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As PR gains recognition as a branding vehicle and begins
to get more of the marketing budget, it is easy for
practitioners to fall into the “big-picture” mode and
forget what got them to the table. The goal is to gain
publicity for clients (hopefully positive) and that
involves the fundamentals of media relations, story
pitching and interviews.
Big picture strategies won’t get your company additional
ink in the press. They won’t get you on the cover of
Business Week or industry trade magazines. They won’t
even get you interviews or speaking gigs.
Blocking and tackling accomplish these goals. Forging
relationships with influential journalists in your
industry leads to interview requests, calls for source
material and speaking opportunities at high-profile
events.
It is hard work that brings results. Researching media
to find the right people to target is a long and
thankless task, yet one that pays big dividends when new
relationships are formed with the right people. Actually
reading, viewing or listening to their work, and talking
with them knowledgably about their beats, lays the
foundation for strong working relationships. Cultivating
these relationships by volunteering valuable information
– even when it doesn’t directly benefit your company –
strengthens the bonds.
“Big-picture” pitches that fall short on the tactical
aspects of a PR program snow too many marketing
executives who would be better served paying more
attention to the details.
As we say goodbye to 2005, and going forward, focus on
your goals and orchestrate the tactical operations that
can help achieve them. This is the kind of strategic PR
thinking that makes sense.
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