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5 ways to be included on other people’s Twitter lists

9/1/2010 By Joan 2 Comments

Twitter lists that list Joan Stewart, The Publicity HoundWhen I hosted the recorded webinar last week on How to Use Twitter Lists & Directories to Promote Your Expertise and Build Your Brand,  I encouraged participants to get onto as many Twitter lists as possible because lists are a powerful form of free advertising. 

One of my suggestions was to write a blog post telling readers the types of lists where you’d be a perfect fit, and then suggesting that they add you to existing lists on those topics, or create new ones.

But before you do that, it’s helpful to first find out how people on Twitter perceive you.  This will give you other ideas to add to the list of topics on which you’re an expert, and some of them might surprise you. The instructions below are included on the handouts from last week’s webinar, and the entire package is available here.

To see whose lists you’re on:

  • Log into your Twitter account
      
  • Go to your Home page
      
  • Look in the upper right corner, near your gravatar, for the word “Listed.” It will tell you how many lists you’re on.
      
  • Click on it. You’ll see all the names of the lists and the gravatars of the people who created them. The names of the lists will be in bold.

Scan the list and you should start to see a pattern. The screenshot above shows some of the 668 lists I’m on. Many of the lists are devoted to PR, publicity, marketing communications, book marketing and social media.

Now that you have a good idea how you’re perceived, write a blog post like this one, suggesting that your Twitter followers add you to their lists on certain topics.
    
   
Add Me to These Lists

Here are topics for other lists you can consider adding me to, based on many of the other lists on which I appear:

Writing or Writers

Editing or Editors

Journalists or Journalism

Marketing

Authors

Business Women

Small Business

Online Marketing

Digital Marketing

Self-promotion

Shoestring Marketing

Book Publicity

Resources for Authors

Inspiring Quotes

Humor

Entrepreneurs

Advertising/Marketing

PR Pros

Press Releases

Blogging or Bloggers

Dog Jokes (I include a dog joke in each issue of The Publicity Hound’s Tips of the Week, my free weekly ezine, and often share it on Twitter)
     
     
Other Ways to be Included on Twitter Lists

1. Tweet helpful, relevant content frequently and forego the “here’s what I’m doing today” tweets. Help people solve their problems!

2. Add yourself to your own lists if you’re a perfect fit. Remember that other people will be subscribing to your lists. If you’re a small business expert, for example,  and somebody is following your list of small business experts, you want to be on it.

3. Include a short blurb in your email signature suggesting that people add you to their lists, with a link to your Twitter page.

4. Ask! Don’t be shy about suggesting that people add you to a particular list they’ve created. They might be grateful that you’ve helped them grow their lists.

Be sure to reciprocate. Welcome requests from other people who ask you to put them on your lists.

What other ways do you use Twitter lists? Is there anything about lists that you don’t understand? Sharre your own tips here on how to get onto other people’s lists.

Filed Under: Advertising, Authors & Publishers, Blogs, Business Promotion, Press Releases/News Releases, Social media marketing, Special Events, Twitter Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

How to turn a Golf Digest article into more publicity

8/22/2010 By Joan Leave a Comment

Cover of the June 2010 issue of Golf DigestWhen you land a big story in a magazine, it’s all too easy to become giddy with excitement, and miss doing the hard work necessary to “publicize the publicity” and turn one media hit into what can become multiple hits.

Larry Jacobs reminded me of that a few days ago when he participated in the teleseminar call I hosted with John Eggen on how to “Write a Client-attracting Book Fast That Makes $150,000 Before It’s Published.” (If you missed that call, you can access the replay here. It includes a killer Q&A session.)
   
Before the call began, Larry asked me how he can capitalize on a full-page article written about him in the June 2010 issue of Golf Digest. Larry is an expert on how golfers can lose weight, and the article discussed how he approached veteran NBC sports on-course reporter Roger Maltbie and, through coaching, helped him lose 35 pounds. It also appeared in the June 2010 print magazine.
  
“Since it appeared, I use the link in most of my communications with people,” Larry said. “I’d like to know how to parlay this article into PR, more articles, interviews, sales and anything else you can think of.”
 
Here are my ideas on how to do that:
  
Use the Word Expert
First, start referring to yourself everywhere as an “expert on weight loss for golfers,” or however you want to describe yourself. The media, as well as consumers, flock to experts. Use this word in your email signature, bios and at the end of articles you write. Optimize your website for the keyword phrase.
 
