Category Archives: Publicity

Is Your Ad Agency’s Story Newsworthy?

 

Whether you’re representing a client or your own agency, good relationships with reporters will help you communicate with important audiences and tell your side of the story in a cost-effective manner.

If you want to know which stories a reporter is interested in covering, ask him/her—just make sure the reporter isn’t on deadline.  I’ve found reporters with industry trade publications to be especially helpful in sharing topics of interest to them.  Of course, it helps to research the particular media outlet you’re pitching, and make sure you understand its audience and focus, before speaking with a reporter or editor.

Researching a reporter’s past stories on the Internet is another way to learn about his or her interests, writing style and possibly even certain biases.

Having that information helps you craft a targeted pitch so that you don’t waste your time—or the reporter’s time.

For consumer media, a local story that ties in with a national issue or trend is particularly appealing.

Here are some of the factors news media use to determine the value of news:

  • Consequence to readers/viewers
  • Prominence of individual/organization
  • Proximity to the area served
  • Conflict
  • Controversy
  • Timeliness
  • Human interest
  • Consumer trends
  • Novelty or unusualness of the story

Don Beehler provides public relations consulting services to small- and medium-sized advertising agencies and businesses.

 

Understanding the News Media for Your Agency’s Publicity

 

Every week reporters across the nation must fill up many thousands of pages in publications and fill countless hours of radio and TV air time.  As a result, they’re constantly searching for information.  At the same time, reporters are besieged daily by individuals and organizations seeking publicity for themselves or their causes.

What do they want, and how can you get their attention?

Reporters are looking for high impact stories that will capture attention.  They are very sensitive–and averse–to attempts to disguise advertising as news.  When pitching a story about your agency or one of your clients, the most important things you can tell a reporter about your story are who will care about it and why.

Before you make a pitch, always try to put yourself in the editor’s or news director’s shoes and ask:  “Would this story be interesting to my audience?”

Don Beehler provides public relations consulting services to small- and medium-sized advertising agencies and businesses.

 

Why an Ad Agency’s Publicity Matters

People make purchasing decisions every day based on an organization’s reputation.  What people see or hear in the news media and from word of mouth influences many of these decisions.  Media coverage is particularly important because it is generally considered to be more credible than advertising.  Even companies with well-established brands use public relations to nurture their reputations and to maintain awareness in the crowded communications jungle.

Publicity is especially useful in generating awareness and positive associations,and a sustained publicity effort will help generate inquiries that can be turned into sales. 

Publicity allows an objective secondary source–the news media–to tell your story, providing your agency with enhanced credibility.  More than any other discipline, effective public relations through the use of positive, ongoing publicity, is responsible for a company’s image and reputation.

Ad agencies that use publicity strategically have a competitive advantage, especially when it comes to new business development.

A start-and-stop publicity effort makes about as much sense as running a print ad once every six months – there just isn’t enough ongoing exposure to make it work, even if the ad itself is great.  Consistency is the key.

Having an ongoing public relations program will build your agency’s brand and give you a consistent presence in the marketplace.

Don Beehler provides public relations consulting services to small- and medium-sized advertising agencies and businesses.

 

Ad Agencies Top 20 Topics for Publicity

Agencies often get so busy marketing their clients that they fail to market themselves.  Publicity is a great way to get your name out in the marketplace, whether its local consumer media, industry publications.  Not only is publicity free, but it also has much more credibility than advertising.

Agency executives sometimes overlook the breath of opportunities that are available to them.  Here are my “Top 20 Topics” to consider:

  1. Agency awards
  2. New clients
  3. New employees
  4. Employee promotions
  5. Human interest stories about employees
  6. Community involvement
  7. Client promotional success stories
  8. Introducing a new service your agency is providing
  9. Services or commentary that address newsworthy topics/trends
  10. Appointments to boards
  11. Publications (articles, books, etc.)
  12. New offices/geographical expansion
  13. Mergers/strategic alliances
  14. Trends, projections, forecasts
  15. Speeches
  16. Sponsorships
  17. Mentoring programs
  18. Pro bono work
  19. Guest columns
  20. Case studies that could become feature stories

 Don Beehler provides public relations consulting services to small- and medium-sized advertising agencies and businesses.