Which is more powerful: Online or offline publicity? from How to Get Publicity

ThePublicityHound Moderated by ThePublicityHound

Almost daily, we're reading about how traditional media like newspapers and radio stations are marching toward the graveyard. Yet one well-placed hit in a top-tier magazine, or one appearance on a big TV talk show like "Oprah" can bring millions of people---all potential customers---to your website.

If you had to devote time and money to either online publicity or offline publicity exclusively, which would you choose? And why?

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Online publicity

lucky6sports.blogspot says:

lucky6sports.blogspot.com

check it out and let me know what you think, leave a comment, or become a follower as well. Thanks guys!

Posted September 16, 2009

theinformationlady says:

Online -it's free. Squidoo is free. Blogs are free. Writing articles for article directories - free. Giving away an ebook with your links, once again - free. Free is good (sometimes). http://www.squidoo.com/freewebtools

Posted January 09, 2009

Family-Legacy-Mom says:

Online, definitely. I'm sold on it. It's easy and you can find many places to publish an article or press release free. I'm especially impressed with American Chronicles online. They have 21 chronicles and your one article is published 21 times. I love this company. They're great to work with.

Posted January 02, 2009

Kenya McRae says:

Online publicity because you can reach a more diverse group in an inexpensive manner.

Posted December 21, 2008

Patricia says:

Um, Can I be on Oprah. No... well then online publicity. It's less expensive if you are pinching pennies for a non-profit group like the Tower Genealogical Society.

Posted August 24, 2008

Shari Lyle-Soffe says:

Online publicity reaches more people, unless you are lucky enough to be on Oprah. I'm not holding my breath. In truth I think both are necessary. There is a lot to be said for meeting your readers face to face. They may be more inclined to become a long term fan.

Shari Lyle-Soffe

Posted June 05, 2008

Catherine Johnson (www.catherinejohnsonnovels.com) says:

I would definitely say online publicity. As Magdalena noted, online publicity is working for an author (or whatever your business) long after any public appearance. But I would also add that for author's who can't or won't mount a traditional in-person book tour, online publicity is a fabulous alternative. You're not away from your family, there's no travel, and you're not exhausted. To be successful online does take work, but for me at least, the impact on "Shades of Darkness, Shades of Grace" has been terrific.

Posted May 16, 2008

Magdalena Ball (www.compulsivereader.com) says:

Well of course online and offline publicity complement one another, but I chose online because it covers much more ground in a shorter period of time, and because online publicity keeps working for you long after the memory of an in-person book signing has faded. Dollar for dollar (and hour for hour), I think online publicity has more impact.

Posted May 15, 2008

Janie (www.janielancaster.com) says:

Online. I do mostly online marketing for my middle grade novel Julie & The Lost fairy Tale. I try to find schools, libraries and teaching colleges and then I send them an email and direct them to my web site. But I also do offline publicity. I think we have to be willing to adapt to this ever-changing world. Also the internet has a worldwide audience.

Posted May 15, 2008

L.M. Quinn (www.writingame.com) says:

I would say online first to start the buzz, then use offline to fill in the gaps. Online (although readily available and no cost in most cases) can be tricky to set up, if you don't know the ropes. Getting/paying for online/offline professional assistance pays off in the end.

Posted May 15, 2008

Christopher Valen says:

Although I'm doing traditional bookstore appearances and signings for my recently released mystery, White Tombs, I'm devoting more time to online publicity. I'm using my website at www.christophervalen.com, social networking and blogging to build name recognition. I believe it is a more effective long term strategy.

Posted May 15, 2008

Judy Azar LeBlanc says:

This is a no-brainer ... All and any, good or bad Publicity is important, both on-line and off-line .. the more the better. Cover all tracks.
Judy Azar LeBlanc
Award Winning Author
Many Faces to Many Places
http://www.manyfacestomanyplaces.com

Posted May 15, 2008

talan says:

Online only because it replaces expense with time. Although online and offline marketing can both become very expensive, it's much easier to find free techniques to effectively market online than in the brick world.

