Sometimes all it takes is a little twist to turn a pretty good story into a really great story with fabulous visuals and real media appeal. When Dr. Ronald Henderson, owner of Healthy Smiles dental office in Dover, New Hampshire, planned a medical mission to Peru, his publicist came up with the perfect twist.
“We appealed to the community’s heart and asked for donations in the form of toothbrushes, toothpaste, dental floss and mouthwash,” publicist Traci Bisson of Bisson Barcelona said. Local residents donated more than 1,300 toothbrushes and other dental supplies. That made a great photo and story. Healthy Smiles was featured on the front page of the Dover Community News and Fosters Daily Democrat and on two local radio stations.
Local and industry interviews
Dr. Henderson also did interviews with the New Hampshire Business Review regarding not only his trip to Peru but his state-of-the- art technology called Cerec®, the world’s only system for the fabrication of all ceramic dental restorations in one office visit. The newspaper wrote a full-page article.
He was also featured in Business NH Magazine.
Up until then, Dr. Henderson didn’t generate even an ounce of publicity even though he had been in business for more than 33 years. “Our publicity team needed to position his expertise with the local media in order to build credibility and generate interest in Healthy Smiles,” Traci said.
Put this into practice for your business
Can your company ask for donations that tie into something else you’re doing? Campaigns like this one sidestep the boring fund- raising drives that usually result in the equally boring check- passing photo.
Reprinted from “The Publicity Hound’s Tips of the Week,” an ezine featuring tips, tricks and tools for generating free publicity. Subscribe at http://www.publicityhound.com/ and receive by email the handy list “89 Reasons to Send a News Release.”
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