The Magic of Hard Work

Earlier this year I was able to obtain a feature article for a client selling self-defense gadgets.  She received just one call from the article. The call happened to be from a manager of a major Arizona utility who asked her to present her safety products to their employees. 

Hmm. We discovered a need for organizations to keep their employees, especially women, safe in the workplace.  However, this wasn’t saleable to TV stations because they felt this was too product driven. 

We fine-tuned a new release to focus on low-cost home safety hacks for the summer months.  With that angle were able to obtain two TV segments and expose her to yet another audience. Through the article, TV segments and employee presentation she began getting inquiries to present to other organizations.  Her focus has now shifted from selling products to speaking engagements and is busier than she’s ever been.

Now, not all press has this type of result, but this strategy got her in front of, again, a brand NEW audience.  Through her website and social media efforts she never would have been exposed to this one manager looking to find ways to keep her employees safe.

Was this magic? No. It took the time to finesse a press release to make it marketable, pitch it to targeted publications and another 6 weeks to line up the interview and photographer and for the article to appear.  We then had to evaluate the response and change the angle on other efforts based on what the media would be receptive to. The basic message really didn’t change – just the “spin.”

We live in a society where the expectation is that one article or TV segment will go viral or generate thousands or millions in sales when the true “magic” is in the hard work of finding your audience and then adjusting your message to appeal to them.

Press is so effective because you have the opportunity to reach out to different markets and also test your message.  It also gives businesses more credibility.  It’s especially effective to send out monthly releases because it lends consistency to your marketing and PR efforts and allows interest to build.  Press can also be shared on social media channels for even more impact and reach.

The moral of this story is that marketing is hard work and is fluid. You have to coordinate your efforts and constantly retool and adapt your message.  The real magic happens when you realize there may be a perfect audience for your product or service that you never knew existed.

Would press work for your business? Call us at (602) 466-3333 for a free brain-storming session.