My blog is moving on...

A post to all you wonderful peeps who subscribe to my blog. Firstly a big thank you, but also some news. I now have a new blog page and I'd like you to subscribe to that.

I'm in the midst of re-populating my posts, and will continue to maintain both blogs for the next couple of weeks, but from then on http://www.publicityexpress.com.au/blog/ is where I'll ask you to head for all the publicity, PR and marketing tidbits.

I'm delighted with the new blog's look & feel, a big thanks to the clever team at Grassroots Internet Strategy who set it up with Twitter feed and video readiness. I have had a few calls to post some video on Publicity Express, now I have no excuse!

Hope you'll join me on the new blog!

Phil

Last Tuesday's TeleClass "How to plan and use PR and Publicity for Business Growth" is already seeing some amazing results. Close to 150 businesses registered for the call. Here's what some of the participants had to say afterwards:

"Hi Phil, thank you for giving everyone the opportunity to listen into your PR Planning Teleclass. I had some great ideas, and am now motivated to make media calls. The DIY PR Kit will be invaluable."

"Thanks Philippa. Really helpful in refocusing on PR and some great tips."

"Thank you, the telecall was great, I really appreciate all the information and your insider knowledge."

A great number went on to jump at the End Of Financial Year sale I announced, snaffling up my DIY PR eKit for a bargain $99. There are still Star Class Monthly and Annual Memberships available, visit the website for details.

Below are a few of the Q&As I received on the call:

Do I really just call the journalist?
Yes, that is how over 80 per cent of the stories you read, watch or listen to start out. By someone (usually a PR agent) picking up the phone and asking a journalist or producer to feature a story.

When I want to get magazines or TV to know about my product do I have to write a press release What is the best way?
Journalists simply don't have time to read through every news release they receive, and many of the ones in their inbox are deleted. When you're pitching the media you're effectively cold calling to sell your story. A succinct email saying why you're contacting them and why it's relevant to them is better than a lengthy press kit. But you may still want one on hand. They're great tools for other clients and investors, as well as useful to have when the journalist requests extra information.

Is there a good, quick way of finding out which publications our target audience reads/listens too?
The best way is to ask them - run a quick survey amongst your customers or prospects. Go into a newsagency and look for publications that target your demographic. Call the media outlet and ask for circulation statistics.

If you write an article for an industry magazine, can you pitch the same article to a rival publication in the same industry?
Not unless you want to upset both editors and set back your media relations efforts for years to come! Exclusivity is really important when contributing to publications. All journalists like to be first to 'break news' - it's great for ratings. Offering a published story to a rival is a no-no.

PR: Your key to customer loyalty

Customer loyalty matters, because selling more to current customers is easier and cheaper than finding and selling to new ones. Loyal customers tend to buy more, more regularly. And they will frequently recommend your business to others.

Public Relations, by definition, is how people think and feel about you. So if your PR activities are up to scratch, by default you’re going to have loyal customers.

Here are my PR tips for customer loyalty:

Understand the true purpose of PR. Effective PR is in large part about building trust and developing relationships. You want to create and maintain a strong feeling with customers so they are continually choose and recommend you.

Use PR to enhance your brand. I’m not talking logos and snazzy tag lines here. Branding that builds customer loyalty goes beyond what the eye can see. Great public relations builds brand at the emotional, gut-feeling, sensory and intuitive level.

Understand what your customers are paying for

You may think it’s your expertise. Yet the only way a customer can evaluate your expertise is through your credentials. What they can assess is positive outcomes. Did I feel good using this business? Did I feel valued? Just like the client I mentioned. He felt he could trust me – as his PR sat nav – to get him to where he needed to go.

Outcomes matter

Feeling valued and appreciated will only take you so far with customer loyalty. They need to see results and learn something from you to make it worth their while to continue as a customer. Here your PR activities need to involve showcasing the outcomes, or, if there’s a lag on results, being honest, explaining what you’re doing to get the right outcome, and reminding them what you’ve achieved for similar customers to maintain trust.

Embrace not face

I’ve decided to coin a new phase in PR & marketing speak. From now on, think about ‘customer embracing’ rather than ‘customer-facing’. After a weekend with Charles Melton Wines, I have felt embraced, applauded, saluted and valued. Far better than being ‘faced’, don’t you think?

All I’ve done is regularly buy over a dozen bottles of wine from Charlie each year – and by way of thanks he invited Tony and I to his 25 years in business bash. Over 240 customers flew in from around Australia, where Charlie and his team ran a social weekend of food, museum wine tastings, live music, dancing and more. All we had to do was get there and find a place to stay. The rest was on Charlie.

As a person with a passion for great wine, magical marketing and authentic PR, the weekend provided all three in abundance. Next time you’re thinking about your customers, check in and ask when you embraced them last. And for some great examples of testimonial and word-of-mouth marketing, check out the winery’s Facebook page from the weekend!

Creativity gets media notice

One of the most enjoyable aspects of owning your own business is the creativity. It’s not the domain of creative ‘types, you don’t need to be a designer or an artist to get creative in your own business. Creativity helps distinguish you, turns customers into fans, and helps get attention from the media.

For example, The National Railway Museum (NRM) in the UK hired a six-year old as their “director of fun,” which led to nationwide overage on the BBC. The story wasn’t a gimmick, simply a great, creative PR response to a six-year old who’d applied to be director of the museum when he’d heard the encumbunt – Andrew Scott – had announced his retirement.

Sam Pointon wrote saying: ‘I am only 6 but I think I can do this job’. His letter explained that he was perfect for the job as he had been on lots of trains, had visited the NRM, and owned an electric train track on which he could control 2 trains at once.

Bosses at the NRM were so touched by Sam’s enthusiasm and determination that they decided to appoint him as their ‘Director of Fun’. Sam’s job will be to tell Museum bosses how he thinks they can make sure the NRM is the most fun place for kids to spend a day out.

View the full story on the BBC website.

Learning to Leverage Media Coverage: Part Three - To Build a National Profile

When you begin a public relations campaign, one of the most important things of which to be aware is what each media clip means to you in the bigger picture.

