What can the entrance to Target teach you about marketing?
I was at a Target department store last night when I saw two women try to enter through the “Out” door. They stood in front of the automatic sliding doors, seemingly a bit perplexed as to why they wouldn’t open. The magic occurred as I triggered the door mechanism when I approached the exit. For a moment, I thought, “Duh – it says ‘OUT’ right there!” But I quickly recalled that I’ve done exactly the same thing on more than one occasion, because for some inexplicable reason, Target’s doors are backwards! The entrance is on the left, and the exit is on the right.
In America, the cultural norm is that we walk on the right – which extends to entering on the right, meaning that when there are distinct entrances and exits, the entrance is on the right as you face the building, and the exit is on the left. Why is this a big deal? Ask anyone who works in a kitchen the dangers of entering through the wrong door. As a culture, we’re just conditioned to this, so we expect it always to work this way. When it doesn’t – as at Target – we can be thrown off balance.
Now I’ll admit I didn’t spend a lot of time researching it, but I did try, and was unable to find any mention in Target’s literature or any articles/sites about the retail chain as to why they’ve chosen to make their doors completely counter to America’s cultural norm. The thing is, it’s noticeably different. And that, in and of itself, is worth mentioning, because there’s a lesson in it for your book marketing strategy.
There’s no doubt that every author wants to make a splash and stand out from the crowd. We’ve talked about this before. The absolutely best way to do this is by making a stellar product – in your case, write a great book. But there’s more to the book than just the writing. There’s also the cover design to consider. Your website. Your overall brand. Of those last three, where should you work to differentiate yourself? Not necessarily in the cover, and only with care and caution in the website. Here’s what I mean.
Say you go to the bookstore or peruse Amazon for other books on your topic. You find out that almost all of the current books have white covers, so you decide to stand out by making your cover red. Will it work to get you noticed? Perhaps – but maybe not in the way you want it to. Your red book cover may catch people’s eye … but then, either consciously or unconsciously, they could very likely find themselves wondering, “Why is that one so different?” and pass it up completely to compare two or three of the more typical white-covered books. This is not a given, but it’s something to consider. When all the books have a similar look and feel to them, if you do something that is radically different but is not exceptional, that difference could work against you.
Likewise for your website. Over the years, we’ve come to expect website menus to run along the left-hand side or across the top. Market research also shows that the capture box for building your e-mail list works best when positioned in the upper right-hand corner of your website. Say you want your site to have a different look from the rest; moving these key features is not the place to make those changes. When a user is accustomed to doing things one way and you overtly shift that, the end result is often disorientation – and in the case of a Web visitor, that quickly translates to a click to the next site.
The same is true for your media releases. Yes, we’ve discussed the fact that reporters and prominent bloggers receive dozens – perhaps hundreds – of media releases in a week. Of course you want yours to stand out. But the fact is that there’s an accepted template for media releases, and if you go off the path and vary yours too widely from what people expect, the result could be that your release gets tossed, rather than generating interest, and perhaps a story.
Think about it. You’re a busy reporter and you know a news release typically has a headline, a dateline, a first sentence hook that captures the essence of the pitch, and a quote about the proposed story. But in your release, you start with your bio because you feel that’s the real selling point. Oops. Busy reporter has just tossed your release because things weren’t in the expected order, and they didn’t have time to go hunting through your release to find the pertinent information.
Are you seeing a trend here? Different alone isn’t going to cut it. If you want to make it different, it has to also be exceptional! It can’t simply be different and annoying, like the doors at Target.
How can you make your book cover exceptional? Really amazing art might do it. A different size or shape might do it. French flaps or a pop-up jacket might do it. But then again, you might just be spending a lot of money on gimmicks that don’t pay off.
With the help of the right Web designer – someone who understands the art of attraction, the science of technology, and the business of search marketing – there are myriad ways to make your website stand out.
As far as making your news release stand out, you’d be better off trying to phone the reporter to pitch the story before you send it than to try to get creative with the release itself.
I absolutely encourage you to push the limits of creativity in your marketing strategy, but to do so in the places that pay off. I’m as big a rebel as you’ll find in many arenas, but sometimes it turns out that the path that’s been paved is there for a reason.
Want to be attractive to the media? Include a MEDIA ROOM on your website!
