Do you realize that you may be a perfect candidate to appear on local television shows to talk about your products, and more importantly….do you realize the enormous impact it can make in terms of product sales and distribution?   

Think about it.  Television producers are looking for guests who will entertain and educate their audience.  So if your products solve a common problem that faces the masses then TV could be a great promotional medium for you.  The challenge is knowing how to pitch your segment idea to television producers in a way that they can see the direct benefit to their viewers…and that’s where a professional PR firm comes in.   And let me tell you, after we book our clients on a couple of shows…they can’t seem to get enough!  One of our clients told us:

“The cost benefit analysis of TV is a no brainer.  Not only do you get the benefit of this quality exposure, but the amount of credibility you build is priceless!”

The reason why our clients jump at the opportunity to appear on a TV show is because they understand every television appearance will boost the “buzz” for their products!  With TV, every person watching your interview will have a front row seat to your message.  You can show them exactly what your products look like.  You can demonstrate their purpose and value to the viewer.  All while building trust and the almighty “likeability factor” by expertly answering the anchor’s questions about your products.   If you demonstrate competence in all these areas, the audience is more likely to connect with you and buy into the value of your products.  What a great credibility builder for your company!

TV also allows you to present the audience with a visual image of your message, e.g., presenting graphs, doing demonstrations, showing pictures.  Visuals make your message easy to understand and more entertaining for the viewer.  All of your visuals will make up exactly what your television segment will be.

At EMSI we are pros at developing “television-ready” segments for our clients…and have been doing so for nearly two decades.  For example, we took on a client that had a natural food product.  Our challenge was to create a segment that would instantly grab the attention of the television producers.  In order to achieve this, we arranged for a taste testing outside a major health food chain in the Portland area and got a local television station to come and film the taste testing for a segment.  Here is what our client told us happened after their segment aired:

“We’re received hundreds of phone calls. Fred Meyer stores and Safeway got bombarded with calls as well! In fact, we had originally been scheduled to start shipping to Fred Meyer sometime in May, but they were so inundated with phone calls as a result of our television appearance they called to ask me what we had done to make their phones ring off the hook! Thanks to the media you booked for us, we’re shipping product to them next week, six weeks earlier than planned!”

Imagine this happening for you and your company!

BUT, the biggest challenge you have is to get noticed by TV producers.  Keep in mind that you are not alone in this “battle for attention.”  There are limited interview slots available with numerous PR firms and companies jockeying for those slots.

This is a challenge that we overcome everyday at EMSI where getting our clients on local and national television shows is second nature to us.  Not only do we know the contacts and the shows, but we know how to develop “television ready” segments that will make inundated producers sit up and take notice!

The best part: we don’t charge a monthly retainer. Instead we are a pay for performance firm.  If you want to find out if you and your products are a good fit for TV, contact Steve on 727-443-7115, Extension 202 or email him at steve@emsincorporated.com.  If you qualify, we can have you building a local media “buzz” in targeted markets in a matter of weeks.

Successful companies will tell you that editorial coverage in newspapers and magazines should be a vital part of your marketing strategy. With the majority of Americans using print media as a key source of information and entertainment, they would emphasize the power of print coverage for generating leads and/or acquiring new customers.

Every drop of ink is truly invaluable.  Whether your products are editorialized about or mentioned in national magazines or weekly newspapers, print exposure provides a legitimacy and credibility that can’t be matched.

The challenge, though, is gaining the attention of inundated journalists.  But, if you know how to reach journalists with a strong pitch AND your products solve a problem for their readers - you can wind up with a potential grand slam on your hands.

Here at EMSI, we are “news junkies” and are perpetually devouring the news in search of current events that we can tie to our clients’ messages.  It all comes down to writing in the style that attracts the attention of journalists and reaching the right ones to gain the broadest response.

Since we’ve been pitching media for nearly 20 years, we are seasoned pros at this.  In fact, here is what two journalists from major publications have told us:

“Working with EMSI makes my job at The National Examiner a pleasure.  They have great clients, terrific follow-up and a team that gives their all to make things happen!”

