get the publicity you deserve the go-giver way fileget the publicity you deserve - a public...

Get the Publicity You Deserve - a Public Relations Seminar with Kathleen Hanover • KathleenHanover.com • © 2016

Get The Publicity You Deserve

...the Go-Giver Way™


Kathleen Hanover Marketing & PR Consultant Certified Go-Giver Speaker

•25 years’ experience in earning media coverage •Hundreds of press releases for self & clients •Published in Los Angeles Times, Washington Times, Wall Street Journal, Toronto Globe & Mail, FoxNews.com, CNN.com, dozens & dozens of others •Workshops, Seminars, Keynotes, Consulting


• What is “The Go-Giver Way™?”

• Who is your client?

• How to find the irresistible angle

• Examples of What Not to Do

• Example of What to Do

You’ll learn...


Five Laws of Stratospheric Success

1. Law of Value 2. Law of Compensation 3. The Law of Influence 4. Law of Authenticity 5. Law of Receptivity

What is the Go-Giver Way™?


Five Laws of Stratospheric Success

The Law of Influence and PR:

Change your focus from getting publicity to giving value to editors, journalists, and their audiences.



What This Means:

You get what you want (publicity) when the journalist, editor and/or media outlet gets what they want (compelling, valuable content).



• Newspaper staff is down by 54% since 2001

• In the 25 biggest TV markets, the median number of full-time employees has fallen by 11%.

• The local news is a moneymaker, accounting for half of TV station revenues

Newsrooms Today


• Journalists may be covering many different beats, some they know little or nothing about

• Editors and journalists are pressured to do more in less time

• Journalists and editors live in fear of being downsized or laid off

Newsrooms Today


Put the journalist’s needs ahead of your own.

• Become a “ghostwriter”

• Understand the journalist’s goals

• Deliver publication-ready copy

• Make it a no-brainer to cover you

How to Influence a Journalist or Editor


• Work on the journalists’ and editors’ schedules, not yours.

• Write in the journalists’ and editors’ style, not yours.

• Write about what the journalist thinks is important, not your client.



• Show editors how you, or your event, or your accomplishment, is newsworthy.

• Show editors and journalists that you’re aware of the beat(s) they cover and their personal interests.



“Journalists use different words to describe what makes a story newsworthy. We talk about things like impact, significance, proximity, prominence, etc. But the most important thing in the digital media world is how interesting a story will be to a news organization's audience.

• Does it affect readers' lives? • Does it evoke a strong, emotional reaction? • Will the reader be likely to share the story on social media?

If the answer to these questions is no, you're probably going to get nowhere with your pitch.” — Matt Koesters, freelance journalist and regular contributor to WCPO.com



Non-controversial, normal things happening to a few normal people.

Dog Bites Man vs Man Bites Dog

What is NOT “Newsworthy?”


What is “Newsworthy?”


• Sex.

• “If It Bleeds, It Leads” - Controversial, Sensational, Frightening, Bloody

• Celebrities/Personalities on TV/Radio/Film/Social Media/Literature

• Confrontational or dramatic (Jerry Springer)

• First, Last, Only, Biggest, Newest, Best, Worst (think “Guinness Book”)



• Newsy (New, Different), Trendy

• Counterintuitive, Fascinating, Unusual, Unique, Special, Quirky, Niche-y

• Awards (that involve celebrities), Honors, Commendation



• Who

• What

• Where

• When

What to Include in a Press Release

• Why

• How

• How much

Give a journalist everything he or she needs to write a news article about you, or send a TV news crew to cover you, or send a radio reporter to interview you (“The 5 W’s”) without ever speaking to you.


• Write in ASSOCIATED PRESS style in the U.S.

• Write in INVERTED PYRAMID style (most important facts at the top)

• Write a compelling HEADLINE and email subject line (no “clickbait”)

• Write in THIRD PERSON using UNUSUAL ACTION WORDS (“She roared to a first-place finish”)

How to Write a Press Release


• JUST THE FACTS. (Joe Friday-Dragnet)

• NO SALES COPY! (No superlatives, no opinions, no hype)

• Use QUOTES to express OPINIONS (OK to use “first person” in quotes) and put in past tense

• Always get permission from quoted person

How to Write a Press Release


Must-Have Contact Information• Contact Person’s Name

• Contact Person’s Title

• Company

• Cell Phone #: (VERY IMPORTANT)

• Email Address

• Office Phone

• Social Media Handles (if using for PR)


• Send it ONLY to the right person at the right media outlet

• Never SPAM journalists with off-topic press releases

• NEVER send unsolicited attachments

• Use “Press Release” as “From” in your email client

• When ASKED to send attachments, name files with HEADLINE of release

How to Make Sure They Get & Open Your Email


How to Make Journalists Hate You• Send them an advertisement disguised as

a press release

• Use a complex “branded” PR template that’s hard to read

• Bury the lede—the most important factoid in the story

• Make the reporter hunt for your contact information or event details


• Write a manipulative “clickbait” headline or subject line

• Send them press releases that are completely unrelated to their beat(s)

• Act as though you’re entitled to free publicity

How to Make Journalists Hate You


• Wait a day or two before returning their phone call

• Demand to see the story before it’s published

• Treat them like an enemy you have to conquer instead of a valued partner



...or anything else that makes their job harder, more complicated, more aggravating or more stressful!



Where’s the NEWS?


Oh, here it is, down here...


Send journalists and editors real news, in a timely manner, in THEIR format.


Individualize the release for each beat, journalist, audience, or publication.


Original News Release

Live-Action Case History


The Backstory



Humanized, Localized, Emotionalized Story


The Results• Teaser on Home Page

• Massive feature story

• Video slideshow with voiceover

• Scheduled to appear in high-circulation Sunday print edition


Your Turn!

Find the angles, be the ghostwriter...


get the publicity you deserve the go-giver way fileget the publicity you deserve - a public...

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