Luck is the result of being ready for an opportunity when the opportunity presents itself. Often luck appears when we are not ready, thus giving truth to the statement Opportunity knocks once. If you are not ready to answer that knock, you are passed by and opportunity arrives at someone else's door.
One of my secrets for success for my clients is my media book. Most entrepreneurs have a strong creative spirit and feel that they have many areas of expertise and lack focus. This is actually not true. Focus is critical, don’t get me wrong and what you need is the right focus at the right time.
For example, I have a number clients that have 2 different worlds in which they excel. Lynnette Thredgold is a master violinist. She is also a former wrestler, aka, The Phantom and a former world class bodybuilder. She is passionate about both worlds although it is not a natural fit for both of them to exist together when looking for music gigs or personal appearances. How do we solve this separation of church and state? By creating two separate and distinct biographies in my media book with appropriate pictures.
When I get a lead for a body sculpting article, I use the Phantom’s bio and pictures. If pursuing an article with a music emphasis, I am ready to go. So what is my media book? A word document containing pictures and bios for each area of my clients' experties. I can copy and paste into outlook and the reporter or journalist can see my client and their background without going anywhere else.
Journalists are very busy people and often get a bad rap for being difficult to reach. It is your job to make sure they have the information they need to make a quick decision. By standing in their shoes, you might want to look at your bio and see if it passes a journalists test:
1. Does this person have the answers to my questions?
2. Does this person have the expertise I need for my story?
3. Do they have the credential and experience to keep me from looking like a fool?
My media book contains a bio that highlights my clients’ expertise specific to each field of interest, some recognizable media experience and credentials. I then add a sentence or two that states how they have the answers that match the story being written. When a media lead hits my email, I can copy and paste a response, picture and endorsement of my client’s expertise in the first few minutes that the lead goes out. That insures that my pitch will be one of the first one received and since journalists are usually working under a deadline, timing is everything.
It is easy to create your own ready bio. Create your document in word, insert your picture into a very brief bio. State your name, what you’ve done (think credentials here) not a laundry list of tasks, and a brief statement of what you do today that shows you know your field. Continue to create a separate bio for each area of expertise that you have.
Here’s my brief bio that I adapt for media requests:
Maureen O’Crean, MBA, is an international business strategist and CEO of Maureen O’Crean Consulting. An award winning Internet consultant, her work has been featured on Good Morning America,
Entrepreneur Magazine,
Cosmopolitan, Grace Magazine, radio and newspapers. This Harvard grad is co-author of
I Am Diva, Every Woman’s Guide
to Outrageous Living (Warner Books), and publisher of www.distinctivelydiva.com, an international online community of over 18,000 women. Maureen works with individuals to have their dreams come true, focusing on results with her signature media program,
www.mymediamatch.com My Media Match. Her clients include the famous–#1 New York Times Best Selling Author of
Simple Abundance, Sarah Ban Breathnach (12 time Oprah guest), Colgate-Palmolive. Her media clients reach millions of readers through placements in
Entrepreneur Magazine, Star 98.7, The London Observer, Hooters Magazine, EDGE publications, radio, newspapers, trade journals and more.
As you can see, in 133 words, I am able to state my case for success. For women’s issues and magazines, I include my book and online community. For general business articles, I add a statement on my clients' successes. Try it, you can do it too. When opportunity knocks, and it will if you keep pursuing your passions, you’ll answer the door with a smile.
