It's no secret that many adult Websites are finding it increasingly challenging to attract traffic. The proliferation of sites - both paid and unpaid - has created a porn glut, raising the costs of acquiring new customers. However, there is one vehicle for increasing traffic that's been generally underutilized - the mainstream media. Mainstream newspapers, magazines, radio programs, and television programs reach millions of prospective Website customers every day.
Unfortunately, advertising tends to be expensive - and many mainstream media outlets severely limit the content of the advertisements they publish. But there's a way to use the mainstream media that doesn't cost you a dime: getting yourself - or your talent - interviewed as part of a larger program or news story.
I've worked in media for more than 15 years (under a different name), both as a media spokesperson and as a broadcast and print reporter. As a spokesperson, I represented a Fortune 100 company and later, using this experience, I built a training business that charged $5,000 for a half-day session about how to work with the media. I changed careers, and for the past seven years, I've been a journalist, doing investigative reporting for several national magazines, and have appeared in that role everywhere from ABC to National Public Radio. For three years, I was the co-host of a pop-culture talk show on one of the largest radio stations in the country - a show that frequently featured offbeat and adult-oriented guests.
For the past six months, I've been an informal marketing advisor for one of the world's largest adult Websites. During this time, I've had the opportunity to discuss marketing, advertising, brand development, and many other aspects of the online adult industry. I have been amazed at the lack of understanding about how the mainstream media works and how it can be used to promote a Website. This is ironic, because there is an explosion of interest in online adult entertainment among the news media, creating incredible publicity opportunities on a daily basis. Why don't more adult Websites try to use this media interest to create publicity for their sites? I believe it's because Webmasters lack the knowledge and the tools to take advantage of the available opportunities. Furthermore, many are frightened of becoming the target of crusading right-wing journalists and politicians.
Such fears, while understandable, shouldn't keep you from tapping into the mainstream media in order to create publicity - and drive traffic - to your site.
Understanding the Mainstream
Adult Websites need to be concerned with two audiences, each of which needs to be handled differently. The first audience is the general public, meaning everyone who is plugged into today's media-driven culture: the readers of mainstream magazines and newspapers, people who listen to talk radio and watch television. The second audience is a subset of the first: people who actually purchase Website memberships in order to view the content that the Website contains. The adult Webmaster is trying to reach that subset of the second audience; the so-called "target demographic."
Adult Webmasters face unique challenges when they approach working with mainstream media in order to create publicity. Erotica has the weird distinction of being a legitimate multi-billion dollar business, providing an important and entertaining service to tens of millions of individuals, but which nevertheless generates a hostile (and even violently hostile) reaction from a sizeable portion of the public. The erotica industry isn't the only one with this characteristic - both the tobacco industry and (to a lesser extent) the alcoholic beverage industry suffer from a similarly negative image. However, the level of public hostility toward pornography is such that few of the target demographic are willing to publicly identify themselves as consumers. When was the last time you heard somebody admit (unprompted by prior knowledge of your involvement in the industry) that he or she really likes pornography and buys it regularly?
This reluctance of the consumer to "fess up" is even more pronounced when it comes to online erotica. While adult videos can (with varying degrees of credibility) position themselves as "marital aids" or "couples tapes," the consumption of online erotica is almost always a solitary pastime that involves typing with one hand. The challenge of working with the media is compounded by the fact that society remains profoundly uncomfortable about male masturbation, perhaps more than other sexual practices, despite the fact that masturbation is an almost universal behavior among men and women.
To make matters worse, almost all of the research that has been conducted on the subject of pornography focuses on proving that pornography (and, by extension, masturbation combined with pornography) is unhealthy. For example, the National Foundation for Family Research and Education [see "The Enemies List, Part 2," in the April issue - Ed.] recently reviewed 74 studies examining the impact of pornography on attitudes and behaviors in sexual or intimate relationships.
