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Member You - The Four Seasons of Publicity - Building an All-Year Publicity
The role of marketing in business may surprise you. Many books and seminars on marketing begin on how to develop the Marketing Plan. I believe this to be a mistake.You shouldn't begin thinking how you are going to market something until you first determine if you have something to market. You also need to have the ability to develop and service your product; will it work the way you say it will work; are there no adverse legal ramifications? Finally, can you sell of offer it for a profit?Finding your Niche MarketTo begin, you need to find a product that people need. Think back in your life. Was there any problem that you felt was not resolved completely? Was a solution presented to you that could have been more complete? Still no ideas?Then seriously contemplate and record the following: What kind of
What the Media’s Covering: The dog days of summer are when smart
publicity seekers really make hay. Folks at PR firms are on
vacation, marketing budgets are being conserved for the holidays
and reporters are suddenly accessible and open to all sorts of
things. Get to work here, with creative, fun angles.
Entertainment-themed pieces do well in the summer, anything with
celebrities works, lighter business stories, new products, trend
pieces, technology news, back to school education-themed
articles, you name it. Reporters are about to get deluged once
again come September, so use this window of opportunity wisely.
Key Dates and Events: July 4th, summer movies, summer travel,
back to school.
Fourth Quarter: October - December
What the Media’s Covering: The busiest time of the media
calendar, the Fourth Quarter is when the business media turns
serious and the lifestyle media thinks Holidays, Holidays,
Holidays. Business angles need to be hard news. Fluffy trend
pieces won’t cut it, as business editors begin to take stock of
the state of the economy and the market. It’s a tough time to
put out a new product release.
Point of sale (POS) systems have become part and parcel of every business venture: restaurants, retail outlets, supermarkets, bars, online shopping, mobile payments, or even touch-screen information systems. Businesses still using manual cash registers and account books will be far behind in the race for profits. Electronic management of inventory and sales has become essential for survival in the modern computerized world. Budgets and profits have to be recorded error free and be easily accessible for proper business planning. Getting a POS system is indeed the need of the hour.POS systems basically cater to the retail and hospitality sector with hardware and software cut to their specific needs. Systems for the retail industry will speed up cash transactions and standardize inventory and pricing, but the hospitality software and restaurant POS hav
project at a time. You’ve got a new product coming out in April,
so you send out a release in March. You’ve hired a new executive,
you’ll put out a release when she’s on board, etc.
For hard-core publicity insiders, though, there’s a rhythm to
generating coverage, based upon the natural ebb and flow of the
seasons. Such an approach can help you score publicity throughout
the year, and will help keep your eye on the ball from January
through December.
Essentially, a yearlong approach consists of two strategies:
- Timing your existing stories (new product introductions,
oddball promotions, business page features, etc.) to fit the
needs of the media during particular times of the year.
- Crafting new stories to take advantage of events, holidays
and seasonal activities.
Before we run through the four seasons of publicity, a few words
about lead time. In this age of immediacy (only a few seconds
separate a Matt Drudge or a CNN from writing a story and putting
it before millions), it’s easy to forget that, for many print
publications and TV shows, it can be weeks -- and sometimes
months -- before a completed story sees the light of day.
The phrase lead time simply refers to the amount of time needed
for a journalist to complete a story for a particular issue of a
magazine or episode of a TV news program. For example, a
freelancer for an entertainment magazine may need to turn in a
story on Christmas movies by September 15. That’s a lead time of
three months, time needed for the editor to review and change the
piece, the issue to be typeset and printed and distributors to
place the issues on newsstands before December. Lead time can
range from a day (for hard news pieces in newspapers) to a few
days (newspaper features) to a few weeks (weekly magazines) to
many months.
The longest leads are the domain of "women’s books" like Good
Housekeeping and Better Homes & Gardens. These publications
often have a lead time of up to six months, which means they need
information for their Christmas issues as early as May!
