Welcome to the online world, where competition is fierce and cracking through all of the “noise” can feel impossible.

So, today I’m revealing my favorite tips for making a big impact online to create a community of frenzied fans for your business.

1. Reveal your bloopers, blunders and missteps

The words “you are not alone” are incredibly powerful online. Sharing your past mistakes humanizes your brand and helps people connect with you. My client Angela Jia Kim, founder of Savor the Success women’s network, does this beautifully with her weekly vlogs where she shares her own bumps in the road and helpful tips on how to bust down these barriers to a happier, more successful life.

2. Put a new spin on old information

Most of you have businesses with lots of competition (enter the keyword author, coach, professional speaker, etc into Google and you’ll get a bazillion results). Executive Women’s Coach extraordinaire (and client) Marion Chamberlain has to talk about all of the typical topics that relate to executive women – career satisfaction, leadership skills, workplace communication – but she does it in a fun, magical way by relating workplace topics to fairytales. She doesn’t just create job satisfaction, she creates the workplace ‘happily ever after.’

3. Talk “to” people online, not “at” them

If your Twitter stream, Facebook page, or blog look like a slew of promotional messages, no one – mark my words – NO ONE will pay any attention.

Instead, engage your audience. Ask them questions. Post inspirational quotes. Share links to articles that would be of interest to your fans and followers.

Most importantly, read and respond. Don’t just “like” a post on Facebook – leave a comment. Don’t just re-tweet someone – respond to the actual tweet. Don’t just read a blog, leave a thoughtful comment for the writer. These activities help you make connections with prospective customers and colleagues. Even spending just 10 minutes per day on these activities will make a much bigger impact than scheduling a series of lame promotional tweets. And that’s all I’ve got to say about that ☺

4. Don’t fall off the face of the earth

Have you ever visited someone’s website or social media profile and see that it hasn’t been updated for months (or – gulp – even years?) Looks pretty poor, huh.

One of my best online strategies is commitment. A good example is sending this blog/newsletter combo out every single week to my loyal readers. I know you expect to hear from me every week, and I make sure I deliver.

When it comes to commitment, don’t bite off more than you can chew. It’s not necessary to have a presence on every single online platform (it would be impossible to keep up). Instead, choose 2 or 3 platforms to focus on and be consistent.

5. Become an online PR rock star

I’ll happily share my “PR rock star” title with you.

How do you get online publicity? Guest post for other blogs. Get booked on an Internet radio show. Trade links with other online superstars. Host a joint webinar or teleseminar with another online influencer. These are just a few ideas to get you rockin’ and rollin’ toward your online superstar status.

Melissa Cassera is a PR Rock Star and sought-after business coach. If you want to work privately with Melissa, please contact her at Melissa@casseracommunications.com

So, what’s the magic ingredient to make that happen?

Well, there are three ingredients actually – and they are completely attainable by each and every one of you.

1. Be an exceptional media brand

This is the time to get honest with yourself and your business. Is your product really up to par with the other products that get regular coverage in national magazines or on TV? As an expert, do you have the necessary credibility indicators to compete with the other experts that regularly grace the screen of national morning shows? If you desire TV coverage, do you have juicy sound bites that the audience will repeat over and over after your appearance?

If not, think of ways you can expand your product line or repackage to make it more interesting. Self publish a book to raise your credibility level as an expert. Hire a coach to help you with sound bites and media training. A killer brand is the first step to media success.

2. Spruce up your storytelling skills

The media’s job is to tell a great story. This even rings true for products. While the magazine/TV show/blog may choose to only feature your product, it’s your story that captures their attention in the initial pitch. The best (and most obvious) way to hone your storytelling skills is by devouring as many stories by your target media outlets as you can. If your dream is to be featured in Marie Claire magazine, then read several back issues and online articles. Get a feel for the tone of the outlet and attempt to capture this tone in your pitch.

Also, think about what stories you have in your life that are relevant to the outlet you’re pitching. This could be a story about your business inspiration, a story about the innovative marketing strategies you’re employing for your business, or a story about a recent celebrity style trend that you can emulate for the audience at a reasonable price.

