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5 Strategies to Streeetch Your Good Press
By Susan Harrow
In the following story Toronto Star columnist and lifelong
Catholic, Kathy Shaidle, whose website tweaks confining
religious and spiritual notions, talks about how she's been
gathering steam to publicize her site. Shaidle's irreverent
commentary spares no one. She dispenses her thoughts on
everything from renting a married priest to buying
enlightenment. What better way to provoke controversy than
to challenge the sacred cow of people's spiritual and
religious beliefs? Visit Kathy's site
http://www.relapsedcatholic.com/ and see for yourself what
makes for good arguing.
*Where the religious rubber meets the pop culture road*
That's the motto at RelapsedCatholic.com, my daily weblog of
faith & culture news. On March 27, 2001, my site was singled
out for praise by the Site-A-Day newsletter.
1. Send out a press release about your good press to your
niche market
I IMMEDIATELY sent out a short, punchy email press release
(quoting Site-A-Day's rave review) to my list of religion
editors (in print and online), book reviewers (I'm also an
award-winning author) and other Best of the Web sites.
The day the brief piece about RelapsedCatholic ran in the
Ottawa Citizen, I logged my busiest single day ever, with
more than 300 hits. I was recently interviewed by the
Catholic Register, too, and expect a similar spike when that
piece runs. RelapsedCatholic was also singled out for
special mention in recent articles about blogging, in both
Internet Business Forum and E-Zine Tips.
MY NOTE: Notice Kathy sent her press release to a VERY
targeted market (religion editors) that she had previously
contacted. Often times you must contact an editor a number
of times with different ideas before he/she will write about
you.
2. Email thank you notes and begin a correspondence with
journalists
I gained some valuable new relationships and helped cement
established ones. I've been asked to write and speak on
subjects related to religion and pop culture. I feel this
kind of exposure increases my visibility and credibility
with the press. Sending thank you emails after even a small
mention has sparked continuing correspondence with some
writers and editors. I may be better able to pitch other
stories to them in the future. I recently got a fan email
from the man who runs the ChristianityToday.com weblog,
considered the best of its/our genre. He says he checks out
RelapsedCatholic every day now.
MY NOTE: Thanking someone sincerely opens lines of
communication.
3. Write press releases that can be printed verbatim
Best of all, the Ottawa Citizen printed my press release,
practically word-for-word, in their Sunday color section.
RelapsedCatholic's hits that day were higher than they were
for the whole first month I was online!
MY NOTE: Write your press releases in the same format
journalists use to write their pieces and you'll stand a
better chance they'll use your words instead of struggling
to capture your ideas by paraphrasing -- which can lead to a
different interpretation than you intended.
4. Network with the press at your speaking engagements
I was asked to sit on a Periodical Association of Canada
panel, Writing about Religion for the Secular Press. I also
held a book signing during BookExpo Canada. Networking after
the panel discussion led to new friendships with other
writers/editors. And again, a spike in page views. Hits to
the webpage have remained fairly high, increasing four-fold
since the site's inception in November 2000. My logs show an
increasing number of regular return visitors since the press
release went out. Hits went from about 300/month in November
to more than 2000 in April, and have remained steady since.
I anticipate May's hits will be about the same due to
upcoming story in Catholic Register, and continued mention
in the by-line of my Toronto Star column.
MY NOTE: Writers and editors are more likely to listen to
you once you've spoken on a panel (or at a keynote or
workshop). You've established yourself as an expert --
someone who has expertise and is worth speaking with.
5. Continue sharing your news with the right targeted media
MY NOTE: Once you get the publicity ball rolling, keep it in
motion by following any leads that could bring you more
readers, recognition and sales.
Kathy sent me her story and now has opened another avenue to
more publicity for her one mention. Excellent work, Kathy!
Learn more about getting good press and self-promotion to
gain publicity for your business, product or cause in *Sell
Yourself Without Selling Your Soul*(HarperCollins). Go to
http://www.prsecrets.com for your free excerpts today.
About the Author
Copyright (c) 2002-2005 Susan Harrow, All Rights Reserved.
Susan Harrow is a top media coach, marketing strategist and
author of *Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul*
(HarperCollins), *The Ultimate Guide to Getting Booked on
Oprah*, and *How You Can Get a 6- Figure Book Advance.* Her
clients include Fortune 500 CEOs, millionaires, best-selling
authors and successful entrepreneurs who have appeared on
Oprah, 60 Minutes, NPR, and in TIME, USA Today, Parade,
People, O, NY Times, Wall Street Journal, and Inc.
Article Source: http://www.simplysearch4it.com/article/4201.html
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