May 5, 2008
PR in Action, Media Savvy 101
2 Comments
I often recommend that do-it-yourself publicists subscribe to PR Leads so they can respond readily to media queries from reporters who are seeking experts. Some are reluctant to commit to the monthly fee. While I can certainly understand that, I can tell you the fee is well worth it, based on my own experience with ProfNet. I love that service, and I don’t know how I ran my PR agency before without it.
Still, if you are a beginner at the media relations game, you may be sitting on the sidelines waiting for proof that services such as these really can pay off for you. Or perhaps you just want to dip your big toe in the media lead response waters before you dive right in to incur the expense, however modest.
If that is the case, there is a relatively new and free service that does much the same thing, and I want to encourage you to give it a try. Peter Shankman created a free service called Help a Reporter Out, or HARO. And it’s really pretty cool. You sign up, and then you receive a nice variety of media leads direct to your inbox that might be right on target for your expertise.
Your task is to reply in a concise, compelling, specific way to the query to be of service to the reporter seeking information. If you do this often enough, your storytelling and pitching skills will become sharp, and you’ll start earning the “ink and the air.”
Here is a link to make it easy for you to read more about it and sign up. I signed up a couple of weeks ago, and I’ve already enlisted the interest of a number of reporters to consider the expertise of my clients for stories in development. If you are the least bit curious, what do you have to lose? More importantly, what do you have to gain? Have fun, and keep me up to date on your do-it-yourself publicity success so I can spread the word here at the blog.
April 21, 2008
PR in Action, Local Publicity
No Comments
These Publici-Tea™ events keep getting better and better. Last Friday’s event was a sell out, and the event attracted an amazing contingent of inspired, generous business owners eager to support each other’s success through the power of publicity. Here is what my guests had to say:
“Quick start your publicity with this program that Publici-Tea™ offers. Whether you are a solo business or a marketing guru…the system and resources will help get you going and save you money.”
Rachael Costner,Women’s Resource Directory,Tacoma,www.sandscostner.com
“I loved the intimacy of this event. Each guest could have his/her issues addressed. I learned three things that I can immediately implement to become a known expert in purposeful profitability.”
Audrey Godwin, CPA,, The Godwin Group, PLLC,www.thegodwingroup.net
“As a new business owner, Nancy Juetten has given me the inspiration and confidence I need to launch my business with a ‘walk then run’ approach…I’ll be skipping the ‘crawl first’ phase.’”
Cheryl Michaels, The Color Coach,www.thecolorcoach.com
“We knew tea was good for our health. Now those lucky enough to spend time with Nancy know Publici-Tea™ is good for our business.”
Regina Glenn,Pacific Communication Consultants Inc.,www.pccus.com
“It’s about time someone realized that small businesses need exposure, but can’t afford it through traditional means. You have armed us with some nuts and bolts to make a difference in our businesses. This is very useful to all business owners. Many are in their first years, when marketing is vital, but money is tight.”
Lisa Pike,ScribeRight Transcription Agency,www.ScribeRight.com
“Nancy gave me the opportunity to get my arms around my media and public relations strategy going forward.”
Debbie Whitlock,Sound Financial Partners,www.soundfinancialpartners.com
“The information presented introduced new ideas and reignited many dusty recommendations from past forays into the publicity arena. You managed to corral some wonderful simple and common sense approaches to getting results. Your presentation helped clarify, inspire and gave us the tools to create our individual plan for the results we desire.”
Craig Weindling,Smiley Dog,www.smileydog.com
This time, I asked all of my guests how they learned about this event, and I learned some valuable information.
- One of my guests saw publicity tips I posted to www.biznik.com and was curious enough to register.
- Another saw an article written about me in the Bellevue Reporter last July and decided now was the time to register.
- One person heard me speak about the power of publicity at a presentation I made last summer for the Edmonds Chamber of Commerce.
- One person attended at the recommendation of one of my most powerful advocates.
- One person attended as my special invited guest because having a talented freelance writer in the room is a fabulous value to offer to guests and a great way to serve a writer seeking quality assignments.