3. Create fresh topics and “newsy” hooks

The media has heard it and seen it all. So, it’s no wonder they are always looking for ideas that they haven’t heard anywhere else. They want to constantly innovate and be the first to report something to their audience.

Think about fresh topic ideas and newsworthy hooks/angles for your business. For example, the holidays are filled with stories about eating and overeating. As a Nutritionist, there are many obvious angles about portion control and sugar-free solutions that have already been covered to death. So maybe you think of an interesting spin on eating healthy like “5 Ways to Eat Cake and Lose Weight.”

Look to your own business and customers for ideas as well. Are there any interesting trends among your customers that you could report on? For example, a party planner may notice that several of her customers are hosting adult bashes with kid’s party themes like Princess parties or arts and crafts. That’s a unique twist to the typical “party trends” pitches that are likely to hit the media’s inbox.

TAKE ACTION: Are you ready to rock and roll and score some national media coverage? Well, I’m here to help. I’m offering a $100 discount off of my National Magazine Publicity program until Friday, January 27th. Just visit http://magazinepublicity.com/ and enter the code SAVE100 at checkout!

There is so much advice out there about how to run a fabulous PR campaign. You soak every little bit of it in like a sponge. And then….you freeze.

All of this advice is great, but where the heck do you even start?

First, determine whether you will do your own PR campaign, hire a publicist, or hire a coach to teach you the tricks of the trade (this is covered in-depth in last week’s post).

Now what?

Follow these three tips to kick start your PR campaign the right way.

What do you want from your campaign?

Most business owners will answer that they want ‘more sales’ or ‘more visibility’ from their PR campaign.

Try to get a bit more specific. For example, if you have a particularly gift-y item, you might want to target holiday gift guides in magazines, newspapers, and blogs. If you’re an author, you might want to focus specifically on selling books. Or, if you’re an aspiring author, you may want to focus on being quoted in a number of national magazines to elevate your platform.

The more specific your desired result, the better chance you have at achieving it.

Where is your target market hanging out?

It’s tempting to want coverage in every single media outlet in the entire world.

But that’s not realistic. And it’s also not the best use of your time or effort.

Focus your efforts instead on getting coverage in the outlets that your target market read/watch/listen to. Sure, many of us would love some ink in Oprah’s magazine, but maybe your audience is more likely to be found devouring a copy of The New Yorker.

The same goes for social platforms. Is your audience perusing Facebook? Or are they using LinkedIn on a more frequent basis? Or are they playing on niche sites like Pinterest?

Find out where your audience is hanging, and then go hang there too.

How is your business newsworthy?

Are you rolling your eyes yet?

Creating newsworthy angles is essential to getting media coverage. The media are master storytellers. They are there to tell great stories to their audience, not advertise a business. If you don’t have anything newsworthy to deliver, chances are you will be rejected for coverage.

So what is newsworthy?

It should be pretty simple to see which stories makes the cut by reading/watching/listening to the media outlets you are targeting.

In many cases, fame/celebrity is a huge factor in getting coverage. But if you’re not quite A-List (yet), there are ways to angle your story around these celebrity trends. For example, a big trend on the Golden Globes red carpet this year was blush-colored dresses. If you happen to have blush-colored apparel in your own fashion line, you might want to pitch your items as the ‘hottest hue’ as evidenced by this year’s gowns worn by top celebs.

The media also loves a great human interest story. Do you have an exciting business start-up story to share? An emotional tie-in with a charitable organization?

And timing is everything. Pay attention to deadlines (most importantly – magazines work 4-6 months ahead of deadline). Stay on top of trends and significant events. If a huge financial story breaks and you’re an Analyst, you want to pitch yourself as a source immediately to the media. Don’t wait or it will be too late.

TAKE ACTION: Which step will you take this week to kick off your PR campaign? Post it in a comment below so I can support you!
 

• I hired an expensive publicist/PR firm and I was disappointed
• I hired an expensive publicist/PR firm and then I ran out of money.
• I hired an expensive publicist/PR firm and I got some coverage but now I want to take it to the next level
• I can’t afford a publicist/PR firm but have no time to do my own PR
• I want to do my own PR, but I have no idea where to start

If you fit within any of these categories – this post is for you.

