33 Ways to Instantly Appeal To The Media & Boost Sales
Let me guess …
You are sick and tired of seeing other experts within your industry on television, radio or in print. It should be you right!?
Of course it should, only question is; why are they being featured and you’re being left to fight tooth and nail for new clients and mass exposure?
Luckily it all comes down to two things;
- Your approach;
- And your angle.
After being featured consistently in the media for over ten years from print, radio to television and interviewing some of Australia’s top journalists from The Age, The Herald Sun, right through to BRW Magazine, well you could say I’ve learnt a thing or 33 about how to get featured as the prominent expert.
That’s why, to continue our article series to celebrate my up-coming national,'Profile, Publicity & Profits' tour (go here to get your tickets immediately - they've almost sold out! I'll be in Perth 21st, Melbourne 24th, and Brisbane 28th February and Sydney 1st and Adelaide 8th March), I’ve compiled a list of easy step-by-step strategies for ensuring you get MASS APPEAL and seduce the journalist into picking you over your competitor.
If you have missed past lessons in this incredibly popular series designed to build your profile, get you publicity and boost your profits, no fear - you can find them here by clicking on the links below;
1. Friendship first, business second: Counterintuitive I know however journalists get pitched at hundreds of times a day by eager individuals such as yourself. Be the voice that stands out because you care about assisting them with a great story, not just your own desire to get more clients.
2. Get in front of the media whenever you possibly can , i.e. any special media related events so they can put a face to your name and relate to you more closely.
3. Create a compelling personal brand that instantly states what you do. If a journalist can’t peg you in a hole, they will find someone else that fits perfectly. Have your niche and stick to it, this will quadruple your coverage. To discover how to create a seductive personal brand that secures high paid consulting work, gets frequent media coverage worth thousands and attracts high paid speaking engagements, go here now for details... (but be quick!)
4. Target your media carefully. Don’t apply a scattergun approach. Go for industry publications that appeal to your target market and create credibility by association.
5. Have pictures ready to go. Journalists are busy as it is, by having pictures of yourself or you doing business with clients you save them time and if you save them time they are more likely to go with a story surrounding you and your business.
6. See it as an honor not a privilege to get into the media. It takes consistent work to get coverage, not one press release that wasn’t followed up (more people do this than you think). Be patient and consistent.
7. Subscribe to media channels that alert you of media opportunities, i.e. one of my favorite Australian sites is www.sourcebottle.com.au
9. Approach them by crafting a cleverly written press release that provides enough information to capture their interest but not enough to bore them to tears. Be selective of the content and keep asking yourself, “Is this line necessary or can it be culled?” This will enable you to craft a clear distinct and compelling message.
10. Follow up. Always follow up your press release with either a phone call or an email. Never send the same press release more than once, it bugs the hell out of them – if they weren’t interested the first time they won’t be the second.
11. Prior to writing your press release, write at least 30 different headlines or angles that you can take that are potentially newsworthy. Skim the list and choose the top five to focus your media around. Are these angles new and unique or have they been covered in the media over and over again?
12. Look like you know what you are talking about. The subconscious mind literally seeks to find a fit between the way someone looks and the role that they play in our lives – no fit means no coverage. Style yourself appropriately. For more information on how to style yourself to increase the likelihood of you getting coverage, go here for more information.
13. Make yourself available for interview at a moments notice. Media can be called upon to complete a story within a matter of hours. If you are not available they cannot wait for you, they must go elsewhere. Most interviews only take 10-15 minutes at maximum and can result in coverage in front of tens of thousands.
14. Have a stock of articles on your blog for media to go over and check your quality. They will check out your social media channels and website prior to contacting you to see if you are credible and your quality of content is worthy to be put in front of thousands of viewers.
15. Be a source for journalists. Refer journalists to other key experts to assist them with other articles or features they maybe working on. They’ll greatly appreciate it and keep coming back to you for assistance. This is how friendships evolve and regular coverage is obtained.
16. Know your stuff. Write out a list of questions media could potentially ask you and rehearse your ‘sound bytes.’ You only get one chance to say something quotable, if it isn’t they won’t use it.
17. Have a solid angle that stands out above the rest. Journalists get tired of covering the same thing over and over again, i.e. Christmas, Mothers / Fathers / Valentines day. Offer them something unique and you’ll fling the door open for fantastic media coverage.
18. Record short educational videos around your area of expertise and post on your site (not buried in your web pages). They must demonstrate quality of content, your expertise and your presence. You must hold your own, they want someone confident not someone that second guesses themselves.
19. Do your research prior to approaching them. Check for any relevant statistics or studies that have recently been released. The media thrive on current research as it adds credible to their story.
20. Don’t shy away from the camera. If there is a photo opportunity available be prepared. This means looking fresh and alert, i.e. make-up, clean pressed clothes and nothing out of place. Your visual impression in the media is paramount to be taken seriously by readers and viewers.
21. Provide a third party for the journalist to interview. Don’t make the story about you or your business, make it about the stories that are attached to your business, i.e. client case studies, who you have impacted. This is 100x more newsworthy than a blatant plug.
22. Give journalists at least two weeks notice for an upcoming story, more if it is around a particular event. They are busy individuals, respect their time and they will respect you.
23. Keep it short and simple. This goes for press releases and telephone conversations. Dot points are a journalist’s best friend as it makes their job so much easier.
24. Work on your presence by believing in what you are doing and saying. Whether on TV, radio or in print, a distinct style and presence is required to directly influence the journalist and the reader. Craft a unique personal brand that has mass appeal and emotionally and energetically engages your audience. At my upcoming national tour, I will be taking you through how to 'energetically' engage key influencers to increase your sales, the most powerful tool you could ever use in your marketing arsenal - get your tickets by going here now.
25. Jump on breaking news that is relevant to your industry sector, i.e. recent research that has just come out. Write this into your press release and send it immediately before someone else does.
26. Tie in pop culture or stories of the moment to make it ‘now’ and instantly appealing to a wider audience, especially when going for national media coverage, i.e. politics, musicians, special causes.
27. Share your enthusiasm and passion with the media, if your not excited neither will they be.
28. Never give up. Don’t stalk them but don’t give up either. If they didn’t pick up your first release, they may pick up the next one. Keep coming up with compelling new angles until you get your first break.
29. Never attach your press release in a document. Attachments can get caught in spam filter’s, not only that but is also slows down a releases readability. Place the content and any pictures in the body of an email so they can scan it and check its relevance within a couple of seconds.
30. Mention previous media exposure. Where possible mention that you have been featured in past media (only if you have of course). This establishes instant credibility and means you won’t have to convince them of your credibility.
31. Jump a shark. When a TV shows ratings are flailing producers will often create an outrageous storyline seemingly from nowhere to capture the viewer’s attention again, aka ‘jumping a shark.’ What can you do to be the stand out in your industry by jumping your own shark?
32. Conduct a survey. Conduct a survey of your database and present it to the media. The media generally needs at least 1000 individuals to have participated in it to take it seriously, nonetheless it is a surefire way to grab their attention and do some great market research on your end.
33. Reinvent yourself. If you have been declined in the past, find out why. Ask the journalist why you or the press release wasn’t of interest. Don’t expect a response, nonetheless if you get one you will be provided with useful advice on what not to do next time round to increase your chances.
And, here's your critically IMPORTANT bonus tip to getting media coverage that converts to paying customers...
Getting media coverage can see a sharp spike in enquiries, however this comes with a big 'BUT!'
I have seen authors, speakers, consultants and businesses secure hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of coverage on TV, radio and in magazines, only to walk away from the experience almost broke.
Why?
They did not have the means to convert coverage to sales and if you don't - you are literally wasting not only your time creating press releases and chasing coverage, you are wasting tens of thousands of dollars worth in potential lost customers and worse yet, potential lost income.
Think about it! What a wasted opportunity. Don't let this be you.
In order to make sure that you take full advantage of the media exposure and profit, ensure that you have the following strategies in place within your business to help increase your conversion rates because let's face it, 0% conversion is still 0% conversion even if you do generate hundreds of enquiries from media.
So what is it that you need in place in your marketing systems? You need;
The top strategies which couldhelp you generate bankable cash from the newly found exposure;
And to implement an online marketing process that captures leads and converts them to paying customers automatically;
Getting media coverage and converting this coverage to paying customers may seem like an overwhelming task, fortunately it becomes easier each time you do it and learn the tricks of the trade, just a few of which I have shared with you today.
Stay focused and take small incremental steps to grooming yourself and then taking yourself and your business to media. The rewards for mass exposure are exponential.
