PublicityResults.com founder and CEO, Drew Gerber, discusses with WasabiPublicity.com co-founder, Michelle Tennant, how important timing is to a publicity campaign.
PublicityResults.com founder and CEO, Drew Gerber, discusses with WasabiPublicity.com co-founder, Michelle Tennant, how important branding and messaging are to a publicity campaign.
PublicityResults.com founder and CEO, Drew Gerber, discusses with WasabiPublicity.com co-founder, Michelle Tennant, how important taking action is to a publicity campaign.
Drew Gerber, CEO of PitchRate.com, attended Book Expo America 2009 and brought back some tidbits on how authors should promote their books.
How to pitch the media to promote your book and get free book publicity
Pitch bloggers to get free publicity
Promote your book through social media to get free book publicity
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Selling Yourself to the Media Tips for a Knock-Out Interview By L. Drew Gerber
Giving an interview is like going on a first date: It will lay the groundwork for your relationship with the media. You’ve caught their attention, now you need to build a rapport and develop a long-term relationship, gathering the publicity results on your way. An interview is the best free publicity you can get, so you need to be the best interviewee–or date–the journalist has ever had. Make it so whenever they need an expert or need a source–regarding your area of expertise–you are the person they contact. Giving a good interview is the first step in getting more publicity, so sell yourself to the media, and score a second date.
Here are a few publicity tips to remember for your interview:
1. If the interview is going to be over the phone make sure you use a landline, not your cell. A dropped call or a bad connection can lead to confusion, wasted time, or worse, for you and the person interviewing you. It’s the same reason you don’t talk to your date with you mouth full. Good crisp connections are the key to achieving the publicity results you desire.
2. Take a promotional break. When you’re being interviewed, remember that the interview is your promotion, so there’s no need for you to do it. Don’t say “In my book...” fifteen times during an interview, or during a date. Take a backseat to the interview’s promotional power and enjoy the publicity results.
3. If you’re doing television, give some thought into what you’ll be wearing. Ask yourself, “How will I look on set?” You want to stand out, not blend in. Do you wear camouflage on a first date? Of course not. And always bring a change of clothes. You don’t want to be wearing the same outfit as your interviewer, or your date! It’s also a good idea to dress professionally in a phone interview. You’re likely to be more confident in your professional attire than in your pajamas. Publicity success lies in a person’s confidence.
4. Send in a suggested list of questions for the interviewer to use. Note: Do not try this before a first, second, or third date. You’ll be able to answer these questions in a very succinct and clear manner, making great sound bites that can be pulled out and used in print articles, getting more publicity for you. It’s always a good idea to review your online press kit prior to the interview as well.
The best free publicity tip–and dating tip– you’ll ever receive is this: Be prepared. For interviews and everything else in the PR realm being prepared is the key ingredient to a successful publicity campaign. Lack of preparation is a publicist’s nightmare–yours too–so dress up, know your sound bites ahead of time, and review your online press kit. With a little preparation, you too can be a publicity success.
About the Author: L. Drew Gerber
is CEO of www.PublicityResults.com and creator of www.PitchRate.com, a
free media tool that connects journalists, publicists, and experts.
Gerber's business practices and staffing innovations have been revered
by PR Week, Good Morning America and the Christian Science Monitor. His
companies handle international PR campaigns and his staff develops
online press kits for authors, speakers and companies with Online
PressKit 24/7, a technology he developed (www.PressKit247.com). Contact
L. Drew Gerber at: AskDrew@PublicityResults.com or call him at
828-749-3548.
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Pitfalls to Avoid in Media Outreach
By L. Drew Gerber
Major pitfalls that can befall public relations professionals in their media outreach are usually simple things — minor overlooks in an industry where a single misstep can result in the loss of the media’s attention. The Internet has made the media more accessible and email has made media outreach easier, but it has also increased the chance that you’ll be overlooked or even ignored. Here are a few things we did before hitting the “Send” button to land a client on Dr. Phil, CNN, and other national media outlets:
Email Subject Lines ~ Getting Lost in the Mix
Some journalists at top tier media outlets receive over 1,000 emails an hour. Media flooded with emails will often use search terms to go through their in-boxes and find emails relating to major stories they are working on. My PR team always put brackets around the one or two words in the subject line that involve the breaking news item. For example, during the Rihanna and Chris Brown fiasco we sent pitches out for our client and landed Dr. Phil with this subject line:
[Rihanna] Dr. Jill Murray — 3 Stages of Violence — Which one is Rihanna?