As you may or may not know – I started out as a publicist in the corporate sector before opening my own agency and finally shifting into private coaching for small business owners.

Drawing from my experience working with small business owners of varying budgets and needs, I’m dishing on the three best options you have to execute an amazing PR campaign for your business. Here’s the scoop:

Option #1 – Do It Yourself

Doing your own publicity is a great option (and sometimes the only option) for a business owner on an extremely tight budget. The great thing about doing your own PR is that there are plenty of free resources for you to use (including my eBook “How to Pitch the Media Like a Pro”)

A common myth is that the media does not want to hear from you, the business owner. This is absolutely 100% not true. Sure, many members of the media have great relationships with publicists. But this doesn’t mean they don’t want to have a great relationship with you too. Always remember, no one knows your business better than you do. Sometimes being the one to communicate with the media directly can actually improve your chance of coverage.

The DIY PR method works for many solo-preneurs and, let’s face it, is a very budget friendly option. A few reasons this may NOT work for you include:

• If you find yourself short on time. Publicity takes a lot of patience and persistence (oh, and time).
• If your writing skills are weak, or if you despise writing (you will need to write pitches for the media – there’s no getting around it).
• If you need accountability to create a PR plan and execute. It’s hard to have accountability when you ‘go it alone’ or when your accountability partners don’t understand the complexity of a PR campaign.

If these are a non-issue, then DIY is for you!

Option #2 – Hire a PR Firm

Hiring a reputable PR firm or individual publicist to design and execute your campaign can be a fabulous option. They have the relationships with the media and have the savvy to craft amazing, media-worthy stories. Some PR firms also host events or hold meetings with the media to showcase your business. Bonus exposure!

There are two things to keep in mind when considering a PR firm. The first is that you need to have a budget set aside to work with a great firm that has experience in your industry. A standard monthly retainer starts around $3k and can go up to $10k or more. There is also a minimum contract agreement, usually a 3-6 month commitment. Exercise caution if you’re quoted a low retainer fee – this often means the publicist or firm does not have the experience or they take on a large roster of clients and you won’t be given much individualized attention. This doesn’t mean that “the more expensive, the better,” but it does mean that you should align your expectations when you’re quoted a very low price.

The second thing to keep in mind is that you should expect to have a long-term relationship with your PR firm/publicist. It’s very rare that things happen “quickly” with the media, so each campaign takes time. What often happens is that clients hire a PR firm and start to feel dissatisfied when they don’t see immediate results. This causes stress on the publicist who is trying desperately to please the client. This also usually results in a number of aggravated media outlets because they are being ‘over-pitched’ on behalf of the client. This is basically a trifecta of bad energy – frustrated client, frustrated publicist, and frustrated journalist.

When you go into a campaign with full trust in your publicist that they are working diligently on your behalf and work together with them to create ideas, give killer interviews, and execute an exciting campaign – you’re golden.

A few reasons hiring a PR firm/publicist may NOT work for you include:

• You have a small budget and can’t afford this service long-term
• You are impatient and like to micro-manage (this dampens a relationship and results in a lot of negative energy and little results)

If you don’t have these issues, then hiring a reputable firm is for you!

Option #3 – Hire a PR Coach

If you’re looking to do your own campaign with the guidance of a seasoned pro, then hiring an amazing PR Coach (wink, wink) is the avenue for you.

A PR Coach can help you develop a PR strategy specifically for your business, work to integrate your PR efforts with your sales and marketing strategies, and hold you accountable along the way. You will get all the goods on how to craft a killer PR plan, enjoy hand-held pitch writing, build a list of media that want to hear from you, and learn how to leverage each and every media placement for maximum exposure.

Now, you might be thinking – “but I still have to do it myself?!”

Well…yes, and no.

There is another option that’s specific to my coaching practice – publicity training. I have a number of clients that hire a part-time or full-time employee (or even an intern) and hire me train/coach them how to design and execute a PR campaign. This works really well because you have someone on your team (meaning they don’t have any other clients) and you can enjoy the benefit of building and retaining your own media relationships. I even offer a ready-to-go job description/internship description that clients can use and I can help vet candidates. Easy peasy.

