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Get Noticed: Sing an Aria About Your Firm

My name is Scott and I am an opera addict.

At this point, you’re supposed to welcome me to the meeting, but most of you are probably thinking, “has he completely lost his mind? What does opera have to do with public relations?”

To that, I say everything.

Just yesterday, I went to the Dallas Opera to see Puccini’s Turandot. I love this opera for its great score and great drama, but I also love everything Puccini wrote (most men love him the most – there have been studies). Purists turn their nose up at him as being “too commercial,” but I see the art and have always been a fan.

Yesterday, while listening to the Chinese princess lament once more about her sad life, my mind wandered. I started to think about how much of a showman Puccini was throughout his life. He wrote opera for the common man, recognizing what would resonate with the audience. Now, you could argue that Mozart did the same thing. He wrote for the court, of course, but also wrote for the every man.

Because Puccini was such a showman, he produced some really memorable operas – Madame Butterfly, Tosca and La Bohème – just to name three of them. One time when I went to see La Rondine, he summed this up perfectly: “Even second-rate Puccini brings out the masses.”

Now to the point. I think Puccini is a great example of what PR can be for any entity – company, firm, organization – if you make others aware of what you’re doing that is different than the competition and tell your story. What you’ll want to do is:

  • Make a list of what you do that is unique – this could be a service specialty or industry niche.
  • Consider what you’ve done to make your effort successful. What have you done that hasn’t been so successful?
  • Can you sum up all of this in 1 to 2 paragraphs – something you can send to a reporter or editor to prompt the person to write a story about your efforts?

Getting the media’s attention isn’t quite this cut and dried, but if you have a great story to tell – as Puccini did with his operas – then you will get noticed and get some ink.

Remember: It’s not over until the fat lady sings.

Note: This posting first appeared on AccountingWeb.com.

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