You might get a local TV interview here, or be quoted in an article there, and so on. It’s exciting each time coverage rolls in…nice for the ego, it drives people to your website, as well as all the other opportunities I’ve discussed in the past few weeks. But it’s what that coverage can do for you, collectively, that really takes your brand to the next level.

Each time you appear in the media, your “star” rises a little bit. You receive instant credibility and have paved another section of the road on your way to being seen as a national expert. Once you have a nice portfolio of coverage, it’s time to leverage it by creating a reel, which simply means having a video editor take clips from your TV interviews and print coverage, and put them in an exciting and media-friendly format.

Once you have a reel, you can use your coverage to create larger opportunities that will put you in the national spotlight, such as:

- Move from appearing in local media outlets to being an expert on national TV shows, or in national magazines

- Submit to magazines (local, regional or national) or online sites to pitch yourself as a regular columnist

- Send to casting directors of shows that would be appropriate for you to host or co-host

- Send with a book proposal to major publishers

I will continue to delve more deeply into securing some of these national opportunities in the coming weeks, including how to successfully make money from your media coverage.

Oh no, we’re on A Current Affair – for all the wrong reasons!

Sometimes, despite all your best efforts, your business may not appear in the light you want it to. So what do you do?

Tell the truth, prove it with action, listen to the customer, manage for tomorrow, conduct public relations as if the whole company depends on it, remain calm, patient and good-humoured!

Kmart’s Anzac Day backflip is an example of good crisis PR. A single story on news.com.au garnered 430 negative comments in response to its decision to apply for pre-1pm trading. Kmart acted swiftly, within 24 hours issuing an apology, withdrawing its application, with managing director Guy Russo accepting personal responsibility.

“I got this one wrong and on behalf of Kmart, I apologise to the RSL, retired and current members of the Australian Defence Force and the wider community for any offence that this application has caused," said Russo.

If you compare the viewing stats on the Google News Chart, Russo’s personal apology garnered close to the same amount of views as the original story that caused the furore in the first place. The issue was handled effectively, quickly – and as a result faded off the news agenda as fast as it had arrived.

Leveraging your Media Coverage – To Attract New Clients

Microsoft’s first version of its Xbox gaming console sold out within 24 hours of being available in stores, and had an awareness rate among consumers around 88% percent two weeks before launch, and prior to the start of any advertising. And this was also before the use of social media as we know it today. The results were achieved almost exclusively through media relations.

Now, Microsoft may have planned its PR campaign around a major launch of a new product, with national distribution and months of planning, but the same ‘phenomenon’ of reaching clients and generating sales through public relations can easily be replicated on whatever scale fits your business.

• Firstly, simply let the media coverage do the job of leverage for you, as it instantly drives new clients to you because they saw, read or heard about your book, product or service.

• Send out a mailer or email highlighting your press coverage to prospective clients, as well as to your own list, to convert those merely following you to purchasing. The credibility the media coverage offers may be just the incentive - or reminder - that they need to buy. And, no matter how well YOU promote your company to target clients, having the media do it for you gives it that much more impact.

• Highlight your media results on your website. Now, when people visit your site, or someone new finds you through an Internet search, you are no longer a ‘generic’ business - you have the (implicit) endorsement of the press that you are among the best in your industry!

• You just never know what other opportunities, deals or partnerships may be leveraged through the mere act of ‘being seen’ in the media. In next month’s teleclass I interview Justin Herald, whose appearance on ‘A Current Affair’ led to hundreds of calls from retailers wanting to stock his Attitude clothing line. Retailers who’d previously ignored him!

Leveraging your Media Coverage Part One – With Clients

Have you ever been in a restaurant and, as you approached the counter, you noticed a framed clip from a magazine in which the restaurant has appeared because its expertise or services? It’s always impressive. Even if you’re a regular visitor to the restaurant, it’s a nice ‘reminder’ that they are skilled, talented and worthy of your business…or whatever other positive thoughts you associate with the media coverage.

The article may also feature a service you did not know the restaurant offered, like meeting catering. This may help “upsell” you into a service that you didn’t even realise you needed, until you walked in the door!

And this is just one way in which media coverage can be leveraged to enhance your profile and credibility among your existing client base. You may come up with more on your own, but here are a few good ways to get started making “positive noise” with your media coverage so that clients want to continue using your services - and recommend you to others.

• Send a mailer to your database touting the coverage. I saw an example of this recently where a homeowners insurance company mailed a postcard to its clients mentioning that a very high profile magazine ranked them THE best. Any need to look around for a new insurance company when you are already with the best? No.

• For coverage in magazines, enlarge and frame your clips to hang in your office, store, showroom, etc. Or you can simply frame the magazine covers, which also looks very impressive.

• Email your clients or database about upcoming media coverage so they can watch your appearance ‘live’ on TV, or know what newspaper or magazine to pick up.

• Use your coverage to entice clients to come see you, thus making you some ‘found’ money. For example, make an offer in which anyone who brings in a clip of your recent media coverage gets a discount on your products or services for a limited time.

What is Your Marketing Investment to Payoff Ratio?

When it comes to marketing your business, ask yourself three questions: What are my marketing goals? On what do I spend the most money to market my business? And where do I focus the majority of my time? Now assess the results you get in return for your marketing efforts, based on your goals.

Recently “Company B” approached the agency about public relations, seeking to create national awareness for their brand and products, grow their email list and penetrate new markets and customers. They wanted to know how PR works, what they need to do to get started, how much it would cost, and what the payoff would be for their company. They were very excited about the potential rewards that come from public relations, but were also nervous about the financial investment. I certainly appreciate this; PR is an investment if you hire an agency, and not every business is yet at a point where this is feasible (which is why I created Publicity Express!).

In continuing our discussion with Company X, the interesting part was learning that they were paying tens of thousands of dollars to purchase lists of names in order to conduct direct mail marketing, as well as exhibiting at various trade shows around the country each year. When we asked if these activities were proving to be fruitful, the answer was a resounding, “So-so.” So-so doesn’t seem like a worthy enough payoff for their investment and time, yet they hadn’t questioned these efforts - or the associated costs - because this is how many businesses in their industry choose to market themselves.

