Winning isn’t Anything
In media, few cups runneth over.
Though I decry our fame-focussed culture, I’m not immune to it.
Each time I appear in the media, I think: ‘THIS is it; THIS is my BIG SHOT!’
Yet so far, THIS hasn’t happened.
While shows like Oprah can grant instant fortune, ordinary public exposure seems cumulative.
Like mercury.
Newspaper
I invented a word. When a friend told me she’d used it in an article for a state-wide tabloid, I was elated.
I spent hundreds of dollars having a website thrown together at speed – to catch the torrent of visitors I imagined.
Two years later, Iess than a thousand souls have checked out liferal.
About six have used it.
Magazine
When Joanna Maxwell interviewed me for a social media article in the Australian Financial Review’s BOSS magazine, I was even more excited.
Joanna warned me not to get my hopes up, explaining that most calls triggered by national exposure were from people keen to sell something.
She was right.
Radio
When my treatise on local councils aired on national radio, I expected every region in the country to call.
They didn’t.
CD
When I appeared several times on two business audio magazines (the sort you listen to in cars) I thought I’d have to hire more staff.
At this moment, there’s only me.
Competition
When I won T-shirt design competitions for Christmas AND Valentine’s Day, I thought I’d be rolling in passive income.
Combined sales to date for both winning designs: 1.
Book
When The Punter’s Ton made it into Purple Cow, I looked forward to a traffic spike the size of K2.
It didn’t even top B1 (though it’s early days).
TV
I once followed the blog of a new business that featured several times on national TV.
After a short, sharp spike, sales returned to normal, then slumped.
Now the blog is gone.
Package
Though none of my outings has filled Empire coffers with gold, they have combined to give me a solid, trustworthy ‘presence’.
Many prospects say they heard or read about me long ago, and that my cumulative content gave them confidence to try me.
Yet landing and keeping new clients always comes down to what I can do for them, not what I did for others.
Wrap
My advice, then, is to build your brand slowly and carefully.
Magic bullets are rare and media hype usually isn’t one of them.
As my halting journey in the spotlight shows, 15 minutes of fame is mostly just that.
Unless, of course, you know better.
We’ve lately had brilliant comments from PR people.
I’d love to know what you (and others) think.
Consider this your call to
Action!
Paul Hassing, Founder & Senior Writer, The Feisty Empire
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Hi Paul,
This post could be a cautionary tale for any young person expecting to find fame and fortune on the back of a social media/PR/Media presence. Parents have been counselling youth, for YEARS, they will never become sports stars or rock-n-roll heros. Your experience proves it’s just as hard to find fame and fortune at the end of a keyboard.
You made 2 really good points: 1) The cumulative effect of many different activities and recognitions is where you build your reputation and experience professional shelf life. 2) Providing value to your client base, every day, is the true way to success.
At the risk of adding to the din of parental concilliatories, you’re a media rockstar in my world.
Hi Paul,
The old magic bullet gets people all the time. Perhaps that is why some people treat their marketing activities like a light switch. Unless they are part of an overall game plan then the 15 minutes of fame is all they will get.
PR as one of your marketing activities can be good but it must have a purpose otherwise it is lost in all the noise that is around today.
As always your post has lessons that we can all learn from.
Thanks
Susan
Well at least we won’t have any problem coming up with a suitably affectatious appellation to adorn the sides of your road-trains, when that 15 minutes becomes an hour…Paul Haikuing
Your deft diatonics set a giddy standard in ‘laconicity’…not to mention inspiring back-yard ‘would-bees’ to make up new words
I would venture that your article Title has a little room left for ‘that we thought it would be’…?
Only a culture that believes that it ‘owns’ the planet it evolved on, charges fees for ‘inalienable rights’ and kills its own over same, could turn such a notion as ‘Win/Win’ into an extreme form of Competition…
I would therefore venture further to say that you have Won in more ways than many would care or dare to comprehend ol’ Bean…and in the very realms from which meaning springs…if not where it is interpreted and traded and debated.
I yet eagerly await the day when ‘busi-ness’ expends it’s final screaming, desperate, grasping, ‘Dante-esque’ breath and we can, with the dignity that is the birth-right of each of us, repose to a grand garden wherein the fruits of our labors and invention are shared will all via ‘relaxed-nesses’ and ‘busy’ is relegated to preference, rather than apparent necessity.
Good form!
Cheers
Stephen G
Hi Paul,
A very impressive list of achievements and ones you should be very proud of. It certainly has to help in the long term development of your brand.
I wonder how long it took Seth to achieve his levels of notoriety?
It really does appear to be a water on stone approach to business success. I think Sarah has made the point perfectly.
By the way Sarah you should have seen Paul a decade ago fronting the underground sensation band Fluffy’s Chain. So not just a social media rock star……….
Can we get an update of what the irrepressible Stephen G is up to these days from a business perspective?
Hi Malcolm
I’m honoured by your request Good Sir and you certainly can – just pop over and have a look at my last couple of posts – My Blog.
As always, I’m happy to elaborate should you wish to know more
Cheers
Stephen G
Hi All,
It’s Fonnie here (Paul’s wife). I just wanted to let you all know that he’s offline for a few hours today. I know how much he values your comments and he’s always keen to respond as quickly as possible, so just wanted to let you know he’ll be back online mid to late afternoon and will respond then.
