June 29, 2012
Article PR, Local Publicity
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A PR agent, a rabbi and a minister go into a bar…
That could be the start of a joke, but it is the start of this article on when and how to use humor in your publicity.
There is a time and a place for just about anything and humor can be a good tool to get attention from reporters and prospects.
You can put a pun in a headline on a press release, an article or a blog post. Many people consider puns to be the lowest form of humor, sort of the amoeba of jokes. But people who love words love puns. And reporters and bloggers are word people, so puns could work.
For example, a story about ice skating:
Have An Ice Day
One word of warning about puns: don’t overdo it. One pun in a headline a year is good enough. Two puns could be overkill.
Opening paragraphs of press releases, articles and blogs can also contain humor. You can set up a joke, for example:
What’s red and white and turns over like crazy?
Our new gizmo which will help busy professionals track their expenses better.
Okay, that might not rival Jay Leno, but you get the idea.
You can open with a short, humorous story or anecdote. A good example would be a story about a funny thing that happened to a person who uses your product.
Another winner is a story that has irony.
It should go without saying that humor should not be used in certain situations, like any kind of bad news such as deaths or natural disasters. There are no good jokes about Mt. St. Helens or the Japanese tsunami.
Avoid bad taste. Jokes about mass murders can be funny at the bar or between friends, but could offend others.
The best way to get a feel for using humor in publicity is to read newspapers, and magazines as well as publicity materials like press releases and articles so you can learn from the masters – and see what actually gets into print.
Remember to have several people read your attempt at humor before sending it to a reporter or publishing it. What you think is funny other people might think as lame, juvenile or offensive. But if they laugh, you very well might have a winner.
And everyone loves a good laugh – even reporters.
Dan Janal is one of the Founding Fathers of Internet Marketing and Publicity. He believes press releases are an art form – and he can make your message sing and dance to the front page of Google. Learn more by visiting this link.
January 22, 2012
Article PR, Media Savvy 101
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When a query crossed my inbox about how to make elevator pitches better, I was an early bird with my reply. And my tips is among the ten showcased in this article.
When I review queries, here are questions I ask myself:
- Is the subject matter for the query RELEVANT TO MY EXPERTISE?
- Do I have something of value to add to the conversation?
- Would showing up in connection with this topic reflect well on my brand, reputation, and ways of being of service?
If my answers are YES, I jump in and offer my compelling, concise, and useful reply, along with a link to my bio/credentials and my contact information. I review exactly what the query is asking for, and I deliver as requested. Making it easy for the reporter to write a great story is always my priority. It’s a pretty good approach that pays ongoing and visible rewards. One good thing just about always leads to many others.
Have you replied to a media query lately to welcome great results? New clients? New ezine opt-ins? New speaking invitations? Follow up media interviews? Let me hear from you so we can inspire people around the globe to have some of the success you are having!
December 27, 2011
Article PR
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It’s almost a brand new year. Make yours the best it can be by standing out and sharing your stories in the media that matter most for your message. If you would like to receive my free ebook of 32 newspaper articles to unleash the power of publicity to your expert advantage, send me an email at nancy@authenticvisibility.com with “Free Ebook” in the subject line. I’ll send your gift to you personally. Enjoy the articles and act on what you learn to make magic happen every day in your business in 2012.
November 2, 2011
Article PR
7 Comments
If you want to earn expert status, learning how is the first step. And here is some timely encouragement and an incentive to act now. You can enjoy 32 articles that will guide you to unleash the power of publicity to your expert advantage as my gift to you.
Here is How:
- Be among the first 100 people to post a comment to this blog post.
- All posts are due no later than Friday, November 18, 2011 at midnight or sooner if you want to be assured to receive this high value gift.
- State your name, your website or blog address, and your email address so I can send your gift by return email.
- Tell me how expert status can serve your growing business and why you are motivated to earn it now.
- Promise to share your gift with at least 10 people who can benefit from it and more if you are feeling super generous.
