As a real estate agent, you are expected to create a marketing plan for your seller. When seeking the listing, you present the seller with your strategies about what you’ll do to promote the home. When was the last time you included Public Relations as part of your marketing matrix? Probably not lately and that’s likely because you don’t understand the public relations process and how the media works. This column will help change that.

The Media is "Looking for News” – Give them what they Want! First, understand this -- the media are (constantly) on the lookout for new, interesting and exciting (news) stories. What this means to you is that the media is entirely approachable. All you need to do is learn how to present "your news” to them.

The Key Four Steps to Obtaining Free Publicity for your Property

So how do you go about getting a property you represent featured in the newspaper or spotlighted on television? It all starts with an angle, followed by a smartly and properly written press release, targeting the right media as a potential outlet for your story and then pitching them your story idea.

That’s it. Your PR game plan consists of four key steps: Angle/Story idea, Press Release, Target Appropriate Media, and Pitching Skills.

Get Started Grabbing

Your Share of the Limelight How do you start getting free publicity? There are a few ways, the media coverage can be about you, your company, about your new listing, or in a perfect world, all three. The questions below will serve as triggers for the things you need to think about and answer that can serve as the basis of a press release you can use to pitch a potential story "about you” to the media.

Disclaimer: Here’s what this Article Will do, and what it will not Do.

This article will not teach you "how to" write a press release. There is not enough space to do that. There are literally hundreds of books both off line and online that can assist you in this area, some for free, others not. What this column will do for you immediately is provide you with the critical thinking that expands your world from a marketing point of view that will allow you to begin the process of understanding what’s involved in creating a proper PR storyline that can help you potentially obtain free media coverage. So let’s begin.

Have you earned any special achievements, awards, certificates, designations, etc?

Have you emerged as a "sales leader” in your organization? Have you overcome any "obstacles” personal and/or professional to achieve the accomplishments or status that you have earned? Do you have any "inside or secret techniques” you can share with your industry colleagues regarding securing listings, reading buyers, negotiating, marketing? How would you document your rise to success – overcoming obstacles, if any, to become a premier player (in whatever niche you might specialize in or if you are a player at the top end of the very elite spectrum of the real estate industry – this applies to "your success” either within your sales organization and/or the industry at large in your community)

Have you worked with – either buyer(s) or seller(s) that are high profile – celebrities from the worlds of entertainment, business, sports, government, etc., etc.?

These connections and tie-ins are very strong and useful in creating media interest and excitement in you and your story, especially if you have photos either of you with them or even just them alone – at your house/property, etc..

Case studies and Teaching Opportunities – what secrets and/or tips can you share that would be helpful and/or informative to others in the industry? Do you have a secret listing technique? What about reading buyers? How do you close? Your tips, if any, on negotiation? What is and/or was the most interesting/challenging home/project listing/sale, etc.? What lessons did you learn from this/these and can these lessons be passed on to your colleagues? Here is the PR bottom line: Maybe you’re special, maybe you’re not. If you can answer these questions, either any single one of them, or any combination of them, in a press release format, with a word count of approximately 550 words, you have a shot at obtaining the media holy grail -- FREE PRESS coverage.

Working from this list you can craft a press release that could potentially be of interest to your local and/or industry real estate trade journals, possibly even your daily newspaper or even magazines. Remember, the media are always looking for news. If you package, present and pitch your information the right way, you may very well find yourself in the media spotlight. That’s good for you, and your business. And best of all, it’s free.

Jeff Mustard, The PR Cowboy, is a veteran, award-winning publicist who has wrangled millions of dollars in free publicity for clients. He can be reached through his company: www.TheBambooAgency.com, email, jeff@thebambooagency.com or at: 954-801-8263.

Published: August 25, 2008

Use of this article without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.

Jeff Mustard, The PR Cowboy, is a veteran, award-winning public relations professional who has wrangled millions of dollars in free publicity for clients. His full service advertising, marketing and public relations company handles a wide spectrum of clients across various industries, with a reputation for developing exceptionally creative and effective public relations campaigns for high-end homes, real estate projects and developers. He can be reached through his company: TheBambooAgency.com, email, or directly at: 954-801-8263.