Smashing the Myth of the Press Release

A musician spends years honing his craft. He writes world-class songs and performs them in a manner that moves his listeners to tears. He records a demo tape and sends it to record labels. He gets a contract and becomes rich, famous and adored.

The lesson: demo tapes are the secret of becoming a famous musician.

Wait, you say, the demo tape was just a tool, just his way of conveying his talent. It's his ability as a musician that got him the contract and made him famous.

You're right, of course. He could have become just as famous if a record executive saw him in person, or heard about him from a friend, or as a result of a variety of other events.

Which brings us to the press release.

Somehow, the press release has taken on a magical reputation as the alpha and omega of publicity. Wanna become rich? Send out a press release. Wanna become famous? Press release. Wanna get on the cover of Newsweek? Press release.

Publicity "gurus" are springing up all over the Internet touting the press release as the answer to all marketing ills. Just knock out a release, mass e-mail it to journalists, sit back and wait for Oprah to call.

It's a cruel joke.

Here's the reality: the press release is no more important to your potential of scoring free publicity than the demo tape was to our musician friend. If he had no talent, if his songs sounded like garbage, the best recorded demo tape in the world wouldn't get him signed. Ditto for the publicity seeker. If you don't have a story to tell, your press release is utterly worthless.

I'm not knocking the press release -- it's an important tool. But it's just that: a tool. It's not the first thing you need to think about when it comes time to seek publicity. In fact, it's one of the last. And it's not even absolutely necessary (I've gotten plenty of publicity with just a pitch letter, a quick e-mail or a phone call).

If you worship at the shrine of the press release, it's time to rearrange your priorities. Here, then, are the things that are MORE important than a press release in generating publicity:

1. A newsworthy story. This is the equivalent of our musician's talent. It's the very basis for your publicity efforts. Without it, your press release means nothing. To learn about how to develop a newsworthy story, take a look at publicityinsider questions.asp and scroll down to "Is my company/website/life really newsworthy?"

2. Learning to think like an editor. Oh, what an edge you'll have in scoring publicity over all those press release worshippers once you learn how to get inside the head of an editor. Give an editor what he wants in the way he wants it and you'll do great. I've got an entire article on the subject at
 publicityinsider freesecret.asp  Go there now and absorb it all. Trust me, it will make a world of difference.

3. Relevance. Tie in with a news event, make yourself part of a trend, piggyback on a larger competitor's story, but, by all means, make your story part of a picture that's bigger than just your company. Stories that exist in a vacuum quickly run out of oxygen.

4. Persistence. Sending out a press release and waiting for results is lazy and ineffective. If you really believe in your story, and you believe that it's right for a particular media outlet, you need to fight to make it happen. Call or e-mail the editor to pitch your story BEFORE sending the release. If one editor says no, try somebody else. If they all say no, come back at them with a different story angle.

Getting publicity involves so much more than just sending out a press release. Treat it as seriously and with as much respect as our newly minted rock star treats his craft and you'll be well on your way to success.

Six Tips For Perfect Email Pitches

Your media pitches can go straight over the plate. With a little forethought, and a few tips, you can throw fewer balls and more media relations strikes.

Brevity is the soul of wit. Shakespeare could have been giving media relations tips when he penned this gem several hundred years ago. If you can't get to the point in your subject line in 10 words or less, you need to work on your message. Keep the subject line short and to the point, and include the time frame if it is important to the pitch. For instance: "Entrepreneurs Storming NC General Assembly Tuesday"

Surprise! If you have a startling or interesting fact, use it as a hook. I am developing a story idea about local home prices. My initial thought for a subject line is: "Average Lake Norman Home Listing Price Spikes To $413,000." Recently I used these subject lines to get coverage: "Interest Rates Hit Six Month Low" and "No Credit Score, No Problem".

Humor Me. Humor is not for everyone. It is best to use it only if you know the reporter has a sense of humor or appreciates quirky items. Maria Stainer, assistant managing editor of the Washington Times, was quoted recently about an email pitch that got her attention and coverage. "Teach Your Dog To Meditate" was the line that hooked her on a story about a new book on animal behavior.

Don't Get Too Attached. Don't ever attach word documents or photos files to an email pitch. Did I mention that you should not send attachments? To get past email filters and to avoid hacking off your media contacts, wait until they ask for additional information before sending photos and documents. And, if you make them mad, your next pitch may be deleted before it is ever read.