- And, to make this even more fun, I’ll draw one lucky winner to receive a VIP ticket to the Broadcast Your Brilliance – Monetize Your Message LIVE Event taking place on 12-2-11 at Seattle Design Center.
- Remember, the early bird catches the worm, so what are you waiting for? Post your comment now.
Ready. Set. Go!
October 18, 2011
Article PR
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Last week, I had a great conversation with Action Plan Marketing Founder Robert Middleton. He said he wanted to start writing articles to serve the right media and wanted to know if I had any suggestions. Knowing his expertise guiding professional service providers and management consultants to enroll high end clients, I immediately suggested he make a pitch to RainToday. This online newsletter reaches that audience with insightful articles to support their success. In fact, the media kit for RainToday says the site reaches 100,000 marketing and sales buyers .
As the largest provider of information and tools on B2B services marketing and sales, RainToday is an indispensable resource for marketers, business developers, and owners of small and medium-sized businesses looking to grow. RainToday.com, the Top Sales Resource Site of 2010, is the premier online source for insight, advice, and tools for growing professional services businesses. Marketers, rainmakers, and leaders in consulting, accounting, law, AEC, marketing, advertising and PR, training, financial, IT, and other professional services industries, turn to RainToday.com for research, tools, training programs, and recommendations to help them market and sell their services.
This is a perfect venue for Robert’s expertise to add value and bring him to the attention of the right people who can benefit from how he serves.
We talked about who to call and what to say. The, it must have been moments later before Robert was taking action. (The Action Plan Marketing Founder walks his own talk about Action!)
He found out the right person to approach by visiting the website. He made his pitch. He got to YES. He crafted an insightful article. His article is now posted to this influential site. The title is Follow-Up Phone Calls: Get More Sales Meetings Using This 5-Step Process.
The Lessons Robert is Modeling:
1) Know what you want.
2) Ask for insights to get there faster from someone who is “in the know.”
3) Take action on what you learn.
4) Get what you want.
It’s really not that hard.
What do you want? What actions will you take to get what you want?
Of course, if you need a little help to learn the “how,” you can engage with me. The Build Your Buzz Strategy Sessions I offer guide you to success faster without spinning your wheels, and that is a beautiful thing. Robert is benefiting as this article placement demonstrates. You will, too. The next session of the Broadcast Your Brilliance Webinar Series is gearing up to start again in January of 2012.
And, if you want to learn something new THIS WEEK, be sure to come to the Seattle W Hotel this Thursday, October 20 starting at 5:30 p.m. to hear me speak LIVE about how to pitch an article the media can’t resist. Here is the link to claim one of the last remaining 50 spaces. See you there.
June 27, 2011
Article PR, For Women Only
2 Comments
Cathy Alessandra debuted the premier issue of Today’s Entrepreneur Magazine today to much fanfare among the women entrepreneurs I know around the nation and beyond. And, because I network often and pay attention to visibility opportunities where my particular brand of storytelling can add value, I am fortunate to have one of my own articles featured within this important first issue. Here I speak my own truth about my journey of business reinvention which has certainly not been for the faint of heart, but well worth the journey.
Additional contributors include Catarina Rando, Jennifer Bourne, Jessica Eaves Matthews, Lisa Suttora, Kirin Christensen, Joy Chudacoff, Lisa Cole, Nancy Drew, Nancy Newcomber, and others on topics ranging from speaking with impact, branding, legal matters, health and beauty, sales success, nutrition and more.
Check out the publication, add your name to the subscriber list, and review the writer’s submission guidelines to make your own article submission for a future issue. Just visit the “Write for Us” tab on the site to learn the details.
You could earn a wide audience of new readers who will soon be learning about your particular brand of genius. Some of them may very well turn out to be your best new clients. And to Cathy Alessandra, congratulations. Today is a big day for you indeed. It’s not a small thing to launch a magazine. Soak it in and enjoy it.
July 1, 2010
Article PR
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On April 14, I gave a talk at thinkspace to guide the members of this co-working community to kick their boring bios to the curb and why they should. After the session, I connected with the owner of the space, Peter Chee, who told me that getting an article about his company placed within the pages of the Puget Sound Business Journal was on his priority list. His two-year business anniversary was coming up, and he wanted to make some noise!