“I believe I have published every press release you have sent. Your releases are so well written (which I love) that I have found little or no need to edit. I run them as you send them.”

In the past few weeks, our keen ability to capture the attention of journalists has resulted in interviews for our clients.  Here’s a snapshot of some of the major news outlets we’re working with:

Associated Press

Readers Digest: 37,291,332

Parenting: 8,661,756

MSN Money: 6,063240

Ebony: 5,835,928

The Street: 2,455,186

(figures represent the readership of the publications)

The best part is that our one-time flat fee for our print campaign is unbeatable when you compare it to the monthly retainer that other firms charge.  

If you would like to learn more about how we can get your company and products in front of thousands of targeted newspaper and magazine journalists, contact my partner Steve at 727-443-7115, Extension 202 or email him at steve@emsincorporated.com.  Talk to him today to see if your company qualifies!

Are you having to fight to get into new stores and at the same time battle for prime shelf space?  Here’s an inside tip about how to turn the tables in the battle for shelf space in retail outlets.  It’s called “reverse distribution.”

“Reverse distribution” is a name we’ve coined to describe the phenomenon in which customer demand results in stores calling you to order your product for their shelves.

Let me share this story from one of our clients, Stephen Grubb, President of SoyNut Butter Company.  He said:

 “The media exposure you got for us resulted in kind of a reverse distribution process.  In other words, instead of waiting for stores to carry our product, this publicity campaign created such demand that stores are calling us to order our products — just to satisfy their customers!”

Let me use talk radio as an example since you may already be familiar with its value as a marketing tool.  You’re probably aware that recent ARBITRON reports show that news/talk stations consistently rank first in market share among persons 18 and older.

And based on a demographic survey published in Talkers (a talk radio industry publication) concerning the talk radio listener, “ …talk radio listeners are diverse, mature, educated, attentive, active and affluent….”

That’s why talk radio is such a dominant marketing tool, and why being featured as a guest is a leading way for you to market your products to a targeted audience.

For nearly 20 years we have been booking our clients not only on talk radio shows but national and local television shows as well.  We are successful in booking a high quantity and quality of interviews because we understand the media’s needs and only provide them with interesting topics and reliable guests who know how to capture their audience.

And, best of all, our fees are not based on a monthly retainer (as is standard in our industry) instead they’re based on performance!

Using publicity as a marketing tool, you can drive customers into their local stores to request your products.  So, if you’re interested in finding out how this PR strategy might apply to you, call Steve at 727-443-7115 x 202, or e-mail him at steve@emsincorporated.com .  

PR and Publicity expert Marsha Friedman explains in detail about the difference between PR and Marketing and the importance of those.

Special coverage is given to how to choose a PR firm so that you get maximum effective exposure in the media for your products.

What costly traps do you have to avoid, and how.

 

 Find the Right PR Firm [27:09m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Like many companies, the current economic slump may be forcing you to slash your marketing budget drastically. With a high demand for income, companies are employing new methods to generate quality leads and drive traffic to their websites.

One successful method is online marketing which has become a hotbed of activity in the promotion and sales of products.  To survive in this “technology obsessed” marketplace, companies are not only fine tuning their existing websites but are also developing ecommerce sites and blogging to gain online visibility - in addition to using the “old” stand-by of online advertising.

But, with millions of websites in existence and staggering numbers of products being sold over the internet (rather than the brick and mortar stores) promoting your company and products online has become yet another marketing obstacle to overcome.

While search engine optimization (SEO), podcasting, vid-casting, blogging and social media marketing are all great online promotional tools, there is still the challenge of how to drive people directly to your website or to an online retail outlet to purchase your products.

And this is where publicity becomes more valuable than ever before.  Publicity is a classic promotional tool that is (and always will be) your direct path to potential consumers.  Imagine having live conversations with tens of thousands, and in some cases millions, of people telling them to check out your website and order your products online!  What could be better?

