Gaining Attention in an Oversaturated Media World

Actionable Insights From "8-Second PR" Author Liz Kelly

When entering a market as a new business or book author, gaining traction in a crowded media space can be a challenge. While studying market behavior to carve out a niche can be useful in the short run, your ultimate success will be tied to building a sustainable roadmap for your brand over the long haul. 

Veteran PR and media expert Liz H. Kelly tackles this theme in her new book entitled 8-Second PR: New Public Relations Crash Course (2nd Edition). Foundational to her book’s message says Kelly is a skill she learned very early on in her career, namely, creating attention around a moving story that emotionally connects to your target audience. In her work with clients, she considers the fine-tuning discovery process to brand storytelling to be one of her greatest strengths. 

Fueled by this concept, Kelly has built a proven track record with clients in capturing earned media, where others vouch for your product or service like a team of spirited ambassadors. As noted in the book: 

“When you consider investing time and money in your public relations, remember, earned media is 3x more valuable than any paid advertisement because someone else is saying your book, product, or service are great.”

In an exclusive interview with “Great Books, Great Minds” Kelly shares a few nuggets of insights about the current PR and media landscape and how to navigate the often murky waters to achieve success. 

What fueled your decision to write “8-Second PR: New Public Relations Crash Course.”  And what is the book’s primary message?

LK: Michael, I’ve long had a passion for “Magnifying Good” and providing an alternative to companies who cannot afford to hire our Goody PR agency. We want to empower small business owners, authors, and experts to do their own public relations and/or be better collaborators with PR agencies by sharing our publicity secrets with case study examples of what works and doesn’t work. The updated “8-Second PR: New Public Relations Crash Course” 2nd edition was published in February 2022 (yellow cover) with 20 new PR strategies for a post-pandemic world to make the book more current. 

So what will readers discover in the 2nd edition? 

LK: I provide many new national media examples, a new Story Reinvention chapter, bonus content (including how to create a Digital Press Kit), along with new podcast interview tips. Readers will find 8 chapters, 8 steps, and action items as a part of the PR Success Roadmap in the Conclusion.

Who would value most from reading it? And what are the top 3 takeaways? 

LK: Businesses can increase the value of their company by reading “8-Second PR.” PR is a marathon, not a sprint, and it’s important for any company to learn these publicity skills. It’s a “how-to” PR guide that can teach you:

• How to develop a Wow Story that can increase your media interviews.

• Insider strategies for successfully pitching the media through the use of an 8-step process to secure TV, print, radio, and podcast interviews.

• Garner 3x more value from earned media interviews versus paid ads because someone else is vouching for your company. 

What are 2-3 of the most common mistakes businesses make when executing a public relations campaign?

LK: The biggest mistake that businesses make in PR is that they pitch stories about their company versus creating a Wow Story that is audience-directed. Another common mistake is not having a moving spokesperson and their backstory serve as the foundation for a pitch email. While it’s OK to be proud of your company (you should be), the media does not want a story to sound like an advertisement. Rather they want to help, move or inspire their audience. 

With the average attention span of an adult being 8 seconds (where we got the book title), your pitch email must make the story angle obvious in the first sentence, explain why now, and include the right backup materials.

So how does one actually ascend above today’s media noise and competition?

LK: First, developing a Wow Story that emotionally connects, presents a great spokesperson, and ties a pitch to a timely topic or headline news is key. By way of example, our agency recently booked a local ABC News story for a K9 Trainer who works with military, veterans, and first responders – in sync with National Dog Training Month. Another client was featured in Fast Company because he wrote leadership books that included a unique approach to hiring that could be tied to the Great Resignation trend.

What is your greatest hope in terms of what readers walk away from your book with? 

LK: My greatest hope for “8-Second PR: New Public Relations Crash Course” readers is that it helps them magnify how they are making a positive impact, increases sales, and helps them grow their business. We were excited to learn that a small business CEO who followed our process got her business featured on FOX 11 Los Angeles, California, which was worth $50k+ in publicity value. CEO Mariya Palanjian’s Roma Leaf team worked on their brand story first and developed wellness workshops to help the community during the pandemic. The segment highlighted their workshops and the founder’s backstory. 

Liz concluded by saying that the Calculated Publicity Value of this (according to a Nielsen Media Report) was over $40k, plus her company sold an additional $10k in products.

“Mariya admits that it took two months to secure this media hit, and she often refers to sticky note markers in our “8-Second PR” book. In her testimonial video, Mariya says the book saved her startup thousands of dollars that she would have spent on a PR agency, and they are still getting new customers from the TV interview six months later!”