Marketing and More

News & Experts Is Back With Some New Tips Of How A Media Pitch Is Transformed to Help Authors and Branding…

Catherine Lyon Author/Writer A Writer's Thoughts, Featured Guest, Marketing and More, News Around The Web, Posts, Updates and More , , , , ,

My dear friend Marsha Friedman is back with News & Experts PR Firm with an exceptional article and inside view of just how a PR Media Pitch Happens! I really think this one will help to all who have wondered if they should use and hire a PR Firm and Why…    ~Catherine Lyon, Author/Writer

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If you’ve ever wondered how a successful publicity effort goes from idea to media pitch to publication, let me give you a little glimpse of the process behind the scenes.

Just recently one of our print campaign managers here at News & Experts . Ashley Pontius announced that she had something big to reveal about one of our long-term clients.  It turns out that, thanks to Ashley’s work, this client was included in a lengthy Wall Street Journal article!

I asked for a little more detail on how this exciting coverage came about and I’m sharing the story with you because I think it’s enlightening for anyone trying to gain the media’s attention.

To begin with, this is a client we have worked with for about five years, and during that time we helped land them in Yahoo News, Reuters, CNN Money and the Washington Times, among other media outlets.

They continue to come back to us, knowing that we can help them get their message out to the larger world. They also understand that publicity isn’t a one-off. You have to keep at it if you want to remain relevant.

This client recently signed on for yet another campaign and Ashley reviewed their material. She noticed that one of the topics they were willing to talk about involved Generation Z, which is the generation born from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s. Ashley googled Gen Z and found that there seemed to be some interest in how Gen Z fits into the workforce, a topic that would tie into both the client’s message and one of its target audiences.

So she crafted a short pitch for print journalists, promoting our client as a source who could speak on a particular angle related to this topic. Nothing happened at first, but a couple of weeks later an email appeared in Ashley’s inbox. A Wall Street Journal reporter wrote that the idea fit perfectly into something the reporter planned to develop into a larger, in-depth piece.

Could Ashley set up an interview for her? She sure could!

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If you break down what happened in this situation, you’ll find that it holds lessons for you:

  • Hone your message. When you reach out to the media, it’s always best if you can give them guidance on just how your expertise could fit into a particular angle for an article. Remember, in this case, the angle involved how Gen Z fits into the workforce. If you’re a financial professional, you might offer four money-saving tips for easing retirement anxieties. If you’re a chef, you could suggest unusual dishes for the upcoming holidays. While suggesting a specific angle, it doesn’t hurt also to mention that you can speak on other issues related to the topic as well.
  • Keep up with what’s trending. Don’t hesitate to make use of the internet to learn what the media has written about in the past related to your topic. You’ll also want to keep track of the daily headlines to see if anything is being reported right now that would match your message. Are you an orthopedic surgeon who could comment on a new study about the most common sports injuries? Are you a small business owner with tips about staying afloat when the economy takes a turn for the worse?
  • Reach out to the media. Even if you’ve had contact with reporters or talk show hosts before, you shouldn’t sit around waiting for them to reach out to you. You don’t want to become a pest, but you do want to remind them – or let them know for the first time – that you’re available for an interview whenever something in your area of expertise pops up.
  • Respond promptly. Journalists are often on tight deadlines, so if you can’t provide them what they need quickly, they’ll find someone else who can.

Finally, what happened with our client is a marvelous example of why it’s important to stay on the publicity playing field and to constantly find ways to match your message with the latest trends in the news.

If you don’t keep current with fresh ideas that you can turn into pitches – and that the media can turn into coverage – then you’ll miss out on all kinds of publicity opportunities. And that would be a shame.

Get the idea?

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~Marsha Friedman

About News and Experts

As an award-winning, top national public relations agency, News and Experts has been delivering highly specialized publicity campaigns for over two decades. Our specialty is creating angles we know the media will want to cover and will obtain quality media exposure for our clients.

