Boost Your Business with Print Publicity

Write More, Speak More, Earn More

1. Pam Lontos Column: Write More, Speak More, Earn More: Strategies to Leverage Your Published Articles

Last month, we discussed how to leverage your published articles. Here is the continuation of that article, with more tips for converting your published articles into paid speaking engagements!

1. Use publication names in your postcards: Next to your photo, insert a short description that reads something like, “John has been featured in over 100 magazines, including….” Remember that meeting planners receive hundreds of letters and mailings each week. When they see a postcard, which is easy to read, and then immediately see a listing of some of the publications you’ve been in, they’re going to pick up your postcard and read more. They’ll think you have to be good because you’ve been in so many magazines. Understand that meeting planners have a fear of hiring someone who turns out to be lousy. When that happens, the bad decision falls on their shoulders. By showcasing right away that you’ve been published in many magazines, you give the impression that you’re the go-to person the media contacts for reliable information. That’s going to make you stand out over all the other speakers who have contacted that meeting planner.

1. Give something for free: At the end of your article, offer a free tips sheet, CD, or something else of value. Then when a meeting planner calls you, you can offer to send them your free item. Now that you have their contact information, you can market to them on a regular basis.

1. Make an entrance: Include a list of articles you’ve had published in your speech intro. This is especially important when you’re speaking to an association and there are executives in the audience who can hire you. You want them to know you’re the absolute best in your field before you even walk onto the stage.

1. Talk it up: When a meeting planner contacts you, be sure to mention all the magazines in their industry in which you have been published. For example, if a financial association calls, mention all the articles you’ve had published in related industries such as insurance, banking, and mortgage publications.

1. Update, update, update: Update your marketing materials, web site, blog, demo video, and one-sheet regularly with the names of current publications you’re in to boost your credibility. Make sure your one-sheet lists all the magazines you’ve been in. In your blog, write about all the new articles you’re getting published. Include publications in your e-mail signature. Don’t do this updating simply once per year; do it monthly! Print your materials in small quantities so you can afford to update so regularly.

1. Think big…and small: Don’t limit yourself to “big” publications; you never know who reads what. For example, just because your article is in Laundry Today (hardly the big name publication writers aspire to be in), don’t despair. The next person who calls you might just read that magazine, and she might just be from the company that does all the laundry for the all hospitals in the United States. Now that would be a client any speaker would love to have. The point is that if you want to be hired as a speaker, you have to remember that all industries have the same business problems as any other industry: sales, teamwork, hiring, delegation, motivation, etc. So don’t worry about the industry or the size of the publication. Small newsletters can get lots of mileage.

Go for the Long Haul

Stick with your article writing and pitching for at least one year so meeting planners think of you first. Realize that you need to be in several magazines every month in order to get the exposure you need. When meeting planners decide who to bring in for their next event, they often have a meeting with their staff where everyone throws out a few names to investigate. You want your name to be one of them. But you only accomplish that when you’re in magazines every month for at least a year. So stick with it. Before you know it you’ll hear meeting planners from every industry tell you, “I’ve seen your name everywhere!”

For additional publicity tips and articles, visit: www.prpr.net.

Pam Lontos is the president of PR/PR, a public relations firm that specializes in professional speakers, authors and experts. An author, speaker and former VP of Disney’s Shamrock Broadcasting, Pam knows the ropes of getting you good publicity and how to use it to boost your bookings or book sales. Call for a free consultation: 407-299-6128 or visit: www.prpr.net.

————————————————————————————————————

2. Inspirational Quote for the Month:

3. Calendar of Events/Publicity Opportunities

If your expertise fits any of these topics, take advantage by sending out a press release to newspaper, television and radio stations, or call up the media directly! For example, if you are a consultant or author who specializes in diversity, you’ll want to contact the media about April, which is Celebrate Diversity Month. You can share your expertise on diversity training, communication and conflict resolution by writing press releases on these topics, contacting radio stations in your area, or even becoming a feature expert on television or in print. Here are more publicity opportunities:

