3 STEPS TO GROW YOUR BUSINESS THROUGH PUBLIC RELATIONS

Recently, I attended the Sales and Marketing Summit in GA sponsored by Gazelles, Inc. (www.gazelles.com), an association that helps leaders and companies grow. As usual the speakers were outstanding including Dr. Victoria Medvec (How to Negotiate the Deal You Want), Verne Harnish (Mastering the Rockerfeller Habits and CEO of Gazelles), Dave Kurlan (Baseline Selling), John Dijulius (Secret Service), and many others.

Here are some simple tips from Cameron Herold that helped 1-800-GOT-JUNK get thousands of major media hits including Oprah, CNBC, Associated Press, and much more. Publicity does not happen by accident. There are three easy steps:

1. Know your angle. What is the story you are going to pitch to the media? Whenever you do anything, ask how you can get free media coverage.

2. Know who you are targeting. Find the journalist, not the editor, who is looking for news. Know what the reporter covers. Don't be too high wired when you reach this writer, who is not typically a Type A.

3. Pick up the phone and pitch. This is the toughest. Make the call to the reporter--do not write a media release. This is a classic sales role.

So what did I do upon returning to my office. I met with a client today and decided it was time to help them get some exposure. We determined the angle, identified the target media, and begin pitching the story. Stay tuned and I will let you know the results.

The world needs good news. Work at spreading it. You, your organization, and your customers can be covered in the important media channels.

Theresa M. Szczurek ([email protected])