Through the years, we have worked with clients spanning a wide array of industries from authors, publishing, health, food, music, software and finance, to politics. News and Experts customize its clients’ PR campaigns to focus on specific objectives and we only work with quality media to ensure the results meet our clients’ needs and expectations.

News and Experts was a pioneer in the field of public relations, offering pay-for-performance PR long before being joined by other agencies. Today, News and Experts represent all its clients on a performance and project basis.

Learn About Our Services

 

Weekend Featured Article That Cat Couldn’t Have Written and Shared Any Better! Book Marketing 101 by Strong Social.

Catherine Lyon Author/Writer A Writer's Thoughts, Featured Guest, Marketing and More, News Around The Web, Posts , , , , , ,

How to Be Cost-Effective With Your Digital Marketing Plan ~ Strong Social.

 

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Before the Internet, the advertising industry had a monopoly over media. If you wanted to advertise your brand and products/services, you needed to pay for an ad in your local or national newspapers, buy radio or television airtime, place ads on billboards, and so on. Now, anyone can advertise online for just a fraction of the cost of these traditional marketing techniques.

When it comes to brand promotion, both small businesses and large corporations have the same tools and strategies available to them. However, small businesses and startups have less money and fewer staff members they can rely on, which is why they should find ways to make their digital marketing plan as cost-effective as possible.

1. Social media

From startups to corporations to authors – everybody has a social media marketing strategy in place. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn are an integral part of every digital marketing strategy as they offer a large pool of potential prospects and tools for targeting specific market segments and demographics. Social media allows you to reach out to, stay in touch, and interact with your customers. This can significantly increase your brand’s visibility and requires just a portion of your marketing budget.

However, not every social media platform will help you maximize the benefits, so choose it wisely. Facebook has the largest pool of users and excellent targeting system, so it’s always best to start there. On the other hand, if you’re a B2B company, then LinkedIn should be your social media “weapon” of choice.

Use these platform’s analytics to understand your campaign’s performance, and engage with social media influencers. For choosing the right social media platform for your business, check out this guide on Medium.com.

2. Content Marketing

A well-designed content marketing process requires a content strategist, planner, creator, and editor. But if you don’t plan to post large amounts of content, this can be handled by one or two experienced content marketers.

When creating content, it’s important that it resonates with your audience. You can write informative and educational blog articles, engaging website copy, infographics, white papers, case studies, ebooks, or produce engaging video content. Whatever you want to go for (or your analytics point out that you should), remember that content marketing won’t give you any instant results. On the other hand, it is beneficial in the long run because it can help you build brand reputation, establish yourself as an authority in your industry, connect with potential customers, and build a trustworthy relationship with them.

Quality content can also help you rank higher in SERPs (Google loves the quality and relevant long-form content), increase your social media engagement (if your fans like it, they’ll share it), build your credibility, and help you generate and nurture leads.

3. Organic SEO

Paid search costs a bit more so you can go with the organic ways of improving website search engine rank. There are many ways to do it and prove to yourself that SEO doesn’t have to cost a lot. First, assess your website’s search engine optimization with Google Webmaster – register, verify your domain name, follow the steps, and the tool will give you some tips for your organic SEO, tailored to your specific website.

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Because SEO targets people who are actively looking for products/services like yours, the website traffic you get is more qualified than in other marketing strategies, which will save you a great deal of money. Check out Neil Patel’s guide to SEO to get a better understanding of the concept along with some tips to get the maximum effect.

4. Email Marketing

Email marketing is not dead. It’s alive and well. It remains to be one of the most cost-effective marketing strategies out there. Even though it may seem to be lagging behind the latest digital marketing trends, email marketing can provide significant value to your customers. Email is a behavioral marketing tool, and thanks to personalization, segmentation, and behavior-triggered automation, you can boost customer engagement and turn them into your loyal brand advocates. Email marketing delivers the best ROI (in the US, for every dollar spent, it brings back $44), while the developments in machine learning will allow us to use email to predict what the customer does next.

