Getting Media is Easy When You're a Nice Person...Kindness Matters!

Take the Time to be Kind - Live to GIVE.




Recently a friend said, “Thanks for remembering me.” Her business had just recently celebrated its one-year anniversary. I didn’t make the celebration but I did call to say, “Congratulations.” Taking the leap of faith to go into business is worth celebrating and to be around after a year calls for an ovation.


Another friend just emailed me because I had missed several events that he hosted. “Did I offend you?” the email read. Becoming installed as a pastor is a really big deal. Holding services requires support of friends.


But sometimes we are just so busy. We feel as if our feet can’t move fast enough – we need roller blades.


When is there enough time? Between working, taking care of the family, home maintenance and making sure your body, mind and spirit are nourished – I don’t have time to even retrieve my voice messages.  Now I must "tweet" once in a while the twitter followers who are following me! LOL! But voice mail AND the land line and the cell phone is tough.  Messages are in both places!


Maybe I should band the voice message system. Just go with Caller-ID. Might make my life simpler. Or I could leave a message like this:



“Hi, this is Pam. Isn’t life just a speedway? Don’t get upset, offended or take it personal if I don’t call you back. Just pray for me – I’m doing the best I can.”

Can you imagine what it is like for the media? Whew.


Life without friends is miserable. But not having time for friends is sadder still. No one should be this busy. Relationships are critical - networking is important. Keep the "social" in social networking.

Everyone wants to be remembered. Don’t forget to be kind – there’s always time for that. Thank the Lord you have friends – and take time to tell them “thank you” for being there. 

Thank the media this year during the holidays. Send them a card. (more about that later). Quit hawking them like they "owe" you and be kind to the media. They are nice people when you really get to know them. They're just busy like eveyone else - well, maybe a little bit more busier because they have constant PUBLIC deadlines. Tweet them a note at least or join their fan pages. :)

Thanks for joining mine!  I am grateful to have so much love...that's what's really important.


See http://www.pamperryprcoach.com/ too and join http://www.chocolatepagesnetwork.com/ and make some friends!

Personal Branding Step One: Buy YOU. Get your own Domain before someone else does.

You need to own yourname.com or a website that aligns with your  BRAND in some way. I have http://www.pamperrypr.com/ and http://www.pamperryprcoach.com/ (by the time I figured out I needed to my own domain/URL - someone else had it) Oh well, so I did the next best thing.


Tip: Depending on who you are, you MUST either start a website or blog or have someone else do set this for you.  



Those who blog will have a stronger presence than those who don’t because blogs rank higher in search engines and lend more to your expertise and interest areas over time. (Plus you get comments back)


My next blog will talk about Personal Branding Step 2 Social Media Profiles like twitter, facebook, etc. (but you need a blog first - and get yourname.com first)

BRAND YOURSELF LIKE A SUPER STAR!

http://www.brandingsuperstar.com/

10 Places to Promote Your Book with Articles

Many authors receive thousands of dollars worth of free publicity by publishing articles and excerpts from their book in other publications. Writing your book is only one step in the process of establishing yourself as an expert in your field.

Once your book is written, make a plan to promote it using the following venues, and begin formatting your writing to fit in the appropriate publication.


1. Books that relate to your subject can include quotes from your book as a reference. Keep an eye out for other authors writing books who will surely need reference material for their own writing. Also, books that include stories from multiple authors can be a great marketing tool to promote you as a writer as well as promoting your book.


2. Seminar handouts that you use when you are giving a presentation can be an excellent way to keep your name and your book in front of the reader. Provide the audience with interesting materials written by you to take home and read.


3. Trade publications will print articles relating to your book that are relevant to the specific industry. Research to find out which publications and journals will fit your topic best and submit your articles to the appropriate departments for considerations.


4. Magazines can provide mass exposure to a targeted audience for your book. Call the advertising department and ask for a copy of their editorial calendar. This free resource will allow you to see where your topic fits into their schedule. Once you see where your story fits, email or write the editor of that section to present your story idea. This must be done several months in advance to make sure there is plenty of time to include your story.


5. Local and national newspapers are always looking for story ideas. Tie your book in to current events or trends to make it newsworthy. Try to stay off the Book page, and try to get your book featured in the sections that are more widely read.


6. Community newspapers and journals usually come out on a weekly and monthly schedule, so an article reprint has the opportunity to be highly read. Make a list of all the smaller community newspapers within a 50 mile radius of your city. Submit your article to all potential sources.


