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August 2006 online newsletter One of the best ways to spotlight your company in the media involves a game of quid pro quo. What can your company do for the media, and how can they, in return, deliver your message to the public? The truth is that countless journalists get story ideas—and even written articles—from expert sources. Many non-profit organizations have very little money in their budgets for advertising, but what they do have to offer is expertise in their given field. Using expert sources is a PR method that’s tried and true. By providing expert sources to write about topics relevant to specific industry publications (often referred to as trades), business journals, or daily and weekly newspapers, you are giving the media something they’re always looking for—story ideas! And, you’re getting your company’s message to the exact audiences you want to reach. But First, You Must Plan The old adage is true: Fail to plan, then plan to fail. So how do you begin? You will need a comprehensive public relations plan that is both strategic and tactical so that you can first decide what your company’s key messages are; and then develop a targeted media list that may include outlets that range from your local daily newspaper to the most respected trade publication in your field. After that, you must choose who in your company should be an expert source. Or, maybe there’s more than one person who would be a good spokesperson. If you’re a small company, the CEO may be the obvious choice. If your company specializes in some innovative technology, you may want to choose a source with experience developing or using that technology. When expert sources aren’t apparent, look to employees who have specialized experience or unique perspectives on the industry. “A good place to start is to search for people who have made extraordinary achievements,” suggest writers in a recent article in Advertising Age. Here are some examples of people whom the media may consider expert sources:
List these sources’ names as media spokespeople, along with their respective credentials, on your company’s web site. Include briefly written bios, too. You may also want to list the publications in which these sources have either written articles or been quoted. Finally, you will want to make sure that those on your newly created, targeted media list know the obvious—that you have experts available to them, who can be quoted as sources in their stories. Establish a rapport with editors and reporters at these key publications, and keep in touch with them regularly. Know their editorial calendars, and the special sections or issues that would make the most sense to feature your company’s articles. Continually remind these media professionals, especially prior to one of your company’s new product launches or special events, that your experts are available to be quoted in or write articles for their publications. Telling the media that you have experts in their fields of interest who are willing to write articles valuable to their readers is nothing short of a win-win situation! Creating Public Interest Don’t underestimate the power of creating public interest through community events. Highlight your experts through special events, trade shows, book signings, product launches or other public speaking opportunities. Maybe you can even mark one month out of the year for your company to dedicate to an issue the public would find appealing or helpful. Say, for instance, that your company sells auto insurance. You may want to designate April as a month to focus on “Driving Safely in Rainstorms.” If your company is a member group of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, it would make a lot of sense to have one of the Institute’s representatives readily available to be quoted on this topic. Now, go back to that targeted media list once again, and look it over carefully. Pitch the story to those publications where you’d like to see a story about your company’s commitment to educating the public about driving safely in rainstorms.Why Using Experts Works In the simplest terms, using experts as media sources lends credibility to your company in ways that traditional advertising can’t. Bylined articles, written by skilled PR professionals, can help present your company as an important and respected community resource. Your experts can do everything from offer their opinions on important trends affecting your industry, to touting the benefits of a specific product or service. corecubed can help! Having a skilled team of media relations professionals who understand the media and their needs is crucial. corecubed’s team of PR professionals can develop a PR plan that is strategic and targets the right media for your company’s needs. Our capabilities also include editorial services and the placement of bylined articles in local and national publications. Plus we subscribe to Bacon’s MediaMap Premium Source so we have, at our fingertips, all the names, contacts and editorial calendars of every media outlet in North America, from local through national and accessible geographically as well as by subject/interest area. Other corecubed Services Available Include:
For more information on how corecubed can assess your needs and build and implement a strategic PR plan, visit us online at www.corecubed.com, contact us at 1-800-370-6580, x2 or email us at info@corecubed.com. We can help make your experts invaluable sources to the media, and bring your company the recognition that will help increase your business. Plus, with our integrated approach to marketing, your company can start the process of branding, and PR is a great addition to that process!
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