If a producer called you today for a TV interview would you be ready?

Would you be able to turn a brief conversation with a newspaper or magazine editor into a free publicity opportunity?
Upon their request, would you be able to send a reporter all the information they needed about you in a professionally branded electronic media kit INSTANTLY?
For most people, the answer to all these questions is a resounding NO!  However, there is no reason that a lack of media preparedness should be a barrier to your media success!

Momentum Media Group is offering a special rate on one of our newest and most exclusive service offerings:
HIGH-POWERED PRESS KITS – For authors, experts and executives.  Visit our website today today to get your custom High-Powered Press Kit.

Hear her on the Synergy Energy Show: http://tobtr.com/s/2428485. #BlogTalkRadio #pr

The first thing you need to know is who is your point of contact for the particular show you’re interested in. Although the Host will be conducting the interview, often times it is the Producer who is calling the shots so you need to know who that is in order to send your information.

The next thing you need to know is how to pitch them. As a former television reporter and assignment editor, I can tell you first-hand that nearly half of all pitches get rejected because people looking for their thirty seconds of fame don’t have a clear understanding of how to present themselves. The truth of the matter is some radio and TV talk show hosts won’t even acknowledge your pitch if it doesn’t fit their show’s format. That’s why it’s important to research a show before you ask for a guest appearance. Pay attention to whom they are trying to reach.

Here are two important things to remember:

1) Not everyone wants to be pitched the same way

2) Your pitch for a news segment is different than for a feature story

If you are pitching yourself as a guest for a newscast, what you offer needs to directly tie into the news of the day or an important event.

Being interviewed in a feature story gives you more leeway on a particular topic and you can actually have a hand in creating the the show.

One more thing: There is no such thing as the PERFECT media pitch but make sure you do your homework so you know who to pitch and how.

Veteran Journalist and Media Trainer Beverly Mahone offers more insightful media tips on her website: http://beverlymahone.com. She invites you to pick up a FREE copy of her BAMedia Contacts List at: http://beverlymahone.com/bammedia/ or your may purchase the more comprehensive BAMedia Contacts Directory.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5684297

As a veteran guest of hundreds of talk radio shows, I can tell you that radio is one of the best free promotional tools available to virtually anyone selling a product or service. I discovered the magic of free radio marketing in the 1990s after writing my first book. Looking for an inexpensive way to get publicity and sales I sort of stumbled into a goldmine – and a free publicity course I purchased served as an excellent pick and shovel to mine the gold.

Talk radio is still very popular today. Radio hosts are always looking for interesting guests. If you offer something that would be of interest or benefit a large audience, you’re probably a first-rate candidate as a guest. And you don’t have to be plugging a book to make it on talk radio. Sure, you’ll often hear authors talking about their books, but any topic with wide appeal can get you bookings if you’re smart about how you present yourself.

The formula is easy. If you’re promoting something to a local market you’ll need a list of local radio stations. If you’re looking for a national audience you’ll be looking for a national database. From here, it’s really simple. You or someone acting on your behalf simply calls the station seeking the producer or host of the show where you’d like to appear. Explain what you have to offer in the way of a good show. Some people are shy talking about themselves in this way. No problem. Simply call as a representative of yourself. Yep. Speak about you in third person. And keep this in mind, the show needs you as much as you need the show.

I learned something interesting in the early going and it paid off in thousands of sales when I needed them most. It was my sole job in any radio interview to make the host look as brilliant as possible in the eyes of his listeners. When you go a great show you make the host and producer look like geniuses. And there’s an obvious benefit to you. When you do a great show everyone benefits. The listeners get great information. You sell your products. And the host looks good in the eyes, or ears if you will, of the listeners. And you’ll often get invited back.

So how can you accomplish all of these things? Practice getting good at delivering excellent information. I’ve found the story format is best. When I was describing the methods in my first book, one devoted to showing people how to get a great deal when buying a home, I’d use real examples. People like true stories, especially where the underdog wins. I was able to illustrate the fact that regular people could use my techniques to buy property way under market. Since many folks don’t see themselves as being able to pull something like this off, they are intrigued when they hear stories of others who actually have. In other words, if one regular person can do it, they can.

Along those lines, gather stories of people you’ve helped. It doesn’t matter if you’re an accountant, personal coach, the pastor of a church, dog groomer, or marshal arts instructor. I’d be willing to bet you’ve made a difference in someone’s life, and that’s your angle. Before you approach the talk show circuit, map out your unique approach, gather your stories, and practice. This isn’t hard but it does take some preparation – unless, of course, you’re already a natural storyteller.

