The Side Note

Last week I read the blog “The Ethical Optimist,” and I have to echo the comments of Ann Subervi in my own words, “Phew, what a relief! Only 10 more months and no more ‘Can you get me on “Oprah?”’ PR requests from clients.”

Over the years, the “Get me on ‘Oprah’” requests and the number of people making money with “I can tell you how to get on Oprah” seminars, has become the PR professional’s thorn in the side. As Ann mentioned, it is most infuriating when the product or service does not even remotely relate to “The Oprah Winfrey Show’s” audience. For example, why would the women watching the show care about satellite uplink technology when they could be watching Tom Cruise sofa jump?

It is often difficult to explain that getting on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” may not be your defining PR moment. But as the show starts to wind down, at least we won’t have to have THAT discussion anymore.

And the opportunities to get on the show in these last 10 months are decreasing quickly. There will be no “Oprah’s Favorite Things” episode this holiday season, and we are guaranteed a handful of “over the years” show recaps as well.

But moving forward, what will the new PR gold standard be? Will it be another TV show or a specific magazine? Personally, I hope not. And with the growth of online portals, I doubt it.

I hope that PR professionals will be able to communicate to their clients and their perspective clients that all media outlets are not created equal, regardless of their viewership/readership/listenership.  For example, having the right people following you and re-tweeting your information on Twitter may create a huge jump in a product promotion. Providing the right YouTube video may get the phones ringing for your service. Or having a strategically written and optimized press release may create a flurry of attention in your industry that gets your brand noticed and recognized

Next time you are hiring a PR professional, cut us some slack. If you are hiring a reputable practitioner and she or he tells you that “The Oprah Winfrey Show” (or fill in the blank with the next big show) is not “IT” for you, trust them. It’s not because they can’t get you on the show, it may be because they know it’s just not a good fit for you, your product or service.

“The Oprah Winfrey Show” will be missed. But the stagnant question, “Can you get me on ‘Oprah?’” will not.