Although I have been working in Public Relations for only a year and a half, the truth is I have been practicing PR ever since I was a child, as soon as I was old enough to light my own Hanukkah menorah.
Hanukkah, a ‘minor’ holiday of rabbinic, not biblical, origin, is ‘the holiday of PR’ in many respects. Perhaps precisely because its source is not from the Torah is what mandated us to publicly publicize this holiday.
The law of “publicizing the miracle” (pirsumei nisa) is unique to Hanukkah. To be sure, the concept of pirsumei nisa appears elsewhere. For example, the Talmud relates that the principle of pirsumei nisa also applies to reading the Book of Esther on Purim and to drinking four cups of wine on Passover. However, only with respect to Hanukkah is pirsumei nisa an essential condition for the proper performance of the commandment.
Hanukkah ‘sells’ because it is a great story.
There are several components to properly observing Hanukkah that apply to PR as well. Israel's government might do well to take heed.
Timing Is Everything
The Talmud informs us that the proper time for lighting the Hanukkah candles is from sundown till 'ad shetichle regel min hashuk', until people stop returning back from the marketplace. This ensures that the optimum number of passersby will see the flames at a time when they can be most effective, after dark.
One of the first rules we learn in PR is that you need to carefully consider when you pitch a story to journalists - and when you decide to ‘launch’ it. There are various ‘no-nos’ in story pitching, like never pitch on a weekend or holiday when writers are away from their desks. In fact, we try to avoid pitching to media even close to a weekend, which leaves us basically with only three midweek days for all our pitches and product launches: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, & Thursdays.
In PR, even once you’ve picked your day of the week, you still need to be clever about the timing. We therefore send most of our US facing pitches in the early evening hours here in Israel which is morning in the US, hoping to catch journalists fresh while they sip their morning coffee.
Location, Location, Location
The rabbinical goal of publicizing the miracle even has implications for something so seemingly inconsequential as where Hanukkah flames are to be lit. The lights must be kindled where they are to be displayed so that act and intent are one; and appropriate placement of the burning lights means making them visible from the public thoroughfare. Consequently, the lights should be kindled either at the outer doorway of one’s home or, if the home fronts onto a courtyard, then at the entrance to the courtyard or in a window facing the street.
We also worry about ‘location’ in PR, but mainly in the sense of ‘where’ (in which publications) will our story appear. Bigger publications with larger readership are always preferred due to the wider exposure and visibility it gives to the story.
Keep It Simple
While not an explicit command, I believe one of the most attractive qualities of the Hanukkah story is it’s simplicity. We can relate to a story of religious intolerance,of the mighty oppressing the few, of a band of brothers fighting back and winning against all odds. We can even relate to the miracle of the oil because it doesn't require such a huge leap of imagination on our part. Compare this to the complicated Purim story, with all the characters, intrigue, and sub-plots. Hanukkah ‘sells’ because it’s easy to grasp.
In PR, even if you are promoting a startup with very complicated technology, you must write the press release in a clear, understandable way. If you yourself don’t ‘get it’, how do expect writers to comprehend what you are saying? Simplifying is key.
Build Up Your Story
The Talmud in Tractate Shabbat relates that the academy of Hillel advocated lighting the candles as we know today, in ascending order (one candle on the first night, two on the second, etc.). The academy of Shammai disagreed and advocated that we light the Hanukkah candles starting with eight candles on the first night, then seven candles on the second night. This is in reverse order that we know today.
When the sages of the Talmud asked the academies of Hillel for their reasoning, they explained that they compare the lighting of the candles in ascending order to the concept of continually increasing in holiness, not decreasing. Therefore, they contend, we must start with lighting one candle and increase by one candle each night. In this manner we will always be reminded that the successive lighting of the Hanukkah candles represents not only increasing our holiness but increasing in all things that deal with holiness.
A similar principle applies in PR: start small (with a launch) then add on news later (the securing of funding, addition of new features, etc.) as the story builds in a steady upwards progression.
Some companies, however, seem to adopt the Shammai approach by lighting all eight of their candles on the first night (coming out with everything at the very start). Unfortunately, although they open with a bang, for many the excitement eventually peters out, and it ends with a whimper.
The Key
A few years ago I took a creative writing class given by a best-selling American author.
On the first day of the course the instructor said he was going to reveal to us the secret to becoming a successful writer.
We all leaned in excitedly, eager to hear his pearl of wisdom.
“The key to becoming a successful writer,” he said slowly, “is to … write a good story.”
That’s it? Yes! It’s also the most important element to successfully publicize something in PR - have a good story. Hanukkah ‘sells’ because it is a great story.
Do You Believe in Miracles?
“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”- A. Einstein
There is one final element that is crucial to the success of publicizing Hanukkah, or a PR story for that matter, and that is believing in it. Sometimes it’s easier to believe in the miracles of a holiday like Hanukkah than in some PR story that just crossed your desk, but you still must believe in it in order to really succeed.
One of my recent PR clients, Dr. Oren Fuerst taught me a great lesson. He is a stress expert who developed an app called Serenita, which helps people measure and deal with stress though a simple five minute exercise on their mobile phone. In his email signature at the bottom of every correspondence, he quotes the aforementioned quote from Albert Einstein about miracles and then he signs off with, “Have a miraculous day!”
On Hanukkah, that wish is most fitting - multiplied by eight.
The writer has an MA in Creative Writing and works in PR at Blonde 2.0.