April 2, 2008
Local PR Success
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Midori Yoshikawa is an award-winning interior designer who is serious about getting known. Just the other day, while attending a lunch event, she found herself seated next to Paul Casey, the host of the Small Business Innovators radio show that airs on Alternative Talk Radio. During the course of the event, the two of them got to talking, and Midori asked for the opportunity to contribute to his show. The end result is that Midori will be interviewed on April 13 during the 3:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. hours. She asked. She got. It’s a beautiful thing.
Anna Choi of Inside Out Investing and I connected briefly at the recent meeting of eWomenNetwork, and I mentioned
that the Puget Sound Business Journal was planning a banking/investment/finance special section for April 25. I asked her if she had some compelling ideas that could add value to that special section as a means of bringing her values-based investment philosophies to an audience of business decision makers.
Over the course of a couple of emails, I invited her to review the “How to Pitch an Article the Media Can’t Resist” special report she received in her Authentic Visibility Publicity Toolkit to refresh her memory about how to write a good article pitch. (This report is also available on an a la carte basis for just $10 and offers my proven approach to earning the “yes” to article pitches.) She did that and emailed a compelling pitch to Steve Goldsmith, the special sections editor. The result? She has been asked to write a contributed article based on her most compelling pitch.
The lesson here is that if you ask for what you want, you just might get what you ask for. This begs the question: What kind of local publicity do you want, and are you ready to ask for it? Great rewards are waiting. Just ask DIY Publicists Midori and Anna. This they know for sure.
March 19, 2008
Local PR Success
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Getting your story told in the media is one of the most efficient, high impact, and affordable ways you can attract new clients and be of greater service. And, once you see your name in print or online or hear your voice on the radio, you’ll wonder why you didn’t start sooner. It’s just great fun. That said, this is just a quick reminder to jump on the Authentic Visibility Anniversary Sale now before prices go up on April 1. This useful e-guide makes it easy for you to enjoy more local publicity success with greater ease. There are plenty of worksheets, press release and pitch letter examples, and useful resources to help you get your media relations efforts ready to share with the media in your own backyard and beyond. The special report titled “How to Pitch an Article the Media Can’t Resist” will show you how to do exactly that. And the audio files and other tips booklets and special bonuses bring your publicity know-how up to speed in short order. People rave about it. And, if the whole kit is too much to take on right now, buy the Authentic Visibility Tips Booklets. This could be the best $7 you spend to catapult your business from the darkness to the media spotlight this year.
Shauna Brennan, founder of My Day Office, earned a front page story in the business section of the Seattle Post Intelligencer by following tips within the Authentic Visibility booklets. She said, “Talk about return on investment. It was a little bit of work, but so what! In less time than it would have taken to explain it to someone else, I was able to do it myself. That is the true beauty of it. I take these booklets with me everywhere I go. I use them as a checklist. They are small and convenient and fit easily in a briefcase or daytimer. I plan to share them with my customers to support their success.”
February 6, 2008
Local PR Success
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Award Winning Interior Designer Midori Yoshikawa attended a recent Publici-Tea™ half-day training event, and it really stirred up her enthusiasm to earn the ink for her interior design business that is based in Bellevue, WA. She collaborated with a writer to create an article about designing with love in mind, and she set her intention to earn a placement in a local newspaper to bring attention to her timely design tips and suggestions. The good news is that Midori’s article will appear in the February 14 edition of her hometown newspaper — the Bellevue Reporter. She is thrilled. This local newspaper is delivered to every household in this upscale community, and residents have the discretion and interest to engage interior design services. Chances are, Midori will enjoy new inquiries and earn new engagements as a result of this hometown media placement. And, she will have earned ‘published author’ status as well as a media clip she can use to serve future clients.
What intentions have you set to earn publicity for your growing business? And, more importantly, what actions have you taken to bring your intentions to print or broadcast? If you are ready to get into the media relations game, consider attending one of the upcoming Publici-Tea™ half-day training events. The next one is March 14, and you can see all the dates and read all the glowing testimonials at this link. I’d be honored to meet you and inspire you to enjoy more local publicity success with greater ease.
December 27, 2007
Local PR Success, PR Success Stories
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The Today Show delivered a 27-year-old, Bothell, Washington-based financial planning service seeker to Steve Juetten’s fee-only financial planning practice a day following the national broadcast about last minute holiday gifts that make great financial sense.
This brings up a timely question to ponder. How many leads do you need to consider your attempts at free publicity a success? If one lead turns into a perfect engagement, chances are that many similarly perfect engagements will follow. After all, perfect customers are likely to enjoy a fabulous experience with the right service providers and be compelled to talk about their experiences among friends, co-workers, and co-collaborators.