Email Signature
Link to the online article in your email signature. You can also use something like this just under your name:  ”See how I helped NBC sports on-course reporter Roger Maltbie shed 35 pounds, in the June 20120 issue of Golf Digest.”
  
Golf Newsletters
I don’t golf, but I’m betting there are dozens of print and electronic newsletters devoted to golf. Contact the editors and offer to write an article about how you coach the PGA golfers. Be sure to tell them about the Golf Digest article, and link to it when you pitch them. You told me your target audience is mostly Baby Boomers and seniors, so look for newsletters directed at that niche, too.
   
Press Releases
Write a press release about the article, even two months after it appeared. Remember that the article and press release will probably stay online forever.
  
Distribute the press release through a service like PR Newswire. Dan Janal has a great offer that guarantees that the article will show up on more than 50 influential, high-traffic websites including Forbes.com, Hoover.com, Reuters.com, and dozens of sites for local business journals. Those business people are a perfect match with the topic of golf.
   
In addition to pulling traffic, Larry, your website will get inbound links from those influential business websites, which means that Google will view your site as more authoritative.  The more inbound links to your site from other high-traffic sites, the higher the page rank Google grants to your own website.
   
The press release should also be sent to your professional associations, trade groups, even the magazine or newsletter published by your alumni association.   Learn how to write an online press release with my free press release tutorial.
  
Articles
Write articles about your topic for article directory sites like EzineArticles.com, plus all the high-traffic websites that appeal to golfers. Be sure to mention the Golf Digest publicity in the blurb at the end of your own articles.
   
Video
Are you creating video about how golfers can lose weight? If not,  create one that mentions the Golf Digest article, offers a few tips and leads people to your opt-in page.
  
Video is one of the most powerful ways to pull traffic and promote your business. Try to get video testimonials from all the PGA golfers and other celebrities who you’ve helped, and use those at your website and at the video-sharing sites.
  
Facebook Fan Page & Groups
Create a Facebook Fan Page for golfers who want to lose weight, and link to the article from the page. You should also search Facebook’s groups and see which ones include golfers in your target market. While participating in the groups, mention the article in Golf Digest.
  
Online Media Room
Create an online media room where you can link to the Golf Digest article and mention other publicity you’ve gotten.
  
Twitter
Larry, are you tweeting? If not, start. Your tweets should mostly be about how golfers can lose weight. Include a short blurb about the Golf Digest article in your Twitter profile. Great for your credibility!
  
Order Reprints
You never know when you might need reprints of the article.  So it would be worth your while to order as many copies of the June issue of Golf Digest as you can afford, or see if the magazine sells reprints.  Many larger magazines have reprint services.
   
Pitch the Inflight Magazines
Cover of American Wayinflight magazineThe target audience for these publications—business people and frequent travelers—is perfect for you!  How about offering the magazines a list of tips on how golfers can lose weight?  In your pitch, mention the June article.
  
Here’s a powerful tip for really catching the editor’s attention. If you helped a golfer from an area that’s served by the magazine, mention it in your pitch. For example, if you worked with an Australian golfer who’s fairly well-known, mention that when you pitch Qantas magazine, which serves Australia. 
  
A Podcast
You said you have an audio product that consists of a series of recorded teleseminars you hosted. You can excerpt short five-minute segments from the product and turn them into separate podcasts, each mentioning the article in Golf Digest.
  
Ask for Referrals to Other Golf Media
Contact Golf Digest Contributing Editor Mark Soltau who interviewed you and ask him to suggest names of journalists who work for other golf media, or golf bloggers, and might be interested in your story. He might be happy to help.  By the way, did you ever thank him for the article? If not, it isn’t too late to send a handwritten thank-you note.
    
Pitch Bloggers
Bloggers who write about golf or weight loss might love your tips, or a guest blog post. When you pitch them, be sure to mention the Golf Digest article. See How to Pitch the Best Bloggers and Create a Media Explosion.
    
Those are my tips, Larry.
  
OK, Publicity Hounds, what about yours? Let’s hear your ideas on how Larry can recycle that great publicity.

Filed Under: Blogs, Business Promotion, Facebook, Magazine Publicity, Pitching the Media, Press Releases/News Releases, Publicity for Niche Markets, Twitter, Writing Articles, YouTube Tagged With: , , , ,

5 ways to use Twitter lists for PR, publicity

8/20/2010 By Joan 5 Comments

Twitter lists Joan Stewart is on I’ve been inundated with questions from Publicity Hounds about how to use Twitter lists. 