Chief among the findings in this report was "a statistical confirmation of a link between consumption of pornography and an array of sexually deviant behaviors and attitudes." Many of these studies are based upon the feminist theory that "because pornography is produced almost exclusively by and for men... [it] reflect[s] the traditional patriarchal structures of our culture" and that "the social and sexual 'reality' conveyed by contemporary pornography consistently portrays women as sexually and socially subservient to and dominated by men, thereby leaving them more vulnerable to assaults."
Furthermore, radical feminist "scholars" regularly distort statistics in order to work their political agenda. Actually, the mainstream media is often dominated by "facts" promulgated by advocacy groups that have no actual basis in reality.
One well-documented example of this is the myth that domestic violence increases on Super Bowl Sunday - a falsehood that was reported as a truism in nearly every major publication in the country, until it was proven to be entirely bogus.
All of these factors contribute to creating an environment in the mainstream media that, on the surface at least, is often hostile to pornography. Prevailing social attitudes toward online porn mean that the mainstream media (with certain exceptions) almost always puts a negative spin on any story that involves erotica. For example, on Feb. 7, the PBS show Frontline aired a segment entitled "American Porn." While the show tried to position itself as being even-handed, the documentary ultimately took a condemnatory tone as evidenced by the show's concluding remark that "pornography is bound for a reckoning."
Working with the Mainstream
The predominantly negative attitude of the mainstream media is largely responsible for the reluctance of many Webmasters to use the mainstream as a promotional tool. Webmasters are afraid of becoming the target of a negative story that might portray their business in a bad light.
However, it's important to realize the mainstream media is only outwardly priggish. Media outlets feature stories about pornography precisely because the sexual content (surprise!) attracts readers and viewers. After all, sex sells. The amount of sexual content that the mainstream media can put in a news story (for example) is directly proportionate to the amount of moralizing that accompanies it. The moralizing allows the media outlet to run salacious pictures and video clips - thereby attracting viewers - without being accused of exploitation. It may be hypocritical, but it's the way the game is played.
Webmasters who understand this dynamic (and are willing to work with it) can use this false priggishness to their advantage. Here's an example. A few years ago, a national television news magazine featured a story about male students at a university who had joined together to "fight pornography." While the story was entirely approving of this "anti-porn" movement and featured interview clips with Katharine MacKinnon, a prominent anti-porn activist, much of the visual content of the story consisted of photographs of nude women. One segment prominently featured a cover of Hustler magazine. Despite the generally anti-porn tone of the story, it provided wonderful publicity for Hustler, which essentially got a commercial on national prime-time television at no cost.
It's not necessarily a bad thing to be notorious. Remember, you're not really interested in reaching the housewives who are recoiling in shock from the nudes. You're trying to reach the poor bastard sitting next to her, who's nodding in "agreement" because he knows he won't get laid this month if he doesn't and who is secretly wishing that his wife looked like a porn queen. That's the guy who's going to pull out his credit card later that night, when the wife and kiddies are in bed, and pay for access to Hustler.com. Welcome to your target demographic.
It would be a mistake to assume that every mainstream media outlet is outwardly anti-porn. There are many, many media venues that are more than willing to cover the world of pornography without the dopey moralizing. Probably the most famous example is The Howard Stern Show, which is famous for providing excellent publicity to porn starlets, many of whom have Websites or are associated with Websites. Of course, getting on Stern's program is the holy grail of porn publicity, but you'd be surprised at how publicity at a lower level can result in that golden opportunity (this is called "climbing the publicity ladder"). Porn starlet Nicole Moore, for example, publicized her nude house painting business on some news wire services, and ended up with an invitation to appear on Stern's show.
Stern is not the only national outlet that's porn-positive. MTV and VH1 each have run special programs focusing on the intersection of pornography and the music business, offering publicity opportunities for online talent. In general, the world of rock music provides excellent publicity vehicles. This has been true since 1998, when Ginger Lynn (arguably the hottest starlet of the 1980s) got a big career boost by appearing in a Metallica music video. Other opportunities exist on cable channels like Comedy Central, which has featured porn actresses on segments of The Man Show, for example.
