Step 1: Define your target audience.

Who is your main customer? What do they look like? What do they watch? Listen to? What other media do they consume? The more research you do the more you can identify and target your ideal customer to BUY YOUR BOOK!

Step 2: What’s your PLATFORM? Find your “book hook.” What message are you marketing?

Get your message “out there!” But what do you want to say? Are you an expert? An evangelist? Do you want to position yourself as a “brain” or a “creative” – or do you have endorsements that will speak volumes for you? Who you have endorse you will “pin point” how you will be perceived/branded in the market. Make sure your message that you communicates makes the media say “wow” and not yawn. Examine yourself and find your unique selling position. Why is your book worthy of media attention?

Step 3: Build a media “wish list”

We would all love to be on Oprah, Tom Joyner and Steve Harvey and TBN…that’s a for sure best-seller status. But starting out, get a focused, realistic media database that reaches the core target audience. What do you read, watch and listen to? Do you really know the media? Google the media you know matches your platform. Look up other authors in your genre and Google them to see where they have had media hits. Put those on your “wish list” and go and find those same reporters/stations. No need buy expensive media lists and doing mass mailings – that is old school and doesn’t work.

Here are some Eblast services/media to look at:
(targeting the African-American and faith-based African-American markets)
BlackGospelPromo.com
DetroitGospel.com
GoodGirlBookClubOnline.com
UrbanGospelPromo.com
GospelCity.com
BlackBookPromo.com
UrbanRoundUp.com
GospelEblast.com
GospelEFlyer.com
TheLoopOnline.com
MIProductions.org
GospelTruthMagazine.com
CushCity.com
UrbanGospelPromo.com
GospelFlava.com
Rawsistaz.com
MosaicBooks.com (300 BookClubs)
FriendshipProductions
GospelFruits.com
Izania.com
BlackChristianbookpromo.com
Gospeltube.com
Blacknews.com
Christianbookbuzzonline.com

Step 4: Create dazzling press materials

If you’re trying to pitch Essence, “O” magazine or your local weekly neighborhood newspaper, you better come correct. You only have one chance to make a first impression. Get customized press kit folders if doing mailing. Or get graphics help to design your EPK (electronic press kit). But whatever you do, get great author photos. A picture is worth a thousand words – and a “glamour” shot will get you noticed. Even in the Christian market, sex appeal sells. Make sure your press releases, fact sheets, articles and pitch letters stand out from the crowd and “position” yourself. BRAND!
Great error-free press material is the foundation to a good campaign.

Step 5: Media contact – they are your friends.

How do you meet the media? Go where they go. Go to conferences where you know media will be there like the Gospel Heritage Conference, The PowerNetworking Conference, The Stellar Awards, ICRS (formerly CBA) and even the regional/local National Black Association of Black Journalists. Not a bad idea to even join as an associate member. You’re a writer, right? Networking and building relationships is critical. If you can meet them, keep in contact by commenting on their work – so they know you’re just not “begging” allllllll the time – but really are an educated media consumer. (Also get their name right!)

When you prove yourself as an “expert” and dependable source of information, you get reporters to contact you over and over. And they will tell their friends about you because you will become known as a good source.

But never brow beat and badger a reporter/producer with unwanted phone calls, faxes or E-mails – that’s a quick way to make an enemy with the whole industry. If they don’t respond, ask them why and then move on. There are tons of other media that will reach your target market. Use your time and energy wisely and don’t be a pain – and when you really have something to contact them about – just a quick email is all that is needed.

For more info go to: www.pamperryonlinepr.com

See youtube.com/pamperry1 too for videos

I am often asked by small business owners and entrepreneurs if they should be using Twitter for their business. They seldom like my answer, mainly because I respond with a series of questions.

www.twitter.com/smsperrypr

“What is your goal for using social media?”
“Who are you trying to reach?”
“How much time are you willing to spend each day on social media?”
“Do you want to use Twitter, or feel like you ‘should’ use Twitter?”
“Are you willing to get out of your comfort zone and make a commitment?”

