個案總覽

Many entrepreneurs believe that simply filling a niche will result in business success, but they fail to see the crucial role of effective media relations. Media coverage is essential in order to raise capital, generate demand, and gain credibility, yet it is difficult to attain. The direct method to attract media coverage is to issue a press release, yet this rarely garners attention unless delivered by a large firm. The indirect method, however, is to cater to the media’s needs — in effect, asking not what a reporter can do for you, but what you can do for a reporter. The author, a Manhattan-based public relations expert, describes how decades ago he earned limited coverage in The Wall Street Journal for a client’s medical product. But rather than focusing on simply promoting the product, he could have leveraged the inventor’s medical credentials and knowledge — this way, the media could have interviewed him as an expert who had made a scientific discovery and then gained familiarity with the product. In another case, a facial recognition product failed to gain publicity until after the World Trade Center attacks, when the inventor was widely interviewed as an authority on how to increase border security. This article suggests that if an entrepreneur can become positioned as a source of information on the broader field encompassing or related to their product, then the media can in turn become the entrepreneur’s "customer."