Fonnie
Bless your cotton soxes Fonnie
He’s a lucky man to have such fine back-up…and I bet he didn’t even ask either?
And thanks for the heads-up.
Cheers
Stephen G
Hi Stephen,
No problem at all and thanks for your nice comment.
Fonnie
Hi Fonnie!
Thanks for the update.
I was planning a ‘chat amongst yourselves until Paul is back’ message – but found myself offline unexpectedly. Funny how disconnected you feel when you can’t get online!
Paul – great post! Rather insightful.
Naomi
There is a lot of truth to this post, but certain endorsements do translate to currency.
For example, wedding and portrait photographer Jasmine Star (Google her) can attribute much of her meteoric (or should I say volcanic?) rise to success to David Jay (Google him), who used his massive blog following to shine a spotlight on her. Even so, she still needed to produce excellent work and be interesting in her own right, so the spotlight only amplified what she was already doing.
There are many other examples of this sort of thing. Getting the right endorsement, from the right person, in the right context can be hugely useful. Your examples of attempts to get endorsed probably failed one or more of those tests. I’m not particularly good at getting good endorsements, either. But I’m trying. It’s word-of-mouth marketing 101, really. And “media hype” is usually the wrong place to start … trying to connect with respected authorities in your particular field is where it’s at. “Media hype” is only ever about the lowest common denominator of society. It’s unlikely to land on the ears of the small group of people you want to reach with your message.
The truth of your post (to my mind) is in the fact that your brand needs to have been built carefully (not necessarily slowly), to a point where it’s worthy of that big endorsement. And in the absence of a big endorsement, there’s still plenty that can be done over time
PS: I’m not a PR person, and I have no formal training in any of this, so feel free to ignore me
Dear everyone. Thanks for your amazing comments. Am back in the saddle and will respond shortly.
Dear Sarah, I did have today’s yoof in mind when I wrote this post. If I can save a few cats from barking up the wrong tree, my experiences will be worthwhile.
I’m thrilled to be a rockstar in your world. I shall be touring shortly and also plan to release a fragrance especially for copywriters. It’s called Semi-Cologne. Look out for your free sample! Best regards, P.
Welcome back, Susan. I was hoping you’d give us your perspective. If I’m teaching YOU something, I MUST be on the right track!
Thanks very much for contributing. 
Paul,
Of course I learn from you. That is one thing many forget, they think they know it all, whether it is marketing, finance etc. Reading what others say or do can put a new perspective on things, spark ideas for example.
I was taught years ago, keep your eyes and ears open.
Paul, great post. Though I would never have interviewed you for the Fin Review if I had known you used to be the front man for a band called Fluffy’s Chain
Dear Stephen, many thanks for your stong vote of confidence (and for sending me to the dictionary – I love it when that happens).
It’s wonderful to know someone out there thinks I’ve already won. You may be right, in which case I can smell a few roses before it’s all too late.
As Ice said to Maverick in the oft-misheard quote (due to all that jet engine noise): ‘You can be my I-Ching man any time!’
Thanks, Malcolm, for that unauthorised biography grab. I suppose the truth must come out eventually. Hopefully you’ll leave me something to write in my memoirs.
It was surprising to end up with that list. I’d never put all my media efforts end to end before. Now I can finally get on the roof and fix that damn aerial!
According to Wikipedia, Seth gave many things a red hot go before hitting the big time. So there’s hope for all of us. Onya, Mate! P.
Thanks a lot for holding the fort, Fonnie. You sure are one out of the comment box.
I’m sorry I forgot to get milk on the way home. Any chance you could grab some after work? Graham and Omaha just said, ‘Come home soon, Mum!’ Love, P.
Naomi, I just wanted to say that for your first WordPress effort, you did a damn fine job. Megan would be proud! P.
Thanks Paul!!!
That’s a generous comment there, Luke! Your take is every bit as valuable as a PR view and I’m grateful to have it.
Jasmine’s Star certainly seems to be ascending. Here’s her site. I also checked out David Jay. Astonishing shots, but not all suitable for the kiddies. So no link here (Google, as you said).
Thanks again, Luke. Always a pleasure to have you in here. P.
Joanna, your request to interview me was a real shot in the arm. I was still finding my way in social media but you made me feel like I had a handle on it. This strengthened my resolve to learn all I could.
Malcolm got such a shock to see me in Boss magazine, he nearly choked on a Business Class cheese cracker 12 km above Honkers.
So it was definitely worth it.
BTW, Stephen, the blog link in your comment wasn’t working. I’ve added what I think is the correct one. Could you please confirm?
Hi Paul,
Can confirm Good Sir and thanks for the heads-up
Actually, they both worked fine from here
Wow! It’s like another family reunion! Sarah, Susan, Joanna and good to see Luke back again sayin’ how it is
…excellent!
And Naomi…indeed I reckon Megan would be proud. It’s great to see you popping in…I do hope to see more of you on our hallowed virtual parchment
Have a good one all…
Cheers
Stephen G
Thanks Stephen!
Another relevant ripper from our mate Seth:
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2010/06/hope-and-the-magic-lottery.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+typepad%2Fsethsmainblog+%28Seth%27s+Blog%29