In some cases you can literally obtain tens of thousands of dollars worth of coverage simply by following these easy to apply steps in a consistent and structured manner.
And of course , if you would love to learn even more step-by-step strategies for growing your profile, attracting publicity and boosting your profits to out-shine and out-sell your competition, go here now for details and to register for my, 'Profile, Publicity & Profits' 1 Day Intensive... (tickets are selling fast). Go here now!
At this event you will discover how to get on national television & radio, in newspapers & magazines, build a profitable personal brand, generate 1000's of leads within days & out-shine & out-sell your competition!
Over the past 10 years I have encountered many authors, entrepreneurs, speakers and consultants of whom are disenchanted with the results they get from their marketing campaigns.
They are confused...
They are angry...
And they are frustrated that they don't seem to have the right mix when it comes to putting together a promotional campaign that converts prospects to clients and allows them to profit from their passion.
So, this week I'm sharing with you my 'No 1 Secret to Marketing Mastery,' that I filmed upon invitation from the team at Kochie's Business Builders Show.
Hit 'PLAY' above to discover what this secret is that could turn it all around for you. And of course, if you need step-by-step guidance in generating 1000’s of leads at next to no cost, the skills to build the need to buy and the vital steps required in converting prospects to customers with greater ease a lot sooner, click below to get your ticket to my upcoming national ‘Profile, Publicity & Profits’ tour.
In this 8 hour workshop I will show you how you can create a profitable personal brand within just weeks and earn thousands from HIGH paid speaking engagements, information product sales and consulting.
And for those of you that are authors, speakers and consultants… I’ll even reveal how to be booked solid with appointments during slow months and move your products when everyone has stopped buying in an economic downturn.
4 Easy Steps to Convert Prospects to Clients When You Don’t Have a Clue or TIME!
While many authors, coaches, consultants and entrepreneurs struggle with selling their products and services, a few knowledgeable individuals are systematically building profitable businesses from products, events, tele-seminars, paid speaking engagements and high paid consulting.
One way the pro’s are building their profitable personal brands and businesses is by using a highly distinct sales and marketing process.
This process allows you to visually map out the psychological journey that a prospect steps through when engaging with your business to eventually becoming a high paying customer.
And to continue our article series dedicated to building your profile, getting publicity and boosting your profits to coincide with my upcoming national Australian tour...
…'Profile, Publicity & Profits - Learn to Out-Shine & Out-Sell Your Competition,' 1 day intensive - coming to a capital city near you in February 2012…
Today, I want to help you establish a process to help you convert prospects to customers with greater ease. Most businesses understand the need for a solid sales and marketing process, but all too few understand what your process is really supposed to do. Your process is designed to be a vehicle for your marketing message and that of your products and services to build the need for a prospect to finally TAKE ACTION and make not only one purchase but many.
If your sales are lack luster on your website or in person, it is usually due to key elements being skipped over when engaging with the prospect. Your process must convince buyers that you are the MOST credible within your industry and that there is no need to look elsewhere.
STEP #1: Generate Leads
Let’s face it there is no need for a sales process if there are no leads to travel through it. Clearly map out the various key areas that you can generate 1000’s of leads for next to no cost. The options available to you are significant.
A little research is required of which can result in a BIG pay-off.
Assess the options that may be right for you, i.e. Google Adwords, Facebook Fan Pages, viral marketing, competitions, webinars / tele-seminars, affiliate marketing, cross promotions, cold calling, referrals or even paid banner adverts or direct email marketing campaigns to other databases.
STEP #2: Build The Need
One of the biggest mistakes I see entrepreneurs make time and time again, is that they forget to build the need and desire for their product or service within the mind of the prospect.
Selling without building the desire to purchase is like trying to force someone to eat when they don’t feel like it. I mean if you’re not hungry, you’re not hungry.
Building desire can be achieved by creating trailers (like in the movies) for your product / service, writing an e-book to establish trust and by giving them a sneak peak at what else they will receive once they have purchased your whole program / product / service.
There is an art to building the need to purchase. It is an art that pays well. Master it and you will master your cash flow.
STEP #3: Make an Offer
You’ve most likely heard me say it before; selling to someone the first time you meet them is like trying to sleep with them on the first date. You don’t know anything about them, so how are you going to make an educated decision on what it is that they need. The only time you make an offer for a product / service is once the need for it has been built, no desire = no purchase.
List out all of the offers you plan to make within the next 12 months, i.e buy 12 coaching sessions and get 4 free, then work back from there crafting key strategies on how you will build the need for each offer, product and service through various materials and marketing communications.
STEP #4: Customer
Once a prospect has purchased, it is now time to turn them into an ongoing customer – someone that makes repeat purchases. The first purchase is just the first step in the process.
What is the next logical product / service your customer needs to buy in order for them to continually move forward on their journey?
This could be high level consulting, other products or even one on one work.
Whatever it is, it is time for you to map out how they are going to arrive at the logical conclusion to purchase once more from you as soon as they have made the initial transaction.
Implementing the above steps is, admittedly, a fair bit of work. But the long term benefits that you receive from having a consistent stream of new leads and paying customers far out-weights the effort that is required from you in the initial implementation phase.
This Week’s Homework to Sell More, More Often, With Greater Ease
Begin the process by completing the following steps:
1. Draw your marketing and sales process on a piece of paper (see the example above).
2. Determine where you will generate your leads from at minimum to no cost.
3. Define the activities that you will complete to successfully ‘build the need’ for your prospect to buy.
4.Create various compelling offers that you can offer to your new list at key times of the year that also takes into consideration any other purchases that have previously been made.
5. Re-visit all of your existing customers and see what else you can sell to them that would compliment what they have already purchased.
Of course, if you need step-by-step guidance in generating 1000’s of leads at next to no cost, the skills to build the need to buy and the vital steps required in converting prospects to customers with greater ease a lot sooner, click below to get your ticket to my upcoming national ‘Profile, Publicity & Profits’ tour.
In this 8 hour workshop I will show you how you can create a profitable personal brand within just weeks and earn thousands from HIGH paid speaking engagements, information product sales and consulting.
And for those of you that are authors, speakers and consultants… I’ll even reveal how to be booked solid with appointments during slow months and move your products when everyone has stopped buying in an economic downturn.
6 Steps to Getting Paid $5,000 + Per Speaking Engagement
I’ll never forget the first time I was paid $2,500 to speak at an event for only 45 minutes.
I was 23 years old at the time and I was BLOWN away by the fact that a company was willing to pay me just to speak!
Crazy right!?
For most professionals, the jump from going from free to fee is as wide as the Grand Canyon with fears that lay just as deep.
Now, many entrepreneurs, authors, consultants and speakers routinely call for my help when it comes to assisting them in getting access to paid speaking engagements in which they can command anywhere upwards of $5k.
But interestingly, very few of them have a working knowledge of how to ‘Package’ themselves up as a speaker that can command these kinds of fees – and fewer still know exactly why they aren’t getting booked in the first instance.
The truth is, unless you have a natural x-factor (read chapter 7 – The X-Factor Decoded,’ page 173 of my latest book, ‘Sleeping Your Way to The Top – The New Science of What Makes Us CLICK,’ for the full psychological breakdown of how to craft a compelling personal brand) your chances of commanding such fees are simply unrealistic.
So, today I want to help you get paid $5k plus, per speaking engagement
The reality is that as a speaker (and more importantly a paid one), you get access to business opportunities that wouldn’t normally slide across your desk, such as;
High paid consulting work;
Bulk product / service sales;
National Media opportunities;
The ability to charge more for your services;
High profile connections that take you seriously;
Ability to convert prospects to clients with greater ease;
Clients seek you out instead of you having to seek them out;
Your credibility allows you to out-shine and out-sell your competition;
You can command fees of $5k plus (with a solid marketing strategy);
Not only that, but it’s a hell of a lot of fun.
As the ‘Agent of Influence,’ and your advisor, I want to help you establish 12 different strategies – just like your payment and inventory systems – that will become a critical step in you building your profile, getting publicity and generating phenomenal profits.
But before we get into this week's critical lesson...
Today's article is part of my 12 week series dedicated to building your profile, getting publicity and boosting your profits to coincide with my upcoming national Australian tour...
…'Profile, Publicity & Profits - Learn to Out-Shine & Out-Sell Your Competition,'1 day intensive - coming to a capital city near you in February 2012.
Over the past two weeks, I have covered critical subjects and marketing strategies to enable you to get on television and generate 1000's of leads for next to nothing in next to no time. See here for past lessons;
Today we continue the series by focusing on how to get paid speaking engagements to enable you to profit from your passion.
