White - Image management: the publicity push: how to build and maintain a media profile

Morag White has over 20 years experience as a publicist in the entertainment industry with roles as Communication Manager, Screen Producers Association; Publicity & Promotions Manager for Larrikin Entertainment; and Marketing and Publishing Manager with Music Sales.

Morags business, Push Productions, has worked with such clients as Film Australia, One Extra Dance, the Australian Youth Orchestra and the Goethe Institut.

Morag has taught PR at TAFE, APM, JMC Academy and was a regular guest lecturer for UTSs School of Leisure, Sport and Tourism.

Acknowledgements

I would like to extend my sincere thanks to my friends and colleagues for the generous help and support they gave me in writing this book. Thank you very much: Colin Seeger, photographer Roslyn Sharp, Tim Douglas (The Australian), photographer Heidrun Lhr, Ben Steer, and Bruce Elder.

A very special thank you to Craig Pearce (Craig Pearce, Strategic Communication) for his intelligent feedback, and publisher Caroline Webber who suggested I write this book and for the confidence she placed in me.

Contents

Foreword

The media landscape is undergoing the biggest transformation, some say, since the development of the Gutenberg printing press. The internet has given rise to the citizen journalist, with social media tools like Facebook and Twitter allowing us all to become active participants in the generating of news. Newsrooms are now completely reinventing themselves, and journalists regularly make call outs via social media to source experts and information for stories.

This easy access to the internet means the public is much more media savvy social media can create overnight sensations and celebrities talk about their brand.

In this highly competitive environment trying to raise awareness and gain traction for your business can be tough. As pivotal as social media is, understanding how to successfully leverage your brand and get your message heard requires adopting enduring communication principles and applying a professional and strategic approach.

The aim of this book is to equip the reader with a thorough understanding of how to plan and implement successful media strategies that will create awareness of your brand and communicate with target audiences. The Publicity Push will guide the reader through the communication process, explain how to design effective publicity programs, analyse what makes a newsworthy story, demonstrate how to write a media release, discuss the importance of developing professional relationships with the media and how to manage in a crisis.

The Publicity Push is designed for the publicity novice and for those who want to self-manage their media activities. The Publicity Push is ideal for the small business operator, the arts practitioner, the sole trader or for anyone serious about building a credible profile. Readers should be able to easily implement the strategies outlined in the book to achieve their goals or, alternatively, use the information to confidently brief a professional publicist.

The business of generating and sustaining a media profile is hard work, and requires a creative approach and perseverance to secure coveted editorial placement and interviews. If you have done your homework, researched the media, have a great story to tell and a long-term vision in place, your dedicated efforts will return substantial benefits for both you and your business the process of carving out and establishing your profile has begun.