The 8 Greatest Public Relations Myths of All Time
By Anthony Mora.
After you have experienced some success and have a basic sense of the inner workings of media relations, chances are you'll fall prey to one or more myths. A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. God knows that there are more media relations myths than I'm listing here, more will follow, but the following is a list of the eight most common myths.
1) All Media is Good Media - Nonsense. Ask Michael Jackson. Depending on the campaign, controversial media might be helpful. But landing coverage as a murder suspect or sex offender is not going to do wonders for your career.
2) I Can't Use National Media - Unless there are very specific considerations, or reasons to stay clear of it, I'm a huge believer in going national, even if the primary focus is local. Why? Let's say that you land a thirty-second quote on CNN. Now what? We move as quickly as possible and let your local media outlets know that you were recently featured on CNN. You, a small-town business person from Nowhereville, USA, were featured on the national news. Believe me, nothing impresses the media more than media. Now you're national news and you're in a position to launch a much more successful local news campaign.
3) I Only Want the Big Media - Too many business professionals that understand the process of how their business works are blind to the fact that PR is a process. You seldom jump from zero to 180 in thirty seconds. By only going for the major media they don't realize that they are making it much tougher for them to achieve that goal. I have to continually explain to my clients that the smaller media outlets are my tools. It's precisely those placements that help me land the larger media bookings. Not long ago we placed a client in a small magazine. The placement itself wasn't going to help the client, but we used that placement with our release and some product and sent it to all of Oprah's producers. Guess what his next media appearance was? This is a perfect lead in to the next myth.
5) One Segment on Oprah and My Life will Change - One of the primary reasons certain people become so angry and bitter after a month of doing PR is because of what I call the grand slam mentality. Too many people believe that that one TV interview or magazine article is going to be IT.
It's preferably going to be Oprah, because she needs this story and it's going to change their lives. That one story will turn it all around. All of their problems will be over. Millions will pour in, they'll be able to move to the Bahamas and retire. Well, it doesn't happen that way. So you best come back to earth with the rest of us. You are launching a professional media relations campaign, not playing the lottery.
6) I Don't Need or Want PR, I Just Want To Be Successful - A lot of people have resistance to doing media. They don't want to do interviews, they don't want to be "stars," they just want their business to be successful. If you feel that way, ask yourself what you're willing to do to be successful. Are you willing to utilize the most powerful marketing tool available? Are you willing to take risks, utilize the magic of the media, and give your business a real chance for success? If the answer is no, think about it.
7) I'm Not Interesting Enough To Do Media Placement - Sure, the media interviewed you once, but that was just a fluke. You're too bland, too shy, your business is too dull, no one is going to care about anything you have to say. Why should you even bother trying media placement? It'll never work anyway. You might want to consider revisiting that point of view. Everyone has an interesting story. The trick is to find it.
8) My Story Is So Easy to Pitch, You Should Be Paying Me - You have no idea how many times I've heard this sentence. It runs neck and neck with the "I'm perfect for Oprah" sentence. There are no easy campaigns. Some move more quickly than others, but quick moving campaigns present their own challenges. What this myth really says is - I don't want to spend the time, money and effort to launch a successful campaign. The myth is it's so easy it will fall in my lap, the reality is, if it hasn't fallen in your lap by now, get rid of the magical thinking and approach your campaign like a rational thinking, success oriented, business professional.
Anthony Mora began his media career as a journalist and magazine editor. In 1990, Anthony formed Anthony Mora Communications, Inc., a Los Angeles-based public relations company that has placed clients in: Time, Newsweek, 60 Minutes, CNN, USA Today, Oprah, The New York Times, Vogue, and other media. Anthony, who is the author of "Spin to Win," has been featured in: USA Today, Newsweek, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The BBC, CNN, Fox News, and other media outlets.
Visit: anthonymora.com
