This is the final part of a five part series on promoting in the media. If you have not yet read the earlier segments, you can find them here:
Part 1 -- The Media Challenge
Part 2 --Why you should promote yourself?
Part 3 -- An easy way to get press coverage
Part 4 -- What is a press release?
The Story Is You!
This is the last in the series about getting press coverage (it's about time some of you may be thinking). Once I got started on the topic though I began to realize that this is a very important topic for any of us who have, or expect to one day have, something to promote. Even if we have someone doing our promotion for us, it's still not a bad idea to know the ins and outs of how publicity works.
The promotion challenge that I extended a few posts ago was to try to get something in the media telling about the A to Z Challenge and what your role in the Challenge is. Blogging from A to Z can be looked at as an international story since hundreds of bloggers from over twenty countries are participating. Every one of you represent a link in a chain of interconnecting communication that extends around the globe. In my eyes that can be seen as a story that is news.
A story can certainly be written from the international perspective, however I am suggesting that if you choose to try my publicity challenge that you make the story about you. You are a part of this larger challenge that is in its second year and has grown five-fold so far. Think big! And in the process see yourself as someone who has a story to tell.
What is your story?
Each of you has a unique story to tell about who you are and what you do. Your ulterior motive should be to gain a foothold in your future, or if you already have something to promote, in the present. Your story should have a broad appeal that speaks to many. In other words, it's not just about your book or whatever you are promoting, but also about how you are connected to your world and to those who read your story.
In the context of the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge of 2011, let me offer some of the following ideas that you could apply to your own blogging story:
1) Your personal journey--the story of your book, product, blog, or what have you and how you will tie it in to the A to Z Challenge. If you did the Challenge last year, how did it affect you? Where are you going in the future? This is a human interest story.
2) Your art and your life as an artist -- Yvonne from Welcome to My World of Poetry or Vinay from I Rhyme Without Reason both gave us a poem everyday of the challenge last year and will be doing the same this year. Others of you may be presenting your arts or crafts. We are all artists in some form or another. Perhaps this can be part of your story--your creations presented on the world stage via the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.
3) Your cause or charity -- Perhaps you might be blogging in April using topics related to a charity or a health issue. Something like this can offer great opportunities for publicity. For example, if you were planning a series of articles about "Diabetes from A to Z" you might contact the local branch of a Diabetes Awareness group. You could let them know what you plan to do, get their endorsement, and maybe some quotes from a spokesperson and put it all in a press release. This approach could be taken with any group that has a cause to promote.
4) Your knowledge or expertise -- If you are going to do your A to Z series on a particular field of knowledge such as science, social studies, literature, etc, you might arrange to give a presentation to a school class, at a library, or to some other group about your field of knowledge. Notify the paper about this and tell your blogging story as part of the news release about the presentation you have given or are scheduled to give.
5) Your ties with the community -- Are you going to blog about the area where you live--the history, the people, the sights? Ally yourself with a local museum, chamber of commerce, tourist bureau, or another local group and get some publicity for the A to Z Challenge tied in with the group you are with.
6) Book, music, or other reviews -- Contact the entertainment editor of the local paper or find some of those free entertainment publications that you often see outside of restaurants, music stores, etc and try to get a story about your month of reviews. Who knows--you might end up with a job reviewing.
Use Your Imagination!
Above, I have offered just a few ideas to stimulate your thinking. In a publicity story you need to find that which is unique to you and how you integrate your uniqueness into your community. Ask yourself what makes you special, what your unique talents are, and why people would be interested in your talents. Then you want to tell where and when readers can find out more about you, which in this case is the Blogging from A to Z Challenge in April.
If your story is written in an intriguing manner and tells a good story, readers will be interested in you and in the Challenge. With the publication of an article you will have expanded your presence in the public eye. Done right, your story will leave the readers wanting more and the next time they hear your name they might remember it.
Seeing Is Believing!
I have put forth the challenge and we have the first article. The amazing Nicki Elson, author of the novel Three Daves, got her first article on an online news site affiliated with the Chicago Tribune and you've got to read it cause it's darn good.