And, when you consider that the only thing at stake to earn the free publicity in the first place was less than two hours to write a press release, post it to www.theopenpress.com, and blog about it here, I’d say that Steve Juetten was a winner from the start. (By the way, you can post your press releases for free at www.theopenpress.com. Visit the site to learn more and see how easy it is.)
Steve is clear about the value he offers so he can attract more of the right clients to engage his fee-only financial planning services. Those are exactly the right clients he wants to show up so he can make the difference he can make through his services.
I like to say that a perfect engagement can lead to happily ever after for those business owners who are clear about the kind of partnerships they seek. Steve has that clarity. His new 27-year-old prospect wants what Steve has to offer. It’s a beautiful thing, thanks to the power of free publicity. I can’t wait to hear that additional clients have found their way to Juetten Personal Financial Planning LLC, thanks to The Today Show and other means that bring the right clients to his door.
December 20, 2007
Local PR Success, Media Savvy 101, PR Success Stories
2 Comments
Congratulations to Melissa Wadsworth for earning big ink in the Sunday edition of the Lifestyle section of the Seattle Times for her small talk expertise. The “How to shoot the breeze with ease” interview with columnist Pamela Sit was well timed for all the holiday parties now in progress. Here is the link so you can learn some timely tips right now.
I asked Melissa how this story came about, and here is what she said:
“Actually, this was a gift from the media gods. The reporter just called me out of the blue and said she had been looking at my website and would I do an interview about small talk for holiday gatherings. Of course, my experience with knowing what to do when the media calls you kicked into place. She gave me five days notice. That give me time to organize some thoughts and stories around the topic. When she asked for two high res head shots after the interview, I had those to send her, which I did immediately. I also followed up by passing along the notes I had made for the interview. That way, if she didn’t get what she had out of the actual interview, there was more information she could choose from. She actually used one of the points from these notes. After the article came out, I sent her a another thank you note, expressing what a wonderful writer she was. That’s it.”
To go one step beyond, I suggested she connect with the reporter to share her website after the fact to make it easy to refer readers to it to make their “Small Talk Savvy” books since that site wasn’t mentioned in the article. As luck would have it, the website offer came in perfect timing to respond to a reader request that can in moments before.
If you need help with small talk savvy, Melissa’s book can show you the way. Here is a link to learn more.
What expertise do you offer that is perfectly timed for right now? I’ll be giving a talk to the Seattle Chapter of the National Association of Professional Organizers in January. They sure have timely expertise to share to help folks get a jump start on being better organized in the New Year. What a timely idea that has legs to run. And, believe it or not, Valentines Day is just around the corner, and reporters with retail stories to tell in January want to hear the latest timely, newsworthy, and relevant ideas and trends to lend impact to their January reporting, just in time for the season of love. There is no time like the present than now to start pitching — and earning the big ink. Are you game? Have fun, and keep me posted on your success.
December 13, 2007
Local PR Success, Media Savvy 101
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It’s that time of year when business owners are looking to the New Year with high hopes about how things will be so much better with much more ease. If you are in that boat, this blog post is for you.
Here is a quick list of some of the fabulous resources I rely upon to earn publicity for my clients. Consider them for your do-it-yourself (DIY) publicity efforts. At the very least, subscribe to their free ezines and/or visit their blogs to sample their offerings to be convinced of their value. You have much to gain and nothing to lose.
PR Leads – Active Media Leads Direct to Your Inbox
Publicity Hound – Fabulous, Useful Publicity Tips and Advice
Get on Oprah with Susan Harrow’s Help
Gift List Media – Holiday Gift Guide Leads
Press Kit 24/7 – Need I Say More?
Plan Your Marketing Road Trip to Success
Create Tips Booklets and Make Money
Get Known Now with Suzanne Falter-Barns
While you are at it, consider launching an ezine of your own. I use www.constantcontact.com to send my ezines, and I have been very satisfied with the ease and reliability of this service.
2008 is going to be great. Just be sure to take advantage of the great and often free resources that are available to bring about more publicity success with greater ease.
November 26, 2007
Local PR Success, Local Publicity
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Every year, Olympic Hot Tub Company invites the children of its customers to draw original art to serve as the company’s annual holiday card and offers the winner a $100 prize and a box of custom cards to share with family and friends. This year, the company decided to alert the local media about the winner’s clever creation, and big ink resulted.