Whether it’s time spent on Facebook or Twitter, attending events, conducting direct mail marketing, or doing public relations, now is a great time to reassess your marketing efforts vs. payoff ratio. If you’re ready to ‘shake up’ your marketing mix to include PR, give me a call, or drop me an email!

Building Positive Momentum Through Public Relations

If you’ve never been in the press, securing media coverage or garnering attention for your business is not usually an instant thing; but it is accessible to everyone and consistent efforts WILL reap rewards. While it can happen very quickly for some - especially if you are able to tie-in with breaking news - for others it may take weeks, or even months, to see results depending on a few factors such as how simple (or not) your story is to communicate, and how consistently you reach out to media.
There are things that you can do, however, to bring positive momentum into your business and, in particular, your public relations efforts.

Perseverance: Like growing your business in general, a successful PR campaign means dedicating some energy to it. This means continually developing new pitch angles that can spark the interest of media, and following up with the news organisations where you want to be covered.

Avoid the Overwhelm: Don’t try to build Rome in a day. There is a wide universe of media out there and the thought of attempting to reach them all can feel overwhelming. Try starting in your local market where you already have built-in news value by being a local business or expert. Or focus on one genre of media, such as trade publications read by your industry, or business press. “Working” one area of media can give you the confidence, and success, to spark momentum.

Set Clear Goals - on Paper: Write down your public relations goals and three things you can do to achieve each goal. Take at least one action a day that gets you closer to achieving a goal. The mere process of taking that action creates momentum that will build upon itself.

Build Time For PR in Your Schedule: Every week, find at least one hour to focus on your public relations efforts. Even if it means blocking it off in fifteen minute increments at a time; in fifteen minutes you can email a pitch to five journalists, place three follow-up calls, or research a new media outlet to see where you could be covered.

Justin Herald: The Right Attitude for PR

If you think that selling t-shirts in your bare feet and creating you own ‘Bamboozle a BMW salesman’ game aren’t the signs of a serious businessman, you’d be right.

Justin Herald is anything but serious; that is unless he’s trying to p*** someone off. The catalyst behind his global, multimillion Attitude™ Gear Clothing empire: bug the bejesus out of the lady at church who had told him he had an attitude problem. How? By seating him and his mates in the front pew with an array of slogan t-shirts he’d devised. Those t-shirts turned into the Attitude Gear clothing line, selling through 3500 stores nationally.

As he shared last night at the Southern Sydney Think Business Event, “And now, I get to royally-p*** her off globally, which is awesome!”

Much has been published about his $50 working capital (lent from his brother) that he parlayed into $7k plus a week selling t-shirts at Parklea markets.

But what I loved hearing last night was how he’d used free publicity to grow his business.

Unbeknownst to him at the time he had a great media hook: Oddity.

Here he was, business acumen zero - “The only thing I passed at school was recess” – and he’d built a thriving clothing brand from just $50. He challenged every business stereotype, yet weekly sales were booming. His oddity made him newsworthy. Little wonder Alan Jones wanted to chat to him on 2UE.

Justin then discovered the other benefit of publicity. As all journalists know, the best way to discover your next news story is watching/reading/listening to what the other news organisations are running. Shortly after the 2UE interview, he was asked to appear on ‘A Current Affair’. Which put him and his grass-roots popular clothing brand in front of millions of people.

The very next morning, he received hundreds of calls from retailers wanting to take his stock.

What he achieved - beautifully - was publicity leverage: jumping from talking one to a few, to talking to millions, in one sweet television appearance. Which cost him nothing but his time.

I’m delighted that Justin Herald has agreed to be interviewed by me as part of my monthly calls for my Publicity and PR Protégé Club. Broadcast in June, I can’t wait to share his insights into business and publicity. Make sure you’re in the loop for the date and time!

Follow me on Twitter @PhilippaLowe or sign up for my weekly eZine ‘Publicity Train’ at http://www.publicityexpress.com.au to get all the call info. You’ll also receive your own copy of my free report: 'Publicity Secrets That Only The Pros Know - Why DIY Publicity and PR is Easier Than You Think'.

It's sure to be a great call!

Growing Your Referral Sources

Referrals or word-of-mouth recommendations are priceless. Anyone who reads this e-zine regularly will know how passionate I am about testimonial marketing, but how do you accelerate the referrals you receive?
Referral sources are the lifeblood of your business. Whether they are current clients or colleagues in complementary businesses, you must make sure you are initiating P.R. activities to constantly remind those sources about you - so they can refer more prospects to you!

Before you explore your referral opportunities, you absolutely need to know your target market. After all, if you can't describe your target market, how can you educate your referral sources about them? The more descriptive you can be here, the better. For example, don't just think "women". Think "women ages 20-35 who like sports and fitness".

Then it's time to look for your referral sources. Do some online research regarding your target market. What newsletters, magazines, blogs and e-zines do they read? What websites are they visiting? What non-competitive businesses exist that also target your market?

Come up with a list of your top five websites, e-zines, magazines and non-competitive businesses that are already reaching your ideal client or customer.

Contact these magazines, websites and e-zines and see if they will:

- Review your book, products, services, or ezine for their readers. If so, send them a review copy and follow up a week or two later. Request that when they run the review they mention your e-zine and direct people to your website to sign up.

- Accept guest articles. If so, then submit one of your best, with a short bio that links people back to your website to sign up for your ezine.

- Swap ads or recommendations for each other's websites, products, or services. If you have an e-zine that reaches the same target market they want to reach, this is a great win-win.

- Approach the non-competitive businesses. See if they will link to your website.

Perhaps they will co-find some joint marketing, such as a direct mail, live or teleseminar where you both promote your products and services and harness the opportunity to grow your database.

Choosing PR over advertising

Whenever I speak at a small business event, I like to assess the amount of budget being allocated to marketing. It’s rare to see hands raised when I ask if anyone is spending over $15K in a year. It’s more likely to hover around the $5-10K bracket.

Advertising is an expensive part of the marketing mix. Costs include design, paying for it to run on radio, TV, print or online. Plus for an advert to gain traction you need to have a strong call to action and the budget to run the advert for at least 6 weeks.