Be Cool. You're fired up to fire off that media pitch you have just written. Don't. Let it cool off a bit first. Ask for input from others before you send the pitch to the media, particularly if you are trying to use humor or be quirky. You don't want your pitch to fall flat.

Be Relevant. Friend David Mildenberg, a reporter at the Charlotte Business Journal, has the best tip of all. "I think email pitches can be effective for all the obvious reasons: If they contain news relevant to the publication and its readers, if the pitches are concise and if the pitches are understandable," he says.

Wind up and start pitching.

Media Protocol for Business and Life

When I was a Venue Media manager with the Commonwealth Games, I received some of the best coverage of the venues that I was looking after. I had some people ask me what was my secret.

I first inquired what they were doing and found out that some of them had an attitude of seeing the media as something to be suspicious of, to keep at bay and give as little as possible. In turn, the media had little regard for them as well.

There are many people who treat the media this way as well when it comes to their business, and then hope that the media will give them great coverage and a good story as well. This is a receipt for disaster.
First, true media does not have the time or energy to "GET" everyone. Often the people end up getting themselves in their worry or nervousness. They may say something dumb or negative or attack the reporter who is just doing his or her job. In most cases, the media does not have an ulterior motive and is just collecting information. If you do something foolish, remember though that it is not the media’s job to help you out of a crisis.

When you treat people with respect, they are much more likely to treat you the same way. Yes, there could be exception, but in most circumstances, I have found that it was never about me and more about what was happening to them at the time. For example, I had three cases where the people weren’t great to me, and in each case, they came back to apologize with gift or peace offering in hand.
They were each dealing with personal issues and / or were having a bad day. With forgiveness, you create a friend, someone who is more willing to help you out in the future.

Keep in mind that we need a symbiotic relationship with the media. There will be times when you want to announce an upcoming event, a breakthrough or change in your organization etc. How you have treated them in the past will affect what kind of coverage you will get and whether it is good or not.

The media can supply you with some very valuable free coverage and coverage that is 3rd hand. This coverage gives credibility to what you are doing or saying.

And should something happen that could be negative, the media may write the story whether you cooperate or not. For the most part, it is better to have your comments included rather than them only having half the facts or speculation to go on.

If it is a special event that will last for a while, coffee, treats and smiles go a long way with having them stay and giving good coverage. The cost of a coffee and a treat is small potatoes compared with the coverage that you can receive.

Oh, and my secret, just that. I treated them like human beings. I offered to get them coffee. And when the game went late, on the break I took them up to the athlete and coaches dinner area and gave them sandwiches and drinks. They were able to get great interviews and we received great coverage.

This can be a metaphor for many areas in our lives. Ask yourself, "How am I treating the people in my life that can help me the most?"

Harvard Drug Research Fraud and Cover-up: How Off-Label Profiteering Works

Harvard Drug Research Fraud and Cover-up: How Off-Label Profiteering Works

Drug company money influences and corrupts research. That is a given.

What is less understood is why drug manufacturers spend billions for research on off-label uses for their products - uses that were never cleared with the FDA when the drug was submitted for approval.

Off-label use allows drug companies to get "through the back door" what they could never, and I mean never, get away with by going directly to the FDA for approval for a new use of a product - what is known today as an off-label use.

You would hope that researchers wouldn't corrupt the commercial experimentation of a new, or off-label, use of a drug to treat children by covering up their consulting fees from Big Pharma. But that's what happened.

More important than what happened is why it happened and at the bottom of all this is a terrible mistake the U.S. has made in allowing the exploitation of off-label use.

The devil is in the details, so here is the story as it has unfolded.

Leading Harvard professors studying off-label uses, the gold mine of the drug industry, have violated National Institute of Health reporting requirements when more than $10,000 has been received from a subject company, according to the New York Times, "Researchers Fail to Reveal Drug Pay" June 8, 2008. nytimes 2008/06/08/us/08conflict.html?em&ex=1213070400&en=9971013dfd33290a&ei=508720say20are%20sorry&st=cse isn't enough.

If Harvard doesn't fire them, it will be complicit in the cover-up.

Throw them off campus. Ring the bell loud and clear that no matter how renown or stellar, if you don't play by the rules, you can't play at all. And the NIH should forever ban them from receiving grants.

Don't throw out the baby with the bath water. Once appropriate punishment has been served, give these researchers a chance to polish their tarnished reputations. Allow them to conduct research under the supervision of a responsible administrator who knows that "veritas," means truth, accuracy, honesty, and uprightness and that it's more than just a motto.