Here’s a tip to help you discover the lead time of a particular
publication you’re targeting: call the advertising department of
the publication and request a media kit. Since advertisers need
to know when their ads must be submitted, each issue’s lead time
is clearly stated in the media kit.
Factor the lead time into your planning as you look over the
following sections. If you have a great story idea for Rolling
Stone’s summer issues, you need to be on the ball well before
Memorial Day.
The Four Seasons of Publicity:
First Quarter: January - March
What the Media’s Covering: Early in the year, the media is
looking ahead. It’s a great time to pitch trend stories,
marketplace predictions, previews of things to expect in the year
ahead, etc. If a new President is being inaugurated, you’ll see
lots of "Will the new administration be good for the
(textile/film/cattle ranching/Internet/...or any other)
industry?" types of pieces. This is a good time to have
something provocative, or even controversial, to say about your
industry.
The media also likes this time of year to run "get your personal
house in order"sorts of pieces. Tax planning, home organizing,
weight loss, etc. Anything that’s geared toward helping people
keep their New Year’s resolutions can work here.
Key Dates and Events: Can you come up with a story angle to tie
your business into an event that typically generates lots of
coverage? Put on your thinking cap -- I bet you can! Here are
some key events during the First Quarter: Super Bowl, NCAA
Tournament, Easter, The Academy Awards.
Second Quarter: April - June
What the Media’s Covering: An "anything goes" time of year.
With no major holidays or huge events, April is a good time to
try some of your general stories (business features, new product
stuff, etc.) Light, fun stories work here, as a sense of "spring
fever" takes hold of newsrooms (journalists are human, you know.
They’re just as happy winter is over as you are and it’s often
reflected in the kind of stories they choose to run.). As May
rolls around, thoughts turn to summer. Now they’re looking for
summer vacation pieces, outdoor toys and gadgets, stories about
safety (whether automotive or recreational), leisure activities,
things to do for kids and so on.
Key Dates and Events: Baseball opening day, tax day (April 15),
spring gardening season, Memorial Day, end of school, summer
vacation.
Third Quarter: July - September
What the Media’s Covering: The dog days of summer are when smart
publicity seekers really make hay. Folks at PR firms are on
vacation, marketing budgets are being conserved for the holidays
and reporters are suddenly accessible and open to all sorts of
things. Get to work here, with creative, fun angles.
Entertainment-themed pieces do well in the summer, anything with
celebrities works, lighter business stories, new products, trend
pieces, technology news, back to school education-themed
articles, you name it. Reporters are about to get deluged once
again come September, so use this window of opportunity wisely.
Key Dates and Events: July 4th, summer movies, summer travel,
back to school.
Fourth Quarter: October - December
What the Media’s Covering: The busiest time of the media
calendar, the Fourth Quarter is when the business media turns
serious and the lifestyle media thinks Holidays, Holidays,
Holidays. Business angles need to be hard news. Fluffy trend
pieces won’t cut it, as business editors begin to take stock of
the state of the economy and the market. It’s a tough time to
put out a new product release.
In Part 4 we discuss the idea of designs that are similar for home and office.Architectural Designs Intersecting with Home LifeI believe that there will be a "blending" of the home and work office. There is an increased need for "home" offices to be set up in a similar fashion to the office for telecommuters and those who work at home. There are many who regularly correspond with people on other continents and they are going to require a setup to enhance this.I see home offices that mimic the office to make it more comfortable and convenient to work from home. People will be more open to spending their own money on higher quality items such as ergo chairs (not the kind at the office superstore!), keyboards, mice, etc. for themselves so they can work with increased comfort and higher levels of productivity.Today they spend money
months -- before a completed story sees the light of day.
The phrase lead time simply refers to the amount of time needed
for a journalist to complete a story for a particular issue of a
magazine or episode of a TV news program. For example, a
freelancer for an entertainment magazine may need to turn in a
story on Christmas movies by September 15. That’s a lead time of
three months, time needed for the editor to review and change the
piece, the issue to be typeset and printed and distributors to
place the issues on newsstands before December. Lead time can
range from a day (for hard news pieces in newspapers) to a few
days (newspaper features) to a few weeks (weekly magazines) to
many months.
