Archive for March, 2010
Get Free Publicity with These Proven Story Ideas
Be Interviewed on Radio Talk Shows
There is no limit to the types of stories you can pitch to the media to get free publicity, though some are easier to sell than others.
Below is a list of some of the types of stories journalists are likely to be open to. Some of these will apply to you, others won’t; but you can use them as a springboard for related public relations ideas.
Do well by doing good. Sponsor a charitable event or volunteer for a charity. If you’re a business owner or a manager, you might encourage your entire staff to participate. Doing good works offers two chances for publicity. You can send out a news release to announce the commitment you’ve made before the event and another one after the event detailing some of your accomplishments.
Celebrate a milestone or an anniversary. Just sold your 10,000th car? Reached a 10th, 25th or 50th anniversary? Let journalists know. It’s a great time to get free publicity.
Write a helpful how-to article. If you own an auto repair shop, offer tips on basic maintenance or trouble shooting. If you run a pastry shop, offer some tips on how to get a flakier pie crust.
Tie in to the news. There are many possibilities. Let’s say a celebrity couple announces that they’re getting a divorce. If you’re a psychologist or a marriage counselor, you could offer pointers on how to have a better marriage. If you’re a divorce attorney or a CPA, you might issue a press release on the financial consequences of divorce.
Create your own survey. If you sell computers, you can get some free publicity if you do a survey about the most common customer complaints and announce your findings to the press. If you operate a health spa, you could do a survey to determine whether jogging or walking is more popular. Fortune 500 Humor Consultant Malcolm Kushner is author of “Public Speaking for Dummies” and “Presentations for Dummies.” He has garnered national publicity for his annual “Cost of Humor Index.” Each year he assesses the cost of such humor-related items as rubber chickens and whoopee cushions, then he issues a press release to announce his findings. He’s been a guest on several top TV talk shows and other national venues.
Want more Free Publicity Tips? Read You Can Be Famous! Insider Secrets to Getting Free Publicity. See the 1st Chapter
Be interviewed on 150 Radio Talk Shows
Follow me on Twitter
Be Friends on Facebook
Learn about my Publicity and Writing Services
Join the Power Publicity group on Facebook
How to Get Almost Free Publicity
I usually write about getting Free Publicity here but I want to diverge a little with this post to talk about advertising.
A good marketing plan should include a combination of free publicity and advertising, especially when you can dramatically cut the cost.
Many people are not aware that advertising costs are not set in stone, even if you read them on a rate sheet. They are almost always negotiable, especially in tough times when ad buys drop. So don’t just accept the quoted price. Haggle a little.
Another great way to cut advertising costs is to join with other advertisers to get group purchasing power. This approach works well with print media.
For example, let’s say a quarter page in the local paper costs $300, but a full page sells for $800. If you buy a full page with three other local businesses, each of you can get a quarter page for
$200, which is a substantial discount.
The key to making the approach work is to give yourselves an informal group identity and put a banner on the top of the page to that effect.
Tough times call for creativity and a determination to succeed. With a little imagination, you can not only survive, but thrive.
Want more Free Publicity Tips? Read You Can Be Famous! Insider Secrets to Getting Free Publicity. See the 1st Chapter
Be interviewed on 150 Radio Talk Shows
Follow me on Twitter
Be Friends on Facebook
Learn about my Publicity and Writing Services
Join the Power Publicity group on Facebook
Ping Your Blog for More Bling
If you write a blog to promote your business, to make money directly through affiliate programs and AdSense, or just want to share your thoughts and feelings, you probably want more traffic.
One way get free publicity for your latest blog post and to bring more traffic is to “ping” it. A ping is essentially, in this context, sending some information to blog directories and search engines to indicate that a blog or website has been updated.
Ping sites such as Pingoat and Pingomatic a couple of the more popular free ping services that will automatically contact the blog directories and search engines for you. All you do is type in the name of your blog, the URL and if you want, the RSS feed. Then check the sites you want pinged. The ping sites will do the rest for you.
There are many more that you can use. Because few, if any, ping services contact all the directories, some SEO and blog experts suggest that you ping dozens of ping sites on the theory that your blog will be posted to perhaps hundreds of directories.
