A ROOKIE MISTAKE: THINKING YOU'RE ENTITLED TO EDITORIAL COVERAGE BECAUSE YOU BOUGHT AN AD

You've bought some ads in a publication and you've spent a good bit on them. So now you've got leverage. That publication has to give your company good publicity. You're entitled, right?

Stop now. . . because you're about to enter the editorial integrity zone.

Nothing offends a news editor more than hearing that you expect editorial coverage because you’re one of his advertisers — except maybe when you phone him to point out that you're an advertiser and the coverage his publication gave you should have been more positive.

There are plenty of “ADvertorial-driven” publications out there that will promise editorial if you buy an ad. Those are the ones you can influence with your buying power. You'll know who they are because they won't be shy about offering you ”a story” if you buy an ad. But it's very important to understand that their business model is not the same one being used over at the daily newspaper. We're talking entrepreneurs and marketers versus journalists. And journalists have a code of ethics when it comes to reporting the news.

If you want your news covered by your local paper or TV stations, you need to present it to them as news. News editors separate editorial and advertising.

Sure, somewhere in the back of their stressed-out brains they may be mindful that you're an advertiser. They may even recognize that your ad buy is essential to their financial well-being.

But they're honor-bound not to put that into their thinking process when they are determining which information is “newsworthy” and how they should report on it. And, remember, nothing gets them more upset than someone who implies that their editorial judgment can be bought.

Getting good publicity begins with being professional and knowing how to approach the press. Don't get off on the wrong foot by making a rookie mistake.