Publicity raises website traffic

Getting media coverage is one of the best ways to raise website traffic.

Not only is the story seen, heard and read by people, but the story usually is uploaded to the media’s website, which gets an enormous number of hits daily.

In January, Brian Witherell, “Antiques Roadshow” appraiser and Witherell’s COO, had their first live, Sacramento auction.  

Because the appraisal and global online auction house rarely hold live auctions, it was covered by all major local media—The Sacramento Bee, Good Day Sacramento,  KCRA 3, Inside Publication and East Sacramento News.

Witherell also was spotlighted by the Sacramento Business Journal that week.

After the media coverage, the website got 74,222 hits in the first 10 days of that month.  

Compared to 130,778 hits the month before, that’s nearly 60 percent more hits than usual.

Business people often hear that marketing, advertising, blogging and SEO can drive website traffic, but using traditional to tell your story ups drives website hits through the roof.

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

Working with award-winning journalist pays off

When Mutual Housing California broke ground on their latest development, Stephen Magagnini, an award-winning journalist from The Sacramento Bee, had questions about the farmworker housing.  

We gladly answered the questions about the need for housing, the funding, the documentation of legal status and more.

But, we also needed a story: “Tell me a story; tell me a story that moves me,” the reporter said.

Luckily for the story, Vanessa Guerra, the engineer who oversees construction for the nonprofit builder, had worked in the fields as a child and had grown up in a rat-infested house on an abandoned ranch.

It was a great story that would make a great article, but we still needed a hook, something newsworthy that would make it relevant now.

When construction was nearly complete and people could apply to live there, we had everything—except for one last piece: someone who worked the fields and was applying for the housing at Spring Lake.  

Once we found applicants, the reporter went to see the community and to interview Guerra, Mutual Housing’s CEO, Rachel Iskow and three applicants.

More than a year after we started, we got a front page Our Region story in the Sacramento Bee, http://bit.ly/1ymNJIc ,on the plight of farm workers and the success of one young woman who was able to make a better life for herself—and for others.   

For more information on Dell Richards Publicity, visit us at www.dellrichards.com.

Why media prefer working with PR pros

People often ask why the media prefer working with PR people rather than the public.

When they work with PR people work, editors and producers know they’ll only get relevant information. 

They won’t have to waste time with details they don’t need or want.

If the media don't like an idea, although a PR person may give a few more details hoping to change the media’s mind, a pro would never argue.

Since the media usually uses AP Style—the PR person will send releases in that format so it can be dropped into stories verbatim.

If the media make a mistake—which journalists often do because the pressure is so fast and furious—PR people understand; they’ve often come up through the ranks and know what it’s like. 

If the gist of a story is right, a PR pro usually won’t nitpick details.

If they care about having clients as a “source”, PR people probably won’t ask for a retraction or correction, but be grateful for the time the media spent telling the client’s story.

And, if they are good at what they do, the PR pro will make sure the client understands how lucky they are to have the “free advertising” that’s called “coverage”.   

For more information, visit Dell Richards Publicity at www.dellrichards.com.  

 

"Work is like family" not necessarily healthy

Being like a family often is held up as a model for the work place.

Respecting co-workers, giving them freedom to do their job, feeling camaraderie is a hallmark of a good place to work. 

More often the effects of family are seen in dysfunctional employees—people who thrive on criticizing others, who want control of everyone around them, who treat gossip as the lingua franca.  

If people start reacting to co-workers as they did family members, it can create difficult and psychologically unhealthy issues.  

Unresolved issues with parents often get played out with bosses and other people in power.

If a parent had been overly critical and controlling, an employee may not be able to take feedback.  

They may react by feeling overwhelmed, saying they are unqualified, asking to change jobs.

Because of the difficulties psychological issues pose in the workplace, they are rarely talked about.   

Maybe seeing the negative aspects of family that people bring to the workplace could be a good place to start. 

For more information, visit 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.