Your Media Moment & Beyond! Expert Tips for DIY Publicity

Email Subject Lines - Open Me!

2010-07-29T02:39:00-04:00

Most media pitches are sent by email, so how do you make sure YOUR pitch gets opened? It's not uncommon for journalists to receive 200-500 emails a day. Who has the time to open and read every one and still get their job done? Nobody!

That's why the delete key can be a reporter's best friend. Grab 'em with a good subject line or your carefully crafted pitch will hit the virtual trash can.

Personally I like a pitch that says it's a pitch in big letters - PITCH -right up front. That way I can prioritize my email reading. Also if I know the person who is pitching or the organization, that name goes next - Nancy XY or Z Clinic - then a short catchy headline-style teaser such as "New Cure for the Summer Blues." (I made this up. I don't know if there is such a thing as the summer blues so please don't steal my line.)

Most email programs will preview display about 50-70 characters so keep it spare and to the point, but strive to be accurate. Don't mislead. If it's nothing new, don't say it is NEW. And don't go for empty hype such as DON'T MISS THIS MIND-BLOWING EVENT or YOUR EMMY-WINNING STORY IS HERE.

I also like using the telephone first, even though you'll probably get voicemail. Tell them you are sending an email pitch with the subject line (whatever) and give them a fascinating quick line or two about your story. If you've raised their interest, they'll be looking for that email and it will get opened. Now you're one step closer to getting on the air.

(I just started using the Zemanta.com free plug-in for firefox so you'll see some supposedly related articles noted below. Don't know if I like this tool yet, but I'm hoping it makes research and image gathering for my blog posts easier and gives you, my loyal reader, more value. Let me know what you think.)

Writing Copy to Motivate

2010-07-26T12:00:46-04:00

Let's face it. The Internet has made millions of us online content producers, whether we like creating media or not. For some people, it's a chore, perhaps a new job requirement while others have found content creation an exciting new creative outlet. Either way, the ability to express yourself well is a valuable skill that can build online visibility and credibility.

Chris Knight at EzineArticles.com put out a template on his blog last week to help writers use motivational triggers in their articles. It's a great technique that can also help you prepare for on-air media interviews and structure the messages in short persuasive online videos.

Get it here:Motivational Triggers Template

Good copy engages the mind and the heart and encourages the reader to take action. Plus knowing how good copy is structured can improve the effectiveness of your speeches, presentations, and even everyday conversations.

What are your thoughts?

Boost Your Publicity Power

2010-07-22T14:02:09-04:00

A Tip of the Hat to Susan Young of Get In Front Communications for this video on YouTube about how to power-up your press releases and media pitches. It's full of excellent advice.

Blogging for the Long Haul

2010-07-19T11:11:28-04:00

I love writing this blog but there's no question, it's a commitment. After nearly two years, my business is going in a different direction and I sometimes struggle to post regularly and keep my content fresh.

Still, I can't tell you how many times someone I've met online or at a networking event will later mention my media background and suggest how we might work together, all because they've checked out my blog and online presence.

I notice some people have replaced the "work" of writing a business blog with social media interaction which is a different way to show your expertise, promote your interests and engage with friends, family, clients and prospects.

I have my blog posts feed to my accounts on the various major social media sites, but I don't do additional tweeting, direct posts to Facebook, etc. I see the value but who has the time? I'm thinking of moving toward video blogging this fall, since online video marketing is my focus now.

Here's a round-up of some expert ideas about blogs and blogging -

About a year ago, Brian Clark of CopyBlogger wrote about the topic. It's still a good read - Since When Are Blogs Not Social Media?

Here's an article from Denise Wakeman about how to get more juice out of your blog entries - http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/3-simple-ways-to-repurpose-your-blog-posts-for-more-exposure/ (I got my start as a blogger with her Blog Squad program)

And not to leave out my Web TV friends - Social Media expert Shama Kabani of Shama.TV recently talked about How Many Times Should You Blog?

Ever find an interesting blog and then realize the author hasn't posted for two years? Does that affect your opinion of their business? Have you yourself stopped blogging? Why? If you blog regularly for business, how has the growth of other social media outlets affected you?

Leave a comment. I'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas.

Photo credit: iStockPhoto.com

WordPress and Video Perfect Together

2010-07-15T10:52:51-04:00

My friend and colleague, Kim Doyal, The Wordpress Chick, has a new project. She's combining her love of Wordpress with a new passion -video marketing.

