Breaking News: Heel2Toe Becomes Global Force
Business used PR agency to increase coverage, opportunities
By Stephanie Berlin

Note: While the following scenario is entirely fictional, it does underline some important concepts for your public relations strategy.

Dallas, Texas – Heel2Toe, a local luxury sock manufacturer, has received 10 times the amount of coverage it previously received after hiring a PR agency to help it garner more opportunities, the company reported Monday.

A goals vs. results document released by Heel2Toe shows a sharp increase in coverage in relevant publications since January 2007, when the company brought on the new agency.

“They really opened our eyes,” Jon Toe, CEO for Heel2Toe, said. “We thought if we just put out a few standard releases, we’d be able to accomplish our goals. But our new agency was able to demonstrate how taking a different approach would bring us the results we wanted.

Until 2007, Heel2Toe bombarded media outlets with product launch announcements and quarterly earnings releases. But media outlets noticed a difference at the beginning of the year, when Heel2Toe’s releases began offering relevant news stories.

“That’s really what made all the difference,” Rhea Porter, staff writer for Hike Times Magazine, said. “We stopped seeing announcements for their latest product and started seeing stories about how their products will change the way people wear socks. Those are the stories that we and our readers find interesting – not just that there’s a new product, but why the new product is important and how it will affect its users.”

It’s a process that has obviously worked for Heel2Toe, whose spokespeople are often called upon to serve as experts in stories about the sock industry. But it’s also a process the company wasn’t necessarily comfortable with in the beginning.

“To be honest, our agency really wanted us to step out of our comfort zone,” Toe said. “It was definitely an approach we weren’t used to, but we figured, ‘hey, that’s why we brought them on! They know what they’re doing.’ And in the end, that’s what really paid off.”

Heel2Toe still releases product and company announcements, but it does so far less frequently, preferring instead to focus on pieces that will generate more coverage and opportunities.

For any company looking to increase coverage, Heel2Toe’s agency recommends a similar approach.

“Obviously each individual business should infuse its approach with elements that reflect its unique brand, but the basics should stay the same,” Ed Vertize, President of Newsmacher and Associates, said. “The fact of the matter is that more companies should take chances with their PR agencies, even if they’re not used to doing so. After all, an agency should know what news is and understand its clients’ audience. That’s how they get coverage. Your releases might need to be written a bit differently than what most people are used to, but a good agency isn’t going to steer you wrong.”

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