You’re waiting in line at the grocery store, impatiently tapping your foot as the line you “thought” would be quickest turns out to be slower than dirt.

Then, like a beacon of light, you turn and see a glossy stack of magazines shouting:

• “Who is the dad of January Jones’ unborn baby?”
• “Exclusive First Look! Breaking Dawn”
• “I’m Lucky to Be Alive”

You quietly pull the magazine from its holder, hoping…praying…no one is watching you, judging you. You peel open the page.

You devour a story on how the Kardashian sisters lost 20lbs in 5 days….slam it shut….and put the magazine back in its holder.

“Hmpph,” you grunt to yourself. “I can’t believe people read this trash.”

So, how did this “filthy” magazine still entice you to sneak a peek in the most public of places?

Because tabloid writers are GENIUS at capturing your attention.

And it would be super savvy of you to rip a page out of their playbook. Here’s how to do it.

Learn WHAT People Want and HOW they Want It Delivered

You might personally frown upon tabloids, but it doesn’t matter. They are popular and successful with a knack for giving readers what they want – news written in a compact and peppy style with popping, eye-catching photographs.

If you’re struggling with making sales, take a step back. Do people really want what you’re selling AND do they want it in the method that you’re delivering?

A client of mine, a life coach with an audio information product, wasn’t quite making the sales he desired. After some marketing research, we changed the name of the product and revised the sales copy, broke the audio into three parts so people could listen for 15 minutes each instead of a full 45, and added a transcript to each audio.

This made all the difference with sales – understanding WHAT his audience wanted and HOW they wanted it delivered.

Use Celebrity Trends to Sell your Customers

People want what celebrities have. Period. So even if you don’t have a celebrity clientele, you can still capitalize on the trends that celebrities set that are featured in the tabloids. Just a simple sweep through a recent magazine taught me:

• That Reese Witherspoon and Leann Rhimes are really happy with their second marriages. If I were a Relationship Therapist, I might write a blog or host a teleseminar on Secrets to a Successful Second Marriage.

• Celebs are jazzing up outfits with silk scarves. A fashion stylist or designer might offer several ways to work a scarf into your outfit, or provide a celebrity “look for less” feature.

• Stars are snapped at lots of events, giving event planners lots to work with. Maybe dog birthday parties are the new trend. Or celebrities asking guests to donate to charity in lieu of gifts at weddings and baby showers is the hip thing to do. Plenty of good stuff for content as well as possible new party themes to offer.

Write Killer Headlines and Copy

Having trouble writing headlines for blog posts, media pitches, or marketing materials? A stack full of tabloids will cure even the fiercest writer’s block. Seriously, tons of big-time copywriters use tabloids as fodder for sales copy.

The trick is learning how to spin tabloid headlines into something that works for your business.

Here are some examples:

Tabloid Headline: Sarah Palin’s Dark Secrets
Your Headline: The Deep Dark Secrets to _______ Every Time (example: The Deep Dark Secrets to Feel Loved Every Time)

Tabloid Headline: Britney’s Secret Struggles
Your Headline: Solve your Secret __________ Struggles (example: Solve your Secret Dressing-Slim Struggles)

Tabloid Headline: How I Did It! Jennifer Lopez talks baby weight battles and her stay-sexy secrets
Your Headline: How I Did It! <your name> talks _______ battles and ________ secrets (example: How I Did It! Melissa talks big debt battles and financial freedom secrets)

Tabloid Headline: Too Thin for TV: Costars Plan Intervention
Your Headline: Too _____ for ________: A ________ Intervention (example: Too Tired for Fun? A Happiness Intervention)

Simultaneously, tabloids convey a story in a simple, easy to digest style. How complex is your own message? Is your customer grasping your message? Are they taking action?

Or, are you jumbling up your copy with too much industry-speak gobbledygook that only your peers understand (and not your customers)?

Test out some of these tabloid-inspired strategies and see how they work for you.

What do you think about using tabloids for marketing inspiration? Do you have any sample tabloid-worthy headlines? Questions about the advice above? Post a comment below!

You’re all ready to pitch a national magazine, newspaper, radio show, blog, website, or television show.

But wait….what do you say in your pitch? The obvious answer is to tell them how great your product or service is. However, these types of pitches aren’t “news.” And they are the quickest way to get a lot of rejections from the media (or hear nothing back at all)

The way we create “news” is to tie our product or service into something newsworthy. You need a great angle. Confused? Don’t fret. I’ve decided to do all the hard work for you.

Check out this swipe file of 10 pitch ideas you can use right now.

And, before you begin, remember that the media operates on different lead times. This means how far in advance they work from their deadline. When pitching the media, always remember:

National magazines work 4-6 months in advance. So, in March you should be pitching for June, July or August.

National television works about 4-6 weeks in advance (sometimes farther and sometimes closer to deadline depending on the show).

Newspapers and radio work fairly close to deadline – think 1-3 weeks.

Blogs and news websites vary from 1 week to several months, depending on their popularity and editorial schedule.

10 Pitch Ideas You Can Use Right Now

1. Tie into an upcoming holiday. Do you have the perfect gift for Mother’s Day? The best recipe for 4th of July?

2. Better yet, look for quirkier holidays that fit your business. We love Chase’s Calendar of Events.

3. Piggyback on the latest celebrity trends. Celebrity divorce rate at an all-time high? Perfect timing for marriage counselors, sex therapists, or those with books or products that help relationships. New hairstyles or beauty treatments sweeping Hollywood? (p.s. this also gives you an excuse to indulge in reading the entertainment magazines!)

4. Piggyback onto national news stories. Simply check the morning headlines and see if anything fits.

5. Research studies and statistics that lend credibility to your product or service. These are often found within national news stories, medical journals, or even trade publications (industry-specific publications).

6. When in doubt, use the weather. Solve winter weather blues or can help beat the summer heat. And you can pretty much “spring clean” anything (life, desk, pantry, workout, etc).

7. Buddy up with some other small business owners and try a trend pitch. A trend pitch is when you collect a group of people (typically 3 or 4) that have a common yet interesting story. For example, a client of mine recently landed a 2-page spread in Essence Magazine for being part of a trend piece on entrepreneurs with full-time corporate careers.

8. Work on a monthly basis. We know September is Back to School. November and December are all about holidays. January is all about the New Year. March is popular for bridal stories. June is prom season. Summer is travel time. Daylight savings is another goodie.

9. Be the hero. Did you overcome adversity to make it where you are today? The media loves human interest stories, and everyone loves a hero.

10. Solve the problem. If your product or service solves a pesky, or even humorous, problem – share it with them! A great example is Real Simple Magazine’s problem solvers feature. Each product they feature solves a problem so well, it instantly makes you shout “I need that!” If your business does the same, go get em!

Which pitch ideas have worked best for you? Leave a comment below!

And, don't forget, Boost Your Fame Factor closes this Friday! If you want a program that teaches you everything about publicity + social media and marketing – this is for you! http://www.boostyourfamefactor.com