There are also numerous publicity opportunities at the regional level. Rock radio stations are full of horny DJs who might want to spice up their shows with a little audio bump-and-jiggle. Every large city in the country has two or more talk radio stations. While many of these pursue a generally conservative agenda, there are often one or more Stern-wannabes, especially during the weekend shifts. Many regions have local cable news outlets that might be interested in a story on online porn. There are also local "on-the-scene" magazines in nearly every large city, with columnists who are always looking for some kind of interesting story or interesting person to interview.
In short, we're living in the midst of a media explosion - an explosion that you can leverage to make your Website more visible - and thus acquire more traffic.
Developing Media Opportunities
How do you get your fair share of all this free publicity? First, you must understand that the mainstream media is hungry for interesting stories. While it's true that reporters, editors, and producers are swamped with emails, faxes, letters, and phone calls from public relations flacks, most of this material is mass-distributed and is immediately thrown away. However, something that's interesting - and addressed to the right person - almost always gets attention.
The general rule is: What's unusual is newsworthy. The more unusual the site, the more likely it is to get publicity. Wasteland.com, which bills itself as the world's largest bondage site, has been written up in the Boston Globe, the Improper Bostonian, and USA Today. Similarly, RetroRaunch.com, which contains vintage pornography from the 1970s and earlier, received excellent free publicity in USA Today and The Washington Post. Nothing unusual about your Website? Don't despair. Instead, be creative - figure out a story angle that will work. If your site is too risqu� to promote, create a new site with a different name as a feeder to your real site; and then promote the feeder site.
Rather than promoting the site directly, it might be more effective to publicize the people who are involved in it. Look for things that are unusual about you (or your talent) that might be newsworthy. Your typical silicone blonde, for example, is simply too common to command the attention of the mainstream media. But if the blonde is painting houses in the nude - bingo! - it's an instant publicity opportunity.
The mainstream media is always interested in anything that juxtaposes pornography with something that's generally not associated with the adult industry. Some strippers from New Hampshire, for example, got on Comedy Central's The Daily Show by agreeing to provide entertainment - gratis - to patrons of a local junkyard. Nina Hartley bills herself as a registered nurse, as well as a "performer, dancer, swinger, and educator," to quote the publicity blurb from one of her videos. The combination of RN and porn goddess was interesting enough to land her some publicity on MTV, as well as HBO's Real Sex.
Sometimes just a slightly different spin on the sex is enough to make a story newsworthy. Boston, for example, is traditionally known as one of the most sexually conservative large cities in the country and has, in recent years, had several scandals connected with the local bondage scene. However, one Boston dominatrix became a regular guest on one of the city's largest hard rock radio stations simply because she wore red, white, and blue hair extensions and had contact lenses that gave her yellow cat eyes.
There are literally hundreds of ways to build a story that's newsworthy. Have your talent visit local nursing homes to hand out balloons. Start a bikini softball team. Offer yourself as an expert on Internet censorship. Or maybe you should be an industry spokesperson who can explain to adults how to keep their kids off of the porn sites. The possibilities are endless.
Once you've come up with a story idea, you need to start doing research. What television stations, radio stations, or publications might be interested in your story? There are two general ways to do this.
The first way is a do-it-yourself effort. Use your favorite search engine to dig around on the Web to find the "audit trail" of articles or programs on which a reporter has worked in the past. When I had my talk radio program, I liked to cover local figures in the adult industry and posted some of the text from the interviews that I had conducted on my Website. One day, I was contacted by the owner of an adult boutique who wanted to be a guest on the show. She brought in a large number of products, which we "demonstrated" on the air. On another occasion, I discussed online pornography as a social phenomenon with the Webmaster of a locally owned bondage site. Clearly, I was a good media candidate for any interesting story about online erotica.