Until these questions can be answered, Twitter and other social media sites would be a waste of time. Chances are, the business owner would get frustrated with the results because of unrealistic expectations, and give up, but not after spending countless hours online without a clear voice or message to promote about themselves or their business. Sometimes sending mixed signals is worse than being silent, and the same holds true when entering the world of social media.

For businesses that are ready to make the commitment to social media, Twitter is a great tool for quickly sharing information, gathering real-time feedback and establishing relationships and building a buzz.

A recent study by Chadwick Martin Bailey and Imoderate Technologies found 67 percent of Twitter followers are more likely to buy at least one brand since becoming a follower and 79 percent of followers are more likely to recommend at least one brand since becoming a follower.

The study also found Twitter followers want to be “Brand Insiders,” with “to receive discounts and promotions” and “to be the first to know information about the brand” as the primary reasons they follow a brand on Twitter.

Followers have shown their loyalty and willingness to spread the word about your business, so it makes sense they want to be rewarded for their support. Who doesn’t want to be considered an insider, receive preferential treatment or save money?

Here are some tips for using Twitter to

create a buzz for your business (or book):

1. Offer inside scoops, special, discounts, coupons and other incentives exclusively to you followers
2. Ask for help or ideas
3. Solicit ideas or solutions to challenges
4. Publish solutions, useful tips and fun facts
5. Comment and retweet to recognize and acknowledge followers
6. Answer tweets, but resist the urge to sell
7. Participate in conversations
8. Thank people for following
9. Join Twitter chats to be seen as a leader in your field and learn from other experts

Incorporating just a few of these tips will greatly increase the amount of buzz generated about your business. Just remember to be consistent and have patience. Most of all, be yourself and have fun.

(c) 2010 Kristina Shands and Authentic Communications

Kristina Shands is the owner of Authentic Communications, a communications and marketing firm specializing in telling stories that move people to action. Authentic Communications collaborates with small businesses and entrepreneurs to spark interest, create a buzz, build connections, increase loyalty and inspire action in order to attract new clients and increase visibility. Download a special report, “Six Questions to Develop Your Business Story (and set yourself apart from the crowd),” at http://authentic-communications.com. Contact Kristina at kristina@authentic-communications.com and follow her on Twitter (@authenticbuzz).

Hear the new radio spot: http://synergyenergy.posterous.com/

1. The easiest way to get publicity is to find out what a producer/editor wants and give it to them.
2. How much publicity can you get?  $100,000 a month at least. It’s simple but you have to follow a lot of steps.  It snowballs…then people come knocking at your door.
3. Start with “grass roots” and build out. Try out the smaller stations/newspapers first.
4. There are some companies that you pay for performances not promises.  (Guarantees are what people want).
5. People can pay for interviews secured.  People can pay $2,000 to $10,000 a month.
6. It’s never to early to get started with your publicity campaign.  90 days is not too early.  You can get pre-orders and you can plug your website.  You can do seminars.
7. Give away books to get publicity.
8. THE BASICS. Need: Media kit (A folder with the pasted cover of the book on it. Then a press/media release, bio, testimonials, GOOD photographs). The media know that you’re a professional if you have this.
9. Optimize them so people can find it high on Google.  PRWEB.com is a good one and ChristianPRGroup.com

10. Write a column for a local paper for free in exchange for a plug for your book.

11. People are always looking for more content.  (Newspapers and broadcast) – so send out a newsletter to the media, send postcards, send emails.

12. Build Relationships with the media…and other book clubs.

13. Do Teleseminars or regular seminars – this establishes you as an expert.

14. Internet Marketing (www.BlackGospelPromo.com) is the best!

15. Blogs…high in search engines and comment on B. (Like an online diary) See http://www.ministrymarketingsolutionsblog.com

Courtesy of Ministry Marketing Solutions

Pam Perry, 248.426-2300

www.pamperrypr.com

www.MinistryMarketingSolutions.com

Get the PR you Deserve! Market the Message!