The longest leads are the domain of "women’s books" like Good
Housekeeping and Better Homes & Gardens. These publications
often have a lead time of up to six months, which means they need
information for their Christmas issues as early as May!
Here’s a tip to help you discover the lead time of a particular
publication you’re targeting: call the advertising department of
the publication and request a media kit. Since advertisers need
to know when their ads must be submitted, each issue’s lead time
is clearly stated in the media kit.
Factor the lead time into your planning as you look over the
following sections. If you have a great story idea for Rolling
Stone’s summer issues, you need to be on the ball well before
Memorial Day.
The Four Seasons of Publicity:
First Quarter: January - March
What the Media’s Covering: Early in the year, the media is
looking ahead. It’s a great time to pitch trend stories,
marketplace predictions, previews of things to expect in the year
ahead, etc. If a new President is being inaugurated, you’ll see
lots of "Will the new administration be good for the
(textile/film/cattle ranching/Internet/...or any other)
industry?" types of pieces. This is a good time to have
something provocative, or even controversial, to say about your
industry.
The media also likes this time of year to run "get your personal
house in order"sorts of pieces. Tax planning, home organizing,
weight loss, etc. Anything that’s geared toward helping people
keep their New Year’s resolutions can work here.
Key Dates and Events: Can you come up with a story angle to tie
your business into an event that typically generates lots of
coverage? Put on your thinking cap -- I bet you can! Here are
some key events during the First Quarter: Super Bowl, NCAA
Tournament, Easter, The Academy Awards.
Second Quarter: April - June
What the Media’s Covering: An "anything goes" time of year.
With no major holidays or huge events, April is a good time to
try some of your general stories (business features, new product
stuff, etc.) Light, fun stories work here, as a sense of "spring
fever" takes hold of newsrooms (journalists are human, you know.
They’re just as happy winter is over as you are and it’s often
reflected in the kind of stories they choose to run.). As May
rolls around, thoughts turn to summer. Now they’re looking for
summer vacation pieces, outdoor toys and gadgets, stories about
safety (whether automotive or recreational), leisure activities,
things to do for kids and so on.
Key Dates and Events: Baseball opening day, tax day (April 15),
spring gardening season, Memorial Day, end of school, summer
vacation.
Third Quarter: July - September
What the Media’s Covering: The dog days of summer are when smart
publicity seekers really make hay. Folks at PR firms are on
vacation, marketing budgets are being conserved for the holidays
and reporters are suddenly accessible and open to all sorts of
things. Get to work here, with creative, fun angles.
Entertainment-themed pieces do well in the summer, anything with
celebrities works, lighter business stories, new products, trend
pieces, technology news, back to school education-themed
articles, you name it. Reporters are about to get deluged once
again come September, so use this window of opportunity wisely.
Key Dates and Events: July 4th, summer movies, summer travel,
back to school.
Fourth Quarter: October - December
What the Media’s Covering: The busiest time of the media
calendar, the Fourth Quarter is when the business media turns
serious and the lifestyle media thinks Holidays, Holidays,
Holidays. Business angles need to be hard news. Fluffy trend
pieces won’t cut it, as business editors begin to take stock of
the state of the economy and the market. It’s a tough time to
put out a new product release.
He is also a shining example of his own assertion that "Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently."In 1928, Henry Ford set out to increase his bottom line by exerting more control over his supply chain - now called vertical integration - and began the process of creating his own rubber plantation in Brazil. There is some debate over whether his motive was strictly to achieve better pricing for the raw materials needed to make tires for the automobiles he was manufacturing; there was, at the time, a virtual monopoly on rubber coming from a limited number of producers.He persisted in his venture through numerous difficulties, including a riot by the workers on his plantation who were not enthusiastic about being forced to adhere to the American lifestyle imposed by the management of the facility. He finally
to know when their ads must be submitted, each issue’s lead time
is clearly stated in the media kit.