A few reasons hiring a PR Coach may NOT work for you include:

• You have no budget. There is a fee for coaching and you need a budget to hire an employee or pay an intern a monthly stipend. Coaching is significantly less than hiring a PR firm, but you still need a budget to make it happen.
• You’re not willing to work hard and like to make excuses. In order to keep things moving forward, you (and/or your team) have to commit to executing the campaign on schedule with a smile ☺

If you’re ready to grow your team and take charge of your PR efforts, then hiring a PR coach (aka moi!) to take you to the next level of visibility is for you.

TAKE ACTION: Determine which category you fit into and get rockin’ and rollin’ on your PR campaign.

If you’re a DIY-er – download the free eBook How to Pitch the Media Like a Pro HERE. If you already have it, go back and re-read!

If you’re ready to hire a PR firm – shoot me an email Melissa@casseracommunications.com with some information on your business and specific industry. I keep a small list of reputable PR firms that I highly recommend. I get nothing for these referrals except maybe the occasional cup of coffee ☺

If you’re ready to hire a PR coach – email me at Melissa@casseracommunications.com to request an application. I’d be honored to hear from you!

The answer is yes….and no.

It really depends on the opportunity.

When Oprah had her network TV show, it was common for many entrepreneurs to want to go from “zero to Oprah.” This means, if you have never appeared on television or in a national, high visibility media outlet – your chances were slim to none to score that elusive Oprah appearance.

And even if you were a total rock star in your industry with lots of media kudos, it was still almost impossible to get booked on that show.

Getting on the Oprah Winfrey Show was the equivalent to becoming the next A-List star like Tom Cruise or Reese Witherspoon. It only happens to a very small percentage.

The original Oprah Winfrey Show is no longer, but there are so many other amazing opportunities for media coverage that can reach millions of people, a small, niche audience, or anything in-between. Some are easier to obtain than others, and much of this has to do with its reach (number of people that read/watch/listen) or its clout (some smaller outlets – like trade magazines – may have a lot of influence on your brand and, thus, are harder to convince to cover your business).

So how do you know if you’re really ready for publicity?

How is your Media Brand?

Your media brand differs slightly from your company brand. Your media brand is basically the cross-section of what the media covers that appeals to a mass audience and how your business or expertise helps that mass audience. This sounds simple enough, but is usually the area where most entrepreneurs fall short.

Think about how you can help journalists by giving them a great story or providing killer advice for their specific audience. If you have a product-based business, don’t limit yourself to product coverage. Think about how you can emerge by telling your story or doling out advice as an industry expert.

Rid Industry Jargon

If you pay attention to mass media, you’ll notice there isn’t a lot of industry mumbo jumbo. This is so the stories will appeal to a mass audience. Think about how you can speak to audiences in terms they will understand. For example, you may want to talk about advanced biochemical research, but most audiences won’t follow your train of thought, hence – no coverage. How can you make your media brand appropriate for a mass audience?

Craft an Exceptional Public Image

I’m not talking about becoming a beauty queen. Rather, you want all of your marketing to be exceptional – from product packaging to photos to web design. This doesn’t mean you need a ton of fancy schmancy graphics, but it does mean that your public image should elicit a “WOW.” There should be no question that you are the expert/business/product that they can’t wait to feature.

Offer Freebies

It’s pretty rare that you will get product coverage without letting the media outlet intimately see the quality and/or test the product. This is the only way they can give an accurate review. If you’re worried about sending samples, you can ask for them to be returned unless it is a food product, which they will consume, or a beauty product, which they will likely use. Also realize that the big companies are dropping off huge quantities of full-sized samples for the media to test – so to compete with these companies, create a ‘sample’ budget and expect that you will need to cover the cost + shipping for each outlet you pitch.

For service professionals and experts, you may be asked to give free advice or free consulting to a group of readers, viewers, or listeners as part of the story in exchange for the exposure. It is very rare that you will be paid for this.

Build TV Appearances

Magazine editors don’t care if you’ve been featured in a number of other national magazines (in fact, that could hinder your chances by bragging about your feature in a competing magazine). The one media outlet where you do want to brag about your appearances is TV. Most national shows (Good Morning America, Today Show, Dr. Oz, etc) require that you have a reel of TV clips before they even consider you as a guest. How do you get these clips? The best way is to rack up appearances in your local market. If your goal is to get TV publicity, make 2012 all about building your local TV presence and you’ll be armed and ready to go national once you have a portfolio of appearances to show off.