Millions of people log on to the internet daily. The internet has become a big market for products and services. In addition, as you know, marketing your product or service anywhere needs promotion because you need to make your presence felt to consumers.

Writing press releases is one of the most important ways to promote your website over the internet. Writing press releases frequently will attract web traffic to your site.

Press releases are an essential part of advertising and promoting your campaigns online, and hence writing an effective press release, which is newsworthy, and attention grabbing is very important. Simply writing the PR does not help your purpose. It needs to be well complemented with proper use, to get the most effective result.

* Your PR needs to stand out so that the media and or consumer will see that it is newsworthy and it is something they want to explore of purchase.
* The more people want to read your PR, the more advertising you will be getting online. Your Christian-PR news release is like a “virtual sales brochure” that can attract potential customers. Hence, the body of the PR should be factual and informative, giving the readers like bloggers, the consumer and media a reason to read your press release.

* After identifying your target audience, you should write your PR keeping in mind the maturity level and the attitude of your audience. Write more versions of the same press release to cater to the different fragments of your objective market.

* The titles of your press release acts like a door bell, it should attract attention.

PR is one of the most important tools of advertising over internet.

However, if the above tips are kept in mind while writing it, you can write an effective and newsworthy PR, which in turn will help you make profit.

Get started TODAY!

Hear Pam Perry's Show and get PR Tips weekly

Visit:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ministrymarketingsolutions

to hear live tips and PR Coaching from Pam Perry

Christian-PR | P.O. Box 4172 | Houston | TX | 77210

10) The news media is now everyone who can find you on the Web. Are your ideas being “broadcast” so more people find you?  Are you creating new ideas, and moving forward and bringing those who search on problems to find your solutions?   Please read that once more: People know their problems; they don’t know your solutions.  That’s the commonality, and why a campaign we’ve run for a year on the phrase “disgruntled employees” that was based on an Alan Weiss news release headline — “Creating Loyal Employees” — has had thousands of click-throughs. Have you made a list of your clients’ problems?    The blogs, comments and news releases you push via our system, reach the media, the Internet, syndication – and, most importantly, your buyers, the public that search the Internet.

9) Speak? Train? Consult? Coach? You’ve bottled a lot of information and experience over the years.   Are you re-packaging it?    Sure that “book as a credential” is what everyone says you need, and that’s a great welcome token, give-away or deal sweetener.  I’ve left it off this list, for I don’t think “having a book makes you an expert.” You have to be an expert before you are able to author the book.  A book is a fancy business card, as most people never get past the dust jacket.  Want to hire a great dust jacket person and write four chapters?    Then, be very careful which chapter you run first, for consultants have to listen and come up with the solution. Speakers offer a great overview and insights but often are not responsible for client success. Trainers help you with defined problems and offer programs, and coaches seem caught in a time warp of pay, based on time not success.   What are you selling?   Solutions, ideas, driving lessons or therapy?   If you have a book, it should start conversations which end in conversions and business for you.

Publish a bio. Make sure it comes up #1 at Google when your name is searched.  Make sure when people “Google” you they see your bio and your accomplishments first.  Remember this is very different than #1 where you are creating a “search phrase” so that  people who don’t know your name can find you.

7) Use Skip’s 20-20 media rule. First, make a list of your best 20 revenue customers. Then, figure out which media outlets they follow.  Make up a list of the 20 editors or journalists that most influence your 20 money makers.  Create a media tip list for those 20 journalists: On an IRREGULAR basis, only when you have ideas or things you know they want, sent it to them.  Don’t fall into the trap I saw when I interned at the Larry King Show decades ago.  I asked the producer why he was throwing away some of mail unopened, and he said: “I’ve seen stuff with that return address before and it wasn’t interesting.” Send out good ideas, not just about you, but as a “cub reporter” for your list. (Thanks to Skip Weitzen, author of “HyperGrowth,” for his added advice here.)

