news conference

The easiest publicity to get is local publicity.

Local media typically demand local news, locally relevant education and local entertainment information.  That’s what they publish. 

To get these media to publish your information, you must give them what they need and are accustomed to publishing.   If it is a local news paper, then local means that you must identify what it is that affects local people or the local area.  If it is a topical media, like a trade magazine or publication, to localize requires you explain your proposal in terms of how it affects people who subscribe to that media.   

Prove it to yourself. Open up your local newspaper and with a blank piece of paper, writre down what you see the editors writing.

How do you localize? 

What is really comes down to is this: “people, people, people”.    Identify the local news pegs and use as many of them as you can.

Here is a check list of potential key elements that can be used to localize and flesh out local story angles: 

1. Local event that people have access to.
2. Local impacts or consequences identified.
3. Local people, families, or residents involved.
4. Quote from the local person or interest.
5. Local person offered for interview.
6. Story about a local person or people.
7. Direct media access to the local people involved.
8. Local innovation, breakthrough, or accomplishment.
9. Local problem, challenge, issue, or concerns.
10. Local prediction good or bad.
11. Local interests (groups, clubs, cultures, private or public interests) affected.
12. Local area affected (geographic locations).
13. Local facts, data and statistics.
14. Local photo offered with permissions of people in the photo.
15. Local photo opportunity offered.
16. Local celebrity or person of interest or government authority comment or perspective.
17. Local business or government or institution involved.
18. Local secrets, knowledge, special opportunities, hot spots, cool or fun things to do or go.
19. Invitation to local media to attend or get involved.
20. Creating or offering additional local opportunities for events, interviews, and photos in the future.
21. Create new local surveys, events, scholarships, programs, or contests, with local winners.

The more of these elements you can offer the better your chances of success with the media will be. 

Cudo’s to the folks who are bringing you the news about the latest bigfoot discovery.

I don’t know whether it’s true or not, but who cares! They garnered worldwide publicity by just saying that they have brought in the hairy legs of a bigfoot whatever it is.

And people all over the world are lovin’ every minute of it.

Look at this CNET article, The Bigfoot press conference and the art of selling a website.

This is just a glimpse of the tip of the iceberg of articles that have been written.

The best part of this publicity coup, is that they put their business system and the official Search for Bigfoot website in perfect working order before telling the media a whopper of a bigfoot yarn.

They managed to pull it all off in grand style with fun and flair.

Of course, it’s got all the right elements I’ve written about in many of my articles and books:

D = Dramatic

P = Personal

A + A = achievement in the face of adversity

H = Humor.

According to the CNET article, when asked the key question, they replied honestly. “We’re in it for the money”.

Bravo!

Real Honest to Goodness Integrity.

Now if only our elected officials and candidates can show us that they’ve got the same character.