TAKE ACTION: Post a link to your press page (or just to your website) in the comments section below. For the first 30 people to respond, I will comment back with a simple tip to improve your media brand.

I took the liberty of polling a variety of media sources to learn what they like and what they don’t.

Here is a rulebook of manners to successfully manage your media relationships.

Thou shall not stalk the media

Following up with the media after sending a pitch is ok. Stalking them until they answer your emails or phone calls is not. I had numerous responses from the media that they would see the same number pop up on the caller ID 10x per day. They purposely didn’t answer it because they weren’t interested. If you’ve sent a pitch and performed a round of follow up and still hear nothing, it’s safe to assume that they got it and it’s not a fit for them right now.

I also had a resounding response that they don’t respond to every pitch because they simply don’t have time, and this goes even for people they have worked with before. Most did say that they read each and every pitch, so you don’t have to wonder if it ever came through. Due to high volume, they simply don’t have time to respond unless they are interested.

Another pet peeve was multiple check-ins after they show interest. If they show interest in your story, it doesn’t always mean it will come to fruition right away. Trust that if they are interested, they will get in touch with you when the story will run.

Thou shall not send lengthy pitches

Across the board, simple was better. A few short paragraphs is enough. If you can’t get your point across concisely, work on it until you can. Press releases were overall frowned upon because they aren’t customized to the individual outlet.

Thou shall embrace email

Email was the answer for preferred method by all. As far as sending images/attachments, most were OK with this as long as it was a small, lo-resolution image. The only reason you would need to send an image attachment is if you’re pitching a product that would visually appear in the outlet. Otherwise you can provide a link to additional images.

Thou shall not pitch any media outlet before reading, watching, listening

Never send a pitch to anyone without being familiar with what they cover, the audience they target, and how your story will fit in.

Thou shall not pitch the wrong person

When a media outlet has multiple staff members (and in most cases they do, unless it’s a blog written by one person), choose the best person that covers your specific industry and pitch them.

Thou shall understand deadlines

National magazine editors specifically had the biggest beef with this out of all the media outlets polled – understand that most work 4-6 months in advance so if you’re pitching Christmas and New Year stuff now, you’re way too late.
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Need help with your 2012 PR Planning? I have a limited number of strategy sessions left to personally help you put together a killer PR plan for next year. CLICK HERE for details!

If I had a penny for every time I’ve heard “oops, is it too late to get any press coverage for this?” – well…let’s just say I could clean out Anthropologie.

To avoid missing opportunities to get press coverage for your biz, all you need is a PR calendar. A PR calendar helps you easily chart when you need to pitch the media, taking into account their deadlines and lead times as well as all of the great tie-ins such as holidays, special months, editorial calendars, company news, etc.

And, because I’m all about making things easy, your PR calendar can also double as a calendar for your blogs, newsletters, or social media outreach. Planning everything out ahead of time means you’ll never be scraping for ‘what to write’ again.

How do you make a PR calendar?

Simple. You can go buy a calendar, just make sure it’s daily and that the blocks aren’t too teeny tiny that you can’t write notes.

Or, you can create an electronic PR calendar using whatever fancy program you have loaded on your laptop.

Whatever floats your boat.

What do you add to your PR calendar?

• Note any holidays, special months, national events, or celebrations that you could tie your business into or that you could speak on as an expert. For example: New Year’s Day, Valentine’s Day, or National Nutrition Month. Don’t forget about quirky holidays like National Oatmeal Day. You can find these by doing a simple Google search for “special holidays.”

• Include any upcoming events, product launches, or company milestones you have coming up (hint: you should plan these out as far in advance as possible to create a promotion plan).

• If you desire magazine coverage, check to see if the magazine publishes an editorial calendar online. These editorial calendars list special topics and themes for their issues. If something is relevant and appropriate, jot it down so you don’t forget to pitch the magazine for that issue (hint: magazines work 4-6 months in advance – so in January you are looking ahead to May/June issues).