6) Figure out your “needle-in-the-haystack” uniqueness. Use those phrases as your meta-tags, on your Web site, in your “elevator speech.”  It should be two or three word and put it everywhere — from your business cards to your vanity license plate.  Use WordTracker.com and KWMap.com.  Watch my videos at www.WebHandbook.com to learn how.

5) Get inbound links to your URL: ExpertClick.com has 48,000.  Test your count by entering “links: and your URL” into Google.  Try it with both the “www” and without.  Ask for text links with your special words in them.  Ask for links from sites that have better rankings than you have; search Alexa.com or DMOZ.org to find them.   Get and read the Bruce Clay Search Engine book.   I spent time and money to earn Clay’s SEO training certificate.  For $27, you can buy this useful book.    Read the back issues right now at http://searchoptimizationnews.com/

4) Give face time. Make sure people know and see your photo.   Do you have an “official” current photo?   Have you plastered it as many places as possible?  I was flabbergasted at a recent association board meeting when it was asked if you should have your photo on your Web site.   You are the brand: People have to know who you are.   (GlamourShots.com will even do your hair!)

3) Be seen and travel. Take clients, current and former, as well as prospects to dinner.  You can listen to what they want, and learn how you can serve them.  Even if people cannot make the event, they are pleased they were invited.    One on one, the ideas can flow over a bottle of wine.  One dinner at the Rainbow Room in New York this year has resulted in so much referral business I can’t believe it.  This is just #2 “face time” in person.

2) Have testimonials available, and check them. What do people say about you on “the street”?    Find out by asking around.   Yes, have those mystery shoppers call your business, and report if someone trying to book you for a speech can — ask them to call speaker bureaus and ask about you.  Search the Web.  What information do they get?   What kind of follow up?

1) Don’t just donate time; stake out a leadership position. At an association that can benefit from your participation, you’ll meet and help others.   I’ve volunteered at International Platform Association and will be part of its 2010 national conference.

Mitchell P. Davis, Editor, Yearbook of Experts
www.YearbookofExperts.com
Broadcast Interview Source, Inc.
2233 Wisconsin Ave, NW
Washington, D.C.  20007
Main phone: (202) 333-5000

Maybe if you have a great idea, post a comment here at this blog.

© Broadcast Interview Source, Inc.    Share this at www.NewsReleaseWire.com/23590

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Church marketing for your corporate body of believers involves implementing strategic marketing to help fulfill the Great Commission of reaching out to save the lost. The church marketing plan discussed here is NOT about developing fancy flashy material, or expensive advertising campaigns with a “fast talking” preacher-salesman mindset. It is about using sound marketing principles and applying them to your church as you fulfill God’s call.

In fact, church evangelism and basic marketing have some of the same purposes. It’s to get the “word out”, to make others aware of a service or product offered to potential clients (or members for the churches), and to motivate them to “buy” or take part.

A preacher or evangelists already has some great skills of selling. Instead of making a deal for a product, they are attempting to “close the prospect” in accepting Jesus as their Savior!

Hence, ministry marketing is put into place to reach out and attract the lost for salvation first, and then to teach and train them to play a vital role in your church’s vision to impact the world.

This church marketing plan involves accomplishing what Jesus said in Mathew 28:19-20:
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the sonand of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you….”

So where do you start your own church marketing?
Clarify Your Vision
Identify what you believe is your church’s vision or destiny. What part are you going to play in making disciples? Is your focus on the homeless on your city streets or the rich and famous?

Define and Write Down The Marketing Plan
Church marketing planning will help connect you to your desired goal and destiny for your body of believers. Having a written ministry marketing plan will put you in the top 5% of ministry marketers, according to Chris Forbes, the “Ministry Marketing Coach.”Write out the goals and make a time table to accomplish them in one year to 18 months. Praying and asking for a “God-inspired” ministry marketing principle or a marketing anointing is a great place to start.

Find Your Focus Group

Focus on the “WHO” you want your specific church marketing to reach. You have to know who you will be talking to, in order to effectively communicate and speak to their needs.

