Times are Tough But Don’t Get Scared. Get Help.

October 30, 2008

With Halloween here along with economic uncertainty, things can get pretty scary. But instead of letting things get to you, find some support and help online.

In addition to my free articles and small business public relations information at http://www.startupnation.com/steps/77/steps-successful-public-relations.htm, http://www.startupnation.com/blogs/index.php/author/mrembrandt/ and http://pinkmagazine.com/blog/melanie_rembrandt.html, check out these sites for more ways to boost sales and stablize your financial situation:

www.mainstreetmediasavvy.com
In addition to some great PR tips, Nancy Juetten offers Public-Tea™-TO-GO! gift bundles to raise money for women newly diagnosed with breast cancer.  

http://www.score.org/index.html
Here, entrepreneurs get free and confidential business advice.

http://www.betterbudgeting.com/budgeting.htm
Read free budget tips and information.

http://www.suzeorman.com/
Suze Orman offers practical advice to help you with your toughest financial questions.

These are just a few suggestions. Do you have sites to share to help others with their PR and financial needs right now? Please let me know below or at www.rembrandtwrites.com. Thanks and have a Happy Halloween!

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Anxious? Try to stop and think first for best results.

October 28, 2008

 

At about 8:00 a.m. Saturday morning, I was scuba diving in a fairly shallow kelp bed. Brightly colored fish swam all around me and I took relaxing breaths out of my regulator.

The only thing I had to worry about was getting my equipment wrapped around a long string of kelp…or so I thought.

Just as I swam through some underwater foliage, a dark shadow loomed ahead. My dive buddy pointed in front of us.

I looked down, and there was a 4-5 foot leopard shark gliding along the ocean floor looking for breakfast (great…as long as that’s something other than me!).

Then, it noticed us, and our eyes met. What a strange feeling to share eye contact with a shark!

My heart starting beating faster, but I remained calm and waited to see what would happen next. Before I knew it, the shark was startled by us and darted away!

I knew that the shark wasn’t going to attack us, but it was exciting. And it made me think how this situation relates to the current economy and public relations.

Whether you are anxiously awaiting a call from a media member, or you are worried about what to do with your money in today’s economic turmoil, it’s usually best to take a moment and think before acting.

Not only will you make better, more informed decisions, but just a little extra time can drastically change circumstances so that you know exactly what actions to take, if any.

Just look at my shark encounter. I didn’t do anything, and the situation remedied itself as the shark swam away.

Now, I’m not saying you should be lazy in your public relations activities or in watching your budget. But when things start to go crazy and your blood pressure goes up, take a moment to relax and think.

Try to avoid bugging a reporter with repetitive calls or taking all of your money out of the bank as soon as you hear the latest financial news on television.

Instead, take a moment to calm down. Look at your situation. Get appropriate information. Then, figure out what you need to do. 

Many times, it’s just a matter of waiting.

Maybe the reporter will call you in a few days?
Maybe a friend or financial advisor will give you a great tax tip?

The point is, it can be difficult to remain calm in today’s world. But if you try to relax a little, things will be a lot easier to deal with and you’ll probably see much better results.

I hope this helps, and if you need assistance with your small business public relations and copywriting needs, please let me know! Thanks!

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Are You Available?

October 23, 2008


I’ve mentioned this information before, but I think it’s important. If you’re not receiving media calls and you’ve spent the appropriate time researching various venues, preparing your media kit, updating your online newsroom, and pitching reporters accordingly, there may be one key factor you’ve overlooked – Availability.

Their deadlines and you.
Many media members work on very tight deadlines and need information immediately. If you are not available to answer questions, set interviews with company leaders or provide needed information, you will not get the media coverage you’ve worked so hard to obtain.

They may not leave a message.
And please don’t think reporters will just leave a message. If your phone keeps ringing or voicemail picks up, most reporters on a tight deadline will immediately move on to another source.

As a small business owner, I know it can be very difficult to be available at all times. With this in mind, be sure to check your phone and e-mails frequently. Or, have an assistant handle media requests and let you know as soon as a reporter or producer calls. This kind of call should be a priority as it can mean thousands of dollars in free publicity now and in the future.

By taking a few simple steps to provide reporters with the information they need, when they need it, you will have more media-placement opportunities.

More importantly, you will set your reputation as a professional who returns call quickly, provides valuable information and is available to give reporters the data they need during tight deadlines.

