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you ever heard of the saying, "One person's trash is another person's treasure?"
Well, that statement is a true one, but never more so than in the realm of media
relations where so many small-business owners find it so difficult to garner media
coverage for themselves or their companies. Allow me to illustrate my point below
in an actual incident that happened to one of my clients and the lessons we learned
from this experience. One
day a new client approached me about getting media coverage for her company. She
had tried writing and submitting press releases on her own but with little luck
and decided that it was time to contact a media relations company. We made an
appointment to meet and we discussed her business and brainstormed about ways
in which to secure coverage in a creative and affordable way. During that meeting
and subsequent other ones, I became very familiar with her business and learned
why she was so successful. But it was in a casual conversation, which had little
to do with her business, that I learned about the information that would allow
me to secure news coverage for my new client. This
particular client is a visual arts designer and runs a very successful business
in the Midwest, but her one true passion since childhood is gymnastics. She participated
in the sport as a child. She still follows the sport on television and even incorporates
the sport into the name of her company. I learned that she liked to have people
take photographs of her performing handstands near historic structures, and that
she had done this all around the country. It
was through that conversation that I learned that she even had a photo taken of
her performing a handstand just outside of the World Trade Center several years
ago. I asked her why she hadn't shared this information with me earlier and she
said, "It was such a little thing that I really didn't think it was very important."
In
reality, it was that little-known fact that sealed the deal for local newspaper
coverage. When I spoke with the reporter, I was able to strategically mention
this "little" fact to the reporter and explain that I could supply the actual
photo. It mattered less to the reporter that this client was a self-published
author and ran a successful business. While all of that information was great,
it was the World Trade Center photo that peaked the reporter's interest. In the
end, instead of receiving a small blurb in the newspaper, which was what we really
expected, she in turn got a front-page story complete with her photo and references
to both her business and her love for gymnastics. Plus, this was a very affordable
decision because the client could never have afforded an advertisement the size
of that article generated. The
point that I'm trying to make is this. Sometimes small-business owners need to
depend on the services of communication companies in order to secure media coverage.
But whether you are dealing with a big agency or a boutique agency or a freelancer,
it's always important to share every detail because sometimes it's the little
details, which can make or break a story. Carolyn
Davenport-Moncel is president and founder of Mondave Communications, a global
marketing and communications firm based in Chicago and Paris, and a subsidiary
of MotionTemps, LLC. Contact
her at carolyn@motiontemps.com or
by phone in the United States at 877.815.0167 or 011.331.4997.9059 in France.
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