Now that we’ve discussed how to write a news release and what goes into a media kit, it’s time to build a room to house them. A media room is not an actual room, but the virtual space (usually on your website) where you aggregate all of the things that would be interesting and useful to any sort of journalist, blogger, or author who might be using your website to learn more about you. After your home page, this is the spot where you want your website to shine!
What kinds of things belong in your media room? High resolution photos, your bio, your book cover blurbs, reviews, links to any interviews you have done, and the like. Now don’t worry if you don’t really have all of those things collected. You’ve got to start somewhere, so begin with what you do have, and add the other items as the PR campaign for your book grows.
What are the benefits of a media room?
Rather than having to navigate all over your site, all of your media materials are collected into one space, making them easy for a reporter to find, and saving them precious time either looking or calling you.
A media room can also bolster your SEO, giving you a place to constantly update your site with relevant new content.
You can either host and manage this on your own site, or pay a third-party company like PR Newswire to do it for you. While a third-party site might be slightly more professional looking, you’ll have more immediate access and control if you (or your webmaster) do it yourself.
What should go into a good media room?
A good head shot, first and foremost.
You want to be smiling (or with a pleasant look).
It should be against a neutral background (no nature shots).
Make sure your eyes are open – not tiny slits, as so much of your personality shines through your eyes.
Even if you HATE all your pictures, you need to get this picture taken, both for the book itself and for your media room. You needn’t hire a professional photographer, just someone who can capture a friendly shot, chest up or head only.
Make sure all of these photos are good quality and high resolution (300 dpi) so that they will reproduce well in print.
Granted, your media kit will contain a lot of what is included in the media room, but it will be a shorter version that you update less frequently.
Include PDFs of any media releases you (or your PR team) have written about your book, your launch parties and book signings, events you’ve attended, etc.
Include links to any videos you have created about your book, like your book trailer. Third-party videos, such as interviews, probably go in a different location within the media room.
This is a collection of any third-party coverage you have received, including articles, radio and TV interviews, podcasts, online chats, etc. The easiest thing is to use links to the sites where they are hosted – but make sure to check periodically to be certain the links remain live. There’s nothing worse than having a reporter be interested in learning more, only to find your links don’t work.
Much like the articles, this is a collection of reviews you have received – but you want to set them apart specifically as REVIEWs. Whether they were in print publications, online publications, blogs, or other places, include links to each of them, placing the most current at the top of the list.
This media room is your chance to toot your own horn – LOUDLY! Include all awards, endorsements, and acknowledgements that in any way further your establishment as a credible author. For instance, should you mention your award as Home Room Assistant of the Year at your child’s school? Absolutely – if your book is about parental involvement in their children’s education!
If you have a traditional publisher, chances are good that your book was included in their print or online catalogue. Include a PDF of the printed page that contains info about your book, or a link to the online version.
Include a brief bio of yourself that you would want to see reprinted in an article. It should be short, but thorough enough to give a radio interviewer sufficient information to introduce you properly.
If you’ve got readings, book signings, and or workshops booked, include a list of those in your media room.
Make it easy for visitors to get in touch with you! Include your name, e-mail address, social media handles, business mailing address, and business phone number.
For a look at an author with a good start on a media room, please visit AmaraCharles.com.
Click twice (slowly – not a double click) on this image to enlarge.
We’ve spent the last couple posts talking about media releases. First, we reviewed tips for writing a news release. Then we pointed out the fact that the better written a news release is, the more likely that some (or all) of it will go into a story verbatim. Here’s the thing. While newspapers are continue to crumble around us and social media is forcing traditional media to change and keep up – or die – there’s still a place for these conventional news releases. BUT, there are also much more creative uses for news releases, which is our focus here today.
Send your release straight to your fans/readers/mailing list, either as a standalone post or as an item in your regular newsletter. This will give them a new way to appreciate you, and let them feel like they’re receiving “insider” information.
Use the Twitter! Take your standard release and chop it into various sound bites. Stream those out to your Twitter feed (with a link to the full release) over the course of a day or two.
Distribute your news release as a Note on your Facebook page. Consider creating a special section on your Facebook page that serves as a catalogue/timeline of your news releases.
Write your release and then summarize it in one paragraph. Post the paragraph to your blog or website, with a link and contact details for further info.
Go the other direction and hang onto that original 4- to 5-page first draft of your release. Use this as a special report or promo piece about your book that you can send out when people request further information. Or save it as a free download for your membership site.
Add interactive elements to the media release with links to videos, MP3s, podcasts, surveys, apps, games, cartoons, or slideshow presentations.
