Publicity – Velocity Media

19 May 2015

Five ways to overcome blank page paralysis

There can be something quite intimidating about a blank page. The pressure to fill it with words can be overwhelming. Even the most experienced writers can, at some point, feel as though their ideas have dried up, and they don’t know where to start. But it can be overcome.

Whether you need to write a presentation or proposal, a book or a blog, an advertisement or an anecdote, a newsletter or news release, here are five ways to help you overcome blank page paralysis.

1. Work backwards

When you are stuck, it can help to look at the end goal. What do you want to happen as a result of this? What is the next action step? What do you want customers, readers, journalists, staff members or other stakeholders to take away from it or do as a result of it?

Once you know the end goal, it is easier to determine what you need to write to achieve it, giving you a place to start.

2. Be inspired by the work of others

Need to give a presentation? Watch some TED Talks and other great speeches in history. Have a blog to write? Read other blogs and publishing websites. Need to develop an advertisement? Look over the most successful advertisements developed over the years.

Sometimes we need a touch of inspiration to get us on our way. To see an example of how it is done right or to see it achieving results for us to know it is possible and make a start.

Inspiration should not be confused with plagiarism though. You don’t want to copy what you have read, listened to or watched. Instead, look at the subtle details that appealed to you like their tone of voice, presentation of facts, how they formulated their argument, captured attention or used imagery.

3. Reconnect with your creativity

Sometimes sitting behind a computer can stifle our creativity. We can get too caught in the humdrum of routine and are too easily distracted by the noises of new emails and social media updates coming through.

Think back over the times when you have been the most creative. Chances are it wasn’t in front of your computer screen; it was with a pen and paper, over a whiteboard, away from your desk or talking with others. Also, take into consideration the time of day it was. Identify any patterns and do what you can to recreate these moments of creativity.

4. Write your way

You don’t need to write from start to finish. If you are more inspired to start at the end or halfway through then follow your inspiration. Pressure will only fuel procrastination and overwhelm.

Make notes under different sections or headings and come back to them when you feel you have more clarity. There is no right or wrong way to fill a page. You need to find the process that most suits you.

5. Delegate it

If you are experiencing severe writers block and can’t find a way around it personally, then delegate it. Give yourself something to work with by asking a staff member, ghostwriter or copywriter to do the first draft for you.

It might just take someone else’s interpretation of your business, product, service or topic to help you gain more clarity around your positioning and what you do and don’t want to say.

13 October 2014

Seven tips for writing content quickly

Sometimes in business we are presented with opportunities that require us to produce a lot of content quickly. It could be for an editorial, a guest contribution to a blog or e-book, an awards submission, a presentation or pitch or even our own book or e-course.

While you can know your topic inside out, putting it down on paper can trigger all sorts of procrastinating behaviour and overwhelm, slowing down or stopping the writing process altogether resulting in lost opportunity or revenue.

To help you overcome distractions and package up your knowledge easily here are seven tips for writing a lot of content quickly.

1. Decide on your topic and audience

The first step in producing content quickly is to work out the audience you are writing for and the topic you will be writing about. In order for your writing to be successful, from a sales and public relations perspective, you want to have the two well aligned and write about a relevant issue that is of interest to your target audience and the media.

2. Map out chapters, pages or sub-headlines

Depending on what you are writing, do up a quick mind map of your chapters, pages or sub-headlines and then break it down further again to include the main points under each. Structuring your writing like this will give you more clarity around your topic, ensure you stay on target to achieve the outcome you want and help you avoid overwhelm.

3. Start anywhere

Once you have your content mapped out you can make a start in the area you feel most inspired. You don’t need to start at the beginning and work through in order. In fact as a copywriter I can tell you that 99% of the time I start in the middle. I prefer to do the introduction last so I can make sure the beginning sums up and leads into the rest of the writing project.

4. Use anecdotes

Stories, examples and case studies not only create an emotional connection with your readers, they also make your points more memorable, easy to understand and your content more inspired and fun to write.

5. Use a voice recorder

While sitting down and writing can work for some of us, for others it can stifle creativity. If you recognise that you are more creative standing up, walking around, speaking or being in front of the white board jot down brief notes and speak into a voice recorder. Leverage your creativity by finding the process that works best for you.

