There’s not much in life that’s better than hearing a good story. Examples of storytelling are all around us: sitcoms, Easter dinner, Friday night at the bar, a Sunday morning sermon, the new James Patterson thriller. Everywhere you turn, stories are being told.
Lots of things in life come and go, but storytelling is a constant. I think that’s why media stories work so well for selling products; they are in line with the way people like to communicate.
However, just because media stories are interesting to people and great for sales doesn’t mean you are going to get any. I bet you would be surprised how hard our publicists have to work to persuade reporters and producers to run stories about our clients. Even with our 30 years of experience arranging tens of thousands of stories, it’s no cakewalk. And because we charge per story we arrange, rather than by the hour, it’s risky too.
Effective publicists don’t rely on press releases. Press releases work great if you have a top news story of the day. But unfortunately, you don’t. The way to dig yourself out of the mountain of press releases sent out each day is to pick up the phone and attempt to directly persuade reporters.
As I mentioned, Media Relations Agency charges per story we arrange. If we relied on press releases and wire services rather than the phone, we’d go out of business. I attribute our success arranging media stories every day for 30 years to our culture of picking up the phone and calling the media. I remember when we first started out, when there were no computers and everything was printed on paper, including our phone bill. I used to cringe when they would deliver it on a two-wheel cart. Of course, long distance charges were horrific back then. It wasn’t unusual to rack up $20,000-plus in charges (a gut punch for a small start-up). But getting on the phone was what it took to get our clients coverage, and that’s still what it takes today.
Humans are wired to follow the path of least resistance. So, it’s tempting for publicists to skip the rejection that comes with calling reporters. Who could blame them? Reporters and producers aren’t sitting around hoping someone calls them with a story idea; most of the time they are deluged with them. But like successful sales people, good publicists know that the only route to a “yes” for their story is through many “no’s”.
I’ve always said the way to tell if a publicist is any good is to check their phone records. If they make a lot of calls, they are likely getting the company and products the coverage they deserve. If your PR firm is selling you on fancy press release packages in place of calling, or using wire services (which, by the way, are primarily tools for satisfying SEC disclosure rules), don’t expect much coverage.
Most publicists could never cut it working for our company. That’s because in addition to charging clients by the story, our publicist’s pay is tied to production as well.
I’ll never forget having lunch with the CEO of a competing PR firm years ago. He leaned back in his chair and said, “Lonny, Lonny, why do you work so hard? It’s much easier to make money telling clients they need to keep out of the media.” I can’t say that business model isn’t tempting. How nice would it be to get a retainer just in case the media happened to call?
But the truth is, every year he faces downward pressure from his clients on how much his firm charges. If the retainer is $10,000 per month this year, they would rather pay less next year.
That’s not the case with us. If we are arranging $10,000 worth of media stories per month, and the stories are working, our clients are inclined to want more. It’s like a machine that spits out two dollars for every dollar you put in. How many dollars do you want to put in next year?
In 30 years of writing letters such as this, not one single client has ever just sent us a check. That’s not the way it works. Clients need to get to know us first. Our client relationships begin with an email or phone call. Even then, no money changes hands. It normally takes multiple conversations before clients feel comfortable giving us a try. It’s during these conversations (stories, really) that they learn the details of how we work, how our services have worked for other clients and how they could work for them.
My former boss, Jim Cook, wrote a book entitled “The Start-up Entrepreneur”. In it, he said a business usually starts with a phone call. I have a vivid memory of the phone call I made to start this business. I’m thankful every day for that call.
I’m not saying a call to us will compare with that, but I can tell you we have many clients who have been sending us money to arrange media coverage every month for more than ten years. Those relationships wouldn’t exist had someone not had a conversation with us. So give us a call or send us an email. We’d love to tell you our product’s story and help you share your product’s story through the media. Becky Quesnel is our office manager and she can direct you to the right person. Becky’s number is 952-697-5217 or visit us online.
