Stay Positive

With gas prices skyrocketing and companies nationwide cutting back, your phone might not be ringing as much as it did a few weeks ago. On my end, I’ve been dealing with journalists who recently lost their jobs or are dealing with depressing economic-downturn stories.

There is a lot of negativity out there, but don’t let it get to you. And by all means, stop hanging around the negative people in your life. Without knowing it, they can zap your energy and creativity. Just look at PINK’s May article “Something to Prove” on how the naysayers gave these entrepreneurs the drive to succeed.

When you least expect it, positive things happen. For example, I recently conducted a lot of research for a story angle about having dogs in the office. The pitch was a huge success … at first.

Radio and television producers were clamoring to get all of the information, schedule interviews and get the exclusive story. But then, major election news broke. I couldn’t reach anyone who asked for additional data.

However, as a seasoned publicist, I know that you should never get excited about a media placement until it actually happens. I was disappointed, but this made me try harder. I knew it was a great story. I just had to find the right person to share it with – at the right time.

Sure enough, I got in touch with a previous contact at Newsweek, and she loved the idea. The article recently ran in the June 16 issue and gave my client some great publicity that would have cost a fortune in advertising dollars. And a quote also appeared in the Los Angeles Times.

The moral of the story is that no matter how bad things get, you’ve got to stay focused and positive. Try to surround yourself with successful, happy people. Their exuberance and love of life will wear off on you.

With this in mind, what should you do while you’re waiting for a big media mention to be published?

Remain calm and quiet.
 Do not tell people about the potential media placement until it actually occurs. You never know if the story will be cut due to breaking news or some other issue that is out of your control.

Plus, if it’s an exclusive, you shouldn’t be telling others about the story until it runs anyway. Otherwise, the media member will not be happy you “leaked” the story and may not work with you again.

Keep working.
 Continue to work on all the publicity activities in your PR plan. It’s important to keep media members aware of your current news and events on a regular basis.

Prepare for the story.
 If the story runs, be prepared for a potential upswing in orders, requests for information and additional news coverage. Know how to get copies of the broadcast or article as soon as possible.


You’ll also want to obtain appropriate approvals to post the story on your website and use it in your marketing materials.

If you manage expectations and prepare accordingly, you can continue to grow your business whether a big media mention runs or not. And if the story does go live and brings in new customers, advertisers and sponsors, then you can tell everyone and celebrate to your heart’s content.

By Melanie Rembrandt