The Golden Circle - A Huge Pearl of Wisdom from “Make Mine a Million $ Business” Event

If you were among the 400 or so women business owners in attendance at the Make Mine a Million $ Business event in Seattle earlier this month, good for you. You are thinking big and lending support to others who are in the same boat.

A highlight of attending the event was hearing Simon Sinek speak about a concept he called ‘The Golden Circle.’ The Golden Circle is an amazingly simple, yet profound way of defining who you are and how you contribute. Simon says most people start with the ‘what.’ Then, they launch into the ‘how.’ They conclude by talking about the ‘why.’

Simon says that by gaining clarity and articulating the ‘why’ that inspires your business, amazing things happen. Rather than try to explain it and steal Simon’s amazing thunder, I urge you to visit his site and be inspired to doing business in an entirely new way. And, if you or your organization ever require an engaging speaker with big, actionable ideas to share to inspire your business to heightened levels of success, Simon Sinek is one to consider without hesitation.

As for the ‘why’ behind my business, here it is. I am on a mission to empower and inspire business owners everywhere with useful tips, resources, tools, and contacts so they get into immediate action to get seen, heard, and celebrated in their own backyards … and beyond through the power of do-it-yourself publicity.

Everyday I receive ‘thank you’ notes from business owners who apply the tips, resources, tools, and ideas I share to their buzz building advantage. I know the ‘why’ that inspires my business is powerful, inviting, and much needed among those hungry for effective, affordable ways to differentiate and stand apart in today’s demanding marketplace.

That ‘why’ is so much bigger than the free publicity. It’s about empowering others to help themselves so they are never hungry for publicity again or beholden to high priced PR agencies that stop short of helping them help themselves. Join me in the DIY publicity movement, and let’s see what magic we can manifest in the marketplace under our own power. If ever there was a time to jump on this bandwagon, it is now. Come on in. The water is fine. Great rewards are waiting.

By the way, have you signed up for the Media-Savvy-to-Go ezine yet? Please do. The sign-up form is on the right hand side of this page. When you sign up, you’ll receive by immediate digital download 12 sassy newspaper columns to empower your DIY publicity success. You know you need some good summer reading material, so let this be the start of your DIY publicity education today. And, of course, I invite you to subscribe to the RSS feed so you never miss a Mainstreet Media Savvy blog post. The sign up is a the far lower right corner of the blog. Sign up today.

It is sunny and beautiful in Seattle today. I hope you are enjoying equally magnificent weather from wherever you are in the nation or the world. Get out there and enjoy this fabulous day!

Hurray for Gift List Media - My Pitch Invited Interest from O Magazine to Taste Seattle Chocolates!

I started sending holiday gift guide pitches to national magazines to bring attention to a client with a delicious and heart-felt story to tell. Thanks to my subscription to Gift List Media, I have access to the names, email addresses, contact preferences, and editorial plans of the exact people at hundreds of national magazines to whom I can pitch timely, relevant, and worthwhile stories to add value to holiday gift guides in development. And, since I believe in aiming high, I started with a pitch to none other than O magazine.

Guess what? Within 15 minutes of sending my pitch, I earned a request for product samples. Now my client’s Extreme Dark Truffle Bars to benefit breast cancer charities just might earn the ink. Because I read PR Secrets Founder Susan Harrow’s book on how to appeal to decision makers at The Oprah Winfrey Show and O magazine — and because I am an avid viewer of the show and reader of the magazine — the right words just flowed. Here is the information I shared in my pitch:

