"Drilling Down" - Building Momentum in Publicity

​by Skip Cohen

I'm kicking off the next segment of my "Drilling Down" series, zeroing in on core ideas from my nine basics for success in 2026. Too many of you overlook the importance of highlighting your own achievements. The fact is, if you don't promote yourself, nobody else is likely to step in. You need to become your own publicity machine in your community.

"What good is working so hard if nobody knows who you are?"

Sadly, many of you think publicity just happens by itself. Well, nothing could be further from the truth. While there are obviously things that make it into the news on their own, they're at the extremes and usually catastrophic. To ensure your business gets noticed, regularly write and distribute publicity releases rather than waiting for attention.

For many years, I wrote for Shutter Magazine. With every article online, there was always a video supporting the theme. The video below was my way to make the point about publicity, and it's so true. If you don't make a little noise on your own, then you might as well join me in a corn field in Nebraska! Think of it as me doing my version of "Where's Waldo"! 

Announcements and events related to your business need to be shared manually, at least when getting started - there is no auto or "P" mode!  For example, have you ever picked up the local paper or visited your community website online and seen a story about one of your competitors? That story or photograph is in the news because they worked to get it there. The days of journalists driving around the community looking for things to write about died with Jimmy Olson and Superman!

Outlets for "exposure" are everywhere. The obvious big winners are stories in the local paper, on the community/city website, etc., but that's at the top. All along the way, you've got your blog, other public blogs, community events, direct mail, various related websites, conventions, brochures, etc. Don't forget to offer the use of your images, from a community event, for example, to the hosting group, company, or association. You're looking for anything that gets your name out there.

Never assume you or your story isn't newsworthy! Especially with publications, never assume they're not interested in something you're doing. At Rangefinder Magazine, we used to regularly visit the story stash to find something interesting when we had space to fill. Not every story is going to be a cover feature, and often we had small sections within the magazine that simply needed something interesting for people to read about.

The biggest challenge is always the same: finding what's newsworthy. Most of the time, I hear photographers say, "There's nothing here to write about!" The truth is, there's always something to write about, and the odds are good that, if you're patient, a local publication, website, or organization will pick up the story at some point.

In the video above, I mentioned template releases. Here's an old example which might be perfect if you just returned from WPPI or a facsimile of a conference:

Most important of all be patient - many of you will be starting from scratch and it takes time to build a following.  

"The key to everything is patience. You get the chicken by hatching the egg, not by smashing it open!" 
​Arnold Glasgow