Try Harder #atozchallenge

Business Success (Photo credit: Augur Marketing)

         Throughout this A to Z series I've read a number of comments that essentially have said something similar to "I'm scared", "I don't have the skill to do that", "I couldn't do this on my own", "I don't know anyone who could help me", "I can't afford to do this",  "I don't think I could do this", and so on. Self-defeating excuses like this call for a push to try harder.

        I understand that it might be easier for me or someone else to make the suggestions than for you to actually attempt some of the suggestions I've offered during the April Challenge.  Isn't that often the case?  Sayin' ain't the same as doin'.   Nevertheless if you aren't at least trying to do something then nothing is apt to be the result.

         Only you know for sure whether or not you've tried hard enough. Be honest in your self-assessment.  In the end it's your promotion and you are the one who has the most to benefit.   If you've tried a promotional tactic and it didn't work then you need to be brutally honest with yourself.   Did you give it your all?  Could you have done more?   Should you try again and this time try harder?

          Never starting is worse than giving up.  Believe in yourself.   Turn off the negativity and the excuses.

           Try your best and always try harder.   And then when that doesn't work, try again or try something new.  Your success is ultimately your own responsibility. How badly do you want that success?

          Do you tend to give up easily?    Are you persistent in trying to reach a goal?   Who do you think is most responsible in helping you attain success?

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Educate Your Ego #atozchallenge

Humility is not thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less.
(Photo credit: symphony of love)

         When it comes to self-promoting, many of you start experiencing ego deflation.   A lack of self confidence and fear that you are not good enough can hamper your ability to sell yourself to others.  Maybe it's time for a self-evaluation.  Take inventory of what it is that you are offering others and then look deeper to see what else you might be missing.

          You have talents.  You have something to give others.  You are valuable in your uniqueness.  And now you have to convince yourself.   It's time to educate your ego.

           The concept of ego often is put in a bad light and for good reason.  An egocentric person can come across as very unlikeable and annoying.   You don't want to be that person.   You are important, but you also need to keep others in mind.

           Teach yourself to carry yourself with a air of confidence but not arrogance.  Paying attention to your appearance, mannerisms, and speech will make that good initial impression on others.  The way you behave and treat others after the first encounter will carry the relationship forward in a positive manner.

            Don't hide behind a mask of fakery, but be personable and approachable.  You may know more than others regarding your field of expertise, but that doesn't make you better than your market audience.   Maybe you  are smarter than others--perhaps brilliant--but condescension doesn't make you attractive to those whom you are addressing.   If you want to win others over to your side it's helpful to be at least somewhat nice.

           Learn by doing.  In your encounters with others gage reactions carefully to learn what gets a point across well and what doesn't.  Get feedback from others.  Ask those you trust how they think you've done in your communication efforts.

            Most of all, look at the end results of what you are doing.  Did you get the results you were hoping for?   If not why?   Be honest with your self-assessments.  Don't let yourself get in the way of what you are trying to do.

           Do you think you might have an inflated ego?    What draws you to another person?   Are there any particular sales techniques that you think are particularly effective?

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Making the News: Why You Should Be Promoting Yourself

Warning! -- this is a somewhat long post with some very useful information

            On yesterday's post I extended a challenge to each of you to do something that will not only help the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge become something bigger and better, but also help you in whatever it is that you do in your own life.   If you have not read my previous post I hope you will go back to see what I have to say.

             Some may have run away from my Saturday post with an "I'm scared" or an "I can't do that" attitude.   Others may be pooh-poohing the idea as something that won't work or is nonviable.  The ones I'll be addressing in this post are those who believe in themselves and what they can do.   I'm talking to those of you who seek success and want the best for themselves.

              There are essentially three kinds of people in life.  There are those who watch other people achieve their dreams and marvel at their successes or deride those accomplishments.   Then there are those who dream dreams and wonder, "This is a great idea--somebody should do this."   And finally, there are those who latch on to an idea and run with it, despite any discouragement directed toward their efforts, and they either succeed or they try again until they do.  My new challenge to you is directed to those who are part of this last group.