Compare that to developing a news hook that appeals to your ideal customer, pitching it to the target media you know your ideal customer reads or listens to, gaining an interview with a reporter on radio and in print – and having hundreds of prospects call or visit your website as a result. If you choose to DIY PR (and if you’re a regular reader of Publicity Train you’ve some know-how to do that) all it would cost is your time.

So next time you think about booking an advert, why not divert some of the time and energy into PR? Set yourself a PR goal: within 6 months to have achieved three stories about your business in your target media. Let me know how you go!

Spread the word

Testimonials and ‘Word Of Mouth’ is one of today’s most potent forms of promotion and grassroots marketing for all business. Positive, believable comments from real life customers are proof positive to other potential buyers that you are worthy of their business. Testimonials and ‘Word Of Mouth’ are the missing link for prospects considering a commitment to your product or service.

I urge everyone to look at testimonials as the fuel for their PR and marketing. Try this quick brainstorm exercise, and ask yourself the following:

1) Which customers would make good testimonials for my business?

2) What industry are these customers in?

(TIP: it’s always good to have spread across all the industries you work with, representing your different products and services)

3) What attributes do these customers have? (For example, one customer may be a great public speaker, and someone you’d like to have present on your behalf at an event).

4) What significant business benefits does the customer demonstrate as a result of using your products or services? When possible, include relevant figures, dollar amounts, and/or percentages in support of your product or service. You'll soon attract attention from prospects and dramatically increase your response rate with solid examples of your track record.

Your publicity is all about them

There are a lot of reasons why people want to hear about your business, and they are all about those people – not you.

How often do you ask your customers what they love about you? Their answers can be an enlightening insight into how your business is perceived.

Similarly, your success securing media coverage is dependent on your ability to think about what journalists and their readers find interesting. By identifying the pain points that might bring clients to your business, you can begin to suss out hot topics or new story angles you can weave into your business in order to achieve media interest.

Remember, your publicity is all about them – the end-reader or listener. The journalist serves as a gate-keeper to that audience, the final decision maker who decides if your story will ‘get a run’. Ask yourself these questions:

What have you done that’s ‘new’ lately?
Do you have a new product or service? Rather than shouting all the features and benefits, pitch your story about its unique selling point.

Forget how fast, how bright, how shiny.
Don’t focus on your widget’s features. Instead, get publicity for clients who are doing something amazing with one of your widgets. Highlight these achievements to a trade publication and keep the story about the client. Not only will you strengthen client relationships, your product will be shown in the exact light required to attract others.

Why, Oh Why?
If you’ve had a phenomenal spike in sales, work out the why. That you’ve made more sales is not news in itself. But if you address why all of a sudden people are coming to you, you can find your news hook. People may be seeking particular services or buying in a particular area or taking advantage of a particular grant or loophole. Find out why and develop your news story from there.

Go niche as often as you can
Finally, your products might be wonderful but not necessarily unique. That’s not to say you have to miss out on publicity. Research the media your target audience would read or listen to. Call up the media organisations and ask for a list of upcoming features. Then try your hand at placing your products as part of a wider feature or buyer’s guide – or send them to a stylist for inclusion in a photoshoot with other products. Register with www.sourcebottle.com.au, a free subscription service that emails 'call outs' for sources from journalists and bloggers. The media opportunities are there, so put yourself up in lights!

More Value, More Sales

Met a lady the other week, passionate about dog training. She asked me about one business issue: that once a dog was trained there was little to no repeat business - after all, she was good at what she did - so she was spending a lot of time bringing in new business.

I suggested developing her services into a group of 'information products', across a range of price points. Perhaps a free ebook, followed by an education DVD on dog training, selling group seminars, then at the top of her funnel her 1:1 training time.

I do exactly the same with my info products: the free publicity tips, Boost Business With Testimonials (A$34.99) DIY Publicity and PR Kit (A$149.99), ongoing seminars, mentoring programs and - at the premium end of the funnel - 1:1 mentoring on PR.

By having a range of products in your marketing funnel, at a range of price points, you allow your customers to sample your services at a lower price, then entice them further with the other products and services you offer.

This lady - let's call her Diane - immediately said "But if I wrote an ebook people wouldn't come to me in person to train their dogs." Of course they will! After all, if you write a book on a topic, you're showing a certain level of expertise, and it boosts your credibility. Also, if books were enough everyone would be millionaires, living lives of happiness and Zen bliss. Just have a look at the self-help shelves in your local bookshop!

A lot of Diane's resistance lay in the fact that although she taught dog owners how to be in control of their canines, she wasn't willing to be assertive in her business. When I suggested she charge more for her 1:1 time, and then offer other info products at lower price points she confessed that 'she felt bad' charging $80 for three hours work!

Diane was looking at the cost, not the value.
Remember, your products and services cannot be measured by their cost, but by the value they offer. She wasn't putting a value on her time - but worse, nor was she wasn't putting a value on her skill.

Remember, you're in business to be of service, and the reward for that is getting paid. Remember, money flows to you through others. It's just another form of energy ;-)

Competitions. Great PR or lazy marketing?

Are competitions a misguided marketing tactic employed by small business...or just an indication of a lazy marketer?

Typically businesses run competitions to build a database. And though they don’t say so, they think that by running a competition they will build a database for the price of a bottle of wine or a dvd.

Which is not only lazy, but also cheap. And an absolute waste of resources. Think about it. Who ends up on the database? People who want to win stuff. Who probably don’t fit the profile of the most ideal potential customer for the business.
Bambi’s comments on competitions:

Around about 20% of people are compelled to take action to win something IF the prize is appealing enough. So that’s 80% of people who won’t enter.

If you are going to run a competition, choose a prize that reinforces your brand position. For example, if you are an accountant who promotes that you take the stress out of your clients’ life, have a prize of a massage or a weekend at a spa. So, for the 80% of people who see the competition and don’t enter, they’ll have still got the message that is at the core of your marketing strategy.

Don’t theme your competition unless it is a direct match for the core message that you are trying to convey.

