What are you doing to be proactive in your approach to media?

Sure, you can spend thousands on a fancy pants PR firm, and think that’s proactive. But before you drop all that coin, take a long hard look at what you are offering.

Do you have a story to tell? OK, we all have a story to tell. But is it compelling? Beyond compelling, is it newsworthy? And beyond newsworthy, how’s your timing? Nothing like being the “little indie that could” while all the summer blockbusters are opening, but there are few that realistically achieve that status. What are your odds?

Put it another way… If Lady Gaga was still performing as the Stefani Germanotta Band, would she have the extended media play she receives?

I get the frustration of feeling like something is completely out of your control. You are dealing with entities that have limited space and limited resources. And ultimately, they are a business with concerns about revenue and profit margins. They need eyeballs, and they may not feel your story will bring all the eyeballs that they need.

It’s a stark reminder, but an editor, writer or producer who churns out stories no one sees may not have the job for long. And given the huge payroll wipeout in the media over the past two years, no one really feels like pissing off their boss right now.

So, again, what are you doing to be proactive? Are you creating compelling, media friendly stories, timed appropriately? Are you relying solely on free media placements to tell this story? Or are you doing something more, something that you create, distribute and ultimately control, to get your message heard?

Share with me in the comments! I’d love to hear what you are up to.