This works well in theory. But the problem is that there will be a lot of overlap, which can lead to pinging some directories and search engines more than once. They don’t like that and will penalize your site in the overall rankings.
There is software, in most cases free, that will sort it out for you so you get the maximum exposure without any penalties.
If you have a WordPress blog, it usually contacts Pingomatic automatically. You can add more ping sites by going to Settings and then Writing. You should see a box with the Pingomatic URL already listed.
If you want, you can add more ping sites in that box. There are some WordPress plug-ins you can download from their site that will help prevent double pinging and safely help you to get free publicity.
Want more Free Publicity Tips? Read You Can Be Famous! Insider Secrets to Getting Free Publicity. See the 1st Chapter
Follow me on Twitter
Be Friends on Facebook
Learn about my Publicity and Writing Services
Join the Power Publicity group on Facebook
Trade Up to Free Publicity
Watch the Video Review of my book by media expert TJ Walker
A great and somewhat easy way to Get Free Publicity is to pitch a story about yourself or your business to trade publications.
A trade publication publishes stories for and about people in a certain industry or profession. Just about every type of business has one, and these pubs and/or websites are open to doing stories about people in that line of work. Usually, but not always, they are published by an association that advocates for that industry.
Some of the topics they cover are profiles, award recipients, how-to’s, case studies, new product releases and industry trends.
Because these pubs exist to support people in your profession or line-of-work, they are easier to break into than many other media outlets. But you still need to create a great hook to pitch to them. Once you do, they may seriously consider doing a story on you.
Now, you may wonder how a story about you in a trade publication will help you get new business. It probably won’t directly. But it can add to your credibility with current and prospective customers when you show them the story about you. And it can add to your credibility when approaching other media outlets for publicity.
So take some time to study the trade pubs in your industry, then brainstorm about possible story pitches to them and move one step closer to Free Publicity and success.
Want more Free Publicity Tips? Read You Can Be Famous! Insider Secrets to Getting Free Publicity. See the 1st Chapter
Follow me on Twitter
Be Friends on Facebook
Learn about my Publicity and Writing Services
Join the Power Publicity group on Facebook
Are You an Author? How to Sell More Books on Amazon
Being an author myself, I had to check out a book called Sell Your Book on Amazon. The rather long subtitle explains what the book offers: The Book Marketing COACH Reveals Top-Secret “How-to” Tips Guaranteed to Increase Sales for Print-on-Demand and Self-Publishing Writers . My two self-help books were published by a traditional publisher, but I found the tips in this book to be very helpful.
Not only does author Brent Sampson give you a wide variety of strategies you can employ to sell more books, he also rates them from one to five stars as to how effective they are.
Whether you are self-published, or traditionally published, I highly recommend this book.
While your at it, you can also read the first chapter of my book, You Can Be Famous! Insider Secrets to Getting Free Publicity, on Amazon too.
What Kind of Fame Do You Want?
Before embarking on your road to fame, you better have a
map. Otherwise you’ll just spin your wheels. Or worse, get lost
along the way.
In order to get the most from fame, think seriously about why
you want to be famous.
But isn’t fame an end unto itself?
For many people, it may be.
But there are other, better things you can do with fame than
stroke your ego.
Here are a few things fame can do for you. Some of them I’ve
already mentioned, but they are worth repeating so that your mind
can start thinking of all the benefits and possibilities. Fame can:
• Help you sell more of your product or service—for higher fees
• Bring new customers to you
• Bring former customers back
• Get you recognition on the job
• Help you get a new job
• Bring more job applicants to your company
• Get volunteers for your cause, issue or organization
• Raise money for your cause or organization
• Help you become recognized as an expert in your field
• Make you the go-to person at your company
• Get brand recognition
• Improve your social life
• Get a book deal
• Promote your book
• Promote your career as an entertainer or artist
Take a moment and think about the level of fame you want
and how it can help you to achieve your dreams.
Armed with your goals and insights about yourself, you’ll be
able to choose which of the tools my book You Can Be Famous will best serve you.
Adapted from the book You Can Be Famous! Insider Secrets to Getting Free Publicity.
Read the 1st Chapter for Free
Writing and Publicity Services
Follow on Twitter
Be Friends on Facebook
Join the Power Publicity group on Facebook