              There are many ways to promote something.  Those of you who are Tweeting about the Challenge or posting on FaceBook or spreading the word via your blog or some other social media venue are doing a great job and I encourage you to keep this up.  However, today I want to address using news media to get the message to the public and what some of the repercussions are in doing this.  

Is the Blogging from A to Z Challenge news?  

Consider the following:

J.M. who has been confined to a wheelchair since childhood has made friends throughout the world via his ham radio hobby.

Mr. and Mrs. E.J.  have cared for eleven different foster children over the past twenty years.

Mr. and Mrs. H.C. celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with a trip to Myrtle Beach, NC.

The S. family recently returned from a two week vacation to New York City where they visited many famous attractions and saw a Broadway show. 

A wallet lost by W.W. was found by his dog.

Eight students from M. High School will be participating in a Junior Achievement conference to be held in N. in February.

         What do the above have in common?  They are all actual stories I have seen in a local paper.  Were they important?  To the people involved, perhaps.  Were they interesting?  Debatable. 

Now what about these:

Local author joins worldwide blogging challenge.

Student bloggers at M. High School join challenge to Blog through the alphabet.

Popular poetess composes a poem per day during the month of April.

Long lost friends are reunited through blogging challenge.

          Would you be interested in these stories?   Do you think others might like reading about these as much as they would someone's vacation?   If the stories were well presented, they would certainly get someone's attention. 

What is news anyway?


          A newspaper delivers what is termed "hard news" and "soft news".   Hard news is the major stuff that reporters are busy digging up.  These are the events that effect us or other people in potentially big ways.  This is the news that appears on the front pages and oftentimes receives extensive coverage.

          Much of the rest of the paper uses filler material in the form of soft news.   A lot of this soft news comes from press releases that people send in to reporters or news desks.  Newspapers rely on these press releases to give added content to the newspaper.

           If accepted, the story will often go into the paper as it has been received or with minor revisions.  Occasionally, a reporter may find the story to be interesting enough to follow up and get more information.  It may be expanded into a feature which can oftentimes include photographs.  Newspapers welcome press releases.  They are part of what is news.

What do press releases cover?
      
Community news --- The things that people, businesses or organizations in the community are doing.


Upcoming events -- Things that are going to be happening that people will want to be watching for.


Human interest-- Personalized stories about individuals or groups that are inspiring or entertaining.

             Any of these could potentially relate to the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.  You can put your own personal spin on the story of the Challenge.  In the third person, tell the readers who you are and what you do.  Connect this information about you to the grander scope of this Challenge that involves participants from throughout the world.

What to include in your press release:

              Make sure you drop in a few things about what you want to make known about yourself.  If you've recently written a book or have one soon to be released, mention it.  Or if you are involved with a particular cause or charity, include something about that.  This can even be a time to discreetly give a plug to your business or a product.  Just be sure it somehow fits in with the Challenge news so that your press release doesn't sound like a blatant advertising promotion for you and your products. A newspaper would prefer that you buy advertising for that.   Include the address to your blog so readers can come to see what you've been talking about.   Feel free to leave mine as well if you want readers to be directed to the information about the challenge and the list of participants.

             Remember that when writing a press release about yourself you should make it sound like it has been written by someone other than you.  Give the vital information without going into too much detail.  Put a good spin on your own story and connect it with something larger than just you so readers can better identify and feel that they are a part of your story.

         You're a writer--make the story seem interesting and relevant.    However a press release should also be fairly short--maybe 200 to 400 words.  Leave a contact so they can reach you if they want more information.  This is how feature stories start.   A feature writer hears a story and decides if it's worth expanding upon or even adding pictures.

Why would you want to be in the news:

          As I've already said, most of you have something that you are involved with that you want people to know about.  A news story can start that ball rolling.   You will often gain added search engine presence with the story.   If you are trying to build a platform or even a resume, it doesn't hurt to have news stories about you circulating--if they're about something good of course.   And a news story looks good in a scrapbook or even framed on your wall.

