1. Not targeting your audience, or targeting the wrong
audience. Self promotion begins with a plan. Decide who
you want your promotion efforts to reach: Different types of
promotion are effective with different groups.
2. Spamming Email is free, so why not promote your
product this way? Indiscriminate mass emailing is also known as
spamming, and it's a faster way to make enemies than friends.
Think of it as the email equivalent of telemarketing calls and
you'll see why many people will resent having their mailbox
cluttered with your announcement. A better way to use email is to
invite friends and readers to sign up for your mailing list.
Through egroups.com you can start your own free, email newsletter.
Send announcement about your products, share good news, etc, and
all to an audience you know will be receptive to your words.
3. Participating in groups solely for promotion purposes.
Whether it's an online newsgroup or a local club, if you only post
or show up at meetings when you have something to brag about or a
product to sell, you'll quickly develop a reputation as a user. A
better approach is to pick one or two groups which really interest
you and participate as much as you can. Try to give as much as you
get and you'll reap the rewards of new friends and fans.
4. Wasting money. Every author or business person has a
story about a wasted self-promotional effort. Much of the time,
poor planning (see mistake number one) is the culprit here. Two
big money wasters are advertising that doesn't reach your targeted
audience, and giveaways and gewgaws that don't serve to fix your
name in the minds of the readers and book sellers who receive the
items.
6. Promoting too soon or too late. If you're an author
and you promote too soon and people have forgotten you by the time
the book appears on the shelf. Promote too late, and the book is
already gone from stores. Promote to book sellers too close to the
book's release date and they'll have already made their purchases
for that month. Focus promotion efforts to book sellers
approximately four months before the book's release date.
Promotions to readers should occur the months before, during and
after the book's release.
7. Being overly pushy/wearing out your welcome. It's
natural to be enthusiastic about your product. It's
your business venture and you are justifiably proud of it. But
don't feel you have to promote one hundred percent of the time. If
you find your friends and associates ask you to remove them from
your email list, that might be a hint to shut up. Instead be
creative in the ways you present your product so that it doesn't
come across as "selling." Adding your URL to your
signature line is a great idea.
Five Mistakes People Make When
Seeking Media Exposure
#1Sending information
“blindly”:If
you know the name of a Producer, Reporter or Assignment Editor,
you have a much better chance of having your information read.Addressing your letter “To Whom It May Concern”
doesn’t carry the same weight as “Dear Ms. Mahone…”
If you don’t know anyone at the station,
call up and ask who would be the best person to send your
information to.I
would even go as far as to ask to speak to that person directly.If they’re not there leave a voice message alerting them
to the fact that you will be sending them so information.
#2
Supplying Too Much Information:Don’t send pages and pages of information. It’s a waste
of time for everyone. Just give them enough to tantalize their
interest in wanting to talk to you.Once they’ve expressed an interest, you can send
additional material.
#3Failure to Express Yourself:This
is a mistake many people when trying to get media interviews.If you’re communicating by email or snail mail, you have
a headline and about a paragraph to make your point.Let the Assignment Editor know what your credentials are
and why your subject matter would make a good interview.If you’re doing it over the phone, show your personality
but don’t ramble.
#4 Failure to seize the
moment:This is
another mistake people make---especially authors.If you’re a non-fiction author, your book makes you an
expert on your subject matter.For example, if you’ve written a book about extra marital
affairs, this would be a perfect time to pitch your book and
yourself as a guest to talk about the John Edwards affair.Always look for opportunities to get yourself in front of
the camera or mic by keeping informed on the news around you.
#5 No Follow Through:Don’t expect anyone from the TV or radio station to call
you up and notify you that your information has been received.It’s up to you to follow up.And just because you don’t hear back from anyone
right away doesn’t mean you won’t but you should make it a
point to stay in touch periodically to let them know you’re
available .
The first thing you have to determine is how
you want to market yourself.TV
News always likes a "hook."If you've got one, you should present it WITHOUT
HESITATION.For
example, let's say there was a bomb scare on a plane you were on
or if you were in the airport at the time of the scare/evacuation,
don't hesitate to contact the nearest TV/radio/newspaper station
(all of them, in fact) and let them know your connection to the
NEWS OF THE DAY.Chances
are, they will want to interview you and that's your in road to
throw in why you were in the airport/on the plane in the first
place (something hopefully tied to your business, which you can
casually throw in).It
not only gives you some FACE TIME but exposure for what you do and
best of all---it's FREE.You
can't pay for that kind of advertising.Then you can turn around and put out a press release saying
you were interviewed on such and such a station about your
business venture.
