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PR Fuel: Four Not to ForgetEvery PR person's dream is to score his or her client an appearance on "Oprah," a front-page article in The New York Times or a feature in Time magazine. There is a reason I say this is a dream.Clients often have lofty expectations and they tend to ignore the big picture, pushing for "big hits" instead of a steady stream of solid media exposure. In doing so, they may miss out on important PR opportunities either by not taking an opportunity seriously or, worse, by ignoring the possibility that a magazine with a circulation of 30,000 can do as much for them as an article in a national newspaper. With this mind, I've highlighted four media opportunities - two specific media outlets and two types of media outlets - that I believe should be on the pitch list of every PR person. AARP The Magazine (http://www.aarpmagazine.org/): Published by The American Association for Retired Persons, the bimonthly magazine is the world's largest-circulation periodical, reaching more than 33 million people (rate base of 23.5 million). The media age for readers is 62 years old and women make up a little more than 60% of readers. The average reader of AARP The Magazine is college-educated, owns a home and has household income of more than $50,000. Jack Nicholson graces the cover of the current issue of AARP The Magazine, which also includes articles on personal finance, health and fitness, travel and gadgets aimed at older demographics. The magazine is a perfect target if you're trying to reach a mature audience, be it to promote a book or movie, vacation destination, product or service. In addition to reaching AARP members, AARP The Magazine attracts additional eyes in public spaces such as doctor's offices, community centers and airports. Let's not forget the children of AARP members, those people who need something to read when visiting mom and dad. Bloomberg Radio (http://www.bloomberg.com/tvradio/radio/): While Bloomberg is synonymous with financial news, the company's radio station turns into a National Public Radio-esque platform at night and on the weekend, airing shows on current events, politics, culture and sports. This past weekend, I heard a lengthy interview with historian/author David McCullough, who was promoting the "John Adams" mini-series currently airing on HBO (based on his book), and as I write this, astronaut Leroy Chiao is being interviewed. The station is available on terrestrial radio in the New York City area (WBBR, 1130 AM), both domestic satellite radio providers and international satellite radio provider WorldSpace, giving it a rather large distribution area. The Bloomberg wire service sometimes writes companion stories based on the station's interviews, increasing the reach of the media placement, and podcasts for some shows are available on iTunes and directly through the Bloomberg website. The boon for PR people is that Bloomberg Radio is beautifully paced and expertly produced. Interviews are lengthy and engaging, and interviewers are typically at the top of their game, giving the interviewee plenty of space to get an opinion or anecdote in. PR people handling clients in the financial arena should target the station's regular programming (which is as engaging as that being produced by any financial news media outlet), while PR people representing authors, academics, non-profit organizations, cultural institutions and others should target the weekend and night shows such as Night Talk, Muse, The World in Time and Political Capital. Inflight Magazines (http://www.itravelnet.com/publications/inflightmagazines.html): Talk about a captive audience. Inflight magazines continue to be the standard on most airlines and, surprisingly, the magazines often offer up interesting and timely articles. More so, inflight magazines are increasing their online presence, with quite a few operating in-depth websites, and because of the number of business travelers who read the publications, the demographics tend to skew towards the affluent end of the market. One of the best things about inflight magazines is that you can do good geographic targeting. For example, if you're handling public relations for a restaurant owner with four locations in Dallas, you can target the inflight magazines serving airlines that fly to or have a hub in the city. Travel and leisure clients are the not only organizations that will benefit from inflight magazine exposure. The publications include reviews of books, movies, gadgets and other products and services, as well as feature and trend stories. The current issue of Delta's Sky Magazine is dedicated to "green" matters and provides some nice promotion for a Vermont maple syrup producer, and Continental's eponymous magazine has a small piece on high-end kitchen appliances. Inflight magazines are very open to pitches, specifically those involving the key markets that the airline serves. Freelance writers provide a large percentage of the content, so bear that in mind when you're getting ready to pitch. Local and Regional Magazines: You've seen them in hotel rooms and in news boxes. These glossy magazines are advertising-driven publications that just happen to include interesting content and fantastic promotion opportunities for local and regional businesses. My mother happens to contribute to one such magazine, Points North (http://www.ptsnorth.com), which serves Atlanta and its northern suburbs. In the past, she has written articles about everything from Kentucky's Bourbon Trail and local vineyards (I'm seeing a pattern here) to a North Carolina business that offers Segway tours in a national park and local honey producers. What's interesting is that my mother never gets pitched by PR people or local business owners, something she finds curious. She picks her own subjects but said she would not mind if people pitched her because it would make her job easier. These publications are available in most areas and they serve as great outlets to promote local businesses, especially those in the leisure and services industries. The magazines are typically offered free to readers and they're generally laid out and packaged nicely.
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