Carolyn Howard-Johnson’s Tips To Spark Your Media Releases
Carolyn Howard-Johnson, known as a frugal book promotion specialist, offers six tips to help you make your media releases more effective. Even though Carolyn’s tips focus primarily on book promotion, see how you can adapt them to your business.
Carolyn is the author of The Frugal Book Promoter, The Frugal Editor and the Great First Impression Book Proposal.
So, Just How Well Are Your Media Releases Working For You?
Guest post by Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Here are six things to do to spark up your next media release (and make it more useful to those you’re sending it to), ways that even traditionalists won’t argue with:
1. Be sure what you’re announcing is real news or full of useful information that your contacts can use. The release of a book by itself is rarely all that earth-shaking anymore. Discover the parts of your book, your event, yourself that will pique editors’ interest. Then use them.
2. Let your audience know why they should read your book, come to your party, do a feature on you. What are the benefits? What are the downsides if they don’t?
3. Look at the first ten words and the title of the release. Would YOU want to read more? Scroll down a bit. Does your release get more interesting later on? Than THAT’s what you should use for the lead!
4. Avoid overblown language. Inspect every adjective, adverb and word that has over two syllables. Sometimes less is more potent. The facts, not your opinion, please.
5. Double check your contact information. Include as much as you can and still maintain some security.
6. Give the media what they need to complete the job. That may include other resources, other authors who might give an opposing views, etc. What you choose to include depends on where you’re sending your release. Put yourself in the shoes of the person you’re trying to reach.
TIP: I recently sent out a release on a book fair booth I am coordinating. I introduced the release with a personal comment that told me contacts to feel free to utilize the release any way they wanted (many online newsletter editors don’t seem to understand that they can do this) and that I had free articles on book fairs available for their use if they would prefer that to the release. My response rate doubled compared to many similar releases I’ve sent out with no introductory comment.
Carolyn Howard-Johnson edits Sharing with Writers,” a newsletter that is also a community. Share your ideas. Learn from theirs!” It’s full of tips like this. To subscribe send her an e-mail at . You’ll also find useful editing tips at www.thefrugaleditor.blogspot.com .
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8 opinions for Carolyn Howard-Johnson’s Tips To Spark Your Media Releases
Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Mar 17, 2008 at 7:22 am
Mary Emma, how nice of you to share good media release tips with your home business people. It’s funny how publicity and promotion for businesses of all kinds is both very alike and very different. The essentials are the same basically. Have a great product, a great service. Let people know the benefits AND how they might lose out if they don’t utilize what you have to offer. And you have to do that frequently and over a long period of time. (Think Coca-Cola!) Read up on it. Know that it isn’t so important what segment the book might be niched for as that it give you practical, inexpensive (because if it costs a lot, you’re not likely to perisit) ideas. Then it is your job to adapt them to your business and that’s the fun, creative part.
So, thank you!
Best,
Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Award-winning author of the HowToDoItFrugally series of books
http://www.howtodoitfrugally.com
Mary Emma Allen
Mar 17, 2008 at 12:14 pm
Thanks, Carolyn, for visiting Home Biz Notes and leaving some more PR tips. You’re such an expert at marketing and promotion that I always learn something from you when I receive your newsletter, visit your blog, or engage in online group conversations.
Spark Your Media Releases for Greater Quilting Recognition
Mar 19, 2008 at 12:04 am
[…] included a guest post from Carolyn at my Home Biz Notes blog, Carolyn Howard-Johnson’s Tips to Spark Your Media Releases, that you may want to check out for some ideas. Carolyn also is the author of The Frugal Book […]
Allyn Evans
Mar 19, 2008 at 7:30 am
Hi, Carolyn and Mary Emma!
Thanks for a great article. Carolyn, your tip on writing an introductory will be used by me in the very near future!
Nice job.
http://www.momsandgirls.ning.com
Nicole
Mar 19, 2008 at 7:47 am
You know what? This makes perfect sense! It reminds me of advice I’ve given to my writing students. After all, whenever we take the time to put something in writing, we are selling ourselves, our ideas, and yes, even our product to a reading audience…a very busy audience…and we always have to put our best foot forward and “hook ‘em”!
Thanks for the great advice! =)
Nicole
Mary Emma Allen
Mar 19, 2008 at 1:29 pm
Thank you, Allyn, for stopping by Home Biz Notes and checking out Carolyn’s tips. She always has great advice for writers, so much of it “frugal” advice that doesn’t cost a fortune to implement.
Mary Emma Allen
Mar 19, 2008 at 1:31 pm
I’m pleased you stopped by Home Biz Notes, Nicole, to check out Carolyn’s advice and to express your views. Carolyn is always so willing to share with others. I’m glad you found her tips useful.
Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Mar 19, 2008 at 3:41 pm
Thanks again to Mary Emma and anew to Allyn and Nicole for stopping by. The part I especailly like on this one is the tip. The introduction of the release with a query, actually. Or a query and an offer. And permission to use the release as they like. Those interested in subscribing to my newsletter, Sharing with Writers, may do so by sending me an e-mail with subscribe in the subject line to . It always has tons of tips! (-:
Best,
Carolyn Howard-Johnson
http://www.howtodoitfrugally.com
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