Oprah appreciates exquisite packaging and extraordinarily good taste perhaps more than anyone. And doing good matters most of all. That is why I am proud to share with you the family of truffle bars from none other than Seattle Chocolate Company (www.seattlechocolates.com.) Each has undergone an “Extreme Makeover” to debut sassy, contemporary packaging this coming August that looks just as delicious as the bars taste when they touch your lips. Now, “What Happiness Tastes Like™” and “What Happiness Looks Like” can be enjoyed one delicious bite at a time. Best of all, 100% of the proceeds from the sale of the company’s Extreme Dark Truffle Bar — the best selling bar in the line — will benefit breast cancer charities. These products dressed in their new packages will soon be available in well over 12,000 retail, grocery, and drug stores across the nation and via the company’s online store. Attached are images of the sassy new packaging for the entire line and an image of the fuchsia-colored Extreme Dark Truffle Bar. It would be a pleasure to send samples for your tasting pleasure. It would be a dream come true to earn a placement among Oprah’s Favorite Things at any time of the year — and holiday in particular. Here is a link to the company’s online press room to make it easy for you to learn more about a company very passionate about all things chocolate — that operates with heart to benefit women everywhere: http://www.seattlechocolates.com/AboutUs/PressRoom/tabid/299/Default.aspx. Seattle Chocolate Company is a successful, woman owned company that generates well over $12 million a year in annual revenues. And its owner Jean Thompson is proof positive that life beyond 40 is super sweet indeed. At 47, Thompson is fit, fabulous, fulfilled, and forever grateful that her passion for premium chocolate is making women all across the nation happy every day, everywhere they live, work, and shop.Thank you for your consideration.

Now I believe in the power of positive intentions as much or more than most people, and these products do taste fabulous, look great, and make a difference for women everywhere. Now, the product just has to earn its stripes with the folks at O magazine, and I can’t wait to tell you how that turns out. In the meantime, if you have products that are well suited for holiday gift guide consideration at top national magazines, now is the time to start making your pitches. Invite more publicity success with greater ease by subscribing to Gift List Media today. Just one amazing placement in a prestigious magazine like O could be just the ticket to make your investment more than worthwhile. Aim high. Reach for the stars. And believe that great placements are waiting. When you prepare well, target your pitch, and deliver a compelling message, you’ll enlist interest so your business can take flight. What are you waiting for?

If Yours Was Among 800 Email Pitches Received in a Given Day, Would Yours Stand Out?

Doesn’t that question stop you right in your tracks. It sure gives me pause.

While enjoying lunch yesterday at a rare visit to Whole Foods Market in Bellevue, I received what seemed like divine inspiration to write a pitch on behalf of one of my clients. I raced home, put fingers to the keyboard, and composed a sassy pitch that was targeted very specifically to an influential reporter with a weekly column that earns plenty of readership. Within minutes, this reporter replied with her interest in interviewing my client. It was magic.

While I had the reporter on the phone, I took the opportunity to mention another pitch that I thought would be on target. I could sense the reporter wasn’t listening, so I paused and said, “Would it be better for me to put this in an email so you can consider it more carefully when the timing is even better?” She answered “Yes.” And then she said she gets 800 emails a day. 800 emails a day! That she responded in record time to the first pitch with a “yes” was a powerful demonstration that a sassy, specific pitch is always the right way to proceed.

If your email pitches have “blah, blah, blah” boring subject lines and boilerplate messages, you don’t stand a chance of capturing interest and inviting interviews, especially when yours is among 800 pitches waiting in line to earn consideration. So before you hit “send” on that pitch you are working on, put it through your own “blah, blah, blah” filter and see if you can go deeper to get to the heart of why anyone should care and why your news matters in a manner that is beyond boilerplate on every score. Otherwise, sit out and wait until you can. Reporters everywhere will thank you.  Best of all, your pitch will stand a much better chance of being among the few pitches that escape the wrath of the “delete” key and earn serious editorial consideration.

Do-It-Yourself Publicity Lessons from “American Idol” - Plus a Special Offer to Save 20% on Your PSBJ Subscription

Check out today’s “Media Savvy” column in today’s Puget Sound Business Journal. It shares do-it-yourself publicity lessons business owners can learn from “American Idol.” It’s a fun read, and it just might get people talking. If you are a subscriber to the paper, you can access the content at this link. If you are not yet a subscriber, why not make that decision today? After all, if you want to be seen, heard, and celebrated in the business news, the perfect place to start is to make reading the business news a well formed habit. Call PSBJ Circulation Representative Elizabeth Case at 206-876-5418 or send email to ecase@bizjournals.com to enjoy a 20% Main Street Media Savvy discount when you subscribe today!