Try not to give away your own product/service. What’s the value if it is free?
Do get a permit.

Do have terms & conditions.

If you are going to have ‘old fashion’ entry forms distributed in multiple locations or through magazines/newspapers, put a code onto each different one so you can evaluate the response from various sources.

If you are going to have entries online, again, create various identical landing pages, so you can evaluate where the hits came from.

Have you used competitions in your marketing to stunning PR success? Please let me know! (e: philippa@publicityexpress.com.au). For the full article, click here.

How are you presenting yourself to the media?

There are two things you need to make the most out of publicity leverage. Firstly, a solid marketing plan that integrates with your PR plan. Secondly, a great news release.

1) When you’re preparing to profile yourself and your business to the media, ensure your website and marketing materials are in great shape, branded effectively and consistently. A reporter’s reputation depends on readership interests and approval, so if you’re going for great coverage you need to ensure your brand and business looks worth profiling.

2) A great news release. Over 90% of all press releases submitted have poor grammar, spelling errors and a complete absence of proper writing skills. This causes a disconnect between the journalist and sender. Your credibility is shot immediately. Any "luck" of getting a story just went in the bin along with your press release. Your goal should be to tell your story better than anyone else.

I’ve written on how to structure a news release in early editions, so I urge you to practise, practise, practise. And spell-check ;-). I’ve also been asked by many of you to offer you extra hand-holding if you need it: check out Up In Lights this edition.

Up In Lights

News Release Express

Whilst I love writing news releases, I know it’s not the favourite task for many of you. In fact, it can be such a struggle it prevents you from doing any publicity in the first place! News Release Express takes away the headache. You simply have to fill in the proprietary form I’ve developed, then the team at Publicity Express writes the release for you – with the best hooks and pitch angles you’d expect from a team of seasoned pros. To help you pitch your news release with ease, you also receive a copy of my “Insider Secrets to Media Pitching That Works” valued at $69.99. PLUS, for a limited time, you’ll also receive search engine optimisation enhancement and PR Wire distribution for FREE.

Contact Phil to get your news releases rolling today!
Email: Philippa@publicityexpress.com.au
Subject: News Release Express

Social media helps put PR on the map

The premise of an article lasting forever online makes the Internet and social media fascinating to me as a PR consultant. Before its advent, communicating directly with your ‘public’ beyond anything further than traditional media relations was cost-prohibitive for most small businesses. No longer.

Having a solid social media program helps businesses and brands to build new relationships, across a wider landscape, and in a sustainable fashion never before possible. This is where PR plays best strategically, for three important reasons:

Crisis – Many a poor customer experience is blogged and tweeted about, and it’s out there quickly. Relying on PR as your ‘litmus test’ (how do we want people to think and feel?) helps you consider the effects of a campaign or response and allows you to act accordingly

Word Of Mouth – social media tends to reject commercialism. There’s an unprecedented intimacy when a customer or prospect becomes your fan on Facebook. They won’t tolerate a steady stream of marketing hype. Remind you of anyone? Cynical news and editorial contacts, of course. Learning PR skills in media relations means you’re well placed to manage great word-of-mouth social media relations too.

Greater Influence – engaging dialing with customers on social media gives insights into customer and prospect motivations that incomparable. It allows PR to better quantify the value it delivers to the business bottom line.

Through social media channels, businesses can foster and maintain ongoing, quality "dialogue" with influencers, media, customers and partners, regardless of time or geographic limitations. These channels allow businesses to have direct access to, and feedback from, their audience, allowing companies of any size to better meet marketplace demands.

I’ll be teaching PR & social media during my March Publicity and PR Bootcamps, so if you want to learn more join me there. Early bird expires tomorrow!

Connect and create

Ever forgone an event, workshop or networking lunch because the work and email have piled up? I’m guilty of it – in fact, for a chatty PR person I can be a downright grumpy old hermit some days ;-)

No-one can be ‘up’ all of the time; but neither can we be chained to our desks 40 plus hours a week. Forgoing that lunch so you can ‘just finish this off’ is a slippery path to overwork and disconnection.

Remember, PR is all about what people think and feel about you. What do you choose: disconnected old hermit or interesting, authentic creative being?
Your best ideas bubble up from your subconscious when you’re away from the computer.

Whether it’s walking along the beach or listening to a live speaker who gets your brain bubbling, investing in time away from your office environment is crucial.
I regularly head overseas to listen and learn from thought leaders in my industry and outside of it. My investment in any seminar more than pays for itself with the new business ideas and connections I bring back.

Think about every event you attend as your own personal PR appearance. What do you want people to think and feel about you, your brand, your business? During my live PR and Publicity Bootcamps, I like to remind people that they’re not just there to learn, they’re there to connect, listen and mastermind.

So get out there. Make it your personal PR goal to attend three events in March. Maybe I’ll see you at one of my Bootcamps!

PR and it's sassy sister Publicity - you're marketing superheroes

Using PR makes identifying your ideal customer EASY. If you had to "fire" every customer except one, but you knew if you kept that one, every customer from there forward would be just like the one you kept, who would it be? Particularly, how would they think and feel about you?

This is important, because PR uses a bunch of tactics to keep your customers and prospects thinking and feeling the way you want them to feel. Publicity is the means by which you share that, attracting your ideal customer faster and quicker than advertising and direct mail.

So why don't small businesses use PR more? Because the perception is that it's only for corporates who can afford to use high-flying PR agencies. Wrong!

Worse, an awful lot of small business consultants steer their clients away from using PR because they think it's some sort of black magic performed by $2000 a day consultants. As a result PR is saved for the 'big boys' and small business is foolishly encouraged to do advertising and direct mail because the perception is it's easier and cheaper.

Yet research shows EVERY time, the PR dollar outperforms advertising, direct mail, etc in marketing budgets. So why do SME's -- and the people advising them - choose marketing tactics less likely to get return on the budget?

Small business and its advisers need to step up and understand what PR can achieve. I invite anyone working in marketing with small business to attend one of my Publicity and PR Bootcamps in March to really see the difference it makes - for a fraction of the marketing spend.

