Issue #1271 Oct. 30, 2018
Publisher: Joan Stewart
“Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity”
In This Issue
- 3 Free Resources for Newsjacking
- How to Grab a Glut of Local Publicity
- Nonfiction Writers Conference
- Hound Video of the Week
This Week in the Hound House:
I’m trying to rid the burned food smell from my house after a debacle Sunday night while canning spiced pears. I was waiting for the pears to simmer in a vinegar-honey syrup, and walked into the living room for a quick minute or two to watch something on TV. Next thing I knew, the house was filled with smoke. The syrup had boiled over and made a black, sticky, gunky mess. It took two full hours to clean the kitchen. Luckily, the pears turned out fine.
1. 3 Free Resources for Newsjacking
When news breaks, and the topic ties in perfectly to your expertise, it’s time to spring into action and newsjack.
Newsjacking, a term created by PR expert David Meerman Scott, is the art and science of injecting your ideas into a breaking news story to generate tons of media coverage, get sales leads, book speaking engagements, and grow your business.
David discussed newsjacking recently in a 20-minute keynote address at the National Speakers Association’s annual conference.
“But you’ve got to be quick and you’ve got to be on pitch,” he says.
He uses these three free resources to stay on top of breaking news:
- Google News which he checks three times a day. You can also use the Google News app on your mobile phone.
- Twitter Moments will tell you what people are talking about on Twitter right now.
- A daily newspaper. Check your local paper, as well as local papers when you’re traveling, most of which you can access online. This tells you which stories editors think are important.
I subscribe to news alerts on my mobile phone from my favorite news sites. When you see a breaking news story that’s perfect for you, don’t just comment. Create infographics, videos, podcasts, blog posts, and other shareable content. Use the hashtag others are using.
To do: In the video above, watch David teach you the art and science of real-time content creation and how it leads reporters and editors to you and generates speaking engagements.
#Newsjacking #PersonalBranding
2. How to Grab a Glut of Local Publicity
Meet Kasia McDaniel, a home decorating and staging expert from Southern Pines, N.C., and a Publicity Hound extraordinaire. Kasia (pronounced KA-sha) emailed me a few weeks ago to let me know about the gusher of local publicity she has received:
- Several hits in her local twice-a-week newspaper, The Pilot. One brief press release she submitted when she changed the name of her business resulted in $600 in revenue. But I’m convinced it wasn’t just the press release. She already had gotten two other feature stories in the same newspaper. By the time she changed the name of her business, many readers already knew about her.
- Publicity as a result of her donations to local fundraisers. She bought cleaning supplies for Hurricane Florence victims and was mentioned on the local radio station that sponsored the campaign.
- She volunteers as the Ambassador Chair for her local chamber of commerce, a super way to be visible around town at events like ribbon-cuttings and open houses at local businesses. Hence, more publicity.
- She accepts invitations to volunteer her decorating skills for worthy causes.
If you’re reluctant to pitch your local newspaper after it already has written about you, I want you to see how Kasia keeps pitching–and keeps getting publicity.
To do: Read the step-by-step summary at my blog on how to Brand Your Small Business with a Gusher of Local Publicity. At the blog, please leave a comment about something you’ve done in your own community to promote your business. Feel free to include a link to the story or video.
#LocalPublicity #SmallBizPR
3. Nonfiction Writers Conference
Nonfiction authors have opportunities galore to spin their expertise into profitable services and products beyond just their book.
At this year’s Nonfiction Writers Conference, an online event Nov. 8-9, you’ll learn how to design and host your own online course, how to find sponsors to pay for your book tour and book production, and how to make money with Udemy courses and blog posts on Medium. Medium’s publishing platform has 60 million monthly readers.
New York Times bestselling author Claire Cook kicks off the conference with a keynote on how to reinvent your writing career. The self-described “late starter” wrote her first novel when she was in her 40s, sitting in her minivan at 5 a.m., waiting for her daughter to emerge from swim practice. She wrote “Never Too Late: Your Roadmap for Reinvention (without getting lost along the way)” and more than 15 other fiction and nonfiction titles.
Ask-a-Pro Sessions remain one of the most popular draws of this event. Attendees who register at the top three levels can sign up for free 15-minute consultations with event speakers and experts. The pros are there to answer your questions and give as much guidance and as possible in a short amount of time. I’ve spoken at the conference several times and loved the phone and Skype calls with authors.
All this for only $99 to $490, depending on how much guidance you want.
To do: Learn more about the Nonfiction Writers Conference and register using this affiliate link.
#Nonfiction #NonfictionWritersConference
4. Hound Video of the Week
When Maya was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, her dog, Abby, became her shadow. Abby watched Maya take her first step on her own at age 4. Thanks to Publicity Hound BL Ochman of New York City and the Beyond Social Media Show for this heartwarming story.
[Tweet “#PublicityTips — 3 Free Resources for #Newsjacking #ContentCreation”]
Dear Joan,
Many thanks for your advice.
I would say your website is fantastic and easy to access all options.
Please I would be happy if you can advise me on how to get free publicity of my novel. It was published in March but with no publicity, so the sales are not encouraging.
The brief answer:
1. Identify your target market in terms of demographics and passions/interests. Be as specific as possible.
2. Find them online and offline. Online includes social media sites and their open and closed special interest groups, discussion boards, MeetUp.com, book clubs, places that invite speakers, etc.
3. Share content first with these audiences. That includes blog posts, podcasts, speaking engagements, infographics, videos, snippets from your book, frequently asked questions, etc. From the content, refer briefly to the book and link to the sales page. The content should come first to build value, with just a small mention of the book.
4. Contact your local weekly newspaper first when you want publicity. Weeklies are easy to get into, and they view authors as celebrities.
I wrote lots of free articles on how to get publicity for nonfiction and fiction at Joel Friedlander’s blog. Click on this link, scroll down, and you’ll see them all: