Behind Many Millionaires …
there’s a great publicist like Imal Wagner.
Top Public Relations Agent
One bright sunny day in 1988, Imal Wagner waited with her first official PR client, a sportswear manufacturer, at the finish line of the Minneapolis Marathon. The area was a sea of red, white and blue − from the jackets manufactured by the sports company specifically for the Marathon winners (several were given to the officials at the finish line) – to the archway of balloons that matched the jackets, a third of which displayed the corporate company's logo. Red, white and blue running suits would also be presented to the top five winners in exchange for being a $25,000 sponsor of the event. It had all been Wagner’s idea.
At the moment the winner crossed the finish line, the balloons were released,the crowd erupted in cheers, and the cameras snapped away. Those images were splashed across the front pages of local newspapers the following day, the event was mentioned by the radio personalities covering the race, and all the city TV stations showed footage of the balloon release and the official swearing that huge logo printed on the jackets in every single shot of the winner crossing the finish line. It was everything Wagner had envisioned. There was just one problem on her mind. Her client hadn’t given the $200,000 donation to become a major sponsor, and she knew she had just upstaged them. It was a guerrilla marketing moment long before that term existed.
Why she is the best Public Relations Agent In America
Wagner was apologetic to the event organizers. Then they laughingly told her they did not realize that the major sponsors would be upset about the huge coverage given to the donated products! She knew she’d done a great job for her client, and she’d learned several important lessons along the way. She knew she was excellent at this type of work. She knew then that this would be a life-long career.
Completely self-taught in her profession, Wagner is a prime example of how not following “conventional” rules of an industry can often catapult a business owner and their clients far beyond those who follow conventional rules, simplyby being bold and thinking differently.
“I am a renegade in the truest sense of the word,” she says.
Wagner (www.imalwagner.com) works from the East Coast home,and employees four virtual assistants who live in RI, Arizona, West Virginia and New York . She’s not used to being in the spotlight, herself, but she works hard to position her clients there − as evidenced by the tremendous publicity they’ve received. She goes for it all, from television and radio interviews,magazine stories, newspaper articles, blog reviews , pod casts, social media reposting to tele-seminars, and in person events.
“It can definitely be a challenge,” she says. “You have to get the media interested in the story you’re telling.” I build strategies for my clients that highlight their products, sites and importance to project them as a news-worthy story.
New York Public Relations Agent
I attended Hofstra University in Hempstead, Long Island, NY, where I studied Theatre Arts. They had a very special program at the time, back in 1968.Analyzing plays and group discussions gave me the mind set to look deeper into the story – to examine the characters and their interaction within the play.This is part of what I do for each PR client now. I create a mini play, a story of who they are and what they are doing, which helps me plan how to present them to the press and public. I use that method to help create their individual Brand.
Did you have a mentor who helped you early on?
I used the experience of all the TV networks and the magazine editors I called on. I always explained that I was new, and asked them to tell me if I needed to correct my behavior or change anything. They always told me exactly what to do and how to do it, so I was trained on the spot − so to speak.
Celebrity Public Relations Agent
It was after I read The One Minute Millionaire by Mark Victor Hansen and Robert G. Allen. They wrote about planning your goals for every area of your life. It stopped me cold. I decided to take their advice, and it took me hours to write it all down. Afterward, I felt so grateful that I wanted to obtain a spot for them on TV so the whole world could read this wonderful book. I thought they might then eventually work with me.
How did you approach them?
After calling their office several times, I finally talked to a person instead of getting voice mail. It turned out that I knew the office manager. She connected me to someone else by cell phone, who I had also met before. That person kindly gave my number to Robert G. Allen. Within 24 hours, he returned my call. Bob was looking for a big PR firm at the time, which I certainly could not claim to be. But I did not hang up the phone until he gave me permission to put him in the news.
How did you put him in the news?
Within seven days, I got him booked on a real estate show on CNN called Open House. One week later, they hired me, and I worked with their company forfive years. It was a big turning point for me. We got a lot more international,national and regional press for them, and their book was a Business Week bestseller for eight months. I am very grateful to both Mark Victor Hansen and Robert G. Allen. They have been, and continue to be, creative serial entrepreneurs who always invent new paths for people to find wealth.
How did you develop your business when you first started out?
