As much influence as new media has on our society, it still kinda baffles me that blogs are sometimes treated as the bottom feeders of media.

I often field questions from entrepreneurs that are completely awestruck at the possibility that their product can adorn the pages of a glossy magazine. Or, I see the stars swirl around in their eyes that, maybe…just maybe….one day….they could share their sage wisdom with Meredith Viera and the Today Show audience.

But when I talk about using blogs to publicize their business, they look at me like I’ve just handed them poop on a stick.

“What’s wrong?” I say.

Oh, I’ve had a bunch of blogs cover my business, but I got no sales. Bloggers are just looking for free stuff anyway. Plus I can’t afford to send them samples or waste my time writing guest posts. Enough with these little guys, I’m ready for the big leagues.

Sure, this can be a sound argument depending on an individual and their unique business situation. I don’t believe there is a one-sized fits all publicity approach for every business.

But, personally, I have great success guest posting for other business blogs and I can attribute tens of thousands of dollars in revenue to this strategy. And this blog is all about sharing what can work, and allows you to make the decision to use or not to use. Sharing is caring ☺

As I said, online publicity is a very specific strategy and, like anything else, can work well if implemented properly.

A friend of mine (an author) just chalked up a huge publicity campaign for her book where her motto was “no outlet is too small.” She wrote guest posts, participated in interviews, and sent review copies of her book to anyone and everyone that was interested.

This turned into “six degrees of separation” publicity – her coverage on hundreds of blogs led to an eventual Today Show appearance and write ups in several major magazines. These editors and producers either found her through a blog that they personally enjoyed, or heard of her from someone that read about her in their favorite blog.

Sure it took time. Sure it meant she had to foot the bill to send review copies to these folks. But these blog placements helped her become extremely well connected, and while her direct-pitching efforts to the ‘big guys’ were proving fruitless, these media folks respected the opinion of bloggers enough to book her based on their recommendation.

The point – you never know WHO is reading WHAT and WHO is influencing WHOM.

And if you want to play a bigger game, it can be a smart strategy.

If you’re up for it, read on.

HOW TO FIND BLOGS

There are tons of ways to find blogs that will cover you. You’ve probably heard a bajillion people say to check Alexa rankings or use specific blog search engines. These are all great ways, no doubt. But, as always, we rock things a little different over here in my joint.

1. Look at the websites for major magazines that appeal to your target customer. Lots of them have blogs (which should be an obvious target for you) BUT many of these sites also list their favorite blogs. For example: Martha Stewart has a “Blogs I Like” section on her site. Shoot, if it’s good enough for Martha, it’s probably good enough for you. ☺

2. Set up Google Alerts for people or brands that are either your competitors or that reach a complimentary audience. Find out who is covering them. Maybe they will want to cover you too.

3. With blogs, size doesn’t always matter. If a blog has thousands and thousands of readers, that doesn’t mean it’ll be a slam dunk for you. Look at the comments section of the blog to see if people are actually providing feedback.

4. Find blogs in a specific niche. For example, I do publicity consulting for a number of industries. But I’ve written guest posts for blogs that reach specific verticals – like medical, pets, bridal, and crafting communities. Even though these blogs don’t have a ‘big’ reach in numbers, the niche audience and content matched so well that I gained plenty of new fans.

HOW TO PITCH TO BLOGS

1. If you’re a product-based business, always make sure they actually feature products on the blog before you pitch something. If they do, check their About section, their Contact section, and/or look for a Review Policy section. Most blogs that accept product reviews or features list the information on how to pitch to them somewhere on the site.

2. If you’re pitching a guest post (where you would write a post for their blog with a link back to your website), make sure they accept guest posts. Many blogs that accept guest posts will have a “Contributors” tab or a “Guest Post” tab or button with more details. Or just comb through old entries and see if you can find any.

3. Read the blog before you pitch. You don’t have to read every single post, but read enough to know the subject matter, tone, and format of the posts.

4. Show the blogger you care! Comment on their blog. Share your favorite posts on Twitter and Facebook.

5. Take as much care writing a pitch for a blogger as you do for a national magazine, TV show, or other outlet. Many bloggers don’t respond because they get blasé pitches that treat them like the sewer rat of media. Not cool.

What’s your take on blog publicity? Have you tried any of the suggestions above? Share in the comments below!

You’re sitting at your desk – biting your nails – staring at the email you drafted to the editor of your favorite magazine. You change a few words. Then change them back. Then you say **ck it, hit send, close your eyes and breathe a sigh of nervous relief.

Said editor receives the email. He/she digs the subject line and opens it. He/she reads your first line – yawns, hits delete, and moves onto the next email.

What just went wrong?

The opening sentence of your pitch is crucial to capturing the attention of the media. You are competing against tons of different distractions (ringing phones, exasperated co-workers, a junked-up inbox, the wafting smell of freshly brewed coffee).

If the first line of your email sucks, you’ve lost them.

So, how can you deliver a first line with enough razzmatazz to keep them reading?

Share the Love

If you’ve done your homework and researched the outlet before pitching, you should know the most recent stories your target has worked on. If it genuinely appealed to you, and your product would be a fit for a feature that’s similar, why not take this opportunity to pay them a compliment?

An example: Dear xx, I recently enjoyed your piece in the latest Marie Claire magazine on Healthy Beauty. I was surprised to hear that pear is such a great ingredient for the skin and can’t wait to try the recipe you provided!

