Howard Stern Called, and I Blew It: A Cautionary PR Tale

Getting PR can be tough for small businesses. Owners who don't pay for positive public relations can put tremendous effort developing an angle and pitching the right media and journalists as they try desperately to stand out.

But say your hard work does pay off and you do land a PR opportunity. Are you ready? Even though I wasn't looking for it, one such opportunity recently fell in my lap. A few weeks ago I wrote 7 Things Howard Stern Can Teach You About Business. The Stern staff noticed the column, and Howard 100 News reporter Steve Langford called to do a quick interview for the air.

I sucked. Here's a sampling of what I did wrong:

1. I ignored the medium. I know sound is everything in radio, but I took Steve's call in my cavernous office on a cordless phone. Echoes and a scratchy phone do not make for great radio. Use a land line.
2. I thought "radio" instead of "conversation." Keep in mind Steve could not have been nicer. I told him I was nervous and he told me to just be conversational. In spite of his best efforts, I couldn't: I kept thinking about presentation and sound bites. When you know what you want to say, just say it -- it will come out great.
3. I tried to reinvent my own wheel. When I wrote the article I whittled 16 points down to seven. Thus I already had my bullet points, but I decided I couldn't repeat myself. Wrong: I should have simply covered the same points, using almost the same words. Instead, I tightened up and my points came out as unfocused rambling.
4. I forgot about the audience. An interviewer is always thinking about the audience, and so should you. How can you package your takeaways in an entertaining and memorable way? I tried to be funny, but comedy is best left to the professionals. To make your points, use brief analogies: "We're the FedEX of the same-day regional delivery business" works better than reciting your unique selling proposition.
5. I tried to do too much. While you should be conversational in your delivery, your words will result in sound bites (or text bites), not paragraphs. If you're incredibly lucky you'll make three points. Be happy if you make one, ecstatic if you make two. The more you try to shoehorn in the worse you'll do. Trust me.

Landing PR opportunities is only half the battle. Put as much or more effort into making sure you're ready when PR opportunities do come your way.

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