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For the Media There is a Cure for the Summertime Blues: Public Relations
By Sadie McCrary

Summertime, the livin's easy. These are more than just song lyrics to a great many Americans. The kids are out of school, the weather is beautiful and it's time to go on that vacation you've been saving for all year. However, for those of us in public relations, summertime does not come with the promise of vacation; summertime brings a multitude of opportunities to get our clients in front of the news media.

For reporters, editors and producers, the summer season begins a long dry spell as far as the news is concerned. This could be based on many factors. Journalists, who enjoy those trips to Disneyland with their kids every bit as much as you do, go on vacation. The House of Representatives and the Senate adjourn, so there aren't any more juicy scandals involving prominent politicians and hatcheck girls. Tradeshow season is over, and for the trade press, tradeshows are hotbeds for scoops, stories and reviews - so there is no news on that front. Not to mention, companies often lighten their advertising schedules in the summer months. Fewer pages of advertising space means less room for hard-hitting journalism. I could go on and on.

But, the fact remains, for the stressed news media that are bereft of story source material and staff members during those long, hot summer months, public relations practitioners can provide a very welcome and much needed service. Using several of the tools at our disposal, chief among them the press release, we can take this opportunity to introduce our clients to the appropriate media contacts and provide publications with genuine story opportunities at a time when their pickings are very slim.

However, this approach does have pitfalls. It is a detriment to other public relations professionals, and yourself, if you use the summertime lull to pepper the media with meaningless press releases in an effort to beef up a coverage report. The summer doesn't give anyone a license to be boring. As with any other time in the calendar year, you have to pitch stories and produce press releases with the journalists' readers in mind. While a release on the newest company executive most likely will get more coverage in the summer and does show movement within the company, you probably don't want to make all of your summer releases about personnel changes.

On the other hand, if you tailor your news in an effort to help the reporter with a unique story, you reap the benefits in spades. Reporters have sadistically long memories. Therefore, if you provide them with a good story, a great source or an interesting press release when they can really use it, they'll write about your company again in the future - even in those story-rich spring and fall months.

E-mail the author: Sadie McCrary

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