5. Retargeting

Retargeting is one of the essential, cost-effective techniques for growing an audience. What is retargeting? It is known as remarketing. A form of online advertising that can help you keep your brand in front of bounced traffic after they leave your website. To be able to recognize a brand, people need to be constantly reminded of it. They may not remember it from when they initially visited your site, but you can re-engage them through retargeting, and many marketers see it as a sure way to drive repeat sales. With retargeting, you can ensure that they will come back to your site rather than go elsewhere to consume their content.

6. Mobile focus

Don’t forget about mobile marketing! There are billions of people around the world walking around with a smartphone in their pocket. Mobile ads get you more bang for your buck because they cost less than desktop ads. On Facebook and Google, it is possible to set up mobile campaigns and allocate your marketing funds to run only on smartphones with full browsers. This way, you can significantly stretch your budget.

To effectively advertise your business, product, and target your ideal customers, (readers) take your time to research and find out what will and won’t work for your company or brand as an author. By adopting some (or all) of these digital marketing strategies in your marketing plan, you will make your digital marketing plan more cost-effective, without sacrificing your ROI.

In case you need any help, reach out to Strong Social for help in blog writing, social media marketing, and lead generation. As a business leader, the chances are that you can do all these things yourself, but limited time and staff often make it challenging.

Regards,

Jason Gordon – Founder

https://www.strong-social.com/

Delighted and Had An Amazing Interview on “What’s Your Excuse” Show! With Host Max Ivy Jr. – The Blind Blogger.

Catherine Lyon Author/Writer A Writer's Thoughts, Author News, Featured Guest, Marketing and More, New Book & Author Press Release, Posts, Updates and More , , , , , , , ,

Yes, I will confess I am a media hound when it comes to sharing all I do with those who invite me to be a guest on their show! On the recovery side of things, I will speak and advocate at any chance I can get. On the book promoting side, I just enjoy sharing all that I do to help new and seasoned authors. Max did a great job pulling out some of my marketing secrets!

It was a delightful interview I know all authors and writers will enjoy listening to. So have a pencil and paper ready to take notes.

What’s Your Excuse Show With Author, Catherine Lyon


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About Author and Show Host Maxwell Ivy Jr.

“While Max may not be able to see with his eyes, he opens the eyes of everyone around him. ”  ~ ‘Super Joe Pardo Show”

 

Hello; My name is Maxwell Ivey, Max to my friends; and that is what I hope we will become.

 

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I am a 49-year-old  blind gentleman who grew up in a family of carnival owners. All I ever wanted to do was to continue in my father’s and grandfather’s footsteps and be part of the family business.

As you can tell by reading this, that isn’t where I ended up. I did help in the business over the years, but couldn’t sustain it after the early death of my father (who had lung cancer). I then turned to helping people sell their amusement equipment. I do that on my other site, The Midway Marketplace.

I started blogging to promote that site and met a lot of wonderful people in the blogosphere. They told me that I had an amazing story and many commented on how I inspired them. They finally convinced me that I had a bigger purpose in store for myself.

So, I started this second blog, and in it I share more of my personal journey, struggles, and triumphs. I also got noticed by a lot of people and have appeared as a guest, an interview subject, and a motivator on many different sites. My As Seen Online page lists these places.

I do my best to help others and do so mostly by encouraging them to take steps towards their ultimate goal or to continue on the path they have started. I am now offering coaching to help people who are stuck and frustrated with not being able to find their passion or follow their dreams once they have determined what they want in their lives.

I am also available to speak to groups. I believe that by sharing the story of my personal growth and transformation, it will motivate and inspire anyone who hears it. In addition to starting a new business, I have also lost over 250 pounds through a combination of gastric surgery, diet, exercise, positive attitude, meditation, and prayer.

I believe I can help you. If you have questions for me, just ask them via the contact form. If anything, I am known for being too forthcoming!