Post your release on a news release distribution service. PRWeb.com is a fantastic service – the fees are generally worth every penny, but there are also free services that do a decent job as well.
Include your most recent media release(s) in your media kit.
Read up on other authors’ and publishing companies’ media releases for sources to interview for your blog.
Stay on top of others’ releases (at sites like PRWeb, Free Press Release, Online PR News, and PR Newswire) so that you can learn about projects and events in your community (or elsewhere) with natural PR tie-ins for your book.
One option is to write a concise, compelling release as if it was the story you’d want to read in the press. You should also include new media elements, such as integrated resource links, video, images, etc. (and lite social elements such as del.icio.us and Digg). This will enjoy greater success with journalists and readers in general and will most likely cost no more than what you already do today in terms of official wire distribution. Plus, it will carry valuable SEO benefits.
Another option (or in addition to) releases is to create a dedicated blog-like platform for distributing information in a way that’s designed to reach journalists, bloggers, and customers. Blog platforms, by nature, are already socially-enabled, and feature integrated comments, RSS feeds, social bookmarking, trackbacks, tags, etc. It shouldn’t resemble a press release, nor a traditional blog, but it should provide what’s new in a conversational, informative and resourceful format – with disclosures of course.
The main point here is to get busy writing your releases! And then, use all the creativity you’ve got to distribute them.
A well-written media release could be printed AS-IS.
In a recent post, we reviewed tips for writing a news release. Our focus was the traditional use of a news release: getting your information to the media in a succinct, interesting way that will trigger them to follow up with you for a story. In doing some further research, I came across an interesting post by the good folks over at copyblogger. They make an excellent point that I rather neglected: the stronger the writing in the news release, the better a chance it has of going into a blog/publication as-is. No editing; no rewriting.
A great press release is NOT something that prompts a journalist to write an article; rather, a great press release is published AS an article. While that may be an abstraction outside of the most time-strapped of reporters, many times the better your press release, the more of it ends up verbatim in the resulting article.
So stop writing press releases, and start writing news stories.
For good or ill, this is one of the new aspects of modern journalism. Reporters are stretched thin in newsrooms across America, so they’ll sometimes take shortcuts, such as printing a media release verbatim.
A new website promises to shine a spotlight on “churnalism” by exposing the extent to which news articles have been directly copied from press releases.
[The site] revealed how all media organisations are at times simply republishing, verbatim, material sent to them by marketing companies and campaign groups.
What’s the problem? you ask. It’s in those nine little words: “sent to them by marketing companies and campaign groups.” Think about campaigns, political ones, for example. Do media releases sent on the candidates’ behalves always espouse facts, or does an opinion or two or three sneak into their news releases? Likewise, with a marketing company. Now, I’m on your side – my whole reason for including the post about media releases in the first place was that I believe they are a stellar marketing tool. But I’d be a lot more comfortable knowing the media outlet that was generating an article due to my release was also fact-checking all their third-party information.
Most self-publishing authors have limited budgets when it comes to marketing and public relations. If you have to choose between spending your dollars on advertising vs. spending them on public relations, PR will get you more bang for your buck every time. The job of a PR firm is to get you face time in the media, whether in the form of an article in the local paper or a spot on a national news program.
QUESTION: Do you have to hire a PR firm to get your media release noticed?
ANSWER: It’s a good idea — but it’s not always necessary.
It is possible to have your story picked up from a media release you write yourself. A well written media release, put in front of the right editor or news programmer at the right time, can generate a story — regardless of whether you hire a PR person to write it for you, or you write it yourself.
(1) Use the term “media release” instead of “press release.” There are many forms of media now — “press” is passé, and some editors are touchy about the term.
(2) Understand that you a media release is addressed to the editor or reporter; do not make the mistake of “writing to” your target audience. Your only goal is to generate enough interest so that a reporter will call you for more information.
(3) When they decide your release merits a story, the story will be directed to your audience.
(4) Write in third person, even if you’re writing about yourself.
(5) Use a quotation from someone connected to your event, award, promotion, even if it’s your own quote.
(6) Keep it short — 300 to 500 words MAX.
(7) Use appropriate style — generally Associated Press style — for your release. If you will be doing a lot of releases, it probably is worth it to invest in a copy of the AP Stylebook.
(8) Many larger publications and news outlets prefer you to include a “Fact Sheet” with your release. This is a bulleted list that contains ALL the details of the information in your release.