In short order, we started working together to build his buzz. First, we crafted a custom story pitch to the commercial real estate reporter to suggest a “Growing Your Business” feature about the most powerful lessons Chee had learned during his first two years of business operations from which the readers could benefit. When she elected not to pursue this story because she had written about the company a year ago, we shifted our attention to earning a bylined article within the upcoming commercial real estate quarterly. Our ideas was to offer tips to guide solopreneurs and start ups among the readership in the finer points of finding the right fit approach to meeting their commercial real estate needs.
On Friday, June 25, Peter’s article ran within the pages of the Puget Sound Business Journal, reaching up to 100,000 upscale business decision makers who can benefit from his advice and the services he offers at thinkspace. If you are a subscriber, you can read the full article at this link. If you are not a subscriber, the article will be available for online viewing within 30 days.
Peter had a very specific media placement on his priority list. By prioritizing story pitch ideas and getting into action as a team, we were able to get his mission accomplished in short order. Now, buzz is building for thinkspace.
Now, the question is, how is buzz building for you and your business? And what are you planning to do about it today? Article placements within your local business journal can be very targeted ways to reach the right people with your expertise.
Visit this link and click on the “Newspaper” tab to see the editorial calendar for the for the Puget Sound Business Journal. Scan it to learn if a special section is coming up that can benefit from the contribution of your expertise. Then, make your pitch to the special section editor about four to six weeks prior to the scheduled publication date.
I am always happy to help, especially when quality results are just a few action steps away. Action is always the key.
June 20, 2010
Article PR
No Comments
If you have kids and want them to manage money wisely, check out my husband Steve Juetten’s blog post for today. It is a letter to his son (and mine) on Father’s Day. Please share this with others who can benefit.
Here’s to dads everywhere, guiding their sons and daughters to live their best lives, one tip at a time. And here’s to my son’s dad, who clearly got very lucky in the dad department.
June 18, 2010
Article PR
No Comments
For many years, toiling away in obscurity as a work-in-the-trenches publicist was the norm for me. In fact, I felt a bit like the Wizard of Oz. I was the gal behind the curtain, waving my arms about behind the scenes, working hard to make my clients look big in the media. One day, I decided that standing behind the curtain wasn’t going to be enough for me anymore. I wanted to take action and get known as an expert in my field.
That meant writing articles for the local media under my own byline, making article submissions to online sites, venturing out into my community and far beyond to give presentations and, making story pitches to the print and broadcast media, launching a blog, creating information products, and doing all of the things I often recommend to you as you build your expert status.
Not every media venue said “yes” to every pitch. I felt plenty uncomfortable in the beginning as a public speaker, and it showed. Seeing yourself for the first time on TV or hearing your voice for the first time on the radio can be instructive, and what you see and hear is not always pretty. Not every information product I have created has become a best-seller. However, I have stayed consistent, persistent, passionate, and committed to getting better every day. When new skills need polishing, I seek out quality coaches and experts to learn best practices. And, I practice what I learn.
The good news is that things are getting better every day in my business, too. It’s not a straight line. But the progress is decidedly positive because I am staying in action and positive.
In 2006, one of my big goals for my own expert status was to earn a column within the Puget Sound Business Journal. I worked up to asking for this over time by earning a meaningful pattern of quality media placements for my own expertise in a variety of quality media outlets. One day, I gathered my courage to make a pitch to earn that sought-after column. The quality submissions I had made prior were compelling in demonstrating the value I could add for the readers. I asked for what I wanted, and I got what I asked for. Every time my “Media Savvy’ column runs in the Puget Sound Business Journal, my heart skips a beat. Frankly, I get a kick out of seeing my name in print in connection with my expertise. Over the last several years, being seen, heard, and celebrated for my expertise within the pages of this prestigious local business journal has contributed to new client engagements, speaking opportunities, and much more. It is a beautiful thing.