The second way to find potential media opportunities is to buy a list. There are many companies that sell mailing lists of talk show hosts, editors, and so forth. Before buying such a list, it's important to determine whether the information is up-to-date. There's a lot of churn in the media, and the porno-friendly talk show host may no longer work at that hip rock radio station now that it's changed its format to gospel music. In any case, such lists are often best combined with some Web research, so you can check to see whether the contact is any good. There is one site, bookmarket.com, which sells pretty good data - especially when it comes to the big national network programs. The site is intended primarily for authors promoting their books, but the information is also applicable to any publicity effort.
Another alternative is to hire a service to create a press release. A variety of online companies - businesswire.com is one of the largest - will issue press releases to a variety of media lists. At best, press releases are likely to result in nothing more than an "I may be interested" email from a prospective media outlet. It's still going to be up to you to close the deal and turn the opportunity into a reality. The key to doing this is a compelling story pitch.
Story pitches are usually presented via a business letter addressed directly to the target reporter, editor, or producer. It should briefly describe the type of story envisioned and provide enough teaser information for the target to determine whether he or she is interested. You can use email if you like, but you should realize that media people won't download any attachments to email messages because they're frequently the target of viruses. This means that you must include everything that's needed for the interview inside the body of the email.
One particularly effective way to cultivate a media opportunity is to interact with the media figure directly. For example, there was one woman who regularly called my talk radio program to comment on whatever topic I was discussing. Over time, she became friendly with the producer and I looked forward to hearing from her. After a few weeks, she revealed, on the air, that her job was photographing overweight women in the nude for specialty magazines. Boom! She got an immediate invitation to come on the show as an official guest. Disc jockeys frequently make local appearances and often do on-location programs. Would it kill you to bundle some talent into the station wagon and show up at the car dealership when WPUTZ is doing a local live broadcast?
Crafting Your Message
Maybe you think your job is done, now that you've got an invitation to be interviewed or featured. Wrong. Now comes the fun part: crafting the message that you want to communicate about yourself or your site. Remember your target demographic, the people who you think might actually go to your Website and buy a membership; the purpose of the media opportunity isn't to impress your mom, but to get your message to that target demographic.
Let's face it: We live in a world that's absolutely inundated with information. Wherever we go, we're bombarded by advertisements, messages, and agendas that are screaming for our attention. Thus everyone has learned to become a selective listener, able to tune out messages considered unimportant or uninteresting. This means you have a challenge on your hands - to get your message across and to make certain your media appearance creates publicity that's aimed directly at your target demographic.
The key to accomplishing this is to create a set of "nuggets" - sometimes called "sound bites" - that drive your target demographic to your site. Here are examples of nuggets for some fictional Websites:
*"SuperMegaBondage.com is the only Website that's won adult industry awards five years in a row, because we always have the best stuff and all of it is exclusive."
*"I'm posing nude on SuperDuper HotSlut.com because I'm an ardent feminist who believes that a woman should be allowed to do anything that she wants."
*"At WickedFatWomen.com, we believe that every woman is a beautiful creation of the goddess, regardless of her size."
You need to write and memorize at least three such nuggets, each of which says basically the same thing: that your site is worthy of the attention of the one-handed typist. Note that one of the keys to having your messages heard and retained by your target audience is repetition. During an interview, it's to your advantage to repeat your nuggets several times, varying the wording somewhat, perhaps using different kinds of supporting data to give your messages variety. (More on this later.)
Needless to say, the questions the reporter asks during the interview will not always lead directly to your prepared messages. However, by using simple control techniques, you will be able to deal with a question and direct the focus of the answer to successfully communicate your message. There are two primary methods: bridging and flagging.
Bridging is a technique used to move from one aspect of an issue to another. It involves dealing with the question briefly and honestly, and then promptly following that response with your message. Some simple examples of bridging tools are:
"Yes... " (the answer), "and in addition... " (the bridge)
"No... " (the answer), "let me explain... " (the bridge)
"I don't know... but what I do know is..." (the bridge)
"That's the way it used to be... here's what we do now... " (the bridge)
If this technique sounds familiar, it's because every politician in the world uses bridging when dealing with the media. Why? Because it works.
