Home
>
Public Relations
>
The Story The Media Really Wants

The Story The Media Really Wants

If you're like most of my clients, you're probably interested in getting the media to cover the success of your business. These "business success stories" can be used for future marketing efforts -- including reprints of the story in your marketing materials or on your Web site, or framing the article and hanging it in your office.

Well, I'm all for that, of course.

But ... did you know that the media is often more interested in the story behind the story -- not necessarily a standard business profile?

What do I mean by the "story behind the story"?

Sometimes it means the reason why you started the business in the first place. Often, this is more interesting to the media's audience than the business itself. For example, my client, Christine King of Get Fit! Functional Fitness Studios, was the subject of a Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel Sunday Fitness Profile, not so much because she was the owner of a fitness studio, but because she was in an accident years ago that left her temporarily paralyzed, and she used functional fitness moves to rehabilitate herself. This led her to leave her corporate job and start a functional fitness studio.

Another "story behind the story" might be a major event that catapulted your business to incredible success. Some magazines, such as Fortune Small Business, have a regular feature on that subject. Local newspapers also often run these types of articles. For instance, client Lori Karmel of We Take the Cake was featured in a recent Monday South Florida Sun-Sentinel Small Business Profile in the Business Section. The main theme of the story was how her appearance on last November's Oprah Winfrey Show, in which she was featured offering one of Oprah's Favorite Things (the company's Key Lime Bundt Cake), helped We Take the Cake's sales skyrocket.

Another type of "story behind the story" is how you or your company helped another company become successful. This was the subject of a recent "Case Study" feature for client Bob Garner in the Wall Street Journal. A client of Bob's told how Bob's trade show presentation had increased the client's trade show ROI significantly.

If you're wondering if these types of stories are as effective as pure business profiles, the answer is a resounding YES! Here's why:

1. These stories are often more interesting to readers and viewers, so the audience understands more of the story about you, which leads to better retention of your company's products and/or services.

2. These stories often incorporate a great deal of your company information, often in a very flattering way.

3. These stories show a different side of you and your business that is often hard to describe to others.

So if the media is interested in the "story behind the story", eagerly embrace the idea. It may very well lead to your best, and most effective, publicity coverage ever!

Margie Fisher is President of Margie Fisher Public Relations. She is also the author of the Do-It-Yourself Public Relations Kit?. To sign up for her free biweekly PRactical P.R. newsletter, and to see more free articles, visit http://www.margiefisher.com

scheduled cleaning services Winnetka ...

In The News:

Americans average 10-plus hours online daily, according to recent survey, splitting time between streaming shows on TV and browsing websites on multiple devices.

Boost your smartphone privacy instantly with these security tweaks for iPhone and Android that limit ad tracking, hide notifications and prevent unauthorized access.

Platforms like Hoax Tech and JS Click Cloaker help cybercriminals bypass detection systems using machine learning to selectively display scam content to victims.

A new battery recycling technique transforms old lithium-ion batteries into high-performance components that retain 88% capacity after 500 cycles with minimal waste.

Google's Android operating system can warn users about earthquakes before the shaking even begins – and there are ways to do it on your iPhone, too.

Meta's new gesture control wristband might just be the most seamless way to control a computer yet. And no, it doesn't require surgery, a camera, or even a touchscreen. All it needs is your wrist.

Long-haul trucks are now being upgraded with a surprising twist, thanks to California-based startup Revoy. Their electric boost doesn't replace diesel but works alongside it to cut emissions and fuel costs without major disruption.

PayPal and Venmo just rolled out something big: AI-powered scam alerts for Friends and Family payments.

As data centers multiply across the United States, energy demand is increasing at a rapid pace. This has not escaped the notice of large investment firms from Wall Street.

The Unicode Consortium, the nonprofit organization that maintains the Unicode Standard to ensure emojis work across devices, has announced Unicode 17.0, which includes nine new emojis slated for release this fall, in September 2025.

OpenAI is one of the world's leading AI research labs. Founded in 2015, it's behind some of today's most talked-about tools, including GPT, DALL·E, and ChatGPT.

Ever catch your dog staring at the screen during movie night and wonder if they're actually watching? Turns out, they might be. A new scientific study from Auburn University found that many dogs really do engage with television, and not all pups react the same way.

Stop the scammers from making contact in the first place. They're getting your parents' contact information and much more personal data besides, from somewhere.

The Walker S2 robot from UBTech autonomously exchanges its batteries in just three minutes, allowing continuous operation in car factories operated by BYD, Nio and Zeekr.

The FX Super One electric MPV from Faraday Future offers flexible seating, zero-gravity recliners and an AI system that creates a personal connection between driver and vehicle.

Practical solutions for reducing unwanted charity mail, political texts and email spam by opting out of shared lists, replying "STOP" and using data removal services.

Delta's new AI pricing system eliminates static airfares for personalized rates based on individual data, raising questions about fairness while promising optimized revenue.

AI data centers are straining the power grid across 13 states, contributing to a $9 billion increase in electricity costs, and PJM customers face monthly bill increases of $25 or more.

Artificial intelligence is transforming the music industry as AI-generated bands like The Velvet Sundown earn substantial streaming revenue, prompting lawsuits from major record labels.

Microsoft phishing scams use fake security alerts and links that redirect to credential-stealing pages with warning signs, including urgent language and unusual senders.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Tesla vehicles manufactured since mid-2021 with AMD Ryzen processors can now access Grok 4, xAI's witty conversational assistant designed to make drives more engaging.

Understand how technology affects mental health through five concepts, including blue light exposure, screen time management and algorithmic bias.

Electric vehicle maker Lucid adds hands-free driving through an over-the-air update for Air sedan owners with the DreamDrive Pro package and Gravity SUV support coming later.

Protect your home network from hidden dangers, including router vulnerabilities, ISP tracking and smart device weaknesses with proper encryption, firmware updates and VPN technology.