It happens to the best of us, and certainly many of the clients I have worked with. We become so caught up in our company, our product, ourselves, that we can’t see the bigger picture or the real story. 

Because we dedicate the majority of our time to our job, it’s difficult not to drink the corporate kool-aid. We become convinced that the story we have to share is the best story out there, and certainly one that Oprah would be interested in. 

And unfortunately, I see more and more companies trying to promote themselves to media outlets in such a fashion that they end up getting no love from the media at all. They go to journalists looking for a story about the company or about themselves, when really they should be going to the journalist with information on how that specific company or product fits within a bigger picture that both the journalist and the journalist’s readers will care about. 

So what is the bigger picture? It’s the world outside your office walls. What you need to start looking for is the bigger trend, the bigger story, that affects a lot of people, and how does your company fit into that picture. 

For example, let’s say you are a preparing to launch a new Web site. The fact that you have a new Web site may be huge news to you, but there are hundreds of thousands of new Web sites launching daily and so to get a journalist’s attention you have to prove that it should be huge news to them and their readers. 

So how do you fit into a bigger trend, or the big picture? Is your new site providing a new way to shop online? Research the percentage increase of online shoppers from 2005’s holiday season to this past holiday season. Identify 2-3 differentiating figures about the way you provide online shopping versus your closest competitors and research to make sure those elements are unique. You’ll be surprised at how many people are already doing what you may think is unique about you. If you take something that’s old news to a journalist you will instantly lose credibility. Finally, provide the journalist with information and statistics about the trends of online shopping. Journalists love, and will use, valid statistics. 

Essentially, help the journalist see how you – your company, your product, your CEO, whatever you want to promote – fit into the realms of a bigger story. By identifying the bigger picture, you will become part of that bigger story. 

And the brutal truth is, unless you’re Tom Cruise or another A-list celebrity who wants to jump up and down on her couch, Oprah is most likely not interested.