Your Story in the Spotlight

When was the last time your business was featured in the news?  If you’re like many of my clients you are a trail blazing entrepreneur, leading in your sector.  You don’t follow trends, you set the trends.  Your desire to improve upon your customer offering keeps you one step ahead. 

As a leader you likely have a pretty cool story to tell, but when was the last time you were featured in the news?  Couldn’t your business do with a little publicity boost? 

My clients have amazing stories to tell, and valuable education to share. Given that today’s consumers are searching out product and service information before making buying decisions, opportunity abounds for the organization that spins an interesting story or serves up educational and informative advice, well targeted to a key audience. 

What education information do you have to share with your target audience?  Positioning yourself as a thought leader or the go-to provider for a key product or service may be easier than you think.  Realizing valuable promotion in free publicity may also be easier than you think. 

Like many businesses, today’s newsrooms are run by a leaner team with tighter deadlines. On the flip side, journalists are bombarded by endless press releases, thousands of news sources and a true information overload. Winning the attention of key journalists takes a carefully crafted story, written in a relevant manner and sometimes a personal relationship with that journalist to realize well-deserved attention. 

That being said, if you provide the right journalist highly relevant information you could be watching a story about your business on tonight’s evening news.  When you realize media exposure for your business, not only does your business benefit from the story but if you have a well developed social network you can share the story on your social media profiles to ensure your target audience sees the piece even if they weren’t tuned into the news story live. 

There is a great sense of accomplishment when publicity efforts result in media exposure—I have helped many local clients realize hundreds of thousands of dollars in free publicity through targeted media efforts.  I have had clients (and my own business included) on local news (CTV, CBC, and Global), National News (CTV Evening News and Canada AM), the Globe and Mail (front page) and countless local papers and radio stations. 

While every business likes to see its press release become a media story, an even greater accomplishment is to become the media’s go to person for a topic.  I have helped my clients to become the one that the media thinks about first when there is a development in their sector or business.  Wouldn’t you like to become the one that the media needs to get a quote from to complete their story? 

Did you know the value of publicity for your business?  Media coverage for a business is usually evaluated at 3 -5 times the ad rate for the media outlet.  The exposure, as part of a news program is considered 3-5 times more credible than commercial exposure.  So for example if you realize a 2 ½ minute long story on a news program and a commercial on that program sells for $2,000 per thirty second spot, the same exposure in commercial value would have costs you $14,500- $22,500. Add to that the fact that you would have a clip that you could share on your site or in your social networks. 

Successful public relations efforts can be extremely valuable to a business.

Not sure if your business has a newsworthy nugget ready to be uncovered?  For many of my clients their story is so second nature that they don’t even see the media opportunity. I’ll work with you to uncover your story and frame it, in just the right light, for key media. Relying on a constantly updated media list and solid relationships with producers and journalists, I’ll look after the follow-up calls, media interviews and all aspects of putting your story in the spotlight.

When was the last time your company was featured in the news? If you’re ready to see your  name in the news, connect with me.

Or Downlaod your copy of my, Essential Guide to Getting Your Story in the Spotlight Using Traditional PR & Social Media.