Mistakes People Make Regarding Publicity and PR and How to Avoid Them

Time Money Keys

It’s hard to believe that the words “back to school” are already being bandied about. Summer clothes are on sale now that the Fourth of July has passed, and many of the long-lead media are planning their story ideas for well into fall. An important point to remember is that when it comes to media, you must think ahead. When the temperature is in the 90s, it may be hard to believe it’s time to pitch fall ideas, but it’s true. As a matter of fact, with long-lead opportunities winter stories are now being considered.

In the last blog post, I discussed what a savvy publicist can do for you that you may not be able to do for yourself. Today I’m sharing about some of the biggest mistakes I see people make when they want to secure publicity for their book, business, product or service. Unfortunately, these mistakes cost time, money and plenty of frustration — all things we want to avoid. Not planning ahead is one of the top ones.

Before I share the #1 way to help yourself achieve your publicity and PR goals, remember: There is plenty of advice out there…there are webinars you can go to, white papers you can download, and other research you can conduct. The trouble is in discerning if the advice being given is really good for you, or if it’s targeted toward someone else. It isn’t always easy to tell. If you follow this one piece of advice, it can save you so much in terms of time and money. I know it sounds simple, and it is simple:

Find a mentor.

Find someone who has done all of this and who is willing to share with you her secrets. Find someone who has been in business longer than a couple of years (or, heaven forbid, less than a year). Don’t buy the idea that only someone who is 22 years old can know about social media or how to get publicity. Or only a brand new entrepreneur with shiny new objects is the only one who can help you. After all, do they have your life experience? Have they been in business long? Do they know how business works? Do they understand your business? It’s not enough to simply be aware of trends and to understand how certain platforms work. Experience counts. Having media relationships counts big time, and they take time to build.

Click here so you can see more in this video.

And speaking of saving time, money, and frustration, an excellent first step is to check out Media Boot Camp. This is where I take people by the hand and help them to create their own publicity plan, including: 1) How to approach media, 2) What to do once you land it, 3) How to deliver, and 4) the critical step of capturing leads. It’s by far the best, quality information for a very small investment. It’s my life’s work and I love doing it. Shoot me an email if you’re interested in learning more.  joanne@joannemccall.com. 
 
And, as always, at the end of the video, I mention taking the How Media Savvy are you Assessment, which will give you a great idea of what you need to know as you seek media coverage. If you haven’t take it yet, click here.

To your success! 
Joanne
 
P.S. Remember, feedback on the videos, or suggestions for upcoming topics are always welcome. Let me know at Joanne@JoanneMcCall.com.

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