Blogging Expert Betsy Talbot - a Special Guest at June 13 Publici-Tea™

Have you been sitting on the sidelines, wondering what the heck is a blog and how can it contribute to the growth of your business? If so, here’s great news. Blogging expert Betsy Talbot will be my special guest at the Friday, June 13 Publici-Tea™ Half-Day Workshop at The Village Bellevue. She’ll address nitty-gritty blogging basics so you can see clearly how and why blogging can build the buzz, contribute to the growth of your business, and help you get heard in powerful ways fueled by the power of cyberspace. You can read more about the event and the wonderful compliments guests always share at this link. Register today and give yourself the gift of time to work ON your business and not in it for an information and inspiration-packed half-day. And, as always, there will be plenty of Seattle Chocolates on hand to fuel your enthusiasm. I can’t wait to meet you.

Free Press Release Distribution Sites — Check Them Out

One of the sites I monitor is www.startupnation.com. Today, I stumbled upon a new publicity blog by Melanie Rembrant that offers a list of free press release distribution sites and some good advice about press releases. Check it out and see how her sage advice can serve your storytelling and story distribution interests.

Check Out GoogleFight.com — Just for Fun

Do you ever wonder how your Google rankings stack up against your closest competitor or colleague? Here’s an easy and fun way to find out. Visit this link. Then, type in your name and the name of your competitor. See who wins the Google fight and how many references come up. Then, fight again with the same competitor in three months after having gotten into action to build your link popularity through social networking and other means. You build your influence one blog post at a time, one article submission at a time, and one media placement at a time. And, remember that media momentum is a powerful thing, and inertia is quite the opposite.

Curious about Twittering? Not Even Sure What It Is? Here is a Great Resource to Learn More

I think the world of Publicity Hound Joan Stewart, and her ezine today offers some very useful tips about Twittering, which is a form of social networking that is gathering great speed. Here is an excerpt from her Publicity Hound of the Week ezine that arrived in my inbox today. If you don’t yet subscribe, I encourage you to opt-in at this link.

Dell, H&R Block, Jet Blue, Comcast, Southwest Airlines and other mega-companies have made time to join the Twittosphere. You should, too. I’ve been twittering for several months at http://Twitter.com/PublicityHound and have found it’s not only a fabulous publicity tool, it’s fun. The free microblogging service lets you create a page at Twitter.com, and then check in throughout the day and report on what you’re doing. Each message, or tweet, is limited to 140 characters. Twitter started primarily as a social networking service for personal use. Daily, scores of business people are becoming addicted to it. Twitter, it seems, is the new online crack. Because tweets are so short, twittering takes far less time than what you have to invest in many other social networking tools. Even better, it can produce incredibly powerful, instant results. Businesses and nonprofits large and small continue experimenting with dozens of ways to use Twitter. Here are just a few of them:

–As a crisis communications tool. The American Red Cross uses Twitter to announce disaster news. During this year’s tornadoes, tweets listed emergency shelters in several states, led followers to Flickr photos that showed tornado damage, and invited tornado survivors to report in as being “safe and well.”
–To announce new products and services.
–To promote articles and blog posts.
–To follow journalists who Twitter and learn what they think is important.
–To respond to media coverage, good or bad.
–To monitor what others are saying about you and your brand.
–To share with your followers interesting tips, helpful suggestions, great articles or humorous blog posts.
–To monitor customer service problems and respond within minutes. If used correctly, Twitter can be more powerful than those annoying and expensive customer service call centers.

So how about shaving just 15 minutes a day off the non- productive, energy-sucking, time-wasting task of reading and responding to your email? Use those 15 minutes, instead, spaced throughout the day, to Twitter.

Reprinted from “The Publicity Hound’s Tips of the Week,” an ezine featuring tips, tricks and tools for generating free publicity. Subscribe at this link and receive by email the handy list “89 Reasons to Send a News Release.”