Also, fine targeting of your marketing is infinitely more achievable in the online world.

Posted May 07, 2008

serenityva says:

I definitely would choose online. Either through social networking or blogging. I post to blogs that have to do with my area of expertise and have joined groups on the social networking sites that can drive business back to my website.

Posted May 02, 2008

HotbuttonPress says:

I don't like to travel much anymore, which is why I encourage and support blog book tours. More and more authors are trying the technique, not just because it saves money, but because a virtual tour has long-term impact. It's definitely something to explore.

http://blogbooktours.blogspot.com

Posted May 01, 2008

DirectMarketingRx says:

Online publicity is what I'm working on for now. Once I have my books ready then some offline publicity may come in handy. But for now online is the most affordable and easiest way for me to get my message across.

Posted April 29, 2008

Joanna Penn says:

Hi Joan - I am just starting out with my business http://www.HowToEnjoyYourJob.com so cost is still a factor. Therefore online is the best place to start as you can do so much in so little time, with little money. As things progress, I will add offline publicity and add it to my Press Room page as I go. With your emphasis on video this month, online also seems the best place to put this!.....but I still LOVE reading a book or a newspaper!

Posted April 29, 2008

Barbara says:

The Internet is the way to go

Posted April 29, 2008

Bonnie Lowe says:

Paula made some great points about offline publicity, but I'm not sure she followed the "exclusively" part of the question. Her initial effort was offine, but then she blogged and posted about it, right? That doesn't seem to fit the "offine publicity exclusively" test, does it?

By focusing on online publicity, your story has greater reach and longer (much longer) life. Plus journalists often look for stories & ideas online. You could do an online press release or blog post, it could catch the attention of a journalist, and you could thus reach the offline world without expending any of your own time or money. Even if that didn't happen (or if that is violating the "exclusively" part of the question, too), online blogs, social networks, video sites, news aggregators, etc., are mainstream media now. If you're online, and you know what you're doing, your story can have unlimited global reach. Yep, even more eyeballs than Oprah!

One last point: online publicity is more within your control. You can publish exactly what you want. That's often NOT the case with offline publicity, especially if you're efforts are at the mercy of overworked, underpaid journalists (or TV show producers/editors).

Great debate, Joan!

Posted April 29, 2008

Harry Hoover says:

It depends who I'm seeking the publicity for, myself, or a client, and what the demographics of that client's audiences are. For my company, My Creative Team, I'd choose online. Our target is marketers at Fortune 1000 corporations. Corporate executives are spending more of their time online. I am able to utilize online tools that get my message directly to my target without going through the media filter. Additionally, I can use social networks to get a "warm" digital introduction to prospects.

Posted April 29, 2008

Flora Morris Brown, Ph.D. says:

I would devote time and money to online publicity because it gives you a much wider reach and is cost-effective. More importantly, online you will meet contacts you were perhaps never have met offline. Once these contacts have been established you can always connect with them offline.

Flora
http://www.coloryourlifehappy.com

Posted April 29, 2008

FoxsPizza56 says:

I am utilizing onlne publicity & having much success, It more cost effective, less invasive on reporter's & editors valuable time & if done properly more easily accessable to the public & more importantly to freelance writers & others who will help you get your story out even further.

Online also 'archives' your story, so that is available for use in future by anyone. Whereas it is a chance to see a re-run of a TV show or find an old copy of a newspaper.

Posted April 29, 2008

Nancy Juetten says:

That is a very provocative question, Joan. As a publicist, I try to bridge both worlds to realize the greatest benefit for my clients and my own reputation.

Based on the dramatic changes taking place in the world of print, if I had to devote my time EXCLUSIVELY to one approach or the other, I would focus on online publicity and social networking.

Earning points on the "like, trust, and respect" meter counts for a lot when building one's brand and reputation and inviting new opportunities to be of service. The costs are low, and the upside is huge. It just means getting familiar with how to deploy these tools and being consistent in applying them. In today's ever-changing media marketplace, it simply isn't a choice to ignore the power and impact of online and social media.

