Free Press

The Glengarry Glen Ross Guide to PR

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In the now famous scene from the movie Glengarry Glen Ross, Blake, a high- performing salesman played by actor Alec Baldwin, dresses down a team of under-performing salesmen complaining about their leads.16b

 

Towards the end of the profanity-laced lecture, Blake says, “These are the new leads. These are the Glengarry leads. And to you, they’re gold. And you don’t get them. Why? Because to give them to you is just throwing them away. They’re for closers. I’d wish you good luck but you wouldn’t know what to do with it if you got it.”

Blake’s point is that sales is a mindset. And if you don’t have the right mindset, all the leads in the world won’t help you.

While you might not run your PR team like a boiler room, there’s something to be learned here. When it comes to making contact with members of the media, nothing is worse than not knowing what to do with it.

The cure? Being prepared.

Have more than one plan

Everybody has objections. That means reporters will too. Sometimes a reporter will say your story isn’t a good fit for the publication. Other times he or she might not find the angle you’re presenting to be compelling.

This is where it’s key to think of PR as a sales function rather than a marketing function. Your and your team’s job is to overcome these objections and persuade the reporter to pick up the story.

The best way to overcome objections when you’re pitching your content to a writer is to plan ahead and have at least two to three potential story angles to sell.

That way, if the reporter doesn’t like the first angle, or you can’t make that first angle fit the medium’s particular needs, you can sell the writer on a second story angle while you’ve got him or her on the phone.

Get their attention

Once you’ve piqued a reporter’s curiosity with the right angle, you want to capture his or her attention. This means helping the reporter imagine what could be when it comes to your story.

Come up with a catchy title like, “An Entrepreneurial Resource You Keep in Your Back Pocket.” Exercise caution, though. You’re not writing the actual title for the writer; you’re coming up with a headline that’s creative and compelling enough to catch the writer’s attention so you can pitch your angle about the story you want him or her to write.

For each angle or title, list four to five key bullets to help the writer craft a story. Some examples that correspond to the sample title I just used include:

  • Entrepreneurs and their teams have scheduled access to Cameron Herold monthly.
  • They get access to his skills at one-tenth the cost of hiring someone with his skills full-time.
  • They get access to him whenever they need him for a quick call or email. Just like having him in their back pocket.

Once on the phone, share these points with the reporter to help him or her visualize the story flow and see why it would be useful to write about. In this way you present a compelling “product” for the reporter to buy—and closing shouldn’t be hard, after all the price is right, free.

Leverage their interest 


While it’s nice to get your story out there, it can be a wasted opportunity if you don’t leverage the opportunity. In the end, PR is simply a way for you to get the word out about your company and product. 
The media won’t know what you want them to say. You need to guide them. List five key bullets about your company that you will mention to the media every time you interact, regardless of the story angle you’re pitching. For example, here’s what I have for me:

  • Cameron Herold has clients on 4 continents.
  • He’s done speaking events in 28 countries, on five continents.
  • He coaches 14 entrepreneurs monthly.
  • He was the COO for 1-800-GOT-JUNK?, growing the company from $2 million to $106 million in six years.

By constantly pounding home these points, you’ll ensure consistency of message for your brand every time you get a story out there. Essentially, it’s free advertising. And who doesn’t love that?

What To Say To The Media To Land Stories

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47bWhat to Say to the Media

I’ve found that this simple script works best to land Free PR and I’ve used it since 1986:

Start with “Hi, my name is [Your Name].  Do you have a couple of minutes, I think I have a great story for you?”

 

The writer will say one of the following:

a)   “Sure. What have you got?”  – To which you say – “Well, I have this cool story about this  [Your Angle].  Here are a couple of quick bullet points.”  Then, like a salesperson, you ask: “What do you think?”. Continue to ask questions, and listen.

b)   “Sorry. I’m on a deadline” – to which you say – “OK, I’ll call you tomorrow or would the day after be better?”

c)    You also have the opportunity to ask what they’re working on and listen. When you’re trying to pitch your angle, ask them what stories they’re working on currently.  Suggest helpful options for achieving their goals, and you’ll be achieving your own at the same time.  Potentially suggest ways you could be an expert with comments for their current story.