STRATEGY #1: You Are The ‘Product’
“YOU” are the product and your look, style and content is the wrapping that pulls it all together and makes it marketable.
Like any product, a book, CD, magazine or even newspaper, you have to ensure that you’re up to date and packaged in such a way that compels event organizers to pick you off the shelf over others.
To do so, clearly find a position in your marketplace that you can become known for, i.e. a solid niche that stands out from others. A niche / title serves to put your keynotes in context for those looking at hiring you.
If they can’t get a grasp on what you do – they will find someone else.
My best advice, niche within a niche, i.e. business coaching is far too broad to compel anyone to find out more about you. Uncover which key area you are great at within this area and become known as the authority on the topic - whatever industry you are in.
When you take this step, your value increases immediately when it is one of great interest to your target market.
STRATEGY #2: Increase Your Perceived Value
People will pay what they believe a product or service is worth (including speakers).
If you are just like ‘everybody’ else in the marketplace, your perceived value drops significantly.
I recommend that ‘ALL’ speakers, authors, consultants and entrepreneurs aim to attract media coverage because it is one of the most cost effective means of pushing up your perceived value and gaining exposure on a mass scale.
Leverage this exposure on your website, speakers kit and blogs to continually educate event organizers on your ‘status’ and credibility. After all, if the media thinks your worthy of being put in front of thousands of readers / viewers / listeners then an event organizer will think so too (so as long as the media coverage is credible).
If they don’t perceive you as ‘high value’ they will attempt to get a reduction on your speakers fee or even worse, want you to do it for free.
STRATEGY #3: Telemarketing
Many speakers simply do not want to hear this – but you have to get on the phone and start marketing yourself as a speaker to become successful. The phone only rings when you are out there on the speaking circuit (and doing a great job), if not, people forget about you almost immediately.
Continually introduce yourself to organisations that you could potentially speak at their conference, provide training or host a function. Send them a speaker’s kit with your keynote details and always, always follow up.
Be consistent with your marketing and your cash flow will be consistent with you.
If you’re not a fan of telemarketing and you would love to learn other strategies of becoming a high profile, high paid speaker, go here for details for my upcoming national tour in which I will teach you how to generate 1000’s of leads for next to nothing and get you booked time and time again.
Each and every presentation you do is an opportunity to create word of mouth and generate further paid speaking opportunities.
95% of my speaking engagements in my first two years purely came through word-of-mouth simply because I utilized key messages consistently throughout my presentations that got the audiences talking.
Identify the one or two key messages that get people to remember you well after you have left the stage. This will see you get booked consistently and command top dollar for your presentations.
STRATEGY #5: Write a Book & Create Feature Videos
Many people believe that to become a professional speaker you need a book.
This is absurd.
I was being booked to speak at over 60 events per year within my first two years on the circuit and I didn’t have a product to my name – instead I had a message.
There are many ways to obtain credibility and yes, having a product does help greatly however it isn’t the be all and end all. Obtaining media exposure will help get around this and assist in catapulting your profile into the stratosphere and change how people perceive you.
Another way to get around this is by producing quality content on a regular basis, i.e. articles that demonstrate your value.
Secondly and most importantly is to record little snippets of your content direct to camera and upload to Youtube and your website.
STRATEGY #6: Never Give Up!
As the saying goes, “You won’t get struck by lightning if you aren’t standing out in the rain.”
You have to be in the game for the long haul to command $5,000 plus per speaking engagement. Yes, there are exceptions to the rule. They are however far and few between – don’t be the exception be the rule is my rule.
It takes persistent effort and focus to garner enough exposure in the right arenas to get booked regularly.
Is it possible?
Absolutely, especially when you have the groundwork completed and your marketing systems in place that allow you to build your profile, get publicity and generate profits with ease.
Here’s this Week's Task for Getting Paid $5,000 + Per Speaking Engagement
The business model for a speaker is spending 95% of your time marketing yourself and the other 5% of your time delivering your presentations.
The enjoyment is in the process and the rush when you walk out on stage or take the step off the diving board, which makes all the hard work you do even more worthwhile.
Plan your marketing strategy by taking these key steps as outlined above and you will be well on your way to a successful and high paid speaking career.
And of course, if you would like to kick-start your speaking career off on a great note, command thousands of dollars per engagement and build your profile SOONER, click below to read about my new upcoming national ‘Profile, Publicity & Profits – Learn to Out-Shine & Out-Sell Your Competition’ 1 Day Intensive coming to an Australian capital city near you in February 2012.
In this 8 hour workshop I will show you how you can create a profitable personal brand within just weeks and earn thousands from HIGH paid speaking engagements, information product sales and consulting.
And for those of you that are authors, speakers and consultants… I’ll even reveal how to be booked solid with appointments during slow months and move your products when everyone has stopped buying in an economic downturn.
How to Get 2,700 New Leads In Just Days Not Months
As entrepreneurs, we’re familiar with the struggle it can sometimes be to generate qualified leads on a regular basis without it costing us a complete fortune.
And while most entrepreneurs have some basic systems in place, unfortunately that’s often where it ends.
Sporadic marketing attempts…outdated branding… lack of a solid marketing strategy… emergency cash flow attempts… these are the results of key factors that all too often go completely neglected.
Yet branding, sales and a solid marketing plan is what actually brings the cash flow into the business and allows you to do what you love doing on a daily basis.
Wouldn’t it be a relief to know that you have a planned process for generating copious amounts of qualified leads at the click of a button to help build your profile, get you publicity and more importantly… generate some serious profits?
Well, that’s why I’m here, to help you and be your support person.
Today, I want to help you generate 1000's of new leads
For most entrepreneurs, generating new leads is their top priority, which is why I discussed “Why Your Personal Brand Will Get You on TV Faster Than Your Press Release!” in the first article of the series to celebrate my upcoming Australian national, 'Profile, Publicity & Profits - Learn to Out-Shine & Out-Sell Your Competition' tour - coming to a city near you in February 2012.
Media is one of the fastest ways to generate leads and establish yourself as a credible authority within your industry.
But what do you do in between media coverage… you do this;
Your Lead Generation Process: Bringing In The Prospects That Buy More, More Often
Let’s kick this week’s lesson off by honing in on bringing more prospects into your business on a consistent and regular basis.
Why?
Because there is nothing more rewarding than knowing that you are generating more leads, more clients and more profits than your previous year in business, right!?
1. Define Your Opt-In Process
Whether you are an author, speaker, consultant or entrepreneur, you require a solid ‘opt-in’ process that fills your lead funnel full of prospective clients on not just a monthly but a daily basis.
Create a compelling giveaway that get’s prospects scrambling to opt-in via your website or even directly via Facebook. An article or a poorly written e-book will not achieve this.
Giveaway some of your best content to seduce prospective customers into finding more about who you are and how you can assist them with their core challenges.
Most entrepreneurs make the mistake of giving away scraps of their best material. This does nothing to instill trust and demonstrate that you know more than the average Joe down the road from you.
Prove your credibility by way of quality content and you’ll find prospects flicking open their wallets to pay you faster than you can say….
Spend time in establishing the systems and processes that make lead generation for you an automated process and allows you to make sales while you sleep.
This will also allow you to focus on other key areas of conversion in your business and enable you to boost your sales dramatically.
2. List The Marketing Channels You Can Market Direct to at a Reasonable Price
Any opt-in process is rendered worthless if there is no traffic being directed to it.
And even worse, zero prospects mean zero sales for you!
Define the various marketing channels that you can market direct to prospective customers at a reasonable price. We have a rule that with any direct email marketing campaigns that we run, we will not pay more than $1 per lead. This will change however based on your customer profile. Our most recent campaign yielded over 2,700 leads for under $2k.
And of course, if you would love to learn more about the 'OTHER' critical factors that come into play to achieve such an astounding result, go here now.
Create your list of prospective databases that are highly qualified and targeted so that you can market directly to them at a reasonable rate. Then once you've gathered that data, go ahead mapping out a complete marketing schedule for the months ahead.
You will promote your opt-in offer direct to these databases to achieve immediate results and instant cash flow.
Just imagine how healthier your bank balance will look once you have your lead generation system and business model in place and ticking over nicely.
3. Create Compelling Copy
Copy will make or break your lead generation campaign – there is no doubt about that.
Your offer maybe incredibly compelling, however if it is not effectively communicated… who is going to know about it let alone opt-in for what you have on offer!?
This will cause you to lose out on sales and precious revenue, yet alone the time cost involved in setting the business back potentially by months.
