An important part of your own content generation, You Media, is having a media room on your website. This is a special, defined space that features the content media would use to develop a story on you, prepare for an interview, and to share with others your success as an author.
An online media room may include:
- News or press releases
- Photos, such as head shots, book covers, and other pictures that help describe your book and/or work
- Videos, such as interviews, speaking snippets, book trailers, other content
- Bios (2)
- Interview questions (8-12)
- Interview topics (3, 5, or 7)
- Quote sheet, testimonials, endorsements
- Links to Earned Media coverage
- Backgrounder
- Fact sheet
- Other “goodies”
I did another post on the topic of creating a media room here, and all the information is relevant today.
Also, I receive a lot of questions about news releases or press releases and if they’re still used today. For the most part, I use pitch letters when it comes to securing media coverage, but the press release is still an important element in your publicity arsenal.
When you are writing a book, a book release is necessary – unless you just want to sell in the back of the room at events. Then, not so much. But when you write a book, a release is excellent for reviewers, particularly for the industry trades, such as Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Booklist, and others.
The book release spells out the benefits to the readers, shares your credibility as to why you’re the author of this book, and has ordering information at the bottom.
A release also contains many of your key search words, although you want to make sure that while you’re incorporating your key words, the release itself is still readable and makes sense. I have seen a few where it’s just a bunch of key words on a page with a few filler words, but it makes little sense.
There are a number of uses for this kind of release, including notifying reviewers as already mentioned. It can be a good tactic to put on the wire services as well so the release is available to the media. I have landed some interviews that way, but equally important, it allows the media to find you when they’re working on a story that you could be an expert on.
Your release should also contain the following:
- Contact information. Make it easy for someone else to find you directly.
- I like to start with a quote or endorsement at the top.
- Headline.
- Subheading.
- Author name.
- Focus more on the benefits to the reader, less on the features.
- Avoid making judgements about your own book, unless you’re quoting someone else. Saying your book is “the best book out there” is a bad idea.
- Use your own quotes if it helps the story along and makes it more interesting.
- # # # That signifies the end of the release.
- The bio goes next.
- Ordering information, including title, subtitle, author, publisher, publication date, type of cover, price, page count, and ISBN numbers.
Bottom line
It’s important to plan for your success, and a big part of that is setting things up so that others who will cover you, can get what they need easily. A media news room does this, as well as tells others coming to your site that you are a bad-ass.
To your success!
Joanne
P.S. I am delighted to be working with the Nonfiction Authors Association and will be presenting the Publicity Master Course beginning this Thursday, August 4th. If you’ve ever considered working together, this is a great way to pick my brain and learn some great stuff about publicizing your book. You can sign up here.
P.P.S. You know I have to include a song. It’s about da** time!
#NonfictionAuthorsAssociation
#PublicityMasterCourse
#MediaRoom
#PressReleases
#BookMarketing
#BookPublicity
If you’d like to receive juicy publicity secrets directly on a regular basis, join the Savvy Sunday Community at the bottom of this page.