Book Publicity

When you start thinking about how to get your book ‘out there’ so your target market knows about it, you would be missing valuable opportunities if you didn’t create a media publicity plan.

Ideally, start planning 3 to 6 months before your book is due to arrive from the printers. The reason for the 6 month lead time is that monthly magazines are working today on what will hit the news stands in roughly 3 months’ time. You need to factor in planning to create a media kit prior to this to give your book the best chance of appearing in important long-lead magazines.

Here is an overview of the stages in a book publicity campaign:

PLANNING:

1. Brainstorm newsworthy story ideas from the book
2. Write a publicity plan outlining key target media and story angles
3. Create a media kit with media release and supporting information
4. Develop sample interview Q&A
5. Localise pitches for specific target media

PITCHING:

6. Distribute media release & media kit
7. Follow up media to secure interest in receiving the book
8. Set up interviews and provide photos and other information as needed

MONITORING:

9. Obtain records of media coverage
10. Follow up to thank media for resulting coverage

Stay tuned to this blog for more detail on what’s involved in each stage!

Yours in book publicity
Chelsea McLean

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The media always needs great stories and you can get valuable free editorial space to promote your book if you bring your story to the media in a package that is right for them.
 
Your job as the author is to bring relevant and timely story ideas to the media that are developed and packaged into a segment they can use. If you do the journalist’s work for them they will thank you and you will benefit.

First understand what the TV show or media outlet is about and who their audience is. This means watching the show and understanding their format. Take note of what kind of stories they do and don’t do. If you are an expert and have something that will fit their format then bring the show to them.

Create a strong media pitch by doing your groundwork and figuring out the story from top to tale. Set up an angle and story hook that works with case studies and people already lined up and ready to interview. Often the media will develop your ideas, but they will be grateful for your help providing content they can use.

If you prepare properly, you will feel confident pitching your story to the media and be rewarded with valuable free air time and credible media endorsements you can use in your book marketing.

Yours in book publicity
Chelsea McLean

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Recently I returned from the USA where I attended ‘Mega Book Marketing University’ in LA. 

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US weight loss specialist Casey Conrad visited Australia recently to launch her new book ‘Winning The Struggle To Be Thin’ and give seminars in 10 cities around the country on how to manage emotional eating.  Chelsea McLean arranged media publicity for the Australian book launch nationally and in each of the 10 locations where Casey visited.

The total value of editorial coverage was $150,000 in estimated PR value, plus additional coverage in national magazines with long lead times like Harper’s Bazaar Australia.
 
National media coverage included a 5-minute interview on the Mornings with Kerri-Anne program and a 10-minute interview on the Macquarie Regional Radio Nelly at Night program that broadcasts to 43 regional areas nationally.
 
Statewide media coverage was obtained in South Australia on key target television program Channel 7’s Today Tonight and in the Saturday early-general-news section of the Adelaide Advertiser. There was also major metropolitan newspaper coverage in The West Australian.

Other significant coverage included a 4-minute story on Channel 9’s Brisbane Extra TV program. ABC Local Radio interviewed Casey in five different areas including Perth, South West WA, Newcastle, New England NSW and Central Coast NSW.
 
To see samples of media coverage, visit www.winningthestruggle.com.au/media.php

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The nature of publicity:

• Promote the new idea or concept you are pioneering, not your business
• Editorial publicity has more value and credibility than any advertising
• You can’t control the content, timing or visual appearance of your message
• There are never any guarantees
• Luck = preparation meeting opportunity

The power of publicity:

• Editorial has credibility because it is a third party endorsement, a form of word of mouth
• It is perceived as unbiased because the source has no vested interest
• People are more likely to take notice of editorials than advertisements
• It is free and so valuable – it is priceless
• If you get one favourable story published or broadcast, you can use it endlessly in article reprints, direct mail and in PR efforts with other media
• Gives you the widest exposure for the fewest bucks
• Lets you tell your story in greater depth

How to get publicity:

• Create great hooks – something new, different and exciting to talk about
• Educate people about things that matter to them
• Piggyback on stories about big picture news and issues, and get a free ride
• Be on a mission to share something with the world
• Be a specialist on a subject you can speak intelligently and compassionately about

Word of mouth tools:

• You can use editorials in many ways as ongoing marketing tools
• You should get your editorials copied, scanned, mounted & re-printed
• You can circulate them via your website, newsletter, flyer, email outs, etc.

