Dream Big but Dream Smart
Friday, September 4th, 2009Have you ever been in the supermarket and felt dumbfounded because you were certain that you somehow knew the person standing in front of you in line… only to find out that they are a reporter from your local TV station? I have heard this 
scenario several times. We feel like we ‘know’ the personalities we view on TV everyday. And why shouldn’t we? We invite them into our homes during times when we are the most vulnerable i.e. exhausted and in our jammies. This familiarity concept applies to big television hosts too-I bet that some of you feel a special connection with someone such as Oprah! So when you have a big story or want to talk about how cool your company is the logical thing would be to contact Oprah, right? She’s familiar and would definitely want to hear about your company or product. Well, yes and no.
In my years as a PR practitioner I have had clients with start-up businesses say to me “Why can’t we just be featured on Oprah?” or “I want to be covered be on CNN” or “I want a story about us in the New York Times.” My answer to them is usually, let’s definitely make that a goal to work towards. I also gently remind my clients that having their start-up business covered by CNN (right away) would be the equivalent of having People Magazine cover their wedding or Perez Hilton making a snarky comment about what they wore to a party last night. Possible, but not super likely.
Do you feel like your dreams have just been squashed by Ms. PR downer? I hope not, because there is a lot that you can do for your business until the day that you are ready to speak with Oprah and Larry King with authority. If you have a start-up company or an innovative product or service it’s best to figure out exactly who your audience is. Chart out whether your audience (or client) base is local, national or international. If your business is selling beautiful flower arrangements in the Greater Milwaukee area, then target the local media and other networking channels in Greater Milwaukee! When something big happens on a local level eventually other larger media outlets are more likely to want in on the action too. The key points to remember here are: 1. Know your audience 2. Gain Credibility. Once you establish your credibility the sky’s the limit and Oprah could soon come calling…