{"id":8867,"date":"2011-06-07T07:04:05","date_gmt":"2011-06-07T12:04:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/37d57f8fa2.nxcli.io\/blog\/?p=8867"},"modified":"2011-06-08T09:50:58","modified_gmt":"2011-06-08T14:50:58","slug":"better-relationships","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.marketingforsuccess.com\/blog\/public-relations\/better-relationships\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Deal With PR Rejection and Come Out Alive"},"content":{"rendered":"

A few years ago, coauthor, Jill Lublin pitched an idea to a producer for a nationally syndicated cooking show, but the producer didn\u2019t buy Jill\u2019s idea.<\/p>\n

After the rejection, Jill continued to call the producer every month, even though she didn\u2019t have anything to pitch…<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/strong><\/p>\n

She simply called to say hello and find out what the producer was working on. Most of the time, Jill got\u00a0the producer\u2019s voice mail and just said \u201cHi, this is Jill Lublin of Promising Promotion. I\u2019m just calling to say hello. Hope all is well.\u201d<\/p>\n

About a year and a half later, a client hired Jill to promote a video called \u201cCooking for Busy People.\u201d Jill immediately contacted the producer who loved the idea and booked Jill\u2019s client on the spot. After Jill\u2019s client appeared on the show, the orders for her video poured in.<\/p>\n

Sales went through the roof and her single appearance launched a thriving business . . . all because of Jill\u2019s persistence and repeated calls to develop an invaluable media contact.<\/p>\n

The Rules<\/strong><\/p>\n

You can\u2019t win the small business public relations<\/a> game if you don\u2019t know the rules. Yet that\u2019s precisely what you\u2019re doing when you don\u2019t know the rules that govern relationships with the media. Since the media holds all the cards, they make the rules. If you want to play at their table, you have to adhere to their rules. Ironically, there are only three rules and they\u2019re alarmingly simple:<\/p>\n

1. You are a resource for the media.<\/p>\n

2. It\u2019s never personal. It\u2019s always about the story and its impact.<\/p>\n

3. The media can always change its mind, but you can\u2019t. At any time, it can revise, cut, postpone or even kill a story it agreed to run.<\/p>\n

The best way to generate buzz\u2014to get more articles and blog entries written about you or to be invited on more programs and podcasts\u2014is to help your targets reach their goals. If a journalist or a producer is working on a story about nursing homes, give him or her the name of the last nursing home director you met at a seminar and offer to set up an interview.<\/p>\n

Be a resource by asking contacts for a list of the projects on their editorial calendars for the next 30, 60, or 90 days. Inquire into and be sure you understand exactly what they need to complete their story. Then try to get it for them.\u00a0Become their researcher, investigator, contact person, and colleague.<\/p>\n

Stay on Their Radar<\/strong><\/p>\n

With the media, the saying \u201cout of sight is out of mind\u201d is a truism. So remain in their minds. Besides helping them with other projects, make sure you remain a constant presence in your media contacts\u2019 professional lives.<\/p>\n

Few things are appreciated more than small considerate gestures that aren\u2019t required or even expected. These can be as basic as a thank-you or congratulatory telephone call, e-mail, note, post card, or even a small gift. Before you give gifts, check with the organization to see if they have rules that prohibit or limit gifts. Remember, it actually is the thought that counts . . . so keep it simple.<\/p>\n

After making a new contact, send a handwritten \u201cnice-to-meet you\u201d note – something small and memorable.\u00a0Don\u2019t go overboard. Small efforts usually pay big dividends by:<\/p>\n

Keeping you and your product or service in your contact\u2019s mind<\/em><\/p>\n

Portraying you as pleasant, considerate, and smart<\/em><\/p>\n

Producing more referrals<\/em><\/p>\n

Tightening your relationship<\/em><\/p>\n

Remaining in contact with your various associates in the media industry will help you in the long run. By doing just a few of these simple things, your chances for publicity for your small business will grow.<\/p>\n

Handle Rejection Properly<\/strong><\/p>\n

Even if you\u2019ve helped your media contact, rejections are inevitable. You may be trying to sell flounder to a chef who needs turnips. So, make the most of them. Rejections can be opportunities. They can form the basis for future successes and can be building blocks for long-term relationships; use them to make a favorable impression. If you do, those who turned you down may remember your name, your courtesy, and professionalism. They may even remember where to turn if they need flounder.<\/p>\n

Remember – Although media relationships should be mutually beneficial, they aren\u2019t equal: the media holds the upper hand. Even if you have been rejected, stay in touch with that contact and remain on his or her radar.<\/p>\n

Try to turn even your rejections into solid, long-term relationships and make your small business public relations efforts work for you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A few years ago, coauthor, Jill Lublin pitched an idea to a producer for a nationally syndicated cooking show, but the producer didn\u2019t buy Jill\u2019s idea. After the rejection, Jill continued to call the producer every month, even though she didn\u2019t have anything to pitch…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[11],"tags":[382],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marketingforsuccess.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8867"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marketingforsuccess.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marketingforsuccess.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marketingforsuccess.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/39"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marketingforsuccess.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8867"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.marketingforsuccess.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8867\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marketingforsuccess.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8867"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marketingforsuccess.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8867"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marketingforsuccess.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8867"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}