The Four Seasons of Publicity - Building an All-Year Publicity Machine
Author: Bill Stoller

If you’re like most publicity seekers, you probably think one project at a time. You’ve got a new product coming out in April, so you send out a release in March. You’ve hired a new executive, you’ll put out a release when she’s on board, etc.

For hard-core publicity insiders, though, there’s a rhythm to generating coverage, based upon the natural ebb and flow of the seasons. Such an approach can help you score publicity throughout the year, and will help keep your eye on the ball from January through December.

Essentially, a yearlong approach consists of two strategies:

* Timing your existing stories (new product introductions, oddball promotions, business page features, etc.) to fit the needs of the media during particular times of the year.

* Crafting new stories to take advantage of events, holidays and seasonal activities.

Before we run through the four seasons of publicity, a few words about lead time. In this age of immediacy (only a few seconds separate a Matt Drudge or a CNN from writing a story and putting it before millions), it’s easy to forget that, for many print publications and TV shows, it can be weeks -- and sometimes months -- before a completed story sees the light of day.

The phrase lead time simply refers to the amount of time needed for a journalist to complete a story for a particular issue of a magazine or episode of a TV news program. For example, a freelancer for an entertainment magazine may need to turn in a story on Christmas movies by September 15. That’s a lead time of three months, time needed for the editor to review and change the piece, the issue to be typeset and printed and distributors to place the issues on newsstands before December. Lead time can range from a day (for hard news pieces in newspapers) to a few days (newspaper features) to a few weeks (weekly magazines) to many months.

The longest leads are the domain of "women’s books" like Good Housekeeping and Better Homes & Gardens. These publications often have a lead time of up to six months, which means they need information for their Christmas issues as early as May!

Here’s a tip to help you discover the lead time of a particular publication you’re targeting: call the advertising department of the publication and request a media kit. Since advertisers need to know when their ads must be submitted, each issue’s lead time is clearly stated in the media kit.

Factor the lead time into your planning as you look over the following sections. If you have a great story idea for Rolling Stone’s summer issues, you need to be on the ball well before Memorial Day.

The Four Seasons of Publicity:

First Quarter: January - March

What the Media’s Covering: Early in the year, the media is looking ahead. It’s a great time to pitch trend stories, marketplace predictions, previews of things to expect in the year ahead, etc. If a new President is being inaugurated, you’ll see lots of "Will the new administration be good for the (textile/film/cattle ranching/Internet/...or any other) industry?" types of pieces. This is a good time to have something provocative, or even controversial, to say about your industry.

The media also likes this time of year to run "get your personal house in order" sorts of pieces. Tax planning, home organizing, weight loss, etc. Anything that’s geared toward helping people keep their New Year’s resolutions can work here.

Key Dates and Events: Can you come up with a story angle to tie your business into an event that typically generates lots of coverage? Put on your thinking cap -- I bet you can! Here are some key events during the First Quarter: Super Bowl, NCAA Tournament, Easter, The Academy Awards.

Second Quarter: April - June

What the Media’s Covering: An "anything goes" time of year. With no major holidays or huge events, April is a good time to try some of your general stories (business features, new product stuff, etc.) Light, fun stories work here, as a sense of "spring fever" takes hold of newsrooms (journalists are human, you know. They’re just as happy winter is over as you are and it’s often reflected in the kind of stories they choose to run.). As May rolls around, thoughts turn to summer. Now they’re looking for summer vacation pieces, outdoor toys and gadgets, stories about safety (whether automotive or recreational), leisure activities, things to do for kids and so on.

Key Dates and Events: Baseball opening day, tax day (April 15), spring gardening season, Memorial Day, end of school, summer vacation.

Third Quarter: July - September

What the Media’s Covering: The dog days of summer are when smart publicity seekers really make hay. Folks at PR firms are on vacation, marketing budgets are being conserved for the holidays and reporters are suddenly accessible and open to all sorts of things. Get to work here, with creative, fun angles. Entertainment-themed pieces do well in the summer, anything with celebrities works, lighter business stories, new products, trend pieces, technology news, back to school education-themed articles, you name it. Reporters are about to get deluged once again come September, so use this window of opportunity wisely.

Key Dates and Events: July 4th, summer movies, summer travel, back to school.

Fourth Quarter: October - December

What the Media’s Covering: The busiest time of the media calendar, the Fourth Quarter is when the business media turns serious and the lifestyle media thinks Holidays, Holidays, Holidays. Business angles need to be hard news. Fluffy trend pieces won’t cut it, as business editors begin to take stock of the state of the economy and the market. It’s a tough time to put out a new product release. For the non-business media, think Christmas. Christmas travel, Christmas gifts, Christmas cooking, whatever. If you have a product or service that can be given as a holiday gift, get on the stick early.

Nail down lead times for the publications you’re targeting, call to find out who’s handling the holiday gift review article and get your product in the right person’s hands in plenty of time -- along with a pitch letter or release that makes a strong case about how what a novel, unusual or essential gift your product makes. After Christmas, you have a brief window for "Best of the Year", "Worst of the Year" and "Year in Review" pieces. Be creative -- the media loves these things.

Key Dates and Events: Labor Day, World Series, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, New Year’s Eve.

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Bill Stoller, the "Publicity Insider", has spent two decades as one of America's top publicists. Now, through his website, eZine and subscription newsletter, Free Publicity: The Newsletter for PR-Hungry Businesses http://www.PublicityInsider.com/freepub.asp , he's sharing -- for the very first time -- his secrets of scoring big publicity. For free articles, killer publicity tips and much, much more, visit Bill's exclusive new site: http://www.publicityInsider.com

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Reach Your Dreams
Author: Kathy Sanborn

Because you spend so much of your time at work, it is crucial to find a career that offers you both personal fulfillment and financial reward. Unfortunately, many individuals stay in work that is unsatisfying, not realizing that they have within them the capacity to achieve their career dreams.

In my new book, The Seasons of Your Career, I show you the steps you need to take in order to make your professional dreams come true. In order to reach your career goals, you'll want to pay attention to these key concepts along the way.

Find Your Path of Service

Your career will be more fulfilling if it is one where you can brighten people's lives through your work. By doing your job to the best of your ability, you truly can make a difference and improve the world at the same time. No matter which career you choose, if you perform it from the heart, you will be a success. People will sense that you love what you do, and reward you for it.

Focus on Personal Growth

As you go along in your career, you will have many opportunities to grow in maturity and wisdom. Achieving a higher level of personal growth will help you to find work that serves others as well as suits your own particular talents and interests. Doing your job with personal integrity and a strong work ethic will be a key ingredient in your ultimate career triumph.

Listen to Your Heart's Wisdom

Your intuition is an important component of your personal and professional happiness. Many people forget to develop and to use their inner wisdom, thus ignoring a critical tool in their quest for success and fulfillment. Relying only on the rational mind to make your career decisions leaves out the vital role of your own inner wisdom. To overlook your intuition is to do so at your own risk. Your heart's wisdom comes to you by way of hunches and gut feelings that may not coincide with your own rational thoughts, but may prove to be invaluable in any career move.

Remember, you deserve a career that brings you joy and success. You have within you the necessary talent, creativity, and wisdom to attain your career dreams. Just listen to your heart and let your dreams take flight.

© 2003 Kathy Sanborn







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Kathy Sanborn is a career expert, success coach, and author of the innovative new book, The Seasons of Your Career. For more information, visit www.lifeandcareercoaching.com and www.kathysanborn.com.

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