I trust you and yours had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday filled with fun, laughter and plenty of yummy things to eat. Most, not all, but most of us are pretty lucky to have the lives we have and there is a lot to be thankful for. Monday morning comes fast and soon we’ll be back at it again.
As we move into another holiday season, it can be a great time for promoting and selling our books. Hopefully, you’ve been working on setting that up before now and you’re in execution mode, because it’s really too late to just be starting a campaign centered on the holidays. Forgive me for stating the obvious, but there are some who don’t understand this yet. There is a tendency to think in this era of immediacy that book promotion can be fast too. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Everything takes planning, so assuming you are in execution mode…
Anyone who has known me for awhile knows this: I am very fond of busting myths. A myth, of course, is some idea that most people think it true, but it really isn’t. For example, I’ve heard lots of people say, “Oh, forget about promoting your book during the month of December. People are just putting in their time. They’re not really working, and they’re certainly not making any decisions right now.”
That myth is one of my favorites. “Nothing happens during December.”
Wrong!
I’ve got news for you. I have had some of my best months for securing media coverage in December simply because I did not believe that whole notion that nothing happens in December. Success can happen at any time, so I kept moving forward, I kept sending emails, I kept pitching and guest what? I got coverage.
Sure, lots of people take extra time off during the holidays, but when it comes to media, they still have to get stories written. They still have shows to produce and interviews to conduct. None of that goes away just because we’re in the midst of the holiday season. There is power when you keep at something, so keep going.
Here’s one of my secret tips.
Ready?
There are people who still pick up the phone. I know. Shocking.
And even though many will tell you no one uses the phone anymore, and even though many will tell you that if you do insist on making calls then they’re best made on Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays — forget about Fridays. Well, I have more news for you. I have secured some of my best coverage for my clients by making a call on a Friday afternoon.
Why?
Because they aren’t off for the holiday yet, they’re still working. They don’t want to start or get involved in some big project, but they will pick up the phone. It’s a great time to call, so forget about the warnings from others and pick up the phone. If there is a journalist or a producer who should be covering you, call them. What can it hurt? It just may help you to get the kind of coverage you’ve really been wanting.
And to those who say the phone is dead? HA! Not yet anyway.
Oh, now I agree that email is the communication method most preferred by many, but not all. And if you’re wanting to stand out, then a phone call is a sure way to do that.
So off we go into the holidays 2017. Remember: You can still get plenty of media coverage for your book. If you can tie into the holidays, that’s great, but remember there are also plenty of media outlets who are not driven by the headlines or the calendar. Opportunity abounds you just have to keep your eyes open for it. As I may have shared with you before, I once had my best webinar attendance on a presentation I gave on December 23. Anything is possible.
To your success!
Joanne