Video is clearly the future of the Internet. More than 60-percent of web content is already video and it's expected to be more than 90-percent by 2013. Learning how to promote yourself, your business, product, service or cause with online video NOW will put you ahead of the wave.

As Kim says, you do NOT have to know what you’re doing to get started with video!!! Her 9-year-old has a YouTube channel. But, many adults find video marketing complicated, at least at first.

That's why Kim is sharing new information and secrets to help you avoid common mistakes and save time and money. She'll show you how to use wordpress for video marketing quickly and easily.

Find out about Kim's upcoming program and get her valuable fr*ee video and special report by clicking the banner below: (it's my affiliate link)

Let me know what you think.

Photo: stock.xchng/lusi

How Influential Are YOU?

2010-07-12T10:49:24-04:00

Fast Company magazine is running an online promotion that has some media folks buzzing. It's an experiment in viral social media marketing called The Influence Project.

I learned about it from Joan Stewart in her excellent Publicity Hound newsletter. I respect Joan and I like reading Fast Company magazine, so I signed up.

The Project is billed as an effort to identify the most influential person online but I just thought of it as fun, a marketing gimmick, not a serious test to discover who the true online "Influencers" among us are. (Heck, I know I have very little influence and had no intention of promoting my project link far and wide to up my score. Plus getting people you know to simply click a link to, in essence, "vote" for you is more about popularity than influence, anyway.)

Some took a more critical view. Follow these links to sample some of the reaction here and here.

These writers and others make valid points, but in the end, I bet it will be "all good" for Fast Company. From a publicity point of view, the controversy got more people talking. And while the backlash may have been an unintended consequence, the additional digital "ink" increased their name awareness and will probably sell more magazines. Now that's influence.**

**Defined as the power to affect persons or events.

Tools Change but Relationships Last

2010-07-08T02:26:00-04:00

This is my 200th post and I'm happy to have Storyteller to the Media, Michelle Tennant do the honors. She shares some excellent tips for using the latest tools to reach out to the media and I love the title of her article.

When I started out as a radio reporter, I wrote my stories on a manual typewriter. I thought I was really moving up in my career when I got hired by a station with electric typewriters! How times have changed.

From Typewriters to Twitter

How the Internet Changed PR Pitching

By Michelle Tennant

It used to be phone and mail were it. Publicists used to plunk out cover letters on their typewriters, and then mail editors their pitch. Things are definitely different, but the game is still played the same. It seems now that we have less people doing more work on both — the media’s and the publicist’s — ends of the spectrum. But whether it’s from a typewriter or from Twitter, what prevails is the relationship. And you can’t build a relationship with the media if you don’t connect with them.

With the advent of the Internet, finding the media has never been easier, especially with sites like http://www.usnpl.com and http://www.profnet.com and crowd-sourcing sites like http://www.reporterconnection.com and http://www.PitchRate.com. The downside though is that more people than ever are trying to connect with the media, so you really have to make yourself stand out from the crowd. It’s definitely important to keep in mind that the first things that media reads — your subject line and the first part of your pitch — will determine whether or not you make a connection.

Subject Lines — Some news producers get 1500 emails in three hours! Of course they are not going to even think about opening your email if it has no subject line or if the subject line looks like spam. Media flooded with hundreds of emails each day will often use search terms to go through their in-boxes and find email that relates to major stories they are working on. We suggest you put these key words in parenthesis in your subject line so they will stand out.

Your Pitch — If your subject line gets your foot in the door (and the reporter, producer or editor opens your email), then the first sentence of your pitch has to get immediately to the point of what you can offer them that they can’t get elsewhere. If your pitch is tied to breaking news, you must say immediately how you can help the journalist advance the story. One way to do this is to list topics that you can discuss that will shed new light on the news. Another is to give the journalist a sampling of key tips or advice that you can offer their audience. These should be short, concise, single sentences. Finally, make sure to include a phone number or email where the reporter can contact you at any time and reply to emails immediately. Remember, they are on deadline and will call someone else if you don’t respond promptly. In fact, they were almost certainly trying to reach other sources when they returned your call or email!

With all the ways to reach out to the media, it can definitely be overwhelming. Essentially, you still have the same messages, just a different way of delivering it. If you think of the Internet as your media megaphone you’re bound to score results. If email isn’t producing results, post a video on YouTube, connect with the media on their Facebook page, or follow them on Twitter. If you get to know the media it’s much easier to build a relationship with them.