Check it out: Nicki's news story
As you can see Nicki did it right. She got information about herself, her book, and the A to Z Challenge all tied together in the story. And her topics for April sound pretty cool too! So let's give Nicki a big hand and then drop by her blog, follow her, and let her know what you thought of her article. She hasn't stopped there either--she said she will be submitting the press release to other papers in the Chicago area including print media.
Nicki's story is proof that it can be done. Now who's next--we're anxious to read your stories.
***********************
If you've been trying to figure out what to write about in April, be sure to check out Jeffrey Beesler's World of the Scribe today (3/17). He will be offering some ideas about picking a topic--a helpful post not only for the A to Z Challenge, but for anytime.
Tomorrow (3/18) on Jen Daiker's blog Nicki Elson will be a featured guest. If you missed Jen's post on Monday she had some A to Z tips that might be of help to you.
Also tomorrow Alex J Cavanaugh will be delivering another interesting post with tips for the A to Z Challenge.
Oh, and in case you didn't notice, last night we hit 500 participants signed up to the Challenge. That magic entry was submitted by L..Diane Wolf at Spunk on a Stick. Drop by and tell her hello and while you're at it check out her Monday post, Finding and Pitching to the Media--WHAT A GREAT POST! This is the perfect accompaniment to what I've been talking about this week. She provides some super useful links so do not miss this post.
Happy St Patrick's Day!
*****************
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
The Press Release
Recap: If you've been following this series on promotion you may want to scroll down to the next section "What is a Press Release?"
Today we go a bit deeper into the topic of press releases. What has turned into a topic series began with a challenge to the Blogging from A to Z participants. I am encouraging all of you to try to get a story about the A to Z Challenge published in your local paper or some other special paper or newsletter, receive coverage on the airwaves (radio or television), get mentioned on an internet news or information site, and/or wherever else you can come up with. In other words, I'd like to see our efforts get greater recognition. I will post any efforts where you have been successful on my blog and may even give you an opportunity to do a guest post on Tossing It Out.
Next, we talked about the reasons why you would be interested in getting press coverage for A to Z and how getting press can help you and whatever it is you are trying to do. This post examines what news is and how you can spin your own story in order to make it news. There is a sample press release included on this post.
Then yesterday, we talked about getting press by talking to the right people. This is often the easiest way since you might not even have to write anything to submit to the paper. You've just got to make the right contacts to help you receive the coverage you need. I gave some examples in that post.
If you think that you will ever need to promote yourself or even if not, I encourage you to go back to these posts and read them. Self-promotion is essential to the success of anyone who doesn't have a publicity machine behind us--and that is most of us.
What Is a Press Release?
A press release is an announcement of anything that someone wants to be made public by the media. It can announce events, relationships, or the release of a new product. Using the example of an author this could include a public appearance at a local venue, getting a contract with a major publisher, or the release of a new book. The press release might be a combination of the above. It can apply to anybody in any situation they deem might be of interest to some segment of the population.
Press releases are used by individuals, businesses, organizations, or any entity that wants what they wish to convey to be treated as newsworthy. In order to be deemed newsworthy it should have some special significance. If you have self-published a book, the newsworthiness might not be as strong as having published the book, then appearing at the local library where a minor local celebrity will be introducing you. You want to pack as much relevant content into the release without cluttering it with non-essential information.
The press release should follow the standards of any news story in answering the questions of who, what, when, where, and why. The story should be well-written with good grammatical style. My suggestion would be to read some informational announcements in the paper and see how they are written. A good place to find these articles is in the business, entertainment, or community news sections of the paper. You will begin to identify a particular style of writing and presentation in articles based on a press release.
How should a press release be prepared?
Typically a standard informational press release will be written tersely in a straight-forward manner. If you are writing a press release you are probably better off to avoid too much creative writing and stick to reporting. This is not to say a creatively written piece won't be accepted, but it's better to save that until you've talked to someone beforehand and they've invited you to write one. Often if the story is considered of enough interest, the press media will have a reporter get more info and they will embellish the story into a feature.
