New Clients Now! Marketing Strategies for Freelance Success

A Public Relations Primer

Public Relations covers a wide range of activities, but in a promotional sense, it's about building goodwill for your business by gaining unpaid media attention. The whole premise of PR is that you borrow credibility from the media, rather than looking like an advertiser who's simply paid for exposure.

So, how does it work? First, you have to attract the media. You can gain the media's attention in two ways -- the easy way, or the hard way. The easy way is to write a concise, well-constructed release about your newsworthy event. The hard way is to write a sloppy release on something that nobody cares about.

Here are the basic rules of thumb you'll need to follow:

• Media releases should be one page long -- and one page only. You need to tell your entire story succinctly within that single page.
• Your release should be on A4- or US Letter size paper only, no odd sizes.
• The paper on which you write your media release must be plain white, not colored -- no letterhead, no logo, nothing but white.

As you grow a bit more confidence, and become recognized by the media, you might be able to bend these rules -- this will probably be okay once you've established yourself a little. But to begin with, stick to these guidelines. Now, let's look at what you need to include in your release.

Contents of a Media Release

Your media releases should always follow this standard, accepted format. It's what journalists and editors will expect, and it allows you to communicate your message clearly. Your media release should contain the following elements (see the sample Media Release file on the CD-ROM, too -- it's a good example of how these elements work together in practice):

release timing details
The timing of publication of a media release can be extremely important in some cases. To let the media know when they can use a release, it's common practice to include release timing details in the upper-left corner of the page. You have two options; choose the one that's more appropriate for your purpose. You can either write "For immediate release," to let the journalist know that they can report upon the information at any time. Or you can write "For release on October 1, 2007," which lets the journalist know if your story is urgent or time-relevant.

headline
The headline of the release is next. Your headline has an important job: it must grab the attention of your readers, and encourage them to keep reading, so it has to be compelling. Make it as interesting as you can.

body copy
The body copy is next. Split this into three parts.

1. In the first paragraph, tell the whole story: the who, what, when, where, and why. Tell the whole story in two or maybe three sentences. It's sometimes a little tricky to contain your information to this degree of brevity, but it can be done.


2. The second part of the release should contain quotes that give credibility to the story while fleshing out the most important details.


3. The third part of your media release should contain your call to action. What do you want to have happen as a result of your media release?

As you write, think about your release from the point of view of someone who doesn't know you or your company -- this forces you to answer the question of the care factor. Who cares about the information you're discussing in the release? If you can't answer that, then your release isn't newsworthy. If you can answer that, make sure you write the release in a way that will be interesting to them.

contact details
When the release is complete, write "ENDS" on its own line. Below this, write: "For further information, contact:" followed by your name and phone number.

Making Contact

Send your release to the right person. A quick call to the reception desk at those newspapers or television studios you're targeting should provide the information you need.

Top Ten Tips for your Media Release

1. Make sure the information is newsworthy. This is vital. No one is interested that you've redone your own web site.


2. Write a great headline.


3. Start with a brief description of the news: the who, what, when, where, why, and how.


4. Ask yourself, "Is this really newsworthy?"


5. Make sure the first ten words of your release are effective, as they're the most important.


6. Avoid the excessive use of adjectives and fancy language.


7. Focus on the facts.


8. Provide contact details, and make sure you can be reached.


9. Send it to the right person! There's not much use sending your IT story to the sports journalist.


10. Follow the structure outlined here -- don't deviate from this plan!

These are the standard rules you should keep in mind when you write a media release. Stick with these and you'll have a professional-looking release, for which you won't have had to pay hundreds of dollars!

Distributing your Release

With the range of distribution outlets available these days, it's a simple matter to pay a media list to shoot your release off to 500 editors across the country. Is that the best course of action? Or should you sit at your fax machine and methodically send out release after release to the editors you've targeted? Perhaps you should send the release off to an Internet-based service for rapid email distribution?

The best way to distribute your release depends upon the type of release you're sending. As usual, I'd suggest you test various methods and closely monitor the results. You might find that your Internet-related media releases have great success when distributed via an Internet-based service. Once again, it's all about targeting. In my company, we first identify the specific publications or media we want to target, then take a look at what they produce and the news angles they take. After that, it's a simple matter of writing our release specifically for that publication or show that editor, or that particular journalist.

