Here's An Incredibly Easy Way To Get Publicity

[Paul Hartunian]

Lots of people don’t write press releases and get publicity for their
businesses because they can’t think of what to write about.

They can’t think of a topic or story idea.

In this post I’m going to give you an incredibly simple way of coming up with a story idea.

I love to come up with new ideas for my press releases and my publicity campaigns. I love coming up with controversy that draws the media in like a hoochie-koochie girl in a tent at the State Fair.

But that’s me. I’ve been doing this for 30 years.

You may not like to come up with new story ideas. You may think you’re not able to come up with new story ideas (that’s one’s just not true, but I’ll address that in another post).

So why don’t you ride on the coattails of people like me? Why don’t you modify our story ideas to fit your topic?

Let me give you an example.

Right now there’s a book on the bestseller list called “Eat This, Not That”. Not only is the book hot, the author seems to know what he’s doing because I hear him being interviewed all the time. I read interviews in newspapers and magazines. Either he or his publisher know about the power of publicity.

So what if you’re a financial advisor - how can you ride on the coattails of this book’s wave of popularity?

Why not send out a press release with the headline:

Invest In This, Not That

What if you have a service that helps kids plan for college while they’re still in high school? How about a press release that has the headline:

Study This, Not That

What if you have products or services that help people grow beautiful flower gardens. Your headline could read:

Grow This, Not That

And you thought this was difficult. You just need a good coach and/or good models to follow.

So stop thinking all of this publicity stuff is hard. It’s not. You simply have to model success and adapt it to your needs.

[IowaGal]

Originally Posted by Paul Hartunian

Lots of people don’t write press releases and get publicity for their
businesses because they can’t think of what to write about.

They can’t think of a topic or story idea.

In this post I’m going to give you an incredibly simple way of coming up with a story idea.

I love to come up with new ideas for my press releases and my publicity campaigns. I love coming up with controversy that draws the media in like a hoochie-koochie girl in a tent at the State Fair.

But that’s me. I’ve been doing this for 30 years.

You may not like to come up with new story ideas. You may think you’re not able to come up with new story ideas (that’s one’s just not true, but I’ll address that in another post).

So why don’t you ride on the coattails of people like me? Why don’t you modify our story ideas to fit your topic?

Let me give you an example.

Right now there’s a book on the bestseller list called “Eat This, Not That”. Not only is the book hot, the author seems to know what he’s doing because I hear him being interviewed all the time. I read interviews in newspapers and magazines. Either he or his publisher know about the power of publicity.

So what if you’re a financial advisor - how can you ride on the coattails of this book’s wave of popularity?

Why not send out a press release with the headline:

Invest In This, Not That

What if you have a service that helps kids plan for college while they’re still in high school? How about a press release that has the headline:

Study This, Not That

What if you have products or services that help people grow beautiful flower gardens. Your headline could read:

Grow This, Not That

And you thought this was difficult. You just need a good coach and/or good models to follow.

So stop thinking all of this publicity stuff is hard. It’s not. You simply have to model success and adapt it to your needs.

Great tips!

I personally keep by my side at all times a simple list that contains the words:

• These
• How
• Why
• Which
• What

And incorporate them whenever I can into everything I write. They inspire curiosity and although I'm not a copywriter, I've found that just by using any of these words in a headline typically gets a higher open rate (email, blog post or otherwise).

- Kristine

[Loco.m]

Great thread, I was just thinking about putting together a press release for our new contest, could you take a look and let me know what you would use as a title for this info.

greatly appreciated.

[July29]

Press releases are a great way to get publicity. They are easy to write - but if you're not a great writer, you can easily pay somebody to write it for you.

I use a service called Marketwire to distribute my press releases. It's kind of expensive but they send your PR to thousands of sources and you can target local outlets or nationwide or even worldwide outlets. It's pretty easy to get in newspapers and on radio with this service, although it will run you about $140 - $450.

[JustaWizard]

I can personally vouch for Paul Hartunian who started this thread; he's no BS, a total straight shooter, and everything I've ever bought from him has been quality, and get this: it actually works IF you simply follow his system. I've generated publicity using his kit.

I'm not affiliated with Paul, just a satisfied customer of his.

David Portney

[Phillip King]

Great post Paul, this has been one of my hardest things to conquer.

