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FREE Press? (How to get major columnists, journalists and reporters to talk about you in their articles…for free!)
Written by: Nick NantonArticle Overview: How to get free press for your next product or service launch!
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Free Download - Networking: A Golden Opportunity to Build Your Personal Brand By Nick Nanton |
FREE Press? (How to get major columnists, journalists and reporters to talk about you in their articles…for free!)
There’s no doubt that at some point in your career you’ve had a new product to sell, a new service you’re offering or some other piece of news that you knew would make a great story in a magazine or newspaper which could provide some great free marketing for you. The next thing that probably crossed your mind- how could you make that happen?
For most people, the problem is that they stop right there, at the “wondering” stage and just have no idea how to go from having a great story to tell to getting written up in a local or national publication. Well, not anymore! We’re going to take care of that problem right now by showing you how to get noticed by writers so you can open the door to free press.
Let’s look at this issue with an example that you are probably more familiar with first, then, we’ll tie it back into the subject at hand: getting free press. If you want to do business with someone, you usually have to connect with them several times and create a relationship of some kind, right? There aren’t many people left in this world who hear a message for the first time and bite right into it. There’s simply too much clutter flying around to take notice of everything, so most of us have to be reminded of the same message 7-9 times before we take notice of it. These writers are no different: so, what you have to do is try to find a way to start a conversation with them and build a relationship. It’s no different than you would do with any prospect in your business. So, let’s look at how you can introduce yourself and start a conversation.
Most publications publish the email address of the writers at the bottom of each column and oftentimes they even solicit a response. You will usually see a tagline that reads something like:
Questions or comments about this article? We’d love to hear from you! To let Jon know what you think of his article, email him at jon@JonDoeNews.com
How many people do you think actually take the time to email these authors? Right, not many. We even know some authors who wonder if anyone ever reads their columns! They’re dying to have somebody give them some feedback or correspond with them. They often just want someone to take notice of them, so this is where you can score some major points. Just take a few minutes to send the writer an email letting them know what you thought of their article. Just look at it as if they just started a conversation with you, laying out their entire point of view, and now they have paused and are waiting for you to give them an answer. It’s that simple. Even a short email that simply says, “hey, great article! I can’t wait to read some more of your work!” is a great start.
Most authors of major publications also have blogs in addition to their columns where they write on a more regular basis. And most of these blogs allow readers to post comments on the blog. So, run a Google® search for the author’s name or look in the publication to see if you can find a web address for their blog. If you find one, go to the blog address on your computer and bookmark it or subscribe to it by email or RSS (Really Simple Syndication – explaining this technology is beyond the scope of this article, but it’s a great technology that streams news and articles directly to you without you having to ever go back to the source to get it. Check it out, it’s great!). Be sure to check at least every few days to see what they are blogging about. Whenever you have something to say about their blog, you can post a comment. It’s the same concept as emailing them after you have read one of their columns, but, you don’t have to wait for the next publication to be printed, you can keep up-to-date and keep “the conversation” going whenever you like.
Once you have started some ongoing dialogue with a writer, and have started to build a relationship, don’t you think they might pay attention to you when you have a story for them? They sure will! Good luck and let us know about your success from using this strategy.
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About the Author: Nick Nanton RSS for Nick's articles - Visit Nick's website  Nick Nanton, Esq. is known as The Celebrity Lawyer and Agent to the top Celebrity Experts for his role in developing and marketing business and professional experts, through personal branding, to help them gain credibility and recognition for their accomplishments. Nick is recognized as the nation’s leading expert on personal branding as Fast Company Magazine’s Expert Blogger on the subject and lectures regularly on the topic at the University of Central Florida. His book Celebrity Branding You® has been selected as the textbook on personal branding at the University. Nick is recognized as one of the top thought leaders in the business world and has co-authored five best-selling books, including the breakthrough hit Celebrity Branding You!®. Nick serves as editor and publisher of Celebrity Press™, a publishing company that produces and releases books by top Business Experts. CelebrityPress has published books by Brian Tracy, Mari Smith, Ron Legrand and many other celebrity experts and Nick has led the marketing and PR campaigns that have driven more than 100 authors to Best-Seller status. Nick has been seen in USA Today, The Wall St. Journal, Newsweek, The New York Times, Entrepreneur® Magazine, FastCompany.com. The Huffington Post and has appeared on ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX television affiliates speaking on subjects ranging from branding, marketing and law, to American Idol.
Click here to visit Nick's website   Personal Branding Using Your Blog Developing Your Personal Brand Make Sure Its Unique Personal Branding Tips Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them The Fun Theory Process Yields Progress |
Related Forum Posts
Need free advertsing? Get profiled in your local paper!
- Need free advertsing? Get profiled in your local paper! Of course the question is...how to do that!
My local paper (Daily Press, Hampton Roads, VA) has a business setoin in which they have reports about local businesses - the military (that's a big thing here in Hampton Roads), the shipyard, but also articles on small businesspeople.
On Jan 6, for example, thre was a front-of-the-section article profiling 5 entrepreneurs and their success stories, written by a reporter whose email is included with the story.
I think these days, all reporters have their emails included with their articles.
So I'm thinking to myself... how do these reporters find businesses or people to profile? Do they do all the searching themselves, or do businesspeople email them with a press release, hoping that they'll get some coverage out of it?
Now, I don't think that'd work with my webzines, considering their subject matter (although when I get my Women in Aviation site up to a respectable amount of content, I might try something with that), but people who sell T-shirts, sports stuff, etc.... would this proactive approach work for them?
Re: Getting Press Coverage
- Some awesome tips here.
I've had pretty good success just emailing journalists and newspapers. They may not respond to most of what you send, but eventually something catches their eye.
Another trick is to predict what a lot of journalistsbloggers will be researching, and get a press release out that will be featured in Google news covering this topic and promoting something on your site.
Re: The Best Method for Online Marketing
- In order to write a press release, you must determine the subject of your story. It can be about an event that affects your industry, or it can be about a change in your company that will affect your customer base. Press releases are in all actuality ‘cookie cutter’. Once you get the hang of writing them, all you have to do is fill in the blanks. Press releases conform to an established format.
BDC Consultants
- The BDC is worth talking to. With my first company, my partners and I went to talk with one of their consultants. We didn't end up working together but he introduced us to someone who introduced us to someone who would go on to be a major influence on our business lives.
Re: Marketing ideas?
- use social media like linkedin
get in reviewed by industry experts in HR area
create a fan page for business and do an ad
offer free usage for limited period of time
give free ads and paid ads at major ppc sites
do bulk mailing to target audience
what is others' opinion on this?
Robert
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