If you’re in Australia right now, it’s hard to miss the news of the engagement of superstar couple, tennis ace Lleyton Hewitt and soap opera Rebecca Cartwright.
They’re everywhere…in major gossip magazines, on TV, and Cartwright has even posed topless for a men’s magazine.
They are being hailed as Australia’s answer to pop star ‘Posh Spice’ Adams and English soccer hero David Beckham, who have taken the world by storm as truly global personal brands.
Experts believe Hewitt’s value has quadrupled as media interest in their private lives becomes a national obsession.
But why did they wait until 3:12am this morning to announce their engagement, hours after more than 4 million Australians watched Hewitt lose the Australian Open tennis final?
Well, managing your media message is all about impact, reach, and timing.
So what does this mean for the timing of your own press release?
Well, here are seven lessons from the Hewitt/Cartwright statement that was emailed to the media at 3:12 am just hours after the Australian Open ended.
1. Maximize momentum
Brand building, strategic communications and messaging management is all about constantly being in front of your target audience. To have a significant impact, you need to maintain momentum and maximize audience momentum and interest in a topic. With such preparation for Hewitt’s appearance in the Australian Open final, the media attention was intense as he pursued his dream of becoming the first Australian to win the men’s title since 1976.
“I’ve always said I’d do anything to play in the final on the first night in Australian Open men’s history and I’ve got my chance,” Hewitt said after reaching the final in typical gritty style. Cartwright was with him on the court throughout the tournament and was the center of media attention herself.
How can you write and launch a press release that uses the momentum of a current topic?
2. Take advantage of an event
Event marketing is a high growth area for effective public relations. There is no bigger event in Australia during January than the Australian Open. Effective media relations is all about strategically managing the release of information to coincide with events like this.
Events, including seasonal ones like Valentine’s Day, come up every year and the media is always hungry for stories with a fresh angle. Who can forget the media hype surrounding Ken and Barbie’s breakup?
“The 43-year relationship ended last February, just two days before Valentine’s Day. Do you think those people at Mattel chose that date by accident? The story made international headlines and it didn’t hurt that it was the time of the story for love that the media will always have with Valentine’s Day,” reports Jeff Crilley, American television host and author of Free Publicity.
What press release can you launch at the time of a major event?
3. The impact of immediacy
This is a major driver of news values. What is news one day will be dead the next. The more immediate and timely the story, the greater the impact and the greater the news value.
Those who micromanaged the Hewitt/Cartwright launch worked hard to meet the deadline. Here’s how it worked according to a report in Amanda Meade’s The Australian newspaper on Thursday, February 3:
i) At around 12 midnight on the night after the men’s Australian Open tennis final, Hewitt proposed to Cartwright with a $200,000 Tiffany’s diamond ring.
ii) The press release was written by Cartwright’s Sydney publicist after 1am and faxed to Melbourne’s Park Hyatt Hotel, where it was approved by Cartwright, Hewitt and their managers Stephen Harmon and Justin Cohen.
iii) The statement was sent by email around 3:00 am to all the media to confirm the commitment.
The important point was that a process was followed to meet a deadline.
So what is the best time to issue a press release? Well, it all depends on the topicality and news value of the story.
AAP conducted a survey of all News Rooms in Australia last year and found that the best time to send out a press release is between 6-9am and 3-6pm.
When submitting your press release, be aware of time differences.
4. Be proactive
I can’t stress enough the importance of being proactive, even if it means working at 1am in the morning. Providing timely, accurate, and relevant information through a well-written press release keeps everyone informed and stops rumors. This rule applies to everything from commitments to corporate acquisitions to new product announcements.
5. Be fair
With a great story, be fair and unbiased with all media so everyone gets the information at the same time. Treat the media as you would like to be treated, with courtesy and respect.
6. Be consistent
Allow constant media access if it is a big story. Obviously, with such an interest in Lleyton and Bec, they decided to manage access and maximize their celebrity status by restricting access and linking exclusives with Channel 7 and a leading women’s magazine. Use an agent to handle this if you ever find yourself in this situation.
7. Target your media
In some cases, it’s better to target your media. In its survey, the AAP asked whether it is better to send the release to a journalist or to the newsroom; 86 percent responded to the essay. This depends, however, on your relationship with the media. I recommend sending releases directly to a reporter, especially if it has been pre-arranged and contact has already been made through a relationship.
