Nickolove Lovemore
The cover of your book is a critical component of your book marketing strategy. It is the first impression people will have of your book and it may be the last. So it's essential that your book cover does more than convey your book's title.
Your book cover is your silent spokesperson and your mini-billboard.
So here are 3 ways in which you can maximize the impact of your book to help boost sales:
1. Add Your Image
Naturally, this is not appropriate in all cases but it can work effectively whether you are well-known or not. If you are well-known and your image is part of your overall branding then incorporating your image on the cover of your book will give your book brand recognition. Take Donald Trump for example. He incorporates his image onto the cover of all his books for to quote one of his book titles - "There's no such thing as over-exposure".
If you are well-known then your book represents a great opportunity to increase your recognition. People are generally curious to learn more about an author and to see what they look like. Authors are seen as very special people - celebrities even. Allow potential buyers and or readers to connect with you. So even if you don't want to include your image on the front cover of your book make sure that your image can be readily found. For example, consider including it on the back cover or on the inside flap if your book is a hardcover version.
2. List relevant awards or distinctions
If you have received a significant award for your writing or your work in the subject matter of your book then you can include this information on the cover of your book.
By distinctions I mean something that is worthy of note. For example, if your book has a TV connection your book cover is a great place to mention it. People have a tendency to believe what they see on television which is one reason why this is such a power medium and any TV links will massively boost the saleability of your book.
For instance, Dean Graziosi on his New York Times best selling book "Be a Real Estate Millionaire" mentions "As seen weekly on national TV since 1999". This instantly gives him a ton of credibility even if you've never actually seen Dean Graziosi on television yourself.
Another example is the book "Think Yourself Rich" written by the award-winning author Sharon Maxwell Magnus. "Think Yourself Rich" was a major BBC television series and this was mentioned on the front book cover not one but twice.
3. Direct people to a free recorded message
Think of your book as a lead generator. Your book should be just the first stage of a journey a reader shares with you. Offer your readers different ways to interact with you.
So you can use your book cover to invite potential buyers and or readers of your book to phone you using a free phone number where they can listen to a pre-recorded message. Your pre-recorded message can outline a special product or service you might have and a special offer that is only available to individuals who purchase your book.
You might even want to run a special competition in association with the launch of your book and use your pre-recorded message to give details about this. People love competitions and structured astutely a competition that is run as part of your book launch can generate massive publicity for you, your company and of course, your book.
Monday, January 19, 2009
How to Avoid This Costly Self Publishing Mistake
Michael Senoff
Here's how to avoid this costly self publishing mistake.
Mike Samonic became a self publishing millionaire and here's one mistake he says you don't want to make.
"As I pore through editorial display ads in the rags, I see costly mistakes made by advertisers after achieving relative success with space ads." Because of this, Mike Somonic decided to try direct mail.
He says that the most common mistake that marketers make is not identifying their USP. A USP is their universal selling proposition. A lot of people call it a USA.
I'm surprised how people really don't understand what they're selling. If you don't understand what your USP is, you're going to do badly. But, on the other hand, if you have a really strong idea of what your main benefit is, then you're really going to sell the heck out of it. I think, as well as Mike, that's the most common mistake I see.
A lot of times there's a lot of hype going on, a lot of unbelievable claims being made. I guess if I have to choose one, it would be people just not understanding what a USP is.
Mike also mentions that another thing he thinks a lot of marketers don't pay enough attention to is getting publicity for their products, especially books. Books are hard to sell. If you go to a publisher and have them agree to publish your book, they're still not going to advertise it.
Your USP (Universal Selling Proposition) defines what you're marketing. With a well-defined USP, your success is nearly assured. Without one, you might as well strike a match and burn your marketing dollars.
No go do it. Don't wait. Get started to your first million dollar seller
Here's how to avoid this costly self publishing mistake.
Mike Samonic became a self publishing millionaire and here's one mistake he says you don't want to make.
"As I pore through editorial display ads in the rags, I see costly mistakes made by advertisers after achieving relative success with space ads." Because of this, Mike Somonic decided to try direct mail.
