Four Seasons of Publicity

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 year long 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/http://www.womensnet.net.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.

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