Despite the changes in print media, I am still huge fan and will always believe print has a powerful place in any publicity effort.

Posted April 29, 2008

annieblawrence says:

I started a business five years ago in Sedona, Arizona. I decided to go for a web presence. We are doing well five years later in a slow economy and still doing well. I have not advertised in print except for rack cards. All of our customers come from the web and now are also word of mouth. It takes time in the beginning to develop a website and get it ranking high with the search engines but it can be done. I also recommend your information on press releases, Joan.
And I like your lens. I also have one at http://squidoo.com/sedonaarizona would love your feedback.

Posted April 29, 2008

Offline publicity

mock_13 says:

offline, i go to a high school with 300+ kids, and in a small town, but people talk. its like the 6 degrees of seperation

Posted November 30, 2009

Jean Newell says:

Off line -because you usually get a double hit. When I have an article about me, the Boomerpreneur or one of my inventions ( the PUP or giZmo bag) I notice I get calls months after the print distribution. I call them "the refrigerator reviews" because that's what I hear from my customers, "I've had this posted to my refrigerator for months and now I need your product.". The second advantage is, most articles end up on the publication's or TV show's web page anyway therefore ending up on the internet as well.

However I do feel at lot has to do with the age group of your target audience. Although my products provide a need to a large range of age groups, many are seniors and do not use the internet. Because they still feel comfortable reading the morning newspaper as opposed to getting their news online, I can get my message to more of them via the traditional route of print or TV/radio medium. I also feel having a copy of a great articles with a respected icon logo such as The Washington Post or The Chicago Tribune in my press kit pulls a lot more marketing weight than a printed page from a blog.

Posted December 20, 2008

DRaymo says:

I picked "offline," but I think both are equally important. It reminds of the old saying, "it is who you know, not what you know," or something like that. If that "who" is online or offline, does it matter? I say, extend your reach both offline and online -- you have the potential to reach a broader audience online, but having offline notoriety may bring new opportunities your way as well.

Posted May 14, 2008

TheBenefactor says:

Off-line. The reason we don't do more is the expense. We buy lots of Internet courses and one does not seem to work alone. Then we hit technical snags and give up.

Britain has lots of Internet users but few that look at business related articles, so few will see our efforts.

Posted May 05, 2008

Dan Poynter, http://ParaPub.com says:

Depends on your market. Is your audience print or online oriented?
For example, if your audience is older writers, they may be print (offline) oriented. If they are salespeople, PODcasts might be more useful to them.

Posted April 30, 2008

nouvative says:

This is a trick question.

The answer depends on who your audience is, where they go, what they do, where they get their information, and the best practical way to reach them.

But for the sake of picking one or the other, I say OFFLINE because most traditional medias have online versions these days, which then gets submitted to Digg, bookmarked on Delicious, and blogged about.

A lot of bloggers get their ideas from reading traditional media anyway.

Posted April 30, 2008

Blaize Clement says:

As an author of mysteries, I've tried to connect with readers through both online and print and radio/TV media. I love the control and spontaneity and low cost of online publicity, but I've found offline more effective. People who go to my blog or my website do so because they're already fans. People who read a book review or hear a radio interview may never have heard of me before and be interested enough to read one of my books.

Posted April 30, 2008

Paula Werne says:

I'm still going with the offline publicity. Because...you can take that offline publicity and push it online. For example, we (Holiday World Theme Park in Santa Claus, Indiana) just had a mention in USA Today on Friday. A mention. One line. We turned it into a news release that was used regionally. It was also sent to website forums and blogs. They used it. We blogged about it (http://www.holidayworld.com/holiblog/2008/04/who-you-callin-cheap.html) , including a plug for the travel expert who recommended us in the article (and then emailed him about it), and posted a comment on USA Today's website. There's nothing like the panache of a household word to launch a quickie publicity campaign. And, frankly, the regional coverage will push more customers our way. Plus, our news release has now planted this idea in so many editors' brains: Tough economy + families still want a vacation = Value Travel story, including Holiday World.

Posted April 27, 2008

 
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