He says that the most common mistake that marketers make is not identifying their USP. A USP is their universal selling proposition. A lot of people call it a USA.
I'm surprised how people really don't understand what they're selling. If you don't understand what your USP is, you're going to do badly. But, on the other hand, if you have a really strong idea of what your main benefit is, then you're really going to sell the heck out of it. I think, as well as Mike, that's the most common mistake I see.
A lot of times there's a lot of hype going on, a lot of unbelievable claims being made. I guess if I have to choose one, it would be people just not understanding what a USP is.
Mike also mentions that another thing he thinks a lot of marketers don't pay enough attention to is getting publicity for their products, especially books. Books are hard to sell. If you go to a publisher and have them agree to publish your book, they're still not going to advertise it.
Your USP (Universal Selling Proposition) defines what you're marketing. With a well-defined USP, your success is nearly assured. Without one, you might as well strike a match and burn your marketing dollars.
No go do it. Don't wait. Get started to your first million dollar seller
A Little Secret on How to Guarantee Your Book Will Sell on eBay
The secret of being successful online has to do with offering unique home made products that you own, where you have 100% exclusive control, and are extremely profitable and that no one else can sell. What I mean by home made products,is writing your own books.
Once you start writing your own Books, you will be making thousands of dollars each and every month.
The best places to sell your physical Books are eBay and Amazon.
Many people ask how do they know if a book will sell on eBay before they take the time to write it?
How to guarantee your Books will sell online?
I'm going to let you in on a little secret on how to guarantee your Book will sell before you write it.
Before you write your own Book, the first thing is to try and find a similar Book on the same subject, on Amazon.com or Google...then buy two or three copies of the same Book you found, then try and sell them on eBay as unwanted items.
If you can get orders, you then create your own version of the product using your own research, but you must rewrite the book using your own words and pictures never copy it word for word, and then sell it on eBay or online.
Let me give you a REAL example. A while ago this guy he sells his own Books on eBay, he uses the same method outlined above,he saw a book on how to get your child on television.
He went to Amazon and bought four copies of the same book for $24.95 each.
He then went on eBay and wrote his own ad for the books (using his specific formula, you will know about this later), he sold all 4 of them for $19.95 each.
I know what you are thinking ...yeah but the guy lost money on that deal? Yes... but he knows that, at this stage he wasn't interested in making a profit from these 4 books, he just wanted to know if they would sell.
They did sell.
So what he did next was, he created his own book based around that subject in his own words. He did all the research using Google and the library. He also created his own ad and the pictures and priced the book at $12.95 each and sold 34 copies that week,and made around $440.00 gross and about $415.00 net after he paid his eBay and Paypal fees. He still continues to sell that book on eBay and online each week.
To recap, if you want to write your own book about a certain subject but you don't know if it sells,then you must test the market first before you take the time to create it, just go to Amazon and buy similar books on the same subject, then sell them on eBay.
If they sell, then go ahead and create your own book on the same subject using your own words, price it then sell it on eBay or online.
Then... repeat the process again and again and again until you make enough money to do whatever you want, when you want.
Once you start writing your own Books, you will be making thousands of dollars each and every month.
The best places to sell your physical Books are eBay and Amazon.
Many people ask how do they know if a book will sell on eBay before they take the time to write it?
How to guarantee your Books will sell online?
I'm going to let you in on a little secret on how to guarantee your Book will sell before you write it.
Before you write your own Book, the first thing is to try and find a similar Book on the same subject, on Amazon.com or Google...then buy two or three copies of the same Book you found, then try and sell them on eBay as unwanted items.
If you can get orders, you then create your own version of the product using your own research, but you must rewrite the book using your own words and pictures never copy it word for word, and then sell it on eBay or online.
Let me give you a REAL example. A while ago this guy he sells his own Books on eBay, he uses the same method outlined above,he saw a book on how to get your child on television.
He went to Amazon and bought four copies of the same book for $24.95 each.