Phillip King

[VegasVince]

Originally Posted by JustaWizard

I can personally vouch for Paul Hartunian who started this thread; he's no BS, a total straight shooter, and everything I've ever bought from him has been quality, and get this: it actually works IF you simply follow his system. I've generated publicity using his kit.

I'm not affiliated with Paul, just a satisfied customer of his.

David Portney

Ditto....

Paul is the real deal.....a true PR master.....and how many Warriors can honestly say Johnny Carson once gave them free publicity on The Tonight Show!!!

That's a true story....and Carson plugged him on the show re: Paul's "selling of the Brooklyn Bridge".

Another incredible example of the power of exploiting the media...who desperately want to make you rich if you people would only give them something newsworthy...hint hint!

Publicity remains one of the most misunderstood and misused weapons out there......and you can learn a lot from guys like Paul...a true living legend.



xxx Vegas Vince
Legend.

[Angela V. Edwards]

That's an excellent idea, Paul. I had the darndest time coming up with a story for my press release. This post would have been very helpful.

[raynman]

awesome idea! this pretty much opens a whole new world.....well...maybe not a whole new world but it sure is a good opportunity to take advantage of.

thanks for the tip.

[Paul Hartunian]

Loco.m,

I'm so technically unaware it's pathetic, so I'm not really sure what your website is about. But that's me, not you. People who need and use your product probably know exactly what you're talking about.

With that said, why wouldn't you simply adapt the headline example I gave in my original post to read:

Webmasters - Use This Bulletin Board System, Not That

If the product is aimed at website owners, not webmasters, just change it to:

Website Owners - Use This Bulletin Board System, Not That

If I completely missed the point of your product and website, let me know.

Paul

[Sam Rodrigo]

Well said Paul. Thanks!

What are some of your favorite place/most outstanding results for press release distribution? I am readying such a distribution and would like to hear your expertise.

Thanks & success,
Sam

[Dana_W]

As ever, Paul's stuff is pure gold - and I was a newspaper reporter for a long long time, and read through a lot of BAD press releases, and the rare good one - so I can tell you, what he recommends really works. He has an amazing talent for picking up on what's hot right now and adapting it to his own purposes.

[Capricorn1]

Yes, great stuff Paul. It seems so simple but I think that you are really on a winner with this one.

Regards,

Geoff.

[cganz]

Hi Paul,

I bought your product several months ago and started out immediately sending out some releases following your guidelines and nothing happened. Somewhat disappointed...

Then, on Friday the 13th of all days, I get a call from Time Magazine. The writer said he found my name and profile through a press release. Kind of cool...

Now I just have to send out more.

Thanks

Cary

[Jillian Slack]

Originally Posted by July29

Press releases are a great way to get publicity. They are easy to write - but if you're not a great writer, you can easily pay somebody to write it for you.

I use a service called Marketwire to distribute my press releases. It's kind of expensive but they send your PR to thousands of sources and you can target local outlets or nationwide or even worldwide outlets. It's pretty easy to get in newspapers and on radio with this service, although it will run you about $140 - $450.

WOW! That's expensive, but that's just my opinion based on being on both sides of the news desk with experience sending press releases out for myself and for clients, and also sifting through press releases as they arrived at a publication and trying to determine which were actually newsworthy.

I guess it depends on what you are sending out and where you'd like to see results.

If Marketwire sends to thousands of places and you want to cover as many places as possible, that might be a great price.

But if you're hoping for publication in specific places, the blanket approach may not be helpful.

EXAMPLE: I worked at a regional business journal. We ran stories about businesses within this geographic area. So most of the press releases that we received were thrown away or deleted. The senders were often these services that send the press releases out to every single publication you could imagine, so your press release about something going on across the country was no good to us.

With something that's web-based like many of our IM businesses, it could be helpful to use the blanket approach and get your PR distributed everywhere possible.

However, if you are after publication in specific titles, your best best is to get a copy of that publication and look at the staff information inside. Or go to the publication's web site and look for info about the staff. Next, choose the name of one of the reporters and send him or her a friendly email. Or send your press release directly to the editor.

DO NOT send your press release to the publisher, the business manager, someone in advertising or marketing for that publication, etc.