6. Record all ideas

Once you start the writing process you can find yourself being inspired at all different times throughout the day and night when you least expect or want it. For this reason make sure you have a way to record your ideas keeping a notepad and pen or your phone near you at all times.

7. Edit upon completion

The biggest productivity killer in writing isn’t procrastination it’s perfectionism. Give yourself the freedom to write the entire first draft before you start editing and critiquing. Editing as you go can slow the process down (or bring it to a halt) and waste periods of inspiration.

Have you had to produce a lot of content quickly? How did you go about it?

Amanda

2 September 2014

The biggest point of difference you are underselling

If you are like most business owners your biggest point of difference comes not from what you do or even how you do it, it comes from what you know.

The knowledge you have around your industry, products and services, your customers needs, problems and challenges, the lessons you’ve learnt and the formulas, templates, processes and systems you’ve created based on your knowledge and experience is all extremely valuable.

What’s more it could be what influences a potential customer in doing business with you over your competitors. Yet most of us undersell it.

So if by chance you are underselling your knowledge, here are four reasons why you should stop doubting and start sharing.

1. Your industry knowledge isn’t “common sense”

When something comes easy to you, it can be easy to think that it comes easy to everyone else too – but it doesn’t. The truth is you have distinct skills and knowledge that most people will never have. Even the most researched customers won’t come close to what you know.

2. You may share the same expertise, but not the same experience

While you may feel that the industry knowledge you have isn’t unique, that it is shared by anyone working in your industry, your experience is. The experience you have gained from working in your industry day in and day out can’t be replicated.

No one has been exactly where you are today. They haven’t had the same life experiences, the same customers, learned the same business lessons, or had the same setbacks and wins. You are far more knowledgeable than you realise.

3. Your explanation and application could be just what someone needs

Each of us respond better to particular communication and learning styles and build rapport quicker with specific personalities.

While you may not be the most knowledgeable person in your industry – or even close at this stage, how you explain, implement or package your knowledge could be what spurs a customer or potential customer to finally take action on something they have “heard a hundred times” before.

4. Every great expert started as an amateur

Remember that every great expert and every successful entrepreneur and business leader started out as an amateur. The only difference is they kept learning, growing and sharing what they knew with their staff, customers and the world.

Are you underselling yourself?

Amanda

19 May 2014

Why you need to be a shameless self-promoter

When it comes to self-promotion and marketing there tends to be two kinds of business owners, those who are their brand and those who hide behind their brand. But, in order to create a truly successful business you need a balance of both.

So here are three reasons you need to become a shameless self-promoter, and for those who want to run a mile at the thought of being more in the spotlight, how you can do it while still being somewhat in the background.

1. People need a personal connection

To create a valuable business that you can sell one day (it’s good to have the option) you need to build a powerful brand that isn’t solely dependent on you. But at the same time to create that marketing momentum there needs to be a face, someone they can connect to, a person that embodies the expertise, experience and personality of the brand to build trust and relationships with potential customers.

Now that doesn’t mean your face needs to be on everything, you just be an expert in your own right. If you are not comfortable with being on video, getting up to speak or having your photo everywhere, consider writing, blogging or being active via social media to build your profile that way.

Doing this will also help secure your future, when you have your own profile it is easier to launch new projects, businesses or causes because people know you outside your brand.

2. Your business won’t grow by you playing small

We each have a contribution to make, in life and in business. We have the power to make a difference and impact lives. But playing down your talents and abilities, staying small and hiding in the background doesn’t help you serve your purpose.

Many business owners shy away from talking about their skills and experience as they don’t want to seem egotistical or boastful, knowing this can be damaging to their reputation and relationships. But you don’t need to be arrogant in order to establish your value, and what these business owners also forget is that being too humble and underselling themselves can also damage their business and stunt their growth.

Would you buy off someone who was unsure of themselves and downplaying their abilities? I know I wouldn’t.

Own your skills and talents and have confidence in your abilities to deliver for your customers. Your confidence will in turn grow your customers and potential customers confidence in you leading to more sales and more opportunities to help people.