He then went on eBay and wrote his own ad for the books (using his specific formula, you will know about this later), he sold all 4 of them for $19.95 each.
I know what you are thinking ...yeah but the guy lost money on that deal? Yes... but he knows that, at this stage he wasn't interested in making a profit from these 4 books, he just wanted to know if they would sell.
They did sell.
So what he did next was, he created his own book based around that subject in his own words. He did all the research using Google and the library. He also created his own ad and the pictures and priced the book at $12.95 each and sold 34 copies that week,and made around $440.00 gross and about $415.00 net after he paid his eBay and Paypal fees. He still continues to sell that book on eBay and online each week.
To recap, if you want to write your own book about a certain subject but you don't know if it sells,then you must test the market first before you take the time to create it, just go to Amazon and buy similar books on the same subject, then sell them on eBay.
If they sell, then go ahead and create your own book on the same subject using your own words, price it then sell it on eBay or online.
Then... repeat the process again and again and again until you make enough money to do whatever you want, when you want.
Book Marketing - The Benefits of Giving Your Book Away
You've worked hard to write your book and get it published. So it may seem counter-intuitive as a book marketing strategy to simply give away your work but in the long-term you could reap huge dividends.
Nowadays, it is customary for authors to give away a couple of free chapters from their book to whet the appetite of potential readers. Think of it as a "try before you buy" strategy.
And it is very effective because people love to receive freebies but hate the feeling of not knowing the whole story. Of course, if you are only given access to a couple of chapters of a book and those chapters are very engaging then it's only natural that you'll want to read the rest of the book.
However, you can take the concept of giving away a chapter or two of your book a stage further. You can let individuals choose which chapter of your book they would like to receive. This approach provides invaluable market research because you get to see which topic in your book draws the greatest traction. An example of a book where this strategy was used is "The Audacity of Deceit", a book about the proposed policies of Barack Obama written by David O'Leary.
Knowing what chapters readers are initially most interested in can help to shape other aspects of your book marketing campaign. For instance, if you are using articles as part of your book marketing strategy you can focus your articles on the most popular topics of your book. Similarly, if you are hosting teleseminars or providing a sample audio extract from your book you can choose the most popular section of your book to base your audio on.
Many authors also choose to give away a digital version of their entire book. Some authors fear this may detract from sales but in reality, many readers will still purchase a physical copy of your book even if they have a digital version. In addition, if they like your book enough they will not only spread the word about your book they may also buy a copy of the book for a family member, friend or colleague. Better still, if they are a business owner or manager they might buy several copies of the book for their staff.
Hence, when you give away copies of your book think strategically. Include people on your list who have a wide sphere of influence.
Authors who sell their digital eBooks often worry that it will be passed along. There are obvious disadvantages to this. For instance, if this happens it means that you will lose out on capturing that person's name for your own database. However, people don't share books they dislike so the fact that someone is passing your book along can be seen as an advantage as well. And you want as many people as possible to read your book.
There are ways to prevent indiscriminate sharing of your digital content such as password protecting the document, limiting the number of times it can be printed and restricting the number of computers that it can be accessed from, etc. However, this can defeat your objective to promote your book and harness as many sales as possible for your book.
The thing is that people will share digital eBooks just as they share physical books. The key then is to ensure that your overall volume of sales is high enough for you to absorb these losses. Remember to include information about your products and services, such as coaching and consulting, in your book. Even someone who did not originally buy your book may still end up purchasing other of your products or services. Or, at the very least you may receive an unsolicited review of your book.
So, as part of your book marketing strategy, allow potential buyers to have access to free content. Also, make it easy for potential customers or clients to purchase from you at whatever level they choose. For example, someone might not buy your book but they may buy your $2,000 mentoring program - just as a result of reading your free eBook.
Nowadays, it is customary for authors to give away a couple of free chapters from their book to whet the appetite of potential readers. Think of it as a "try before you buy" strategy.
And it is very effective because people love to receive freebies but hate the feeling of not knowing the whole story. Of course, if you are only given access to a couple of chapters of a book and those chapters are very engaging then it's only natural that you'll want to read the rest of the book.
