Say you did a viral publicity video and got a million hits, or wrote the most amazing press release the world has ever seen and newspapers all over the world picked it up.
It's a myth that one big splash in the media is enough.
Think about music. One-hit wonders are common. They skyrocket to the top and just as quickly, they crash to earth. This happens so often that MTV and VH1 and other channels do marathons, for hours and hours, talking about one-hit wonders.
The tough part for rock bands -- and any public figure or organization -- is that second hit. And the third. And the fourth.
Steady success.
A huge hit sets up expectations. If you can't meet them, and your next idea isn't half as good, people are disappointed. It's seen as a failure.
There's also audience fragmentation and demographics.
A big chunk of your audience, wherever you are, mainly gets their information from television.
A different percentage mostly listens to the radio and yet another chunk of your audience reads newspapers. A smaller group, mostly the younger generation, tends to ignore traditional media and do it all on computers and their smart phones -- watching their favorite TV shows and movies, reading newspapers online, listening to music, everything.
If your big hit in the media is only on television, you'll miss most of the population.
The same is true for whatever type of big breakthrough you have. Even if you reach 100 percent of radio listeners, you aren't hitting the other audiences.
Also, a single big publicity hit that miraculously reaches every person in every possible media will fade with time. Audiences age and move across the country and die. New audiences are born or move into your media market.
The best strategy is to be steady and try to reach every audience.
Is it smart to try new things? Sure. Be creative. Take risks.
Just don't pour your efforts into a magic bullet. They're rare. They usually don't work. And even when they do, they fade with time.