Publicity Tips For Realtors®
By
Joan Stewart
Word Count: 1123
Does this sound like you?
You can’t understand why the business reporter at your local
newspaper has quoted your competitor in five separate stories but
hasn’t called you once.
Your real estate office sends out more than two dozen news releases
every year about new agents and promotions, but they result in little
more than a few lines of type.
The speech your boss wrote when he spoke at the local Rotary Club
luncheon would have made an excellent column for the local business
magazine. But after you mailed it to the editor, you never heard a
word.
If your attempts at media coverage have fallen flat, quit grumbling
and start taking a proactive approach to free publicity. Hundreds of
other real estate agents are doing just that. They are being helpful and
offering themselves as resources for reporters who need background
information, commentary and story ideas on the real estate industry.
And, as a result, they’re getting thousand of dollars in free ink and air
time.
How to be helpful
Dave Delahunt never missed a chance to toot his own horn when he
owned RE/MAX Lakeside Realty in Milwaukee, Wisconsin a few years
ago. He made sure he got to know reporters. When Del Jones, a
reporter from USA Today, called to do a story on how school districts
affect he price of homes, Jones mentioned that he was coming to
Milwaukee to do research. So Delahunt invited him to lunch. As a
result, Jones quoted him in the story, and Delahunt's photo
accompanied the article. "Now, the reporter calls me every six months
just to check in and find out what's new in the real estate industry,"
Delahunt said.
Here are other ways to be helpful:

Call reporters and invite them for lunch or coffee. Let them know
the areas (residential real estate, commercial real estate,
mortgage lending, buyer agency etc.) in which you are an
expert, and encourage them to call on you.

Fax or mail copies of industry reports, articles from trade
publications and tips about trends you are seeing to your media
contacts. This helps them understand the real estate industry
and it keeps your name in front of them.

Tell the media about the biggest problems that buyers and
sellers are facing and how you help them solve those problems.

Offer your opinions on proposed legislation that deals with
changes in the real estate industry.

Give the media news tips and story ideas, even if they don’t
relate to real estate. Establish yourself as a valuable resource
and reporters will keep coming back to you for more information.
Think creatively
Delahunt hosted a weekly radio talk show about real estate and got
free air time. The station lined up sponsors, and he frequently
recruited sponsors on his own. If you can't get your own show, at least
try to book a spot as a guest on other people's shows.
He also submitted a photo of himself inside the radio studio to the
official RE/MAX newspaper distributed to 50,000 agents worldwide.
Three other agents saw the photo and sent him referrals, all of whom
bought or sold houses through Delahunt's office.
Write, write write
Establish yourself as an expert by writing for local, regional and
national publications, as well as trade publications. If you’re an agent
who cannot write well or you don’t have the time, call on your
marketing director for help. Or hire a local freelance writer to “ghost
write” under your name.
Here are some other ideas to help you get started:

Write letters to the editor of your local newspaper. Letters that
have the best chance of being published are those that comment
on stories the newspaper has printed. Keep your letters as brief
as possible.

Submit opinion columns on hot local topics for the opinion page.
It’s best to call the editor first and pitch your idea for a column.
Ask about specific guidelines such as the word length and
deadlines. Don’t forget to include your photo.

Write articles for print newsletters, an often overlooked publicity
vehicle. Newsletter editors are hungry for material. A great
resource is the Oxbridge Directory of Newsletters which lists
more than 18,000 newsletters, by category and industry, and
includes contact names and phone numbers. This resource
directory is available in most major libraries.

Write for electronic newsletters and magazines that serve the
real estate industry, or those publications that are read by
people who you want to get in front of.

Write White Papers or special reports on hot topics in the real
estate industry, and offer them free to the public.

Get the editorial calendar for your local business journal and see
which special sections are devoted to real estate. Call, write or
email the editor of that section and pitch a story idea about your
industry. It can be anything from creative ways that agents are
hosting open houses to the advantages of buyer agency.
Speak, speak, speak

Public speaking can pay huge dividends. Not only can you
generate free publicity through newspaper stories about your
presentation, you can attract the attention of people in the
audience who might contact you later to list their homes. Ideas
include:

Hit the “chicken and pea circuit.” Chambers of commerce, Rotary
clubs, business groups and even local community groups always
need speakers. Pick a topic that no one else is speaking about.
Collect business cards from audience members and give away a
door prize. Then add the business cards to your database for
future marketing campaigns.

Conduct classes through your local college or university.

Join Toastmasters to learn platform skills and become known as
someone who loves to speak.

If you want to make money from speaking, join the National
Speakers Association, or a statewide speakers association.

Whenever you write articles, include a paragraph at the end
telling readers that you are available for speaking engagements.

Call local TV stations and invite them to call on you for comment
when they’re doing stories about the real estate industry.
Feeling overwhelmed? Choose three ideas for all the ones I’ve
suggested above and do them one at a time. Then choose three more.
Then three more. Soon, you’ll be a full-fledged Publicity Hound.
Joan Stewart is a speaker, trainer and consultantspecializing in
developing and maintaining good relations with the print
and broadcast media. Reprinted from "The Publicity Hound's Tips of
the Week," a free ezinefeaturing tips, tricks and tools for generating
free publicity. Copyright© 2004, Joan Stewart. All rights reserved. For
information about Joan, contact the Frog Pond at 800.704.FROG(3764)
or email susie@frogpond.com; http://www.frogpond.com