Publicity Train: Using social media to boost your profile

If you’ve not a clue to what I mean when I ask about how many friends you have, or if you’ve tweeted lately, then you’re probably not embracing social media. Which isn’t a crime by the way, but before you write off Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, blogging and more as time-wasting tools, they do have uses to boost your profile.

Both are great for interacting. And with the world and the web craving authenticity, there’s no better way to talk with your consumers and prospects, not at them. Plus using Twitter, Facebook and blogs can scale your profile exponentially. I’ve had articles re-tweeted across the globe far faster than I could hope to forge media connections in those countries.

As I’ve shared before, the media often report on what’s in the media. By embracing blogging, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, you are becoming part of the wider media landscape, creating a pull PR strategy naturally and will attract attention from all other types of media.

Publicity Train: Fly high with great customer service

I’ve been lucky enough to fly to the northern hemisphere twice in the past two months. On my most recent trip, taking my ma back to the UK, I gave her my business class seat whilst I took her return economy chair. The crew were happy enough to let me pop up to see her but although there were around eight spare seats in business, wouldn’t allow me to remain longer than ten or so minutes at a time.

Compare this to an economy flight in November to LA when, shortly after take-off, cabin crew announced there were spare seats in business class and economy passengers were free to relocate – at no extra charge.

Fantastic customer service is great publicity for your business. Considering that retaining customers can cost up to seven times less than attracting new ones, customer service is an economic imperative. Airline A, being stingy with their unsold resources, won’t be attracting my business again in a hurry. Airline V (guesses anybody?) has my absolute loyalty and I’ll happily rave about and fly with them again and again.

If you have happy customers, you’re pretty much assured of having great material for your PR and marketing. Testimonial quotes and user success stories help sell your business far more effectively than anything you say about yourself. So list all your raving fans, and start creating your own testimonial marketing today!

Publicity Train: Don’t write off the humble newsletter and news release

I came upon a blog recently where the author wrote about press releases and newsletters being a waste of your time and money.

Rubbish. Marketing is about diversity and getting people to come to you. It’s about knowing your client profile. Newsletters – both printed and electronic - have their place. With an eNewsletter you can contact all your clients cost-effectively, offering value and staying top of mind. It’s a great, regular PR tool and leading successful informational marketers across the globe swear by them.

Similarly press releases. Not necessarily for the press, but as another weapon in your search engine optimization arsenal, they are wonderful tools to post on the like of PRWire.

What was odd, when I researched the offending blog’s website, one of the services being promoted was article writing for newsletters.

I realise the writer was going for the controversy hook, and, yes, it certainly hooked me. But there’s controversy and there’s authenticity. If you don’t believe in newsletters, don’t offer an article writing service for them. And if you’re going to be controversial, do it in such a way that it gets you noticed, but also brings some long-term benefits.

Publicity Train: Do I do my own PR or do I ask an agency?

Ok, you’ve realised PR’s going to work wonders for your business. It’s going to give you third-party, indpendent validation. It’s going to stop you talking 1;1, taking you to thousands, possible millions. So do you DIY PR or ask for agency help? Here are a few considerations:

1) Are you already an active marketer with set goals?

By that I mean launching products and services and communicating to clients regularly, through advertising, direct mail, events etc. You’ll have a set plan for your marketing that you follow, with knowledge of what your ideal clients look and feel like, and you’ll have some set goals you’re looking to achieve.

2) Have you a regular budget you commit to marketing, and have you allocated a portion of that to PR?

Agencies, particularly larger multi-nationals, quite rightly charge for their expertise. They add value through innovation, good ideas and long term experience and you will need to be prepared to budget for that.

3) Have you reached the point where you need outside help?

Perhaps you’ve done DIY PR so well, you want some extra ideas and support. Or perhaps you just aren’t confident writing your own news releases, or simply need extra hands with media pitches.

If you’ve said yes to all of these, then maybe it’s time to explore agency PR support. Feel free to drop me a line if you’re not sure what you need and I’ll happily help with some recommendations.

Spotlight

MY DIY PR and Publicity Kit is a great way to learn more about generating your own publicity. In it I give you the knowledge and templates to create your own publicity and PR plan, identify and pitch to the media, how to write a news release and create a media kit, media interview tips and plenty of PR ideas to put you and your business up in lights. Available to purchase online for $149.99.

Teleseminars

Kick off 2010 in style and join my Publicity and PR Protégé Club. My next teleclass is on PR planning, so join us on Feb 9, 2010.

Learn how to benefit from powerful, consolidated publicity that will make you appear bigger than you are so you compete more easily against larger businesses with bigger budgets. Invest in yourself, your business and your publicity for only $12.95 a month.

Events:

Publicity & PR Bootcamp

Make a note in your dairy! My Publicity & PR Bootcamp is March 2010. You’ll leave this live event with at least 10 news hooks for your business, news releases to use immediately, media targets to pitch to, and a plan to follow for 12 months. Register your interest today and be in line for the early, early bird goodies!

Publicity Train: It’s Christmas time, write a news release

Christmas can be slow news, especially for local paper and radio. Make the most of the opportunity. This week I suggested a yoga centre promote their January Open Day, and another business owner their Positive Mindset event, using the ‘Help make a great New Year’s Resolution’ news angle.

Here’s a template to follow to construct a news release. My guide to the content appears also:

FROM: Company Name, Address, Logo if appropriate

For Immediate Release (or when you plan to release your news)

HEADLINE (larger, bold, underline, center, can be several lines. Be attention-grabbing but don’t be salesy or use hype)

City, State Abbreviation, Day, Month, Year – Insert Lead paragraph text. This is your introduction, what is the purpose of this release, is it newsy?

Paragraph 2: Who does this appeal to and why? This is the “Who, What, Where, When and Why” of the release.

Paragraph 3: Create a quote from the owner or a principal of the company that gives additional information

Paragraph 4: Detail additional facts that support Paragraph 3

Paragraph 5: Give costs of products, services and/or details and call to action

About

Here put the information commonly shared to describe your business or service. This is often referred to as your boilerplate.

