John Mayer’s New Do Offers Insights into Effective Targeting
What was even funnier to me was the serious tone of the article. Careful attention was paid to exactly when, where and how the singer had his locks trimmed. The article even went on to detail the scene of Mayer leaving the salon and checking out his new look in his Range Rover’s side-view mirror. Riveting coverage. An absolute must-read.
I’m not knocking Maggie Coughlan, the journalist who wrote the story. She did her homework, citing recent events in the singer’s life that led up to the drastic mop chop and detailing his social escapades immediately following the incident. In fact, I applaud Ms. Coughlan for knowing her readers’ tastes and interests and giving them exactly what they want. That’s why her story shot
to the top of the most-read coverage list, garnered 368 comments, 258 Facebook likes, four shares on Google+ and earned a click and a read from this cynic.
The Lesson: Know Your Audience
Public relations pros should take a lesson from Ms. Coughlan and remember that news is equal parts content and appropriate placement. Too often PR pros get caught up in content and don’t spend enough time carefully evaluating which media outlets and contacts (and their readers) are best suited to cover it. Spend a few minutes reading the Bad Pitch Blog, and you’ll see plenty of examples.
Effective media relations requires a time investment not only in crafting that perfect pitch, but making sure it lands in the inbox of someone who is going to care about it. It takes time and effort, but the payoff in the end will be better media placements, happier journalists, happier readers and happier clients whether you’re pitching fall fashion trends or the latest innovation in cloud
computing.
Sure, the John Mayer haircut story probably wouldn’t fly in the New York Times, but it found a perfect home on People.com. So thanks, Ms. Coughlan, for the lesson in targeting. A job well done.
As of this post, a Google search of “John Mayer haircut” yielded 1,290,000+ results. I guess more people care about something as mundane as a guy’s haircut than I thought.
