Continued
Session One

PR Breakthroughs—

Not Personal Breakdowns

Question One: “Can I find a way to get started?” Yes, you can.

You have to start where you are and with what you’ve got. But, first, you need to know that you do actually have a real chance to succeed.

You do.

It’s normal to have some doubts about the PR process. The truth is you’re not alone: Most people don’t know how to publicize who they are or to promote what they do. With so many media choices—cable TV, major network TV, radio, magazines, newspapers, newsletters, as well as Twitter, blogs, and the entire Internet—it’s no wonder that the task of where to start and where to go may, at first, seem overwhelming.

The choices appear endless, and luckily they are…because choices are actually opportunities, and there are literally hundreds waiting for you. You don’t have to be a PR expert to succeed. It’s possible for you to do what it takes, and to do it really well. Part of what got you this far has worked…and it can keep working. Here’s why: You’ve been steadily building a track record of success since you first started producing whatever you are preparing to promote. What’s more,

you’ve somehow effectively dealt with core issues that will continue to be important to you.

Whether you know it or not, you’ve been honing the skills you need for promotions. Along the way, you’ve had to ask yourself many of the same questions that will be raised when it comes to publicity.

Of course, it’s scary when you really aren’t certain about the answers. It’s like that for most everyone. However, it’s often empowering to learn that no other person has the passion to promote or publicize what you do better than you. In fact, passion and a can-do attitude will get your further than anything else, including knowledge, skill, and even sheer luck.

But real knowledge helps. You can start by learning the basics.

Question Two: “Can I learn the basics fast enough? ” Yes, you can.

It’s as simple as this: When planning your PR, you’ll discover that there are two basic considerations—there’s the big picture and there’s the little picture.

The big picture is about strategy. It charts the broad areas of your promotional concerns, scoping out the long range plans for where you’ll go and why you want to get there. It’s kind of like a page in an atlas that shows the overall layout of the country without too many details. You need it.

The little picture is like a detailed road map. This road map is equally important.  You need it, too.

At first glance, they may seem like the same thing, but when you get lost or turned around, you’ll discover firsthand that the difference between the big picture and the little picture is critical.

Why? It’s all about the right tools to meet the goals you choose. Try to find your way out of the heart of a city using an atlas when you really need street-bystreet driving instructions. Or try to figure out a strategic way to make it across the nation armed only with the street maps for each city you’ll encounter on the way. If you are stuck with one PR planning tool when you need the other, you’ll curse the difference between big picture and little picture, the atlas and road map.

At key points in the promotional process, too many details will overburden you and, at other times, lack of detail will undermine your efforts. When you are developing strategy, the atlas perspective is required. When you’re implementing strategy, the road map perspective is necessary.

Understanding the best choice of tools for each phase in your journey can make all things possible. This book was created to provide both sets of tools, to help you understand the difference between the two, and to guide you through the necessary action of shifting gears back and forth between the two without losing momentum.

As you try to develop your atlas and your map, three basic elements must be integrated into both planning tools. The basics of all good promotional plans come right back to three simple areas: who, what, and when.

Who is your audience?

Real people are your audience. And, real people really matter. People are the heart of good PR. Publicity is done best when it’s done for people for the right reasons. The power of PR can forever change lives—including your own—for the better. Build your PR mission on the belief that what you do or what you sell will help people and that it is important that they learn about it.

• Who needs to know about what you do?

• How will knowing about your products and services help them?

• Why do you care if they care?

Wrestle that information to the ground and come to terms with the answers.

When your promotions are focused, the response you get back from the world will amaze you. Your job is to target your promotional efforts to the specific people who need your products or services. You’ll reach them with the help of the media, but don’t waste time on media venues that don’t provide substantial access to your key markets.

What will you say?

Articulate your message with clarity. You must be able to consistently tell people who you are and what you do—simply and clearly. When possible, tell them with passion, style, and enthusiasm, but simply and clearly will be good enough to get the results you need. Focus on venues that will allow you to deliver your message, rather than taking anything you can get.

Have ready short answers for these questions:

• What do you do?

• Why do people need this?

• What makes you or your product different?

If you struggle over coming up with answers to these questions and come to the conclusion that they don’t apply to your specific product or service, think again. And think harder this time.

