Tips on giving exclusives

As a PR firm, we give exclusives to the media when we have to.  

But we recently got a client who had arranged an article that went hand-in-hand with advertising they didn’t tell us about. 

Just before our placed article was going to be published, the client’s own article came out from a competing publication.   

As a result, our reporter held her article so it wouldn’t look like she had just reworked a rival’s story.   

While exclusives can be pretty casual, it doesn’t hurt to lay out guidelines with everyone involved.   

Always explain the use of exclusives and the planned strategy carefully to the client to make sure they understand they can’t approach the media on their own.  

Even if you already asked, double-check what advertising and articles they've done on their own once you explain the strategy of using exclusives.  

Always work with journalists to get a publication date that includes other reporters being given access afterwards. 

Working that way, you can set up a series of media hits for maximum publicity on the client in the time you want.  

For more information, call Dell Richards Publicity, (916) 455-4790 or visit our website at www,dellrichards.com.

Why knowing the owner doesn't get press

Someone recently called who wasn’t happy with their PR firm even though they had received media at a really good price.

They said they thought they could have got one hit themselves because they knew the owners.

Not so, I said, publishers want to sell ads. The stories are the draw that pulls in readers for the advertising numbers.

Owners will sometimes say they have an upcoming feature that would be perfect, only it’s already closed.

But, they have a special advertising section for it—that comes with a hefty price.

An advertorial looks like an article except for the strip at the bottom that says “special advertising supplement”.

If the person asks about being in another feature, the publisher also could call on the “wall” between advertising and editorial.

If it’s a legitimate publication, the wall usually isn’t breached by the owner.

Even newspaper owners who don’t like what their editors create don’t interfere—as long as circulation is up.   

For more information, please call us at (916) 455-4790 or visit www.dellrichards.com.