For example, in my days of working at the Christian radio station, we knew based on Arbitron ratings and other studies, that are main listening audience base consisted of women in a certain age bracket. So we aimed our promotions and ministry marketing focus to reach out and help that particular group. When I was on the air, I knew I was mostly talking to this targeted group of women, so I spoke in a way where I tried to minister to their specific needs and concerns.

So take the time to write down characteristics, demographics and any information you can to identify your target group. Study and learn as many things as you can about them. As you get to know your target audience more and more, you will be able to connect and communicate to the people you want to reach.

Branding
Branding is what differentiates you from other ministries. Sometimes the religion of your church is what creates a branding. Non-denominational churches don’t have this as much as say, a Baptist or Catholic church.

So branding is not about trying to get your focus group to choose your ministry over another, but to show them you have a definite solution to their need.

For example, I used to go to a church where people who ride Harley Davidson Motorcycles were accepted without a blink of an eye. Any given Sunday, you’d see many come through the church doors with their leathers on and some with their black Tee-shirts saying, “These ARE my Church clothes”. This is a good example of how branding can attract the kind of people of which you desire to teach and minister.

When you have a good branding in your marketing approach, you know your message is clear, you have established credibility, and you have found a way to emotionally connect with your target audience. The result is a motivated group of people who are loyal and want to help you to accomplish your vision.
It’s interesting to note that the branding of your ministry often resides within the hearts and minds of your church members. It is the sum total of their experiences and perceptions, some of which you can influence.

Promotion and Using Video Ministry

Your church marketing plan obviously will have an element of promotion in it. But I am not referring to the kind of promotion that costs a great deal of money, such as advertising and expensive billboards. You can promote through learning to write news releases and sending them regularly to your local media outlets. Get the word out through Community Calenders, Public Service Announcements which many Christian Radio Stations offer, and local involvement in areas where your target audience is likely to be found.

Back to the example of a targeted group that includes Harley Riders, or Bikers. Find out when they have their regular rides, meetings and special events. You can find ways to use these events to connect with them. Have a special “Biker’s Sunday” to invite more motorcycle riders to your church.

One key element in this promotional part of Church marketing is a website. Having a professional website is a must in a church marketing plan in today’s fast pace world of technology. Almost everyone is on line. The audience you can reach there is incredible!

But let’s make one thing clear. It’s not just about having a website for the sake of saying you have one! It must be professional and exemplify excellence in all facets. Having a fancy web site with blinking animations and scrolling text is NOT what I mean.

Content is what keeps keeps people coming back and new people finding you on line. Write great content to meet the needs of your church body and your target group. Tell them not just what’s happening at the church, but what is going on in heart of your pastor, worship leader or youth pastor. Ultimately they are desiring that you speak life into their daily challenges with words of hope and instruction from the Word.

Powerful testimonies of what God is doing in Church members lives should be featured and updated often. Testimonies will do more to “sell” the benefits of your ministry than anything else. Create a section in your website where you get members to speak into a camera and testify. This is one ministry marketing strategy that hits a “home run” every time.

This leads me to one passion I have in using video ministry and multimedia tools. We live in a media saturated world. According to comScore, 75% of Internet users watched online video in May 2007, averaging 158 minutes per viewer. Nearly 8.4 billion videos were streamed online in the month of May. That’s a lot. And it’s increasing day by day.

I started a Video Production Company a few years ago to help churches and ministries use video to promote themselves and to use on the front page of their website. I have also worked with Christian schools producing powerful video marketing promotional tools. You can check one I did recently by clicking here. I can think of no better way to illustrate this type of Promotional Video tool that can help in your branding and marketing than to show it to you….ON VIDEO. This is one of my favorite ways to help with ministry marketing.

________________________________________
Traffic Plan For Ministry
________________________________________
Soon to be released, Ministry Marketing Productions will present the Book, “Ministry Marketing Strategies For Today’s Christian Ministries”.
Check out a preview with this video:
Ministry Marketing Video Series Teaching The Power Of Social Media (Part 1)
________________________________________
We’d love to provide more information to help you in marketing and information concerning the latest online strategies.