This is just a little reminder to help you get more media coverage. If you’d like more information, or have small business public relations questions, feel free to comment below or visit www.rembrandtwrites.com to get my monthly newsletter full of valuable PR and writing tips. Thanks!

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3 Quick Ways to Build Buzz and Sales

October 21, 2008

 

If the economic crunch is starting to hurt your business, it’s time to act
fast to increase sales. Here are three cost-effective publicity activities you
can do now to help build buzz:

1. Team Up With a Bigger Organization.
Find a business or charity with a big name that compliments your products and services. Create a special discount, holiday package or event. Then, invite the press.

You’ll be able to split the costs, time and effort while sharing media resources and customer databases.

2. Contact Media Members Directly.
In addition to sending out a press release to build buzz, pick up the phone too! Contact a targeted reporter, introduce yourself and provide your unique and newsworthy story.

You can also offer yourself as an expert resource for a future story. The point is to start a media relationship and make contact. You may just end up with a feature story from one simple call!

3. Update Your Website.
Is your site current? If not, add valuable information for potential
customers. Make it easy to do business with you. Also, add some keywords to your site so that search engines can find you.

After all, if you don’t look like you are “home,” potential customers will visit
other sites to obtain information and assistance. Don’t miss out on potential business! Try to keep your site updated and provide contact information so people can reach you.

Just by taking a few minutes to make an extra effort, you can increase sales for your business. Even if you have zero funds, try to be creative and think about your customers and media members. What do they want right now, and how can you fulfill their needs?

For more help and free PR information, please provide your comments below or feel free to contact me at www.rembrandtwrites.com. I’d love to hear from you!

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Small Business Public Relations-What to pitch right now

October 16, 2008

 

If you are a small business owner ready to pitch your story to the press, hold on.

Right now, media members are concentrating on two major issues:

1. The economy

2. The election

If your pitch doesn’t have anything to do with these two items, it’s time to develop a new story idea.

Think about how your products and services fit into economic news and/or the election.

Can you provide some kind of specific benefit, discount or tip to help people save money or deal with the current economy?

Do you have expertise in an area related to one of the issues on the upcoming ballot (local reform, saving the environment, etc.)?

Check out these news sites to help discover some new story ideas:

www.usatoday.com
http://news.yahoo.com/i/1203
http://money.cnn.com/news/economy/
http://www.ap.org/elections2008/index.html

If you don’t have a story related to these hot news items, you may want to hold off on pitching media members your personal, business story. Instead, it may be wiser to focus on your marketing efforts for a few days and practice your pitch for a later date.

After all, why waste time on a story media members just don’t want to hear right now? You’ll avoid frustration and feel much better if you think about the reporters’ needs first.

Got small business public relations questions? Just let me know. I’m here to help!

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Financial Help for Small Business Owners

October 14, 2008

 

If you are worried about the current economic turmoil and want some help with your small business financial worries, check out these sites:

About.com
http://stress.about.com/od/financialstress/Financial_Concerns_Managing_Your_MoneyAND_Your_Stress.htm

DebtSteps.com
http://www.debtsteps.com/financial-stress.html

Fortune Small Business
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fsb/fsb_archive/2008/10/01/toc.html

Free Management Library

http://www.managementhelp.org/finance/fp_fnce/fp_fnce.htm

SBA

http://www.sba.gov/services/financialassistance/index.html

SCORE
http://www.score.org/index.html

StartupNation
www.startupnation.com 

SuzeOrman.com

http://www.suzeorman.com/igsbase/igstemplate.cfm?SRC=MD012&SRCN=index&GnavID=84&SnavID=20

Yahoo! Small Business
http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/r-mainCat-m-2-finance-i

http://finance.yahoo.com/how-to-guide/career-work/12825

The more informed you are, the better off your business will be now and in
the long run. Plus, you can save yourself a lot of unnecessary stress and
hassle.

If you need help boosting sales for your small business via publicity and
online copywriting efforts, please let me know below or at
www.rembrandtwrites.com. I’m here to help!

6 Comments | business, Marketing, Small Business PR | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
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How to Pitch the Media-Part 2

October 9, 2008

 

On Tuesday, I shared some quick tips on how to pitch media members. Here are some additional pointers:

5.  Be Succinct.

Reporters are on deadline. Get to the point fast. Practice what you are going to say in advance. Then, speak clearly and succinctly.

Mention the most important benefits of your story angle first. Reporters will appreciate your sense of urgency and respect for their timelines.