For example, if you write fiction, maybe people need your product to provide an entertaining escape from the stress of their everyday worlds through a great laugh, a romantic thrill, or an armchair adventure. If you design beaded bracelets, perhaps you are helping women express their personal style or to make a unique fashion statement. If you are a personal chef, your services may help individuals with special diet needs or help working parents preserve the traditional family dinner.

Frame what you do and who you are around how you impact others.

When is the right time to speak up?

Timing can launch you or derail you. Consider timing strategically. Don’t quite understand? Think this over: You open a new car wash in the harshest winter in Midwest history; cars won’t line up. You try to sell snow shoes in the dog days of summer; nobody will be interested. On the first Monday in December, you try to arrange a book-signing event to promote your book during the holiday rush; the book chains tell you they don’t have any room for events in December and they

booked their January events back in October.

Timing can quick-track you or derail you. Get it right. If you don’t know the seasons of your industry, you need to find these out from someone who does know.

Ask these questions of folks in your arena who are in-the-know:

• What time of year is the busiest?

• What time of year is the slowest?

• What deadlines are too important for me to miss?

• When would people be most receptive to my message?

Question Three: “Yeah, right, but can I really do this?” Yes, you can.

A commonly overlooked factor in your ultimate success is the need to care about how you handle your own emotions during the promotional process. Your feelings impact your success. How you feel about what you’re doing is often more important than anything else, frequently more important than what you know and even who you know.

Your attitude can make or break you. You’re a human, after all. So, take care of your attitude by nurturing your feelings. Here are some of the feelings that are universally experienced by PR seekers:

“I’m anxious.”

That’s normal. Anxiety frequently occurs when you don’t know what to expect.Sometimes choosing ignorance is the more blissful path, but usually the best course is to learn what to expect and proactively prepare. When you feel anxious, ask yourself, “Who can help me prepare? What can I do to be prepared? ”

“I’m afraid.”  

That’s normal. Most PR fears are about the possibility that you can not handle what may happen. If your expectation is that you must handle everything perfectly; lower those expectations now. Perfection is not the standard by which success is measured in this arena. Showing up and enduring whatever comes your way gets the passing grade.  Making a messy, awkward, and even clumsy attempt to deal with whatever lands in your lap moves you right up the scale toward expert.  When you are afraid, ask yourself, “If this were a situation that received a grade, what would it take to earn an ‘A’ and a ‘C’? What would it take to really receive an ‘F’?”

“I’m confused.”

That’s normal. At first, you may be confused by everything happening around you. But, don’t miss out on what’s really going on. Typically, the most important changes are occurring within you. That is, the environment you’re in may be changing, but, usually, so are you. When you are confused about things, ask yourself, “Who could help me see this situation from a better perspective?”

“I’m suffering from stage fright.”

That’s so normal. Performance anxiety affects almost everyone, from the beginner to the most seasoned professional. The whole mess can often be avoided quite simply by being prepared, training yourself to stay on track, and learning positive self-talk techniques that don’t sabotage your self-esteem. Be nice to yourself and don’t discourage or belittle yourself. Never tell yourself things you wouldn’t say aloud to a close friend. Tune in to your inner dialogue, listen, and ask yourself, “What would I say to someone else in similar circumstances?”

“I’m stressed.”

Normal, too. Sometimes stress can motivate you; sometimes it can handicap you. Different people have different reactions. If you fall into the first category, you must learn to control your stress before it controls you. The goal is to learn how to practice safe stress. Ask yourself, “What really counts here? How can I refocus my energy toward something I can control?”

The emotions listed above are only some of the feelings you may experience. As things happen, you may be stunned by your sometimes relaxed, sometimes heart-pounding responses to the mundane process of promotion. The sooner you recognize how valuable your feelings are, the sooner you will understand how your feelings can help you succeed.  Let yourself have fun, and you’ll find opportunities that you never knew existed. Embrace the promotional process as a worthwhile adventure that is creative and intriguing, and you won’t have to look for opportunities at all because opportunities will find you.

Doing PR right means that you will meet exciting people, develop your talents, grow your career, and help change a corner of the world. The PR tools and promotional resources you need are already within your reach, or soon can be.