Lists are all the rage right now, for so many reasons.

They save you time two major ways. First, they help you categorize, group and isolate the tweets of people within a specific industry, niche or topic so you don’t have to search through your miles-long Twitter feed for their tweets. Lists also one of the most powerful research tools on the planet if you’re looking for experts within a niche. 
  
They help you spy on your competitors and let you know instantly which influential people they’re following on Twitter. Lists also help position you as an expert in your field. I’m on 660 lists, many devoted to the topics of PR, publicity and social media.  That’s a ton of free advertising!

When I host the webinar How to Use Twitter Lists & Directories to Generate Publicity and Build Your Brand on Thursday, Aug. 26, I’ll be discussing and illustrating dozens of tips, including these five ways to use Twitter lists in a publicity or PR campaign. You can use some of these tips even if you aren’t tweeting:

  1. Save hours of time researching  journalists, broadcasters, Internet radio hosts, freelancers, beat reporters, editors and others by looking for lists that other people on Twitter have created. Within seconds, you can even find lists of journalists in specific cities, like this list of Milwaukee media that Tom Snyder, president of a Milwaukee web design company, created on Twitter. (You can do this even if you aren’t tweeting.)
      
  2.  Want to get in front of influential bloggers who write about a particular topic? Save hours of time by finding them on Twitter lists that other people have created. (You can do this even if you aren’t tweeting.) 
      
  3.  If your favorite journalists, or journalists who you want to notice you, are on Twitter, and you have a Twitter account, create a “(Fill in the blank) Journalists” list  and add them. If you have a food-related story to pitch, for example, and you want to get in front of food journalists, add them to a “Favorite Food Journalists” list. And then let them know you’ve done so. They’ll be flattered. This is a great way to start a relationship with journalists before you pitch them. 
       
  4. Position yourself as a super-valuable source. Let journalists or bloggers who are interviewing you know about Twitter lists you’ve created where they can find other sources on a specific topic. They’ll love you for doing this!
       
  5. Pull journalists to your Twitter profile by including links to your own Twitter lists in your online media room.

I’ll be sharing more tips like these, and giving you step-by-step directions on how to use Twitter lists and directories, during the webinar. If you can’t make it, register anyway and I’ll send you the replay link where you can watch the video, as well as the MP3 link if you’d rather listen on your iPod.

As a special bonus, you’ll also get my special report “How to Use Twitter for Business to Network, Promote, Sell, Recruit & Profit.”

This webinar is filling up fast because Twitter lists are such a hot topic. Hope to see you there.

Filed Under: Advertising, Blogs, Business Promotion, Media Kits, Pitching the Media, Publicity on the Internet, Twitter Tagged With: , , ,

21 ways to promote your webinars and teleseminars

8/12/2010 By Joan 1 Comment

online education for webinar promotion in block letters

If you’re new to hosting webinars, the team at SocialBrite.org has a very helpful summary of 10 steps for planning a successful webinar.

It includes nine ways to promote your webinar. I took their list and added to it. Most of these ideas will also work when promoting teleseminars. Here’s their list of suggestions on how to promote:

1. At your website.

2. On online event calendars such as Upcoming.com

3. Relevant listservs

4. In print and online newsletters

5. On Twitter channels

6. In Facebook groups

7. As a local event for nonprofits (SocialBrite.org specializes in teaching social media to nonprofits).

8. On Web pages that promote webinars in your industry.

9. At the end of current webinars.


Here are my own ideas

I added to their list and came up with 12 of my own ideas:

10. On Craigslist, but only on the list for the city that’s closest to where you live. (See How to Use Craigslist as a Global Publicity Tool.)

11. In the events or calendar sections in traditional media, including newspapers, magazines, trade journals and business journals.

12. In an online press release. (See Keywords: The Magic Magnets That Pull Consumers & Journalists to Your Press Releases.)

13.  On the websites of local newspapers, magazines, radio and TV stations.

14. In videos, where you can excerpt tips and lead viewers to the sign-up page. Upload the video to video sharing-sharing sites.

