Greetings Everyone!
Well while publishers have decided to bombard
Betsie's Literary Page, I've been working on a
new project. Can't exactly say what at this
time, but if it works I'll surely pass on the
results!
Then again I have planned to write up much
on - high impact publicity, the amazon formula
in a nutshell, as well as using phrases that
sell-- depends on how many readers are
interested in these subjects.
Ok so on with the show!
DRAWING CROWDS AND GAINING PUBLICITY |
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Special events -- such as grand openings, pony rides
for children,barbecues and square dances, picnics, and
with the holiday's approaching = Halloween parties --
are effective publicity vehicles in two ways:
1. They help market your book to the public. People
attend the event, come to your booth for the free
hotdog or icecream, and then browse and buy while
they're there.
2. They're promotable and can get you a lot of press
coverage. Many editors like special events and cover
them!
If the event involves free giveaways,many editors
announce it it, typically in a schedule of events or a
things-to-do-this-week column.
If the event is based on a clever gimmick or angle,
many editors not only put it in the calendar but also
may give it broader feature coverage, both as a
preview as well as a post-event story.
This leverages the time and effort spent putting on the
event, because you not only promote yourself to those
who attend but also, through the publicity, reach
thousands of additional prospects who did not.
When preparing for your special event, and using a
gimmick -- send out a media alert.
Sample:
NOW BUSINESSES NATIOWIDE CAN ESTABLISH A
BRANCH OFFICE IN NEW YORK CITY'S PRESTIGIOUS
EMPIRE STATE BUILDING FOR A LITTLE AS $35 PER
MONTH
Here's the thing... the company: rents mailboxes
the angle: unusual, prestigious location = Empire State
Building
see how it works?
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PITCHING YOUR STORY TO TV PRODUCERS |
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How do you approach a TV producer? In much the
same way that you approach a magazine or newspaper
editor, with just a few differences.
1. If you're trying to impress a producer with whom you
have no prior relationship, a nicely packaged media kit
sometimes helps.
2. If you want to increase your chances of getting
coverage on a particular TV show, offer the producer
an exclusive on your story -- give the show first crack
at running it. If the producer accepts, she gets to run
the story first; then you're free to give the story to
other shows and stations.
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MEDIA ALERTS |
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A media alert is a short, one-page notice that looks like
a cross between a standard press release and a
wedding invitation. It quickly hits the highlights, using
a graphic format that makes it easy to scan, and sticks
to the facts without puff or elaboration.
The most common method of delivery is to fax the
media alert to the television station producer.
Dominoes did a stint in Washington, D.C. to introduce
their new deep pan pizza by delivering their press
releases to 4 network affilliates using a messenger =
the press releases were taped to the pizza boxes.
The possibilities here are enormous!
When sending your media alert, remember to announce
photo opportunity times. TV crews don't want to
waste their time standing around of fighting to get you
on camera.
Set aside a specific time when the camera operators
can shoot video of the featured attaction.
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MEDIA LINKS & MORE |
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Handling surprise gracefully
Being a guest on a radio talk show is not always a
winning situation. Getting yourself on the show,
preapring, and doing the interview take a lot of effort
and time. Forsmall-business people, time is money --
you don't do publicity for the fun or glory; you do it for
the sole purpose of publicizing your book, generating
leads, enhancing your visibility and reputation, and
making more sales and profits. (at least that's my
motivation)
So when you go to all this trouble and the media
appearance doesn't work out, you tend to get upset.
But don't let it show. Instead, handle the situation
gracefully. Never yell or complain, and always leave
people thinking well of you. This positive behavior
increases your chances of getting more and better
media opportunities. Negative behavior will have people
running away.
Yes, there are some horror stories, but for the most
part most media appearances go well.
Following Up: The Media Blitz
You need two ingredients to PR success, and that
having media contacts is not one of them.
The two ingredients of PR success are : creativity and
hard work.
Many send out press releases with no follow-up; others
call only one or two to see whether the press release
was recieved and will be used.
You need to call EVERY media outlet that recieved your
press release, not once, but several times.
Why?
It's my experience that if you make a thousand phone
calls, you can't help but get some media placements.
So we make a thousand phone calls -- for every press
release we mail. And doing so -- pays off!
The more you follow-up, the more pickups you get!
Working your ABC Lists
I use a cold calling technique for the media. It's
literally as simple as ABC. If you have... let's say 1000
prospects to call, break them up into three segments.
