How Publicity Works
You might think of publicity as a huge dance hall. On one side of the room are the editors and reporters representing various media: newspapers, magazines, radio, television, and the Internet. On the other side of the room are all of the individuals, businesses, and charities, etc., that are trying to attract the attention of the media. Since there are far fewer media representatives than publicity hopefuls, filling your dance card is a challenge. You need to stand out from the crowd — in a good way.
You may be lucky enough to have the media stumble on you and your business, and decide that you're newsworthy. But usually, you'll need to approach them with written material that outlines why they should notice you — what your story is and why it's important to their readers.
Just as you focus on your customers' needs to help develop your goods and services, you need to focus on the media's needs when it comes to seeking publicity. Don't just think about what you want to say; think about what the readers/listeners/viewers need or would be interested in, and direct your efforts to those areas.
If the media likes your story, they may take your written material and simply tweak it a little and print it. They might or might not contact you beforehand, so you need to monitor where you've sent your material in case they use the information without letting you know (clipping services will do this for you, for a fee). If they do contact you, however, they'll likely request an interview perhaps by phone, in person, or even via e-mail. At the same time, they may be interviewing other people or gathering information such as statistics. Once the research and interviews are done, the story is produced in whatever form necessary for the media they're working with, and there you are — in the spotlight!
