The Relationship Between the Media and Business

Undoubtedly, breaking into the media was one of the most difficult things I've had to do in my career. At the time I started to write, I promised my dying mentor, Harvey Cohen that I would get in the New York Times someday - a very bold promise for someone who was just published on an Ezine site.

As I began to get recognized for my work, I soon learned the power of the media and how exactly to harness it for business leverage. This is something that many people fail to do.

Bringing It Back to the Website

If I have an article in Forbes or am quoted in AOL, etc. only a few thousand people will see that article - 5k at most per article in the 1st month. While this may seem high to some, the odds of a big decision maker finding this article and, subsequently wanting to pay my company a $15,000 recruiting fee carries much worse odds than playing the house at a casino.

However, since it is so difficult to get into major media, quotes, articles, etc. can provide a return on investment if they are used properly by the business owner and displayed on the website in order to display their expertise in their respective field.

Media is only powerful for the business owner if the business owner does his or her part to leverage the recognition, though never rely on it as a sole driver for clients to sign on with their company.

Another advantageous way to bring back the media to your website in order to leverage potential clients finding you through the search engines as links back to one's website from major media sources will make Google, Bing, etc. more confident in ranking your company's website in what are known as the Search Engine Ranking Page or "SERPs."

Are PR Representatives Needed?

For the most part, PR representatives are not needed because the client of their firms don't give them enough to work with and, in conjunction with that 95% of the media recognitio
I've received has not been due to a press release.

Instead, it is due to me providing content to these sites that they, in turn profit off of via advertising dollars. Just like anything in life and business, it's what can you do for them, not what you want them to do for you.

Moreover, some PR firms charge way more than they are worth and because they are media related, feel as if you should be glad to be paying them - a theory that turned me off and prompted me to do everything myself.

To the naked eye, PR reps seem quite important and high ranking, though in the media world are looked upon as almost an annoying as they are consistently contacting major media via phone calls, mass emails, etc. to push their clients' agendas.

If you work with a PR firm and see correspondence between them and an editor and / or producer, you are going to see a GMail address as these individuals rarely are willing to give PR representatives their direct information, let alone their phone number.

In Closing

You will only break into the media if you understand that for every 1,000 closed doors, 1 will open. However, it will only open if you have something to offer them and, finally it will only be monetized if you use the press recognition in the right manner.