Hi everyone! From time to time, I’ll be posting my thoughts on Drew’s Publicity Buzz blog. I’m learning PR as I go, so I hope to capture my observations and lessons learned to share with others. I’m also an avid do-it-yourselfer and I often notice parallels between what I’m doing in my personal life and the commitments I have in my professional life.
I’m currently roofing the gazebo my wife and I built in our backyard a little over a month ago. We chose split cedar shingles for their beauty—but not for their ease of installation. Each night after work, my wife and I dedicate about an hour and a half to installing the cedar shingles. It’s just enough time to see the last sliver of the setting sun drop below the mountain that shadows our house. And each night, we get just a little bit more done than the night before—one pie-shaped panel the first night, one and a third the next, one and a half last night… and soon we’ll have it done. We’re getting faster… and better… each night as we continue to develop our system.
It’s that same systematic approach that works so well in getting media coverage. And just like the starter course of shingles at the overhang of each panel of the gazebo roof, it’s the core messages of a PR campaign that set the tone for success or failure. Everything in a PR campaign builds on your core message, your brand. If you can communicate what you do and why you’re unique in a short sentence that others easily remember, you’re there. So I ask, “What is your core media message?”
About the guest blogger:
Shannon Nicholson, VP of Sales, brings his expertise in sales and customer service from 15 years of working in the banking industry. Once committed to making a difference for people as a loan officer and financial counselor, he took a half-year sabbatical to ride his motorcycle through North America and South America. He has now nestled into a new career: making a difference for people in the world of PR.
