The world’s top elite athletes have gathered together to compete in the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. Even the most-ambivalent sports fans can admire the athleticism, dedication and hard work that each athlete endures in order to make it to that level of competition.
Now, everyone knows that you do not just roll out of bed one morning, show up on the slopes, and suddenly become an Olympian. It requires training, practice and coaching.
This is true of many circumstances in life, and the same principles can be applied to your PR campaign. When clients come to us and say they want to be on Oprah, this is a worthwhile goal. An appearance on Oprah can skyrocket a business from a one-man-shop to a multi-million dollar level. In fact, there’s a special on CNBC called “The Oprah Effect,” which details this exact phenomenon. But the truth of the matter is, most businesses are not ready to be on Oprah, or even other national media outlets. They require training, practice and coaching.
When starting your PR campaign, keep your end goal in mind. That said, start with getting some media practice under your belt. If you’ve never done live television, it can be a very daunting task when the lights go on and you’re expected to deliver your messages in a 2-3 minute segment. In soundbites. With someone asking you questions that may or may not be related to the message you ultimately want to promote. Start with pitching print interviews, which are less intimidating, and can quickly get you up-to-speed on the techniques journalists use to get their story. Then graduate to radio, and then local TV. As you become more comfortable with dealing with the media, you will get closer and closer to “the gold.
And if you need support, check out our Jet Set Pick.