Rembrandt’s Blog

As a small business owner, getting the media attention you deserve is not as difficult as it may seem. In fact, it’s just a matter of picking up the phone and being a good sales person!

Here are five tips to help you get started.

1.      Research.Before you contact reporters, be sure you know what they write about and their particular styles.

Read their articles, watch their television programs or listen to them on the radio. And you should be able to find their direct contact information with a simple online search via Google or Yahoo! If not, check the media venue’s website for additional information.

2.      Prepare Your Pitch.

Do you know what you are going to say when you get in touch with the news media?

Prepare your talking points in advance. Create a unique and interesting story angle and be sure you can mention the important facts in one sentence.

You can always elaborate if the reporter seems interested. And if you’re new at this, practice pitching your story with a friend or co-worker before moving forward.

3.      Pick Up the Phone.

When you have your story-pitch ready to go, contact the appropriate beat reporter directly. Introduce yourself and give the name of your organization. Tell the reporter you have an interesting news story if he or she has a couple of minutes.

At this point, the reporter will give you a few minutes of time or tell you to call back, e-mail the information, or send a fax.

If requested, give your pitch as succinctly as possible, and try to sell the story to the reporter. Why will he or she care what you have to say?

If the reporter shows an interest, be sure to provide the appropriate information and set an interview time as soon as possible.

It’s also wise to have a “back-up” story angle to pitch if the reporter is not interested in your first news item.

4.      Diary the Information

Once you are finished with your call, be sure to make a note of your conversation in your own media database. Keep track of the media venue, reporter, date, and any other key notes.

If the reporter was not interested in your story, write down why and when you should follow-up.

By keeping notes of your media discussions, you’ll be able to give better pitches in the future and create great press relationships.

5.      Follow Up!Many times, the reporters you contact will not have time to hear your story because they are on deadline. Do not get discouraged or take this as a permanent rejection.

Listen carefully to any directions the reporters give you and follow up accordingly. If you keep in contact with media members on a regular basis, eventually your patience will be rewarded.

As you pitch, know that you are giving reporters news about your business, experience and expertise. They may be interested in this information at the moment you call or remember you for a future assignment. It’s up to you to make a good impression.

These are just a few quick tips to help you move forward with your publicity efforts. For more information on how to boost sales, awareness and credibility with SEO copywriting and PR, check out www.rembrandtwrites.com. Also, look for my new book, “Simple Publicity,” coming soon!

You have your business up and running and are ready to announce it to the world. Hold on! Before you send out that press release letting everyone know about your services, there are three things to keep in mind:

1.      Is your site ready?

If people see your press release and visit your site, what will they see? Does your content focus on customer-oriented benefits, or are you just saying, “We are the best, We offer…, We’ve been around since…”? Boring!

Your site needs to let potential customers know that you can solve their problem, and you only have a few seconds to impress them! If your site does not focus on the benefits you offer and provide valuable information to your target market, update your copy before sending out that press release.

2. What do you expect from the press release?

After your press release goes out, do you expect to be inundated with media requests and new-customer orders? Think again. Very few press releases create these kinds of results. Instead, a press release should help to boost online awareness via search engine optimization and build relationships with media members and new customers. Plus, it can help your business appear current, credible and newsworthy.

With this in mind, please have realistic expectations about your press release. It’s important to have regular, monthly news announcements, but press-release-distribution should be part of an overall, marketing strategy and plan involving other activities like e-mail auto-responders, newsletters, free reports, and more.

3.      Are you ready for orders?

Ok. Let’s say you’ve updated your site with the appropriate content and have started your well-thought-out marketing plan. What if your site is bombarded with orders after your release goes out? Are you ready? Can you system handle the orders? Are you customer-service-representatives trained on what to say and what to do?

Your press release can give you a lot of attention. But if potential, new customers show up at your door or Web site to make a purchase, and you’re not prepared, you could miss out on valuable sales and make a bad first-impression.

Press releases are an important tool for growing your business. Just be sure you have an action plan in place, have realistic expectations and think about what you need to do if your phone starts ringing with lots of media calls and online orders. This way, your press-release distribution will be as successful as possible, and you’ll save time, money and stress.

Do you need help boosting sales, awareness and credibility for your business? SEO copywriting and publicity can do wonders! For more information, please write to me here or at www.rembrandtwrites.com.

(Copyright© 2010, Rembrandt Communications^™, LLC – Not to be reprinted without permission)

After optimizing your site for the search engines and pursuing other marketing-efforts, it’s time to use the “power of the press” to boost sales, awareness and credibility cost-effectively.

But how do you pitch your story to a reporter?

Here are eight quick-tips to help you through the media process:

1. Know Your Targeted Media-Members.

Before you even reach out to a reporter, you should know what that person writes about and what he or she will be interested in discussing. Do your homework before contacting a specific reporter, and you’ll have a much better understanding of what you should say (and the topics to avoid).

2. Have Talking-Points Ready.

Keeping point number one above in mind, write down all of the benefits your business has to offer. Know why a reporter will be interested in what you have to say, and practice giving your unique story-angle. Then, when the time is right, you’ll be ready. (You may even want to place your talking-points on an index card by your phone.)

3. Be Newsworthy.

Try to think of a way that your business fits in with current news and industry events. Develop a story-angle related to something newsworthy and current. Then, approach a reporter with your idea.

4. Be Unique.

Media-members want fresh, interesting stories. Try to stand out from the crowd, and provide your opinion about a current topic, unique statistic or story angle that no one else can offer. By conducting research and offering something different, you’ll get much better results from your pitching efforts.

5. Be Succinct.

Reporters are on deadline. Get to the point fast. Practice what you are going to say in advance. Then, speak clearly and succinctly. Mention the most important benefits of your story-angle first. Reporters will appreciate your sense of urgency and respect for their time.

6. Know Your Industry.

Become an expert in your field and know the most current news, events and activities within your industry. Share your news with reporters. And soon, they will come to you for the latest industry updates.

7. Offer Expert-Advice.

Without pitching your own products and services, introduce yourself as an expert to targeted media-members. Comment on a current news-item, provide a special report and offer your help with a future article. Reporters will appreciate the fact that you are willing to provide assistance and may add you to their list of regular resources.

8. Follow Up Accordingly.

Media-members are busy people, and you will probably need to make an effort to stay in touch with them. If you are waiting for a pending story or a call back and haven’t heard anything for a few days, feel free to contact the media-member directly.

Try not to be a pest, but conduct the appropriate follow-up when necessary. This is essential to obtaining clips and maintaining professional, media relationships.

Go for it!

Hopefully, these tips will help you pitch your story to media-members and get results. By “thinking like a reporter” and offering beneficial information in a timely fashion, you’ll definitely increase your chances of obtaining some good media-coverage that can boost buzz and credibility fast!

Do you need help boosting sales, awareness and credibilty fast with SEO copywriting and publicity? Please write to me here or at www.rembrandtwrites.com.