-Seven guests are people I have met at local business networking events.
This is proof positive that the actions we all take to build the buzz about our expertise DO make a difference over time. Everyone differs in their readiness to get into action, but people do most definitely take notice of information that offers the potential to help their businesses grow.
Speaking of which, the next Publici-Tea™ is set for Friday, May 16 from 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. at my lovely Bellevue home. Zita Gustin, social networking expert, will be my special guest with insights to share to empower buzz building via social networking. And, Betsy Talbot’s “Blogging from Start to Finish” special report will be included among the day’s powerful materials to lend even more fuel to your buzz and publicity building efforts. Register at this link to secure your place. Why not attend with your mastermind partner, best colleague, business coach or CPA? Then, you can serve as accountability partners, long after the Publici-Tea™ concludes. Only seven spots remain before this event sells out, so act today.
April 9, 2008
PR in Action
No Comments
Tips on how to write better always catch my attention. WordWise was created to offer writing tips for public relations professionals – and for people everywhere and is written by Dan Santow, a former journalist who now works for one of the largest private PR firms, Edleman. In his words, “The tips, which are about grammar, usage and style, have a dual purpose – to remind my colleagues in public relations of the power of the written word (I’m lucky to work for a company that not only prizes, but expects, expert communications skills), and — more generally — to support and perpetuate clear, concise, creative, honest, lively, stylish, compelling writing everywhere.” Enough said!
Thanks to Sharon Baker for sharing still another great tip to support DIY pubilcity success.
April 4, 2008
PR in Action
No Comments
Kristen Marie Schuerlein, founder of Affirmagy, continues to find new ways to inspire people through the power of words. Her latest venture — Positively Fundraising — makes it easy for youth groups to raise funds for causes close to their hearts.
As we discussed all the different angles to highlight in connection with this launch, I did my own little jump for joy at the prospect of supporting kids without having to buy a pantry full of sugary snacks. I know a bit about this since I have a ten-year-old son who has asked me to buy cookie dough on more than one occasion.
We had some fun creating headlines that got to the meat of this matter. Two of the favorites are:
Parents everywhere delight in buying a new product for youth group fund raisers that warms hearts without widening waists.
Parents everywhere delight in buying a new product for youth group fund raisers that isn’t cause for more cookie dough.
We were having fun finding a way to ease pain among parents and still deliver a compelling and memorable message. Word is spreading fast, and hopes are high that hundreds of youth groups across the nation will flock to PositivelyFundraising.com to launch their most successful fundraisers ever with the power of words leading the way. Read the press release at this link.
April 1, 2008
PR in Action
No Comments
The folks at Olympic Hot Tub Company are doing a happy dance today, thanks to a report by Chris Plummer of Market Watch. In his March 24 column about recession therapy, he offers ten purchases to boost spirits dampened by economic anxiety. Number eight on his list is a suggestion to purchase a sauna or hot tub. He writes, “If you’re sweating the state of the economy, really sweat the angst out of your system by installing a portable sauna or hot tub on your back porch or deck…
Puget Sound customers already were feeling the heat over last weekend. Olympic Hot Tub Company Co-Owner Alice Cunningham was delighted to learn that 25 hot tubs were sold between Friday, March 28 through today.
Could that column and the boost of sales activity at Olympic Hot Tub Company be related? Seems like serendipity to me.
March 9, 2008
PR in Action
No Comments
The Wall Street Journal reported last week that employees are spending an hour or more watching videos on the internet. While this is bad news for employers seeking optimal productivity from their team members, it does make me consider the power of video to capture attention, tell a story, and be of service. Employees and others are spending plenty of time on the social networking sites, as well. This gives me pause to consider how I can contribute in those venues to offer value and invite interest in how I serve others.