If you have an upcoming event you'd like
coverage on, that can be harder.Once again, TV likes a "hook"If you're doing a seminar on marketing your business (for
example), you should try to find a way to make it involve public
service somehow.TV
stations frown upon promoting business ventures for FREE but if it
fulfills a community service or need, they will bite because they
have an obligation to the FCC to provide so much airtime to that
kind of coverage.So
let's say you're doing a seminar on marketing your business.Bring in a representative from the local homeless shelter
or boy scouts or women's domestic violence hotline to demonstrate
how they can get greater exposure and benefit monetarily.Then tailor your release so that the emphasis is on the
Public Service vs. your "self" venture.Once again, you get a little FACE TIME and back door
publicity for your business.Ask
the station for a news clip of what they did and once you get it,
you've got a video testimonial of news coverage for your event.
As always, be sure to thank the station (get
a specific name).Journalists
aren't supposed to accept gifts---but if you send some sort of
token to a specific name, they will accept it (on the down low)
and be more inclined to interview you again the next time you have
a particular project.
Attention-grabbing press releases should go
out at least three weeks in advance of your event, with follow-up
phone calls.You can
never make too many follow-up calls.We don't like it on our end---but persistence and
personality could make the difference on a SLOW NEWS DAY.
The truth of the matter is, for every qualified expert, there
are at least a dozen wannabes. As someone who spent more than 25
years in the radio and television news business, I had to decide
daily who would make a good interview candidate. It’s a
screening process and if you don’t know the basics of what it
takes to get the kind of media exposure you’re seeking, you’ll
be spinning your wheels and end up going nowhere.
If you feel it’s your time to shine, I’d like to help you
turn on the spotlight!
Need Help Getting Media Interviews?
Writing
a book OR starting a business is the easy part. The REAL WORK comes in getting your
name out there. Bottom line: YOU NEED
EXPOSURE. There are plenty of really good books that don't do
very well sales wise because the author doesn't know how to
effectively market and promote. There are also some
really great business ideas but if nobody knows about you, what
good is your business?
As
someone who spent more than 25 years in radio and television, I
have the inside track on what it takes to get
noticed.
We
help clients prepare for and land successful media interviews.
If you believe it's "Your Time to Shine"
then let us turn on the spotlight.
Learn
the "Secrets" of Getting Your Message to the Masses
There are
several proven steps to ensure you will get your message out there.
Learn what they are
and how to reach your target audience.
You
will receive one-on-one coaching from the experts and practice
interviewing techniques to help your on-air debut be a smashing
success!
Upon successful
completion of the course, you will receive a minimum of
(3) guaranteed
media interviews. You will gain nationwide
exposure! You will also receive a special contact list to assist
you with future interviews.
Here's
what some have to say about the "Your Time to Shine"
Media Class:
I came across Beverly Mahone's tele-seminar "Your Time to
Shine!" The course was so exciting, so informative,
and so on target as to how to market myself and my books, that
within two weeks of signing on, I had three radio interviews.
I
cannot speak highly enough of Beverly Mahone's courses in
self-promotion and marketing."
Debra
Shiveley Welch
Author
of A Very Special Child - An Adoption Story -
co-author Jesus Gandhi Oma Mae Adams
This
experience in learning and working has been a
gift. Soooooo much fun!! I look forward to
keeping the conversations going. What I loved the most about
this was your informality. You made it easy for me to learn,
and you gave much more value than I could ever have expected
from this class. My progress in a month was phenomenal. I
went from no radio to three majors in less than two weeks!
My confidence has soared, and I'm ready to talk
whenever anyone wants to listen. YOU ROCK!!!!!
Thank
you for everything the three of you taught me. A local
radio station here is having a discussion about the racial hair
comment that was made about the women's basketball team and
wants me to help her open the show with my "My Hair"
poem. (Another ten minutes of fame.) I accepted an
invitation to do one night of a week long workshop for teenage
girls about self-esteem and making mistakes that effect their
future. I'm very excited about that. I'll be keeping
you posted."