As the saying goes, in sales, you have two ears and one mouth–use them in that ratio!  The conversation should go something like this: you ask questions, you listen, you listen, you ask questions, you listen, and you listen some more.

And then, remember this:   Don’t show up and throw up.  Don’t start giving them the entire story.  Instead, give them your quick little angle. It’s a seduction. Say, “What do you think?” after you’ve offered them a taste. They’ll give you their thoughts, and then you can narrow your angle a little bit from what they say, or switch to your second angle, or your third angle that fits better. If you are alert, you can turn an apprehensive writer into a zealous fan, just by listening.

Everyone asks me about email pitches.  Sorry, that’s not my gig.  I’m all about picking up the phone, so I’m not writing about how to email members of the media because everyone is doing that –this is like competing where there is no competitor!

There really isn’t much difference in terms of my approach for radio or blogs.  In fact, in speaking with many bloggers, it’s clear they’re getting frustrated with people spamming them by email with story ideas and they’d love a phone call too.

If I have to leave voice mail, I usually leave a message like this: “Hi Susan, sorry I missed you, but I think I have a great story angle for you.  I’ll give you a call tomorrow about it.  If you have a chance before then, you can call me at: 604-XXX-XXXX.”

Follow-up emails are fine for thanking the writers for their time.  Follow-up emails are perfect after a writer covers you, but a handwritten thank you note mailed (with a stamp) to them is far more memorable.  No one sends thank you cards to just say thanks anymore – and you should—you’ll stand out. This is how you’ll land tons of Free PR.

For more information on this topic, check out: Generating Free PR.

Key Steps For Your PR Sales Funnel

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The Free PR Sales Funnel48b

The number of calls you need to make before you land stories varies based on who you are, what your angle is, what’s happening in the news, and how accurately you’re targeting the writers.

For example, your numbers will be horrible if you are calling writers who cover the oil and gas industry but you’re pitching them about a small business angle.  Even though they’re business writers, none will ever cover you.

Assuming you’re targeting writers who write about your field, in media outlets that have an interested readership, then this is a rough estimate of the numbers you might expect from a PR person once they have been trained on your product and company knowledge.

It takes a couple months before even the best sales person knows enough about the products or company to close better than a long-time employee.You should keep in mind that new hires won’t become pros overnight.

  • Monthly: You should expect five stories per PR person at minimum
  • Daily: They can make six outbound pitches to journalists (this is based on doing it every day for a month)
  • It accounts for tracking what was said on the call
  • Setting up follow up times to call them back
  • Research on the target
  • Getting the correct contact info
  • Sending out follow up information
  • Following up with prospects from calls made in weeks prior
  • That means – 6 calls a day x 5 days a week x 4 weeks a month = 120 outbound calls a month, which should generate five stories a month

These numbers are pretty accurate and cover national, regional, and local media.  They also cover spreading the calls out over TV, radio, print, online, newsletters, and bloggers. The numbers are also pretty conservative, too.  If the angles are well thought out, and if the PR person sells well, they’ll land even more.

You should try and do this yourself – if possible – before your new PR person starts. That way, you’ll have some idea of the environment they will be dealing with. Maybe your numbers are better than my example, and you already have a compelling story. If you can’t find a writer who will listen to you for more than 2 minutes, then you know it is time to go back and rethink your angle.

For more information on this topic, check out: Generating Free PR.

The Keys to Building an In-House PR Team

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49bIf  you’re reading this article, you’re probably interested in performing PR functions yourself, or in hiring team members to do so (or both). It will help you find the right people to execute the PR sales role in your organization, and secure free publicity for your company.Even though this falls under the category of public relations, what you’re really hiring for is a person who likes to do telephone sales.  You’re looking for someone who loves to pitch people, and is technically savvy enough to compile resources online and monitor the media response to your campaign. The first rule –

Don’t hire anyone with a PR background. People with traditional backgrounds in PR will want to write newswires and press releases all day.  Typically people in PR are writers (or they wanted to be), and there’s nothing wrong with that, but what you want—and need—is someone who can deliver a persuasive sales pitch, and follow-up with everyone they contact. It seems simple, but it’s not. That’s why I’ve included the list below.

