Client Case Study - How a Media Campaign Helped a Small Business Hit the Big Time

When I first met Janice Stahl, a teacher with more than 30 years of classroom experience, and creator of TAKSKids School House Game, I knew she had a great story to tell. Her game helps third-fifth graders excel on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) test. The TAKS test helps teachers determine how prepared students are to go on to the next grade level. Children can sometimes be held back a grade if they do not achieve passing scores.

Challenge- Raise awareness of product on a limited budget.
Janice and I worked together to develop press releases for both print and television outlets in the DFW area. We crafted each release for specific media outlets. They were brief, only one page, and clearly outlined the benefits of children using TAKSKids School House Game. Most importantly the releases included everything the reporter needed including the obligatory who, what, when, where, why information, and testimonials from parents and school principals.

Outcome - Lots of Media Coverage!

The following news outlets featured Janice as a result of our efforts:

• Good Morning Texas

• WFAA, 5 p.m. news

• CBS 11 4p.m. and 5 p.m. newscasts

• Fort Worth Business Press

We leveraged her coverage by putting the stories on her website, and emailing them out to prospective customers. Additionally, her sales reps use the stories when they visit school districts.

Value Statement
Developing television and newspaper advertising would have cost Janice thousands of dollars. We were able to develop a plan that fit her budget. We gained added value through leveraging news coverage on her website and in sales materials.

Four Ways to Exit the Public Relations Emotional Roller Coaster

Public relations is an emotional roller coaster ride for many businesses. Profits dip and the C-Suite throws up its arms like a middle-aged man in the front seat of a tiny car hurling down the track of a thrill-seeking amusement park attraction. They want more public relations, more media attention, more campaigns and quick. Once the bottom line begins creeping up hill out of the red and the company re-focuses on customer needs. The public relations campaign gets tossed aside like the automated snap-shot taken during the roller coaster’s horrific drop.

We’ve all heard the adage, pay yourself first. Meaning put money in the bank, or under the mattress, and then pay the all-important life-sustaining bills. The same philosophy can be attributed to promoting your business. Managing your company’s website, blogs, social media, newsletters, smoke signals, etc. is overwhelming, and, more importantly, you can’t send the bill for those hours to a client. The pay off can sometimes seem abstract, until a potential client says, “Hey I saw your blog and you really seem on top of everything. Let’s have lunch.”

Keep these tips in mind when reviewing your company’s strategy:

• Public relations is a long term commitment. Formulate a 12 month plan, review it quarterly and make adjustments accordingly.

• The abstract is more concrete now than ever before. Your public relations efforts can be tracked thanks to social media.

• Schedule time periods on your calendar when you only focus on public relations. Protect this time. Your business’ life depends on it!

• You don’t have to go it alone. If you can’t afford to bring someone in house, contact a PR pro for hire.

Sell Your Story – Going Beyond the 5 Ws to Get the Media’s Attention

I recently sat down with board members of a local non-profit who were frustrated that their organization couldn’t get the media’s attention – no matter how hard they tried. They were discouraged that their previous attempts to pitch local news outlets flopped so they decide to reach out for public relations help. “We had folders made that included all of our information and hand delivered them to the reporters,” they explained. They had the who, what, when, where, why put together in a nicely printed high-gloss folder and touted their PR tool to help them land news coverage. What they really needed was a story.

Journalists are expected to have several story ideas every day, so they are in the market for good content. However, they are short on time. Stories that reporters are interested in are compelling and complete.

Public relations today means delving past the 23rd letter of the alphabet. You can start out by asking the following questions to help formulate an interesting angle:

• How visual is my story?

• Why is my organization unique?

• What experts will be available to lend credibility to my story – board members, key stake holders, customers, clients, etc.

• Have we been the first to do anything?

• Who have we helped and are they willing to be interviewed?

• Do we have any statistics to back up our story?

• Is there a mystery? Meaning, have we unlocked any secrets to success in our industry?

• Do we have an independent credible source that agrees with our viewpoint who could add credibility?

• Can everything fit in a one-page press release, and can I sell it to a busy reporter in 15 seconds?

Remember you are selling a story to someone with limited time and resources. Winning coverage, couldn't resist another W reference, is about having a compelling story that includes all the pieces and parts.