Essentials of great copy include;
· Strong calls to action;
· Hypnotic language that influencers the prospect to buy;
· Credibility factors that influence them to choose you over your competitor;
· Drives them to ‘act’ in the moment and opt-in immediately;
The best test of any copy is to send out a campaign to just a segment of your database. If you do not get a result within a couple of hours – it’s bombed. If you get an immediate response, you’re on the right track.
Now, your task is to fine-tune this existing copy and test it again and again until you increase your response rate and can successfully estimate future responses to your marketing activities.
Focus on your copywriting skills and you will notice a massive difference to the number of leads you generate in your business on a daily basis and the rate in which your conversions increase.
This Weeks Task For Generating 1000’s of Qualified Leads For Your Business
To get started, map out the psychological drivers that influence your prospects to opt-in and engage with your business on an a4 piece of paper.
Once you have done this, outline what it is exactly that you believe your prospects will want to opt-in for that is so compelling, that they will share it with all of their friends on Facebook.
And of course, if you need assistance in how to create a compelling offer that’s easy to execute and will generate you thousands of leads for next to nothing, click below to read about my new upcoming national ‘Profile, Publicity & Profits – Learn to Out-Shine & Out-Sell Your Competition’ 1 Day Intensive coming to an Australian capital city near you in February 2012. Click here for details.
In this 8 hour workshop I will show you how you can create a Facebook campaign on Monday morning and have it generating 1000’s of leads by Friday…
And for those of you that are authors, speakers and consultants… I’ll even reveal how to be booked solid with appointments during slow months and move your products when everyone has stopped buying in an economic downturn.
Why Your Personal Brand Can Get You On TV Faster Than Your Press Release!
If I were to hold up two pictures, one of you and one of your competitor, who do you believe would get on TV for being an expert in their field first?
Is it you?
Or, did you just potentially cost yourself tens of thousands of dollars worth in free media coverage?
As you and I both know, obtaining much coveted media exposure can be the ‘CATALYST’ for attracting more leads, converting more clients and generating more profits.
It is an INSTANT injection of credibility that can transform your business into a money making machine.
If you’re struggling with getting yourself or your spokesperson featured on television or in any media for that matter, your problem isn’t necessarily one of having a ‘newsworthy’ story.
What you need is a ‘newsworthy’ personal brand that get’s the media to bypass your press release and engage with you directly… simply because you are just what the doctor ordered for their audiences needs and interests.
Here are three tips you can use to get yourself on television faster than your press release ever could… without all of the extra hard work of chasing producers.
1. Package ‘YOURSELF’ Up Visually
I know, I know. Looks don’t matter! Right!?
Wrong!
You see countless studies have shown that our subconscious mind literally seeks to find a fit between the way that we look and the role that we play in our lives (see page 199 of my latest book, 'The New Science of What Makes Us Click’ to discover why the visual aspect of your personal brand isn't just about vanity... it's about survival, profits, publicity and INSTANT INFLUENCE.)
If there is a mismatch - our ability to influence others has literally been washed down the drain and with it potentially tens of thousands of dollars worth in sales, especially when a visual medium such as television is concerned.
It’s a beautiful notion that we don’t get judged on the way that we look, however you and I both know that this won’t pay our bills at the end of the day. Our subconscious mind is automatically programmed to stereotype others to prevent it from collapsing in on itself due to the one million plus bits of information coming in at any given second.
Spend time developing a ‘visually’ appealing personal brand that looks like you actually ‘do what you do for a living.’ You’ll begin to notice how others instantly perceive you as an expert and are willing to pay more for your products and services literally in some cases… overnight!
With this shift in perception you will also notice an automatic shift in your ability to close more deals and make more sales.
2. Make ‘YOURSELF’ Newsworthy by Sharing a Compelling Story
There are billion dollar industries that have been established on story telling alone, such as; music, art, film and books. The successful ones weave powerful visual images of where the character came from and the journey they undertook to achieve their outcome.
It is captivating when done well and gets the audience member invested in you, your brand and your products and services.
Strong and newsworthy personal brands share a compelling story that captures the interest of producers and mass markets. It is very rare that producers will just purely feature a product or service - unless it is revolutionary or there is a strong story attached to it that’s relevant to the audience’s interests.
To get around this, put forward your own story of how ‘you’ created your product / service to make it more intriguing.
This will not only capture the producers attention, it will capture the hearts, minds and wallets of your potential customers.
3. Successful Online Marketing of Your Personal Brand
The first place a producer or a journalist goes to find out more information about you is your website or your Facebook page.
Look at the overall branding of your business and assess it against your competitors that seem to time after time get featured on television where you may have previously failed.
I can assure you that there will be significant differences in style, look and feel of each personal brand. After all, a competitor can copy all of your strategies, but they can never copy the ‘ESSENCE’ of who you truly are – as long as you express this essence clearly to your target audience.
The Checklist for Creating a Compelling Personal Brand That Gets on Television
Imagine how much easier it would be to get media coverage whenever you want – if you had thousands of prospective buyers watching you on television or reading about you in the papers.
Think how easy it would be for you to convert prospects to high paying, ongoing clients.
To begin with, you should know that there are vital steps you must take.
While there’s some work involved with creating and fine-tuning a marketable personal brand, the steps are fairly simple.
1. Define your ‘personal brands’ core message – much like you would a company’s. Does it hit all of the psychological triggers that establish credibility? ;
2. Identify how you are different to that of your competitors;
3. Outline the story you will take to market to engage your audience (Note: do not exaggerate or make your story up – you will get found out. Have integrity and your audience will connect with you like no other.)
4. Style yourself to reflect what you do in your industry for INSTANT INFLUENCE and desirability;
5. Invest in developing a professional designed logo and website that establishes INSTANT CREDIBILITY and gets people to buy your products and services;
6. Put marketing systems in place so you can benefit from the leads that you generate from the new found media exposure you will obtain due to the implementation of these CRITICAL activities.
Why You Will Get Featured on Television
At the end of the day press releases are phenomenal tools at obtaining the attention of producers and media alike.
However, this comes with a massive ‘BUT.’
If your personal brand does not paint you as an expert in your field, position you as more credible than your competitor and make you look like you know what you’re talking about, you’ve just wasted precious resources chasing media coverage that was never going to convert to mass exposure or sales at the end of the day any way.
Spend time cultivating a compelling personal brand that get’s the media knocking on your door first, then go about sending out your press releases.
Trust me when I say that you’ll be hugely grateful for the extra income and exposure you will generate by taking this one highly critical step in marketing yourself as the ‘authority within your field’ to dominate your industry.
One Day With Me Can Quickly Get Your Personal Brand Positioned for Television & Mass Media
If you need help developing a compelling profitable personal brand, and you’re an author, speaker, consultant or entrepreneur, check out the details for my 'Profile, Publicity & Profits' 1 Day Intensive’ coming to an Australian capital city near you in February 2012.
For a low entry fee of just $97 (normally $997 and only valid to the first 40 registrations in each State), I’ll show you exactly how to create a highly profitable personal brand within just weeks and earn thousands of dollars from high paid speaking engagements, product sales and consulting…
…and even reveal to you how I got an author and speaker on Channel 10’s morning show not once but three times, generated an extra $105,000 for a service based business that was NEW to the country – and how I helped land an author a top 10 bestselling book, plus countless HIGH PAID speaking engagements.
Over 6,000 Downloads!!! Have You Got Your Free Copy Yet?
All I can say is WOW!
In less than 6 weeks more than 6,000 business owners internationally have downloaded their digital version of my first book, 'Sleeping Your Way to The Top in Business - The Ultimate Guide to Attracting & Seducing More Customers.'
Inside the covers, I answer the question that every business owner (including you) ask themselves;
"Why are customers purchasing from my competitors instead of me!?"
If you would like to discover why, and how you can get more people to buy more often, visit my Facebook Fan Page now to get access to your free copy today.
I trust you will enjoy... and remember, share the love with your friends. This could be just the thing they are looking for to transform their business into a profit making machine.
I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am to officially launch the new benangel.com.au website.
As you can see from taking a look around, we have spent hours upon hours creating a very simplistic and highly visually engaging website to ensure your experience here is a memorable one and you learn powerful techniques for growing your business and achieving self-mastery.
You will not only notice that there is a completely new look and feel to the 'Ben Angel' brand, but we have also launched a new series of business marketing and pr events to assist you grow your profile, attract publicity and boost your profits.
And...if you're lucky, I may even give you a free digital version of my first book 'Sleeping Your Way to The Top in Business' valued at $34.95 completely free when you check out the details for our latest event.