• April is Celebrate Diversity Month: Commemorating diversity in the community, schools and workplace.
• April is National Humor Month: Celebrates its 32nd anniversary this year, and it is meant to focus on the benefits of laughter.
• April 1-7: Laugh At Work Week: A week celebrating humor in the workplace. Laughing at work has benefits such as employee retention, higher productivity and stress relief.
• April 7-13: National Networking Week:  A week that celebrates enriching your professional life by connecting with others that share similar career goals.
• April 1: April Fools’ Day: A day to play practical jokes on friends and family. In 1582, France became the first country to switch from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar. Those who insisted on celebrating the “old” date were called “April fools,” and it became common to play jokes and tricks on them.
• April 15: Income Tax Pay Day
• April 16: National Wear Your Pajamas To Work Day: Usually held the day after incomes taxes are due, it allows people to bring the comfort of home to the workplace.
• April 22: Earth Day: A day observed to bring attention to accelerating the transition to renewable energy worldwide, and acknowledging conservation of the earth’s resources.
• April 24: Take Our Daughter and Sons To Work Day: A day for children aged 8-12 to shadow their parents in the workplace.

4. This Month Our Clients Have Been Featured In…

Investor’s Business Daily, Kerul Kassel for “Productive Procrastination”

Investor’s Business Daily, Colleen Rickenbacher for “Business Etiquette”

US Weekly, Dr. Duggal for “Drugs and How They Interact”

Entrepreneur, John Mariotti for “International Marketing and Innovation”

Quick and Simple, Dr. Dale Anderson for “The Liquidation Diet weight loss tips”

In Touch Magazine, Dr. Narinder Duggal for “Celebrity Overdose”

Tribune Media Services, Brent Sampson for “Improving Your Writing Skills”

Boston Business Journal, Lauren Rikleen for “Bringing Back Lawyers”

Washington Examiner, Peter Koeppel for “Interactive Marketing”

HR Executive, Contented Cow Partners for “Business Jargon”

AOL.com Health, Dr. Maurice Ramirez of “Headaches”

Smartmoney.com, Patrick Astre for “401(k) Withdrawls”

Fortune Small Business Online, Steve McCann for “Worker Productivity”

CanWest News Service, Dr. Nancy O’Reilly for “The Happiness Backlash”

Arthritis Today, Dr. Dale Anderson for “Seniors and the Wii.”

Pittsburgh Post Gazette, Kim Marcille for “Work E-mail on Personal PDAs”

Mastercard.com, Colleen Rickenbacher for “Cross-Cultural Blunders in Business”

Lowe’s for Pros, Peter Koeppel for “Evaluating Online Marketing”

************************************************************************

5. Guest Column: Brian Jud on Selling to Discount Stores and

Warehouse-Buying Clubs

Many authors seek large sales at discount stores and warehouse-buying clubs. This is not a good strategy for several reasons: returns are common, discounts may reach 70%, and payment terms may exceed 90 days. However, there are two other sectors of special-sales marketing that may be productive for you.

The first involves sales to corporations, associations, foundations, government agencies and schools that buy books directly from authors and publishers for use as premiums, incentives, sales promotions or for educational purposes. They may also purchase books for resale. Here you contact, negotiate with, ship directly to and bill the people representing these firms. There are no distributors to deal with, you bargain for the terms, returns are rare and payment is generally made in 30 days.

The second entails selling to defined groups of people  (niches) that share a need for the information in your book. For example, you could sell your book about healthy eating to beauty shops, doctors’ offices, fitness centers and stores that sell clothing, cookware, gourmet foods, groceries and health foods. A children’s book could be sold to daycare centers, toy stores, pediatricians’ offices and children’s hospitals.

Book clubs also fit in this category. Not only the major clubs, but the many niche clubs, too. These can offer increased revenue, credibility and exposure for appropriate titles. There are book clubs that focus on children, religion, foreign languages, teaching and more. Or, think of mail-order catalogs that can move large quantities of books. Catalogs can also be segmented demographically (for children, pet owners, lovers of individual sports, people of different religions), psychographically (health, New Age and alternative) and geographically.

Brian Jud is host of the television show, The Book Authority, a media coach and author of the media-training video program, You’re On The Air. Brian also hosts Book Central Station where you can find rated lists of suppliers to help you write, publish and market your books. For a free trial, go to http://www.bookcentralstation.com/trial.aspContact Brian at P. O. Box 715, Avon, CT  06001; (800) 562-4357; brianjud@bookmarketing.com or go to http://www.bookmarketing.com

Need Help Marketing Your Book? Get free book-marketing tips every other week in Brian Jud’s Book Marketing Matters e-newsletter. Go to: www.bookmarketing.com to sign up!