It's usually very important to follow the standard rules of formatting your release. My advice is to do a Google search for terms like "press release format" or "press release template". A search engine will provide you with many sites that will give you the proper way to format your article for submission.
What do I do with my press release when it is ready?
Once you've gotten your press release written, contact the places you want to send it to either via in-person visit, email, or phone. It's a good idea to actually find out the name of the person to whom the press release should be delivered and directly communicate with that person. You can start with the local papers. The contact lists are usually somewhere in the front pages or on the editorial page of the paper. I've found that now it's even better to see if the paper has a website. The website will usually have the names of who is responsible for what and explicit information on how to submit your story.
Some real-life examples
Now for some specific examples taken from my past experience: For many years I managed a touring theatrical production. Like any author or business should have, we had a press kit that was sent to whoever was promoting the show before we arrived. The kit included 3 to 4 generic fill-in-the-blank stories that could be submitted to the local paper and radio or television stations. Every town we visited had the same generic stories to use and the person submitting them would merely copy the stories and fill in the blanks for time, place, and name of sponsor. The paper or media source would use them as they received them or rewrite them to be more entertaining.
All of the examples I am using are from the 1979 tour of The Magic of Cinderella performed by "The World of Fantasy Players". First here are two examples of stories that were put in the paper exactly as submitted according to our press release script:
Today we go a bit deeper into the topic of press releases. What has turned into a topic series began with a challenge to the Blogging from A to Z participants. I am encouraging all of you to try to get a story about the A to Z Challenge published in your local paper or some other special paper or newsletter, receive coverage on the airwaves (radio or television), get mentioned on an internet news or information site, and/or wherever else you can come up with. In other words, I'd like to see our efforts get greater recognition. I will post any efforts where you have been successful on my blog and may even give you an opportunity to do a guest post on Tossing It Out.
Next, we talked about the reasons why you would be interested in getting press coverage for A to Z and how getting press can help you and whatever it is you are trying to do. This post examines what news is and how you can spin your own story in order to make it news. There is a sample press release included on this post.
Then yesterday, we talked about getting press by talking to the right people. This is often the easiest way since you might not even have to write anything to submit to the paper. You've just got to make the right contacts to help you receive the coverage you need. I gave some examples in that post.
If you think that you will ever need to promote yourself or even if not, I encourage you to go back to these posts and read them. Self-promotion is essential to the success of anyone who doesn't have a publicity machine behind us--and that is most of us.
What Is a Press Release?
A press release is an announcement of anything that someone wants to be made public by the media. It can announce events, relationships, or the release of a new product. Using the example of an author this could include a public appearance at a local venue, getting a contract with a major publisher, or the release of a new book. The press release might be a combination of the above. It can apply to anybody in any situation they deem might be of interest to some segment of the population.
Press releases are used by individuals, businesses, organizations, or any entity that wants what they wish to convey to be treated as newsworthy. In order to be deemed newsworthy it should have some special significance. If you have self-published a book, the newsworthiness might not be as strong as having published the book, then appearing at the local library where a minor local celebrity will be introducing you. You want to pack as much relevant content into the release without cluttering it with non-essential information.
The press release should follow the standards of any news story in answering the questions of who, what, when, where, and why. The story should be well-written with good grammatical style. My suggestion would be to read some informational announcements in the paper and see how they are written. A good place to find these articles is in the business, entertainment, or community news sections of the paper. You will begin to identify a particular style of writing and presentation in articles based on a press release.
How should a press release be prepared?
Typically a standard informational press release will be written tersely in a straight-forward manner. If you are writing a press release you are probably better off to avoid too much creative writing and stick to reporting. This is not to say a creatively written piece won't be accepted, but it's better to save that until you've talked to someone beforehand and they've invited you to write one. Often if the story is considered of enough interest, the press media will have a reporter get more info and they will embellish the story into a feature.
It's usually very important to follow the standard rules of formatting your release. My advice is to do a Google search for terms like "press release format" or "press release template". A search engine will provide you with many sites that will give you the proper way to format your article for submission.