In the meantime, take a look around, if you love the pages, then please 'LIKE' the pages and share them with your Facebook friends.
It is our mission to build a highly sociable online community of business leaders that support one another and inspire each other to ask more of themselves in their business.
As for upcoming articles, stay tuned, we are re-organising our blog so you can access sales, marketing & pr advice easier.
They drool over it imagining just what it would be like to make more sales and increase conversion rates with ease, they just don’t know how.
Generating a direct response from your marketing campaigns needs to take priority when customers / clients are far and few between.
Creating a compelling offer is at the heart of driving sales through any marketing plateau and can catapult a business into its next phase of growth with ease – the trick is in knowing which steps to take.
Let me show you my top 7 favourite ways to make more sales…& FAST by creating a compelling offer.
OFFER #1: Free Trial Rid your customers the fear of ‘buyers remorse’ by offering a free trial without obligation for a defined period of time. This removes risk and helps to overcome reluctance.
OFFER #2: Limited Time Scarcity is the marketer’s secret weapon. Limit your offer for a set number of individuals or time period to drive people to purchase sooner rather than having them sit on a decision indefinitely.
OFFER #3: Money Back Guarantee If your offer really is as good as you say it is, put your money where your mouth is. This will increase your attention to detail and level of service significantly and set you apart from the rest. Not only that, but if your solution is fantastic you won’t have to worry about giving anyone a refund.
OFFER #4:Introductory Offer You may offer a special price when a product is first released to attract buy-in and generate buzz but you must give a reason for it or it devalues your product / service, i.e. brand new product / service.
OFFER #5: Free Gift This is the alternative to reducing your price. Everyone loves a free gift with purchase. Send their taste buds into overdrive by offering them a bonus that’s just as good as the actual product / service itself and watch them dive for their credit card.
OFFER #6: Quantity Discount This is one of my favourites, especially when it comes to selling products in bulk. Throw in some bonuses with this baby and set a time limit and people will be falling over themselves to take it up. The great thing about bulk sales is that it spreads word of mouth rapidly and reduces the amount of effort required to make ‘many’ sales worth a little from hundreds compared to a ‘lot’ of sales worth a little from one person. Guess which one is a hell of a lot easier!
OFFER #7: Price Increase Announcement If your prices are going up, announce them ahead of time so people can take advantage of the current price point or face missing out, i.e. scarcity principle again.
The secret behind the success of each offer is the psychological processes that the prospect goes through when making their decision to buy.
Make it easier for them to purchase by establishing trust and credibility with consistent communication, i.e. social media or a regular newsletter prior to making your offer. Or, quite frankly, it will be like your trying to sleep with someone on the first date.
At least court them before you shock them with your ‘potentially’ unwanted advances. Give them time to warm to you or you really are applying the principle of ‘interruption marketing’ and no one likes to be interrupted unless it’s by a pleasant surprise.
, if you would love to learn even more step-by-step strategies for growing your profile, attracting publicity and boosting your profits to out-shine and out-sell your competition, click here now to register for my next, 'Profile, Publicity & Profits' 1 Day Intensive... (tickets are selling fast) go here now!
Growing up as a kid my mum would frequently tell me to be quiet (truth is I did talk a hell of a lot!).
Now she finds it quite ironic that I get paid thousands to speak at business events for only a couple of hours.
I love being a professional speaker as the rewards and experiences I get to encounter are second to none, but being a speaker for a living certainly isn’t for the fainthearted. There are very few speakers that can successfully make a living from speaking at conferences and functions alone.
It takes a solid marketing strategy and a continual refining of your skills so you stay front of mind and don’t suddenly become ‘yesterday’s’ news, which happens a hell of a lot easier than you could ever imagine.
Not to fear, today I have compiled my top tips that thesuccessful speakers do to get booked solid month in month out and command fees of $5,000 plus per speaking engagement.
“YOU” are the product and your look, style and content is the wrapping that pulls it all together and makes it marketable.
Like any product, a book, CD, magazine or even newspaper, you have to ensure that you’re up to date and packaged in such a way that compels event organizers to pick you off the shelf over others.
To do so clearly find a position in your marketplace that you can become known for, i.e. a solid niche that stands out from others. A niche / title serves to put your keynotes in context for those looking at hiring you.
If they can’t get a grasp on what you do – they will find someone else very quickly.
My best advice, niche within a niche, i.e. business coaching is far too broad to compel anyone to find out more about you. Uncover which key area you are great at within this area and become known as the authority on the topic whatever industry you are in.
When you take this step your value increases immediately when it is one of great interest to your target market.
STRATEGY #2: Increase Your Perceived Value By Getting Media Coverage
People will pay what they believe a product or service is worth (including speakers). If you are just like ‘everybody’ else in the marketplace, your perceived value drops considerably.
I recommend all speakers, coaches and entrepreneurs aim to attract media coverage because it is one of the most cost effective means of pushing up your perceived value and gaining exposure on a mass scale.
Leverage this exposure on your website, speakers kit and blogs to continually educate event organizers on your ‘status’ and credibility. After all, if the media thinks your worthy of being put in front of thousands of readers / viewers / listeners then an event organizer will think so too (as long as the media is credible).
If they don’t perceive you as ‘high value’ they will attempt to get a reduction on your speakers fee or even worse, want you to do it for free.
Speaking for free at ‘some’ events is okay, as long as the audience comprises of your ideal clients and you are able to make some kind of offer to purchase, if not weigh up whether or not it is worth your while.
Having media credits to your name assists in preventing this from occurring as people’s respect for you raises considerably and they are less likely to ask for a price reduction out of this respect.
Many speakers simply do not want to hear this – but you have to get on the phone and start marketing yourself as a speaker to become successful. The phone only rings when you are out there on the speaking circuit (and doing a great job), if not, people forget about you almost immediately.
Continually introduce yourself to organisations that you could potentially speak at their conference, provide training or host a function. Send them a speaker’s kit with your keynote details and always, always follow up.
Be consistent with your marketing and your cash flow will be consistent with you.
If you are too reluctant to get on the phone, you have no other choice but to outsource this activity. Ensure that you have a sales process embedded into each telephone call or it will become an expensive activity in futility.
Combine your telemarketing with social media campaigns and a website that effectively demonstrates your skills and makes ‘you’ look exclusive.
Each and every presentation you do is an opportunity to create word of mouth and generate further paid speaking opportunities. 95% of my speaking engagements in my first two years purely came because I utilized key messages consistently throughout my presentations that got the audiences talking and telling others about me.
Identify the one or two key messages that get people to remember you well after you have left the stage. This will see you get booked consistently and command top dollar for your presentations.
The subconscious mind literally seeks to find a fit between the way that someone looks and the role they play in our lives. In other words if you don’t look like a speaker, you won’t get booked as a speaker.
I invest time and money in my clothes to ensure that I ‘look like I know what I am talking about.’
Its like Lady Gaga getting on stage wearing Crocs (you know those awful plastic shoes that I swear are causing global warming!), it just wouldn’t happen. It decreases perceived value instantaneously and organizers simply won’t give you a look in.
Groom yourself head to toe, not only on your speaking skills but on your visual engagement practices and you will instantly be treated as a ‘high quality’ individual.
Many people believe that to become a professional speaker you need a book.
This is absurd.
I was being booked to speak at over 60 events per year within my first two years on the circuit and I didn’t have a product to my name – instead I had a message.
There are many ways to obtain credibility and yes, having a product does help greatly however it isn’t the be all and end all. Obtaining media exposure will help get around this and assist in catapulting your profile into the stratosphere and change how people perceive you.
The first way to get around this is by producing quality content on a regular basis, i.e. articles that demonstrate your value.
The second thing you can do (and most important one) is to record little snippets of your content direct to camera and upload to Youtube and your website.
Event organizers want to see what you look like, your mannerisms and if you will appeal to their audience. This gives them a snippet of what to expect and can lead to getting booked regularly when exposed to the correct individuals on a consistent and ongoing basis.
As the saying goes, “You won’t get struck by lightning if you aren’t standing out in the rain.”
You have to be in the game for the long haul to command $5,000 plus per speaking engagement. Yes, there are exceptions to the rule. They are however far and few between – don’t be the exception be the rule is my rule.
It takes persistent effort and focus to garner enough exposure in the right arenas to get booked regularly.
Is it possible?
Absolutely, especially when you have the groundwork completed and you are marketing yourself on a weekly basis.
The business model for a speaker is quite literally spending 95% of your time marketing yourself and the other 5% of your time delivering your presentations.
