Beyond Press Releases

The old days of public relations are long gone. No longer can a PR professional send out standard press releases and get oceans of coverage. Even trade publications demand something different. The only way your company will get coverage is by delivering that something.

Even if your company doesn't have millions to spend on advertising, it can have a successful PR campaign. The key, says Margit Wennmachers of high-tech PR firm OutCast Communications, is understanding today's market and giving reporters what they want. "There is a particular twist to doing PR successfully for Internet companies because the speed is just incredible," says Wennmachers. "Company strategies change in meaningful ways from morning to afternoon. The days of long strategy sessions and month- long plan writing are gone." How can your company keep pace? Read on and find out.

Understand the Reporter's Role

A reporter isn't your company's personal mouthpiece, says Wennmachers. That's your PR professional's job. "Clients sometimes think it is the reporter's job to write down what you tell them to write down," says Wennmachers. "People don't put it that bluntly, but I think they often think that they have the best product and the reporter should write that down." But that's the wrong approach. "A reporter's job is to look at the overall landscape and cover news or evaluate different trends and write about that," says Wennmachers. "That is a very different scenario from writing brochure copy. A reporter's job is much more complicated and you can't ever tell them what to write." See related interviews regarding PR and promtion: CEO Interactive Agency CEO DoubleClick PR professionals should keep a reporter's needs in mind and respond to them. Don't sensationalize. Don't oversell. Just give reporters a good story and they'll cover it.

Customize for Different Publications

The Internet has changed the business world, certainly. But it's also changed the press. There are many more outlets - but there are also more net startups reaching for coverage. "It is much tougher to get into publications or on the air," says Wennmachers. "You can't just rely on the simple old press release and expect that people will want to write articles about it." Used to be that at least trade publications would write straight-from- the-press-release stories. But no longer.

"It is a much more customized, much more savvy job to figure out which outlet might find value covering what kind of story," Wennmachers says. "So it ends up being very customized. It's a one on one approach. It's not a blast e-mail or a blanket press release that works." Figure out the best outlets for your message or company. Then pay attention to what they cover. Learn what sections they include and what kind of coverage belongs in each. Target particular reporters who cover stories in your area and give them specific story ideas.

"You need to customize the company package to make it interesting to a particular audience," Wennmachers says. "Red Herring covers the venture capital community and takes a look at business models. If you have a client with great venture backing, that's something Red Herring will care about. That might be a nice aside for 'Newsweek', but 'Newsweek' is going to want to know what consumers can get out of this. There is a very different approach that I would take with reporters from those two publications."

Be a Resource, Not Just a Story

Too many companies only talk to the press when they want coverage. That's a mistake, Wennmachers says. "Reporters are not your pens," Wennmachers says. "They're business people that you have a relationship with. They're like a customer or a potential customer. This is an important business relationship that you keep ongoing." Figure out which publications are most important to your company. Then get to know their reporters. They'll appreciate the direct contact with up-and-coming companies. And when they have a story your company could fit into, they'll think to call you first.

"Be a helpful resource," Wennmachers says. "That means talking to a reporter on a story that has nothing to do with the company, but where you can provide some helpful advice or industry perspective and just be a useful source for a reporter. I think that goes a long way in terms of working with the press. That pays off in the long run." Just by using these simple strategies, you can increase your company's coverage. And the more coverage you get, the more customers you'll have, period. PR doesn't cost much in real dollars. But the attention you earn can be priceless. Learn to work with the press and you'll have plenty of help navigating the net biz maze.