Flagging is simply a way of helping your audience remember your message by emphasizing or prioritizing the things you consider to be most important. For example:
"The most important thing to remember is... "
"I've talked about a lot of things today. I think it boils down to these three things... "
"Let me make one thing perfectly clear... "
It adds credibility to your nuggets if you can support them with various kinds of hard information. Some of the techniques most commonly used to support conclusions include:
*Evidence. This is any hard data that can back up your claims. For example, if your site has ever won an award, you should mention this during the interview.
*Exciting statistics. Statistics should be used sparingly and are most effective when they can be put into easy-to-understand terms. Saying "we have ten times more online movies than any other similar site" paints a more memorable image than saying "we have 250 MPEGs."
*Analogies or comparisons. Making an analogy or comparison between two things makes your statements more memorable. For example: "Married couples find that bondage is like taking a vacation without leaving the bedroom."
*Personal experience. Using personal experience to illustrate your point enables your audience to relate to and comprehend your message. "I thought I was alone, but now I feel like I'm part of a community."
Controlling the Interview
Now that you've crafted the messages that you believe will appeal to your target demographic, you're ready to be interviewed. There are three types of interviews: print, radio, and television, each of which presents a different set of challenges. However, there are a few standard rules that apply to any interview situation, regardless of the medium:
*Do your homework. Be sure that you know the reporter's name or the host's name, as well as the purpose of the story or show. You should also research your interviewer's audience - the people who read the publication or listen to the program. Remember, you are directing your messages to that audience - specifically, the target demographic that you're trying to reach - and not the reporter or the host. If you have been unable to do your homework, do not hesitate to ask a few questions of the reporter, host, or producer prior to starting the interview.
*Provide a backgrounder. The interviewer will always appreciate it if you give him or her enough information to do a good job. Help the reporter to prepare by providing background information prior to the interview. If the interview is an important one, anticipate probable questions and practice your responses with an associate before the interview. Be sure to be up-to-date on any current events that might come up, such as recent arrests, campaign statements by porn-hating politicians, and so forth.
*Focus on your own agenda. Know your audience (i.e. the target demographic) and talk from their viewpoint, without jargon that might confuse them. It's better to steer the conversation to the excellent and unique content on your site rather than express your personal opinions about the mental inadequacies of the local attorney general. It's essential not to mistake the interviewer for your true audience. The interviewer is only a conduit to get your message to your target demographic.
*Maintain the right attitude. Speak in personal terms whenever possible to enhance credibility. If you do not want a statement quoted, do not make it. Remember, there is no such thing as an "off the record" or "not for attribution" statement. While many reporters respect "off the record" requests, the kind of statements that you wouldn't want quoted are very often the ones that the reporter will want to quote. Try to "read" the interviewer. Don't put yourself in the position of being "set up."
*Keep your cool. If an inaccurate statement is made by the reporter or yourself, correct it immediately. Do not argue with the reporter. Mark Twain said it best: "Never get into an argument with a man who buys ink by the barrel." You can never "win" an argument with an interviewer. Audiences and reporters will sense hostility. Note that interviewers are sometimes deliberately argumentative or aggressive simply to elicit a newsworthy response.
*Don't let yourself be trapped. If a question contains negative language or words you don't like, do not repeat the reporter's negative words. You run the risk of having the reporter's negative language attributed to you. Instead, state your answer in a positive way. Bad: "I don't think that Internet sites are contributing to rape." (Could be shortened during editing to "Internet sites are contributing to rape.") Good: "A lot of people have some pretty wild opinions about the Internet, but my Website, SuperHornySlutBabe.com, has thousands of great photographs of sexy adults having consensual sex."