Olympic divers know this model all too well. They undertake years and hours upon hours of training for a dive that last’s just seconds.
The enjoyment is in the process and the rush when you walk out on stage or take the step off the diving board, which makes all the hard work you do even more worthwhile leading up to it.
Plan your strategy above by taking these key steps and you will be well on your way to a successful speaking career.
For more information on building your profile as a professional speaker, email us at info@benangel.com.au to discover our current training programs that can assist. .....................................................................................................................................
Would you like to boost your profile, decode the 'x' factor and unlock the secret to TRUE influence ?
That’s what Ben Angel’s brand new book, “Bigger, Better, Harder, FASTER! Sleeping Your Way to The Top,” is all about. Containing over 50+ scientific studies on human behaviour and a highly 'revealing,' entertaining and inspirational personal journey, SYWTTT will show you how you can; achieve more in 30 days than in 3 months, decode the 'x' factor, discover secrets to instant influence and find the moment when everything 'CLICKS' and falls into place for you! CLICK HERE TO ORDER YOUR COPY NOW!Plus, order today and receive a bonus gift worth $397 – for a limited time only!
How To Get 784 Hot NEW Prospects On Your Database Within 24hrs
It was the best 30th Birthday present I could have ever asked for. The same night as I launched my second book, 'Bigger, Better, Harder, FASTER!' over 784 people opted into our database. You could say I was just more than a little excited (massive understatement).
Attracting the ‘right’ kind of attention and buzz around your business is the key to driving conversion rates through the roof. The biggest asset any business has is their database and ability to market to it on a consistent and profitable basis.
Without a solid list of prospects that you are regularly exposing yourself to, sales will continue to lag and you will fail to generate the traction needed to push your business through its current plateau.
Become Irresistible & Grow Your List
Unfortunately most businesses fall flat when it comes to compelling prospects to join their database list, let’s face it the thought of signing up to get bombarded with promotional emails from companies vying for our attention and dollar isn’t exactly compelling. New strategies must be developed to become more ‘seductive’ to your target market.
Cut Through The Clutter & Reach Hundreds of NEW Prospects Overnight
So, just what is the ‘secret’ to getting hundreds, even thousands of new leads to opt into your database and cut through the clutter in your industry?
Here it is…
Read very, very closely (okay, that was too close!), as I’m giving you insight into strategies I typically reserve for my a-list clients.
This is my unique 5 step process to generating an abundance of new clients for your business, quite literally overnight when you do your homework and follow the process.
To attract these kind of numbers to your list, you will need to come up with an irresistible offer that drives prospects to opt-in and want to find out more. This could be a complimentary e-book, report or audio.
Don’t be stingy and give content that is of little value. This turns you into just another ‘me too’ internet marketer / business owner utilizing the same strategy without demonstrating any depth of knowledge.
Information marketing exists to educate your prospects not only on how they can ‘solve’ their challenge or ‘reach’ their goal - it exists so you can establish credibility in the marketplace, boost trust and increase conversion rates.
Share your best content to create buzz and attract new leads. This will truly set you apart from the others whose depth of knowledge is shallower than your frying pan.
Secondly, you will need an opt-in landing page that people will be directed to, to leave their details. Keep it clear and simple and always state benefits up front of what they will receive and what kind of impact it will have on them. As with any landing page, there is a structure and a process you must follow to make it effective and drive people to take action.
Test and measure it to trial its effectiveness before taking a huge risk and going out to mass markets with it.
The third step is to craft an email campaign that can be forwarded on not only to your own database but through affiliate partners to their lists.
Word of Warning:
Never and I mean never send out untested marketing copy through a large affiliate partner without first testing it on your own database to check its effectiveness. You may only get one shot at being exposed to such a large list of prospects. All checks must be in place prior to hitting ‘send’ on the campaign, i.e. compelling headline, specific calls to action and copy that seduces them to click on your link and share their details with you.
Split test headlines and check how successful they are on getting clickthrough’s back to your website before going out on a larger scale, just as you will need to do when testing your landing page copy.
To generate these kinds of opt-ins or even larger, you will need affiliate partners that are willing to promote your ‘irresistible’ offer. Be clear on the benefits for them, i.e. do they make any commission from sales that come from the new leads as a result. Get an agreement in place so everyone knows exactly where they stand and what’s in it for them.
Affiliate partners will also expect solid affiliate tracking so they ‘know’ the commissions if any will be credited back to them.
Seek affiliate partners that have access to your target market en masse. Allow a solid 6-12 months of courting affiliates to get them onboard and excited about the campaign, especially if you are an unknown within your industry (in some cases even if you are known).
This sounds all great and easy, and it can be but only when you have the key credibility factors put in place to convince others to promote you to their databases. Without this, unfortunately you don’t have a campaign and will need to seek other avenues until you do.
Work hard at building your reputation by developing an influential personal brand by way of producing and distributing quality content (articles / audio programs / speaking engagements), working with influential clients and obtaining critical media exposure. Vital factors in influencing those that can provide you access to not only tens of thousands, but potentially hundreds of thousands of hot new prospects.
People guard their lists more ferociously than they protect their children – after all, for many it has taken them numbers of years and thousands of dollars to build such lucrative databases. They certainly aren’t going to expose someone to their list who doesn’t have the goods, won’t stick around for long nor build solid and ongoing relationships with them.
Thankfully, when you pull all of the key criteria above together and it does work, it can work MASSIVELY well and catapult your business into another phase of growth.
The trick is to remain persistent, focused and committed to reaching more prospects in a more cost effective manner and just who knows, one strategy like this could yield you thousands of new leads per year.
Would you like to boost your profile, decode the 'x' factor and unlock the secret to TRUE influence ?
That’s what Ben Angel’s brand new book, “Bigger, Better, Harder, FASTER! Sleeping Your Way to The Top,” is all about. Containing over 50+ scientific studies on human behaviour and a highly 'revealing,' entertaining and inspirational personal journey, SYWTTT will show you how you can; achieve more in 30 days than in 3 months, decode the 'x' factor, discover secrets to instant influence and find the moment when everything 'CLICKS' and falls into place for you! CLICK HERE TO ORDER YOUR COPY NOW!Plus, order today and receive a bonus gift worth $397 – for a limited time only!
You are sick and tired of seeing other experts within your industry on television, radio or in print. It should be you right!?
Of course it should, only question is; why are they being featured and you’re being left to fight tooth and nail for new clients and mass exposure?
Luckily it all comes down to two things;
- Your approach;
- And your angle.
After being featured consistently in the media for over ten years from print, radio to television and interviewing some of Australia’s top journalists from The Age, The Herald Sun, right through to BRW Magazine, well you could say I’ve learnt a thing or 33 about how to get featured as the prominent expert.
That’s why I’ve compiled a list of easy step-by-step strategies for ensuring you get MASS APPEAL and seduce the journalist into picking you over your competitor.
1. Friendship first, business second: Counterintuitive I know however journalists get pitched at hundreds of times a day by eager individuals such as yourself. Be the voice that stands out because you care about assisting them with a great story, not just your own desire to get more clients.
2. Get in front of the media whenever you possibly can, i.e. any special media related events so they can put a face to your name and relate to you more closely.
3. Create a compelling personal brand that instantly states what you do. If a journalist can’t peg you in a hole, they will find someone else that fits perfectly. Have your niche and stick to it, this will quadruple your coverage.
4. Target your media carefully. Don’t apply a scattergun approach. Go for industry publications that appeal to your target market and create credibility by association.
5. Have pictures ready to go. Journalists are busy as it is, by having pictures of yourself or you doing business with clients you save them time and if you save them time they are more likely to go with a story surrounding you and your business.
6. See it as an honor not a privilege to get into the media. It takes consistent work to get coverage, not one press release that wasn’t followed up (more people do this than you think). Be patient and consistent.
7. Subscribe to media channels that alert you of media opportunities, i.e. one of my favorite Australian sites is www.sourcebottle.com.au
8. Create a list of your media targets and place into an excel spreadsheet so you can keep track of who you have communicated with and when.
9. Approach them by crafting a cleverly written press release that provides enough information to capture their interest but not enough to bore them to tears. Be selective of the content and keep asking yourself, “Is this line necessary or can it be culled?” This will enable you to craft a clear distinct and compelling message.
10. Follow up. Always follow up your press release with either a phone call or an email. Never send the same press release more than once, it bugs the hell out of them – if they weren’t interested the first time they won’t be the second.
