Question

Topic: Advertising/PR

A Good Story...so, Why No Interest?

Posted by Anonymous on 4/4/2006 at 9:09 AM ET 500 Points
Our company just moved from R & D to full-scale production...we make the most innovative building envelope (wall, ceiling or roof) products in the construction industry. See www.platinumadvanced.com for details. The product has more unique selling propositions than probably any I've worked with...and that's after career with Du Pont, GE and top agency.
Having trouble gaining interest from major newspapers, news media with calls (voice mails) and emails suggesting they (reporters) take a look. Want to turn our "shot heard 'round the immediate vicinity" profile into something bigger. It shouldn't be this difficult to create a buzz for this product...it does what we say and more, and we can provide test data. I can't even get our hometown newspaper, St. Pete Times to return a call! Any suggestions? Thanks, Don
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  • Posted by NatashaChernavska on 4/4/2006 at 9:57 AM Member
    Hello, Don!

    A major problem in organizing a good PR campaign is a difference between yours and journalist's understanding of what a newsbreak actually is. From your point of view, every little change in your work, especially a big cahnge, - is important. You have made a breakthrough, it's great - for you, for your business and for the client(s). But to make your PR campaign successful you have to think like a journalist.

    Imagine yourself John Smith, a St. Pete Times reporter. There are like 100 different companies in the neighbourhood. And once in a while you receive press-releases from them about events in their businesses. Most of them are... guess, what? Boring! You are not a specialist in construction. Is that what you're talking about innovative? How do you know? Of cource, company owners want to be in your newspapre. PR is free. But you need a killer. Great news. Sensation. Because you need you newspaper to be interesting, so people would like to buy it. that's why you don't even read most of those press-relases, just send them to trash. And go to the beau-monde party to take a couple interviews with local stars.

    Think like a reporter, and give him a killer news which he will be happy to write about. And will even ask you for an interview.

    What you can precisely do about it? If I was your PR consultant, I would first study your business, and then think hard what can be interesting for media. As a journalist, I can tell you, that the news about the change you are talking about doesn't say anything to me, not appealing. Find a killer. And put it in your press-release header.

    I hope, I helped.

    Good Luck!
  • Posted by NatashaChernavska on 4/4/2006 at 10:34 AM Member
    25% is not something informative to a non professional... May be you need to give a money equivalent of possible savings - like "Innovative technology saves billions to Florida"?

    Btw, Real Estate in Florida is growing so fast, that it hardly looks like that some great news about innovations in hurricane strong homes construction will make it any different. Oh, you could come up with the connection with RE numbers. Like - Innovation can inreace RE interest - or something like that...
  • Posted on 4/4/2006 at 10:43 AM Member
    Sounds like something that should be featured on one of HGTV's shows like "I Want That" or "Dream Builders". Also, showcasing a home locally in "Parade of Homes" should get a story.

    Good luck.
  • Posted by NovaHammer on 4/4/2006 at 2:08 PM Member
    Any Insurance advantage for the homeowner?

    Raffle off chances to 'shoot' a 2x4 from your canon at your envelope. Invite or include the media/contractors.

    Oh yes the site intro is a little cheesy IMO.
  • Posted by easyE on 4/4/2006 at 5:39 PM Accepted
    I would start with scheduling appointments with reputable builders in your area. Get in on the 'Trade Shows', such as the area Home improvement shows - That would be a good place to spend some advertising dollars and perhaps gain some good contacts and leeds. You are going to have to network. Local new papers will be happy to take your advertising dollars in the Home Improvement section. In order to gain a feature article, your product is going to have to have a success story. I would start with the building trade and work your way from there. A reputable builder will know a good product when he sees it and be happy to spread the word and suggest your product line as an alternative building material. This wont happen over night, but if your product is as great as you say - Successful sales revenue will come your way.
  • Posted on 4/4/2006 at 9:38 PM Member
    DT,

    i am often faced with a similar problem. As a beer company, we do outdoor events all the time and it is also in our best interest if these are covered for free. However, a sponsored 2 day walk around Hangzhou city sadly does not sell. On the other hand, a sponsored 2 day walk around the city with nothing to drink but corona extras would probably generate more interests.

    So 2 things i suggest:
    1. (most simple and cost effective) What we do here in china is to simply bribe the journalists, editors, column editors, editors in chief. Give them some "red envelope" - basically a stack of cash. or we give the newspaper agency/publishers a few cases of beer for their whole company.

    Perhaps you could invest in building a shed or hurricane shelter for the journalist? and ask her to write from her own experience?

    2. As others have stated above, you need something wacky. Something that sells and attracts attention in the papers. The primary purpose of this is to get people thinking "what the f?" and then go to your site if they are curious enough. the cannon in city center would surely generate buzz.

    hope this helps.

    charlie

  • Posted by Markitek on 4/4/2006 at 10:42 PM Member
    Let me lay it out to you candidly:

    I don't think you want help . . . every suggestion given you, you either rejected or said you were already doing it.

    The best observation was the first one in this list. Your product information for both homeowner and builder are essays on just how good your technology is. Figure you'll get about 30 words of readership attention before visitors go Huh and move on to someone who talks their language.

    That's the fact here. You can say you've done it all and you know everything you're being told . . . but the fact is that it's not flying in the marketplace.

    So my advice is: listen to what's being said here. You're not connecting because you're talking about you you you.

    Here's your exercise. Write down the three most important issues to your marketplace--I'm sure that "a thermal sealant between the foundation and track, between the track and wall, and a thermal gasket between wall segments and between wall and ceiling or roof products" isn't going to be on the list.

    Then go through all your promotion and see whether you ever talk about any of it. I bet you'll find you're so focused on how utterly fabulous your technology is you don't do it at all.

    That's why the market, and the press and those of us who have taken the time here are not responding to what you're saying. Because you're not talking about us . . . you're talking about you.

    You've been given the correct advice here. Follow it and see what happens.
  • Posted on 4/6/2006 at 8:29 AM Accepted
    Great discussion and great ideas given to you so far. I'll just add that I do pr in Washington DC area and have pitched and placed stories in the Washington Post Home section. Your story is not right for them. They feature trends in home design (which means they might do a story on 3-4 builders who are all using innovative design or materials to make hurricane-proof homes, consumer products to buy for the interior or garden, design, etc.

    Your story is a trade story first, not a consumer story--that's also why the USA Today editor "didn't know where it fit."

    Two things that might also help you build your consumer pitch:
    1) Are you part of a trend? Are there several builders in your area who are building hurricane-proof homes in your area using your technology? Will they collaborate with you on a pitch by providing their sales numbers to a reporter? Imagine the headline for St. Pete Times something like: "Local area builders prepare for next Katrina, Irene with new hurricane-proof home technology." That would be a good Home section story for any newspaper on the coast.

    2) The personal angle--find a consumer story of someone living in a home built with your materials. Is it a compelling story? Did they lose everything in the last storm and are now rebuilding? They chose this builder because of your company's product in the home and would never go back. Can they provide a quote for your release? That would be a good lead for an e-mail pitch: "Sally Ferguson, just one of the evacuees relocated from Louisana to St. Pete starts a new life in what she hopes to be a hurricane-proof home." Then provide your convincing data/proof of why this material is known to be hurricane proof.

    There is so much competition in the media that you really have to work the story up for the journalist. Find the angle that perfectly fits that section or column, find the personal interviews, provide the trend statistics.

    It does seem like it would be of interest to Miami Herald, Orlando Sentinel, the beach newspapers, Palm Beach if you can put the personal consumer angle to it and prove that its part of a larger trend.

    Don't be discouraged and press on!
    rpenovich
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