How I Really Sold The World-Famous Brooklyn Bridge, One Piece
At A Time
It’s true. In 1983 I became the first person in history
to sell the world-famous historical landmark, the Brooklyn Bridge, piece
by piece. That was also the beginning of a very exciting new life for me.
And I have media publicity to thank for it all.
I started “playing around” with publicity at the age of
15. I followed what the books were telling me to do. I wrote the press
release just the way they told me. I addressed the envelopes just the way
they told me. I mailed the releases just the way they told me.
I bombed. I got no press coverage at all. So, I got
another book. I read every word. I followed the plan. Bombed again...and
again...and again.
Eventually, it dawned on me: maybe all those books were
wrong!!! They were telling me how to get press coverage, but they weren’t
showing me proof that any of their techniques worked. They never showed
copies of articles or gave details about any media interviews.
So, I started to experiment with the releases I was
writing. I had no idea what I was doing. I would just try something. If it
worked, I kept it in. If it didn’t work, I tossed it.
Slowly but surely, I started getting publicity. As my
technique improved, I got more and more. I wasn’t able to find these
techniques in any book. I was just trying any idea that would come to
mind.
Pretty soon, I was on a real roll. I was able to get
lots of publicity...and I was able to get it quickly. But still, something
was missing.
I was getting lots of publicity, but I wanted the “big
kill”. I wanted a story that would drive the national media absolutely
nuts!!! I wanted news reporters knocking down my door to get my story. I
wanted my phone to be ringing non-stop -- each one a call from a reporter,
hot to get an interview with me.
I knew that there was still one piece missing in my
publicity puzzle. I knew that when I figured out what it was, I’d hit the
jackpot. My life would change forever...if I could only figure out what
the missing piece was.
Finally, it hit me like a
brick!
I knew what the missing piece was!!!
I remember that day like it was yesterday. I was
squeezing my brain, trying to come up with the missing piece of the
publicity puzzle. I took a break to get something to eat and wham...there
it was! The answer.
I went wild. I knew I had found it. I had the solution
to writing a killer press release. The kind that would get me media
coverage around the world.
But I didn’t have a story I could use my new formula on.
I was jumping and twitching, wait for a hot story to hit
so that I could test my new formula.
Well, I didn’t have to wait long.
A few weeks later I was watching the morning news on
television. I saw a man being interviewed about the renovations being done
on the Brooklyn Bridge.
Now everyone’s heard about the Brooklyn Bridge. Even if
it’s just the old line about “Wanna buy the Brooklyn Bridge?”.
It seems that the guy being interviewed was the foreman
of the construction crew doing work on the Bridge. He said that the wooden
pedestrian walkway was being removed because it was old and rotting. (Up
to then I didn’t know any part of the Brooklyn Bridge was made of
wood...and I live just 30 minutes away!)
Anyway, the wood that was being removed was the original
wood that was used when the Bridge was first built. Standing behind this
guy was a huge pile of this old, rotting wood.
This was it!!!
There was no
doubt in my mind
This was the story I was looking for. This was the story
I needed to test my new press release formula.
The first thing I did was call the guy who was
interviewed on the TV. How did I get his number? It was right on the side
of his truck, which was as clear as day during the interview.
I asked him what he was going to do with all that old,
rotting wood.
“I’m going to toss it out. It’s junk.”
I asked him if he’d be interested in selling it and
delivering it for $500. I told him I was just 30 minutes away.
With a “my mother raised no fools” tone in his voice, he
said “Sure I’ll sell it for $500.”
We made the deal and I gave him the directions.
Next, I made another phone call and made arrangements to
have the wood cut up into 1” square pieces, each about 1/8” thick.
Then, I jumped out of my chair and headed for my
typewriter (didn’t have a computer in those days). I wrote the press
release for my idea. Step by step I followed the formula I had just come
up with. This was the test.
It took me about 15 minutes to finish the release. The
headline read:
New Jersey Man Sells Brooklyn
Bridge...for $14.95!
Are you catching on yet?
After I finished the release, I did a rough layout for a
5 1/2 x 8 1/2” certificate. On this certificate, I wrote a little history
of the Brooklyn Bridge and some current information about the Bridge.
Then I wrote, “Attached to this certificate is a genuine
piece of the original wooden pedestrian walkway of the Brooklyn Bridge.”
At the top of the certificate I drew a small box where the piece of wood
was going to be attached.
I was done. I took the press release and the rough
sketch of the certificate to a friend of mine who was a printer.
“Can you make me copies of this press release and
typeset this certificate so it looks professional and have it for me this
afternoon?”
He said “Sure!”
I zoomed back home. I was on fire. My heart was
pounding. I was headed for the big time. I knew it. I had the formula for
writing a killer press release and now it was going to provide me with
everything I wanted.
As soon as I got home, I started addressing envelopes to
key media people. I don’t remember how many I sent out, but it was
probably no more than a couple of hundred.
The whole mailing didn’t even cost
$100!!!
When I was done, I went back to the printer. The press
release copies and certificate typesetting were done. I was thrilled. The
certificate was spectacular. I told him to print up a stack of them. I
knew I was going to need plenty.
I took the press releases home, stuffed them in the
envelopes and raced to the mailbox before the 5 PM pick up. (Why didn’t I
fax them? This was before there were cheap home fax machines.)
Then I waited.
Nothing happened the next day. It takes the mail a while
to get to where it’s going.
But...the day after, everything went absolutely wild!!!
My dream came true. The phone started ringing like crazy; reporters were
coming to my door. I was doing interviews for newspapers, magazines, radio
shows, television shows. Every time an interview would run, more reporters
wanted to do a story on the guy who was really selling the Brooklyn
Bridge.
Reporters from around the country were calling, coming
to my door, coming to the place where I worked. It was a blast!!!
CNN even sent one of those big trucks with the antennas
on top right to my front door. They wanted to broadcast the story all
around the nation. They ran cables up the stairs; had reporters with
microphones setting up; lights; cameras. The works!
They shot the interview...and then...if you know
CNN...they ran that interview every 30 minutes for the next 3 days!!!!!
The publicity went on and on for over 6 months!!! That’s
not 6 days or 6 weeks. I said 6 months. And it was a ball. Just about
every major newspaper sent a reporter. Radio stations from around the
country called. Magazines from every corner of the nation ran the story.
I was in the newspapers, on radio & TV shows, in
magazines. Everywhere I looked I saw the story of the guy who was selling
the Brooklyn Bridge. I was having the time of my life!
After 6 months, things started to cool down. I figured
the publicity wave was over. I had accomplished my goal. I hit an enormous
jackpot.
And then...
The Johnny Carson Show
called!!!
They read the Brooklyn Bridge story in a small
Midwestern newspaper. They asked if I’d send a sample.
I did. I didn’t hear anything for probably 2 or 3
months. Then I got a phone call.
Johnny was going to do a “little bit” about the Brooklyn
Bridge on the Tonight Show. It would be aired in the next few days.
Well, Carson’s “little bit” turned out to be about 10
minutes worth of air time for me. Carson even did one of his comedy
knock-off routines based on the Bridge certificate.
It started all over again. A whole new round of media
people saw that Carson show. They hadn’t done a story on the Bridge, but
they wanted to do one now. The phone started ringing again and I was on my
way to weeks of additional free publicity.
From that day on, my life has never been the same. I
know how to use the media to get just about anything I want. And I’ve used
it over and over and over again.
Life is a lot of fun when what you want is yours for the
asking!
If you’d like to learn more about how publicity can
supercharge your business and make you, your product or your service
famous coast-to-coast, CLICK
HERE to find out about my complete publicity kit.
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