However, you can take the concept of giving away a chapter or two of your book a stage further. You can let individuals choose which chapter of your book they would like to receive. This approach provides invaluable market research because you get to see which topic in your book draws the greatest traction. An example of a book where this strategy was used is "The Audacity of Deceit", a book about the proposed policies of Barack Obama written by David O'Leary.
Knowing what chapters readers are initially most interested in can help to shape other aspects of your book marketing campaign. For instance, if you are using articles as part of your book marketing strategy you can focus your articles on the most popular topics of your book. Similarly, if you are hosting teleseminars or providing a sample audio extract from your book you can choose the most popular section of your book to base your audio on.
Many authors also choose to give away a digital version of their entire book. Some authors fear this may detract from sales but in reality, many readers will still purchase a physical copy of your book even if they have a digital version. In addition, if they like your book enough they will not only spread the word about your book they may also buy a copy of the book for a family member, friend or colleague. Better still, if they are a business owner or manager they might buy several copies of the book for their staff.
Hence, when you give away copies of your book think strategically. Include people on your list who have a wide sphere of influence.
Authors who sell their digital eBooks often worry that it will be passed along. There are obvious disadvantages to this. For instance, if this happens it means that you will lose out on capturing that person's name for your own database. However, people don't share books they dislike so the fact that someone is passing your book along can be seen as an advantage as well. And you want as many people as possible to read your book.
There are ways to prevent indiscriminate sharing of your digital content such as password protecting the document, limiting the number of times it can be printed and restricting the number of computers that it can be accessed from, etc. However, this can defeat your objective to promote your book and harness as many sales as possible for your book.
The thing is that people will share digital eBooks just as they share physical books. The key then is to ensure that your overall volume of sales is high enough for you to absorb these losses. Remember to include information about your products and services, such as coaching and consulting, in your book. Even someone who did not originally buy your book may still end up purchasing other of your products or services. Or, at the very least you may receive an unsolicited review of your book.
So, as part of your book marketing strategy, allow potential buyers to have access to free content. Also, make it easy for potential customers or clients to purchase from you at whatever level they choose. For example, someone might not buy your book but they may buy your $2,000 mentoring program - just as a result of reading your free eBook.
Online Marketing - EBook Marketing Sales Strategies
You finished your book, you're ready to start promoting, but you don't know where to begin. To start an online marketing ebook strategy to increase your ebook marketing sales, you can implement three easy steps that will immediately start generating a profit!
1. Sell to your own list.
Email to them and keep your opt-in subscribers #'s growing. Use autoresponders to handle your promotions. Then, you don't have to be there in person to promote. That's a winner to use busy people! One bookcoaching client, Jeanne sold 68 books the first week she announced in her ezine.
It's OK to send the promo out again and again-with a few changes and new information each time. At the bottom of your email, send them to your website with a link where you offer the book.
Repetition and consistently sending messages to your groups will catapult your sales, no doubt about it.
2. Write articles of interest to your niche.
Your audience is out there looking for information to help them.
It may as well be yours. One high-traffic site to submit your articles to is EzineArticles.com. Their Alexa ranking is 259 at the end of 2008. That's hundreds of thousands of more visitors than visit your website alone. Get smart: learn the 5 new changes and mistakes of article marketing that will affect you this coming year.
Another benefit of articles is that they make you highly visible and credible as the savvy go to person in your niche.
Another benefit is high traffic to your site, just what you need to sell your books. Not only through direct visitors, but the links back to your own pages will increase your search engine rankings. Take a teleseminar or get a few coaching sessions to make your journey faster and more profitable!
3. Gain a huge following by joining a social network.
After only 4 months on Facebook.com, my business writing group grows well and allows me to send messages. The fan page helps draw your audience too. It's subtle networking just like twitter.com. After 2 months at twitter, my opt-in group subscribers zoomed way up to about 1/3 of my targeted traffic. Join up and get educated there-people are friendly. You can look me up there too as coachjudy. If you are looking for someone special, just Google their name and see what comes up. It's a way to step up and take action.
