Being able to wrap a personal story around a company or product when pitching an editor or broadcast producer can often garner greater attention and produce better PR results.
For example, when the appetite suppressant ingredient CitriMax was first introduced by InterHealth a few decades ago (it seems like just the other day as I led the brand marketing development of that successful ingredient), the product launch included a celebrity spokesperson with a good story to tell. It incorporated weight-loss scenarios for the spokesperson and her mother.
The celebrity, some of you may still remember, was supermodel and actress Kim Alexis. She had just given birth to her first child and as a result of her pregnancy, had some pounds she had trouble losing. She thought CitriMax was what she needed. And it worked because as an appetite suppressant, she did eat less and lost weight. Kim’s mother wanted to lose weight, as well and found the ingredient, manufactured into sample capsules by InterHealth, worked for her, too.
It was a great media story. The combination of a celebrity spokesperson who found success with the product she was pitching made a story the media nationwide picked up on and in turn helped make CitriMax a huge success for InterHealth and many of its retail product manufacturer customers.
Recently, I reached out to a longtime health radio contact who covers the CBD category for my client, Open Book Extracts, a foremost cannabinoid supplier. I introduced the company and its products. But that was not good enough. Yes, there was some interest, but the request was for a personal side to the story. Why was the company started? Did the founder have a health issue that CBD helped solve? Such information did not exist. So, I further researched the company for a good news hook. And I found one.
Anqunette Jamison Sarfoh, a former television news anchor person, started having health issues while still reporting the news, and learned she was suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS). Doctors put her on a daily regimen of pharmaceuticals—eight pills, plus one injection. She felt miserable.
Her husband suggested she try smoking a joint. It worked. From there, she changed her diet, started taking CBD products and stopped taking all pharmaceuticals. The move from pharmaceuticals to real plant-based medicine made her feel on top of the world again. But Sarfoh did not stop there.
Sarfoh, who was also known as “Q” when she anchored television news in Boston and Detroit, was so taken by CBD and cannabis products, she launched her own firm that she called Qulture, a Michigan-based CBD and cannabis retail products company. Hence, the different, albeit unique spelling of the word culture. She started working closely with the Detroit-area community to educate them about the health benefits of cannabis and CBD. Sarfoh also collaborated with a locally based registered nurse who had a background in cannabis health solutions. Furthermore, she started the “Qulture Club,” sponsored by Open Book Extracts. Prior to COVID, the Club offered in-home health education meetings and then moved to a virtual setting.
I took that scenario back to the radio show producer on a Friday. She said, “I have an open interview slot next Tuesday, and I want to interview Anqunette.”
So, there you have it. If you have a good story to tell that includes your company or product and offers a personal touch, chances are the media, be it print or broadcast, will have greater interest. Sometimes, all it takes is a little extra effort to find the right news hook.
Sheldon Baker is a senior member of Baker Dillon Group LLC and has created numerous nutraceutical brand marketing communications and public relations campaigns for well-known supplement and food industry companies. For brand marketing consulting, contact him at [email protected].