I want to get to know you and become friends. I want to hear about your dreams and aspirations as well as your fears and concerns. I want to help you to grow to be that person you were meant to be.

I look forward to speaking with you. Let’s talk soon.  Thanks and take care out there.

Max …

 

The Blind Blogger’s NYC Adventures: + How You Can Make YOUR Dreams Come True  Leading You out of the Darkness into the Light: A Blind Man's Inspirational Guide to Success  Now on Amazon!

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I Will See You and Help You

Because I listen with my heart, I will see all of you. I will see those hidden abilities, possibilities, and opportunities.

I will see the roadblocks you put up between you and success. I will show you the lies that you tell yourself. I will correct those lies that the world has told you.

Why Me?

Because I have already done this in my own life.

When my father’s death resulted in the closure of our family’s small traveling carnival, I had to figure out what to do next.

I started by doing the only thing I thought I knew how to do. I helped other people sell their surplus amusement equipment.

Every day brought a new challenge. I had to learn so much. The amazing thing was that every time I accomplished something new, it gave me the confidence to believe that I could do even bigger things.

Since then, I have come so far and still have much farther I want to go.

My Accomplishments

I went from a morbidly obese, failed carnival owner to respected amusement equipment broker in the best health of my life.

I went from a frightened radio show guest to being a prolific online media guest to hosting my own podcast called the What’s Your Excuse Show.

I went from writing my first book on a dare to competing for and winning the Amtrak prestigious Writers In Residence Award. I’m now working on my fourth self-help book.

Are You Ready?

If you are ready to finally accomplish those big goals and dreams, then what are you waiting for?

If you want someone who has been there and done that… and who will see through your bullshit, and challenge you, then who else could you get that would be better than me?

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Max Ivey headshot

Take a chance on yourself and Visit My Website to schedule a call with me. You have nothing to lose, and everything to gain!
“Life Coaching With The Blind Blogger.”

Please do visit Max as he would make an exceptional dynamic motivational speaker for your next event or conference as he inspires everyone to be their best. Maxwell Ivy Jr. Speaking and Life Coaching.

Writing Our Books, How Much Do Publishers Think About Marketability? Featured Guest Article: Marketing Your Book 101 …

Catherine Lyon Author/Writer A Writer's Thoughts, Book Promotion Tips For Authors, Featured Guest, Marketing and More, Posts, Updates and More , ,

Most all my book marketing clients know when they hire me to market and promote their books that I am a stickler when it comes to research and visiting many writer and book marketing websites. I am always on the hunt for information or guest article that I know will help my authors and writers. I came across an exceptional article on the best place for all thriller, suspense, and mystery writers and readers called Killer Nashville and submit your book for a free review!

The Article is by Erik Deckers and has some solid advice about our books marketability and book promoting 101. I hope you find it informative and I will at the end share with you my thoughts about the new Twitter Promo Mode … CAT 

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Marketing Your Book 101 ~ Erik Deckers

“If you’ve been writing for any lengthy period of time, you’re familiar with the catch twenty-two of publishing: you want to write your book your way, but you also want it to sell. Sometimes, those two desires don’t run parallel.

Sacrifices are made, compromises are drawn, lines in the sand erased. In this month’s “Marketing Your Book 101”, marketing/promotion guru Erik Deckers offers up some advice on how to sell your book without selling your soul.”  ~Killer Nashville

Want to get a writer good and riled up? Do one of two things: 1) Ask where they stand on the Oxford comma; 2) Ask about the marketability of their book.

I can’t help you with the Oxford comma, but I can tell you quite a bit about a book’s marketability.

Marketability is often the last thing many authors want to think about. They want their art to stand on its own, and to write the stories they want to write, not what the masses want.

But marketability is often the first thing many publishers consider. They want to know how many people might want it, and how well you can market it.

In my first book proposal, I had to answer a few questions about whether there were books similar to mine, the size of my social media following, and whether I had an email newsletter list.

(Careful readers will note the Oxford comma in the previous sentence.)