11. Prior to writing your press release, write at least 30 different headlines or angles that you can take that are potentially newsworthy. Skim the list and choose the top five to focus your media around. Are these angles new and unique or have they been covered in the media over and over again?
12. Look like you know what you are talking about. The subconscious mind literally seeks to find a fit between the way someone looks and the role that they play in our lives – no fit means no coverage. Style yourself appropriately.
13. Make yourself available for interview at a moments notice. Media can be called upon to complete a story within a matter of hours. If you are not available they cannot wait for you, they must go elsewhere. Most interviews only take 10-15 minutes at maximum and can result in coverage in front of tens of thousands.
14. Have a stock of articles on your blog for media to go over and check your quality. They will check out your social media channels and website prior to contacting you to see if you are credible and your quality of content is worthy to be put in front of thousands of viewers.
15. Be a source for journalists. Refer journalists to other key experts to assist them with other articles or features they maybe working on. They’ll greatly appreciate it and keep coming back to you for assistance. This is how friendships evolve and regular coverage is obtained.
16. Know your stuff. Write out a list of questions media could potentially ask you and rehearse your ‘sound bytes.’ You only get one chance to say something quotable, if it isn’t they won’t use it.
17. Have a solid angle that stands out above the rest. Journalists get tired of covering the same thing over and over again, i.e. Christmas, Mothers / Fathers / Valentines day. Offer them something unique and you’ll fling the door open for fantastic media coverage.
18. Record short educational videos around your area of expertise and post on your site (not buried in your web pages). They must demonstrate quality of content, your expertise and your presence. You must hold your own, they want someone confident not someone that second guesses themselves.
19. Do your research prior to approaching them. Check for any relevant statistics or studies that have recently been released. The media thrive on current research as it adds credible to their story.
20. Don’t shy away from the camera. If there is a photo opportunity available be prepared. This means looking fresh and alert, i.e. make-up, clean pressed clothes and nothing out of place. Your visual impression in the media is paramount to be taken seriously by readers and viewers.
21. Provide a third party for the journalist to interview. Don’t make the story about you or your business, make it about the stories that are attached to your business, i.e. client case studies, who you have impacted. This is 100x more newsworthy than a blatant plug.
22. Give journalists at least two weeks notice for an upcoming story, more if it is around a particular event. They are busy individuals, respect their time and they will respect you.
23. Keep it short and simple. This goes for press releases and telephone conversations. Dot points are a journalist’s best friend as it makes their job so much easier.
24. Work on your presence by believing in what you are doing and saying. Whether on TV, radio or in print, a distinct style and presence is required to directly influence the journalist and the reader. Craft a unique personal brand that has mass appeal.
25. Jump on breaking news that is relevant to your industry sector, i.e. recent research that has just come out. Write this into your press release and send it immediately before someone else does.
26. Tie in pop culture or stories of the moment to make it ‘now’ and instantly appealing to a wider audience, especially when going for national media coverage, i.e. politics, musicians, special causes.
27. Share your enthusiasm and passion with the media, if your not excited neither will they be.
28. Never give up. Don’t stalk them but don’t give up either. If they didn’t pick up your first release, they may pick up the next one. Keep coming up with compelling new angles until you get your first break.
29. Never attach your press release in a document. Attachments can get caught in spam filter’s, not only that but is also slows down a releases readability. Place the content and any pictures in the body of an email so they can scan it and check its relevance within a couple of seconds.
30. Mention previous media exposure. Where possible mention that you have been featured in past media (only if you have of course). This establishes instant credibility and means you won’t have to convince them of your credibility.
31. Jump a shark. When a TV shows ratings are flailing producers will often create an outrageous storyline seemingly from nowhere to capture the viewer’s attention again, aka ‘jumping a shark.’ What can you do to be the stand out in your industry by jumping your own shark?
32. Conduct a survey. Conduct a survey of your database and present it to the media. The media generally needs at least 1000 individuals to have participated in it to take it seriously, nonetheless it is a surefire way to grab their attention and do some great market research on your end.
33. Reinvent yourself. If you have been declined in the past, find out why. Ask the journalist why you or the press release wasn’t of interest. Don’t expect a response, nonetheless if you get one you will be provided with useful advice on what not to do next time round to increase your chances.
Getting media exposure may seem like an overwhelming task
Fortunately it becomes easier each time you do it and learn the tricks of the trade, some of which I have shared with you today.
Stay focused and take small incremental steps to grooming yourself and then taking yourself and your business to media. The rewards for mass exposure are exponential.
In some cases you can literally obtain tens of thousands of dollars worth of coverage simply by following these easy to apply steps in a consistent and structured manner.
, if you would love to learn even more step-by-step strategies for growing your profile, attracting publicity and boosting your profits to out-shine and out-sell your competition, click here now to register for my next, 'Profile, Publicity & Profits' 1 Day Intensive... (tickets are selling fast) go here now!
Posted by Ben Angel - Personal Branding, Media Expert on 8th July, 2011 | Comments | Trackbacks | Permalink Tags:
Are You In Denial?
"Self-denial (denial of reality of your present experience or situation) appears at first glance to serve a valuable purpose: it represses painful thoughts and / or memories – because if you don’t think about it, then how will it hurt you, right?
WRONG!
Because although this common practice of self-denial may appear to be protecting you from harm in this moment, the greater damage you are self-inflicting accumulates surreptitiously to be a far greater (and unnecessarily painful) price to pay later on."
The question remains; what are you in denial about right now?
Address the problem once and for all and uncover your solution today.
Would you like to achieve greater success in your business, career or relationships?
That’s what Ben Angel’s brand new book, “Bigger, Better, Harder, FASTER! Sleeping Your Way to The Top,” is all about. Containing over 50+ scientific studies on human behaviour and a highly 'revealing,' entertaining and inspirational personal journey, SYWTTT will show you how you can; achieve more in 30 days than in 3 months, decode the 'x' factor, discover secrets to instant influence and find the moment when everything 'CLICKS' and falls into place for you! CLICK HERE TO ORDER YOUR COPY NOW!Plus, order today and receive a bonus gift worth $397 – for a limited time only!
Posted by Ben Angel - personal branding & influence specialist on 8th July, 2011 | Comments | Trackbacks | Permalink Tags:
The No. 1 Secret to Experiencing Happiness
Just what is the secret to happiness?
Well, for me no one sums happiness up more eloquently than a gentleman by the name of Carl.
Psychologist Carl Roger hypothesized that we are each engaged in the personal quest for realizing our own ‘positive self-concept’ – and that everyone is striving to transition from his or her ‘real’ (actual) self to their ideal self (the idea being that the closer someone gets to being an authentic expression of their ideal self, the happierthey will be).
What is your personal definition of happiness?
Share your comments with us below. I'd love to hear.
Would you like to experience heightened levels of happiness & success?
That’s what Ben Angel’s brand new book, “Bigger, Better, Harder, FASTER! Sleeping Your Way to The Top,” is all about. Containing over 50+ scientific studies on human behaviour and a highly 'revealing,' entertaining and inspirational personal journey, SYWTTT will show you how you can; achieve more in 30 days than in 3 months, decode the 'x' factor, discover secrets to instant influence and find the moment when everything 'CLICKS' and falls into place for you! CLICK HERE TO ORDER YOUR COPY NOW!Plus, order today and receive a bonus gift worth $397 – for a limited time only!
Is Your Social & Professional Standing Ruining Your Career?
The term ‘status’ refers to our relative social, professional, or other standing within the groups and/or ‘tribes’ we participate in.
This can refer to anything, such as the book club we attend, our of circle friends from Uni days, family, other parents, gym buddies, work colleagues, academic peers and so on. We may hold a higher position of status in one group and lower in another.
Our status indicates our abilities, skills and efforts invested in a certain area and is not something to be judged, criticised or bragged about, but rather to be observed and learned from.
For example, if I’m the weak link in the orchestra and I know I’m letting others down, my choice is to practice harder or leave. But I do so realising that being a bad flute player in my spare time doesn’t bleed into other areas of my life or sap my high-status confidence at work, where I’m brilliant at closing the deals.
Once a certain status has been acquired, external reinforcement in the form of others’ expectations tend to further enhance this belief about self. Try to be aware of your status as it really is – and from there make a calm decision about whether it is supporting or derailing you in terms of closing the gap between your ‘real’ and ‘ideal’ self – and then just act accordingly.
Would you like to discover how to CATAPULT your career to all NEW HEIGHTS?
