The first time I issued a press release, I didn’t  really know what I was doing.  I just read it somewhere and thought that  maybe I could try it and see if that publicity was going to drive mountains of sales
my way.

What I didn’t know was just how big the publicity was going to
be!

I didn’t just get calls from newspapers and radio stations in New
Jersey and New York. I was doing interviews with news
organizations around the world.

I spoke to reporters at outlets I’d never heard of.

I only knew two things knew about these media organizations:
they were going to give me sales – and I certainly hadn’t sent them
a press release.

That second point made me think. If I hadn’t sent them a press
release how did these newspapers and radio stations get hold of
me?

The answer was obvious: they’d seen the story on the news, just
like everyone else!

Without a doubt, one of the most amazing things about publicity is
that when you have a good story for the media, there’s no telling
where you’ll end up. You could send out a fax release to your town
newspaper and the next day, you could get a call from Oprah
Winfrey inviting you on her show.

The reason is simple.

Reporters are desperate for stories.

They have to put out their publication or show every day or every
week without fail. And each edition has to be packed with
interesting information. They can’t just say, “Well heck, it’s been a
quiet week this week, let’s cut twenty minutes from the show.”

It just doesn’t work that way.

Whatever happens – or doesn’t happen – reporters and editors
have to produce exactly the same amount of information in each
edition or each program.

That’s why they watch the news like hawks. They want to see if
there are any stories that they’ve missed.

Sure, it’s best to be first. But it’s better to run a story that’s
already been reported than not to report it all.

That’s why they thank their lucky stars when they get your press
release.

And that’s why the story on that press release can end up circling
the world before you know it.

That’s all for now. In my next message, I’ll talk about the story
ideas you can give to the media.