In today’s world, it is critical to get added visibility and credibility for you and your book. Today I am featuring some powerful ways to do exactly that.
Power Plays
Media Pitches: Craft compelling and newsworthy pitches tailored to specific journalists, bloggers, or media outlets. Personalize your approach and highlight why your story is relevant to their audience. This is easier said than done. And the one complaint I hear above all others is that it takes too much time to do this. It does take time. Yes. Do it anyway.
Create Newsworthy Content: Develop content that has a news angle or hooks that can pique the interest of journalists. This could be related to industry trends, research findings, or innovative approaches to common problems. It is not about launching your book or a new website. You must go deeper than that.
Create Quality Content for “YOU” Media: Whether it’s writing blog posts, making videos, or producing podcasts, focus on creating valuable and shareable content that resonates with your target audience. This is your content on your platforms. You get to say what goes.
Guest Contributions: Offer to write guest articles or provide expert commentary for reputable media outlets in your industry. This can position you as an authority and attract media attention.
Influencer Marketing: Collaborate with influencers or partner with them to promote your brand, product, or service to their followers. I’ve written other posts specifically about this. Here’s one from just a couple of weeks ago.
Optimize for SEO: If you have a website or blog, optimize your content for search engines (SEO) to increase organic traffic. Use relevant keywords, meta tags, and create backlinks to improve your search engine ranking. Begin by simply creating a list of keywords people would likely use to find you or your book or product.
Networking: Attend industry events, conferences, and seminars to meet people in your field. Networking can lead to collaborations, partnerships, and opportunities for increased visibility. And after years of Covid, who doesn’t want to meet in person?!
Engage with Communities: Participate in online forums, discussion boards, and social media groups related to your interests or industry. Share your expertise and connect with like-minded individuals.
Paid Advertising: Consider using paid advertising on platforms like Google Ads or social media to reach a broader audience quickly. However, be very careful with this: If you pay for reviews, article placement, or features and people know so, this can hurt you. Why would someone feature you in a notable outlet if they know you paid for the coverage you received elsewhere? They won’t, and worse, you won’t even know.
Email Marketing: Build an email list and regularly send valuable content or updates to your subscribers. There are many good reasons for doing this, and I’m going to write about those reasons in an upcoming post. For now, it includes direct communication that is personalized and targeted, a higher conversion rate, and you’re building loyalty with those who have opted in to hear from you. Email marketing can be a powerful way to maintain and grow your visibility.
Consistency: One of the biggest issues I see is that authors become fatigued from their efforts after a few months, usually because they’re not seeing the results they were hoping for immediately. You must regularly update your content, engage with your audience, and stay active across different channels. The key is to be consistent in your efforts.
Monitor Analytics: Keep track of your performance metrics to understand what strategies are working and where you need to improve. It’s important to understand your audience’s behavior, identify strengths and weaknesses, and measure performance and ROI.
Public Speaking: Public speaking offers you the opportunity to get media coverage within that geographical area through interviews, podcasts, or local news outlets. And, you can use that coverage on your website and share via social media.
Press Releases: Write and distribute press releases about noteworthy events, product launches, or achievements related to your business or expertise. Use press release distribution services and target relevant media outlets. This can be a fantastic way to become visible.
Build Media Relationships: Connect with journalists, reporters, and editors through social media or networking events. Engage with their content and show genuine interest in their work. As leadership expert Lois Frankel once told me, “The time to build a great relationship is before you need it.” Take this to heart. Reach out to people now, before you need them.
Respond to HARO Queries: This resource has been around for decades, owned by different people and companies, and I have mixed feelings about it. I will share more about this at a later time. However, you can sign up for Help a Reporter Out (HARO) to receive queries from journalists seeking expert sources for their stories. Respond promptly, provide valuable insights, and you may get some coverage from this.
Host Press Events: Organize press conferences, product launches, or events that can attract media coverage. You must be sure that your event has a newsworthy element to attract the media. In an upcoming post, I will go into some of the many ways to organize a successful press conference.
Be Accessible: Make it easy for journalists to contact you. Have a media page on your website with contact information, high-resolution images, and relevant background information. Don’t go on vacation around the time of your launch! (Don’t laugh. It happens. Over the years I had a client go to Antarctica and another to Australia. Antarctica was the worst. You simply can’t reach someone there.)
Leverage Social Media: Social media is a great way to amplify your message. Share your media coverage on the various platforms. Remember to tag the journalists or media outlets to increase visibility and show appreciation for the coverage.
Use Visuals: Include compelling images, infographics, or videos with your press releases or pitches. Visuals can enhance the appeal of your story and we are most definitely in a multimedia world now.
Consider a Publicist or a PR Agency: If you have the resources, consider working with a publicist or PR agency that specializes in your industry. They have the contacts and the relationships, which doing it yourself you would have to develop and that takes time. They can help you with media outreach, crafting your brand story, and some offer media training.
Bottom line
Media exposure is often earned through providing valuable insights, expertise, and interesting stories. Be patient and persistent in your efforts, as building media relationships and getting coverage may take time. Focus on presenting yourself as a reliable and knowledgeable source, and the media attention will follow.
If you need some help, let me know.
If you want to learn to do-it-yourself, then join me for a 6-week Master Publicity Course through the Nonfiction Authors Association. I will be sharing all my secrets and tips that I’ve learned doing this work day in and day out, which will save you an enormous amount of time, and give you all kinds of advantages and leverage. I promise you that!
To your success!
Joanne
P.S. Take a Chance!
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