Publicity – Ride the Wave of Attention while it Lasts

As a publicist, you have dozens of tactics for drawing attention to an event, company or product.  But none of the tactics are guaranteed to work.  There’s always an x-factor that can disrupt the best laid plans.

You spend all your time building relationships and preparing to capture attention.  In the end, it all comes down to circumstances.

If your product launch was the week of September 11, 2001 (or for that matter, any time in the following three months), you were screwed before you issued your first media advisory. 

Luck may be random, but planning, preparation and flexibility can help you take advantage of changing conditions to maximize the results, or to cut your losses.

Because so much of public relations relies on others picking up your story and running with it, you have to monitor your progress, and be ready to ride the wave when you’re lucky enough to catch the attention of the media and the public.

The Oprah Wave

As Meg Laborde Phenix notes, using an experienced publicist is one of the keys to getting an author booked on Oprah.  Getting on Oprah causes a wave of attention, and provides lots of momentum for your other promotions.  That’s nothing compared to the tidal wave of Oprah’s Book Club. That’s the Holy Grail of mainstream American publishing, but you respond to what happens, instead of dreaming of winning the big lottery ticket.

Riding a wave of attention means dropping everything and making the most of the bursts of attention that come your way.  Don’t fret about why another of your tactics didn’t net any attention.

Respond to as many calls, e-mails and other queries that come your way.  If you put in 70 hours one week on media responses, be glad.  You may not get a wave like that for a long time.  Ride it as far as it will take you.

Link via Diane Eble.