        Connecting yourself to something bigger like Blogging from A to Z makes your presence a little more significant and adds interest to your story.   There is something fun and uplifting about seeing your name in print and knowing that others will be reading it.  If you are blogging, you are probably trying to have your name recognized in some way.  Being in the news is another way of being noticed.

        More awareness of the Challenge will provide incentive to do our best if we know more people may be watching us. Our writing may improve and gain more exposure.   We will expand our potential for making connections with others who don't normally see our blogs.   This will increase our networking opportunities for the future.

        In upcoming posts I will talk more about the press release and how to get it into the right hands.  You can do the research yourself as well.   Google "press releases" and you can find plenty of information on how to format and compose your release.   If you do a search of the newspaper or other media that you'd like to submit to, you can find out about what procedures they require and who to contact.  It's all out there and it doesn't take long to find the most pertinent information.

         Try it--it's a writing exercise that will help hone your skills.  And if you haven't had to send out press releases already, someday you might need to.   That is, of course, unless your press agent does that for you.
Can I see a show of hands of everyone who has a press agent?

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Addendum:  sample press release--
          This has already been a very long post, but Alex J. Cavanaugh asked me to include a sample press release which I will add here.  I may include additional samples in the future.   I am not formatting it like it should be--you can find formatting information if you look up "press release format" on Google.

              Local Author Joins Worldwide Blog Event


         Alex J. Cavanaugh, author of the novel CassaStar which is now enjoying a successful release, is going to take a break from writing his next book to participate in the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge with hundreds of other bloggers from around the world.



The local author began blogging a year ago at the advice of his publisher Dancing Lemur Press. Since starting his blog, he has accumulated a legion of fans he affectionately refers to as “Alex’s Army”.


The turning point in amassing his army of blog followers was in April of 2010 when he joined in the A to Z Blogging Challenge that was started by fellow blogger Arlee Bird from Los Angeles.


“Last April, I was a new blogger,” says Cavanaugh. “It was the best thing I could've done for my blog. I got to know so many awesome people and those of us who participated became like family. We grew and stretched together. And we had a blast in the process!”


Poetess and blogger Yvonne Lewis from England is also sold on the concept. She will be returning again this April to match last year’s feat of twenty-six poems during the month with each one themed with a letter of the alphabet.


“I am so pleased that there is to be another A to Z,” said Yvonne. “Through last years challenge I gained more fans. It was fun and it brought a lot of people together via our computers. I wouldn't have missed it for the world and I will be doing it again this year.”


Due to Alex Cavanaugh’s enthusiasm for the A to Z Challenge and his rapport with so many other bloggers, he was invited this year along with six other bloggers from throughout the United States and England to co-host the event.


“Last year the Challenge was so popular that I knew that 2011 would be more than I could handle by myself,” said Arlee Bird. “I asked some of the best bloggers I knew if they would help me out this year—the response was an enthusiastic ‘Yes!’”


Cavanaugh expects that 2012 will be even bigger, but first they’ll have to make it through this April.  All bloggers are invited to join in and anyone is welcome to read through the progress of the Challenge.  You can visit Alex J. Cavanaugh’s blog and find out more about the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge at alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com.

         I am not a professional copywriter.  Some of you may have a better grasp of writing these things than I do.  I welcome any corrections or comments concerning the above sample.   I will say that from my experience, something like the above is usually adequate enough copy to be accepted by a newspaper.  Just make sure you include contact information in case they want to take it a step further and do a feature article.
Also it's not a bad idea to include a publicity photo of yourself (sorry Alex).  Just like it's suggested for blogs, newspapers often like to have a picture to go with the story.
 
          I sincerely hope that some of you will consider putting something together today and try to get it submitted somewhere this week.   I will be posting more on this topic in the next few days.  Good luck!
 