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Twenty-year PR veteran Michelle Tennant Nicholson is Chief Creative Officer of Wasabi Publicity and co-founder of www.PitchRate.com, a free media tool that connects journalists, publicists, and experts. Called a five-star publicist by Good Morning America's Mable Chan, Michelle specializes in international PR, working regularly with the likes of Oprah, Larry King, BBC, The Today Show and other major media. Contact her at PR blog http://www.StorytellerToTheMedia.com where she teaches tips from the trade.

Six Months and Counting

2010-07-05T02:55:00-04:00

Here we are at mid-year. Where does the time go? Time to review where you're at and where you are going with your publicity campaign. Have you been following the media plan you made in January with monthly activities all laid out? How's it going?

Didn't make a plan or didn't follow it? It's not too late to sit down and map out a publicity roadmap for the rest of 2010. Do it right now. If you already have your plan, review your results and tweak the plan for even more ROI heading into the home stretch.

Here's an article to help you get it done Six Steps to a PR and Media Plan

As I've written before, my business focus this year has been re-directed. I've become more involved in helping local businesses with online video marketing PR. I still love helping publicity-seekers, but telling stories with web video is an emerging field that uses both my traditional and new media skills in new and exciting ways.

I have a new website in the works and possibly a new blog. I'll keep you posted so you can check them out once they're up and running.

Tell Your Story to Move People

2010-07-01T08:51:20-04:00

I love reading the Duct Tape Marketing blog by John Jantsch. It's full of simple marketing wisdom for small business and Duct Tape is such a great name. In local TV news, duct tape is an essential part of any shooter's tool kit. That roll of sticky blue stuff has saved me many times from technical disasters, large and small.

Earlier this week there was a post about story telling in business. It offers some terrific questions for marketers to ask themselves to flesh out their key marketing story. As Jantsch writes, people connect with stories that move them. I'll add, those are also the kinds of stories the media wants to tell.

As a publicity-seeker, you're hoping to "market' your ideas and/or expertise to the media and ultimately their audience to promote yourself, your business, product, service or cause. Why not adapt Jantsch's questions to create some hooks for your pitches? Stories pegged to fears, regret, accomplishments, secret wishes, insider knowledge, etc. can all work for you.

You can read his post here: Do People Know Your Story?

Still Time to Pitch for 4th of July

2010-06-28T02:55:00-04:00

Here in the US, the Independence Day Holiday (July 4) falls on a Sunday this year. Many businesses are giving their workers an extra long holiday weekend from Friday July 2 through Monday July 5. That means a lot of local TV newscasts will need extra holiday-related stories throughout the four day span and that could spell opportunity for local publicity-seekers.

The stations will want to cover the usual holiday-related topics - weather, travel, parades, sports and recreational events, picnics, outdoor grilling, festivals, concerts and fireworks displays - plus they will likely be looking to feature people in the community spending the 4th of July weekend in ways beyond the usual food and fun or maybe celebrating a traditional holiday with a twist.

Still Time to Pitch - Local TV news generally works on a short lead time - that is, the time between receiving the pitch. acting on it and getting it on the air can be just days or even hours. Pitch a good visual story for the holiday weekend sometime this week - do it today or the night before, or even call on the day of your "happening" - and you could get coverage.

Pitch without Promise - Don' expect a firm commitment. TV news operations won't generally guarantee they'll be anywhere. No one can predict the future and breaking news might consume all their resources on any given day. What they may say is "sounds like a story," or in some way indicate they'll add it to their day book list of story possibilities. That's as good as it gets.

Tell 'em Again - A brief, low key "day of" reminder call might seal the deal. Leave a voicemail or say something like, "Hi, I just wanted to remind you we're celebrating the 4th and my uncle's 103rd birthday with a barbeque today at (time) and (place), in case you're interested. Here's my cell phone number XXX-XXXX. Hope to see you there." Don't badger them or demand a call-back. Say it and forget it. With luck, you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Extended Play - Senior news staff will likely have the holiday off so a skeleton crew will be racing around to get all the content for all the shows. Your story might get extra play on several newscasts because the short staff needs to "fill the news hole" and can only physically cover so much.

Happy Pitching!

Photo credit: stock.xchng/hortongrou