| When you want to win and woo new clients with | | | | people remember the company's generosity with a |
| national publicity -- and don't have an enormous | | | | warm, fuzzy feeling. You can't beat free advice for |
| budget to distribute your message -- turn to the | | | | building trust.Did you know?You can assert all you |
| news wires. But first, be sure you're telling a story | | | | want. But numbers make it real. Research -- real, |
| that's worth printing.The best publicity draws on one | | | | proprietary research, carried out by you, with |
| of a handful of tried-and-true themes. Newsworthy | | | | numbers that you own --can be a great way to get |
| stories have something that hits you as a reader and | | | | attention. San Diego-based Metabolife Inc. just |
| makes you more interested than "just the facts." | | | | wrapped up a year-long research initiative that |
| Think about how your company's story might work | | | | resulted in mentions and stories in several national |
| as part of one (or more) of the following story | | | | publications. What did they do? They got numbers, |
| themes.David vs. GoliathYou were small, the odds | | | | and they used them. Did you know that 47 percent |
| against you were great, but you took on the big | | | | of people say everyone is out of shape at their high |
| guys and you won! Everybody loves an underdog, | | | | school reunion? Metabolife did the studies, found the |
| and if you can play this card, you might stir up more | | | | numbers, then turned the statistics into a great |
| attention than you ever thought possible. An Orange | | | | opportunity for publicity.The wiresOnce you've got a |
| County-based company, ProtectConnect ( is using | | | | newsworthy story, how do you get the word out? |
| this strategy to publicize its buzzworthy invention -- a | | | | One option is to hit the news wire services yourself. |
| modular system of safety-first electrical outlets and | | | | Both the PR Newswire ( and Business Newswire ( |
| switches. The wiring device industry they're taking on | | | | are membership-based services that require you to |
| is dominated by just a handful of huge corporations, | | | | join in order to distribute your releases. Prices for |
| but the attention they're getting as a startup for | | | | releases can range from as little as $125 for a |
| their patented product has prompted more than $1.5 | | | | statewide distribution to $600 for national, or several |
| million in orders -- before the company even opens | | | | thousand dollars for an international release. For this |
| its doors for business.First, fastest, brightestIf you've | | | | price, which is much less than postage, your brief |
| really got a story that's unique -- you're the first, or | | | | release will cross the country or the globe, passing in |
| the biggest, or the strongest, or the loudest -- then | | | | front of the eyes of thousands of editors in tens of |
| you have a certifiably newsworthy story. RoseTel | | | | thousands of media outlets.There are also services |
| System Inc. ( a Los Angeles-based manufacturer of | | | | that will take on the task of distribution for you, |
| the world's first streaming, real-time video delivered | | | | especially if you're a small firm or don't have a |
| through plain old telephone lines, scored a touchdown | | | | dedicated staff to make contact, handle releases, or |
| with this angle in January 2003, when their system | | | | do follow up. One such service, E-releases ( for |
| helped the city of San Diego maintain surveillance, | | | | example, will do as little or as much as you want to |
| security and order during the Super Bowl. The story | | | | help you get the word out. They'll even write your |
| became especially significant because on the day of | | | | release for you, for a nominal fee, shaping your story |
| the big game, the Internet, which would have carried | | | | in ways they know are likely to garner the most |
| other forms of video, was crippled by a global virus. | | | | attention. They'll also distribute for around $350, and |
| RoseTel was able to honestly state that their video | | | | send you links showing you where your story was |
| communication system was the first and only one in | | | | run online (a great deal that saves you hundreds of |
| the world that could have performed so affordably | | | | dollars, because it includes a national distribution via |
| and so well that day -- and as a result, their story | | | | PR Newswire).Finally, no public relations expert would |
| was picked up around the country from one simple | | | | ever say there isn't at least some element of chance |
| wire release.Rags to richesStories about the GWOG | | | | involved in what stories get picked up and which |
| (Guy Working Out of Garage) who strikes it rich are | | | | ones don't. It's best to take a "water drip" approach. |
| still unusual. Steve Jobs of Apple may be one of the | | | | Every little bit makes a difference, even if you can't |
| best examples of a rags-to-riches story, but there | | | | see them for each droplet. Still, after a while, water |
| are countless examples of this. Jack Daley, president | | | | will wear away a stone, and your story can break |
| of the Triarch Group, a San Diego-based consulting | | | | through the clutter in the same way.Henry DeVries is |
| firm that works with tech-driven companies to | | | | a marketing coach and writer specializing in lead |
| systematize their approach to innovation, delights in | | | | generation for professional service firms. An adjunct |
| telling a rags-to-riches story from his own experience. | | | | marketing professor at UCSD since 1984, he is the |
| His client, the company that eventually became | | | | author of "Self Marketing Secrets" and the recently |
| Network Solutions (still the biggest registrar for | | | | published "Client Seduction." Visit or e-mail questions |
| domain names on the Internet) was started with a | | | | to © 2005 Henry DeVries, All rights reserved. |
| cash advance on a credit card and eventually grew | | | | You are free to use this material in whole or in part in |
| into a multimillion-dollar monster. Now that's a | | | | pint, on a web site or in an email newsletter, as long |
| story.Free adviceRemember the ad campaign in the | | | | as you include complete attribution, including live web |
| 1970s that urged you to write away to a major | | | | site link. Please also notify me where the material will |
| petroleum company for free booklets on auto | | | | appear.The attribution should read:"By Henry DeVries |
| maintenance, safety and repair? (Hint: The booklets | | | | of the New Client Marketing Institute. Please visit |
| were yellow, and the logo is still red. Looks a bit like ... | | | | Henry's web site at for additional marketing articles |
| a seashell.) School children across America learned to | | | | and resources on marketing for professional service |
| write "business letters" by carefully printing "Dear Sir" | | | | businesses. |
| requests to that company, and even 30 years later, | | | | |