A = the prime prospects (most desirable targets)
B= the smaller publications (you don't view essential to
your campaign)
C= the remaining 900-plus
First, call the B's to practice your pitch. Use the
feedback to refine your script to improve reponse to
your next list, the A's. For instance, if the B's won't
take the story because it's been done before, can you
think of a fresh angle or twist to overcome that
objection?
Next, call the A's. Do everything in your power (short of
bribery) to convince at least one of these media outlets
to run the story.
Now, call the C's and let them know about the
prestigious new pickups you have from the A list. The
C's are influenced by bigger names and are more likely
to run your campaign because of the endorsement of
the A media.
Media Links
The Beltway Boys with Fred Barnes and
Morton Kondracke is a national half-hour
TV show on Saturdays on the Fox News
Channel. The show is interested in news
about the political events of the day,
and the two hosts interview national
guests with a news maker tie-in, people
who can discuss current events in the
news, cultural leaders, analysts, some
writers and artists, but they must have
a political angle, IE. someone like Bill
Maher. The producer of the show is
Michelle Remillard, and she is reached
at the program, Fox News Channel,
400 N. Capital St., NW, Ste. 550,
Washington, DC 20001,
(202) 824-6300; Fax: (202) 824-6499;
or you can E-mail them at:
beltway@foxnews.com.
Check them out at www.foxnews.com.
Tim Russert hosts The Tim Russert Show
each Saturday and Sunday. Also the
moderator of Meet The Press and political
analyst for NBC's Nightly News with
Tom Brokaw and The Today Show. His
weekly program on CNBC examines the
role of the media in American society in
the show he interviews the country's
most interesting policy makers, journalists
and provides in-depth discussions on
politics, the media, and the entertainment
industry. The producer of this show is
Barbara Fant, reached at (202) 885-4548.
BKLYN is a new quarterly regional
publication which is supported by a
partnership of area cultural institutions
and mailed free to 85,000 households
in central Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan,
and available at the supporting institutions.
The title will cover lifestyle and culture
and neighborhood news, food, and events.
The editor-in-chief is Joseph Steuer, who
previously served at Gotham, Interview,
and New York magazine. Their premiere
issue covers such information as Walk on
the Culinary Wild Side; Inside the Brooklyn
Art Scene, and Birds of Prey Near You.
Currently they plan the following issues:
Winter, 2003; Spring, 2004; Summer, 2004;
Fall, 2004; and Winter, 2004. They have
seven ongoing departments: BKLYN BEAT,
a quick look at new and noteworthy places
and people, things to do and see in BKLYN;
BKLYN Streets which takes a look at specific
neighborhoods; BKLYN Food, restaurant,
bar and food reviews by WOR food critic
Arthur Schwartz; BKLYN Calendar, a foldout
seasonal calendar which highlights events
and activities; and they also do celebrity
interviews, essays, and literary observations.
Contact Steuer at Underline Communications,
12 W. 27 St., 15 fl., New York, NY 10001
(212) 994-4340, Ext. 4334.
The Advertising Show", which currently
airs on Infinity Broadcasting's Business
Radio 650 AM in Houston, has been
added to the talk-radio network of
Syndicated Solutions, giving it national
reach through their 600 weekly affiliates.
The show is co-hosted by Brad Forsythe
and Ray Schilens, strange and unusual
marketing news, showcases of effective
advertising, and examples of bad
advertising. They also include interviews
with key industry figures, and features
on marketing issues, trends, and
strategies. The show is sponsored by
Ad Age. The Advertising Show airs live
on Saturdays from 1 to 3 PM central time,
and is repeated on Sundays from 5 to
7 PM. H. Bruce Abbott is the executive
producer, with Stephanie Ceritelli, the
associate producer, at The Advertising
Show, 6363 Woodway, Ste. 300, Houston,
TX 77057, (713) 273-6575;
Fax: (713) 783-0868. For more
information, check their Web Site:
TheAdvertisingShow.com.
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IN THE NEWS |
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It's the price, stupid!
That's what the majority of music buyer
told the researchers at VH1, when the
cable network asked them about a range
of issues related to retail sales of
recorded music. The poll found three out
of four music buyers feel recordings are
overpriced, a factor that appears to be
contributing to piracy and illegal
downloads of music tracks. One out of
five of the respondents said they've
downloaded music, while 11% said
they've done so in the past six months.