3. If you deliver a better product or service you have an obligation to tell your customer about it

There are so many people out there who are ready and waiting to take advantage of people with below average products and services, or grand promises they can’t or have no intention of keeping.

That is why you have an obligation to let your customers and potential customers know about you. If you provide higher quality products or services, have more experience or offer more value you owe it to them to try and help them.

Self-promotion doesn’t need to be boastful, salesy or cheesy, and you certainly don’t need to put your head on the side of a bus if you don’t want to.

But in order to generate more publicity for your business and attract and convert more customers you do need to step out of the shadows and build your own profile up too.

By doing so you will find that as your own profile grows so will your business simply because people will want to be involved in what you are doing.

Amanda

20 April 2014

How to make your business newsworthy (with steal worthy news angles to try)

With journalists bombarded with hundreds of pitches and media releases each day, your ability to generate media coverage is directly determined by how newsworthy and interesting you can make yourself, your business or your topic.

But with so many different media outlets with differing opinions on what is newsworthy to them, how do you choose the right angle to make sure you don’t end up deleted?

Here are some tips to help you find the best newsworthy angle for your business and some steal worthy news angles to get you started.

1. Know why you want media coverage

The first step in making your business newsworthy is to determine why you want to generate media coverage in the first place. Is it to build brand awareness and get people talking about your products or services? Is it to raise awareness for a cause or issue? Is it to gain credibility and be able to say that you or your business have been “featured in…” or perhaps it’s to be the go-to source on your area of expertise?

Why you want to generate coverage will not only impact what media outlets and journalists you target but also the angle you use to make it more newsworthy to each of them.

For example if you want to be an ongoing source you wouldn’t send off a media release about how great your product, service or business is. You would be leading with statistics, figures, trends, industry insights and other valuable information that will prove your worth and credibility.

2. Determine who your target market is

Like any form of promotion you need to know who you are targeting and why. While the journalist will be the first point of contact, they won’t necessarily be the primary market you want to target, unless your goal is to become their expert source.

So think about it, is it that you want to reach new potential customers and persuade them to buy your product or service? Do you to attract more wholesalers to stock your products or high quality staff, licensees, franchisees and investors into your business?

When you know who you are targeting you will easily identify the best media channels to use to get your message across and the right angle to ‘hook’ both the journalist and your target market.

3. Know the media you are targeting

Once you have a list of the media outlets that attract your target market, get to know each one. What stories and topics do they cover? What do they find newsworthy? How do they put stories together? Are they factually based or more sensational? Have they covered anything recently that you could give more detail on or an alternate opinion? How much information do they require? How long is each story or segment? What segment, section or journalist will find what you have to share the most relevant?

Keep in mind too that there will often be multiple opportunities within the one media outlet that will also require a different approach or angle. Take a magazine for example, which has editorials and features, personal or business profiles, real life stories, product features, reviews and competitions, opinion pieces and letters to the editor.

Each of these segments can offer you media coverage though which one you choose will depend on your purpose. If you want to establish yourself as an expert you may want to go for a profile or editorial article. However, if you want to launch or promote a product you may opt for a product feature, review or competition.

4. Find your angle

When you know why you want coverage, who you are targeting and what media you need to use to reach them, suddenly finding your angle, hook or “in” is a lot easier.

Keep in mind that the media want to appeal to their audience just as much as you do in order to boost their own ratings, hits or sales, so think about what information you can provide that will help them achieve their goals so you can, in turn achieve yours. Always take a win/win/win approach when it comes to targeting the media.

To help you start thinking about angles you can adapt to attract media coverage in your own business, here are some examples categorised by three types of coverage you might be looking for.

A personal or business profile – Include stories of rags to riches, David versus Goliath, overcoming adversity, something or someone lost than found, successes (like winning an accolade, achieving something that is thought to be difficult or “impossible”, making a discovery, achieving a milestone or attaining a big goal), business growth (franchising, licensing, winning a large contract, expanding nationally or internationally) or even key lessons you’ve learnt (what to do or not to do) in any of the above (or other) scenarios
Becoming a source – Provide valuable information people need to know but aren’t told or have no way of knowing like key industry insights, research findings, breaking news, whistle-blower confessions, examples of real world consequences when it comes to new regulations or legislation (or a layman’s guide to understanding it), upcoming trends, public announcements, scams or lawsuits
Product feature – New products, themed products (summer/winter essentials, must-have tools for business owners, products every new mum needs etc.), gift ideas, decorations or recipes for celebrations and events (like Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Easter, Birthdays or Christmas) or products that are endorsed, used or spotted on a celebrity

A good news angle will be relevant to your the audience, interesting to the media and add value to everyone. Remember that the objective is not to push information out but to draw people to you, a concept that can take more thoughtful planning, but will generate more results and sales.