• Are you interested in winning any awards for your business? Most award programs are annual and you don’t want to miss the deadline. For example, the deadline to enter the US Chamber of Commerce Dream Big Small Business of the Year Award is http://www.uschambersummit.com/award

• Include a “looking ahead” section where you note any long lead media outlets and what you should be pitching at that time.

Here’s a visual of what your calendar should contain. In this visual, I am pretending I’m a cookbook author. This calendar reflects the holidays and events that I should be aware of now and those media outlets or events that need to be planned during the month of January.

Click here to download the PR Calendar sample
 

***you must have Adobe PDF reader for this file. If you don't visit this link to get it http://get.adobe.com/reader/

Happy planning!

And rightfully so.

Just the other day I received a pitch that said:

Hello,

I apologize if you got this message twice, we are just trying to send this information to everyone.

It was followed by a press release that was clearly copied and pasted. It also had nothing to do with my blog.

Yikes.

Scratching my head, I started to think how crappy it must be to get hundreds of these emails every day. So I asked a producer friend of mine to shed some light on these pitches. She said:

“If you don’t take the time to customize your pitch to me, why would I bother taking the time to do a story on you?”

I think this is a brilliant lesson and a great way to look at things. Getting media coverage isn’t easy. It takes work. But the payoff is wonderful and something you can leverage for life.

So, in the spirit of turning this blog post into a positive, how can you customize your pitch to make it more attractive to the media?

Know the Outlet

This sounds really obvious, but you’d be surprised how often it’s neglected. If the person that pitched me had actually read my blog, they would have realized that I don’t do guest posts or review products/services. Be sure to read the magazine, watch the show, read the blog, etc before you pitch them and determine how you can best fit in. If you can’t find a way to fit in, then move on to a new place where you can.

Personalize

It’s pretty easy to find a person’s name when you pitch them. Mine is right at the top of the page. Most bloggers have their name in the “About” section. Magazines list editor names in the front masthead. Always personalize to one specific person and make them feel that the pitch was written specifically for them.

Have a Story

The media isn’t there to advertise your business. They are there to tell great stories. The best thing to do is determine how your product/service ties into a newsworthy angle. Is there a recent statistic or study that would give credibility to your business? Can you tie into a national news trend? Do you solve a specific problem in a quick and easy way? Is your personal story something that would entice the media? Are there trends you can speak to in your industry?

Simplify

Your pitch should be short and sweet with the most important information right in the beginning. Tell them who you are, what you do, and why it would interest their audience within the first two or three sentences. If you can’t fit your pitch into that small space, then re-work it until it does fit before sending. Clear, concise and compelling is key.

Engage

Your goal should be to get ongoing media coverage instead of just one placement. If you’re not having luck with your pitches then try something different. Check to see if the media contact blogs and read/comment regularly (however, don’t advertise your business in the comment). Maybe start a series on your own blog where you interview key people in the industry – invite an editor to participate in a short interview. Go where the media is going – there are live media events and trade shows where you can mix and mingle with the media.

TAKE ACTION: What things can you do to improve your media pitches? Have you done anything that works really well? Post it in a comment below!

Maybe you can’t seem to find the time to pitch the media. Or you’ve hired a publicist and didn’t get the results you’d hoped for in the timeframe you expected. Or you’ve made a publicity campaign a priority, but don’t hear anything back after many emails and voicemails to the media.

You’re not alone.

It’s not easy to get media coverage. If it was, then everyone would be able to score an appearance on the Today Show or get featured in O Magazine. And if it were easy, it would certainly take away the sparkle and shine of landing one of these coveted opportunities. Part of the charm here is getting “in” to this exclusive club as a national morning show guest or featured in a top national magazine.

So what can you do to push your PR efforts forward and align your expectations properly? Here are a few “scary truths” about media coverage that might surprise you, and how you can navigate swiftly around these challenges.

Revenue Doesn’t Mean Recognition

Even if you’re the top earning company in your industry, it doesn’t mean the media will show you any love. There is a specific way you need to position your company to the media so they will want to cover you. For example, some business owners pitch the media with tons of industry jargon rather than abiding by the tone of the outlet they are pitching.

