As the year enters the fourth quarter, many businesses
and entrepreneurs are making plans and budgets for the
year 2002. Those plans could include anything from setting
up goals for new products to preparing marketing, sales
and PR/publicity campaigns. When it comes to your publicity
plan, WHEN
you launch your campaign can be just as important as
what and how you launch.
PLANTING PUBLICITY SEEDS
Some business owners may be of the mindset: "I
think we'll wait to launch a publicity campaign until
after January 1 to generate consumer interest."
The problem is -- if you wait to launch your publicity
campaign until the first of the year hoping for a
quick media interest blast in January, you may be
in for a quiet start of the year. Keep in mind most
media outlets have editorial lead-times of a few weeks
to 6 months. Also, what some entrepreneurs don't realize
is this -- because of the increasing number of publicity
pitches media outlets receive, anything you submit
is subjected to what I call the "media digestion
period" - simply put - that is a period of time
(sometimes days, sometimes weeks) that it takes media
outlets to:
see/understand your release and decide if
they are interested;
find space/time in their editorial calendar to place
the article/news story/show segment.
Given the right media research and pitching expertise,
there are several media opportunities you could pursue.
From my professional experience, here is the breakdown
of editorial lead-times of the media formats from
quickest to most drawn out: (These are estimates and
can vary from campaign to campaign)
Radio Shows -- 1 to 4 weeks lead-time
TV News Affiliate Shows - 2 to 6 weeks lead-time
Daily & Weekly Newspapers - 3 to 8 weeks lead-time
Magazines & Network TV Shows - 1 to 6 months
lead-time
The potential placement is also directly dependent
upon how quickly and efficiently your publicist or
PR agency can help the media secure the placement.
Media relations is crucial. Your publicist's job is
to make the reporter/editor/producer's job as easy
and as effortless as possible - which will lead to
quicker and more numerous placements for your business.
HOLIDAY PUBLICITY OPPORTUNITIES
If your product/business lends itself to increased
holiday sales, the next several weeks are a perfect
time to get a product publicity campaign launched
- given the right media targets. Although many holiday
issues have already been laid out for magazines, many
other media outlets are feverishly
seeking information/pitches on innovative stories
for the holidays. Some media outlets even reorganize
or beef up staff toward the end of the year to allow
for an increase in stories on products. Have your
publicist help you take advantage of this increased
media opportunity.
I have in fact had media outlets respond to our media
release literally minutes after pitching it. Conversely,
one media outlet responded to one of our releases
17 months after a pitch. (I had to ask the reporter
what the YEAR was on the release!) You can definitely
increase the odds with some hard work and effective
media relations. That's why timing of your publicity
pitch is so critical. Have your publicist get your
pitch to the media, allow
the editorial staff to digest it a bit, and strategically
and professionally "rattle the cage" over
the next several weeks to generate as many placements
as possible.
What we are trying to do is plant seeds in media
outlets' editorial garden so they will bear fruit
-- in the form of articles/show placements -- continuously
over the next several weeks and months. Like the plant
that comes from a seed, publicity placements can also
grow roots and lead to other arterial media placements
in other media outlets. Given the right
tending, the publicity seeds you plant over the next
few weeks will indeed germinate and you'll reap a
wonderful harvest for your business now and into the
first quarter of next year.
-Todd F. Brabender