 
 
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More Challenges: Reaching for the Stars

   

All achievements, all earned riches, have their beginning in an idea.
- Napoleon Hill -

If you can dream it, you can do it.
- Walt Disney -



         We are climbing towards the magic 500!   Wow!   What a job you all are doing.  You have been making a great effort to make the A to Z Challenge a success. There have been some really helpful posts that have provided very useful information. I have been enjoying these posts and I thank each of you for these. Now I'm wondering who would like to step this Challenge up a bit?

         It's an exciting feeling to be a part of something big.  If you've ever run in a big marathon, been part of a big campaign, or just pitched in and helped others accomplish something really big, it can make you feel bigger and better about what you've done after it's over.  To look back and be able to tell others that you were a part something that was a major event can give you a sense of accomplishment and historical significance.  Wouldn't you like to look back on the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge of 2011 and be proud to say that you were a part of it?

          That why I'm asking you to help make this challenge a truly momentous event.   I am proposing two additional challenges to help Blogging from A to Z  become something bigger and more memorable:

1) Tell a friend:   I am challenging each of you to invite at least one friend to join us in this upcoming week.  I know that many of you have already been doing this and thanks to those efforts many bloggers have added their names to our list of A to Zers.  But there are still a lot of you who know other bloggers who haven't joined up yet. You bloggers will have the greatest sway in convincing your friends not to be left out of the fun.   If a quarter of you can persuade at least one friend to join up we will be well over the 500 mark by the end of this week.  How many more bloggers can you get to join us in the Challenge?



2) Tell the world:   I also challenge you to write up a press release to send in to your local paper or other publications. This may be tougher for some of you.  Some folks will be "afraid" and think they don't know how to do this.  Tomorrow (Sunday 3/13) and Wednesday (3/16) I'm going to offer some suggestions on how to approach this.
         I'm sure that many of you A to Z participants know someone connected with a publication who might be able to help you do this or have had some experience in getting press releases published and already know how to go about this.
          Any of us who have something to promote will find it advantageous to have our names and products mentioned as being connected with this world encompassing A to Z Challenge. The large publications might be more difficult, but small town newspapers, local newsletters, or specialized websites are definitely can-do. I invite anyone who gets something about the Challenge published to put it up on their blog so they can share it with all of us. If you email me a copy or a link I will also feature it on my blog.

*******************

              I am putting forth these challenges to every one of you.  Since we already know that no one of any of us in the challenge can effectively visit and reach out individually to every participant, I figure it will be better to be a part of something big. Let me know what you think of these challenge ideas.

             Having our names attached to a big event that gets a lot of attention will be beneficial to each of us and to whatever it is that we do.  This Challenge is a reputation builder for us. It certainly can't hurt to get your products or agendas or your names buzzing around the news, blogs, and search engine pages. There's nothing better than getting others to get the word out for us. I hope this sounds good to you. If so, please push these ideas on your sites as well.

             The World Premiere of The Blogging from A to Z April Challenge 2011 will be happening on April 1st.    Our Grand Opening happens in three weeks!   I'd like to see a stellar premiere on April 1st.

          Why just be contented with telling each other about the Challenge?   Let's spread the word to our friends, neighbors, and families.   Let's tell the world!

         Tomorrow I will be addressing some of the reasons why we might want to be contacting media and how it benefits you personally.   Then, this coming Wednesday March 16th, I will be talking about the topic of press releases--what they are and how to work with them.  This is information that can help those of you willing to forge ahead with the challenges I've given you today and for your own use in the future.

          This coming Monday I will be appearing on Alex J. Cavanaugh's blog to tell the story of how this Challenge all came about in the first place.   My blog will be visited by a guest host who lives in Japan.  He sent me an email this morning to tell me that he is okay.  But let's not forget to keep our wonderful friends in Japan in our prayers as they deal with their current tragedy.