7. Newsletters that are related to your book topic provide a reader base interested in learning more and will eagerly read your article. Find out what newsletters are mailed out to specific subscribers, as well as online newsletters that may consider reprinting your article or excerpt.


8. E-zines are growing in popularity online. Try to get your article reprinted inas many e-zines as possible. The more people who read your article, the more possible book sales you will make.(see mine: http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Pam_Perry)


9. Your own website & blog is a necessary location to place articles for publishers of e-zines, newsletters, magazines, and newspapers to retrieve. Your own readers will enjoy learning more about your book topic and will visit your website more often if you add valuable information for them to read.


10. Other websites & blogs that allow you to post your articles and excerpts for their visitors are a great resource to spreading the message of your book.



Visit http://www.ministrymarketingsolutions.com/ today for more resources, tools, and coaching. Or get PR Coaching at http://www.prbootcamponline.eventbrite.com/




See http://www.pamperryprcoach.com/ too and join http://www.chocolatepagesnetwork.com/!

10 Items to Include in Your Press Kit for Authors

Building your press kit takes time and planning. Your press kit will play a major role in getting free publicity for your book, so you want to make sure that it includes as much valuable information about you and your book as possible.


You want to make it as easy as possible for the media to feature you in a story. Once you have gathered your information, make sure to post it online for journalist to have access to it 24/7.


Your press kit will always be a work in progress as you are constantly updating your information to reflect the success that you are having with your book.



1. A standard press release announcing your book, giving information about you as a writer, and your availability for speaking engagements is a standard inclusion in your press kit. (see previous post on blog)



2. A press release that uses an interesting angle, topic, or media tie-in will make it easier for the media to write multiple stories about you.



3. A pitch letter giving the media all the different angles that could be featured from your book. Be as creative as possible, but make sure that you don’t stretch too thin. The angles that you provide have to directly tie-in to your book so that it can be a featured resource.



4. A list of possible interview questions will help the reporter put together an interview more quickly. You have taken a lot of the work out of their hands. Also, this helps you get the information out to the audience that you think is important in the promotion of your book. (contact Ministry Marketing Solutions for samples).



5. Include a media alert that refers to any recent news or events and how it is relevant to you and your book.



6. Your author biography is vital to your press kit. The media will want to know what authority you have for writing your book as well as any interesting facts about your past that could be used as a media angle.



7. Your professional photo should be a headshot and have good quality for scanning and reproduction. Make sure that it is updated at least every two years to reflect how you look at the current time.



8. Any copies of stories written about you relating to your book should be included so the journalist can see how others have reported on you. You should keep an ongoing file to keep all printed stories you have been featured in.



9. Your book tour schedule, which may be 5 local book signings, or 50 booksignings and speaking engagements around the country should be included to give the journalist an opportunity to attend and write about it in their story. The media loves photo opportunities, so plan as many events as possible.



10. One of your business cards which includes your contact information and possibly a photo of you and your book.

We offer a PR Coaching for this whole process at our website and at http://www.prcoachingonline.eventbrite.com/  that will help you get out there!


See http://www.pamperryprcoach.com/ too and join http://www.chocolatepagesnetwork.com/!

12 Ways to Get 10 Times the Value of Calls From A PR Coach

1. Create the "Coaching Experience" - Think carefully about what you want to cover before the call begins. Most coaching calls are brief, 15-45 minutes, and coaching isn't cheap, so make every minute count. Ask yourself the question, "If I could cover just one thing on the call today and have it be worth the entire month's coaching fee, what would it be?" Another powerful part of creating the coaching experience means taking a few extra minutes before the call to mentally prepare yourself, rather than 'jamming' the call into an already overly full day. 

For example, when I book a call with my coach, Michele Lisenbury, I write down the time of the call in my calendar then I book in an additional 15 to 30 minutes for prep time. This way I assure myself that I will be ready to reap the benefits from Michele's wisdom. I may take a short walk during this prep time. I may look over my prep form, whatever. I make sure that I take the time to 'shift gears' from my usually busy day. It pays off in big dividends. 

2. Start With a Full Plate - Working off the question above, make a list, not of one thing, but of 5-10 things that would be important and valuable. Have more on your plate than you think you can possibly go over, then go for getting them all addressed. Of course, you don't want to be slipshod about it. Some matters take longer than others, so don't get upset if you only cover 1-2 items, just make sure they are important ones. 