Because the book was about social media and personal branding, my co-author, Kyle, and I both had a decent social media following, he had a sizable email newsletter list, and there were almost no books about personal branding. So we scored high on marketability, which we learned later went a long way in getting that book deal.

Yay, book marketability!

For us, marketability was a combination of whether a lot of people would buy the book, and how well we could promote it.

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The book market for social media, in general, was already being tapped out. Kyle and I had written a book about Twitter marketing the previous year, but this was new territory for us. If we hadn’t come up with a new idea that appealed to a large crowd, we never would have gotten the deal.

But my previous success has not meant automatic deals later on. I’ve proposed other book ideas since then, but the social media book market has just about run its course. If I want to write another book, I need to come up with a brand new idea.

Book marketability sucks.

How Much Do Publishers Think About Marketability?
First, just know that publishers do look at the marketability of your work, almost as much as they look at the quality of your work. And that goes into the decision of whether they’ll publish your book or not.

Don’t get me wrong. You could have 1 million Twitter followers, but if your work isn’t that great, it will never be published. (Still, if you have 1 million loyal Twitter followers, do you really need a publisher? Self-publish that sucker!)

You may have written the greatest story about teenage vampire wizards who fight zombies, but since that one has already been done to death (I hope!), you’re not going to get a lot of love from traditional publishers.

The marketability of a book is not just about the size of your social networks, it includes whether the book will be interesting to the largest number of people. When we wrote Branding Yourself in 2010, it was only the second book of its kind. But in the last several years, there have been a few hundred titles published on social media and its various sub-topics, so our publishers knew they had to strike fast. We were in the right place at the right time.

Having said that, I’ve read some pretty mediocre books published by people with big fat social networks, and it’s easy to see how much consideration the social networks were given. (Hint: way, way too much.)

So Should Marketability Affect Your Content Choices?
Yes and no.

No, it should not, because you should be free to write the book you want, and people should buy it because it’s good, not because it’s what the masses want. On the other hand. . . .

Yes, it should, because your publisher (ideally) knows what the public wants. If you can give it to them, you’ll sell lots of copies, and you’ll go on book tours where your publisher will put you up in the finest discount hotels and eat at the finest fast-casual restaurant chains. On the other hand. . .

No, it shouldn’t, because you have options! You can skip the whole traditional publishing route, and self-publish on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Kobo. (Again, note the Oxford comma.) You can market your own book, or sell print-on-demand copies at book fairs and community fairs. On the other hand. . .

Yes, it should, because you can win the greatest number of readers if you pay attention to what the public likes, and try to keep up. On the other hand. . .

No, it shouldn’t, because there’s an audience for nearly everything you can imagine (and even those things you can’t. Don’t go looking for those though. Just don’t.). Just because there’s not a huge audience doesn’t mean there’s not an audience. Even an audience of 1,000 is a good audience. On the other hand. . .

Yes, it should, because your publisher can get you into the bookstores, especially the large chain(s), which means great exposure to a wider audience. On the other hand. . .

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No, it shouldn’t, because you’re going to be doing most, if not all, of the marketing, and yet you’re only going to get a small royalty from your publisher. But if you self-publish, you get a much larger royalty.

Ultimately—I hate these kinds of indecisive answers—it comes down to what you want to do, where you think your book is going to go. If you want to write a commercially successful book that gets you invited to Killer Nashville as a keynote speaker, and your book is sold in the Barnes & Noble room, then consider your content and marketability very strongly.

But if you don’t want to be beholden to others, to let someone else dictate your story choices, or you just plain want more money than publishers offer, then marketability be damned! Your book’s—sorry, your books’—success will depend on you and how hard you’re willing to work. Happy Book Marketing!

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FYI: Killer Nashville is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. If you purchase a book from the links on this page, Amazon will give Killer Nashville a small percentage of the total sale.

