The Lead

Okay a little bit more detail:

1. Know what you're fishing for. The novice angler will bait a hook and drop it in the water, expecting a wide range of fish to swim by and literally jump into the boat. A lot of companies view publicity in the same way -- drop a news release on the wire and wait for reporters to come running. In reality, the best anglers -- and best publicity professionals -- build a strategy around one species of fish, and go after that fish with an approach tailored specificially for it.

2. The bait matters. You can bait your hook with a worm, but you're not likely to catch a trophy marlin. The same goes for publicity. If you don't have news that's worthy of the Wall Street Journal, then you're just wasting your time and your money. Ultimately, it's not YOU who decides if the bait is worthwhile -- it's the fish.

3. Take note of the conditions. The best anglers recognize that the right conditions are critical to success. The weather, the barometric pressure, water temperature and flow, amount of natural food, time of day and even time of year have a major impact on fishing success. Environmental conditions also affect publicity success in much the same way. If you're not paying attention to the surrounding conditions -- political climate, competitive environment, time of day/year, and other news taking place -- you're not going to be successful.

4. Catching a lunker takes patience -- and it may not taste very good. Pound for pound, the best freshwater fighting fish include the trout, smallmouth bass and bluegill. They're not the biggest, but they're definitely enjoyable to catch (and to eat). I've been in a boat where one angler, had a really great time catching a mess of crappies while the other angler (me), beat the water to a froth trying to catch a big northern pike. At the end of the day, who had the better trip? In publicity, management often pressures us to go after and land the "big fish," whether it be the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, CNN, Forbes, or some other "big outlet." In some cases, it's the right strategy. In other cases, it's time wasted chasing the big guy when there are other more effective ways to reach an important target. Oh yeah, and some times when you do land the big one, it doesn't really have that much impact.

5. Pray for a little bit of luck -- and be prepared when you get it. You can strategize and accessorize all you want, but the most experienced angler and the novice, both need a little bit of luck. The biggest bass I've ever seen caught was by a 5-year-old kid on a pond while he was fishing for perch. When fishing with a big group, I put my money on the newbie to catch either the biggest or the most fish. Why? Because when it boils down to it, that newbie has just as much chance of having a fish swim by his bait as the most experienced veteran -- and he's surrounded by others who know how to fish and will help him when he gets one on the line. Luck plays into publicity as well, and as in life, that luck favors the prepared. There will come a time when the Wall Street Journal, Forbes or Fortune opportunity will present itself. It may come when you least expect it, and you need to be prepared when it happens to take full advantage of it.

Time to go...I hear the bluegills are biting on the lake behind my house...