The Power Publicist

Archive for July, 2009

In the past few weeks, I’ve gotten a ton of requests for public relations services.

As I handed over my proposal with my packaged fee schedule (meaning I package my PR wares so you don’t pay an hourly fee or retainer), many people ran away with sticker shock. (And I must admit, my prices are much more affordable than the traditional PR firm so I can only imagine what shock they would be in if the chose that route!)

I’ve also ran into several wanna-be publicists, especially on Twitter, who kept asking me how to get a media list together. When I sent them info on the several decent media databases out there, they also ran away with sticker shock. (Most cost several thousand dollars a year!)

It sounds like different stories based on sticker shock, but this really is a variation on the same theme.

You see, besides paying for the creativity that go into a public relations, you are also paying for the media contacts he or she has.

You may think that anyone can just pull a media list together and send your press release out.  Well, to be honest, anyone can do that.  And that’s part of the problem.

Several unscrupulous PR pros and even some virtual assistants who claim to be media savvy, do this. It’s easy and quick. And often times, it’s spamming.

Blanketing the media with a release that doesn’t fit the media outlet and/or the journalist you are hitting with it is nothing more than spam.

A good PR person takes the time to do two things:

1. Builds a targeted media list, then finds out exactly how each reporter on that list wants the press release. (Here’s a hint: although a majority prefer sending it via email, many still don’t want email press releases.)
2. They build relationships with journalists. It’s not uncommon for me to spend an entire day on the phone, contacting reporters that I know (including producers from The Oprah Winfrey Show) to check in and see what they are working on.

When a public relations professional does these two things, the results for the client are much higher than blindly sending out a release and praying that it will get picked up somewhere.

It’s all about the contacts and the connections in the PR biz. That’s what you are paying for.

It’s making the rounds again… and perhaps it’s happened to you too?

A friend recently let me know she got called by a so-called big TV production company. She was excited as they told her all about how they could get her featured on news programs on ABC Family, PAX and more. After she nearly burst out of her skin to say yes, she got slapped down – and hard.

Even though the news coverage, the filming and everything was completely free, there’s a $20,000 licensing fee.

She asked me if this was a legit news organization.

The funny thing is that I got the same call for MY business within hours of her call. So I can honestly say:

No! It’s not legit.

Although the company may (and I say may very reluctantly here) be legit, it’s not any news organization I know of. The pay to play model is really an advertising or infomercial model. Can they get you coverage, perhaps? Will it help you build your credibility and presence in the media. No, it won’t.

A legitimate news organization will not make you pay for coverage (let alone a $20,000 licensing fee… that’s more than most of my clients pay for a year’s worth of public relations services from me!)

Here’s the bottom line: If a media outlet wants you to pay for appearing, it is a COMMERCIAL. Calling it something else is dishonest.

Getting customers to your site should always be ranked as high as t he importance of  the quality of the products and/or services you provide

Come to think of it… it’s more important.  After all, we know many traditional stores that offer lower-quality items, but consistently get people through their doors who are ready, willing and able to buy those products.

But on the Internet, it can be a bit tough to get those people to notice you, even if you have a big budget. That’s why it’s a good idea to create a way to capture  prospects, so you can communicate with them over and over again. The best way to do that is to create an opt-in list.

But getting prospects to trust you enough to give you their name, email address and other details is key. One of the best, yet little use, ways to do so is to start using press releases.

Think about it. A well written news release is full of content and useful information, and created in a way that lend to almost a ‘third party’ endorsement approach, especially if some of your release are picked up by the media.

Since press releases use a ‘just the facts’ approach, rather than a sales approach full of hype, you can easily position yourself as an expert in your field. It will help build that ‘know, like & trust’ factor, helping potential customers want to subscribe to your list to get more from you.

News releases can also aid in search engine optimization for your site and what you are promoting. As more people are heading towards the Internet for their information needs, serving the right information to them via press releases on your media room site will increase the flow of your traffic.

Start writing press releases today to build your credibility and your list.

Are you looking to build your list with targeted prospects? Then check out my Super Summer Special: List Building Promotion Secrets on sale now for $47.

The List Building Promotion Secrets program is a complete video, audio and workbook program that helps you build your list while getting  free publicity with my exclusive system I only use for my clients. You’ll learn to:

• Get attention from even the most hard to reach targeted prospects and make them come to you
• Create a national presence in the media
• Build a relationship with your subscribers, not just get a quickie sale
• Establish true JV relationships with other experts in your market

More importantly, you’ll build your list with highly qualified prospects who will be eager to do business with you over and over again. My List Building Promotion Secrets program will show you exactly how to quickly build a quality list – and get your name in the media and on the lips of your prospects!

Go to:   http://www.listbuildingpromotionsecrets.com

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So you got your book published. Congratulations. Having a book in print helps you build your credibility as an expert in your field.

But if you’re relying on your publisher to promote your book, you’re in for a real shock. Unless you’re a celebrity or well know writer like Stephen King or Mark Victor Hansen, you’ll be lucky if they include you in a press release with other authors.

A large part of promoting your book is promoting yourself and making sure your name is recognizable to your target audience. While you may not reach John Grisham status, you can go a long way to establishing yourself as the expert on your subject matter by becoming heavily involved in the community for which you write.

If you want your book to become more than a blip on Amazon.com, you’re going to have to do some of your own publicity.

1) Write some more: To promote your book you need to make sure everyone knows that you wrote it and you need to peak their interest enough to make them want to buy it. To do that you should write press releases and articles about your book’s topic and submit them anywhere that holds your book topic’s audience.

2) Network: Attend meetings and special events everywhere you can to meet people who would be interested in your book, then talk about it. Make sure you have a short ‘commercial’ all ready to say to anyone that shows the least bit of interest in your book. Convince them that if they only buy one book in a year, yours is the one they should buy!

And remember, networking doesn’t mean offline events. You need to network online as well. If you are active on list servs and bulletin boards that relate to your book’s topic. Mention the book in your email signature.

3) Arrange public appearances: Call up bookstores to arrange for a reading and book signing. Also, approach those who organize events that are related to your book’s topic and ask them if they’d like you to speak. Experts with free time are very hard to come by. They’ll probably jump at the chance to have you contribute.

4) Use an email campaign: Ask colleagues with strong email lists to help with this for the most impact. Write an email that drives people to Amazon.com to buy your book on one particular day. (Just make sure that day isn’t when the next Harry Potter or anticipated next best seller is scheduled for release.) You and your colleagues email it out. Depending on how big the email lists are, you could see your book become an Amazon best seller.

Many of us who are in the public relations business have seen this coming, but it became ever so clear in the past 30 days: social media has become essential to the news business.

With the death of Pop Icon Michael Jackson, the protests in Iran, and Sarah Palin’s surprise resignation, social media outlets including Twitter and Facebook have played a key role in disseminating information.

Sure, traditional news outlets have been using MySpace and Facebook for some time to grab photos and even find sources to enhance their news stories. But now social media is PART of the news.

For example, when the death of Jackson was announced, I even saw sportscasters on major TV networks turning to Twitter to get quotes and reaction from sports stars about the entertainer’s death.

I’m not advocating that you should drop all the other public relations and publicity tactics you are doing and focus solely on social media to get your message out to journalists. That would actually be a bad thing to do. Never put all your eggs into one basket.

However, if you want to create and maintain your own media presence, you need to stop thinking social media is just ‘kids’ stuff’ and get on board, before it’s too late.

It’s also a reminder that you never know who’s going to see what you are posting on your social networking sites. If you want to be a news source, make sure that you are proud about what you write.