same product everybody else does, packaged in exactly the same package, then you really have very little other than price to negotiate. If you can find ways to fill niches nobody else is, then you start building loyalty, and developing seeds for a powerful news stories.

3. Be Consistent. The old adage about all news being good news is wrong. Just because your name appeared on the front page of the paper doesn't mean you've made it. Yes, it offers momentum, but you need to be sure you're rolling in the right direction. Earning the reputation of being self seeking and ruthless won't help much if you then try to open a series of homeless shelters. Chart your end goals and then move towards them, in a consistent, steady pace.

4. Be Persistent. Don't give up. It's all a numbers game.

Actors and salesmen understand this. The fact that someone kicks them out of an office doesn't mean they're failures or "bad people". It just means that person had some other agenda's going.

You might send out press releases and get absolutely no response. That's not a reason to give up.

Try tweaking it a bit. Change the headline. Make sure your format is correct. You can get plenty of free advice on the exact format to use at my site, located at www.PressReleasesMadeEasy.com.

You might need to frame your story differently. Is it practical? Would the average person stop in their tracks to take a second look at your headline? Does the content of your story constitute a news item or an ad for your product?

It's about hanging in there, not giving up, when others might.

Try averaging your failures. Instead of feeling you've failed 19 times for every victory you've logged in, try thinking of it as a package. It takes 20 tries to get a victory. If a "victory" means you make a $100 profit, then every one of those 20 calls makes you $5, even if the answer is no.

Edison was once asked how he felt about failing more than 10,000 times while trying to find the correct filament to use in the light bulb. He looked back curiously and answered that he hadn't failed once. It was just a 10,000+ step process. Hang in there. The only person in the world who can decide when you've failed it you.

As long as you're still in the ring, the fight isn't over.

Being prepared before you launch your publicity campaign and systematically sending out your press releases every week or two will go a long way toward leaving a lasting impression about you in the minds of reporters. That, in turn, will increase your chances of getting call from reporters to do interviews and promote your business.

# # #

Paul Hartunian is widely considered the world's leading authority on writing press releases and getting publicity for any product, service, cause or issue. Subscribe to Paul's free publicity ezine "Million Dollar Publicity Tactics". By going to http://www.Hartunian.com/ezine. Also be sure to check out all the great free publicity resources at his website http://www.Hartunian.com. Also be sure to read the story of how Paul used press releases and publicity to become the first person in history to really sell the world famous Brooklyn Bridge. You can read the story at http://www.Hartunian.com/bridge.html. You can reach Paul at (973) 857-4142 or by email at Paul@Hartunian.com.

Much Ado About A Lot

Writen by Robert A. Kelly

I say public relations can be a matter of survival for your organization.

So, to me, making your business a success is a lot over which to raise much ado!

Especially when the very people who hold your future in their hands - your key, target audiences - may harbor negative perceptions likely to hurt you by turning into negative behaviors.

Needn't happen.

In the first place, you should already be monitoring those potentially damaging perceptions by regularly interacting with those important publics. Why let them stew until they boil over?

By letting that kind of personal opinion monitoring identify what's on the minds of those important people, you can decide on a specific behavior you wish to see come about, one that flows from a specific perception.

Progress!! You've just set your public relations goal - create a specific behavior from an equally specific perception.

Let's try it out! To do so, you need a strategy to implement that goal. Fortunately, we have just three strategies from which to choose: create opinion (perceptions) if none already exist, change existing opinion, or reinforce it.

Let's decide to "create opinion." First step: we need to prepare a persuasive message. It will be designed to create awareness of your products and services among your key, target audience. Or it might explain your position on a con- tentious issue with which some members of your target audience disagree.

Now make sure the message is focused on their perceptions; that it carefully explains the facts as you see them; and that the message is believable. Read it to a colleague to check that it meets these persuasion tests.

Now, how do you get this persuasive message over which you have worked so hard, into the consciousness of those folks who make up your key, target audience?

You use our tried and tested "beasts of burden," communications tactics designed to carry messages to the right ears and eyeballs. Luckily you have a basketful at your disposal. Speeches, emailings, news releases, personal meetings, editorial board interviews, special events and scores of others.

Are we succeeding in moving opinion among our target audience in our direction?

We'll never know if the effort is succeeding unless we regularly monitor the changing perceptions and behaviors of that #1 target audience. First, we want to know if our message was received, then how many remember seeing or hearing it, and then how many can recall its content, our message!

Finally, what we need to see is the perceptions and behaviors - i.e., opinions - of the target public moving in our direction. When we do, we can say with assurance that our public relations program is succeeding.

Please feel free to publish this article and resource box in your ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website. A copy would be appreciated at bobkelly@TNI.net.

Robert A. Kelly © 2003.

Bob Kelly counsels, writes and speaks to business, non-profit and association managers about using the fundamental premise of public relations to achieve their operating objectives. He has been DPR, Pepsi-Cola Co.; AGM-PR, Texaco Inc.; VP-PR, Olin Corp.; VP-PR, Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.; director of communications, U.S. Department of the Interior, and deputy assistant press secretary, The White House. He holds a bachelor of science degree from Columbia University, major in public relations.

Visit: http://www.prcommentary.com; bobkelly@TNI.net

Public Relations For Space Research

Writen by Lance Winslow

Each year billions of dollars are pumped into space research and many people here on Earth feel that that it is a waste of money because we could be doing other things here at home such as finding a cure for cancer. However, what many people may not realize is that the space research we do often will help in many medical endeavors. Research and development here on earth combined with what we learn in space in zero gravity can help us achieve more, faster.

Public relations for space research needs to promote this fact and educate our citizenry as to how much good the space programs are doing. It makes sense to have open communication lines with all major media outlets and explain the historical transfer technologies, which have come from the space program and solve many of the things, which had previously plagued the human species.

What people need to know is that it is not an either or proposition. Money spent in space research does help here on earth and this fact must be promoted. Cutting back on the space budget for research is a very bad idea if we are to press on with new technologies. Everyone should be very proud of the space program and the space research, as well as all the research and development the goes on here on earth to make it all happen.

Positive public relations programs and strategies along with space research goodwill is exactly what is needed for our society to understand all that we do in space. Please consider all this in 2006.

"Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

Public Relations For Horse Racetracks

Writen by Lance Winslow

Sports betting is an issue, which some residents near racetracks feel brings in a bad element. With alcohol sales also some say it is just asking for problems and that it brings in crime. However, on the flip side it brings in money and folks from other areas to spend money on food, services and products. Horse Racetracks also bring in revenues and hire local people at decent wages, all of this can be said to really boost the money flows into the town or city.

To make sure that the residents know these things and think about the economic vitality and trade offs it makes sense remind them off all the good that a horse race track does as well. Horse race tracks should participate in community goodwill programs and be sure to also have a good public relations strategy as well.

How can a horse race track reach out to local citizens in the area and mitigate some of these concerns to educate the citizens all the good that horse races can do for the community and how such entertainment adds to our culture and society rather than decays it?

Well, there are many ways to keep a positive spin on horse race tracks and one of the best ways is to insure that open communication lines are ready to alert the local media on new events, shows and get-togethers or family days at the race track and then people can see what horse racing is really about rather than allowing negative perception to rule the day. Consider all this in 2006.

"Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/