6.  Know Your Industry.

Become an expert in your field and know the most current news, events and activities within your industry.

Share your news with reporters. Soon, they will come to you for the latest industry updates.

7.  Offer Expert Advice.

Without pitching your own products and services, introduce yourself as an expert to a targeted media member. Comment on a current news item, provide a special report and offer your help with a future article.

Reporters will appreciate the fact that you are willing to provide assistance and may add you to their list of resources.

8.  Follow-up Accordingly.

Media members are busy people, and you will probably need to make an effort to stay in touch with them.

If you are waiting for a pending story or a call back and haven’t heard anything for a few days, feel free to contact the media member directly.

Don’t be a pest but conduct the appropriate follow-up when necessary. This is essential to obtaining schedule media clips and maintaining media relationships.

Hopefully, these tips will help you pitch your story to media members and get results. By “thinking like a reporter” and offering beneficial information in a timely fashion, you’ll definitely increase your chances of obtaining good media coverage.

If you’d like help with your pitching efforts and online copywriting, please let me know here or at www.rembrandtwrites.com. I’m here to help! Thanks!

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How to Pitch the Media

October 7, 2008

 

Via my previous entries and articles, I’ve provided a lot of information and websites for your small business press releases and publicity efforts.

But if you don’t know how to pitch a reporter once you get through, here are some quick tips to help you through the media process:

1.  Know Your Targeted Media Members.

Before you even reach out to a reporter, you should know what that person writes about and what he or she will be interested in discussing.

Do your homework before contacting a specific reporter, and you’ll have a much better understanding of what you should say (and the topics you should avoid).

2.  Have Talking Points Ready.

With point #1 in mind, write down all of the benefits your business has to offer. Know why a reporter will be interested in what you have to say and practice giving your unique story angle.

Then, when the time is right, you’ll be ready. (You may even want to have your talking points written on an index card by your phone.)

3.  Be Newsworthy.

Try to think of a way that your business fits in with current news and industry events. Develop a story angle related to something newsworthy and current. Then, approach a reporter with your idea. You’ll get much farther with reporters if you can discuss current news and information related to their beats.

4.  Be Unique.

Media members want fresh, interesting stories. Try to stand out from the crowd and offer your opinion about a current topic, a unique statistic or research result, or a story angle that no one else can offer.

By conducting some research and offering something different, you’ll get much farther with your publicity efforts.

Check back on Thursday for more pitching tips.

In the meantime, feel free to contact me below or at www.rembrandtwrites.com with your online copywriting, SEO and publicity questions. Thanks!

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Scared of Reporters? 3 Tips to Overcome Your Fears

October 2, 2008

 

It’s already October, and Halloween is upon us. With this in mind, are you afraid to talk to reporters?

 

If media interviews make you nervous, there are several things you can do to reduce your stress and handle these calls with confidence. Here’s a quick review:

 

1. Be prepared.
 

Learn from this famous Boy Scout motto and be ready for media calls before they happen. Review your messaging and write down key points you want to convey.

 

Think about what you will say and how you will say it. You may even want to keep some cards with talking points by the phone for easy access.

 

And for those times when you need to respond to unexpected media requests regarding current issues and news, take a moment to collect your thoughts. Tell the reporters you will call them back in ten minutes.

 

Then, figure out what you want to say, write it down, take a deep breath, and pick up the phone. This brief interval will help you relax and have confidence so that the last-minute interview goes well.

 

2. Practice.


It never hurts to sharpen your speaking and interview skills. Have a friend or co-worker interview you on a regular basis. Get feedback on your tone, responses and body movements.

 

You may even want to videotape or record these practice interviews. This way, you’ll be able to correct mistakes and improve skills faster.

 

Plus, wouldn’t you like to see what you are doing wrong now as opposed to watching your mistakes on a national news broadcast?

 

3. Review.

 

After you’ve finished an interview, review it carefully. Look and listen for things you can improve on the next time. Perhaps you said “um” a lot, moved your head too much or came across as a weak leader for your organization.

 

The more you review previous interviews and make appropriate adjustments, the faster your skills will improve.

You Can Do It!

Not everyone has natural interview and speaking skills. But if you take the time to prepare, practice and review, you’ll have more confidence, and your fears will disappear.

 

Plus, you’ll give better interviews that can help your company grow and prosper.

 

If you’d like more information about this topic, feel free to comment below or visit my website at www.rembrandtwrites.com to register for my free newsletter packed with valuable tips and information. Thanks!

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