Why clients shouldn't deal with the media

When we pitch feature reporters, we often have back-up ideas.

If the person doesn’t like the first, we offer another.

Even though he wasn’t interested in the initial pitch, a national magazine editor recently asked for photos of a client’s work.

Since the client had been in national magazines before, he suggested sending the photographs to the editor directly and cc’ing us.

But, his subject line had no connection to the idea or to earlier releases.

The photos sequence didn’t tell a story and he took a jab at the editor—even though he was offering a much bigger opportunity and had all the power.  

Luckily, the editor didn’t see the email, but was interested enough to get back to us.   

We added info about the client, wrote a relevant subject line, put the photos into a visual story and thanked the editor for getting back to us.    

But, we learned our lesson: In future, no matter how seemingly savvy, we won’t let clients deal with reporters until we’ve snagged an article and are ready for the interview. 

For more information on public relations, please go to www.dellrichards.com.

Business means being there 24/7

During spring break, I had hoped to take time off—no such luck!

A magazine called to ask if the client would accept an award, which meant  narratives for the application, coordination with the ME and….

Another magazine lost our photos and needed them urgently.  

A client couldn’t get us info, as hoped, but the releases still had to go out. 

So, I told myself I’d take off tomorrow—as I kept working.

When I joked about trying to have a vacation, friends said I should "...just go" or we "...shouldn’t spoil our clients”.

It was obvious they’d never run a business.

In reality, it’s rare for anyone to work 9-5 today; everyone is working 24/7—even on vacation. 

For more information on public relations and media, contact Dell Richards Publicity at www.dellrichards.com. 

Why you want to help the media

Recently, a local TV station called one of our clients for expert comments on an issue—and for help finding a person who was affected.

Luckily, we were able to do so in the 3-hour time frame the reporter had to gather information and visuals. 

The two-minute story ran on the local news a few hours later.

At the 5 p.m. hour, the story reached 37,900 people and had a publicity value of $25,244.00.

It’s great to get press that valuable, but being Johnny-on-the-spot has other benefits.

When people have called the media with a complaint, because the reporters know we’re honest and reliable, they call us to hear our side. 

Once we explain we’re fixing the problem, they have not done a story.

Working hard to build a reputation with the media gets clients press for what they do—and, in the past, also has protected them from unfair allegations.

For more information, visit us at www.dellrichards.com.

Why PR has more value than advertising

When businesses advertise, they get to say what they want when they want it.  

While some outlets will run releases word-for-word, when using PR, businesses have to rely on the media itself to tell their story with public relations.

Because it’s harder to get and it isn’t paid for directly, publicity has a higher value than advertising.

A news story that runs for 17 seconds on local TV with an audience of 112,359 has a publicity value of $4,250.

That same story only has an advertising value of $1,417.

A 45-second story on the same station can generate $11,250 worth of publicity each time it runs.

One of our stories that ran on the evening to the morning news generated as much as $52,922 in publicity.

Even a four paragraph story in The Sacramento Bee has generated new clients and increased sales for one of our clients. 

For more information on publicity, contact Dell Richards Publicity at www.dellrichards.com.