Sure, this might mean a little extra work, but the results that a well-targeted media campaign can provide can be well worth it.

Receiving the Call

It's all gone well so far. You've sent your media release off to your targeted media contacts and you sit back, imagining your face on the nightly news ... and then you get the call. Suddenly, you have a journalist on the telephone who wants more information on the story, and perhaps a quote or two! What do you do next? You have a couple of options:

1. Panic, start um-ing and ah-ing, stammer out a few long-winded answers, and generally squander the opportunity to get your message across.


2. Calmly gather all the relevant material you have had sitting on your desk ready for this call, and start the interview.

If you choose the second option, you'll need to be ready ahead of time. The point is, when you prepare your release, to prepare for what may happen afterwards. Prepare for the interview, thinking about what the journalists would want to know. In my experience, they want information: they want it concise, they want it relevant, and they want it now. It's your task to give them what they need to do a good job.

Make it as easy as possible for the media to do their work. Most people seem to assume that journalists are hunting around for the dirt, that they'll grab any slip-up you make and turn you into a laughing stock. In my experience, this hasn't been the case. The vast majority of journalists I've dealt with have been professional, accommodating, and have taken great pride in putting together a story that's interesting and top quality.

If you don't have much experience with the media, rest assured that they won't make your life harder. They'll almost always guide you through the process and make it as easy as possible. When you're speaking with the media, try to relax. Imagine the interview is a friendly conversation with someone who wants to learn a bit more about what you have to say, because that's exactly what it is.

So, before you send off the release, make sure you have handy as much information as might be required. Also, have a list of the contact details of the people the journalist might like to interview about your news item. That way, when the press calls, you'll be ready for action!

Thanking the Media

The local television station has sent out a journalist to cover your media release and you find yourself featured on the evening news. It makes a big impact for business and lifts the business profile a mile! Fantastic! What's next? Do you send the journalist a gift of a dozen bottles of wine, send them out for dinner, or just send money? No, you don't. The journalist would see that as a rather obvious bribe and be offended.

Look at this situation from the perspective that we use to approach client care. Anyone who helps your business is doing you a favor. If you reward the behavior, it will be repeated. So, what should you do when the media runs your story? Say thanks. It's common courtesy. Here is an example letter you might like to use:

Example 6.3. Thanking the Media

Dear John,

Just a quick note to say thanks for coming out to interview me about our business now selling pieces of the Moon.

We were thrilled to see how well the story came up on the news, and I just wanted to say thanks for guiding me through it all.

It really helped having a professional treat me with kid gloves so we could look our best. We have had some tremendous reactions to the story.

Now I know how hard it is to make it look as effortless as you do! Thanks again.

Regards, ...

What Not to Do with your Media Release

First, the confession: I've done this once or twice, and I'll never do it again. Scout's honour.

Imagine you've written your release, honed your headline, penned a terrific opening, and presented all your information on one page. Your contact details are all there, the release is well formatted, and it's newsworthy. You're off to a great start! Now, you fax or email it to the editors at various media outlets. Then, you ring every single person that you faxed the release to, and say those magic words: "Just checking to see if you got my media release?"

Don't do it. Don't ring. Why not?

• Editors don't enjoy it. They have your release. If it's newsworthy they'll follow up on it. Leave them alone -- don't be that annoying person.
• I've done the math, and here it is. Let's say you fax your media release to 100 editors. Later, you start the follow-up telephone calls. Each call costs an average of $1.00 and takes three minutes to make. The tricky part is in actually finding the person you want to speak to. It takes an average of two phone calls to find the person you're after.

That's 200 phone calls, 600 minutes, and $200 you'll spend following up that release. For that $200 I could fax a release to another 500 editors! Considering 600 minutes is ten hours, that's a full day's work -- your time could be better spent.

Is there an Advantage in Using a PR Agency?

Good PR agencies have vast experience in assessing whether your media release is newsworthy -- and if it isn't, they can provide some suggestions on how to make it newsworthy. If it is newsworthy, they can ensure that it's written in a concise and effective style that will attract the attention of an editor or journalist. The big advantage of using a PR agency is that the PR person is in the industry. The PR person regularly talks with editors, journalists, and other contacts. The PR person has already established a level of credibility with a circle of journalists.