Let’s say you’re a Registered Dietician who wants to be in SELF magazine. Instead of talking about specific body chemicals that sounds ripped from the pages of a medical journal, you want to speak SELF’s language. Easy, breezy, fun and down to earth – free of jargon and full of fun, simple and practical tips.

Anything worth having is worth waiting for

Every publicist will say that patience + persistence are key to a publicity campaign. As a business owner, it’s important to understand that you need a lot of patience if you want media coverage. You will be waiting to hear back from editors, producers and bloggers. Sometimes you’ll be waiting a really long time. It’s important to have this expectation in the beginning and be persistent in your efforts while also executing other strategies to make you more attractive to the media such as blogging, authoring tip sheets, and piling on your reputation and credibility factors (like customer accolades, authoring a book, etc).

The coverage is just the beginning

You get word that your business will be featured in the next issue of your most-wanted magazine. Cheers ensue! Celebrations are had!

But you’re not done. In fact, you haven’t even started.

Getting the coverage is important. But what you do with it is what really matters. You need to show off your media coverage on your website, marketing materials, point of purchase displays – anywhere that a media endorsement would be beneficial. You can sometimes leverage national coverage into local coverage or even leverage a TV appearance into a magazine feature (example: frequent contributor to the Today Show shares 5 tips….)

Your media coverage will live and last forever if you position it correctly. It can talk a customer off the ledge to buy from you. It can boost your credibility and reputation. It can help you land book deals and paid speaking engagements. It can do wonders if you leverage it properly.

Looking for more in-depth information on landing magazine features and TV appearances? Need to know exactly what television producers look for when booking guests? Want to know how to build a brand that the media can’t resist?

Anonymous to A-List starts November 7th – don’t miss out! Sign up today at http://anonymoustoalist.com and get ready to become a celebrity in your industry.

I wish this was a simple question to answer. But as we know, Rome wasn’t built in a day. And your business is all about building up those little sparkles that eventually turn to fireworks.

That said, there are some sizzling strategies you can employ now to improve your rank on your industry “it-list.”

Your ‘Cover Shoot’

A-List stars grace the covers of magazines shot by famed photographers Mario Testino and Annie Leibovitz.

Ok…so maybe Vogue isn’t calling you (yet), but that doesn’t mean you can’t radiate that same confidence as a celebrity cover star.

All business owners should have a great headshot. But I’m not talking about a boring headshot where you’re posed awkwardly wearing an ill-fitting suit or button down shirt. Your business photos should showcase your unique, sparkling personality AND capture the essence of your brand. Once you have your shots, post them everywhere (website, business card, marketing materials). Let people see and connect with YOU.

For example, some of my brand words are lively, spirited, whimsical, free, spunky, and silly. I used amazing NY photographer Mary McIlvaine to capture this. Here’s a sneak peek at the shots that will be featured on my own revamped site next year.

Star in your Own Commercial

Commercials aren’t just for big brands. Producing your own commercials to display on your website, use for program launches, or maybe even to buy airtime on TV help captivate your audience and give you a fame boost.

Some savvy-preneurs use sizzle reels – which might comprise media appearance highlights and clips from speaking engagements. If you don’t have these things yet, don’t worry. You can produce your own ‘news segment’ by hiring a professional host to swing over and interview you about your business. Have it professionally recorded and edited into an exciting 2-minute video, and you’re ready to rock and roll.

Play with Big Shots

They call it the ‘in-crowd’ for a reason. But we’re not talking about the bratty catty in-crowd from the high school years. The big shots these days are those folks in your industry (or maybe in other industries) that truly influence your ideal customer. Identify who these folks are and make a beeline to get to know them. Attend their events. Read their blogs, tweets, and Facebook updates. Once you get a feel for their flavor and how they like to work, conjure up some ideas about how you might work together and pitch them an idea.

Remember, “big shots” are super busy and abhor time vampires (you know, those folks that say “can I pick your brain” or “I want to do something together but I’m not sure what.”) Always do your research and come up with a killer offer before making contact. It means all the difference between rabid, crazed fan and hot A-list business partner.

***TAKE ACTION***

Want more? Then you DEFINITELY don’t want to miss my upcoming free teleseminar on how to become a business celebrity. Score your backstage pass here:

http://industryceleb.com/