You know that these strategies are for the long haul. You do plan to stay in business a long time, don't you? If so, take some action now to make you and your book noticed.
1. Sell to your own list.
Email to them and keep your opt-in subscribers #'s growing. Use autoresponders to handle your promotions. Then, you don't have to be there in person to promote. That's a winner to use busy people! One bookcoaching client, Jeanne sold 68 books the first week she announced in her ezine.
It's OK to send the promo out again and again-with a few changes and new information each time. At the bottom of your email, send them to your website with a link where you offer the book.
Repetition and consistently sending messages to your groups will catapult your sales, no doubt about it.
2. Write articles of interest to your niche.
Your audience is out there looking for information to help them.
It may as well be yours. One high-traffic site to submit your articles to is EzineArticles.com. Their Alexa ranking is 259 at the end of 2008. That's hundreds of thousands of more visitors than visit your website alone. Get smart: learn the 5 new changes and mistakes of article marketing that will affect you this coming year.
Another benefit of articles is that they make you highly visible and credible as the savvy go to person in your niche.
Another benefit is high traffic to your site, just what you need to sell your books. Not only through direct visitors, but the links back to your own pages will increase your search engine rankings. Take a teleseminar or get a few coaching sessions to make your journey faster and more profitable!
3. Gain a huge following by joining a social network.
After only 4 months on Facebook.com, my business writing group grows well and allows me to send messages. The fan page helps draw your audience too. It's subtle networking just like twitter.com. After 2 months at twitter, my opt-in group subscribers zoomed way up to about 1/3 of my targeted traffic. Join up and get educated there-people are friendly. You can look me up there too as coachjudy. If you are looking for someone special, just Google their name and see what comes up. It's a way to step up and take action.
You know that these strategies are for the long haul. You do plan to stay in business a long time, don't you? If so, take some action now to make you and your book noticed.
Top 10 Things Every Best-Selling Book Must Have
You can go to any bookstore and get a book on how to publish your book or do a Google search on book publishing. (I recommend Dan Poynter's Self-Publishing Manual - he's been called the guru of self-publishing). You can even get a good editor to help you with your rough manuscript.
If you really don't want to do that much work and want to get your book out fast, you can go to "iuniverse" or "lulu" and have books produced as you needed. This is called Print-On-Demand (POD) - great for first time authors; they take your word document and turn it into a book. FedExKinkos is even in the book producing game.
The production of a book is now pretty common. That's why we see so many people doing books.
But are the books selling? After the books are back from the printer/publisher - the real work begins. It's time to promote and sell your book. You have just opened up a business. Like any new business, you need a business plan plus extensive knowledge of the field you're in and good advisors. A standard statistic you need to know according to book industry sources: there are over 150,000 new books published every year. And typically we see the same roster of authors on the New York Times Best-Seller's list.
As a book publicist for over ten years in the Christian literary field, I see what flys and what fizzles. Before you embark on this costly venture (prepare to spend at least $2,500 up to $10,000 for editing, production and promotion), I would like to share with you what I've learned on what makes a best-seller:
1. Title - is it griping, interesting? Would one know what it's about without reading anything else?
2. Cover- people do judge a book by its cover. Make sure it has enough punch to stand out on the shelves among the thousands of other books. Is it clean, neat and crisp - yet interesting? Hire a professional!
3. Endorsements - what others say about you is key. Who these people are is even more important. Pull together the "best words from the best people." It will pre-sell your book before you even open your mouth.
4. Writer's credentials - do you have anything else with your byline? Do you blog? Do you have an audience that actually likes what you write?
5. Knowledge of the Market the book will reach - and the author's reputation in that market. The author must create a market for himself by really addressing the needs of that market, knowing that market and communicating the right message to that market.
6. Timing - in relation to other events going on in the world/society. Are there movies, songs or talk shows that are bringing up the subject you have discussed in your book? Do you read the newspaper regularly and respond with Opinion Editorials when they are discussing "your" platform/topic?