That’s what Ben Angel’s brand new book, “Bigger, Better, Harder, FASTER! Sleeping Your Way to The Top,” is all about. Containing over 50+ scientific studies on human behaviour and a highly 'revealing,' entertaining and inspirational personal journey, SYWTTT will show you how you can; achieve more in 30 days than in 3 months, decode the 'x' factor, discover secrets to instant influence and find the moment when everything 'CLICKS' and falls into place for you! CLICK HERE TO ORDER YOUR COPY NOW!Plus, order today and receive a bonus gift worth $397 – for a limited time only!
The New Science of What Makes Us Click: 8 - Why You Get STRESSED And What YOU Can Do About It
Have you ever considered why it is exactly that you get stressed?
What causes your chest to tighten, become short with those around you and for you to feel like you’re fast spinning out of control?
Of course you have, just like everyone else on this planet.
Stress is very real and a large sum of us experience it’s consequences on a daily basis without relief in sight. We struggle to get to sleep, focus on our tasks at hand and begin to drop balls in many key areas of our lives.
But just why do we get stressed and what can we do about it?
Let’s find out...
We Overestimate Our Emotional Response to Future Outcomes
In his book, ‘Stumbling on Happiness’, Dan Gilbert discusses his findings and those of other researchers around how humans predict or estimate their own future emotional reaction to events. Gilbert found that we all have a tendency to overestimate our emotional response to perceived future successes such as:
• scoring a new job;
• getting promoted;
• meeting the love of your life;
• getting married / having a baby;
• getting a philanthropic project changing lives successfully over the line;
• or attending the biggest social event on this year’s calendar.
We place our happiness in imagined future outcomes, mistakenly predicting that if the event does live up to expectations we shall be ecstatically happy (rarely true, at least for very long!); and if it doesn’t, we will be devastated by it for a long time (not true either).
Luckily for us, we have a built-in regulator: so in fact, when it comes to the event – whether positive or negative – we experience the normal level of ‘happiness’ or ‘sadness’ in our response that we’re akin to experiencing. This ’emotional scale’ remains consistent and is dependent on our general response held previously to other events that have stimulated similar emotions.
We Compress Time & Increase Pressure
The reason why so many of us get stressed is because:
a. We over-exaggerate when predicting our emotional responses;
b. We cannot see past the outcome we want to achieve to what will follow...
For example:
Say you have to make a speech at work this Friday. You may find yourself overindulging in negative emotions of self-doubt: not very beneficial to the desired outcome! In this instance, the mistake many of us make is failing to look past Friday and into Saturday, when the scary event is all over and life continues to go on as normal.
It’s as if life stops on Friday and that’s it. Everything good ceases to exist, and (without consciously realizing it) this damaging mental process compresses perceived time and dramatically increases stress levels caused by the exaggerated predictive emotional response to the task at hand.
Finding Sweet, Sweet Relief
To release this tension we must imagine not only the process and the steps to be taken leading up to the key event that is stressing us out, but also the week, months and even years beyond it, including positive social interactions with others in which we are smiling and laughing and getting on with life as normal. This takes the pressure off and relieves tension so that you can focus your energy more effectively in the present moment.
Trick The Subconscious
This technique literally tricks the subconscious mind into believing that you have already experienced what you have previously dubbed as a ‘stressful event / process,’ hence if your mind believes that you have been there before – then there is nothing to get stressed about. The event is now familiar territory and you can relax and enjoy the process.
So, next time you find yourself getting stressed out about a particular deadline, simply ask yourself if you are ‘compressing perceived time’ then go about decompressing it by visualising the entire process right through to the other side when life is back to normal again.
Is it really that easy?
Yes and no. First of all it takes heightened levels of awareness to realise that we are ‘compressing’ time in the first instance and secondly, recognising we must undertake mental rehearsal to overcome feelings of loss of control.
The payoff however is in becoming the ‘master of your own mind’ and that my friend, well that is priceless.
Would you like to learn a powerful technique to reduce stress & FINALLY discover the art of 'self-mastery' ?
That’s what Ben Angel’s brand new book, “Bigger, Better, Harder, FASTER! Sleeping Your Way to The Top,” is all about. Containing over 50+ scientific studies on human behaviour and a highly 'revealing,' entertaining and inspirational personal journey, SYWTTT will show you how you can; achieve more in 30 days than in 3 months, decode the 'x' factor, discover secrets to instant influence and find the moment when everything 'CLICKS' and falls into place for you! CLICK HERE TO ORDER YOUR COPY NOW! Plus, find out how you could claim close to $1000 worth of bonus gifts when you order today - offer ending shortly, be quick!Go here now!
The New Science of What Makes Us Click: 7 -What a Racing Car Driver Can Teach You About Using Your Intuition
“The driver couldn’t explain why he felt he should stop, but the urge was much stronger than his desire to win the race.”Gerard Hodgkinson.
Have you ever felt compelled to do something for a reason that felt ‘completely unknown’ to you at the time?
Such as drive a particular way to work, read a book, attend a particular social occasion or withdraw yourself from a situation. Almost all of us at some stage have felt an inner calling to take a specific action without knowing why.
Call it gut instinct, a higher power or intuition, all you know is that when it calls, you must act.
Unlock The Secret To Intuition – A Lightning Strike To The Brain
For too many years intuition has been placed in the category of pseudo-science and credited with scant plausibility in the mainstream. Well the good news is that what some so-called ‘primitive’ cultures in the world have always known is finally re-emerging back into the mainstream conversation for us in the ‘developed’ world: the tide of opinion on intuition has finally started to turn!
According to Gerard Hodgkinson of the Organisational Strategy, Learning and Change department at Leeds University Business School, intuition is the result of how our brain processes, retrieves and stores information at a subconscious level (although even he admits the need for much further study in order to fully understand this intriguing ‘new’ area and its full potential).
After analysing the range of published research papers available, Hodgkinson’s researchers concluded that the term ‘intuition’ describes the subconscious mind’s ability to draw on past experiences and external cues from our periphery to form decisions on an unconscious level.
It happens so unbelievably fast that we have no idea it has occurred until we get the ‘message’ or receive the ‘intention’ – like a lightning strike in our brain that delivers an idea we feel compelled to act upon, no matter what.
Would You Slam On Your Brakes?
To demonstrate his point, Hodkingson refers to the documented case of a Formula One driver who slammed on his brakes when coming up to a hairpin bend without ‘consciously’ knowing why.
The Result!?
He avoided hitting a pile-up of cars on the track around the corner, which unquestionably saved his life: "The driver couldn’t explain why he felt he should stop, but the urge was much stronger than his desire to win the race.” ~ Hodgkinson
To uncover what had actually occurred, this driver undertook forensic analysis by psychologists after the fact. He was presented with video footage of the event to see if anything jumped off the screen at him – it did – and astoundingly so!
The driver realised that without consciously processing it at the time, the audience which would have normally been leaping up and down, cheering him on to win was instead frozen immobile – and this acted as his cue to slam on the brakes.
This occurred outside of conscious thought (there was no time for the conscious brain to have noticed let alone process all this). Even the slightest delay in his subconscious intuitive processing would have cost him his life.
Tap Into Your Intuition
Sometimes we just have to trust what our instincts are telling us and tune in to them instead of out! This inbuilt program run by the subconscious mind is there for a reason: it’s there to keep us safe.
Are there bugs in the system?
Undoubtedly (we’re still evolving, after all) yet I can’t help but feel that when we get a ‘jolt to the system’ it’s the subconscious mind’s way of presenting us with a much needed ‘wake up call’ or lesson that needs to be learned at that particular juncture in our life.
Next time it comes calling, listen to it with a level of curiosity that you have never experienced before, it may just be the one thing that saves your life.
Would you like to TAP into YOUR Intuition ?
That’s what Ben Angel’s brand new book, “Bigger, Better, Harder, FASTER! Sleeping Your Way to The Top,” is all about. Containing over 50+ scientific studies on human behaviour and a highly 'revealing,' entertaining and inspirational personal journey, SYWTTT will show you how you can; achieve more in 30 days than in 3 months, decode the 'x' factor, discover secrets to instant influence and find the moment when everything 'CLICKS' and falls into place for you! CLICK HERE TO ORDER YOUR COPY NOW! Plus, find out how you could claim close to $1000 worth of bonus gifts when you order today - offer ending shortly, be quick!Go here now!
Not only write one, but get it accepted into the media!
We'll, to help, this week I've created a basic free press release template you can download straight away to assist. This press release template has assisted me in appearing in the following media;
The Herald Sun
The Leader Newspapers
The Age
A Current Affair
The Producer
The Sydney Daily Telegraph
To download your Free Press Release Template, simply complete your details below...
