Issue #741 Aug. 13, 2013
Publisher: Joan Stewart
“Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity”
In This Issue
- Danger: New Press Release Rules
- Find Book Reviewers on LinkedIn
- Fast Track Promo Strategies
- Hound Video of the Week
This Week in the Hound House:
I’ll have a seat this afternoon at my Apple store’s Genius Bar, so they can answer questions about my new iPad. I’m off to Virginia in a few days to speak to the Virginia Chapter of the National Speakers Association on how to build their own media empires and self-promote. If I feel comfortable enough with the iPad, I’ll use that to present instead of my clunky laptop.
1. Danger: New Press Release Rules
Google has much tougher rules for links within certain types of content, such as press releases, articles, guest blog posts and promoted posts.
“Links with optimized anchor text in articles or press releases distributed on other sites” violate the new webmaster rules. Here’s an example Google uses to illustrate a violation:
“There are many wedding rings on the market. If you want to have a wedding, you will have to pick the best ring. You will also need to buy flowers and a wedding dress.”
The words “wedding rings,” “wedding,” “best ring,” “buy flowers” and “wedding dress” are all hyperlinked.
That’s a no-no. Many Publicity Hounds use this linking strategy when posting press releases to the press release distribution sites.
A promoted post is a post you pay another blogger to publish on her blog. Or, she pays you to publish her post on your blog.
A guest blog post in which no money changes hands is also vulnerable to a Google slap.
The new “link scheme” rules are explained at Google. Make sure your webmaster is aware of them.
One of the biggest surprises is a rule prohibiting “large-scale article marketing or guest posting campaigns with keyword-rich anchor text links.”
What, exactly, does “large-scale mean”?
We won’t understand what the ramifications fully until we’ve had time to see how hard Google slaps the questionable content and far it drops in the organic search rankings.
2. Find Book Reviewers on LinkedIn
If you accept guest blog posts at your blog, like I do, beware of links the writer uses within the post, particularly those in the author resource box.
One of my favorite author success stories is how Nataly Kelly dumped here agent and turned to LinkedIn to connect with a book editor.
She found one who was a first-degree connection and emailed the editor directly. She got a book contract from Penguin.
You can use the same technique she used to find book reviewers on LinkedIn. I published a blog post this morning that explains six fast, easy ways to find book reviewers and book editors on LinkedIn.
Wayne Breitbarth’s training on this year’s new LinkedIn tools offers opportunities galore to connect with your target market and, equally important, make it easy for them to find YOU.
Read about what you can learn from “LinkedIn Update” What’s In, What’s Out & Under-the-Radar ricks to Help You Crush It in 2013″.
3. Fast Track Promo Strategies
Are you looking for the magic bullet that will propel you to stardom?
If so, don’t waste your time. There is no such thing.
But authors, speakers and experts can use a variety of fast-track tips and techniques to kick-start a publicity or marketing campaign.
They’ll give you a quick bump in book sales, speaking engagements or consulting assignments.
But it isn’t smooth sailing forever. You must use them in combination with other marketing tactics you’ve discovered on your own, or ideas you see here.
Join Steve Harrison tomorrow, Wednesday, Aug. 14, for a 90-minute telephone seminar in which he will share more than nine fast- track tips and techniques and introduce you to the authors, speakers and experts who have used them successfully. The call will be at 2 and 7 p.m.
For example, he’ll explain the key strategy that the author of Skinny Bitch used to launch her book and make it a New York Times Best Seller with over 2 million copies in print.
This is the final preview call for Steve’s upcoming Quantum Leap Publicity & Marketing Program. The call is free. If you join the program, I earn a commission.
4. Hound Video of the Week
Thanks to Publicity Hound Jacqueline Simonds of Reno, Nev. for the link to this cute chihuahua mimicking his owner during a yoga session.
Share Your Two Cents