7. Advertising - targeting the right message to the right media at the right time. Consistently!
8. Media coverage - publicity. The frosting on the cake. Getting on radio, TV and in newspapers and magazine and Ezines. Consistently (with advertising too).
9. Distribution - If you want to be a best-seller you have to have your book available. Make sure you sign up with a distributor or wholesaler so it is accessible to bookstores. (Amazon is not national distribution...it is a website) Best-sellers are sold in real bookstores and they only order from distributors or wholesales. (See Sally Stuart's Christian Writers Market Guide for distributors to approach. Note: You must have a press kit and solid marketing plan for them to consider you).
10. Word of Mouth - The best advertising. The more "buzz" you have about your book the better. How do you get people talking about your book? By engaging in their culture and creating messages in their media. Be relentless in your goal to be a "best-seller" - and it will happen if you commit to the publicity process and pray for favor.
If you really don't want to do that much work and want to get your book out fast, you can go to "iuniverse" or "lulu" and have books produced as you needed. This is called Print-On-Demand (POD) - great for first time authors; they take your word document and turn it into a book. FedExKinkos is even in the book producing game.
The production of a book is now pretty common. That's why we see so many people doing books.
But are the books selling? After the books are back from the printer/publisher - the real work begins. It's time to promote and sell your book. You have just opened up a business. Like any new business, you need a business plan plus extensive knowledge of the field you're in and good advisors. A standard statistic you need to know according to book industry sources: there are over 150,000 new books published every year. And typically we see the same roster of authors on the New York Times Best-Seller's list.
As a book publicist for over ten years in the Christian literary field, I see what flys and what fizzles. Before you embark on this costly venture (prepare to spend at least $2,500 up to $10,000 for editing, production and promotion), I would like to share with you what I've learned on what makes a best-seller:
1. Title - is it griping, interesting? Would one know what it's about without reading anything else?
2. Cover- people do judge a book by its cover. Make sure it has enough punch to stand out on the shelves among the thousands of other books. Is it clean, neat and crisp - yet interesting? Hire a professional!
3. Endorsements - what others say about you is key. Who these people are is even more important. Pull together the "best words from the best people." It will pre-sell your book before you even open your mouth.
4. Writer's credentials - do you have anything else with your byline? Do you blog? Do you have an audience that actually likes what you write?
5. Knowledge of the Market the book will reach - and the author's reputation in that market. The author must create a market for himself by really addressing the needs of that market, knowing that market and communicating the right message to that market.
6. Timing - in relation to other events going on in the world/society. Are there movies, songs or talk shows that are bringing up the subject you have discussed in your book? Do you read the newspaper regularly and respond with Opinion Editorials when they are discussing "your" platform/topic?
7. Advertising - targeting the right message to the right media at the right time. Consistently!
8. Media coverage - publicity. The frosting on the cake. Getting on radio, TV and in newspapers and magazine and Ezines. Consistently (with advertising too).
9. Distribution - If you want to be a best-seller you have to have your book available. Make sure you sign up with a distributor or wholesaler so it is accessible to bookstores. (Amazon is not national distribution...it is a website) Best-sellers are sold in real bookstores and they only order from distributors or wholesales. (See Sally Stuart's Christian Writers Market Guide for distributors to approach. Note: You must have a press kit and solid marketing plan for them to consider you).
10. Word of Mouth - The best advertising. The more "buzz" you have about your book the better. How do you get people talking about your book? By engaging in their culture and creating messages in their media. Be relentless in your goal to be a "best-seller" - and it will happen if you commit to the publicity process and pray for favor.
Author's Tip Sheet - How to Work With the Print Media
Pam Perry
Follow these 12 steps and you'll see yourself in print - OFTEN.
1. Get newsworthy info into the hands of the media. Make a habit of sending out releases on a regular basis about your events, special speakers, or anything impacting the community at large. Use a media directory or "Google" on the web to find names and contact information.
2. Get to know the beat of reporters of the daily and weekly newspapers. Position yourself with them as an accessible and reliable source and a key authority to be featured in future stories.
