When it comes to public relations Dale Beaumont knows more than a thing or two about what is required to get the media’s attention. He has generated over $5 million worth of free media for his clients, earned the title ‘Australia’s Most Prolific Author’ by publishing 11 books within a single year and been featured in over 100 on and off line media publications.
Dale’s approach to public relations is very simple. “If you think of TV or radio they have 24 hours of dead air that they need to fill with something that draws people to viewer their message.
Doing this will enable them to get better ratings and charge more for advertising, For an individual or company to get PR all they need to do is research and supply the stories relevant to the publication they are looking to get into. Your story needs to be compelling, have a unique edge and be accompanied with statistics to back up the article.
It’s a matter of sitting down and asking yourself questions to discover what makes your story different and what will make someone stop drinking their latte and read your article. Before doing anything individuals first need to find the best suited media outlet for the story in order for it to be targeted.” Dale explains.
The powerful thing about publicity is that once you have been listed in a publication you can then use that for years and years to come. With so many PR companies and individuals competing for a piece of the action; the hardest part is standing out and making your story newsworthy.
Dale goes onto to explain that there are many ways to go about getting publicity. You can:
- Piggy back off something that is already in the news especially if it is from overseas.
- Scan the news papers and magazines and watch for stories breaking out on news
- Have something new and create an angle that is going to be unique, edge, and grabby
But the reason why most companies or individuals fail to gain any success in getting PR is because:
- They are not aware of the publications deadlines and therefore look unprofessional
- They believe the media is there to do them some sort of favor.
- They try to get into TV or radio without having a track record,
- They don’t raise enough controversy, statistics and story is not compelling
“A lot of people try to be fancy and send their press with all sorts of different approaches but I think all that gimmicky stuff actually does more harm than it does in getting their attention.
If you rely on this stuff to work then your angle is not strong enough, you need to go back to your story and make it more compelling. Even if you had all the contacts within the media industry; your story would still not get published if it was not news worthy.”
With an obvious track-record of personal success, Dale is now a sought-after speaker and teaches others how to quickly become a micro-celebrity in their field.
Interview by: Alex Pirouz is the founder of RIDC Advisory Pty Ltd. A Business and Sales Advisory firm partnering with Australia’s largest and fastest growing companies to further increase their revenue. Visit www.RIDC.com.au for more details
