The Digital Strategists Newsletter-sm

The Power of the Local or National Media


Hi Subscriber,
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you living in the US! I hope you have a great day! Let me tell you a quick story. About a dozen years ago, I thrust myself and Lori (my better half - as they say) into the spotlight. At the time, she owned an art gallery in town and was the president of the district her business was located in. Becoming president of anything isn't usually easy. Imagine being president of a modestly sized association where around 47-48% of the people voted for the other person.

That's politics.

Anyway, at the time, I'd been dating Lori for a little less than a year. It only took a matter of weeks, however, to size up the situation she was in. Lori, and the people she represented, had a plan for their district. Her opponents, a group of well-funded men, had another.

Unfortunately, her opponents were getting their message out more effectively. To make matters worse, things had gotten personal and they began to attack her. At first, it was subtle... but then, slowly, it began to play out on social media.

The whole situation really did have a Machiavellian type of feeling to it. While all of this was playing out, I was quietly keeping track of all the low-down, dirty tactics the other side was using. And, unbeknownst to Lori, I was carefully crafting a press release designed to pull back the curtain on a group that I personally saw as a bunch of wolves in sheep's clothing.

A few weeks later, on one uneventful evening, I decided it was time to pull the trigger. With one click - the release went out to the local media. Then... I waited. I didn't have to wait long. The next day the local media contacted Lori. They wanted to do a live interview with her for that night's news.

I'll never forget her first words to me after this happened. She said, "Oh my God, what did you do? You started a firestorm!"

My reply was, "We have to take the fight to them because they're not expecting us to." And I was right. We caught them completely off-guard by moving the fight out of the shadows and into the court of public opinion. The strategy worked, too. Within a few years, infighting all but dissolved the other group's marketing power, and most of the people left to do something else.

And Lori? Well, she made me promise to never do something like that again without running it by her first!

You Can Still Generate Publicity Through the Mainstream Media

Some people say the mainstream media is dying. I would agree that it's not the powerful force it once was, but it's still powerful enough to help you reach a whole bunch of people without spending a dime on advertising.

Why not take advantage of the media machines that are already out there? Sure, nothing's a guarantee, but you'll never know until you try.

Finding the "Contact Person" for Any Media Outlet

Most companies (regardless of size) have an email address (usually one per department) dedicated solely to incoming press releases. For example, there may be one address for business, another for sports, another for finance, etc. Some companies post their contact addresses on their websites.

The easiest way is to call them directly. When the gatekeeper answers the phone I say, "Hi, I'm Jim Galiano. I have a press release for a new company ( or whatever) opening in your area. What email address would I send that to?" Believe it or not, that's it.

I've sent out thousands of press releases for local and national clients. I've even worked with PR firms, writers, and editors to get "the word out" for all campaigns of all sizes.

There's also a more granular approach that involves contacting specific reporters and building a relationship with them over time. In other words, you can become the "go-to" for specific topics in your area.

Let me finish by leaving you with a good website that connects journalists with sources.
It's called - Help A Reporter - https://www.helpareporter.com/
Go ahead and check it out.

As for writing a press release - there are many examples you can find online to use as a template. Here's another link you may want to check out - https://fitsmallbusiness.com/press-release-examples/

If you ever have a press release you'd like me to review before sending it out, feel free to reach out to me. I'd be happy to look it over for you!



- Jim

Freelancer-Working-From-Home

How Can a Freelancer or Solopreneur Grow Their Business?

How do you grow your business as a solopreneur? Is it really possible to wear multiple hats and manage your time effectively as a single-person business owner? Or is this really just another recipe for disillusionment and burnout down the road?
The answer to the question is – yes! You can grow and scale your business without having to manage a team or full-time group of employees. How you do this, however, will depend on three things...

Building and Marketing Your Solo Brand

During the early days of my business, I found it very challenging to build a company or business brand. Brand recognition was a struggle – even on a local level. With time, despite my efforts, my name seemed to generate more interest or recognition than my company. My personal reputation preceded my company’s reputation.
Eventually, I came to the realization that my personal brand was doing more to increase my income and visibility than my business brand was.
Jim_Galiano_Show-2023
Jim_Galiano_Show-2023

Running a Stressful Digital Agency

During the early days of my business, I found it very challenging to build a company or business brand. Brand recognition was a struggle – even on a local level. With time, despite my efforts, my name seemed to generate more interest or recognition than my company. My personal reputation preceded my company’s reputation.
Eventually, I came to the realization that my personal brand was doing more to increase my income and visibility than my business brand was.
jim-galiano-cir
For more information, please visit:
www.jimgaliano.com
www.onetomanysystem.com
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