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Don Crowther’s In this issue: How To Get Publicity For Your Charitable Activities More On Building Your Business Through Social Proof Thanks for Your Help: The In-Flight Magazines Report Update How To Get Publicity
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Plus, the reporters quickly develop a hardening of the attitudes, causing them to say "if you want to give, then give, but don't expect me to make you look like a hero because of your generosity."
Frankly, they're probably right...
But if you want to get publicity for your charitable actions, you've got to do something to stand out.
So when someone asks "will I get press if I give all of my profits for the next month to Katrina victims?" I answer "it depends." Of course, that could be news if you're P&G, but probably less if you're the corner barber. And maybe yes if you're trying to get attention in your small town newspaper, but not in the national or larger city papers.
One side note here - contributions that are tied to sales like giving a percentage of profits have a slimy feel to them - "we only donate if you buy" doesn't sit right with people...
But what about "I've just chartered a plane and am sending 400 members of my staff to New Orleans to dig people out for two weeks." I'd say that's news. In fact, if you positioned it correctly, you may be able to get one of your local news reporting teams to go along, scoring you a major hit!
One contribution that stood out came courtesy of Oprah Winfrey. At the end of her season premiere, Oprah did a 5 minute segment in which she announced:
1. She is personally giving ten million dollars to Katrina Relief. That's a big enough number that the Red Cross probably paid attention...
2. She has established a unique vehicle to help her viewers to contribute. She set up a registry on her website which enabled viewers to buy the kinds of things that people will need to put their houses back together once they arrive back home - couches, dishes, washers, dryers, even whole houses! Plus, she is providing a pass-through for individuals and corporations to give money directly to the relief efforts.
Oprah knows how to make an impact, both on others as well as her audience. This is sure to help her with her "relations" with her "public" and that's part of what public relations is all about!
The thing that amazes me is that none of the big office supply stores have jumped on this one. There are thousands of small businesses that lost the materials they needed to conduct business. I'd love to see an Office Max program where they donated a large sum to small businesses in the hurricane-affected areas, plus allowing their shoppers to donate supplies through a registry-type service to those who need them most right now.
Lesson to be learned? You've got to stand out if you want media coverage. This applies not only in day-to-day situations, but in disaster situations too. Frankly, if you can't find a way to stand out, you may want to consider not even asking the press to take notice, so that you don't waste time and your reputation for always feeding them great stories over a non-news story.
Want more ideas on how to stand out and get local news coverage? Check out How To Get On Your Local TV News Tomorrow
Or for information on how to get on The Oprah Show look at:
More On Building Your Business
Through Social Proof
In our last issue we talked about how powerful the concept of "social proof" can be to turn lookers into buyers.
As a review, social proof is the concept that we tend to be guided by what we perceive that everyone else is doing. So marketers who can demonstrate that others are also buying their products can tap into this innate behavior to spike their sales.
In that last issue, I also gave you a link to obtain a recording of a conference call that my friend and mentor Jeff Walker did on the subject of social proof and how to utilize it to build your sales and profits. Since then, Jeff has also added a transcript of that 2.5 hour teleseminar that makes it easier for those of us who prefer to learn through reading to tap into his information. To get your copy or to get the audio files, (it costs nothing) click here
As I told you last issue, Jeff's a master at using innate human behaviors to effectively market products. This week he's done something else that I think is brilliant...
He's created a contest giving away 3 copies of his product as the reward. Here's what he says:
"Now this isn't a random contest - to qualify for the contest, you need to post a comment to my blog and tell me WHY you need the course and WHAT you are going to use it for. If you look at the bottom right of this blog entry, there is a link that says "comments". Click on that link and type in your entry."
Now what do you think happened - did he get any entries?
At the moment, there are almost 300 entries on the blog.
You can read them here.
You'll need to click on the comments link at the bottom of the "Contest" post to see the comments. BTW - you may want to enter yourself - but do it soon as the award's being made tonight.
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1. These entries provide another layer of social proof - people see that there are 266 other people who are interested (in some cases rabidly so) in picking up his product.
2. He's utilizing another behavioral tool called consistency - which states that people tend to behave in a way that is consistent with their past actions. So, by forcing them to think about why they really want his product, then asking them to couch that request in the most compelling way possible, Jeff has sowed the seed of a purchase in their minds. Now their minds will compel them into a higher interest level in the product, perhaps strongly enough to actually pull a card out of their wallet and pick up their own copy.
But wait, there's more. You haven't even seen the way he will be using scarcity tomorrow at noon to generate initial sales.
Jeff is providing us a free insight into some of the techniques that he and other masters use to build sales for products. I strongly encourage each of you, even if you're not interested in buying his actual product, to visit Jeff's site and sign up to get a copy of the transcript and audio files. This way you'll have a chance to watch how Jeff works his magic, creating a model that you can use to build your own business!