Joan has a special report she offers for to tell you everything you need to know about Twitter. It is called “Special Report 52: How to Use Twitter for Business to Network, Promote, Sell, Recruit & Profit.” It includes 10 pages of examples, tips and resources. Learn how to enhance your Twitter experience and make it dovetail with other social networking tools like Facebook. Check it out.

Claim Your Space at the June 13 Publici-Tea™ So Your Business Can Sizzle This Summer! - Only 9 Spaces Left

Last Friday’s Publici-Tea™ Half Day Workshop at The Village Bellevue was very rewarding for my guests and very satisfying for me. Here is one of the glowing testimonials I received by email from one of my appreciative event guests:

“Nancy’s Publici-Tea™ was an invaluable experience for me in learning how I can promote my clients’ businesses and my business using free publicity. It was a sneek preview to the world of PR and a practical step-by-step method that businesses can use to promote their ‘expert’ status and value proposition of their products and services to their target markets. Don’t miss this class if you are a professional or business owner who is ready to use some powerful tools to take your career or business to the next level.”

– Mahdu Sarkar

Friday’s event was the first time I took the event out of my dining room and into real office space, and I can’t wait to do it again on June 13. The facility is well appointed, bright and cheerful. The parking is free. And the staff at The Village Bellevue make hosting an event there an absolute pleasure. If you have been doing business from a home office for some length of time (for me, it has been over seven years!) and are ready to break out of the home office, do yourself a favor and visit The Village Bellevue. You’ll be amazed how affordable the membership is, and gaining access to professional space such as what The Village Bellevue offers will make it easier for you to enjoy more success with greater ease.

If you want to acquire the nitty-gritty information and resources to fuel your do-it-yourself publicity effort and gain appreciation for the big picture business results that can flow your way when you get into action using traditional, online, and social media, you won’t want to miss the next Publici-Tea™ at the Village Bellevue. Only nine spaces are left, so register at this convenient link to assure your place.

And, if you live in the Puget Sound region and are reading this post today (Sunday), be sure to get out and enjoy this amazing weather. We sure earn our good weather around here, and today is the day to sign off from the computer and enjoy it.

BizNik.com - a Great Way to Dip Your Toe into Online Business Networking

Online business networking is the latest big thing to bring people together, so I jumped into the pool to give it a try. I started at BizNik. The tag line for this site is “Business Networking that Doesn’t Suck.” I applaud the founders for describing it in a way that invites people in or out right away. My intention for joining was to meet some new people, make a contribution, and see what might happen as a result in my business.

I joined in mid-March. Since then, my profile has been viewed by 266 BizNik members. I have received 26 messages from other members and chatted on the phone with a number of them. I have posted three articles to support other’s do-it-yourself publicity success and promote my expertise. Those submissions have been viewed 99, 90, and 60 times, respectively, according to the reports BizNik sends me. I connected with a fabulous virtual assistant named Colleen Johnson through BizNik who is working on her second project for me to date, and I have happily referred her to at least three of my colleagues so they can benefit from her services. One fellow BizNik member Craig Sigl attended my April 18 Publici-Tea™ and posted a fabulous compliment for this online community to see. My profile offers a direct link to this blog, and I am sure it is contributing to more readership because unique visitors to this blog reached an all-time high last month.

BizNik Founders Dan McComb and Lara Eve Feltin hosted a “Networking the BizNik” way training session at The Village Bellevue a little over a week ago, and I learned a lot about how this site works, how powerful it is from a search engine optimization point of view, and the many benefits to give and receive as a result of being an active member of the community. The passion and commitment of these people to creating something fabulous is nothing short of remarkable. And, I joined The Village Bellevue, which is making it easier and more convenient than ever to bring the Publici-Tea™ event to the independent business people who can benefit most from it. Those are pretty satisfying results for a two-month dance around the edges of online business networking.

If you haven’t yet visited BizNik, I invite you to do so today. Join. Set up a profile. Make a contribution. And see what magic manifests in your business. You have nothing to lose and much to give and gain. Jump in. The water is fine.