What do I do with my press release when it is ready?
Once you've gotten your press release written, contact the places you want to send it to either via in-person visit, email, or phone. It's a good idea to actually find out the name of the person to whom the press release should be delivered and directly communicate with that person. You can start with the local papers. The contact lists are usually somewhere in the front pages or on the editorial page of the paper. I've found that now it's even better to see if the paper has a website. The website will usually have the names of who is responsible for what and explicit information on how to submit your story.
Some real-life examples
Now for some specific examples taken from my past experience: For many years I managed a touring theatrical production. Like any author or business should have, we had a press kit that was sent to whoever was promoting the show before we arrived. The kit included 3 to 4 generic fill-in-the-blank stories that could be submitted to the local paper and radio or television stations. Every town we visited had the same generic stories to use and the person submitting them would merely copy the stories and fill in the blanks for time, place, and name of sponsor. The paper or media source would use them as they received them or rewrite them to be more entertaining.
All of the examples I am using are from the 1979 tour of The Magic of Cinderella performed by "The World of Fantasy Players". First here are two examples of stories that were put in the paper exactly as submitted according to our press release script:
 |
| Generic press release stories click on image to enlarge |
Including Photographs
Also included in the press packet was a sheet of 4 photographs depicting scenes from the production. These were publicity photos staged prior to the tour and taken by a professional photographer. It is always preferable to include a photo in any press release because it attracts more attention. If you are sending out a press release about the A to Z Challenge and including something about yourself in the story, you should include a photo of yourself.
But going back to our show--sometimes the paper would use a photo and include a very condensed version of the press release to use as a caption. Photo with press release info condensed into caption is shown below:
 |
| Publicity photo with portion of press release used in caption click photo to enlarge |
The Biggest Coup of All!
One of the best things that can happen is that you score not only the press release story, but also an accompanying photo. Beyond that, a feature story inspired by your submitted press release with a special photo spread is the ultimate goal. This is very achievable if you've put the right spin on the story and made yourself accessible for an interview. That's when you can really self-promote.
Below you can see where the paper has used the complete press release story and included a publicity photo (the guard in the funny hat and the beard is me):
 |
| Complete press release with publicity photo |
A Final Thought for You
I keep hearing hints from some of you that you don't feel comfortable self-promoting. My question is "Why?". Don't think of it as bragging or anything like that. Believe in yourself and what you have to offer. Then be ready and willing to share it with the world. If you have a book or some product that you want people to buy, then you need to have total confidence and believe that people need what you have. If you are at that level of thinking, it shouldn't take much more to be excited about wanting to tell others about it.
If it's rejection you are afraid of then get over it. You've already been rejected plenty in your life and there will be more rejection to come. Get over it and just keep pressing forward. If you've got some big things coming up that you fear may be rejected, like book queries and the like, trying to get some press on how you are participating in the A to Z Challenge and how other bloggers might like to join us should be small potatoes. If you've put together your press release the right way, your press release shouldn't be rejected and even if it is you haven't lost anything over it. You will have overcome some fear and that should help you in the things you do in the future.
Just try it to see if you can do it. I'm anxious to hear some of your stories about what you encountered. If you have any questions or comments feel free to contact me. One of the reasons I've been stretching this story out into this series is that I've had more direct emails regarding this than for anything else that has appeared previously on my blog. A lot of you are interested in this topic of promotion and for good reason. I'm looking forward to seeing some of the stories you get in the public eye.
Tomorrow I'll conclude the series with some examples of how to spin your story to make it more interesting to the reading audience.
Have you tried writing a press release yet? Have you made any attempts at submitting a story?
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
An Easier Way to Get a News Story
Reaching the Right Person
Recently I've put forth some new challenges and discussed promoting yourself through the media. If you haven't read these two posts yet, you might want to go back to look at these if you are interested in promoting yourself and your products.
I realize that the concept of writing a press release and getting to a media contact may sound intimidating to some. In my next post I will return to the topic of the press release, however today I'd like to look at a method that is in reality easier once you've made the right media contact.