Here’s what skills and characteristics you’ll want your team members to have:

  • They must love to sell. Candidates will need to the ability to “get past the gatekeeper” in order to pitch. They should be able to raise and handle objections, track their own sales leads, and love to sell.
  • They can handle rejection. Do they realize that every “no” is one step closer to a “yes”?
  • They’re enthusiastic junior players. I like junior sales people, around their mid-twenties and enthusiastic. Remember, you’re not looking for people who can sell to VPs or CEOs.
  • They need to be able to listen. The ability to understand what the writer wants to write about is crucial. It’s the only way to know why an approach isn’t working, and how to change it.
  • They’re “glass-half-full” people. Find someone optimistic so their excitement and energy transfers to everyone they talk to, especially the writers over the phone.
  • They’ve got a great “phone voice.” A great phone voice is important so writers can understand them.  They may be pitching you to writers in different regions too, so hire people with accents that match your market, or have voices that are clear enough to people throughout North America.
  • They need to know how to write. Your PR people won’t be writing press releases, but they will be doing tons of follow up via email.  They’ll have to be able to create excitement and get their point across succinctly.
  • They’ll have to be tech savvy. This role will require the use of a computer and the Internet constantly, since most their resources will be online.
  • They need to be smart. The fact that this is last doesn’t make it any less important than the others. The people you hire to do this work need to be information agregators, and intelligent enough to draw connections within the vast expanse of information they collect. Their research must be accurate, appropriate, and timely. They should love reading blogs, know how to use RSS, and gather info from Twitter. Information like this is crucial so they can stay current on trends, and include them in pitches to writers.

For more information on this topic, check out: Generating Free PR.

How To Pay In House PR Team

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How To Pay Employees To Land Free PR
From my experience, you need to look for junior level sales people just getting going on a career (i.e. their twenties).  This group is looking to gain experience, work for a cool company, have flexible schedules, and so forth.  So that being said – here is how I would structure their pay:
  • Salary:  $40,000-$45,000/year – and this is as much as is needed.
  • Bonus: $500/month ($6,000 annualized) – and it’s tied to them hitting 5-8 stories a month.  Don’t set the bar too low (or too high).
I’d even be fine with putting the salary lower and the bonus amount higher once you know the rough numbers to expect.
  • Special bonuses: I’ve had awesome success with putting in a special bonus program to focus the efforts on landing top media outlets.
List in advance which key outlets you want free PR in:
  • Top five TV stations
  • Top five radio stations
  • Top five magazines
  • Top five newspapers
  • Top five online
For each specific outlet, identify how much you’re willing to pay extra for a full feature type story (i.e. a story about you, with photo etc.–not merely being mentioned in an article)
  • This type of bonus ranging from $250-$1,000 per story can generate a ton of focus.
  • Caution – don’t let bonuses for major outlets take your eyes off the prize:  you still want to land five to eight stories a month per person.  The last thing you need is a PR person spending all their time trying to “bag the elephant.”
Side story: One year I set up a bonus like this for five PR people – they landed 19 of the 20 outlets we’d set up on the list.  And they split the bonuses they earned as a team.  Plus – they hit 90% of the month’s goals too.  Nice year.
The only things you really need to track are:
  • How many total stories are you landing monthly? Don’t waste time tracking media impressions to come up with some fancy ROI.  You’ll know after six months that it works, and for the salaries and bonuses you’re spending, you’ll get great ROI.  Spending time over tracking things just wastes time where you could be pitching the media.
  • Have you called back the writers you’ve pitched to? Keep a simple database in Outlook, Act or a similar contact management system, to track what you talked about and when you need to call them back.  Keep it simple.
  • Which writers will you contact again if they fail to express interest in your pitch the first time? If a writer shuts you down you should always call on them again in future with other ideas.  I also call them in the future with the same angle with perhaps a new spin on it or when the business tide has changed to make your angle interesting again.
  • The same writer for different stories in different publications has covered me.  Many writers also write freelance for a variety of publications and can cover your story in a few of them.  Always continue to follow up until you’re told to never call again!
If you really want to see results, start pitching the writers from the Associated Press, Bloomberg, and Dow Jones News Service. Even some of the regional papers work in syndicates, and your story could then run in multiple papers.  Pitching one person from the Associated Press could get you into 100+ papers that same week (versus trying to pitch 100 writers).  Leverage can yield huge results.
For more information on this topic, check out: Generating Free PR.

