joint venture marketing

Millions of people read the newspaper every day. Many others read magazine articles. Most of these two groups combined believe and trust the better part of what they read.

What is published on those pages becomes regarded as truth, or at least it holds an inkling of truth. The stories are often the topics of morning radio talk shows, people chatting at work or among friends. In short, the stories that make it to print have an impact on consumers.

Therein exists a very effective form of collaboration marketing. With the media, you are building the trust of consumers, who will in turn be more likely to buy your product or service. The trick is to get the newsmakers to write about you and your business, which starts with news releases. In accomplishing this goal, you will form a strategic alliance with the media. The key to success with this strategy is to have well written releases. The media receives countless press releases each day and if it’s not in the proper form, or you’ve a made a mistake, your release goes in the trash.

Hiring a communications firm to write them for you is a great idea. They will have a large media list with specific contact information for publications in your area and around the country. Getting your release to the right person is important. These contacts can be found on your own in most cases, although it make take a lot of work. Chances are you will have to make your way through many gatekeepers before you find the right person. There are online services where if you subscribe, you will have access to their media lists. However, some of these sites can be hundreds of dollars to obtain.

If you are going to give it a go yourself, here are a few key things to remember in writing a news release. Never call members of the press members of the press. It is thought of as a negative term these days. So, at the top of your page it should read ‘News Release’, not Press Release. If the content of your release is time sensitive, then the words – for immediate release’ should be in the second line. This will tell the media that the info in the release has an upcoming expiration date. If it can be used for a while, then it should read ‘for release at will.’ This will give your release a longer shelf life and it has a better chance of seeing its way to print. Be sure to include your contact information. Keep paragraphs very short, one or two sentences. Keep the entire news release to one page when possible.

Consistency is going to play an important role in this strategy. Forming a strategic alliance with the media will be key to your collaboration-marketing plan. Some will choose to send media releases once a month for an elongated period of time. Some plans span 3 months, while others choose a more secure year or more. Of course, not all releases will turn into articles because big news happens and you’ll get sent to the bottom of the pile. But chances are if you consistently send your releases, you’ll see your name in print.

christian fea is CEO of Synertegic, Inc. A joint venture marketing firm. He exemplifies how to profit from Joint Venture relationships by creating profit centers with minimal risk and maximum profitability.

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