one idea knocks onto another
I just came across the story of how the first bridge was built over Niagara falls and it struck me, for its simplicity and what we can learn from this about building a media profile, so here it is:
To build a bridge over the giant gorge, first you have to get a line over the canyon, from one side to the other, easier said than done at Niagara falls for all the obvious reasons.
The engineers couldn’t cross over in a boat because they’d have been swept over the falls, the aeroplane hadn’t been invented yet, so that was out, You couldn’t use a bow and arrow to get a line across as the distance was too great. The designing engineer, Charles Ellet puzzled over this quandary till he came up with a revolutionary idea, that was also fun and would also generate some publicity for the project – Even Niagara falls needs publicity !
He decided to sponsor a kite flying contest ! He offered $5 to the first person who could fly a kite across the gorge and let it go so low to the ground that someone on the other side could grab the string. In 1849 $5 was a huge amount of money, so the competition was intense, and was won by a small boy (in case you’re interested J )
Anyway, it all began with an idea and one thin kite string, the kite string was used to pull a cord across, then a line, then a rope, Next they pulled across an iron-wire cable and then steel cables until finally a structure strong enough to build a suspension bridge was in place.
When I read this story, I was struck by the realisation that everything begins with the pondering, the “I wonder how?” question, the single string across the gorge, is like the first article published about your business, which you can use to generate the next article, and the next and the next, until you’ll have a robust media profile, built up in stages, so its firm and trustable and a valued part of your brand.
Unlike the kite, there are no strings attached as to how high you can go, and how far your goals can take you. You’re only limited by the power of your imagination and the strength of your dreams !
