Free (or Nearly Free) Publicity

Free (or nearly free) Publicity
Karen Pierce Gonzalez, Director, Karen Pierce Gonzalez Public Relations

Every smart business owner knows that visibility in the community is an essential part of a good marketing plan. One of the easiest ways to get that visibility is to use the media. Let print, radio, TV, and the Internet tell others who you are, what you do, and what you have to offer.

When the media’s eye is on you, it’s priceless. So much so, in fact, that the investment you make in retaining professional public relations services to get that attention is paid back many-fold. Not only is your message presented to countless consumers who read the paper, check out their favorite Internet blog, watch TV, or listen to radio, it can go well beyond that particular media moment. For example, copies of an article about you (permission granted by the publication and/or author, of course) can be inserted into your professional portfolio or posted on your Web site. Radio or TV interviews can be downloaded from your Web site for listening or viewing.

To get that visibility in the first place, you’ll want to consider hiring a public relations .professional While no one can guarantee news coverage, an experienced professional already has a media system in place that includes important details such as how to create and distribute a newsworthy press release to the most appropriate media contacts and has time to do the necessary follow-up which often includes customizing news angles, if needed, so that they fit the current needs of particular media venues.

Fees for pr services depends upon the range of assistance you require. A campaign that includes national as well as regional and localized media exposure will cost more than a campaign geared towards local media only.

If you think your PR budget doesn’t allow for professional assistance, think again. There may be a way (perhaps several) you can reduce those fees. Here are a few ideas about how to generate the revenue so that you can enlist professional services:

1. If you offer fee-based events/workshops, consider securing underwriters to cover the cost of “free” seats or tickets for students or seniors. Honor the underwriters with name recognition, program mention, or even naming seats after them.
a. Underwriters can offset your costs so that you have more funds available for PR purposes. In some instances, PR costs themselves can be underwritten.
b. Underwriters are often other businesses that could benefit from being part of what you are doing. If you offer travel workshops, for example, maybe a local travel agency would be willing to become an underwriter.
c. If the event is hosted by a non-profit, the underwriters can receive tax credit.

2. Consider collaborating with another organization when promoting a service, event, or product.
a. This mutually beneficial arrangement can allow for shared staffing as well as shared publicity expenses.
b. Your partner may be able to contribute to your PR budget in exchange for mention in any article or mailers connected to the event or product launch.
c. These collaborations can also include in-kind assistance. For example, you could hold your retirement planning seminar in a mortgage company conference room that has been “donated” by the mortgage company. Their staff may even help set the room up. This reduces your overhead.
d. Your collaborating group may even be willing to share mailing labels and/or email data base.
3. Use your company newsletter to offer advertising space at reasonable rates.
a. Consider expanding your newsletter’s distribution base because that offers greater visibility. It can be as simple as placing extra newsletters in coffee shops or other places your clientele is most likely to frequent.
4. Do you have an item or service you can raffle off to customers for a good cause? A portion of the raffle ticket fees can be directed toward your PR budget. The rest can go to whatever cause you have selected to support.
a. Donate a percentage of the proceeds to a local kids’ club, senior center, or animal shelter. Everyone loves to be part of a cause that is meaningful and close to home.

Hopefully, these suggestions have sparked some ideas of your own about how to pay for public relations services and how to reach out to your community to invite support. Some of the examples cited here may be more appropriate than others for your situation. That’s fine. Not everyone is going to cover their PR budget by selling raffle tickets. But remember that inviting others to work with you for mutual benefit will always generate good will. That good will, placed in the hands of a competent PR professional whose fees have been offset by your collaborative efforts, can in turn become the subject of yet more media attention.

Want to know more? Visit Karen Pierce Gonzalez Public Relations at www.karenpiercegonzalez.com. Also check out her blog: kpgpublicrelations.blogspot.com.