Take a look at the opening lines of a story by noted sports news writer Ted Riggs that appeared in the Sunday February 5, 1967 edition of The Knoxville News-Sentinel:
My dad just called the Knoxville paper and told them he had a story for them. After they heard his pitch they apparently decided this would be a good story for the sports pages since the local sports scene was slower in February and they were always looking for something to fill the pages during the lull in the season. They gave the story to award winning sports reporter Ted Riggs, who was known for his ability to be able to put a unique spin on any story. And that he did. That story gained me a bit of a reputation at school and got our family name out in the local scene, where we had recently relocated to six months earlier.
Shortly after my father made his pitch, Mr. Riggs drove the twenty miles to our house and brought along with him the noted photographer Bill Dye. Not only had we scored the coup of a story in the newspaper, we were going to get the added bonus of an accompanying photo (as seen below). A photo almost always guarantees that readers will be more drawn to a story.
My father did this often. He would walk into a newspaper office, call them, or snag a press person he met at an event and tell them about the great news story that he had for them and more often than not he'd get a story in the paper. He didn't have to write a word. He would just make the story known and then talk to the reporter who would write the story for him
I'm Not Like That! I Don't Have the Nerve!
I realize not everyone has the chutzpa to just walk up to somebody and start promoting themself. You may feel a little shy or embarrassed about doing this. So why not get somebody to do it for you? I'll bet your mother, spouse, kids, or some other friend or relative would be willing to do it. Let someone who's gutsy who cares about helping you know what you'd like to do and I'm sure you can find somebody to help.
You can also ask someone who has experience submitting press information. Think of someone at your church, in the local PTA, in an organization you are part of, on your kid's sports team, or what have you. Most organizations put someone in charge of submitting announcements or other news. Ask that person how they go about it and who they contact. They might even be willing to go with you and introduce you to their contact.
Some of you may even know someone who works for a newspaper or radio or television station. Or maybe you know someone who knows one of these people. You can start anywhere--even the person who delivers your paper.
Back when I was managing a touring stage show I was looking for an actress to play the lead in a production of Snow White. The female lead that I had hired dropped out at the last minute and rehearsals were due to start in a couple of weeks. I was at home in Tennessee on a break before we were to start.
In desperation I put an ad in the local newspaper for a week advertising the job opening. When the ad appeared a light bulb came on in my head about a story for the paper and my search for "Snow White".
I went back to the newspaper office and asked the lady who had sold me the ad space if she could help me get a story in the paper. She was agreeable, but asked if I could write one. Having thought ahead of time, I handed the story over to her. The next day the following story appeared in the paper just as I had written it: A few days later I had my ideal Snow White, who incidentally is now a writer.
A Final Word of Encouragement
Come up with your story and put a spin on your story. Think of why the story is interesting. Make a list of the relevant information that you want to deliver to the public and the story that goes with it. Then get that story into the hands of the person who will see that it is delivered to the public you want to reach.
Just remember that the people who work in the media are just people and it's highly unlikely they are going to laugh at you or slam a door in your face. They are probably more than willing to help you and you should approach them with the attitude that you are helping them find a good story--which you are! Be ready to answer their questions. And definitely be as positive and confident as you can be.
It's similar to trying to pitch your book or a product you're trying to sell, except it's a lot easier and has a much higher rate of acceptance. Once you start doing it, trying to get press coverage gets easier and you learn what works and what doesn't. Don't forget to keep track of the names of the contacts you make--you made need them later.
Have you ever submitted a story idea or piece of news to a newspaper or other news venue? What was your experience? Do you belong to an organization or work for a company that has a press person or department? What do you think is the best medium to use for getting free publicity?
********
Recently I've put forth some new challenges and discussed promoting yourself through the media. If you haven't read these two posts yet, you might want to go back to look at these if you are interested in promoting yourself and your products.
I realize that the concept of writing a press release and getting to a media contact may sound intimidating to some. In my next post I will return to the topic of the press release, however today I'd like to look at a method that is in reality easier once you've made the right media contact.