Contact Details

Include specifics and be accessible. Telephone numbers, mobile phone numbers, e-mail addresses, fax numbers and website addresses help the media, prospective clients and business partners reach you easily.

Spotlight

MY DIY PR and Publicity Kit is a great way to learn more about generating your own publicity. In it I give you the knowledge and templates to create your own publicity and PR plan, identify and pitch to the media, how to write a news release and create a media kit, media interview tips and plenty of PR ideas to put you and your business up in lights. Available to purchase online for $149.99.

Teleseminars

Kick off 2010 in style and join my Publicity and PR Protégé Club. My next teleclass is on PR planning, so join us on Feb 9, 2010.

Learn how to benefit from powerful, consolidated publicity that will make you appear bigger than you are so you compete more easily against larger businesses with bigger budgets. Invest in yourself, your business and your publicity for only $12.95 a month.

Events: Publicity & PR Bootcamp

Make a note in your diary! My Publicity & PR Bootcamp is March 2010. You’ll leave this live event with at least 10 news hooks for your business, news releases to use immediately, media targets to pitch to, and a plan to follow for 12 months. Register your interest today and be in line for the early, early bird goodies! Email Philippa@publicityexpress.com.au.

Publicity Train: Richard Branson: knowing his audience and seizing space

Space pioneers Sir Richard Branson and Burt Rutan unveiled the world's first commercial passenger spacecraft this week. The VSS Enterprise rolled into view at the Mojave Air and Space Port, about 95 miles north of downtown Los Angeles.

Despite the bracing wind-chill factor, hundreds of people had flown in from around the world to view the craft. "Isn't that the sexiest spaceship ever?" shouted shaggy-haired British billionaire Branson.

As I watched the news coverage, one quote of Sir Richard’s struck me in particular. Asked an (off-air) question by the U.S-accented bureau chief responsible for providing coverage for Australia, Branson replied: “I hope this technology will enable us to one day fly passenger airliners from LA to Sydney in two hours.”

Clever? Absolutely. Branson knew his audience, and was aware the reporter he was talking to would provide footage to Australian news outlets. So he provided a quote that would resonate with Australian viewers (and increase the likelihood of a TV news editor running the coverage).

It’s the first rule of media relations: what do you have to say that is of value or interest to the audience of the media outlet? It’s not about you and your story, it’s about them and how your story is of benefit.

Sir Richard doubtless had variations of the same quote for various global media. Reporter from the UK? Repurpose the quote to mention London, Heathrow.

Overall it comes down to research and planning. Knowing your message, honing in on its news value, finding the right media outlet and contact, and tweaking the information you have to suit.

Spotlight

Make your eNewsletter Marketing quick and easy in 2010. The Publicity Express 'Done For You' eNewsletter package takes away deadline and content headaches. You get:

· 12 eNewsletters (one a month)

· Four quarterly eDirect Mails to promote your special offers

· Professionally designed and expertly copywritten (yes, we do it for you!)

· Distributed through a state-of-the-art eMarketing platform branded specifically to you

An eNewsletter is a must-have for business nowadays. Not only is this service great value if you sign up this December (less than $80 week*) it is hassle-free publicity and PR for your business. There are easy-pay options available too.

Find out more about the 'Done For You' eNewsletter package here.There's an extensive Q&A section, and you can always email me at philippa@publicityexpress.com.au with any other questions.

Put yourself up in lights in 2010!

*Based on the upfront annual subscription, excluding additional distribution fees.

Publicity Train: Naomi Simson, RedBalloon, on Publicity and PR

With immense marketing experience – working for the likes of Apple, Ansett, KPMG and IBM, Naomi Simson, Chief Experiences Officer at RedBalloon, wondered if she could build a brand online based on the holy grail of customer service: listening to customers and responding.

Nine years on, redballoon.com.au has now been listed in the BRW fast lists for the past five years and is also named as the #1 website by Hitwise for half a decade.

Naomi has also received accolades such as winning the 2008 national Telstra Business Women’s Awards - Innovation, and being one of four finalists of the 2009 Veuve Clicquot Business Woman of the Year Awards.

As a CEO, mother, author, blogger and a truly passionate individual Naomi continues to innovate and create new ways to do business, with PR and publicity an integral part of brand growth. PublicityTrain asked her to share her insights:

How do you rate PR and publicity compared to advertising?

“PR for RedBalloon is easier than getting an ad placed, and is far more authentic. I like to think we do our PR very well. Employing a PR professional in-house it’s an investment we take seriously. I always want to ensure we have something worth saying, so it’s an investment in terms of brainpower, time and resources.

What sort of time investment?

“It’s not short-term activity. Conducting public relations for RedBalloon is a five to ten year plan. It’s a journey that continually evolves. Today’s PR story is tomorrow’s fish and chip wrapper!”

Can you give an example of a simple, cost-effective PR tactic that has paid dividends?

My blog as a PR tactic has definitely been worth the time and effort. Having been blogging now for close to four years, I’m passionate about using fabulous content that starts conversations. It’s all a question of leveraging it correctly. The link to my blog is on our corporate website, I refer to it in all my speaking engagements, plus it’s included in the footer of our emails.

Many business owners are fearful about picking up the phone to call a reporter, what’s your experience?

“Well, I was once asked by a reporter on a national paper to comment on a topic. We met in a cafe and I took the reporter up on his offer to pay for the coffees. Later our RedBalloon PR manager told me that was the main thing he remembered about our interview. Yet he called me and asked for my time and comments, so why not pay for the cuppa? I like to remind myself that reporters are – at the end of the day – just people.

If you have something of value to talk about – and I stress that having something of value to share is the important part -- there’s no harm in picking up the phone to the correct medic contact and starting the conversation. It’s amazing where it can take you.”

Spotlight

There’s still time to make your eNewsletter Marketing quick and easy in 2010. The Publicity Express 'Done For You' eNewsletter package takes away deadline and content headaches. You get:

· 12 eNewsletters (one a month)

· Four quarterly eDirect Mails to promote your special offers

· Professionally designed and expertly copywritten (yes, we do it for you!)

