Four simple steps to incorporate publicity and media that get you noticed
I’m thrilled to introduce you to one of our standout students of The Client Attraction Business School™, Donna Cravotta of Social Sage PR. Please welcome Donna as a guest contributor to the Client Attraction blog. As always, we’d love to hear your feedback. Please post your comments and questions below. ~ Fabienne. Connect with Donna on Facebook here.
Public Relations (PR) is one of the best ways to get in front of scores of your ideal clients and other media outlets for FREE. It’s a win-win! Media outlets get your valuable content to share with their audience and you get the benefit of exposure to an audience they’ve already gathered for you – on a solid online platform. And in some cases, Google values the content on these media outlets higher than traditional sites, so any related social media posts or links back to your site are fantastic for increasing your search engine rankings.
Entrepreneurs can easily incorporate PR as part of their Client Attraction marketing pie. (Click here to tweet this.)
Get started right away with my four simple steps to ensure you don’t miss out on valuable media opportunities, to increase your visibility and attract more ideal clients.
1. Sign-up for HARO, Radio Guest List and Pitch Rate. These are all free services that will send you daily emails with listings of media opportunities posted by journalists. I have landed valuable media using these resources not only for myself, but also for my clients – and as a result have had success in getting media exposure and free publicity…you can too!
2. Create your media kit. This is a compilation of everything the media might want to know about you – in one central place. Your media kit can be posted directly on your website – or in a document uploaded to your website. I suggest not sending the media kit as an attachment in an email – but instead direct them online to view all the different components. Here’s what you should include:
- Biography
- Company Bio
- Description of products, services or book
- Prior media
- Images, headshots (downloadable)
- Links to videos
- List of 5-10 sample Q&A for media
- Testimonials
- Press releases
- Speaking topics
- Speaker One Sheet
- Book excerpt and Book Fact Sheet (for author media kits)
If you don’t have everything on this list, it’s OK. Just include what you have for now and add on as you go. Keep materials brief, easy to read, and not overly busy so they can be printed easily. Content is more important than design.
3. Write a brief email pitch. If you are responding to a media request through one of the sites listed above, the subject line should reference the request. Focus on how you can help their audience. Take the time to do some background research on the media professional you are contacting. Early in the email, mention a recent article you enjoyed by the journalist. Or, if the inquiry is for a radio or TV show, include something that would indicate that you’ve actually watched or listened to the radio or TV show. This is important, as it will capture their attention. Read and reread the media request, giving them exactly what they requested and honor deadlines. Follow the media professional or the outlet on social media and engage with them further – by sharing their work and commenting on their blog posts. They love this.
4. Use social media. When you do receive a media opportunity, be sure to share it online, across all of your social media platforms. Add it to your media kit for future reference. Be sure to thank the media professional – not only in an email but also a tagged mention on social media so they are sure to see it.
These four steps will help you get started to receive new media opportunities and publicity which helps you get noticed – and get clients!
Donna Cravotta, CEO of Social Sage PR and creator of The Total Social PR System™ is fiercely committed to guiding entrepreneurs in gaining visibility and fostering engagement online through the creative use of Social Media and Public Relations.
With over twenty years of experience in the corporate world and seven years guiding her amazing clients to achieve remarkable success, Donna’s mission and commitment is to provide all of the elements necessary to successfully amplify your unique voice and share your purpose in the online media arena.