Take a look at the opening lines of a story by noted sports news writer Ted Riggs that appeared in the Sunday February 5, 1967 edition of The Knoxville News-Sentinel:
LEE JACKSON, 16, finds football about as exciting as a game of Chinese Checkers.You can read the rest of the story in the clipping below. The person of whom the writer is speaking is yours truly (yes, Arlee Bird is a pseudonym and one day I'll tell that story). Why did this reporter interview me and my family? It's because my father talked to someone at the newspaper about us and suggested that they might want to do a story. My dad was always trying to get our name in the paper because he wanted to promote our juggling act. He wasn't at all shy about self-promoting to newspapers, television, or wherever he might get our name mentioned. It's part of the business of entertainment.
He is just mildly interested in baseball and has a take-it-or-leave-it attitude toward basketball.
Lee, an Everett High sophomore, delights in watching television but is nothing more than a casual viewer of sports events. He prefers comedy and mystery programs.
Would you believe, then, that Lee Jackson has quicker hands, sharper reflexes and better balance than most first-rate high school athletes?
 |
| click image to enlarge |
Shortly after my father made his pitch, Mr. Riggs drove the twenty miles to our house and brought along with him the noted photographer Bill Dye. Not only had we scored the coup of a story in the newspaper, we were going to get the added bonus of an accompanying photo (as seen below). A photo almost always guarantees that readers will be more drawn to a story.
 |
| The extra added bonus of a photo Click on image to enlarge |
I'm Not Like That! I Don't Have the Nerve!
I realize not everyone has the chutzpa to just walk up to somebody and start promoting themself. You may feel a little shy or embarrassed about doing this. So why not get somebody to do it for you? I'll bet your mother, spouse, kids, or some other friend or relative would be willing to do it. Let someone who's gutsy who cares about helping you know what you'd like to do and I'm sure you can find somebody to help.
You can also ask someone who has experience submitting press information. Think of someone at your church, in the local PTA, in an organization you are part of, on your kid's sports team, or what have you. Most organizations put someone in charge of submitting announcements or other news. Ask that person how they go about it and who they contact. They might even be willing to go with you and introduce you to their contact.
Some of you may even know someone who works for a newspaper or radio or television station. Or maybe you know someone who knows one of these people. You can start anywhere--even the person who delivers your paper.
Back when I was managing a touring stage show I was looking for an actress to play the lead in a production of Snow White. The female lead that I had hired dropped out at the last minute and rehearsals were due to start in a couple of weeks. I was at home in Tennessee on a break before we were to start.
In desperation I put an ad in the local newspaper for a week advertising the job opening. When the ad appeared a light bulb came on in my head about a story for the paper and my search for "Snow White".
I went back to the newspaper office and asked the lady who had sold me the ad space if she could help me get a story in the paper. She was agreeable, but asked if I could write one. Having thought ahead of time, I handed the story over to her. The next day the following story appeared in the paper just as I had written it: A few days later I had my ideal Snow White, who incidentally is now a writer.
 |
| Spinning my advertising click on image to enlarge |
A Final Word of Encouragement
Come up with your story and put a spin on your story. Think of why the story is interesting. Make a list of the relevant information that you want to deliver to the public and the story that goes with it. Then get that story into the hands of the person who will see that it is delivered to the public you want to reach.
Just remember that the people who work in the media are just people and it's highly unlikely they are going to laugh at you or slam a door in your face. They are probably more than willing to help you and you should approach them with the attitude that you are helping them find a good story--which you are! Be ready to answer their questions. And definitely be as positive and confident as you can be.
It's similar to trying to pitch your book or a product you're trying to sell, except it's a lot easier and has a much higher rate of acceptance. Once you start doing it, trying to get press coverage gets easier and you learn what works and what doesn't. Don't forget to keep track of the names of the contacts you make--you made need them later.
Have you ever submitted a story idea or piece of news to a newspaper or other news venue? What was your experience? Do you belong to an organization or work for a company that has a press person or department? What do you think is the best medium to use for getting free publicity?
********
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)