Lead Generation for Free Press

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Lead Generation to Land Free Publicity50b
When thinking about where to get leads, I like to ask myself four questions related to Steven Covey’s “Begin With The End In Mind.”
  • Where would you like to be covered?
  • What trade journals do your clients read?
  • What media outlets would give maximum exposure to your products, services, or corporate culture?
  • Why are you trying to land PR?
Once you know the answers to those questions then you’re ready to start mapping out your PR strategy.
First, make a list of all the media outlets you want to cover you. Think about TV, radio, online, magazines, newspapers, blogs, newsletters, trade journals, and community papers.
Then, find out who has covered your competitors?  Who has covered similar companies in other industries? All of those people can write about you too.
The key is to find the best writers and journalists within each of those media outlets.  Remember, someone who covers oil and gas companies won’t write about a medical supply company.  Someone who covers mergers and acquisitions won’t write about your company’s corporate culture.
All contact information for writers, journalists and photographers can be obtained through services like Media Atlas or Cision Point.  You can also find it quickly by entering the person’s name, company, and the word ‘phone’ or ‘address’ into an online search engine.  In a worst case scenario, you can always call the main switchboard and ask for the person by name– –I always do this with a tone of voice that implies they’re practically my lifelong friend. I just casually say, “Oh hi, Mike Smith please,” and if they ask if I’d like his voice mail I say “sure, what’s his direct line again so I don’t bother you next time?” It usually works.
You want to target top media outlets like we did with the Top 20 idea.  Go online and grab free lists of the top newspapers and magazines by circulation, top blogs by readers, and so forth.  Once you have those lists, have your team pick five from each category.  Stay hyper-focused.  Resist the urge to simply say they’d all be good.  It shouldn’t take you more than an hour to do this whole exercise and the focus it provides will be extremely beneficial.
For more information on this topic, check out: Generating Free PR.

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Meetings Suck: Turning One Of The Most Loathed Elements Of Business Into One Of The Most Valuable

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We all know that meetings suck, right?

You hear it all the time. It’s the one thing that almost everyone in business can agree on.

Except it’s not actually true… 

Meetings don’t suck.

We just suck at running meetings.   

When done right, meetings not only work, they make people and companies better.

In Meetings Suck, world renowned business expert and growth guru Cameron Herold teaches you how to use focused, time effective meetings to help you and your company soar.

This book shows you immediately actionable, step-by-step systems that ensure that you and everyone in your organization improves your meetings, right away.

In the process, you’ll turn meetings that suck into meetings that work. 

In life, we always hear about people who’ve made huge decisions from their gut – without data.Today, I want you to make a decision, not only from your gut, but also from some data.  A decision that is only $12 per employee but will be priceless for your business.

Right now, your gut is telling you something is wrong with your company’s meetings.  You KNOW everyone complains about meetings.

People HATE going to them, they HATE running them, and they really have NO idea which meetings are truly necessary but they hold meetings simply because they think that is what they SHOULD do.

Even some of the smartest CEOs in the world complain about meetings – Elon Musk publicly told employees at Tesla & SpaceX to walk out of meetings if they weren’t being run properly.

I sent Elon a message saying that wasn’t going to fix anything – the key is to fix the root of the problem – NOT continue to ignore why meetings suck.

A Meeting is – Any phone call, video call or occasion where 2 or more people meet to discuss or work-through office topics.

Most employees on average spend 1-2 hours per day in meetings.