Factor the lead time into your planning as you look over the
following sections. If you have a great story idea for Rolling
Stone’s summer issues, you need to be on the ball well before
Memorial Day.
The Four Seasons of Publicity:
First Quarter: January - March
What the Media’s Covering: Early in the year, the media is
looking ahead. It’s a great time to pitch trend stories,
marketplace predictions, previews of things to expect in the year
ahead, etc. If a new President is being inaugurated, you’ll see
lots of "Will the new administration be good for the
(textile/film/cattle ranching/Internet/...or any other)
industry?" types of pieces. This is a good time to have
something provocative, or even controversial, to say about your
industry.
The media also likes this time of year to run "get your personal
house in order"sorts of pieces. Tax planning, home organizing,
weight loss, etc. Anything that’s geared toward helping people
keep their New Year’s resolutions can work here.
Key Dates and Events: Can you come up with a story angle to tie
your business into an event that typically generates lots of
coverage? Put on your thinking cap -- I bet you can! Here are
some key events during the First Quarter: Super Bowl, NCAA
Tournament, Easter, The Academy Awards.
Second Quarter: April - June
What the Media’s Covering: An "anything goes" time of year.
With no major holidays or huge events, April is a good time to
try some of your general stories (business features, new product
stuff, etc.) Light, fun stories work here, as a sense of "spring
fever" takes hold of newsrooms (journalists are human, you know.
They’re just as happy winter is over as you are and it’s often
reflected in the kind of stories they choose to run.). As May
rolls around, thoughts turn to summer. Now they’re looking for
summer vacation pieces, outdoor toys and gadgets, stories about
safety (whether automotive or recreational), leisure activities,
things to do for kids and so on.
Key Dates and Events: Baseball opening day, tax day (April 15),
spring gardening season, Memorial Day, end of school, summer
vacation.
Third Quarter: July - September
What the Media’s Covering: The dog days of summer are when smart
publicity seekers really make hay. Folks at PR firms are on
vacation, marketing budgets are being conserved for the holidays
and reporters are suddenly accessible and open to all sorts of
things. Get to work here, with creative, fun angles.
Entertainment-themed pieces do well in the summer, anything with
celebrities works, lighter business stories, new products, trend
pieces, technology news, back to school education-themed
articles, you name it. Reporters are about to get deluged once
again come September, so use this window of opportunity wisely.
Key Dates and Events: July 4th, summer movies, summer travel,
back to school.
Fourth Quarter: October - December
What the Media’s Covering: The busiest time of the media
calendar, the Fourth Quarter is when the business media turns
serious and the lifestyle media thinks Holidays, Holidays,
Holidays. Business angles need to be hard news. Fluffy trend
pieces won’t cut it, as business editors begin to take stock of
the state of the economy and the market. It’s a tough time to
put out a new product release.
The media has made lots of reports about entrepreneurs. Some may be true, some are not. Here are the 5 myths about being an entrepreneur.Myth #1: Entrepreneurs only care about making moneyMany people think entrepreneurs do what they do strictly for the money, and that taking risks is all about entrepreneur's personal reward.While fear of poverty or use of money as a scorecard may have some relevance - and there are, of course, some entrepreneurs focused primarily on financial profits - generally, money is not the ultimate motivator for the majority of entrepreneurs.Many successful entrepreneurs do not live a lavish lifestyles that reflect their financial success. Their motives are often more about ego and emotion. For most entrepreneurs, money is just a way to keep score.Money is also a way to do bigger and more exciting
your business into an event that typically generates lots of
coverage? Put on your thinking cap -- I bet you can! Here are
some key events during the First Quarter: Super Bowl, NCAA
Tournament, Easter, The Academy Awards.
Second Quarter: April - June
What the Media’s Covering: An "anything goes" time of year.