It was the story behind the winning entry helped the 9-year-old artist earn front page coverage in her hometown newspaper. Here is the text to the November 21 Arlington Times story:
“Why Santa Leaves Hot Tubs on Decks” by Amy Cedarholm has been selected by the Olympic Hot Tub Company for its holiday card this year. A 9-year-old fourth-grader at Cascade Elementary School in Marysville, Cedarholm portrayed Santa scratching his head, trying to figure out how to bring the hot tub — complete with rubber duckie — down the chimney. Each year Olympic Hot Tub invites the children of its customers to create an illustration for the company to use on its holiday card. Amy’s mother, Susan Cedarholm, said that Amy loves art and designs clothing for fun and she really enjoys the hot tub, too. Her teacher is Theresa Randall. Amy told her mother that she was inspired to enter the contest by her older brother who also won the contest, five years ago when he was 10. He is now in the culinary arts tract at Marysville-Pilchuck High School. Along with receiving 50 copies of the holiday card, Amy also won $100. Amy has another older brother at M-PHS named Tim. The family received notice of the award soon after Amy’s father died of complications due to pneumonia, and it cheered them all up a little, said Susan Cedarholm.
This story offered a powerful visual, a local and very heart-warming story, and a timely hook. That’s a powerful recipe for local publicity success.
November 13, 2007
Local PR Success, Local Publicity
2 Comments
I got a lovely email from Kathy Hope, president of Hope Fitness Center, today. She attended a meeting of eWomenNetwork during which Executive Managing Director Zita Gustin and I talked about the power of reaching out one-to-one via networking and one-to-many via publicity. Here is what she wrote:
“I just wanted to let you both know much of what you said at that meeting stuck in my head. I had written an article for a local paper in the past, but felt I wasn’t qualified to write too much because I am not a personal fitness trainer and my trainers would not help me. Well, again I was asked by another paper, this time the Mukilteo Journal’s owner Greg Harris, and he really encouraged me to give him 500 words on the topic “Why a Personal Trainer.” I had one hour before I had to be home and leave on a trip…but I did it and it was published in the November 2007 edition of the Mukilteo Journal. This is to thank you again for your words, and let you know how much they were appreciated. Looking for the next opportunity!
Kathy Hope, President, HOPE Fitness Center, Inc.
I say, “Great job Kathy!”
As you have found, no doubt, in your work as a personal trainer, action speaks louder than words. You got into action. You earned the ink. Now, let the rewards flow to you by way of new client engagements and new opportunities to be of service. By the way, now is a perfect time to be pitching stories about fitness and health as people anticipate a healthy New Year. What are your plans in the regard, and how quickly can you get into action?
Keep me posted on your success!
November 9, 2007
Local PR Success, Media Savvy 101
1 Comment
The fleece is flying at Affirmagy, a Seattle-area company that makes affirmation blankets that celebrate big ideas like courage, love, gratitude, and joy. While talking with Company Founder Kristen Marie Schuerlein earlier this week, we pondered the idea of “Thanksgiving as the New Christmas for Gift Giving.” I did a quick “Google” search to see what I could find on the topic. Bingo! Articles popped up with quotes from experts saying this is a trend gathering speed and why that is the case. Read the rest…
October 19, 2007
Local PR Success, Local Publicity
No Comments
Check out this powerful DIY publicity success story shared by one of the guests who attended my presentation last week at the Columbia Tower Club:
“On October 10th I listened to Nancy Juetten’s talk on do-it-yourself publicity. She related the story of how she started writing a column for the Snohomish County Business Journal on publicity and marketing. Getting to show her expertise, build her credentials, and practice her PR skills.With that foundation, she went on to write for the Puget Sound Business Journal, a larger business journal based in Seattle.
As the bizdev guy for my company, I want more exposure as an internet marketing expert, and for our team of internet marketing experts. So I contacted the editor of the Snohomish County Business Journal this morning, he called back, and my first column will likely be in December.
I waited nine days before acting on Nancy’s advice, but then it took about three hours between first contact and the editor agreeing that a column would be a good idea.
I didn’t read Nancy’s “Authentic Visibility Publicity Toolkit” but I guess now maybe I should… I’ll be holding out for a signed copy. You can buy the online version or read her sales letter. Thanks Nancy, look forward to talking with you more!
PS Nancy’s # is 425-641-5214.
http://allforyou.wordpress.com/2007/10/19/nancy-juettens-advice-works/
If you are enjoying do-it-yourself publicity success based on the tips and suggestions I offer at my public events or via my Authentic Visibility information products, share your story here. It will be my pleasure to help spread the word about your DIY publicity success!
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Midori Yoshikawa is an award-winning interior designer who is serious about getting known. Just the other day, while attending a lunch event, she found herself seated next to Paul Casey, the host of the Small Business Innovators radio show that airs on Alternative Talk Radio. During the course of the event, the two of them got to talking, and Midori asked for the opportunity to contribute to his show. The end result is that Midori will be interviewed on April 13 during the 3:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. hours. She asked. She got. It’s a beautiful thing.
that the Puget Sound Business Journal was planning a banking/investment/finance special section for April 25. I asked her if she had some compelling ideas that could add value to that special section as a means of bringing her values-based investment philosophies to an audience of business decision makers.