If you plan on using this method of free publicity you might want to set up a little sales system because many talk show hosts are more than willing to help you plug your product or service. So having a toll-free number to call or a Website where they can buy is a must. One more thing, make up a list of questions you want the interviewer to ask you. That makes things easy for the both of you. And by all means, don’t be nervous. Most interviews are done by phone so you’ll be able to have a cheat sheet close by. Keep it conversational as though you’re talking to a friend. After all, you are.

The article you’ve just read is little more than a brief outline of the entire story. Yes, getting free radio publicity to promote your products is simple and you can easily use it too. To get the rest of the story and discover how to entirely avoid the trial and error process, visit: http://www.freepromostory.com

Many authors receive thousands of dollars worth of free publicity by

publishing articles and excerpts from their book in other publications. Writing

your book is only one step in the process of establishing yourself as an expert in

your field.

Once your book is written, make a plan to promote it using the

following venues, and begin formatting your writing to fit in the appropriate

publication.

1. Books that relate to your subject can include quotes from your book as a

reference. Keep an eye out for other authors writing books who will surely

need reference material for their own writing. Also,books that include

stories from multiple authors can be a great marketing tool to promote you

as a writer as well as promoting your book.

2. Seminar handouts that you use when you are giving a presentation can be

an excellent way to keep your name and your book in front of the reader.

Provide the audience with interesting materials written by you to take

home and read.

3. Trade publications will print articles relating to your book that are relevant

to the specific industry. Research to find out which publications and

journals will fit your topic best and submit your articles to the appropriate

departments for considerations.

4. Magazines can provide mass exposure to a targeted audience for your

book. Call the advertising department and ask for a copy of their editorial

calendar. This free resource will allow you to see where your topic fits into

their schedule. Once you see where your story fits, email or write the editor

of that section to present your story idea. This must be done several

months in advance to make sure there is plenty of time to include your

story.

5. Local and national newspapers are always looking for story ideas. Tie your

book in to current events or trends to make it newsworthy. Try to stay off

the Book page, and try to get your book featured in the sections that are

more widely read.

6. Community newspapers and journals usually come out on a weekly and

monthly schedule, so an article reprint has the opportunity to be highly

read. Make a list of all the smaller community newspapers within a 50 mile

radius of your city. Submit your article to all potential sources.

7. Newsletters that are related to your book topic provide a reader base

interested in learning more and will eagerly read your article. Find out

what newsletters are mailed out to specific subscribers,as well as online

newsletters that may consider reprinting your article or excerpt.

8. E-zines are growing in popularity online. Try to get your article reprinted in

as many e-zines as possible. The more people who read your article, the

more possible book sales you will make.

(see mine: http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Pam_Perry)

9. Your own website & blog is a necessary location to place articles for publishers of

e-zines, newsletters, magazines, and newspapers to retrieve. Your own

readers will enjoy learning more about your book topic and will visit your

website more often if you add valuable information for them to read.

10. Other websites & blogs that allow you to post your articles and excerpts for their

visitors are a great resource to spreading the message of your book.

Visit www.MinistryMarketingSolutions.com today for more resources, tools, and coaching. Or get PR Coaching at www.PRbootcamponline.eventbrite.com

Don’t forget to go to the store. New PR Products are added every week.

www.e-junkie.com/pamperry – get the “Get out there” Kit there!

http://www.facebook.com/pamperryfanpage

Social networking sites like Facebook are a terrific way to promote your book, but many authors don’t optimize their Facebook profile or venture beyond their profile. Here are six ways to effectively promote your book on Facebook:

1. Take full advantage of the promotional opportunities on your Facebook Profile. Just below your photo is a small box where you can enter a concise description of what you do, including the title of your book.

The About Me box (under Personal Information) is a good place to describe your book and your business. In the Contact Information section you can enter multiple website addresses. Post your book cover in your photo album or another application and display it in the left column of your profile.

Remember, your Facebook profile must be registered in your real name. If you create a profile for your book or business, you risk having your account canceled.

2. Facebook Fan Pages are similar to personal profiles, but they are created for business use. You can create a page to promote your book or your business, or even create a page for one of the characters in your novel. People join a page by becoming a fan.

You may want to offer an incentive to join (or at least visit) your fan page, such as a free download, a coupon for one of your products, or a contest. Another way to attract fans is to set your page up as an information hub, offering links and resources.

3. Facebook Groups are a great place to meet people who share your interests and find new friends. Search for groups by entering keywords in the Search box at the top of the page and then clicking on the Groups tab. You can gain visibility on a group page by introducing yourself on the wall, participating in discussions, and posting your book cover, photos or videos.