When I saw an opportunity to work with someone I admired, I contacted them and asked if I could represent them. Because of the huge success I achieved in myPR campaign for Alex Tew, (http://www.milliondollarhomepage.com), The Wall Street Journal mentioned my work in an article. I was also blogged about in many countries. Byarranging global interviews for Alex Tew in locations from China, to Brazil, to Russia to the USA, we sold a million dollars worth of pixels online in one page. This made my client famous and he became part of Internet history. Heal so became a millionaire at 22 years of age. Since then, I have been approached by potential clients from England, Australia and the USA via e-mail.Most of them referenced that publicity campaign.
My next publicity campaign for a small independent school near San Jose, called the Mount Madonna School Home Raffle, raised 2.9 million dollars in sold raffle tickets. The funny thing is that it was created almost entirely through PR.That campaign supported the opposite buying type. The raffles had to bought on the phone or by fax. Of course, the PR campaign was both online and off, and it generated a viral campaign by the third month of the promotion. By the fifth month, it had reached a tipping point. Soon folks from 30 states were buy ingraffle tickets, but the entire media campaign was created and executed regionally and was focused only in California. However, the printed information was read online by people on a nationwide basis. Also, buyers were encouraged to share the news, and it worked. The school had previously only raised$120,000. In 2007, over 2.9 million dollars of raffle tickets were sold.Creating buzz works wonders with the Internet fueling tremendous response in lightning speed.
My first contact to a potential client was, and still is, to research them and then correspond by a call. If time is an issue, I’ll e-mail them. Understanding how they think, and learning what their many interests are and what their expertise is, assists me in finding various ways to highlight their unique position so I can secure their company in the news media.
What did you do once someone hired you?
The first thing I did for most of my clients was to prepare a press kit. That helps me to know them, their product and company history. As I was putting that together, I reached deeply into their life experiences and learned enough about them to represent them to the media. Then I do research on the best possible media opportunities, which would dove tail, introducing them to a potential buyer base. I attract coverage in their industry, which, in turn, creates awareness of their company and their site/products. After that, I wrote a press release and practiced what I would say to pitch it to the media. I visualize the interconnectedness and strategies that set a path for my clients that is beyond anything they usually see for themselves before they hire me. It’s a USP and that is what makes me very effective and allows me to obtain top placements. As opposed to the large PR firms, there is no need to go through layers and paper trails and a team of decision makers vying for their own career progress. I can be reached and react to get results right away. It is afar superior method within this industry to move quickly and efficiently for exceptional results.
How do you find your clients now?
My growth is mostly due to word of mouth marketing. My clients give my name out to people they meet. Sometimes I'll contact someone who fascinates me, like Alex Tew who created The Million Dollar Homepage™ The last person I contacted was Josh Paler Lin and I helped him after he had begun his youtube and Indiegogo campaign: How Does A Homeless Man Spend$100? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUBTAdI7zuY
Josh is brilliant!
Award Winning Public Relations Agent
My main fields are companies that want to be leaders in their industry and are smart enough to know that publicity can help drive their branding. Non-fiction books, positive products and stories, and informational Web sites. I have clients from all over the world including authors, inventors, Web site owners,Web marketers, charities, events, conferences and speakers. The time zone element can get pretty wild, especially when I am launching a campaign in the UK. When it takes off and goes global, it means I might receive calls from Russia, Australia, UK, France, Germany, Japan and even China. My previous yearlong PR campaign for a UK client whose events had a single member of the press attend transformed into events covered in TV print and online coverage with dozens of media attending- even filming for global news services. Probably the most fun I had was launching quick campaign for them for a product that had developed and installed the last year. The media coverage was so massive months after it was displayed they won an Innovation Technology award. Which brought them major clients and their company increased sales over 400% within a year.
I usually work with companies owned by entrepreneurs. They are so creative thatonce a goal is accomplished, they usually have several more they are aching towork on. So their focus on wealth growth and recognition never really ceases.They hire me on a three-, four- or six-month contract. After that period isover, we decide if they want to continue to work with me for further PRservices. At times, several clients receive more exposure and results than theyimagined and need to take a PR break to let their company’s band width. Tocatch up with the growth caused by our campaigns. For example, Alex Tewtook off for a solid year after we reached the million-dollar plus goal.
Or they restructure an entirely new improved company with additional streams of income,like online coaching or an app. My goal is to be the best Public Relations Agent In America.
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