the elevator pitch

Henry Paulson, U.S. treasury secretary, talks bailouts and economic woes.

The media are a fickle bunch.

Just a couple of weeks ago, we were consumed by the gaga over Sarah Palin. A week prior to that deluge of news surrounding the Republicans’ pick for vice president, we were inundated with coverage of presidential hopeful Barack Obama at the Democratic National Convention. The price of oil dominated earlier in the summer and the housing collapse in the spring.

It’s been a year where news and potential newsmakers can slip through the lens with ease. When there’s big news, the mainstream media provides saturation coverage. That means TV, print media and talk radio will spotlight one topic because market research has shown viewers and readers are more likely to stay interested if the focus remains on the news of the day.

Producers and editors will exhaust all angles before providing “space” to other subjects. If you’ve ever wondered why the media fixates on a particular topic, now you know. However, if you’re trying to gain attention, you must understand how to get noticed by an industry that can suffer such tunnel vision.

This week, the $700-billion government package that aims to bring calm to the global stock markets will be at the forefront on Monday and Tuesday before giving way to the frenzy of anticipation surrounding Friday’s presidential debate between Obama and John McCain.

If you wanted to get a message out this week, some public relations firms might facetiously tell you good luck. Unfortunately, that’s an approach of surrender and business leaders don’t succeed by giving up.

“We advise our clients to swim with the tide of news coverage, not against it. That means crafting your message so it fits what the media is seeking,” says Elevation PR general manager Kal Suurkask. “For example, if I was about to launch a new product line this week, I would tie in the state of the economy in my messaging, probably by telling the media that the government bailout means businesses are free to acquire capital to purchase wares like what I manufacture. Or if I was about to launch a restaurant, I would announce a debate party this week, where Republicans and Democrats could come watch the candidates. That’s something the local media would likely mention somewhere in its election coverage. At the very least, a company should make a note of major news events in its blog, either by way of opinion, analysis or simple recognition of what’s happening in the world.”

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