Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

This morning my client, Jean Newell, was a guest on The Today Show. For the past year, the 61-year-old Florida resident and I have been working on creating a media buzz about her and her business.

So what does it mean to create a media buzz? It means you have to market yourself in such a way that creates attention to you and visibility. No one’s going to know anything about you do unless you tell them. How do you do that? There are a number of ways but I’ll just share a couple here:

Promote Yourself. Don’t Be Shy. If you want to be recognized for what you do you have to promote yourself. I am a big fan of Press Releases, however, they only work if you know how to write them. As a former News Assignment Editor I can tell you first-hand that an overwhelming majority of releases get tossed by journalists because they are either poorly written, lack newsworthiness or are just plain dull. The headline of your press release should be an attention grabber.

Which one of these headlines would make you want to read more?

Invite Me Over to Trash Your House
New Author Wants to Help You Organize Your House

If you’re an author, find a way to tie your book into a current news event. Or better yet, create your own media news event. Romance authors, for example, should always be able to capitalize during the holidays---especially Valentine’s Day.

You can also promote yourself thru blogging and connecting to groups and organizations—both on and offline.

Become the Expert: Don’t be afraid to offer yourself as a media expert as it relates to your business. Media folks look for experts on news events all the time. For example, during the holiday season travel is always a story. If you’re a travel agent, you should have something to say about travel as it relates to your business.

Call, fax or email your information to the news assignment desk and let them know you can make yourself available in the event that they need someone to interview. Also, be sure to be on top of your local station’s “Breaking News” stories and be ready to respond immediately if it ties in to what you do.

Find a Hook: This is your opportunity to come up with some creative ideas to promote you and your business. It can be as crazy as you want it to be or it could be very serious. It could be a one-time event or on-going. And be sure to make it interactive. When you have people participating in your idea, you are creating a buzz. Sponsor a contest or issue some kind of challenge. Before you know it, others will join in and sooner or later, you’ll find out that someone in the media has gotten wind of what you’re doing and wants to share your idea with the world. Think Rachel Ray....Billy Banks...

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Dave Barnes
Spider Climbing, Inc.
(734) 994-0646
www.spiderclimbing.com

2009 Elevator Pitch Contestant Please vote for us!

Good insights Bev, and congrats on the media hit you got for your client!

I think a lot of people get nervous when they hear "publicity" or "public relations." But it`s really not so hard when you figure out your unique selling point and what you have to offer each media venue.

Melanie

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Melanie Rembrandt
CEO, Rembrandt Communications®, LLC
Visit www.rembrandtwrites.com for valuable PR tips and SEO copywriting help!
Twitter: @RembrandtWrites

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Dave Barnes
Spider Climbing, Inc.
(734) 994-0646
www.spiderclimbing.com

2009 Elevator Pitch Contestant Please vote for us!

I just had a guy do a press release for me and now I`m just not sure I like the way he did it.  Thanks for the info; I will be thinking of an attention grabber as I attempt to drift off to sleep tonight.  (wink)

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