If it so happens that you (or your client, if you're writing PR for a client) already spend money on advertising in this publication, DO NOT contact the publication and say, "You know, for the amount of money that I spend on advertising with you people, I'd say you owe me. You owe me a free article. You owe me an article plus color photos. You owe me a full-page story. You owe me a cover story. I've spent a lot of money with you people over the years. You owe me."

They don't owe you a thing.

News is news.

You don't pay to be in the news (unless you're buying an "advertorial," which isn't news, but don't get me started on that).

[Paul Hartunian]

Phillip King - Exactly what are you finding difficult to conquer about publicity?

Angela Edwards - Can you tell me specifically why coming up with a story idea was difficult?

One of the biggest frustrations I've had over the past 20 years is trying to understand why more people aren't using publicity. What are you finding difficult? What's preventing you from using publicity?

If I could come up with some solid answers, I could respond to the problems either by providing more precise explanations or creating products that will solve the problems.

Publicity has given me everything I could possibly want in life - wealth, fame and most importantly, my freedom. So I've been on a mission to get as many people as possible to see the value of publicity and to put it to use.

Any input you can give me will be appreciated.

Paul

[Mark Kaye]

This is a fantatsic thread!

I'm a radio host by trade and I get inundated with Press releases on a daily basis. The only way to get on my or any other hosts radar is to have a headline that stands out. Excellent, excellent, excellent advice Paul!

The "_______ This, Not That!" idea is definitely one that would catch my eye.

I do a ton of lectures and corporate speaking about publicity and marketing through offline sources like TV, Radio, and Print and Paul is absolutely right:

"Relate to news don't create news."

When I get to work in the morning (around 4 AM) the first thing I do is scan the newspaper for the headlines of the day. Then I cruise the Internet for the stories of the day. Why? Well, because I have to be talking about what everyone else is talking about. That's how I stay relevant as a radio host. If you relate to the news of the day as a guest then you are certain to be booked!

Here are some real world examples:

DATING NICHE - Write a press release about Chris Brown and Rihanna. Quote yourself as a relationship expert and pitch radio and TV stations with "3 Things To Keep Your Relationship From Imploding."

MONEY NICHE - Write a press release about the $13 tax credit that we will all be getting courtesy of the Obama Stimulus Package called "10 Ways To Turn Your $13 Tax Credit Into $13,000!"

EXERCISE NICHE - With all the foul weather that we've been having across the country you could write a fantastic release outlining "7 Simple Ways To Exercie In The Snow."

Nobody cares about your product, book, website, service, blog, etc. (Sorry to be so blunt.) So, find out what they DO care about and then make your product, book, service, blog, etc. the answer to their prayers!

[Paul Hartunian]

Sam Rodrigo - When I write a press release and I want to distribute it online, I first test it on the free distribution sites. There are lots of lists of the free sites around, but Dana Willhoit has some software that automates the distribution process to a bunch of free sites. It already has the free sources in the software. As I recall, it's less than $10.

If I get a good response from the free sites, I go to the paid sites such as WebWire and PRWeb.

How do I know I got a good response from the press releases? I set up Google Alerts for specific keywords. So if my release is picked up somewhere, I'll get an alert. That way I know I've got a winner.

Don't depend only on the free sites. If you have a good press release and a good story, it'll be worth paying for additional distribution and the tracking that comes with it.

I also have lots of resources that can help you. See the links in my signature.

I also do offline distribution of my press releases. But dinner is just about ready, so I'll give you some recommendations on that later tonight.

[TrafficGuy Claude]

How are you making money with the Press releases? Are you sending them to an information product?

[AtticusBaker]

Great tip! Thanks!

[Paul Hartunian]

Onslaught - Why don't you go to my website and look over the free material before you spend any money. Once you get the basic idea, then you can jump on board.

Traffic Guy Claude - I send out press releases on a topic I'm familiar with. I also have products in that area. So when I'm interviewed, I give the talk show host, reporter, website owner, etc. solid information and in exchange, they give me plugs for my products.

For example, for many years I sent out press releases about dating and relationships. I also have a book, an audio book, lots of CDs, reporters, etc. on dating and relationships. I do interviews about dating and relationships. I answer questions from listeners, viewers, etc. Then the person interviewing me promotes my products.

I have done no advertising whatsoever for my dating and relationship products and I'll bet I've sold more than 95% of the products in this field. It's all based on knowing how to use publicity.