Radical Pixels

Marsha Friedman asked:


Gaining national or local media exposure for your company, products or services in print is one of the most valuable ways to secure consumer interest in your business. While many companies turn to advertising (a costly road to go down) many overlook the power (and more cost effective nature) of Public Relations and especially the power of newspaper and magazine PR.

Have you ever picked up a national newspaper or industry trade magazine and seen one of your competitors featured in an article and thought “Should my company be doing this? What is the value to having my company featured in an article like this?” The answer to the first question is: yes, you should ABSOLUTELY be trying to get coverage for your company in newspapers and magazines. This lets consumers nationally and locally know that your product is out there and available. Here Marsha Friedman will give you the answer the second question: What is the value of doing print PR for your company?:

1. Anything written is perceived to be true. In any business industry it is important to have and continue building credibility. Without credibility, consumers and business associates will not pay attention to your message. One of the most valuable aspects of using a print campaign to get media coverage is that anything written is believed to be an absolute fact. “Therefore articles you’ve written that get published or articles with quotes from you gives you immediate positioning as an expert in your field”.

2. Print is where you’ll find a huge segment of your buying audience. Going to a newsstand nowadays you are bombarded with choice. Newspapers and magazines are scattered all over the floors and filling the racks with more titles than ever before. “With over 137 million Americans regularly reading a daily newspaper and more than 31,000 publications ranging from antiques to zoology, print media holds mass appeal as a key source of entertainment and information”.

3. A huge variety of publications. One of the most attractive aspects of the print media is the huge variety of publications you can target: daily and weekly newspapers, local and national magazines, the trade publications of your industry. “There’s truly an endless source of publications to target.” This enables your print PR campaign to be as targeted as possible, almost down to the exact demographic! In the world of print, the more choice there is, the more opportunities you have to penetrate niche markets.

4. Interviews are not all held over the phone. Many busy business people want to get coverage in newspapers and magazines, but are too tied up at work to deal with impromptu telephone interviews by journalists that last for hours. Also, many are being interviewed for the first time and are scared that they will be misquoted or say the wrong thing. “Another great aspect of print media is that many interviews are done via email so when this happens it gives you a chance to carefully consider and reconsider the best way to convey your message within the construct of the question”. Thankfully email interviews are becoming more common and as a result give you ample time to think and respond to each question to ensure that you communicate your message in a clear fashion!

5. Every publication offers an opportunity! Many people think that if you are not going to get your article published in a major national newspaper or magazine, then a print PR campaign is a waste of time ‘I want USA Today or Nothing!’ It is true, coverage in a huge national title can be phenomenal, but you may be missing a huge segment of your market! “Don’t discount coverage in small publications”. “Every newspaper story, sidebar, small mention or magazine article is like gold when trying to get the attention of editors at the national major magazines, or the senior producers of national TV shows.”

So now you are ready to get writing!