Forming your own group is another good way to subtly promote your book. Be sure to encourage discussions and offer valuable information such as free downloads and links to resources. You can send direct messages the entire group.

4. Joining relevant Facebook Events is a good way to get visibility by writing on the event wall and posting photos. In addition, you can subtly promote your book and yourself by promoting your own live or virtual events through a Facebook event.

5. Facebook displays pay-per-click ads on most pages on the site, and ads can be targeted by age, gender, location, education level, relationship status, or keywords in people’s profiles.

6. The Facebook Marketplace is a free classified advertising area where you can post a listing to sell your book. It’s worth an experiment if you have a book on a topic that someone might search for on a classified advertising site.

Dana Lynn Smith is a book marketing coach and author of The Savvy Book Marketer Guides. For in-depth information on how to promote your book through Facebook, see the Facebook Guide for Authors at http:bit.ly/facebookforauthors.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dana_Lynn_Smith

www.pamperrypr.com

Learn the Secrets! Get Out There Kit! www.pamperrypr.com

I deal with authors all the time – African American Christian authors. They are some soulful folks – and filled with hope and faith. Wonderful authors, great testimonies. Anointed.

Yet, when it comes to business – the business of selling books – they want a “magic pill” to instantly be a superstar.

I’ve been at this book marketing business for over 10 years. And let me tell you, it takes a few years to be an “overnight success.”

So many authors believe that once they write and publish their book and tell a few friends, the sales will start coming in. That doesn’t happen.  Sorry.

They soon realize that it is a crowed market out there and they desperately throw together some marketing materials and do a few eBlasts, and still nothing.

They hear about social media marketing and try that – for a weeks or a couple of months.  And still nothing.  They call up some author friends and ask what should they do and the authors tell them to hire a publicist.

They then look online for a publicist, and approach a few of them with $250 to $500 in their hands – and get discouraged because they find out it takes a lot more. A whole lot more.  (See  this special report on what a publicist cost) Note, if the PR person is “cheap” – you get what you pay for. Enough said.

So what should a new author do?

1. Get a mentor or PR coach to help you define your target audience, grasp the big picture and avoid costly mistakes.  At least buy a home study course. See my “Get Out There Kit.” Way before the book come out!!!
2. Have a marketing plan and get contacts and instructions from your PR coach to execute the plan. A written plan is your road map to success.
3. Have a budget or learn how to create partnerships or joint ventures to leverage your lack of funds. Bartering is good if you have no money.
4. Build a brand – online and offline. Be consistent in all your marketing materials including blog, press kit, postcards, biz cards, etc.
5. Have an email list of folks interested in your subject and understand your brand and you feed them with valuable information BEFORE your book is out.

That’s a start. But I’d go with #1 first. Not willing to get PROFESSIONAL help is ignorant.  Investing in education and getting information will change the game for you.  It has happened for me and my clients.

Those who have experience can help you go fastest and further towards the superstar track!

I have mentors and coaches that have helped me over the years. Invaluable lessons they have shared!

It has cost me time and money – but it would of cost me more if I didn’t engage their services.

I know that anything of value is NEVER free.  You can get some information for free online, but it is “spotty” and never the entire strategic plan to help YOUR campaign specifically.

If you have big dreams for your book – be prepared to commit to a program and sacrifice time and money to make the dream a reality.

There is no magic pill – only a lot of elbow grease. Writing the book was only 10% of the work. 90% is learning about marketing & PR.

Finally, think about this:

If you had a tooth ache,  you wouldn’t do your own dental work, you’d go to a dentist.

Same with book marketing. Hiring a PR Coach and Social Media professional makes a statement that you are SERIOUS about your book marketing and serious about SUCCESS.

Get the PR Boot Camp in a Box:

The Get Out There Kit

at www.pamperryonlinepr.com

One of the first questions you should ask yourself is who are my readers? Once you have identified your target market, your next step is to find ways to tell them what the book is about; what problem it will solve; why it is funny, informative, or moving; who wrote it and why; and, most important, why they want to spend money to own your book. What follows are seven proven book promotion ways to reach your readers with this information:

1. Create a website for your book.

You must have a presence on the Internet for solid book promotion and book marketing. A Website showcases your book, highlights the cover, introduces you as an expert author, delineates the main points, tells where the book may be purchased, and provides a place for testimonials. A Website doesn’t have to be expensive or elaborate, but it should be professionally designed and constructed. Unless you are a Web guru, invest in a professional Website designer.

