The publicity process is a marathon and not a sprint. To repeat an important point from previous blogs: your two greatest allies in garnering and maintaining a successful level of promotion are frequency and repetition. Now you’re a seasoned vet of print interviews and your articles have been published in a variety of publications; you can sit on your hands and take a breather, right? Absolutely not. The key to converting those placements into speaking engagements is playing an active role in your own marketing.

Business and trade magazines are typically affiliated with an industry association, and are influential resources in their line of work. How does this apply to you? Those same associations host annual conferences, and those annual conferences require keynote speakers and workshop leaders…Do you see where I’m going here? Actively marketing yourself to the publications that have made you the expert in their pages by publishing your articles is the quickest way to turn a profit from your PR results.

Make no mistake about it; the phone will begin ringing when your name is printed in a trade or association publication, but conducting your own research, contact and follow-up with decision-makers crafts relationships that just may land you onstage at an upcoming event (and land you with a significant check in your pocket as a result.)

The first step is to open up lines of communication with the related association. Fashioning a mailer complete with a speaker-one sheet highlighting your accomplishments and an introductory letter is a fantastic place to start. Begin contacting event planners with these materials in your spare time to ride the wave of the buzz your publications have already given you. Maximize your return on investment and accelerate your phone ringing by creating connections.

-Carter Breazeale

PR/PR Public Relations