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.

Planning an event for maximum PR

The later you contact a publicist when planning an event, the fewer media outlets you can get.

Local print magazines often need information at least three months in advance, sometimes more.

Even monthly or weekly tabloids usually have a two-month lead time.

If possible, plan the location or a connection to a location that is in a monthly or weekly newspaper circulation area.   

If you want local talk shows, you’ll need two months lead time for them, too.

A week or two before the event, only news media generally are available.

By then, the competition is fierce and all that’s left is a few feel-good feature slots.

For maximum PR on your event, contact a PR person to help at least four months in advance.

For more information, call us at (916) 455-4790 or go to Dell Richards Publicity at  www.dellrichards.com.