And likely, none of those employees – front-line staff or leaders – have had any training on how to attend meetings or participate in them, LET ALONE How to RUN THEM.

Consider this…

If the Average employee spends just 1 Hour per day in meetings – that’s 1/8th of their time.

If the Average employee earns $50,000 per year.

And they’re spending 1/8th of their time in meetings, that means you’re paying $6,250 dollars per year for just ONE employee to attend meetings.

The reality is, employees spend 1/8th of their time – and 1/8th of your company’s payroll – doing something they have literally NO idea how to do.

The Reality is…

95% of employees are booking & leading meetings – and they have NEVER been trained on how to run them.

95% of employees have had NO training on how to show up and participate in the meetings they attend daily.

And 95% of employees and companies have no idea what meetings are even necessary to hold.

Meetings CAN be hugely effective – IF you know how to run them

Meetings don’t SUCK, we just SUCK at running meetings. 

Investing $15 per employee – to help ensure the $50,000 a year you spend on them is an obvious and easy choice.

This could be the most impactful $15 you’ll ever spend and will save the company’s money, time and resources instantly.

Buying a copy of Meetings Suck for 100% of your employees and having them read it this month will have a huge impact on your company’s success.

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Free PR: How To Get Chased By The Press Without Hiring A PR Firm

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Public relations has always been an essential part of doing business which is probably why you’re shelling out big money to an outside PR firm. But the truth is that you don’t need them. You already have all the necessary tools in-house to do as good a job as the so-called experts. 

Cameron Herold and Adrian Salamunovic have taught thousands of company execs how to exploit free media coverage and ditch these expensive, often ineffective outsiders. 

Cameron & Adrian have also built in-house PR teams, spent decades learning how to generate Free PR and how to leverage public relations to complement their sales and marketing strategy. 

In Free PR, you’ll learn how the media world operates while you gain invaluable insider knowledge and actionable advice on how to: 

  • Build your own in-house PR team
  • Provide effective interviews
  • Score great media coverage for free with just a few easy steps 

Landing public relations coverage for yourself and your company is a powerful tool to help elevate your personal brand. PR is easier to generate than marketing, PR is easier to leverage than marketing and PR is more cost effective than marketing. In other words, Public Relations is more critical than ever in growing your brand and your business. 

You’ve got more passion, commitment, a larger stake, and a deeper understanding of your business than any outside PR firm could ever have. So stop wasting money and take the reins yourself.  Learn the secrets to landing TONS of Free PR for your company.

What they’re saying:

“I think PR is the core for promoting any business. Public relations acquires customers! That’s what’s cool about this book.”

– Kevin O’Leary,  Shark on ABC’s Shark Tank

“The ultimate guidebook for those looking to get press, grow their brand, and get in front of the masses. Free PR is the roadmap you’ve been looking for.”

– Peter Shankman, Founder, Help a Reporter Out (HARO)

“Adrian and Cameron will show you the secrets of getting massive exposure for your business. This book is packed with actionable insights from two guys that actually know how to to do it.”

– Dan Martell,  Serial Entrepreneur & Investor (Intercom.io, Unbounce)

“I told Cameron to write the book on generating free PR. I’m excited to see that he’s finally sharing his secrets with the world. This is a must read for any entrepreneurial company and marketing team.”

– Verne Harnish, Founder of Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) and author of Scaling Up (Rockefeller Habits 2.0)

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Vivid Vision: A Remarkable Tool For Aligning Your Business Around a Shared Vision of the Future

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Many corporations have slick, flashy mission statements that ultimately do little to motivate employees and less to impress customers, investors, and partners. 

But there is a way to share your excitement for the future of your company in a clear, compelling, and powerful way and entrepreneur and business growth expert Cameron Herold can show you how. 

Vivid Vision is a revolutionary tool that will help owners, CEOs, and senior managers create inspirational, detailed, and actionable three-year mission statements for their companies. In this easy-to-follow guide, Herold walks organization leaders through the simple steps to creating their own Vivid Vision, from brainstorming to sharing the ideas to using the document to drive progress in the years to come. 