The breaking news item acts as the keyword search and the brackets grab the attention of the media.
Summary & Body ~ Losing the Media’s Interest
The first few words of your pitch have to get immediately to the point: What can you offer the media that they can’t get elsewhere? If your pitch is tied to breaking news, you must say immediately how your client will help the journalist advance the story. One way to do this is to list topics your client can discuss that will shed new light on the news. Another is to give the journalist a sampling of key tips or advice that your client can offer their audience. These should be short, concise, single sentences.
Teaser ~ Forgetting Who the Media Serves
Close your pitch with a “teaser” designed to show the practical advice your client will provide the media’s audience. With Dr. Jill Murray we closed with the warning signs around text messaging to alert parents, friends and relatives that a young person may be in an abusive relationship. We even provided the media with a link — we never send attachments — to an online quiz by our client to help educate their audience on warning signs of relationship violence. We closed with the all-important after-hours contact information to show we were serious about getting our client coverage.
When it comes to media outreach today, less is more. Now that the media is bombarded with pitches via email, your subject line and first few words of your email have to be clear and concise. If you keep it simple, you’ll grab hold of their attention and see results.
About the Author: L. Drew Gerber is CEO of www.PublicityResults.com and creator of www.PitchRate.com, a free media tool that connects journalists, publicists, and experts. Gerber's business practices and staffing innovations have been revered by PR Week, Good Morning America and the Christian Science Monitor. His companies handle international PR campaigns and his staff develops online press kits for authors, speakers and companies with Online PressKit 24/7, a technology he developed (www.PressKit247.com). Contact L. Drew Gerber at: AskDrew@PublicityResults.com or call him at 828-749-3548.
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Keep a Personal Touch Online
Social Networking Tips for Authors
By L. Drew Gerber
Have you ever had someone tell you they were slammed with work, only to find their Facebook page full of frequent frivolous activity?
Or maybe you have been surprised by a rude, off-the-cuff remark on Twitter?
Social networking offers boundless potential for authors and writers to promote their works to a wide audience online. Just remember to avoid some common etiquette pitfalls.
Keeping a personalized touch makes all the difference. Let the Golden Rule govern your behavior online and treat people and situations as you would face to face:
Share — Provide valuable information that people can use. When I am networking online, I offer great content for free, whether it be seminars, newsletters or even articles that I find that would be interesting for the community.
Don't just promote yourself — Engage with people online just as you would if you were building a business relationship in person. If someone comes in and all they want to do is promote, promote, promote, that approach is likely to go nowhere.
Be polite — People have a tendency to say things online they would never say face to face. I have seen instances where people on Twitter have a personal beef or a problem with a person and tweet it out publicly. Don't say anything you would be embarrassed for your loved ones to read.
Don't lower yourself — With electronic communication, whether email or social networking, there is no way to read facial expressions or body language. If there is a question about a person's intentions, give them the benefit of the doubt rather than calling them out for being rude.
Be responsible — Not only for what you say, but for your time and your image. It will hurt your credibility if you tell people how busy you are and they see you taking those "Who am I?" and "5 Favorite" quizzes on Facebook everyday. When you are online you should assume everyone is watching and behave accordingly.
Don't butt in — If you are participating in an online discussion, let other people have a chance to share their ideas and perspectives. Wait your turn and you will get your chance.
Have fun and be creative — Think of ways you can share information about your article, book, writing service or yourself that are fun and make people want to follow you.
These tips work because social networking is all about building community. Just like in the community you live in offline, the people who have credibility online who are those who engage others and provide value for the community.
About the Author: L. Drew Gerber is CEO of Blue Kangaroo, Inc. and creator of www.PitchRate.com, a no-charge media tool that moves the best interviews to the front of the line for journalists and producers. Gerber's business practices and staffing innovations have been revered by PR Week, Good Morning America and the Christian Science Monitor. His companies handle international PR campaigns and his staff develops online press kits for authors, speakers and companies with PressKit 24/7, a technology he developed (www.PressKit247.com). Contact L. Drew Gerber at: ldrewg@gmail.com or call him at 828-749-3182.