(9) Find out how the media outlet you’re approaching prefers to receive their releases: in the body of e-mail, as e-mail attachments, or via fax.
(10) If you do send an e-mail, be specific in your Subject Line — perhaps use the headline from your release.
(11) Get it to the proper editor or producer (i.e., don’t send an item about your book, Crafty Cat Lady, to the sports editor).
(12) Allow enough lead time (generally 2 to 4 weeks — but it’s up to you to research this for the particular media outlet you’re contacting).
(13) Do NOT call to “check whether they got your release.” This is almost guaranteed to get your release tossed in the trash. If you want to “pitch” your story to the reporter in person, call ahead to speak to them, and then send the release immediately after speaking with them.
(14) You may, however, call back to “add” further details to your release. All you’ve actually done is hold back some bit of important info from the original release, but when you call, you present it as though it is an added “development.” IF the added info is important enough, and IF you handle it correctly, this can move your release to the top of the pile, or you may be asked to re-send it.
(15) Don’t get discouraged if your story is not picked up on your first try — but keep on trying! There are so many media outlets, and they all need copy! You can provide that with a well-written release about something newsworthy.
(16) Try online sites like PR Web , PR News Wire, and Prudent Press Agency. These are Internet sites for posting media releases that generate great visibility. They have fabulous rankings on the major search engines!
(17) This one seems like it should go without saying — but whenever we say that, it’s because it unfortunately does not go without saying: MAKE SURE YOU INCLUDE YOUR CONTACT INFO, that it is correct, and easy to locate on your release.
(18) Make sure the contact person on your media release is available to talk with the media ― and not on a trek through Nepal at the time you send the release.
(19) Hire a pro to help you craft the perfect media release.
Check back Thursday when we’ll talk about building and stocking your media room. Remember, you don’t need to hire a PR firm to make an impact – you just need to create professional documents and then have the willingness and determination to send them out!
If one of your PR goals is to get on local, regional, or national TV or radio to promote your book, a media kit is an essential tool. Spend the money and/or take the time to create a high-quality, professional media kit.
Remember how many other authors, performers, and speakers are vying for the same airtime and program directors’ attention. A well-conceived media kit will contain the materials that convey the importance and relevance of your book WITHOUT being unduly long or burdensome for the reader.
So what should you DO with your media kit?
You can put together your own list from media websites – but this will take some time, and you won’t always get the most accurate info from a website.
You can buy a media list – but check the validity of the source first and be prepared to pay, possibly a lot of money.
You should add it to the Media Room on your website (more about this in an upcoming post).
You should have it ready to send out to anyone who asks for it.
Make sure to check back Monday when we’ll talk about what goes into a well-crafted media/news release. Remember, you don’t need to hire a PR firm to make an impact – you just need to create professional documents and then have the willingness and determination to send them out!
Monday, August 29 – What’s the HOOK that will lure that reporter, agent, or publisher to READ your book?
So you had a little homework assignment last time: to dig around until you uncovered the theme, aspect, storyline, statistic, or other compelling concept from your book that will make any editor or producer sit up and take notice. What did you come up with?
(1) You want to grab the agent’s or publisher’s attention immediately by standing out from the thousands of other manuscripts they see.
(2) The hook, if it’s strong enough, will become the newsworthy element that causes the editor, reporter, or producer to want to interview you about your book.
The media are hungry for news.
You don’t have to be a professional PR rep to get through to the media.
You do need to write a professional news release with a GIANT hook.
The media’s job is NOT to promote your book, but to provide relevant, newsy content to their readers, listeners, and/or viewers.
If you position your hook as something newsworthy, and they’ve got the space, they MIGHT contact you. There are no guarantees.
The fact that you wrote a book is not, in and of itself, newsworthy. Lots of people write books!
Do your research! Make sure you contact the proper reporter, editor, or producer in their preferred way to be contacted (i.e., some old-school media outlets still use fax machines; some want you to e-mail attachments with photos; others prefer the media release in the body of the e-mail).
This should go without saying: PUT YOUR CONTACT INFO ON THE RELEASE!
This also should go without saying: Once you send the release, BE AVAILABLE if someone from the media contacts you. You won’t get a second chance with that reporter, so don’t tell them you’ll call them back or ask to reschedule.
We’ll get into more details about media releases in an upcoming post.
See you Monday, when we’ll talk marketing tips from traditional Labor Day celebrations.