Publicity

What to Say to Win Media Exposure

 

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Which would you prefer, a PR team that proactively prepares and calls potential news sources to pitch stories, or one that hides behind a desk sending passive emails and writing releases for newswires?

Obviously, you’d want a proactive team member, but these are few and far between. Why? One word: fear.

One of the biggest obstacles to success in a PR is apathy that comes from anxiety.

The best PR takes a sales mentality, and a sales mentality means cold-calling and making pitches. Many PR professionals are more marketers than salespeople, and the idea of cold calling is terrifying. The good news is that the right preparation goes a long way towards overcoming fear—and towards creating a successful PR strategy.

And the one of the most important steps in preparing for a cold call is to have your script ready.

The PR sales script

When contacting the media, I’ve found that a simple script works best to build confidence. Here’s an example of mine.

“Hi, my name is Cameron. 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 I’ll say: “Well, I have this cool story about this [fill in the blank]. Here are a couple of quick bullet points.” Then, being the salesperson that I am, I ask, “What do you think?” I then continue to ask questions, and listen.

(b) “Sorry, I’m on a deadline.” To which I’ll say: “Okay. I’ll call you tomorrow, or would the day after be better?” I’ll also take the opportunity to ask what the reporter is working on and listen to what he or she says. From there, I’ll suggest helpful options for achieving the writer’s goals. By doing this, I achieve my own at the same time. Finally, if possible, I also suggest ways I could share expert comments for the reporter’s current story.

(c) “No.” To which I’ll respond when the person hang ups on me: “Okay, so I’ll just go grab a cup of coffee, sit down, and call the next person on my list.” I’m one call closer to a yes!

Talk less, listen more

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.

Too many people show up and throw up. Don’t give the writer who answers the phone your entire story. Instead, quickly give the person your first little angle, and then ask, “What do you think?” The writer will give you an opinion right away, and then you’ll narrow or amend your angle a little bit more or hit the writer with your second angle, or your third angle—which ever fits better. Stay alert and focused on the task at hand.

Following up

Sometimes you’ll strike out and not be able to get a hold of someone. The good news is that since you’re on the phone you can leave a voice mail. If I have to leave a voice mail, I usually leave a message like this: “Hi Susan, this is Cameron Herold. Sorry I missed you, but I think I have a great story angle for you. I’ll give you a call about it tomorrow. If you have a chance before then, you can call my cell: YYY-XXX-CCCC.”

After connecting with a writer, or after a writer covers you, a follow-up email are fine for thanking him or her. That being said, a handwritten thank-you note to him or her, mailed (as in placed in an envelope with a stamp), is 100 percent better. No one sends thank- you cards to just say thanks anymore, and you should—you’ll stand out. Landing Free Publicity is as easy as picking up the phone.

 

Key Steps For Your PR Sales Funnel

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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.

Lead Generation for Free Press

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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.

Step 3 in Landing Free PR

56bHere is the third step in getting free PR:

Step 3.  Pick Up The Phone

As a business coach and mentor, I talk to CEOs a lot, and all the time, whether it be personal, via email or even by phone.

My most successful pitches with the media have come from using the good old telephone,not by sending them an email! Step 3 in landing Free PR is from picking up the phone.

Every writer wakes up every day, goes to their office, sits down at their desk, stares at their computer and thinks, “What the hell am I going to write about today?”.

They’re not looking at their email.They’re sitting trying to get inspired to write about something.

When the phone rings, they’ll answer it.

Now, when editors go to their offices, they sit in front of a heaping stack of press releases.  The releases came in over the newswire, over email, and over fax, and guess what the editor does for the first two hours every day? He or she rejects almost all of those press releases.

Given a choice, would you call the editor who says “no” all day, or the writer who is just waiting for inspiration? You call the writer, of course!

That’s why I’ve always treated PR like a sales role–it involves picking up the phone and selling the writer to your story.

Everyone else in PR is busy pitching to a grouchy editor with a penchant for saying “no,” while you’re going right to the content producer—the writer.

There’s no competition!

So switch your focus to the writers and:
·      Know your angle
·      Know your target
·      Pick up the phone

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

Step 2 In Landing Free PR

57bHere is the 2nd step on how you can get free PR:

Step 2.  Know Your Target

Every media outlet targets different types of readers or viewers.  When you’re pitching your stories to writers, keep their audience in mind and ask yourself these questions:

  • Why will their audience care?
  • Why will your story help their audience purchase the magazine or tell people about the show they watched? Will it help them sell more advertising?

Bloomberg typically covers financial news about publicly traded companies.  If you already know that, and you’re pitching Bloomberg, make sure you’re not a privately held company.

Oprah typically has emotional, heart-rending stories. Don’t try to sell her producers anything but stories that fit this description.

Even in your city, different newspapers may lean further to the left or right in their coverage. Be aware of that before pitching anyone who works at these publications.  Keep this in mind to land free media coverage.

Forbes typically covers bigger businesses like Apple & Starbucks. You might want to re-think trying to sell a reporter on covering your small business.Inc., on the other hand, covers start-ups.  If you have a small business, consider this a green light to pitch stories about why yours is so unique. Their readers just might care.  Free media coverage will be yours for the taking if you follow this step.

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

Step 1 To Landing Free PR

How do you get free PR?

Here is the first step:


Step
1: Know Your Angle

There are some important questions to ask yourself in order to determine your angle: What is your story idea, and how will you pitch it to writers?

When you started your business and tried to explainit to your spouse, your banker, or your parents, you probably told them a story about how your great idea came about. Those stories–whatever you were saying to them to convince them about your great idea–consisted of three or four angles that make your business stand out.

·      “I’m going to be successful because I’m a female entrepreneur.”

·      “I’m married and I run this company with my spouse.”

·      “I’m going to become successful because I quit my job to do this.”

·      “I dropped out of school to pursue this business idea.”

Any of those explanations is a potential story.  When you read through newspapers and magazines from now on, be certain to read with two different “lenses”: one that reads for enjoyment, and one that identifies potential angles that reporters use to create interesting stories. By engaging yourself in this way, you’ll start to see potential angles everywhere.

Potential angles could include:

·      Your sales approach or strategy

·      Your advertising and marketing methods

·      The systems you use to run your business

·      Your product’s features

·      How you use IT to run your business

·      Your personal entrepreneur story

·      Lessons from the edge when you almost lost your company

·      Charity projects or efforts to give back to your community

·      Stories about how you created your signature corporate culture

·      Strategic alliances you’ve established

·      Stories about specific employees

I’ll be posting a worksheet with more specifics soon. Subscribe to my RSS feed or follow me on Twitter to get notified when I do.

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

book-4

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

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.

book-5

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

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)

book-3-1

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

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.

miracle-morning

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

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.

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.