Knock their Socks Off with a Stat

Find an interesting and thought-provoking statistic that ties into your business and hit them with it right up front. For example, if you have a product that induces laughter or wrote a book on laughter, you might want to say something like: Can a laugh a day keep a heart attack away? A recent study by the University of Maryland says yes.

Bonus points if you are delivering original results from your own survey or study.

Make them Shake their Head in Agreement

Aim to get that “a-ha” moment from the media. If your product/service delivers a solution (and I’m willing to bet they all do) – you might want to start by getting them to say “yes” to your question and be compelled to hear the solution. For example: Are you tired of kinky strands but not ready to make a commitment to chemical straightening?
 

Do you struggle with clever openings for your media pitches? Do you have lots of success with certain “openers”? Spill it in the comments below!

One of my PR coaching clients recently got a call from a national TV show that wanted to feature her product. Excitement ensues!

The day before the show, the producer let her know that the segment was running over time and that they had to chop it down. Unfortunately, her product feature ended up on the cutting room floor.

Cue disappointment.

During our call, she was clearly bummed. As I was about to share my sentiments on why it’s essentially an honor to “even be nominated” and that this could open doors for future opportunities she said to me – “You’re absolutely right. That’s why I sent the producer a handwritten thank you note along with some salt water taffy which she mentioned on the phone that she really missed from the Jersey shore.”

I almost fell over.

Not only was her reaction to this situation completely inspiring, her wonderful act of gratitude reminded me to always be grateful – even if things don’t work out as planned.

This got me thinking of all the ways we can show gratitude each day. I’m a big believer in handwritten notes (and send them often), but what else can we do to show gratitude?

Please join me in adopting an attitude of gratitude this week. List 3 ways in the comments below that you can show thanks. Here are mine:

1. Write a genuine compliment on a sticky note and leave it for someone to find as a surprise.
2. Ask for the manager when you purchase something and say thank you for a pleasant shopping experience. (same for eating establishments).
3. Take out the trash (without expecting a thank you from the hubby).

Don’t forget to post your 3 expressions of gratitude below!

Did I get your attention?

Sweet. So, without further adieu, here is a quote from the man himself:

“If I were down to my last dollar, I’d spend it on PR” – Bill Gates, Founder of Microsoft.

Now you’re probably thinking that was some cheap ploy I just used to get you to buy something. And while I always have something you can buy (and right now have a really, really awesome program that you can sink your teeth into), it’s important to understand why you need PR.

The old adage “build it and they will come” no longer applies (really, I’m not sure that ever did apply). We often put 80% of our time into building a product or perfecting a service, and then maybe 20% on marketing our businesses.

This should actually be the other way around.

First, you need to really learn who your market is. And not just the typical demographic data. Really dig deep into who this person is. What do they eat? What do they read? Watch on TV? What clothes do they wear? Paint a picture of your target customer.

If you don’t know this information, when was the last time you surveyed your customers?

Next, you need a solid strategy to reach that customer. The definition of PR has shifted in recent years with the introduction of social media platforms and other ways we can communicate to our customers. You no longer need the media to tell your story for you. You have the opportunity to tell it yourself. And, as a result, the better you tell your story through these platforms, the more your customers and the media become interested in YOU.

This makes it all the more important to embrace new technologies and truly focus on your marketing and your messaging. Are your customers responding to your current message? What is your call to action (a.k.a. what are you telling them to do)? How are you leveraging the marketing tools at your disposal?

Let me give you a brief example using a fictitious entrepreneur named Sally in two different scenarios:
——

SCENARIO #1

Sally is able to score some press coverage for her business in a magazine. The day the magazine comes out, she grabs a copy and shows all of her family and friends. She is delighted that some orders are coming through on her website, though not quite as many as she’d hoped. Once the orders slow down, she’s a little disgruntled that her PR efforts didn’t work as well as she’d hoped. Now she has to rush to try to get more press coverage so she can make more sales.

SCENARIO #2

Sally is able to score some press coverage for her business in a magazine. She starts to build excitement with her audience by blogging about the upcoming coverage. She makes sure her opt-in offer on her website is working properly to capture any visitors that don’t buy on the first visit (which, statistically, is the majority of them). Her opt-in offer is also very enticing, providing people a free gift or special offer that they can’t refuse.

She also has her web designer create a small image on her homepage that mentions the press coverage and welcomes those readers. This image links directly to the product or service they featured in the magazine so people can buy with ease. This goes live the day the magazine hits newsstands.

She then places a copy of the coverage in her press room online, blogs about it, shares it on social media, and sends it to her store accounts so they can share with their customers. She also sends an email newsletter to her customer list linking to the coverage.

Finally, she contacts all of her local press outlets to pitch them a story on her business and mentions this national coverage.
—–

Now, which scenario do you think will bring more business? I think it’s obvious that the second is the way to go. Yet, many of us still operate within the first scenario.

If you find yourself there, I have a way to help. My colleague Payson Cooper and I have launched a program that makes sure you operate within this second scenario, and HOW to do without taking up more of your time. If you’re struggling at all with your marketing, this program is for you.

And if you feel hesitant about putting more money into a program that doesn’t pay off, we give you a FULL YEAR to get your money back if you’re not satisfied. There is literally zero risk.

And, we are also offering a split payment option.

However, we are closing this program tomorrow, so you must get in NOW. Visit http://www.boostyourfamefactor.com/

If you want to skip all the details and just get right to signing up, CLICK THIS LINK

I hope to see you on the inside!