The Press Release

Sure, press releases can bring you attention, but it takes a lot of time to gather specific media or radio/TV producers' names. Even though I wrote "The San Diego Media Resource Directory" that took 50 hours to research, I had to also keep media list up-to-date, ask editors and radio producers by phone how they wanted their releases. Some prefer fax, others email or snail mail.

You waste your efforts too, if your release doesn't go right person. Many authors make mistake of sending release to book editor. He gets hundreds each month, and will pay no attention if you are self-published. Like agents and traditional publishers, only 1-2% are chosen.

Another problem is sheer numbers of releases you send out. Don't relax after you send one or two releases. Think in terms of at least five a month. Ninety-five percent releases are ignored and tossed into round file. Why? For many reasons, but check to see if you include a compelling heading, a human interest story, or present-time news analogy. Did you make it under one page, double-spaced? Did you construct. organize and freely give solutions that your book or service offer for your readers' problems?

Your news release should not be about your book, but give actual solutions media readers and radio audiences can use. My first published press release responded to an article on editorial page about "Three R's." My headline was "School need to teach Fourth R--Rapid Reading. After discussing background problems, I included benefits of rapid reading, and gave nine how-to solutions. The publisher not only loved article, but came personally to my home to take my picture. I used piece for marketing to corporations with minimal results

Giving Talks, Presenting at Expos

Creating a talk takes a lot of time. Then you must practice it at least two times before you deliver it. Then, you must discover resources to find organizations to present to. Many of them don't pay their speakers. You may say that's OK because I will sell books. Yes, you'll sell a dozen or maybe more, but think of huge effort it took to get there. Consider travel time, clothing upkeep, and schlepping all those heavy books around.

Like myself, you may present a talk or seminar to a corporation with big hopes of selling your products. When they pay you, though, they may set boundaries on book sales. One positive is that because you have a book, you can negotiate and leverage with meeting planners and top executives for higher paid presentations.

The biggest disadvantage? You must wait for decision makers to accept and schedule you, and you have invested much paperwork and meetings too. Even though I had books, I left this venue because time from presentation to fruition was usually more than six months. I knew there was a better way! But was it expos?

Speaking at Expos or maintaining a booth takes many hours of work. Consider preparing and submitting press releases, creating brochures, hand outs, decorating booth, presenting a drawing, and bringing in products to sell.

Speaking can bring you a few book sales, but people passing by your booth are usually just looking. Even when I gave free mini seminars every 2 hours, and passed out free tickets ahead of time, not many bought books. Giving out hundreds of flyers on other free seminars didn't work either.

There's only a small amount of space available in traditional media, and there's tremendous competition for that coverage. The Internet provides a host of tools that let you have direct contact with customers and potential customers yet most businesses are still ignoring them.

There's more to media than press. Today, media is a collective term for producers of content for mass consumption. Newspapers, radio and TV each are powerful mediums, but they are no longer only - or necessarily even best - outlet for news about your company or product.

Web sites, e-zines, newsletters, Mail Lists, Online forums, newsgroups, Blogs, reputation management sites and e-mail also are all powerful mediums created by Internet. They can have as much or more influence than press. In fact, journalists troll these mediums for stories.

Think like a wired journalist To get publicity now you must think like a wired journalist and realize that fact your company exists is not news. You must understand what journalists' audience wants to read and what they, by virtue of this, want to write.

And you need to learn where wired journalists look for news so you can be there. Understanding this perspective is basis of a system I call Reality PR TM. Here are principles upon which system is based.

Do not bullshit Pride yourself on your ability to make complex topics simple by unburdening them of jargon and MBA-speak. The more you stick to answering questions instead of spewing mission statement rhetoric, more likely you are to be sought out for your opinion. At least make pretense of maintaining an impartial perspective.

Write an elevator pitch Write down your story idea in one sentence. Explain it in plain English way you would tell it to a friend during an elevator ride. Get it down to 30 seconds.

Before you write a press release ask yourself where you have seen an article published like one you want to write. If it's a release about your new Web site, your first anniversary or company president's speech, chances are - unless your company is large and publicly traded - answer is nowhere.

Write tight Writing short and tight is hard. Keep your press pitches to an absolute maximum of 300 words including contact information and headlines. Keep your posts in mail lists and forums short and pointed.