INFORMATION CENTER

Taking Your Story to the Media

There is probably not a single Youngevity® Rep who hasn't fantasized about promoting their Youngevity®; business through the mass media. Just imagine the phone calls following that 60-second Rebound fx™ ad during an NBA All-star game halftime. While there are many Youngevity® Reps who have spent advertising dollars to grow their businesses, there is an alternative form of promotion that is easily overlooked--and a lot less expensive. It is called "public relations."

"What is public relations, and how does it differ from advertising?" A frequent distinction between the two marketing disciplines is that of "paid media" versus "earned media." Very simply, with advertising, you pay to place a message. The costs associated with placing that message vary according to the reach of the media (national network TV versus your hometown daily newspaper), the length of your message (a 30-second radio spot versus a TV infomercial or full-page newspaper ad), and the frequency with which that message is delivered. Additional advertising costs can include design and production, unless you use the Youngevity ad templates available to you on this website.

By contrast, public relations is earned media. You don't buy the media that delivers your message, though you do have to have a story that is compelling enough to deserve the time and attention of the media. Fortunately for Youngevity® Reps, we are in a business that inherently generates interest: the business of good health. The trick in transforming that interest into ink lies in knowing the story you have to tell, identifying the appropriate media to tell it to, and "packaging" your story in a compelling way. The benefit of harnessing public relations goes beyond free advertising. The simple fact that someone else (i.e., a reporter) is telling your story gives it a credibility that paid advertising can seldom, if ever, equal.

So, how does one go about putting together a homegrown public relations program? The secret to public relations success is really a mix of the following ingredients: a little research, some creativity, a bit of salesmanship, and a lot of persistence! Here are some tips to getting the media you deserve.

Know Your Audience

No matter where you live, you will find "the media." Perhaps it's your local newspaper, weekly gazette, or local network TV affiliate. And of course, the popularity of talk radio means that more and more communities have radio stations that will devote a portion of their broadcast time to this format.

The very first thing you need to do in starting your Youngevity® public relations program is to identify your media targets. Your daily newspaper should have a listing of section editors. Chances are that your best media friend will be the editor of the "lifestyle" section, since this is the section that will most likely cover health, fitness, and nutrition stories. You should also know who the business editor is, in case you have a "business" story to promote (more on this later). A simple call to your local radio and TV stations will yield the names of news directors and assignment editors. Be sure to get e-mail addresses for these individuals as well as fax and phone numbers, since the Internet is becoming a more popular way to communicate with the media. You can also look up this information on the Internet. Most media outlets have their own websites with their contact information listed. With this information in hand, you are ready for the next step.

Know Your Story

Now that you know whom to talk to, what are you going to say? Essentially, a media "pitch" can fall into one of two categories: the "hard news" story ("nutritional supplement distributor expands") or the "evergreen" story ("local basketball team discovers nutritional approach to increasing their energy"). In the first case, the story focuses on a timely event-most often a business milestone. The introduction of a new product line, the addition of new employees, and the receipt of a reward or commendation are all examples of business stories that have a distinct "shelf life." On the other hand, an "evergreen" story is one that is always timely, and represents the best possibility for generating a feature article. These stories revolve around lifestyle trends and consumer experiences. And fortunately for Youngevity® Reps, our business abounds with them. Let's take a closer look at your editorial opportunities.

Package Your Story

A great thing about your Youngevity® business is that all of us have great stories about the impact our products have had on the lives of others. The friend who experienced better digestion with Enzymes®, the uncle who was able to support healthy blood sugar levels with Sweet-Eze™, the SupraLife EQ Factor™ customer who was able to boost her energy level and get a new lease on life. Ten minutes with any Youngevity® Rep will probably uncover nearly as many anecdotes about the power of proper nutrition. When assembling your story, keep the following tips in mind:

Avoid promotional hype. Focus instead on the human-interest element of your story. Talk about a health or nutrition issue that the average person can relate to and provide examples of nutritional approaches to the problem being addressed based on the real-life experiences of an Youngevity® product consumer.

Keep your story grounded in a health/nutrition context. Remember that your story is about a healthcare solution, not a product. It doesn't matter that a reader remembers the name "Ultimate™," only that people are using a liquid supplement that you are offering that could be beneficial to their health.

Make your story concise and compelling. Submit an Youngevity® press release along with the contact information for someone who has seen results with whatever product the press release discusses. If the press release is about the battle to get health claims approved, you could add information about someone who benefited from access to such information and therefore, supplementation.

Follow up and follow through. Once you've sent a story idea to an editor, give them a call in a few days and find out their level of interest. Don't be afraid of rejection. Finding out why a story DOESN'T work is the best way to ensure that the next one DOES. If an editor does express interest, be sure you can provide access to additional information as quickly as possible.

Press Releases

The time-honored press release can be an overused approach to getting the media's attention. If your story is a business story, a brief announcement detailing the "who, what, where, and when" can be a concise way to present the facts to a reporter-and a good press release is one that gets quoted verbatim in a story about your Youngevity® business. In the case of an "evergreen" story, however, a press release can be a cumbersome tool that can get in the way of generating interest in your story. It is far more effective to approach an editor directly, provide a simple description of your story, and take it from there.

Explore All Your Media Options

Does your local radio station offer a call-in format or a weekly segment dealing with health topics? Does your local TV station have a morning program that includes feature interviews along with its network news broadcast? If so, contact the appropriate reporter or assignment editor about being included as a "nutrition expert," or see if one of your customers is willing to talk about their personal success with Youngevity® products in managing a health issue. Remember, the media may survive on advertising dollars, but they need to deliver content to attract those dollars-and finding good content is a daily struggle with which you can assist.

The insights and suggestions provided here barely scratch the surface of putting together and managing an effective public relations strategy, but they should point you in the right direction.

These suggestions should help you get started but are not guaranteed in any way. The growth and success of your business is strictly in your hands and will be based on your individual time, energy and business strategy. Youngevity® and its associates will not be held responsible for the success or failure of this advice.

© 2005 Youngevity® – No portion of this material may be reproduced without the expressed written consent of Youngevity®.