Publicity,Campaigns,amp,#58,Ho business, insurance Publicity Campaigns: How Many Hours.How Many Months&

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When it comes to generating publicity for a product, business or website,one of the hardest decisions entrepreneurs have to make is whether to launchthe campaign themselves. What makes it tough is trying to determine theamount of time it might take to launch and maintain a successful publicitycampaign. This article will help address a couple of those criticalelements: the length of your publicity efforts and; the respective number ofhours it may take to get the job done effectively.In my PR career, I have launched campaigns that needed the blast of just afew weeks of publicity and I have also maintained lengthy campaigns thatgenerated media exposure for years. From my professional experience, I cantell you that a single distribution of a media release is rarely effective.Most times, editors and reporters are working on multiple stories at onceand need some time to consider your pitch. Although your release may indeedbe interesting and newsworthy, the editor may simply not have the space touse your pitch at that point in the media outlet's editorial calendar. Somake sure he/she sees it again when that editorial calendar opens up a fewweeks down the line. Keep in mind also that because media outlets receive somany media releases and story pitches these days, it can sometimes take themweeks before they actually get to something you may have sent their way.That's why it's important to conduct extensive media follow-ups over thecourse of several months to ensure media reception, proper media digestionand hopefully media acceptance of your release or pitch.I tell my clients, "No PR agency or publicist in the world can FORCE themedia to use their releases, but they CAN make sure that by the end of thecampaign, the media has seen or heard about your message in one form oranother - which will lead to solid media coverage."One of the keys to determining the length of a successful campaign isknowing when you have fired all your publicity bullets; when it's time tore-pack the chambers with new ammo; or when you should move onto othermarketing targets. Over the past several years, here's how the campaignlengths have broken down for my clients:1-2 month campaigns : 9%3-6 month campaigns: 46%6-9 month campaigns: 29%9+ month campaigns: 16%· 1 - 2 month campaigns are most often timely, date-sensitive campaigns -- arelease or message tied to a current event that may be outdated in 6 - 8weeks. A while back, one client of mine quickly produced a website aimed atstopping Napster's file sharing services. We launched a campaign a few weeksbefore the Supreme Court ruling and generated some great spot coverage innewspapers and TV news shows nationwide -- the site and the campaign werefinished in 6 weeks.· Most new product publicity campaigns are best suited for the 3 - 6 monthtime frame -- allowing for the often drawn out lead-times of some mediaoutlets. Having said that though, some product campaigns can be extended forseveral more months based on media reaction and subsequent consumerinterest. For instance, the "scooter" product publicity campaign likelystarted out as a six-month program, but that was stretched out over a yearbecause of the sales fervor and popularity of the product.· The longest campaigns are for those clients whose businesses or expertiseare "evergreen and regenerative" - meaning they are not tied to the shelflife of a new product launch; aren't linked to a specific date; and can bere-stoked for a new round of media interest every few months. One of mylongtime clients is a "tradeshow specialist". Her expert advice isnewsworthy anytime of year and can be covered editorially year after year -especially in business and trade magazines. That lends itself to multiplearticles and features month after month in a wide array of media outlets.Remember -- creativity and media pitching ingenuity can help add months ofsuccess to your publicity campaign.HOW MANY HOURS:A large number of hours will be spent planning and shaping your publicitycampaign for the media market. The preparation of the media market researchand the polishing of the media release may seem painstaking, but when doneright, they are well worth the effort. After the initial launch of thecampaign, be prepared to spend at least an hour or two each day maintainingit: conducting numerous media follow-ups and making new media pitches,(emails, faxes, mailings and phone calls); fulfilling media requests(forwarding product photos, media kits/product samples, arranginginterviews) and tracking/clipping articles and features.Here's a brief rundown on the number of hours that may be involved in atypical campaign:(These hours are averaged estimates. Many PR specialists might be able toget the work done more efficiently for you.)CAMPAIGN LAUNCHMedia Release Writing/Editing: 5 hoursMedia Market Research: 15 hoursMedia Distribution: 10 hours------------------------------------------------------------------TOTAL LAUNCH HOURS: 30 hoursCAMPAIGN MAINTENANCE: 30+ hours /month(3-Month Campaign) (90 hours)-------------------------------------------------------------------TOTAL CAMPAIGN HOURS -120+ work hoursIf you have the time, staff and expertise to launch your own campaign, thentake advantage of the media and get your message to them. But if yourexpertise lies in another area, and you or your staff lack publicitygenerating skills (or have little or no experience in dealing with themedia) it might be best to hand it off to someone who can make sure its doneright - the first time. Ask yourself these questions when deciding whetheryou can handle your own publicity campaign:· Do I have the expertise and time to get it done effectively withouthampering my current workload or that of my staff?· Do I have the writing capabilities to put together a media release orfeature pitch to which editors, reporters and producers will respond?· Do I have the resources to conduct the media research and distribute myrelease to those media outlets?If you answered "yes" to all, not just some of these questions, then perhapsyou can benefit from launching your own publicity campaign. Best of luck!