2. Brainstorm ideas for book promotion and book marketing.

Gather a group of your most creative friends to generate as many ideas as you can (It’s a good idea to feed them). Break your reading audience into subgroups, and list all the places to find them. Where do they hang out? What organizations do they belong to? Where do they shop? What are their passions, hobbies, and vocations? The spreadsheet you create is the beginning of your promotional plan.

3. Send advance readers’ copies (ARCs) to promote your book.

When the book is finished but not yet published, send bound copies of Galley proofs to book reviewers at print and electronic media. Be sure to stamp them “Reader’s Copy” or “Galley Proof.” You want to time the reviews to coincide with the publication and availability of your book. Reviewers want to read it before it hits the shelves. Timing is everything. Ministry Marketing Solutions can help with this.

4. Submit articles to promote your book.

Your book is a goldmine of article ideas. Every major point is an article ready to be excerpted or paraphrased. Once you know what your target audience is reading, you have a list of potential publications, print and electronic. Write a 25- and 50-word author’s blurb to be printed at the end of every article. When you submit to an online article Website, indicate that the article may be reprinted at no charge, as long as it includes the author’s blurb.

5. Take part in book fairs as a great book promotion tool.

Share a table or booth with other writers or with members of an association of which you are a member, if it is relevant to your topic. Book fairs can mean long hours on your feet if you go it alone; but, when you share the workload, the experience can be fun and rewarding. You’ll meet new people, reach readers directly, and become personally involved in selling your book.

6. Share what you know to become an expert in your field.

Offer to give free presentations at bookstores and other venues that carry your book. This is a great way to build your reputation as an expert in your field, provide value to the bookseller and the book buyer, and connect directly with your readers. It’s good for your ego to be asked to sign your own book. One caveat: if you don’t feel comfortable speaking in front of a group, join Toastmasters or hire a speaking coach. Don’t muddle through your presentation.

7. Assemble a book sales package.

(see http://pamperry.posterous.com for an instant press kit package)

Put together a press kit to send to local radio and TV stations. Include a news release with pertinent information about the book and future scheduled appearances, an author’s bio, talking points to use in an on-air interview, a sample book cover, background information, and favorable reviews and testimonials. A press kit is like a resume; it gets you in the door. Once you get there, the rest is up to you.

Promoting your book is an ongoing project. It isn’t something you do once and then move on. As long as your book is available and there are potential readers who could enjoy it and benefit from reading it, you have a job to do. This is, after all, why you wrote it.

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

Pam Perry's PR Kit in a Box - 1/2 off now

Professionals always come prepared. Good plumbers don’t show up at your home unless they have all the right tools with them. And, they keep their equipment in shipshape condition so repairs go smoothly.

Well, the same holds true when you want to publicize your book; you need to have the right tools and they must be ready to use. Having the right tools is an indispensable part of being prepared.

Numerous tools can help you publicize your book. However, for our purpose, lets classify them in two basic categories. They are:

1. Primary tools, items that are essential and that no promotional campaign should attempt to proceed without, and

2. Secondary tools, those that are not essential but can help your campaign be more productive.

Previously we discussed the author’s silver bullet (see http://www.ministrymarketingsolutionsblog.com), which is an author’s number one publicity tool. No book publicity campaign should proceed without a silver bullet. In addition, every campaign should include the following primary tools, which we will subsequently address in greater detail.

The primary tools include:

Websites
Media lists
Media kits
Press releases
Biographies
Photographs of the author in color and black and white, including one of the author in an action shot, perhaps signing the book or doing something that relates to the book
Question-and-answer sheets
Business cards
Newsletters
Promotional materials

Additional Tools

The number of additional tools that you can use in your campaign is as extensive as your imagination. Finding them can be an exercise in creativity. Unlike the primary tools, which are a must for every campaign, additional tools should be plugged in only when they can be helpful, because adding tools you don’t need can clutter your campaign and weaken the impact of initiatives that could be more productive.

The following items are examples of some of the additional devices you can use. Be creative and come up with other promotional tools of your own that could help you publicize your book.

Additional promotional tools include:

Articles
Blogs
Book excerpts
Bookmarks
Brochures
Clippings
Contests
Endorsements/recommendations
Fact sheets
Graphics (photographs, charts, diagrams, lists, illustrations)
Handouts List of top topics for the media
Op-ed piece
Pitch letter
Postcards
Puzzles/Quizzes
Quotations
Reviews
Sample chapter(s)
Stories about the Book
Toll-free telephone number
Videos

More Publishing resources at
more at http://bit.ly/8cDLgm

Also see www.e-junkie.com/pamperry

Source: Rick Frishman