Video is proving to be a key element in any market plan. Why not take advantage of it. You don’t have to be a “YouTube” channel, but you can provide powerful videos on your church website or on your own church’s video channel!
________________________________________

Click here to return to Ministry-Marketing-Strategies HOME Page.

http://www.ministry-marketing-strategies.com/ministrymarketing.html

Guest blogger, my friend, Sophfronia Scott

Lately I’ve been attracting questions from first time authors on how to get their books “out there”. In other words, now that your book is done, how do you tell as many people as possible about it? Book marketing! Since my conversations with these writers were brief I kept the tips as simple as possible, but then it occurred to me: this was exactly how I was planning the marketing of my newest book. I’m purposely keeping it simple so I don’t get overwhelmed. And overwhelm is common. After all, according to John Kremer there are 1,001 ways to market your book. You can’t possibly do them all! So here’s the easy way to look at book marketing. Make good choices and you’ll find just the audience you’re looking for.

Decide What Media You’ll Target

You don’t have to use all media in your marketing plan. Choose what you’re most comfortable with and what would bring you superior results. Perhaps you prefer print (newspapers and magazines) to radio and television. Or maybe you’ll limit your choices to radio and the internet because that’s where you’re most likely to find the types who will read your book. Is direct mail your cup of tea? Making this choice will help you focus. It will also save you money: pursuing everything can get really expensive.

Set Specific Goals for Each Target

Some writers will try for a mention of their book and feel triumphant if they get one review or one interview. That’s great, but a real marketing strategy will help you to secure more than one review or more than one interview. But it won’t happen unless you set goals and shoot for them. Let’s say you choose the internet, magazines and radio as your desired media. Your goals could be:
–Internet: Get enough partners to do an email blast to 2 million people.
–Magazines: Get mentions and/or reviews of your book in 4 magazines read by your target audience.
–Radio: Do 4-6 radio interviews a month.

Write Down Action Steps

Now that you have these goals, what exactly do you have to do to achieve them? For your internet goal, your tasks may include seeking out like-minded partners who have lists of their own to send an email on your behalf. For your magazine goal, you’ll probably send out regular press releases and story ideas to the editors of the magazines. Likewise for your radio goal. Once you see the steps written down, it’s that much easier to put them in a calendar and schedule time to get them done.

Take Action Daily

Make sure you do something everyday to forward your goals. That’s exactly what Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen did to make Chicken Soup for the Soul a success. They called it “The Rule of Five” and they made sure they did five things from their action plan every single day. It paid off for them big time. You can do the same. Remember to go back to your plan and read it again if you get distracted or become overwhelmed. Your plan will remind you of what you want to achieve and what choices will help you to do so. It’s like they say about eating an elephant–you can do it. It just takes a while and you have to take small bites!

Sophfronia Scott is Executive Editor of the Done For You Writing & Publishing Company. Learn what a difference being a published author can make for your business. Get your FREE audio CD, “How to Succeed in Business By Becoming a Bestselling Author” and your FREE online writing and book publishing tips at www.DoneForYouWriting.com.

PR Kit in a box: http://www.e-junkie.com/pamperry

1. It’s all in the title.

The title of your press release should be short, meaningful and descriptive. The title is the determining factor of whether or not people will ever bother to read further. Consider using a subtitle to summarize the content.

2. Make sure the information is newsworthy.

You are wasting your time and money sending out information that people wont care about. Ask yourself –“would I read this?”

2. Speak to your audience.

If your sending a press release out to the Black media, you must make it obvious how your information relates to the African Americans.

4. Don’t be too fancy.

Avoid the excessive use of adjectives and fancy language. Don’t bold or underline words within your body. This is unprofessional. The content alone should sell its self.

5. Include all forms of contact info.

Include your email address and 1-2 phone numbers. If someone is trying to reach you for an urgent story, you want to be easily reached. Also, include your web site address so they can research more about what you do.

