Don't Use Celebrities as Your Publicity Role Models

Newsmaking celebrities such as Rush Limbaugh and Tiger Woods can use a passive media relations strategy to get their information or point of view out to the press. All they have to do is post a news release on their Web site and sit back and wait for pieces of it to be used in media reports.

The rest of us? Not so much. Nobody's coming to our Web sites looking for our news, so we have to be much more proactive. We need to use hand-crafted media lists or press release distribution services to generate stories, mentions, interviews, and exposure.

It's important to push your news out there. While a journalist might stumble upon your press release while doing research online, you still need to take the time to figure out which media gatekeepers can help connect you with your target audience and provide them with appropriate information that helps them do their jobs.

This doesn't mean that you don't want an online press room -- you do. It definitely helps. You just don't want to make that your entire publicity campaign. And one tip about that: Don't use the PDF format for your media relations materials. It makes them harder to work with and when you make it harder for a journalist to use your information, chances are, it won't be used at all.

Leveraging Celebrity Secrets

A cooking segment on The Today Show this week mentioned that Al Roker's daughter needs her food to be gluten-free. I do, too, so this caught my attention on both a personal and professional level. I found myself wishing I had authored a book on gluten-free living so I could jump on this somehow!

I can't take advantage of it, but maybe I can help you do it! Reviewing how to leverage this particular tidbit of information can help you see how you can take advantage of similar bits of celebrity information you might uncover that relate to your business, too. So...while this posting addresses businesses with a connection to gluten-free diets, the thought process applies to other situations, too.

Here are suggestions:

• If you manufacture, sell, or write about gluten-free foods or products or if you advise people who need them, do some research to find out what you can about the Roker situation so you have facts. (Which daughter is it?)
• Set a reasonable goal. Is it realistic for you or your product to appear with Roker on The Today Show? Or should you identify other ways to use this information to your advantage? For example, the author of a forthcoming gluten-free cookbook might start by requesting a testimonial for the cookbook. The executive director of a national celiac disease support organization might approach Ms. Roker about being a spokesperson for the group.
• Develop a promotional plan that helps your business leverage this celebrity "secret." For example, if you're a manufacturer, send samples of your most popular products and follow-up to explore testimonial or spokesperson opportunities. If you're a local health foods store with a solid gluten-free selection, pitch the local media on a feature explaining that the gluten-free food category is one of the fastest growing in the food industry and that "even Al Roker needs to shop for these foods for his family."

Remember: When it comes to leveraging this kind of informational tidbit, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Be realistic, but don't be so pessimistic that you don't even give it a try.

Have you had success doing this before? Please share your story here!