Boost Your Profile & Your Profits
33 Ways To INSTANTLY Appeal to The Media
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 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
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