Recommended reading:

1. ‘The Fall of Advertising & The Rise of PR’ – by Al & Laura Ries (www.ries.com)
2. ‘Guerrilla Publicity’ – Jay Conrad Levinson, Rick Frishman & Jill Lublin (www.guerrillapublicity.com)
3. ‘The Secrets of Word-of-Mouth Marketing’ – George Silverman

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In Seth Godin’s book ‘All Marketers Are Liars’, Godin says promoting the features and benefits of your product or service is no longer enough to be a successful marketer.

Check out the book at www.sethgodin.com to find out why you need to tell remarkable and compelling stories to a market who want to believe how your product or service will make them feel.

Godin says marketing is about spreading ideas, and that stories spread, but features and benefits don’t.

The key message this book has for marketers is that people buy things because of how it makes them feel AND consumers want to believe a lie.

So you need to tell your story (your lie) to an audience that already wants to believe you.

Godin says, “Storytelling works when believing it makes your product or service better”. He uses the example of how buying organic produce makes us feel like we are doing something better for our health and the environment, even though there is no proof to support this.

Godin also warns marketers that how you frame and colour your story matters even more than the story itself.

He says that’s why your marketing materials are so important – because the words you use matter.

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It is widely accepted that word of mouth is the most powerful marketing tool… It’s free but you have to earn it and it can make or break your business.

Did you know you can kick-start your own word of mouth marketing, instead of sitting back and waiting for others to do it for you?

You can create stories about what you do and make sure they spread like wildfire to get tongues wagging.

The reason why word of mouth is such a powerful marketing tool is because of its ability to impact the speed of your prospect’s decision about whether or not to buy.

In the book ‘Secrets of Word-of-Mouth Marketing’, George Silverman says you can shorten the decision cycle by making decisions easier for your prospect. You do this by focusing on your prospect’s decision roadblocks, bottlenecks, friction points and rough spots.

You need a story

Silverman says every word-of-mouth program needs a ‘story’ that is short and simple, and worth talking about.

In the book ‘All Marketers Are Liars’, Seth Godin says promoting the features and benefits of your product or service is no longer enough to be a successful marketer. He says marketing is about spreading ideas, and that stories spread… features and benefits don’t.

The key message Godin has for marketers is that people buy things because of how it makes them feel AND consumers want to believe a lie. So you need to tell your story (your lie) to an audience that already wants to believe you.

“Storytelling works when believing it makes your product or service better,” Godin wrote. This book gives the example of how buying organic produce makes us feel like we are doing something better for our health and the environment, even though there is no proof to support this.

Tips for creating word of mouth

• You need a referral strategy to drive your word of and generate more!
• You don’t need a big marketing budget to increase your sales or to use a ‘hard sell’
• You do need to think outside the square and be creative
• Recruit a team of people who will do your marketing for you, including your customers
• Make it easy for people to talk about your product or service
• Talk powerfully and naturally about what you do
• Understand exactly what people need to know to refer you
• Ask people to refer you and script them exactly what to say when they recommend you
• Reward people who refer you
• Create something worth talking about / find a compelling idea
• Use testimonials and endorsements from your customers in your sales and marketing
• Use experts in your field to present information and accelerate the decision making process
• And of course… go out of your way to please your existing customers.

Create word of mouth with media publicity and newsletters

Media publicity is a powerful word of mouth marketing tool because it’s a third party endorsement by a journalist that results in high credibility.

You can circulate published media clippings and stories to kick-start your word of mouth program. Or you can publish your own news to spread your story in the form of newsletters.

For most businesses, word of mouth is the most effective marketing tool…

Imagine what could happen when you proactively create and drive your word of mouth referrals.

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“Today you build brands with PR, not advertising,” say Al and Laura Ries in their book ‘The Origin of Brands’ (for details visit www.ries.com).

Editorial has credibility because it is a third party endorsement, a form of word of mouth. It is perceived as unbiased because the source has no vested interest.

People are also more likely to take notice of editorials than advertisements.

The high costs and diminishing credibility of advertising is driving businesses towards generating positive media publicity to build and maintain brand awareness.

“Next to cash flow, positive publicity rules,” USA-based ‘Branding Diva’ Karen Post says in her book ‘Brain Tattoos: Creating Unique Brands That Stick In Your Customers’ Minds’ (for details visit www.brandingdiva.com).

“For decades, paid advertising buys drove many a viscous brand. Today the pendulum has shifted.”

For more details on how to use publicity as a branding tool, contact Chelsea McLean by email chelsea@chelseamclean.com.

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