6. Use BlackPR.com for distribution.

When your press release is final, use BlackPR.com to distribute it to all the Black newspapers, magazines, TV and radio stations. They only charge $150 bucks to do this. Also, consider using PRweb.com to increase search engine visibility.

7. Send press releases regularly.

A well- written press release can easily get you radio interviews and other media coverage. This, in turn, drives traffic to your web site, and more sales to your bottom line. The key is to be consistent. Send out press releases on a monthly basis, and consider writing weekly or bi-weekly columns to distribute as well.

Dante Lee is the founder of Diversity City Media, a multicultural marketing empire. Visit his daily blog at www.DanteLee.com

PR with Pam Perry PR COACH

Clients and colleagues often tell me that they want to earn Oprah’s attention or have their stories told on National Public Radio or Good Morning America. I applaud these intentions and suggest that they consider their hometown media first. Why? Because earning media “ink and air” in your own backyard is the first step towards earning the credibility to secure national media placements.

Putting all of one’s eggs in the national media placement basket is a risky strategy at best. The editors and producers at these national media outlets sift through thousands of story pitches every day in search of just the right stories to share with their audiences. The chances of your story rising to the top of the stack without the credibility of prior hometown media coverage are slim.

And, earning national publicity is not for the faint of heart. It takes time, research, great storytelling, planning, tenacity, follow up, patience and a lot of pluck. Some clients are fortunate to earn Oprah’s attention in a heartbeat, though most toil for many months and even years before earning their moment in the spotlight. All the while, these business owners still need to turn a profit and make magic happen in the marketplace in order to keep their doors open for business.

And even when you make a persuasive and compelling pitch to the local media, sometimes, for whatever reason, the daily newspapers will pass on your story. That is when you have to dig deeper and consider your options.

For example, while working with a local Vietnamese millionaire and motivational speaker to promote a big event in Seattle, I came up empty with both the Seattle Times and the Seattle Post Intelligencer. Undaunted, I approached the Northwest Asian Weekly about doing a story about this local entrepreneur. I also approached the Beacon Hill News and the Madison Park Times with similar story ideas because my client got his start in residential real estate working the Beacon Hill neighborhood and he lives in the coverage area served by the Madison Park Times.

Guess what happened? His story earned front page coverage with bold, color photos in all three local newspapers, just in time to attract interest and boost attendance at my client’s big event. And, those prominent stories were persuasive and compelling in my efforts to earn three radio interviews that targeted just the right audience of potential guests to benefit from this client’s message before the event took place.

Now, my client has some powerful print and broadcast support posted to the press room on his event Website to lend credibility to future events. This makes it easy for future event guests and reporters to visit the site to learn more about what he offers. And when the national media come to call, he already has earned both the credibility and support of his hometown media, making it that much easier to tell his story to a national audience.

In addition to earning ink and air for your business, local media opportunities offer you the chance to practice sharing your message and refining your interview skills before the national cameras and reporters come to call. Those bright camera lights can be daunting to the uninitiated, and you sure don’t want to make any message or performance mistakes when the national press is at your door.

My best advice is to start at home while you also swing at the national media fences. Brainstorm your own “top ten” list of premier media placements in your own backyard, and begin the process of appealing to those editors and writers whose job it is to inform, inspire, and serve the media consumers where you live and work.

Yes, please reach for the stars by working to earn the attention of O Magazine, National Public Radio, and Good Morning America. And remember that telling your story to your hometown media outlets can be pretty powerful, too.

Nancy S. Juetten is a Main Street Media Savvy expert who owns Nancy S. Juetten Marketing Inc. and is the author of the Media-Savvy-to-Go Publicity Toolkit which helps business owners get heard, seen, and celebrated in their own backyards and beyond through the power of free publicity.

Learn more about her award-winning PR Products by visiting

http://www.kickstartcart.com/app/?af=1083888 today

She’s interview on my Synergy Energy Show: http://bit.ly.com/SynergyEnergyShow