Amanda

20 April 2014

Five tips to help you pitch more effectively to bloggers

When it comes to getting your message out to a large audience, the first response for most business owners is to target the media. Though what more brands are starting to realise is that bloggers can be equally powerful, if not more powerful, at spreading the word.

Not only are they powerful influencers with their loyal audience, they also provide valuable link backs to your website, give you greater flexibility with more promotional posts than the media and can be a lot easier to gain coverage on – provided you do it right.

There are a number of ways you can work with bloggers, from sponsored posts, link placements and advertising, to guest posts, reviews and giveaways. You will find most PR friendly blogs will have a PR page that lists the opportunities available with them and how they like to work with brands.

Since this is such a great way to get the word out about your business, I thought I would share five tips on pitching to bloggers as both a blogger and publicist, so you can improve your chances of gaining coverage on blogs and building an ongoing beneficial relationship with bloggers.

1. Personalise your email

It is important to understand that bloggers, like journalists, can receive hundreds of PR pitches a day so it is important to stand out from the crowd. To do this take the time to find out their name and interests (you will normally get this from reading their posts and ‘About’ page).

Don’t send out a blanket email to hundreds of bloggers with ‘Dear blogger’ as the header, general statements like this immediately strip any personal touch from your email and can be skipped over in a sea of emails if there is no powerful subject line or headline to capture attention.

2. Read their blog

There are a number of reasons why you should read the blogs you are targeting. First and foremost you need to determine if they are someone you want to associate your brand with, secondly you want to double check they have your target audience and lastly you want to get to know them as a person to make a targeted pitch.

3. Keep your pitches relevant

Just like the media, don’t send bloggers every bit of information or news on your business. Only send products and services that are relevant to them personally and their audience and do it sporadically. If you email them too regularly or continue to send them irrelevant information they may get into the habit of deleting any email that comes through or block you altogether.

4. Make it win/win/win

Often many businesses get caught up in focusing on the win for themselves and the win for the blogger’s readers that they completely forget the blogger! But bloggers work hard to build their audience and like any human being, want to know what’s in it for them.

So before you approach them think about what you can offer them. With reviews you will obviously give them the goods or services to keep for the review (though make sure it is of a monetary value that is worth their time) and sponsored posts you pay, though what about guest posts? Could you provide them with promotion by promoting their blog and the article across your social media? Could you offer them a reciprocal guest post on your blog or in your newsletter? Think about what they might like or what would help them.

5. Build a relationship

Instead of aiming for a once off mention on their blog, look to build an ongoing relationship with the bloggers you target. Attract their attention by interacting with them on their blog and social media and continue to build rapport by engaging with them.

The better the relationship you build with the blogger the more opportunities you will expose yourself to – particularly if you build a relationship between the blogger and your brand. If they become a fan of your products or services, there is a high chance you will get extra mentions above what you have asked for or arranged.

Do you have any tips or any questions when it comes to working with bloggers?

Amanda

28 January 2014

How to respond successfully to a media call-out

Media Coverage is powerful. Not only do you gain exposure to new potential customers, it gives you implied credibility acting as a third-party endorsement.

But when you’re wearing a hundred and one hats in your business already, finding the time to develop newsworthy angles, write media releases and then send them out can be a little difficult.

Thankfully though, with the help of social media and websites like SourceBottle.com you can intercept media call-outs from journalists who are looking for sources to input on their story. The angle is set and the story is being published, all you need to do is put forward your expert opinion or experience.

But you won’t be the only person who sees the call-out, so how do you improve your chances of being chosen? Here are seven tips to help you respond to a media call-out successfully and position yourself as a valuable source.