Among those respondents who said
they've downloaded music from the I
nternet, 58% said retail prices breaks
would make them more likely to purchase
CDs. Interestingly, only 26% of those
polled even know about Universal Music
Group's plans to discount its retail prices.
That's alarming, but what the Riff really
wants to know is if VH1 has shared these
results with sister unit Warner Bros.?
Meanwhile, new research from
nsightExpress suggests the major record
labels may be missing the real point of
downloading. The study of 500 people
found an overwhelming majority of music
downloaders (72%) believe peer-to-peer
file-sharing sites expand their overall
musical horizons and make them more,
not less likely to purchase music. More
than a third of downloaders claimed file-
sharing has led them to purchase more
music than they otherwise would have,
while 11% said they are purchasing less.
First the "X-Men," then "Spider-Man,"
then "The Hulk" and now it looks as if
Marvel Enterprises next comic-to-screen
bonanza might be one of the comic
publisher's most seminal of characters,
"Captain America." Okay, so Ben Affleck's
version of "Daredevil" didn't do so hot at
the box office, but at least it was cool,
especially Colin Farrell as manic villain
Bullseye, not to mention the sultry
Jennifer Garner as DD's love/hate squeeze
Electra. But we think the timing couldn't
be better for a red-white-and-blue
superhero who got his legs fighting Germans
in World War II and who just might be
reborn as an Al Qaeda fighter. Instead of
doing battle with the nazi-mongering Red
Skull, we'd love to see Cap' throw his
mighty shield in the direction of Osama Bin
Laden.
ALL LIBERAL NEWS, ALL THE TIME.
Just as Rush Limbaugh comes under new
fire for a new round of racist remarks, not
to mention his ouster from ESPN, a liberal
counterforce appears to be mounting
against the conservative media. Former
presidential candidate and Vice President
Al Gore reportedly is close to buying
Newworld International, Vivendi Universal's
fledgling news channel for $70 million. The
idea would be to turn it into a liberal-
oriented cable news outlet that would help
to counter-balance the conservative
rantings of Fox's right-wing team.
JUST WHAT MARTHA DIDN'T NEED.
The latest development surrounding
Martha Stewart proves just how out of
touch her followers really are. No longer
content with making holiday place-
setting and table-top doilies from pressed
wild flower blossoms, these Stewart-ites
appear to have too much time on their
hands and a displaced sense of social
responsibility. These fans have contributed
more than $3,000 to mount a billboard in
Times Square to support Martha's defense
against insider trading charges, and they
hope to raise at least $20,000 for
SaveMartha.com, as if the omnimedia diva
didn't have enough cash on hand to mount
her own high-priced defense. And we can
certainly think of a number of other more
justifiable charities in need of the cash.
Upcoming Movie Releases
"Mystic River"
directed by Clint Eastwood. Starring:
Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon,
Laurence Fishburne, Marcia Gay Harden,
Laura Linney.
Set in Boston, this Clint Eastwood-directed
mystery revolves the abduction and murder
of Penn's young daughter. The trail of blood
leads to an old friend (Robbins) who
suspiciously looks like the culprit of the crime.
October 8 Limited
"Intolerable Cruelty"
directed by Joel Coen. Starring:
George Clooney, Catherine Zeta-Jones,
Billy Bob Thornton, Geoffrey Rush.
In a rare mainstream effort by the
Coen Brothers, Clooney and Zeta-Jones
star as dueling potential love-mates who
continually try to one-up each other in
cleverness and, most likely, end up
falling in love. October 10
"Kill Bill: Volume One"
directed by Quentin Tarantino. Starring:
Uma Thurman, David Carradine,
Daryl Hannah, Lucy Liu, Michael Madsen.
Quentin Tarantino's ode to the Sonny
Chiba/kung-fu classics of the 70's has
an assassin (played by Thurman) on
the hunt for revenge against the former
boss who tried to kill her (Carradine).
Volume two is scheduled to come out
in early February 20, 2004. October 10
"Runaway Jury"
directed by Gary Fleder. Starring:
John Cusack, Dustin Hoffman,
Gene Hackman, Rachel Weisz, Jennifer Beals.
Based on John Grisham's best-seller,
Cusack plays a jury member in a high-
profile court case who is willing to sell
the case to either a jury tamperer
(Hackman) or the plaintiff of the case's
laywer (Hoffman). From the director of
"Kiss the Girls", the explosive cast should
guarantee this one big returns at the
box office. October 17
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