By focusing on mapping out how you see your company looking and feeling in every category of business, without getting bogged down by data and numbers or how it will happen, Vivid Vision creates a holistic road map to success that will get all of your teammates passionate about the big picture. 

Your company is your dream, one that you want to share with your staff, clients, and stakeholders. Vivid Vision is the tool you need to make that dream a reality.

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The Miracle Morning for
Entrepreneurs: Elevate Your SELF to
Elevate Your BUSINESS

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READY FOR EXPLOSIVE GROWTH AS AN ENTREPRENEUR AND ACCELERATED SUCCESS IN THE REST OF YOUR LIFE?

A step-by-step guide to enjoying the roller-coaster ride of growth — while getting the most out of life as an entrepreneur. A growth-focused approach: The book is divided into three sections, which cover planning for fast growth, building a company for fast growth, and leading for fast growth. Each topic the author covers — from creating a vision for the company’s future to learning how to generate free PR for a developing company — is squarely focused on the end goal: doubling the size of the entrepreneur’s company in three years or less. A down-to-earth action plan: Herold’s experienced-based advice never gets bogged down in generalities or theory. Instead, he offers a wealth of practical tips, including: How to design meetings for maximum efficiency; How to hire top-quality talent; How to grow in particularly tough markets; How to put together a board of advisors — even for a smaller company; How even the busy entrepreneur can achieve a work/life balance.

READY FOR EXPLOSIVE GROWTH AS AN ENTREPRENEUR AND ACCELERATED SUCCESS IN THE REST OF YOUR LIFE?

Hal Elrod’sThe Miracle Morning has helped redefine the mornings and the lives of millions of readers since 2012. Since then, careers have been launched, goals have been met, and dreams have been realized, all through the power of the Miracle Morning’s six Life S.A.V.E.R.S.

THESE SIX DAILY PRACTICES WILL FUEL YOUR EFFORTS TO CREATE AND SUSTAIN POSITIVE CHANGE IN YOUR LIFE.

Now The Miracle Morning for Entrepreneurs brings you these principles in a whole new light—alongside the Entrepreneurial Elevation Principles and the Entrepreneur’s Elevation Skills. These are essential skills that you need to create a successful business and personal life. Cameron Herold— Bestselling Author and a widely-respected expert on entrepreneurial mindset—brings his wisdom and insight to you using Hal Elrod’s powerful Miracle Morning framework.

DEVELOP A VISION FOR YOUR BUSINESS, AND BECOME THE INFLUENTIAL AND INSPIRING LEADER YOU WERE ALWAYS MEANT TO BE.

The principles and skills you’ll find in this book will help you to channel your passion and achieve balance in a remarkable new way. – Learn why mornings matter more than you think – Learn how to master your own self-leadership and accelerate your personal development – Learn how to manage your energy—physical, mental, and emotional – Learn how to implement Hal Elrod’s invaluable Life S.A.V.E.R.S. in your daily routine – And much more… You’re already an entrepreneur. Now discover how to take your success to the next level by first taking yourself to the next level. The Miracle Morning for Entrepreneurs is your roadmap to masterfully building an empire with a powerful vision, utilizing your areas of personal genius, with the right team at your side.

Start giving your business and your life the very best opportunities for success, right now.

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Double Double: How To Double Your Revenue And Profit In 3 Years Or Less​

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A step-by-step guide to enjoying the roller-coaster ride of growth — while getting the most out of life as an entrepreneur. A growth-focused approach: The book is divided into three sections, which cover planning for fast growth, building a company for fast growth, and leading for fast growth. Each topic the author covers — from creating a vision for the company’s future to learning how to generate free PR for a developing company — is squarely focused on the end goal: doubling the size of the entrepreneur’s company in three years or less. A down-to-earth action plan: Herold’s experienced-based advice never gets bogged down in generalities or theory. Instead, he offers a wealth of practical tips, including: How to design meetings for maximum efficiency; How to hire top-quality talent; How to grow in particularly tough markets; How to put together a board of advisors — even for a smaller company; How even the busy entrepreneur can achieve a work/life balance.