1. Research the media or journalist making the request

Call-outs don’t always include the exact media outlet making the request though if it does, or a journalist or news organisation you are following puts out a request, research them further.

What kind of stories do they do? How long are they normally? What is their news focus – do they cover more hard-hitting news or are they more feature and profile based? This information can help you write your response more strategically.

2. Respond as soon as possible

Journalists are on often on tight deadlines so the sooner you respond the better. Normally each call-out will have a date by when they need people to respond by, though some won’t and you can’t always be assured that they will wait until that date to choose a source, so get in quick.

3. Read their request carefully and answer accordingly

Once you have read what they want, write 2-3 paragraphs of how you could shed light on the topic. It needs to be attention grabbing, so sell yourself but keep the focus on what they want and need. To do this ask yourself what could you do to help them cover this story well? What could you bring to it that no-one else could?

Be as concise as possible without diluting your message, as this too will demonstrate to the journalist your ability to articulate your view quickly and succinctly, something they value in a source.

4. Mention any specific information you could provide them with

Do you have any industry insights, statistics or background information that could help them with their story? If the answer is yes, tell them what you have without giving it all away, you want them to have a taste but still be intrigued enough to contact you.

5. Build your credibility

Build your credibility and position yourself as a good and reliable source by including your expertise, credentials and length of industry experience. Also mention any other media coverage you have gained if applicable.

6. Include your contact details

Remember to include your landline, mobile, email address and website so they can easily get in contact with you for an interview.

7. Be available

Once again journalists are usually on tight deadlines so make yourself available when they need to interview you. Thank them for their time and let them know that you are available for comment again if they ever need it.

So there you have it, seven tips for creating a more strategic and targeted media call-out response. Do you have any tips that have worked for you?

Amanda

23 November 2013

Six ways to generate publicity (that you may not have tried)

When it comes to generating publicity for your business, news releases are by far the most popular option. But they aren’t the only option. There are a number of tools you can use and angles you can take to capture the attention of journalists and editors.

To give you some ideas, here are six additional tools or angles that you may not have thought to use in order to generate more publicity for your business.

1. Trend Releases

Trend releases are often the most valuable to the media and will help you establish a reputation as a source. These releases contain information on developing trends, breaking research or other industry insights that would be unknown to the media or difficult for them to obtain.

These are ideal for industry specific publications though also for mainstream media provided the angle is highly newsworthy and affects or impacts a wide audience.

2. Expert Comment/Piggyback Releases

Expert comment releases are issued when a story breaks that would require a statement or comment from someone with your expertise. These are also great for positioning yourself as a source.

It could be a statement of support with additional information or an opposing view with facts to back up your opinion. Whatever your response, be sure to state you are available for interviews.

3. Letters to the Editor

Writing Letters to the Editor can be an effective venue for establishing yourself as an expert, addressing controversial issues, discussing industry developments, responding to claims and of course offering your opinion. To capture attention and increase your chance of being published make sure your response is insightful, sharp and articulated well.

4. Op-Ed Articles

Op-Ed articles are longer opinion pieces that (usually) appear on the same page as the Letters to the Editor. Just like the Letters to the Editor they are a great way to showcase your level of knowledge and insight. Once again carefully consider your position and make sure the opinion you put forward is insightful, researched, logical and well written.

5. Public Service Announcements

Public service announcements are messages in the public interest sent out by the media without charge, with the objective to raise awareness or change the public’s attitude or behaviour towards an issue or event. While they won’t suit every business, issue or event, it’s good to be aware of this option.

6. Reviews and giveaways

Many publications will review new or existing products for their “what’s new”, “things we love” or “check this out” sections so it pays to send a sample of your products or at least alert relevant publications to your products.

They will also hold regular giveaways either in their magazine, newsletter or on their website. Some happen monthly while others happen around key times of the year like Christmas, Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Back to School, change of season and so on. So it is good to send out a news release with the option to do a review and/or giveaway around these times.

Keep in mind that most publications will require a reasonable value or specific quantity of product to be included in a giveaway. To decide if the investment is worth it take into consideration the target audience of the publication, how large the audience is and the level of coverage and promotion you and the giveaway will receive.

Have you tried any different ways to generate publicity for your business?