For nearly 20 years my firm EMSI has seen first-hand how the power of publicity can result in more website hits, increased online sales and overall heightened awareness for companies and products.  But don’t take my word for it…here are some unsolicited testimonials from clients who have harnessed this power:

“After my national TV appearance we had a record number of visitors to my website. Of course this means great sales online and a huge number of people added to my data base for future sales!” Dr. A.W. Martin

“After last night’s interview I received over 400 hits to my website so far!” Howard Ruff

“Shortly after a radio interview my ranking at Amazon greatly improved.  Seeing the needle move so quickly is direct evidence that talk radio is the most affordable and effective way to promote.” Joe Graedon

“My website and blog are blowing up!” John Lenhart

Even better?  We don’t charge costly monthly retainers.  Instead, we work on a pay-for-performance basis with our talk radio and television campaigns.

If you are interested in getting your company and products exposure that could generate results like these, then call my partner Steve at 727-443-7115, Extension 202 or email him; steve@emsincorporated.com.  Ask him how we can help promote your online presence today!

There are millions of products hitting the market annually, which means that there are millions of companies competing for the very same attention of the American public that you are.

The bottom-line reality of business success is that if the American people don’t hear about your product or see it advertised somewhere, it will be roughly the same as if your product never existed at all.

That’s how important publicity is for your products…and you can get the power of the media working for you right away.

The good news?  It doesn’t have to cost you a fortune!

My company has specialized in arranging media interviews for our clients for nearly 20 years. And what’s really unique about us is that our clients only pay for the radio and TV appearances we arrange.  In other words if we take you on, (and yes, we’re very selective!) you’re guaranteed to be interviewed as a guest on top quality shows!

In the world of PR, we’re called a “pay-for-performance” firm.  There are not many like us out there.  The majority of PR firms charge a monthly retainer. The way that works is they bill their clients every month for their “best-efforts”, regardless of whether they’re able to arrange any media interviews.

One of our clients, Renata Rafferty, an expert on philanthropic giving, recently responded to a journalist’s request for information about “pay-for-performance” PR firms.  She was kind enough to send me the letter she wrote and I wanted to share it with you so you have more familiarity with your PR options.  She said:

“I had a great chance to compare having a traditionally-compensated PR agent with a pay-for-placement agent.

I first worked with a traditionally-contracted PR agent.  When she started sending me draft releases and kit materials, it was clear she had no clue what I was all about, and worse, had no clue how to create a hook for producers or editors.

Well, she totally bombed — not a single gig.  So, I took the unusual step of finding and paying an agent on my own.

For years, I’d received really compelling direct mail pieces from EMSI, a pay-for-performance agency. They were the only PR agency I knew anything about, so I called them.  I had never heard of pay-for-performance, but it sure sounded good.

I signed an agreement for a set number of radio interviews. Within one week, they had lined up two dozen top-market and syndicated-show interviews to take place over the upcoming month.  Most were call-in interview shows, with ten-minute spots on major market drive-time shows (e.g. Chicago and New York).

So I decided to sign with them for some TV placement as well, and indicated the types of shows I needed to be on.  I was booked on major shows on Fox News, CNN, Bloomberg, MSNBC, and Canada’s version of “Good Morning, America,” among others.

Well, in my experience over the years, I’ve come to believe that you do not offer your PR services on a pay-per-play basis unless you KNOW you are exceptionally good and will deliver.  It’s a financial risk to the agency that, to me, speaks of their confidence and track record.

Anyone can get paid for unproductive effort — and the worst of retainer firms care only about stringing you along with promises of “we’ve just laid the groundwork — now is when the calls start coming back — so please sign for another three months.”

I will NEVER go with a retainer-based agency again.  I will gladly pay for performance and let the agency carry the risk.

BTW, I have stayed with the same agency for 9 years now and I am happy to tout them every chance I get — Event Management Services (EMSI).  I’ve received tons of media over the years.  And I do owe it all to EMSI.

Respectfully,

Renata Rafferty”

So…whether you have a new product to bring to the marketplace or create increased awareness for your existing products we can help you.  We know how to compete successfully for the limited radio and TV opportunities out there. That’s what we do, day in and day out.

Please call my partner Steve Friedman at 727-443-7115 extension 202 or email him at steve@emsincorporated.com and he’ll tell you - in a no-pressure, no-obligation sort of way - about our “Pay-for-performance” PR program.