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Lastly, I wanted to share a little and ask what you think about the new “Twitter Promo Mode” service they are offering. Here is what Twitter sent me this week about the new service … What author has $99 per month marketing budget just for Twitter? Please share your thoughts if you use or know about this promo service! TY! CAT

Automatically promote your Tweets to your best audience and grow your followers, without creating or managing campaigns.

Reach more peopleReach more people
Promote Mode enables your personal brand or business to be discovered by thousands of new people.

Amplify your TweetsAmplify your Tweets
Your Tweets and profile are automatically promoted, helping you grow your influence.

Pay a flat monthly feePay a flat monthly fee
Enjoy consistent growth without the extra effort.

 

https://ads.twitter.com/subscriptions/mobile/intro?ref=gl-tw-tw-promote-mode
INFO-LINK: New Twitter Promote Mode  

Social Media War and Blunders! How Do You Handle a Rude Person on Social Media? Be Careful …

Catherine Lyon Author/Writer A Writer's Thoughts, Featured Guest, Marketing and More, News Around The Web, Posts , , , , , , , , , ,

My dear friend Marsha is back from “News & Experts” and her PR Insider post with some real solid advice on how to handle “rude” people on social media while keeping your Professionalism intact …

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How To Respond When The Social Media World Gets Unpleasant 

 

Most of you are fully aware by now that social media plays a significant role in building your authority as a thought leader and expert in your field.

One of social media’s great advantages over traditional media is that you get to control your message to an extent you can’t when you’re being interviewed by a print journalist, a talk radio host or a TV show host. With social media, there is no media “gatekeeper” standing between you and your audience.

That’s the good news!

But, as wonderful as social media is for promoting your brand, it does present its own treacherous pitfalls. A particularly onerous drawback is that your social media followers can post responses to your posts that are, shall we say, less than ideal!

That happened just this week to one of our clients when one of her Twitter followers suggested quite publicly and forcefully that she quit posting about one subject (business culture) and write about a different subject (blockchain) he cared about instead! (This is the polite version. I will refrain from injuring your ears with the sailor’s language he actually used.)

It was, to say the least, quite an aggressive response to a fairly innocuous post.

Luckily for all of us, there are lessons to be learned from how this situation played out. Jay York, our senior social media strategist who manages our client’s social media platforms, says there were a few options he considered.

On behalf of the client, Jay could have directly challenged the person’s comment. He could have also tagged the blockchain community, who likely would have brought down their wrath on the errant poster.

But the option Jay chose was to send a private message to the poster, politely requesting that the comment please be removed because it didn’t help a mutual objective they both had of bridging the gap between business and blockchain people.

A few hours later, the very contrite poster replied, apologizing and removing the post.

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So, in case you ever find yourself in a similar distasteful situation with one of your social media accounts, let’s break down how you can try to duplicate what Jay did:

  • Find common ground. “In marketing, sometimes you can turn threats into opportunities,” Jay says. Let’s face it, social media has plenty of trolls who post objectionable things just to be jerks, and there’s no reasoning with people like that. But Jay says he surmised this wasn’t the case in this situation. After all, this person chose to follow our client on Twitter and seemed to respect her. By finding common ground (their shared interest in blockchain) they were able to come to a mutual understanding.
  • Be respectful. When someone is rude to you (and this post was exceptionally rude with foul language to match) there’s a natural temptation to respond in kind. You want to just let them have it! Resist that temptation. Maybe you’ve heard the old saying “you catch more flies with honey than vinegar.” I think Jay proved that saying has merit because the disagreeable person became agreeable in the end, doing exactly what Jay wanted to happen for our client. A hostile response might have escalated the situation rather than resolved it.
  • Look beyond the face of what’s occurring. Everything isn’t black and white, and sometimes you have to dive below the surface and explore what’s really going on. Yes, this person had come off as critical to an almost irrational degree, but he also had raised a point about the kind of social media content he was looking for from our client. Once you worked your way through the vitriol, his post really was a request for her to share more content about a subject he cared about.
What’s interesting here, I think, is that while social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and others are largely a product of the 21st century, the human beings who use them are still fundamentally the same way human beings always have been.
Just like in face-to-face business dealings, good manners are still important and can help smooth the way through those less-than-desirable situations.
Respectfully yours,

Marsha

My Friend Marsha Is Back of ‘News & Experts’ PR Firm. She Knows Mainstream Media!