You can sign up here
Thanks for Your Help
The In-Flight Magazines Report Update
In our last issue we asked for additional contact information for editors of in-flight magazines we didn't yet have included in our special report
Fly High with Publicity in the In-Flight Magazines. Several of you responded with great input, enabling us to add 7 more airlines to the list. Thanks!
Just so that you know, the offer's still open. Anyone who sends us contact information for the in-flight magazines *not* currently shown on the list on this page:
http://www.marketerschoice.com/app/adtrack.asp?AdID=83294
will receive either a free $10 report or $10 off any purchase from 101PublicRelations.com
To send us your information, just drop a note on our contact-us page http://www.101publicrelations.com/contactus.html including your contact information.
What If You Could Get Reporters
To Contact You For Information
Rather Than The Other Way Around?
A Recommended Publicity Resource
I'm like you. There's nothing I hate more than pitching to an unreceptive audience.
When I do this it always feels like I'm purposely changing from beating my head against a nice soft sheet rocked wall to a beating it against a solid cement one. Frankly, it hurts to do all of that work and never hear a thing in response.
Frankly, that's why we exist as a company - to help you learn techniques to get through to the media and increase your chances of getting your story picked up. Several of our products were created just for that purpose, like How To Write Killer News Releases That Stop Reporters In Their Tracks, Secrets of Perfect Pitching to Reporters, and How to Create the Perfect 30-Second Phone Pitch For Your Story
But now I want to introduce you to what is literally a better way...
What if you no longer had to contact huge numbers of uninterested reporters, who, trust me, aren't waiting with baited breath to hear the 132nd story pitch they've received that day?
What if you could open your email to find messages from reporters who are working on stories in your area of expertise and who are looking for quotes and information from you to help them write their story?
In other words, they're asking you for help, instead of your trying to talk them into running your story.
So, instead of spending your time trying to get unwilling reporters to listen to you pitch a story, you spend your time writing a few sentences back to a reporter who's actually writing about your topic right now and who needs your input to help them wrap up the story!
Sort of changes the rules, doesn't it!?!
And what if you could get several of those requests every single week from which you could pick and choose those opportunities that sounded best for you?
Wouldn't that change your PR success rate?
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That's why I felt it so important, as someone who's trying to help you land additional publicity, for me to tell you about this service...
So what's the name of this service? It's called PR Leads. PR Leads is designed for anyone who wants to substantially increase their PR success rate, who wants to get written up in major newspapers and magazines, and who is interested in substantially reducing the time they waste in unsuccessful pitching of stories.
When you sign up for PR Leads you choose from a list of over 200 different topics, several of which will most likely be perfectly suited for your particular areas of expertise.
Then, any time any of the thousands of reporters who are members of this service write a request for quotes and experts in one of your selected areas, you'll get an email, complete with what information they need, how they want to be contacted, and their contact information.
Here are two sample leads from this service. You can expect to receive leads like this several times a week, and in some categories daily!
Behavior/Lifestyle/Relationships
Being a perfectionist at Work - Investor's Business Daily. For an article about how being too perfect can affect one's work negatively, I'm looking for a list of examples of the habits of perfectionists at work as well as sources who can discuss how those traits can sabotage one's work and how the behavior can be corrected. Need leads by... (contact information has been removed)
Health
Colds, The Flue and the Gym - Men's Fitness. For an article about colds and flu at the gym, I'm looking for experts who can answer the following: Can stress and overzealous training compromise your immune system? Does your blood volume drop over time, leaving you vulnerable? Do healthy athletes suffer more or less during flu season? Should you work out when you're sick? Is the gym an easy place to get sick? What precautions should you take at the gym? How long can germs live on equipment? No phone calls, please. Need leads by... (contact information has been removed)
Can you see the potential here? This could literally change the way you do PR! You sit back and wait for the right opportunities to arrive in your email, then respond with several short sentences describing what you can offer the reporter and your contact information. Then the reporter will call you, you give the information (and ideally pitch them on a future story), and you're on your way to the publicity you desire!
Plus, keep in mind that every time you get written up in one of these publications, the probability that you'll be called upon by other reporters who have read about you increases.
It's like a snowball rolling downhill...
I thoroughly recommend this service to anyone who's serious about seeing their name in print. I strongly encourage you to sign up and try it, and let me know your results!
You can read more about it here:
Quick To-Do Checklist
Just to review, I recommend that you:
1. Jump over to Jeff Walker's site and grab your copy of the social proof recording and / or transcript before he pulls it from the site:
2. Look at Jeff's contest and see how he's using social proof and consistency to build his sales
3. Check out the details on PR Leads:
4. Grab your database and pull out the contact information for any airline's in-flight magazine that you have that isn't on the list on this page to get your $10 report:
Take care and have a great week!
Don Crowther
President
101PublicRelations.com
See articles from a recent issue of this newsletter:
- How To Instantly Get Onto Newsweek's And The Washington Post's Website
- Reward: Airline Magazine Contacts Wanted
- How To Use Social Proof To Build Your Business
- What's That Again? Airplane Crash
And from the one before that:
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