Articles

Marsha Friedman, Managing Director of EMSI, a national public relations firm says " In my nearly twenty years of experience in the public relations industry the missing link to many publicity campaigns is positioning! If you perfectly position your product you will maximize your media exposure and media opportunities." Friedman continues, "So what is positioning? It is simply the art of presenting your book, product or service to the media in such a way as to convey an immediate interest and understanding of the subject. This will position your topic next to other hot and similar news stories!which will really help people have a quick and simple understanding of your topic. Even though positioning has been around for years, it is still an elusive fact for many people looking to promote their book, product or service. So what this means is that when you consider your press release, the rules need to be rewritten.

Marsha Friedman says, "You always need to put a well-thought out strategy, mixed with creativity into the presentation of your product and service to the media. Let's face it. With the infinitely growing competition in the market, there's a demand on businesses to get more aggressive about their promotion. But, positioning is the missing link that will pull you through." Let's let Marsha Friedman share some tips that her firm uses to position her clients at EMSI:

1. Make sure that the materials you will be supplying the media with will present a good, clear communication of your message and it's relevance in today's world.

2. Really look at what you are actually promoting and find the "hot" pieces of information that really put it in front of the pack. Find out what is ground breaking about it.

3. Find out how similar topics are being portrayed in the media. How does yours compare? How is it different? Is there a new slant to it?

4. Then start writing your press release! Make sure that you get all of these "pearls" of wisdom down on a two page (maximum) release and slap an eye-catching headline at the top. The audience of your press release is a very inundated producer, so make it eye catching!

5. Don't require the producer or editor to use their imagination to see how the topic would be of interest to their listeners/viewers/readers. Give them an instant concept of the show or article you are suggesting.

6. Don't send out the same release to the different media. Remember that they are each looking for something different. A 20 minute interview on a talk radio show is not the same as a 5 minute television news interview.

7. Don't forget your bio! This is your time to really establish yourself as an expert on the topic that you are presenting in your release. It's time to build some credibility.

8. Radio releases can be "salesy", although they should give all of the information a host will need to do the show - a clear concept of the show topic, background data on the subject, sample questions and a separate page for your bio.

Marsha Friedman adds, "So there you go, some tips to really get your press release in order. But don't forget that without a relentless phone follow up campaign you may not be able to reap the fruits of your labor. You should realize that these are busy, busy, busy people. So many times your release will not even pass their eyes. If you want to get your press release noticed, you will need to call them to follow up. This will definitely put you heads and shoulders ahead of the pack."

If you would like to learn more about gaining media attention for your company, product or service, without the financial burden of monthly retainers, Marsha Friedman would love to help. Feel free to contact her directly at mfriedman@emsincorporated.com or visit her firm online at http://www.emsincorporated.com. As a public relations expert Marsha has the ability to get the media attention that you desire without budget busting monthly retainers.