Catherine Lyon Author/Writer A Writer's Thoughts, Author News, Book Promotion Tips For Authors, Featured Guest, Marketing and More, News Around The Web, Posts , , , , , , , , ,

How Small Publications Can Play A Big Role In Your Publicity Efforts …

 

I don’t believe I’m going out on a limb (well, at least not too far out) when I say that nearly everyone recognizes the giants of journalism. Such venerated (and at times vilified) publications as the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post and USA Today are hard to ignore, even if you’re not a regular reader or subscriber.

But as wonderful as they are, these behemoths of the reporting world aren’t the only option for those who long to see their names in traditional and online print.

Small towns throughout the country also are blessed with daily or weekly newspapers that keep their communities informed about who’s engaged, who died, whose child made honor roll and what the city commission and school board are up to these days.

These more obscure practitioners of journalism still serve a significant role in our information age, but admittedly without the luster and renown that those top-tier publications enjoy.

That’s why if you’re seeking to promote your brand, you could be thinking that it’s OK to ignore these lesser lights of the print and online media world in your quest for publicity.

Stop right there!

 

Let me tell you why that would be a mistake. These smaller venues, whether they appear online or in old-fashioned ink on paper, can be more important than you realize as you build your reputation as an authority in your field.

How so?

 

  • People read those local publications. Weekly newspapers and small dailies still attract a loyal readership for one simple reason: They provide readers with articles that have a direct impact on their lives and keep them apprised of what’s happening with people they know. If you want to promote your brand, it never hurts to start with your hometown newspaper. It can be a stepping stone to bigger things, plus as a bonus, you get to hone your interview skills in preparation for that day when the New York Times calls!
  • Smaller publications can have a bigger reach than you think. What happens in lesser-known media venues doesn’t necessarily stay in lesser-known media venues. Story ideas that bubble up on the local level can get noticed at the national level. Many smaller newspapers also are owned by large newspaper chains, and the publications within that chain share articles with each other. That means your interview with a small weekly in Wisconsin could be printed in sister publications far and wide. The fact is that not everything that grabs widespread attention begins life on the front page of the New York Times.
  • The media follow the media. There is little doubt that your friends (and potential clients and customers) are going to be impressed if you’re quoted in the Wall Street Journal or USA Today. How could they not be? But many of the authoritative voices that journalists at large publications seek out didn’t take a direct route from anonymity to the media spotlight. Instead, they built a media presence at smaller publications, establishing a trackable online presence. If you offer yourself as a source to top-tier media, those reporters are almost certain to Google your name. If they that see that other publications – even smaller ones – quoted you, they are more likely to view you as a credible source..

One final point worth noting. A Pew Research Center study in 2017 showed that Americans place greater trust in local news media than they do in national news media. The study showed that 25 percent of those surveyed said they trust their hometown news organizations “a lot” and 60 percent said they trust the local media “some.” That compares to 20 percent who said they trust national news organizations a lot and 52 percent who said they trust national media some.

Perhaps some of that trust in local media can rub off on you! After all, if the local media trust you enough to seek your insight about your area of expertise, potential customers or clients will be more inclined to trust you as well!
Locally yours,

Marsha

P.S. If you’d like professional help getting coverage in the press, and being interviewed on radio and TV, give us a call. We’ve been providing this service to clients for 28 years. We also offer a comprehensive social media marketing program for select clients, where we do it all for you.

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So friends, If you’re interested in Marsha’s help, please call here at 727-443-7115 Ext. 231, She’d love to hear from you! Let her know Catherine Lyon Sent YOU!

Marsha Friedman