Even work-in-the-trenches publicists like me struggle from time to time with fear and self doubt. It can be easier to advocate for clients than it is to advocate for yourself. Getting over that fear and self doubt through action has made all the difference.
So, with all that said, where do you want your expertise to be seen, heard, and celebrated? And, what will you do specifically to take action to learn how to earn the attention what you seek?
When you do nothing, nothing happens. Given what you have to share with the world, doing nothing just isn’t an option, especially when such abundant rewards await.
May 17, 2010
Article PR, Measuring Results
1 Comment
Have you taken the temperature to see how many folks are on your ezine list lately? And, are you inviting the right potential clients to opt-in so you can continue to build a tribe of fans and followers who can benefit from your particular blend of talent, skills, and expertise?
Make today the day you do that. Then, decide what you are going to do to grow your list, add value for your community, and reinforce your expertise and the go-to-person in your field.
All the internet marketing gurus say that true wealth resides within your list. If you don’t yet have a list or have a list of a size that has great influence among your ideal clients, decide today to do something about it.
- Do you offer a special report or bonus gift to entice your ideal prospect to share her email address?
- Do you offer an ezine sign up box on every page of your website or blog to make it easy for people to do exactly that?
- Are your ezines packed with 80% news your ideal client can use and 20% with a call to action to help him or her engage in the ways that make the most of everyone’s time, talent, and resources?
- Do you post quality articles that inform your ideal prospects about ways to solve real problems in their businesses at least quarterly?
- And does your article “bio box” invite readers to opt-in to benefit from your ezine, blog, and more so they can gain even more familiarity with how you serve?
If you offer expensive services, you have to earn your way into decision makers’ hearts and minds over time. A quality ezine can help you accomplish that objective. Then, when people are ready to buy, you are at the top of their consideration list.
Since I have been narrowing my focus in my practice to highlight my “Bio Whisperer” passion, Bye-Bye Boring Bio Action Guide, and my Extreme Bio Makeover services, I have been on the lookout for focused ways to share this message with more of the right people to benefit.
That is why when I was invited to participate in the Second Annual “Done for You Giveaway Sweepstakes” it was my pleasure to say “yes.” Just this morning, almost 200 people have opted in to enter to win the five Extreme Bio Makeovers I will be giving away. No doubt, thousands more are entering to win the $250,000+ in other “done for you” services from high integrity vendors who were hand-selected to participate in this event.
Speaking of which, you are invited to check out the 2nd Annual “Done for You” Giveaway of the Century. It opened TODAY, May 17, and you DON’T want to miss it. This giveaway is unlike any you’ve ever seen. Together with 30 amazing co-collaborators, we’re NOT giving away info products and downloads that you may never listen to. Thirty of my high integrity colleagues (and counting) have joined together to give away actual done-for-you products and services that you can use in your business but don’t have to create yourself. I’m giving away 5 Extreme Bio Makeovers!
And here are just SOME of the other things being given away:
· Quickbooks set-up
· Opt-in page creation
· Ready-to-deliver workshops & teleseminars
· Custom Video production
· Website copywriting
· A full custom website
· Custom ezine templates
· Ready-to-give speeches
· Blog set-up
· Article submission services
· Shopping cart service & set-up
· Ready-to-go articles · Audio “logos”
· Newsletter service
And lots more!
This is the REAL DEAL. No hype, catches or gimmicks, but a TRUE giveaway. I know many of these providers, and they are top-notch…high integrity all the way.
Over $250,000 is services is being given away, so you’ll definitely want to check out what is on the menu and make your selections. You can’t win if you don’t put your hat in the ring! Don’t delay! Go here to sign up for your ‘done for you’ products and services.
By the time this event is complete, I’d love to welcome 1,000 or more happy new fans of my work. To that end, please forward this email to your colleagues who can benefit from receiving “Done for You” products and services as part of the “Done for You” Giveaway of the Century!
I hope you win exactly the services you need to propel your business forward and make quality new connections to help you and your business grow. I’ll let you know how well I meet your goal. So then the question becomes what will YOU be doing to grow YOUR list? Please share your successes!
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