Think of it this way. Imagine we take two copies of the same release. One is sent to the local newspaper by Joe Smith of Joe's Web Development. It's Joe's first release. The other release is sent to the paper by the PR person. In a perfect world, they'd both be read. In the world we actually live in, however, the PR person already has credibility with a press contact at the paper, so it's more likely that this person's release will be read first.

Don't get me wrong. The media is after top-quality, newsworthy stories, and doesn't care where they come from. However, the media person's previous experience with the PR person will go quite a way to getting the release read. Having said that, I advocate doing it yourself -- especially in the early days of your business. Using a PR firm can be expensive, and if you do the release yourself you'll develop yet another skill which, in turn, will help grow your business.

As an aside, we've taken both paths over the past 12 months and had better success with using the PR agency. Our ROI has been massive, yielding approximately $30 income for every $1 spent. The PR agency worked extremely hard and was focused on getting us into the media.

Providing Free Samples of your Work

The typical problem with starting a service-related business like web development is that you're far more likely to be successful if you can demonstrate your products and skills. This is fine if you're an experienced designer with a few decent sites under your belt. Nevertheless, if you haven't yet developed any web sites, or completed any programming that you can promote as your own work, it can be a little difficult to convince your prospects that you're the person for the job.

What's the right answer to the question of providing free samples of your work? There's a lot to be said for not doing a free site unless there's an obvious and achievable benefit for you. You're in business, after all.

But then there's developing a free site ... that pays. If you can see a real benefit in designing a site for free, then doing so might be worth its weight in gold. But be businesslike -- put a few caveats on the production of this free site.

• Ask for homepage acknowledgment of your support.
• Request that the client organization send you a signed letter of thanks on official letterhead to frame and put on your wall, scan and post on your web site, and so on.
• Ask for permission to quote the client's recommendation.
• Ask for permission to add the site to your portfolio.
• Ask for permission to link to your site from their homepage.
• Have the client agree to recommend your business to any person whom they feel would be a potential client for you.
• Reach an agreement that the client's media team will prepare and distribute a media release about your generosity.

You might make your requests sound a little more friendly than what I've described here, but this is a good starting point.

There's one important point: don't ever do a free site grudgingly. If you'd rather hold out for paid work, then don't agree to the freebie. Why not? Because you want this client to refer other, paying clients to you, you'll want to do the best job that you possibly can. What goes around comes around -- in web development just as in life. Let me explain:

Example 6.4. Karma and the Freelance Web Developer
My business has completed some free sites; in fact, we do one each year for a community organization within our local area. Just over a year ago, we completed a site for the local helicopter rescue service. They run a much-needed operation, with a budget in the millions that's funded almost completely by public donations.

Despite what I've just recommended, we didn't actually ask for anything when we agreed to build their site. It just so happens that this helicopter service is a very professional organization that benefits from the services of its tireless, in-house public relations staff member, Carol. As soon as we finished the site, Carol arranged for the presentation of a plaque to thank us for the site. She also organized a media release on the launch of the site, which included full acknowledgment of our role in the project.

The helicopter service team also recommends us to everyone they meet who might need our services. They act as references for us when required, and we recently received a large photograph of the helicopter in action, along with the plaque that says "Tailored Consulting, Friends of the helicopter service." Both the plaque and the photograph are on display in our office.

They even provided a day for me to take along five clients for a "Crewman for the Day" training day, where we were trained in escaping from an underwater helicopter simulator, as well as winched 150 feet from a chopper into the ocean. To top it all off, Carol has also devoted some time to come into our offices and lead in-house training on the role of the PR professional within small business.

We've generated two web site sales from our association with the helicopter service, and combined with the extra services Carol has provided, we've received a terrific benefit from completing this freebie -- in addition to the warm fuzzy feeling that comes with knowing that we've helped our local community.

It's true that these events reflect more on the helicopter service's professionalism to look after their sponsors than the sort of treatment you can expect from every client for whom you develop a free site. Yet the way Carol has looked after us provides excellent pointers to the benefits you need from agreeing to complete a free site. If you got this kind of exposure each time you completed a free site, you'd be a very happy businessperson!

Key Points

• There are myriad ways to market your business -- and myriad ways to waste your marketing budget!
• Consider the CPM and media wastage inherent in any campaign you undertake.
• Don't suffer analysis paralysis?try a few different options.
• Public relations provides you with instant credibility -- write a newsworthy release for optimum exposure and make the most of the publicity generated by any free sites you build!