15. At your guest experts’ blogs, at their websites, in their newsletters, and on their social media sites.

16. Create an Event on Facebook, and share with your Friends and Fans. (See 11 Ways to Avoid Missed Opportunities on Facebook)

17. In an email blast to your opt-in list, and the lists of your guest experts.

18. In a podcast.

19. At the end of a quiz you create around the topic of the webinar.

20. In targeted ads on Facebook and LinkedIn.

21. If you have an affiliate program, encourage your affiliates to promote the event, using their affiliate links.


Add to this list

Did I miss any? How do you promote your webinars and teleseminars, and which are the most effective?

What about paid ads? Have you used them,
and are they effective?


My Next Webinar: How to Use Twitter Lists

Joan Stewart's Twitter lists of PR peopleI’m presenting “How to Use Twitter Lists to Generate Publicity & Build Your Brand” at 3 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, Aug. 26.   This one-hour webinar is perfect for anyone who hasn’t yet started using Twitter lists, or for Twitter users who aren’t sure how to get the most out of their lists.

Everyone who attends will also receive a bonus special report I wrote on “How to Use Twitter for Business to Network, Promote, Sell, Recruit & Profit,” a $10 value, as well as slides of the PowerPoint presentation I’m using for the video, a link for the streaming video and the video download, and the MP3 recording.  So if the time is inconvenient for you, register anyway and you can watch it afterward at a time most convenient for you.

Register here.

Filed Under: Blogs, Business Promotion, Facebook, LinkedIn, Magazine Publicity, Newspaper Publicity, Nonprofits, Press Releases/News Releases, Publicity on the Internet, Special Events, TV Publicity, Twitter, Video, YouTube Tagged With: , , , , ,

13 fun, easy ways to find content for your blog

8/4/2010 By Joan 6 Comments

Figure in purple cape saying, "Ask the Answer Man!"The next time you’re looking for a topic for your blog, ask yourself these three questions, suggested by small business marketing coach Sydni Craig-Hart in 5 Simple Steps to Generate Relevant Content for Your Blog:

1. What’s keeping your clients up at night?
 
2. What’s the biggest challenge or problem they’re facing right now?

 3. What information and resources do you have to share to make their lives easier?

Here’s what I love about those questions. 

For each one, you can probably come up with more than one answer. Three answers equals three blog separate blog posts. Eight answers? Eight posts. 

Here are four more questions I’d like you to consider when trying to find content:

4. What question have I received from someone recently in my email?

Pay attention to ALL questions in your email. When you answer, cut and paste it into a new blog entry, and then elaborate and, if appropriate, link to resources.  

5. What’s the most frequent question beginners in my niche are asking? If I’m a speaker, I’d ask myself, what’s the Number One question that beginners in my audiences are asking? 

Keep a running tally of all these questions, and use them when you need blog content. Never assume that just because you know the answer, it isn’t interesting to others who follow you.

6. What’s the one issue I’m struggling with right now and searching for the answer?  

When I can’t find the answer to a question, I go to LinkedIn and ask. Sometimes, only one or two people respond. But often, I receive several great answers that can be woven into a blog post. I’m suddenly smarter, and so are my readers.  I’m careful to explain within the LinkedIn question that I want to blog about the issue.

7. What’s the “hot new thing” or controversial topic in my industry that everybody wants to know about? For example, people in my audience, mostly self-promoters, want to know what they need to do to get a great return on their investment of time with social media. They might know how to use Facebook. But they want to know how to use Facebook to make money. 

Patsi Krakoff, who was my guest expert on the teleseminar Time-saving Tips for Smart Business Blogging, partnered with me to create a list of 101 ways to find content for your blog, a handout we offered to teleseminar participants.

Here’s a sneek peek at six more ideas on that handout:

8. Invite your followers to ask you questions. Answer them at your blog. Become “The Answer Man” or “The Answer Woman.”  

9. Find inspiration in photos. Browse through photos on a site like iStockPhoto.com. Look for a cute animal photo, or a funny image, or a photo that makes you think, and write a post around it.

10. Industry definitions. Create a list of industry definitions, particularly those that confuse people.

11. Visit Craigslist. You might find interesting workshops, press releases or other material worth a comment in the small business, community or events categories for the cities nearest you. (See How to Use Craigslist as a Global Publicity Tool.)

12. Don’t do it all yourself. Recruit a guest blogger on BloggerLinkup.com.

13. Show readers both sides of an issue. Write about the advantages/disadvantages of something.

How about adding to the list? How do you find content for your blog?

Filed Under: Blogs, Facebook, LinkedIn, Newspaper Publicity, Photos & Graphics Tagged With: , , , ,
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