6. Guest Column: Dan Poynter on Non-Traditional or Non-Book-Trade Sales

Nontraditional or non-book-trade sales. For most nonfiction books, it is far more profitable to sell them by the case wholesale than to sell them one-by-one retail. You make less per book but you sell more books. When you sell more books, you can print more and have a lower per-unit (printing) cost and as more books get out there, they seem to promote even more sales. You will sell far more books outside the bookstores in what are know as the nontraditional markets.

Gift stores. If you have a gift book, it may be sold through the book trade and through the gift trade. Most of the 150,000 gift stores in the US are mom-and-pop independents. There are many unusual places to think about as well: restaurants, museums, hospitals, botanical gardens, theme parks and other attractions. The challenge is to get your book into these unrelated outlets.

Getting into the gift market can be approached in a number of ways. Sales outlets include gift trade shows, catalogs, direct mail, chains, and gift baskets (a booming business) as well as sales reps and distributors. Corporate gifts and premiums are great for volume sales.

7. Have a Need for Publicity?

PR/PR can help you with all of your publicity needs, from magazines and newspapers to television, radio and online media. If you want to sell more books, get more speaking engagements and be hired for more consulting jobs, you need publicity.

To receive a free consultation, please contact Pam Lontos, President of PR/PR:

407-299-6128 or email: pam@prpr.net.

Pam Lontos is the president of PR/PR, a public relations firm that specializes in professional speakers, authors and experts. An author, speaker and former VP of Disney’s Shamrock Broadcasting, Pam knows the ropes of getting you good publicity and how to use it to boost your bookings or book sales. Call for a free consultation: 407-299-6128 or visit: www.prpr.net.

Permission to reprint: You may reprint any items from “PR/PR Pulse” in your own print or electronic newsletter, but please include the following:

“Reprinted from ‘PR/PR Pulse,’ a free e-zine featuring tips and techniques for gaining publicity. To receive this e-zine, please send an email to newsletter@prpr.net with ‘Add Me’ in the subject line.”

If you like any of the advice from this e-zine, please pass this on to your friends, clients and colleagues.

We would love to hear from you! Please email your suggestions and/or questions about publicity to: newsletter@prpr.net.

PR/PR

President: Pam Lontos

775 S. Kirkman Road, Suite 104

Orlando, FL 32811

www.prpr.net

Phone: 407-299-6128

Fax: 407-299-2166

If you no longer wish to receive this e-zine, please email: newsletter@prpr.net and include “Unsubscribe” in the subject line.

Build Rapport with the Media

This Month’s Issue

1. Pam Lontos Column: Build Rapport with the Media
2. Inspirational Quote
3. Calendar of Events/Publicity Opportunities
4. This Month Our Clients Have Appeared In…
5. Guest Column: Brian Jud on Multiply Your Promotional Impact (Part two)
6. Guest Column: Dan Poynter on Writing a Book with a Collaborator
7. Have a Need for Publicity?

(more…)

rite More, Speak More, Earn More

(more…)

Get Your Op-Ed Published

This Month’s Issue

1. Pam Lontos Column: Get Your Op-Ed Published
2. Inspirational Quote
3. Calendar of Events/Publicity Opportunities
4. This Month Our Clients Have Appeared In…
5. Guest Column: The Violin Player in the Metro Station (Story)
6. Guest Column: Brian Jud on Multiply Your Promotional Impact
7. Guest Column: Dan Poynter on Write What You Know
8. Have a Need for Publicity?

(more…)

Writing that Sells!

(more…)

Letter from Pam Lontos

Publicity – Is Yours Working?

Which Media is Right for You?

This Month’s Issue

1. Pam Lontos Column: Which Media is Right for You?
2. Guest Column: Tips from Joan Stewart
3. Publicity Events for November
4. Inspirational Quote for the Month
5. This Month Our Clients Have Been Featured In…
6. Marketing Tip from Dan Poynter: Nonfiction Books
7. Have a Need for Publicity?

The New Frontier of Publicity – Blogs

This Month’s Issue

1. Pam Lontos Column: The New Frontier of Publicity – Blogs
2. Guest Column: Tips from Joan Stewart
3. Publicity Events for October
4. Inspirational Quote for the Month
5. This Month Our Clients Have Been Featured In…
6. Marketing Tip from Brian Jud: Plan Your Work, Work Your Plan
7. Have a Need for Publicity?