If you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time, you know that I am a powerful advocate for covering the basics of publicity. That means telling a good story, getting it to the right people in a targeted way, earning an ongoing pattern of “ink and air,” and so on. I appreciate that it can be overwhelming to stay consistent with the basics, especially when the media world is changing so quickly and print media in particular struggle to stay relevant in the internet age. Plus, it is hard to ignore the pundits who compel us to wonder about the next big things — social media and video — as they take center stage. Read the rest…
February 18, 2008
PR in Action
No Comments
It’s fun and rewarding to take new tools out for a spin to help others learn the power and impact free publicity can lend to their growing businesses. Check out this video that was posted a few days ago and learn a few local publicity tips to propel your business forward. Let me know what you think!
January 5, 2008
PR in Action, Local Publicity
No Comments
It’s a brand new year and the perfect time to get organized. That’s why my hat is off to Meagan Farrell, owner of Clear the Clutter, a professional organizing services company operating in Snohomish County. She submitted her 150-word story about the circumstances in her life that led to the creation of her company to the Snohomish County Business Journal. Her story ran in the January edition of the paper to ride on the organization excitement associated with turning the page on a new year.
This brief feature invites readers to share turning points in their business lives or careers. If you work or operate a business in Snohomish County, you can submit your story for editorial consideration, too. Just prepare 150 words that capture your story in an engaging way and submit them — with your digital headshot — to hilden@heraldnet.com. You just might find your story within the pages of this local business journal in perfect timing to fuel new inquiries to engage your products or services.
The deadline for the February issue is January 15. If anyone out there has a Valentine’s Day-related story to tell that would be of interest to business readers in Snohomish County, now would be the perfect time to tell it.
Speaking of organization, I’ll share do-it-yourself publicity tips with the members and guests of the Seattle National Association of Professional Organizers on January 8, 2008. The event takes place at the Bellevue California Closet Company from 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. You can read all about it and register online by visiting this link. The event is free to NAPO members and just $25 for non-members. And, everyone who attends will receive their very own copies of the Media-Savvy-to-Go Publicity Tips Booklets as a gift from NAPO Seattle. How timely is that for turning the page on business visibility for the new year? I hope you can attend and acquire timely and valuable organization and publicity tips to enhance your success in 2008.
December 31, 2007
PR in Action
No Comments
A couple weeks ago, the Wall Street Journal did a story about pay-for-placement PR services, and the readers went wild in their commentary on the topic. If you read today’s WSJ, you can read more about what the readers think about this practice. There are also some tips for the art of the pitch, and one of them was provided by yours truly. I say, “To successfully capture the attention of reporters, I read, listen to, or watch their work. Then, I share news, access, or commentary that wil add value to what they report on.” You can read the article and related commentary at this link. It’s a good read.
A lot of folks tell me that they want their commentary featured within the pages of the Wall Street Journal, and I am among them. When this story about PR ran, I noticed that the reporter asked specifically for feedback. I took a few minutes to craft a reply to the WSJ Independent Street Blog about how not to pitch a reporter, and my comments showed up online with my name, and they showed up in today’s Wall Street Journal without my name.
Rome wasn’t built in a day. It happened brick by brick. Perhaps next time, my comments will be featured in both venues with my name and blog link.
I do take heart in the fact that I didn’t pay a cent for the placement because I followed my own advice. I read the reporter’s work and thoughtfully contributed commentary that I thought would add value to the story.
This approach has always worked for me. Try it with your own do-it-yourself publicity efforts, and let share your successes with me. I can’t wait to hear and report on your good news.
November 5, 2007
PR in Action, Networking PR, Media Savvy 101
No Comments
What a powerful email to receive on a Monday morning from Shannon Cherry of Be Heard Solutions. She writes about an editor at Wired magazine who has compiled and published a list of banned PR people who can know longer connect with him by email because they have shot themselves in the foot with sorry approaches to pitching their stories. Are you on this list? And what are you going to do to make sure you never earn a place on this list or any other list like it? Here is the link to learn more: http://www.longtail.com/the_long_tail/2007/10/sorry-pr-people.html
« Previous Entries
Join
Media-Savvy-to-Go RSS Feed