When a PR campaign is focused on driving customers to franchisees, information and photos from the franchisee are critical to our success. That’s because franchisee stories and experiences grab the media’s attention, whether it be local magazines, newspapers, television newscast or online. Now we’re not talking about advertising, we’re talking about articles and stories, editorial coverage. And there’s a big difference between advertising and editorial. Reporters and editors are interested in what they consider newsworthy stories. Items that are timely or unusual or new. Newsworthy stories tie into the big ones of the day. Let’s say a story on the economy or the new administration. Newsworthy stories tie into trends like energy efficiency and saving a buck in this economy. Anything that makes life easier. How a local business helps consumers, people stories is what we need. For example, our client Screenmobile…here is what we as franchise PR specialists ask franchisees: What attracted you to this particular business? Were you tired of working for someone else or maybe tired of the corporate world? Were you laid off or maybe you always dreamed of being an entrepreneur. These are the kind of stories that can be tied into the economy. Do you have a product that maybe someone doesn’t know about, such as window screens for a pets or for golfers? That’s new and unusual. Something that might lower someone’s electric bill. That ties into saving a buck and making life easier. Are you and your spouse working together and how’s that going? How do separate work and play? Those are people stories. Is west Nile virus rearing its ugly head? That’s timely. We challenge franchisees to tell us their stories. We need background or the back-story as it were. We also need to know about customers who love them. What did the franchisee do to make a customer’s life easier? Which products and services are in high demand in the area? Is it sun control, doggie doors maybe a sliding screen door that actually works? We’d like for you to jot down ideas and a little bit about yourself and your customers. It doesn’t have to be a novel, but it’ll give us a launching pad to talk to reporters and editors. Also if you have local magazines or newspapers or newsletters in which you want to be mentioned, send us a copy. The opportunity is yours. The more information we have, the better we can promote the franchisee.