*Don't be a know-it-all. If you don't know an answer, say so. Refer the reporter to someone who can answer the question or tell the reporter that you'll get back to him or her later. Then do so. If you can't answer a question, never say "no comment." Always give a valid reason for not being able to answer; a legal case is pending or the information requested is of a proprietary nature. Example: "It's true that my clients include a large number of wealthy and powerful men, but I have a strict privacy policy that completely forbids revealing their identities."
Print Interviews
A print interview for a newspaper or magazine story is generally longer in length than a television or radio interview. This is good news for you, because it gives you time to fully develop the messages you wish to communicate. Many reporters will either tape the interview or attempt to type everything you say as you're talking. Don't let either situation unnerve you; they both increase your chances of being quoted correctly. If the reporter is typing your response, talk s-l-o-w-l-y if you want to be quoted accurately.
When a reporter is writing a story, he or she will frequently make a telephone call in order to get a source to back up a point, or to get a quick quote to "balance" a story. If you are called, remember you are under no obligation to answer immediately. Ask the reporter what the deadline is and promise to get back with a response shortly. Return the call only after you are sure about what you want to say. But you must absolutely respect the reporter's deadline.
Never ask to read the reporter's copy or request changes before publication. In most cases the reporter is specifically and contractually forbidden from sharing a story before publication, for the simple reason that editors don't want extra work trying to deal with interviewees who don't like a story. However, it is entirely kosher to give the reporter your email address and telephone number for a "fact check," or in the event the reporter "needs additional information." Some publications have a fact checker who calls the sources quoted in the text to confirm that the statements are accurate.
If a reporter writes a story that seriously misrepresents the facts, you should never hesitate to contact the publication's editor and ask for a correction. However, it's a big mistake to complain about minor slips in an otherwise accurate story. Reporters are human and make mistakes and, because they're human, they can also be vindictive. Why antagonize somebody who might give you some publicity in the future?
Radio Interviews
Radio interviews give you the chance to reach your target demographic on a much more personal basis. On radio, your impact will depend solely upon your voice, which you must use to develop a perception of yourself and your message. For example, if you're the "star" of the Website, you should learn how to speak in a way that sounds sexy and suggestive, without pushing too hard, lest it sound cartoonish. Webmasters are more likely to be successful adopting a half-humorous, "it's all in good fun, isn't it?" tone.
In either case, it's important to begin your interview with energy and strength in your first statement. Throughout the interview you must work to convince the listener that you know what you are talking about. You want to sound happy to be the subject of the interview. Most importantly, make it conversational. Radio is a one-to-one medium - you don't want to sound like you're delivering a speech. This means you should vary your pitch, rate, and volume, just like you do when you're talking with your friends.
A talk show host is always concerned about how the interview sounds and whether it will be entertaining to the audience. As a general rule, audiences tune in to a particular show because they like the host and the selection of guests invited on the show. Don't try to monopolize the show. Above all, never talk when the host is talking - that's called "stepping" and it makes for a very confusing sound on the radio program. The ideal is to achieve a give-and-take relationship with the interviewer that leads to the kind of conversation that enables you to deliver your messages.
Some radio interviews are taped rather than presented live. Taped interviews (both for radio and television) allow you to pause before delivering your answer to a question. The editor will electronically remove those pauses, so you have the luxury of taking the time to figure out exactly how you'd like to respond to the question. Note, however, that a typical 10-minute interview for a news story might be cut down to a few short clips or sound bites. That's why it's so important to come up with the nuggets that will appeal to your target demographic - and to repeat them.
If the interview is in the radio studio, bring a cassette tape. The engineer can usually run a copy while you're on the show for your press kit (more on this later). If the interview is being taped, supply the engineer with a stamped, self-addressed mailer along with the cassette and ask to have it recorded and sent to you when the program has been edited. If you're not in the studio, supply the engineer with a cassette and mailer ahead of time.
Television Interviews
Everything that's true of radio interviews is also true of television interviews, with one major exception: How y
