Whether you want to build your business, position yourself as an expert, or get a book deal, great exposure is key. When you get high-quality publicity, you get instant credibility and expert status.
You CAN Get Great Publicity
Everyone knows that publicity is a great thing to market your business, but few people actively pursue publicity, due to several misconceptions, such as:
- You must be the top expert in the world to get quoted
- Only book authors get quoted
- You must hire a publicist to interviews
- Getting top publicity is very expensive
I’ve found that none of these are true. I’ve never hired a publicist and I’ve been on national TV and radio and print such as The New York Times, Entrepreneur, and Inc., You can do all of this too.
The Most Important Piece: Your Message
In working with the media, everything rests on your message. It must be compelling and you must be the person to deliver it.
Once you’re clear on your message, you’re ready to figure out how to best deliver it.
Here are some components of a strong message:
-
It’s simple. Take complex ideas and boil them down into simple, memorable tips.
-
It’s catchy. You don’t want to say the same thing that’s been said a million times before. If you say something unexpected and unique, it will be catchy and quote-worthy.
-
It’s clear. You need to be crystal-clear on your point of view.
-
It’s backed-up. Members of the press need to know that who they quote is a credible expert. This is one reason that the media love to quote university professors. Back your message up with data.
-
It’s memorable. The goal of every writer and reporter is to create a story that creates buzz and gets people talking. If you give them memorable tips or “sound-bites,” you will have a great message.
How to Get Publicity
Once you know your message you’re ready to get quoted. You can work with a publicist which can deliver wonderful results but can also be quite pricey.
Publicists charge two ways: the first is by retainer—you pay a fee per month and they get you as much publicity as possible. The second is pay per placement. This is great because you are only paying for what you get, but it is typically not cheap.
The alternative is to do it yourself. I’m not an information expert like you, not a publicist. I’ll share what I do. I begun by deciding which type of media is best for me and my message: newspaper, radio, or television. Then I researched where I would be the best match (ex, health, business, etc.) and who the journalist or producer is for that segment.
I then emailed the appropriate person a pitch for my segment (don’t send as an attachment). A pitch is not a press release. It begins with a headline; then a short paragraph about your topic; then 3-5 talking points; and finally a brief media bio.
I called to follow up, and quickly landed several local media placements which I leveraged for national ones.
How to Work with Members of the Press
Once you have an interview with a member of the press, your goal is to be a wonderful source that the reporter will call on again.
The most important thing is to put yourself into their shoes. What do they need and what are their goals? In my experience of working with reporters, producers, and writers, the need is simple: Get great, catchy advice FAST.
So the first thing that you want to do is to be responsive. Give your cell phone number. Answer emails quickly—within minutes if possible.
The other part is to give great advice. You will typically know the topic—either because you pitched it yourself or you have an interview scheduled. Be prepared. You can even prepare your sound-bites in advance. Give unique tips.
Maintain your standard of ethics. If something is truly outside your area of expertise, let the journalist know and recommend another expert.
Never ask to see a story before it goes to print. I often follow up interviews with a quick thank you email and reminder of a couple areas of expertise so the reporter knows where to file me and can contact me in the future.
Good luck and I’ll see you on the news!