With no major holidays or huge events, April is a good time to
try some of your general stories (business features, new product
stuff, etc.) Light, fun stories work here, as a sense of "spring
fever" takes hold of newsrooms (journalists are human, you know.
They’re just as happy winter is over as you are and it’s often
reflected in the kind of stories they choose to run.). As May
rolls around, thoughts turn to summer. Now they’re looking for
summer vacation pieces, outdoor toys and gadgets, stories about
safety (whether automotive or recreational), leisure activities,
things to do for kids and so on.
Key Dates and Events: Baseball opening day, tax day (April 15),
spring gardening season, Memorial Day, end of school, summer
vacation.
Third Quarter: July - September
What the Media’s Covering: The dog days of summer are when smart
publicity seekers really make hay. Folks at PR firms are on
vacation, marketing budgets are being conserved for the holidays
and reporters are suddenly accessible and open to all sorts of
things. Get to work here, with creative, fun angles.
Entertainment-themed pieces do well in the summer, anything with
celebrities works, lighter business stories, new products, trend
pieces, technology news, back to school education-themed
articles, you name it. Reporters are about to get deluged once
again come September, so use this window of opportunity wisely.
Key Dates and Events: July 4th, summer movies, summer travel,
back to school.
Fourth Quarter: October - December
What the Media’s Covering: The busiest time of the media
calendar, the Fourth Quarter is when the business media turns
serious and the lifestyle media thinks Holidays, Holidays,
Holidays. Business angles need to be hard news. Fluffy trend
pieces won’t cut it, as business editors begin to take stock of
the state of the economy and the market. It’s a tough time to
put out a new product release.
What’s no bigger than a flip phone comes in fashion colors and can weigh up to 50 grams with .01g accuracy? Don’t look now, but the traditional jeweler’s traveling scale is all fashioned out and style conscious. Pocket scales, used by jewelers, hunters and field investigators for dozens of uses, have taken the same route that turned cell phones into fashion accessories. You can now buy pocket scales that weigh less than a pound and are the size of a small flip phone – yet still promise to weigh substances with accuracy up to .01g – one hundredth of a gram. They come tricked out in camouflage, flames, translucent blue ice and hot baby doll pink. These are not your Uncle Jake’s pocket scales, son.There are more modern uses for pocket scales as well. Chemists and chefs find them handy for measuring minute, precise amounts of chemicals and ingredients,
What the Media’s Covering: The dog days of summer are when smart
publicity seekers really make hay. Folks at PR firms are on
vacation, marketing budgets are being conserved for the holidays
and reporters are suddenly accessible and open to all sorts of
things. Get to work here, with creative, fun angles.
Entertainment-themed pieces do well in the summer, anything with
celebrities works, lighter business stories, new products, trend
pieces, technology news, back to school education-themed
articles, you name it. Reporters are about to get deluged once
again come September, so use this window of opportunity wisely.
Key Dates and Events: July 4th, summer movies, summer travel,
back to school.
Fourth Quarter: October - December
What the Media’s Covering: The busiest time of the media
calendar, the Fourth Quarter is when the business media turns
serious and the lifestyle media thinks Holidays, Holidays,
Holidays. Business angles need to be hard news. Fluffy trend
pieces won’t cut it, as business editors begin to take stock of
the state of the economy and the market. It’s a tough time to
put out a new product release. For the non-business media, think
Christmas. Christmas travel, Christmas gifts, Christmas cooking,
whatever. If you have a product or service that can be given as
a holiday gift, get on the stick early.
Nail down lead times for the publications you’re targeting, call
to find out who’s handling the holiday gift review article and
get your product in the right person’s hands in plenty of time --
along with a pitch letter or release that makes a strong case
about how what a novel, unusual or essential gift your product
makes. After Christmas, you have a brief window for "Best of the
Year", ""Worst of the Year" and "Year in Review" pieces. Be
creative -- the media loves these things.
Key Dates and Events: Labor Day, World Series, Thanksgiving,
Hanukkah, Christmas, New Year’s Eve.
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