If you’re just launching your product or brand, trying to get publicity can be intimidating. Establishing yourself as a player in your line of business takes time, dedication, and doing a lot of leg work to establish connections, but there are some simple steps you can take at the outset to get the ball rolling and generate publicity for your company.
Diane Terman, president of a New York based public relations firm who has worked with many major creative individuals and organizations to launch their brand and who is a frequent guest lecturer at Harvard University, was recently quoted in Your Creative Brain: 7 Steps to Maximize Imagination, Productivity, and Innovation in Your Life, a Publication for Harvard. Here are a few tips directly from the book on branding yourself and your work.
- Increase your visibility in your community. Contact your local newspaper and let reporters know what you’re doing. Local papers are often looking for new human interest stories. Volunteer your services at a local charity or fund-raising event. If you’re a musician, offer to play for free at such an event. If you’re an artist, offer to donate a poster or sign relevant to the event or do sketches of community service. Most communities have community centers, YMCA branches, or nursing homes where any type of free lessons would be welcome. (Again, make sure your local paper knows about it, and bring business card to distribute!)
- Create “talking points”. Be able to explain what it is that you do and why it’s special in three sentences or less. Publicists call this an “elevator pitch” because it needs to be short enough that you can impart the essence of your work in the time it takes an elevator to get from the lobby to the 10th floor.
- Brand Yourself. Develop a special logo that’s associated with your work (make it unique, tied to what you do, and creative). Then splash that logo everywhere. Have it on your business cards, stationery or note cards, and your Web page. Develop a name or slogan that identifies your work. This should be short and pithy.
- Develop a Web presence. From Facebook to Twitter to your own Web page, the Internet is the place to see and be seen. A good, informative website accessible on a computer and a mobile device is the entry point most potential clients take to learn more about who you are. Give them the information they need quickly and attractively. Also, promote your site by taking advantage of social media.
If you would like more information on how Diane Terman PR can help you brand you and your business, please contact us or call us at 212-744-6055.