· Distributed through a state-of-the-art eMarketing platform branded specifically to you

An eNewsletter is a must-have for business nowadays. Not only is this service great value if you sign up this December (less than $80 week*) it is hassle-free publicity and PR for your business. There are easy-pay options available too.

Find out more about the 'Done For You' eNewsletter package here. There's an extensive Q&A section, and you can always email me at philippa@publicityexpress.com.au with any other questions.

Put yourself up in lights in 2010!

* *Based on the upfront annual subscription, excluding additional distribution fees.

Publicity Train - The press release is dead, long live the press release

When I was a reporting I received hundreds of news releases every day. Back then by fax - imagine the paper! Journalists simply don’t have time to read through every news release they receive, and many of the ones in their inbox are deleted. When you’re pitching the media you’re effectively cold calling to sell your story. A succinct email saying why you’re contacting them and why it’s relevant to them is better than a lengthy press release.

But you may still want one, just not for use with the press ;-) A press release used on your website or posted to places like prwire.com will help get you noticed in terms of search engine optimization (SEO) and for reaching other marketing objectives.

Here’s how to help your SEO with press releases:

- Don’t bury your press releases on your website where no one can find them. Link to them from the home page.

- Post your press releases in plain old HTML. Don’t put them in PDF format. Believe it or not, some people put their press releases on the web site in such a way that you have to download them.

- Make sure your website is set up in such a way that search engines can get into the inner pages of your site.

- Put a button on their home page called “media room” or “press room.” If the media is coming to your website just to nose around, to see if you’re worth interviewing or calling, they can click on that button and immediately go to the new releases and backgrounders, Q&As and profiles.

TELESEMINARS

Are you ready to make your eNewsletter Marketing easy in 2010?

Looking for an easy, fool-proof way to boost your profile, grow business contacts and qualified leads?

People are more likely to buy from you if you send an eNewsletter. Nor do they have to be time-consuming and budget-busting! Find out how easy it is. Join me on my free teleclass on December 2nd, 10am EST, Sydney, Australia.

Even if you’re already writing an eNewsletter, or perhaps struggling with content and deadlines, I’ve some great tips on keeping content fresh and developing marketing ideas to convert your readers to sales.

Reserve your spot here!

The call will be recorded and made available to all registrants – so don’t worry if you can’t join me live, you’ll still benefit from the great info.

UP IN LIGHTS

Lauren Chandler – This month’s ‘Up In Lights’ Winner!

As a publicity mentor I love seeing a small business implementing my four Ps: passion, persistence, PR and publicity. After reading my DIY PR Tips in Dynamic Business, Lauren Chandler from Shine Wellbeing sent me this feedback: “Awesome advice Philippa! Your tips and tools - and presenting it in such a simple format - has really helped me see how I can get out there and be seen.”

Showing someone how is great – but seeing them find the motivation to step up and take action is better. Last night Lauren hosted a reading and signing of her new book at the local library, with posters promoting the event for weeks prior. Lauren really showcases how passion + persistence = publicity & PR.

Want to be next month’s ‘Up In Lights’ Winner? Email me your passion + persistence = publicity & PR success stories to info@justgowrite.com.au.

News hooks – no need to reinvent the wheel

One of the quickest ways to generate publicity about your business is to tie-in to something topical that’s already being covered in the news. Reporters are continually seeking new angles on which to cover a topic.

That's exactly what Barbara Corcoran did in order to get publicity rolling for her real-estate business. When the news began covering Madonna's eventual move to New York City, Barbara quickly sent out a news release with a professional's perspective on what Maddie would be looking for in a new home - the amenities, what part of town she would like, etc – all the while using properties that her real-estate business was listing, thereby promoting not only herself, but also her real estate inventory.

It got some great coverage – so much so that within the week Barbara received a call from Richard Gere’s agent asking her to act as Gere’s realtor. So what’s in the news right now that you could leverage for your business?

Josh Duhamel and Fergie relationship troubles - Relationship experts can weigh in on what they, or any couple, can do when faced with a challenging time in their marriage.

Treasurer Wayne Swan on education being the engine room behind Australia's economic recovery – a workplace trainer could comment on best-practices companies need to adopt to attract and retain skilled staff.

Home-owners in NSW warned after a spate of fires sparked by shoddily installed ceiling insulation – a licensed tradesman could offer a column on what homeowners should look for when choosing ceiling insulation.

Want to learn more about media hooks for your business? Join me on my December call for my PR and Publicity Protégé Club.

TELESEMINARS

Join me on the December call for my new PR and Publicity Protégé Club. This call will cover:

· Your unique selling point to pitch to the media

· Targeting the right journalist

· Where to start, who to call, and exactly what you need to say!

Not a member? Register for membership of the PR and Publicity Protégé Club for only $12.95 a month.

UP IN LIGHTS

PR & Publicity Protégé Club

The Publicity and PR Protégé Club is dedicated to helping you boost your business profile to new heights, enabling you to benefit from powerful, consolidated publicity that will

- make you appear bigger than you are

- enable you to compete more easily against larger businesses with bigger budgets

- allow you to shift from selling one-to-one to one to thousands, even millions

Life is too short to waste time figuring out everything the hard way. Invest in yourself, your business and your publicity for only $12.95 a month.

What you get:

1) Monthly teleseminars: Every month, I’ll lead a “how-to” seminar on a publicity, PR and marketing topic like marketing strategies, e-marketing, media pitching, planning, writing eZines, how to think like a journalist; and more

Each teleseminar is designed to provide publicity ideas that can be implemented immediately.

There will also be guest speakers - hand-picked professionals of the highest quality - plus accompanying workbooks as necessary.

All teleseminars will be available via audio download, so members can listen when it suits their schedule.

2) A subscription to the Publicity Train e-newsletter: my weekly e-newsletter of quick tips and practical advice to keep everyone thinking about ways to publicise and boost their business profile.

3) Discounts and offers: members will also be rewarded with exclusive early bird offers on all of my publicity products, programs and workshops.

“Awesome advice Philippa! Your tips and tools - and presenting it in such a simple format - has really helped me see how I can get out there and be seen.”

Lauren Chandler, Shine Wellbeing.