3. First Things First: One way to see to it that your call is well worth the time and money, is to prioritize what you want to go over. Coaching calls are not the place to save the best for last. Put the most important item at the top of your list. That way, even if that's the only item that gets handled, the call will have been well worthwhile. 

4. Make Clear Requests - Once you have your list and the priority, write down what requests for coaching you have in one or two short, clear statements. For example, let's say that your number one item to cover is, "How can I make my business more profitable in the next 60 days?" That right there is a good start in requesting coaching. You might take it one step further by asking yourself, "How do I want my coach to support me in this?" Do you want to brainstorm some new ideas, run some ideas you already have by him/her, get some resource information from your coach, etc? 

5. Cut the Chat - Keep the "chitchat" to a minimum. In one sense I hate including this step because I love to "hang out" with my clients and I enjoy chatting with my own coach, but not if it takes up half the call. That's not really what I'm paying her for. Now, if that's your style and that's what you're paying your coach for, that's fine, just realize it may be a costlier friendship than it needs to be. Chat with friends who aren't charging you to talk to them. Get down to business with your coach. 

6.Turn the Tables - Turn the tables on your coach by asking questions and making requests. Two common and effective coaching techniques is to ask clients pithy questions that can uncover or reveal important insights or pearls of wisdom, and to make unreasonable requests of a client. Well, these same techniques can work well in reverse. I recently asked my coach what specific actions could she see me taking to develop my "capillary marketing system" and she sent me a ton of information on what to work on, all from one simple question. In this way, she's earning her keep, after the call as well as during the call. 

7. Front Load the Details - Handle as much of the preliminary or background information as possible before the call. I find one of the highest time drains is a client who feels the need to tell me all the history about something before we can get to work on what their request is. While some background is needed, most of it can be handled before the call.
One of the greatest value-leveraging devices my coach introduced to me and that I quickly incorporated into my practice is the Prep Form. I fill out the prep form a few hours prior to our call and e-mail it to her so she has the necessary background information before we ever say a word. In this way we start the call already running rather than warming up. Filling out the prep form also helps me become more focused. It's a great structure for planning the call. 

8. Debrief Yourself - A second form that is also valuable is the Review Form which is sent to your coach a day or so after the call. The review form helps me debrief the call by helping me realize what I got out of the call, as well as helping me see what we didn't cover that we can address in the next call. 

9. Be 100% Responsible - Take full responsibility for the coaching. This one is so important it probably should be higher in the listing. Don't hire a coach to do your work for you. Don't expect him or her to 'do coaching' on you. Coaching is a partnership that empowers you to make a difference in your own life! A healthy approach to coaching is to consider yourself 100% responsible for how the relationship goes and what value you get out of each call. At the other end of the spectrum, I recommend coaches take the same view, that they are 100% responsible for the relationship as well. In this way you have a 200% responsible partnership which is an awesome experience.
10. Know What Works and Tell Your Coach - Give regular feedback to your coach so he/she knows what works and what is of most value to you to do more of it. Also, let your coach know what's not working or has less value so it can be eliminated. Of course, at first you might not know what's of most value but it won't take long before you'll start to realize that some calls are very powerful whereas other calls were so-so. Begin to look at what was different about the two calls. 

11. Not Just Insights but Also Action - Remember this equation: Insight + Action = Breakthrough/Evolving/Growth. During your coaching call don't drop out the critical component of action. Once you've had an insight into your life, how can you apply it? As one of my first coaches used to say, "An insight without action is like a pinch in the ass; momentarily interesting but hardly life altering." 

12. Capture the Call - Record the call for listening to later. Sure, you can take notes but note taking is slow and can take your attention away from the conversation so make arrangements with your coach to record the conversations. The simplest way to get high quality recording is to buy a small adapter for hooking a tape recorder to your phone line. These are readily available at Radio Shack and other electronic stores. Remember, it's illegal to record a conversation without getting permission from the other person, so ask first. Not only will you capture those important nuggets of information but you can also use the recording to train yourself in making the next calls even more focused and powerful. 

by W. Bradford Swift, Guest Author

Visit www.PRBootCampOnline.eventbrite.com if you want PR Coaching. Or if you want the PR coaching in a kit: go to - www.e-junkie.com/pamperry. GET OUT THERE! 


See www.PamPerryPRCoach.com too and join www.ChocolatePagesNetwork.com!
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