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Persnickety Penman: Promoting Yourself

         I'm very pleased to announce that a very short article that I have written appears in the current edition of Jackson Brigade Quarterly (Vol. 18, No.2 issue dated February 2010).  Actually it is a self-promotional piece about me and my blog.  I plan to discuss this in more depth in my posting for this coming Wednesday, February 17.  But this inspired my post for today:  How are you at promoting yourself?

         Over the course of my various careers, I have had several instances where my writing has appeared in print, primarily in the form of press releases or feature stories that have promoted myself, someone I know (usually a family member), or a business enterprise in which I was involved.  Often this was just a matter doing what I needed to do to promote business and I didn't really think of it as my writing--after all my name didn't appear as an author of the piece and nobody probably even thought about who wrote it.  Some of these articles were clipped and sit in a box or a file somewhere in my house and some I probably never even actually saw. 

         The press release is standard procedure for anyone who is trying to promote themselves or their agenda.  Usually if the release is formatted correctly, sent to the right person, and has some relevant topical interest it will appear in the pages of a newspaper.  But is that all you really want?  Is it adequate enough to just have a little blurb hidden away somewhere in the newsprint pages announcing the publication of your book or a book signing where you will be appearing?  As far as I am concerned that is better than nothing, but why not shoot for more?

       In my many years in show business I found that a newspaper would like to see a show buy some advertising to promote the appearance of that show in their town, but they are also hungry for interesting stories that can appear on their pages.  It was standard procedure for our show's advance team to provide local media with press kits with press releases and photos.  That was often enough to get at least one story in print. However, sometimes when I could see an additional tie-in with our show, I would write up a special story to send to the appropriate editor.  Sometimes they would use that story and more often than not they would send a reporter and photographer to do their own feature story.  If I hadn't taken the effort to promote myself and my agenda nobody else would have.

      For example, if our show was going to play a town where I or one of my cast members had come from or gone to school, I would let the local media know.  This was an item of local interest.  Or, my wife and I were traveling with our children and sometimes there might be a story related to that--human interest.  Occasionally, we would visit a hospital or school and media would show up to capture those special charitible moments which in turn called attention to our show.  Somebody had to make the contacts to make these connections that in turn inspired stories in which people would be interested.

       If you want to become a more widely known writer and you don't have someone doing the work for you, you should definitely consider more self-promotion. Come on--it's not that bad of a thing.  Sometimes we might think we are bragging or being egotistical.  Is there anything wrong with that if it is true?  Get over any embarrassment or fear that you might have about self-promotion.  Distance yourself from the project of promotion if you must; in other words make you, the author, and you, the promotional business person, two seperate things.  However, if you are truly confident in your book, you should be proud to get it out into the hands of the public.  Let's face it, if the public does not know about you and your work, then you are going to have a much more difficult time in getting your product into their hands.

      While you are out there promoting, try to find exceptionally creative ways of getting yourself and your book known.  Make yourself and your book relevant to the reading public.  Part of this is your platform and you should take advantage of that to the greatest extent that you can.  The other part is creatively finding opportunities to which you can connect yourself.  Contact media in locales where you may have connections to do a story about you and your book.   If you have written something historical,  connect your piece with a local celebration of the event or in conjunction with a feature about a historical site or the like.  Call attention to something notable that you have recently done or been involved with and casually mention your book in the process.  Your opportunities are really unlimited.  You just have to find them and exploit them.

        You can spend all the money you can get your hands on to promote the sales of your books and there is no guarantee that you'll make back a penny of it.  You can invest in book fairs and conferences--it can help but it's still self-promotion.  If you don't have a big bankroll to spend on these things, the best thing you can do is start investing your time and creativity into what is essentially free advertising.  After all, the best advertising is the free advertising you get through word of mouth and stories in the press.  More than likely this will all have to start with you.

       Whatever your circumstance may be, you should not be embarrassed to self-promote yourself.  All businesses do it to generate sales.  If you are trying to sell your books, then you are a business.  For most of us our books aren't going to sell on the basis of our names and good looks alone.  That's why we have to get out there and make our names known and convince people that there is something about us and our books that they might--no should!---be interested in.