3. Read the dailies, weeklies! Respond to articles where you can take a stand on an issue while branding your book by writing a "Letter to Editor" or an "Op Ed" - Opinion Editorial.
4.Send out media releases for really intriguing or fascinating human interest stories by using news wire services. Wire services get wider distribution and can be picked up by national media via the web.
5. Place ads in local newspapers and monthly magazines. Have the ads consistent with your other marketing materials.
6. Become a regular advertiser in at least one publication. You build brand equity with that audience by advertising in one publication. They learn to trust you. Purchase ads in souvenir program books like the NAACP or SCLC to show your commitment to the community.
7. Feature bold graphics and a lot of white space in your newspaper and magazine ads. Keep copy to a minimum. Steer people to your web site. Color commands attention and adds impact. It also gets better ad placement in newspapers.
8. Supply media with well-written and professionally developed press kits. Include press releases (the who, what, when, where, how and why), fact sheets, bios, photo, brochure, annual reports and news clips. Suggest a story idea in the cover letter. Use the industry format for releases to improve your chances of gaining publicity.
9. Expect very little communication back from editors. They are very busy every day with tons of lead for stories. Assign an intern or team member to follow up by phone, email, or both.
10. Read any and all publications you can. Note stories that deal with issues important to your ministry. Add that reporter to your media contact list to send them future releases. The best media lists are the ones you personally create and are familiar with the reporter's work and style.
11. Send out thank you notes to reporters who feature you in stories. They will remember your personal touch and will keep you in mind as a good source in the future.
12. Assign a photographer to take photos at ALL events where you are participating. Releasing the photos to the media after an event is called Post-Publicity. Send the photo with a brief description of the event. Identify the people in the photo with a label on the back. Realize that newspapers always need good photos. Most black newspapers love to chronicle events in the community.
Follow these 12 steps and you'll see yourself in print - OFTEN.
1. Get newsworthy info into the hands of the media. Make a habit of sending out releases on a regular basis about your events, special speakers, or anything impacting the community at large. Use a media directory or "Google" on the web to find names and contact information.
2. Get to know the beat of reporters of the daily and weekly newspapers. Position yourself with them as an accessible and reliable source and a key authority to be featured in future stories.
3. Read the dailies, weeklies! Respond to articles where you can take a stand on an issue while branding your book by writing a "Letter to Editor" or an "Op Ed" - Opinion Editorial.
4.Send out media releases for really intriguing or fascinating human interest stories by using news wire services. Wire services get wider distribution and can be picked up by national media via the web.
5. Place ads in local newspapers and monthly magazines. Have the ads consistent with your other marketing materials.
6. Become a regular advertiser in at least one publication. You build brand equity with that audience by advertising in one publication. They learn to trust you. Purchase ads in souvenir program books like the NAACP or SCLC to show your commitment to the community.
7. Feature bold graphics and a lot of white space in your newspaper and magazine ads. Keep copy to a minimum. Steer people to your web site. Color commands attention and adds impact. It also gets better ad placement in newspapers.
8. Supply media with well-written and professionally developed press kits. Include press releases (the who, what, when, where, how and why), fact sheets, bios, photo, brochure, annual reports and news clips. Suggest a story idea in the cover letter. Use the industry format for releases to improve your chances of gaining publicity.
9. Expect very little communication back from editors. They are very busy every day with tons of lead for stories. Assign an intern or team member to follow up by phone, email, or both.
10. Read any and all publications you can. Note stories that deal with issues important to your ministry. Add that reporter to your media contact list to send them future releases. The best media lists are the ones you personally create and are familiar with the reporter's work and style.
11. Send out thank you notes to reporters who feature you in stories. They will remember your personal touch and will keep you in mind as a good source in the future.
12. Assign a photographer to take photos at ALL events where you are participating. Releasing the photos to the media after an event is called Post-Publicity. Send the photo with a brief description of the event. Identify the people in the photo with a label on the back. Realize that newspapers always need good photos. Most black newspapers love to chronicle events in the community.
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