Media Kits

Virtual assistant can relieve you of publicity grunt work

9/13/2007 By Joan 1 Comment

The image at left accurately portrays what my life was like before I hired Chris Buffaloe of Serenty VA Services as my virtual assistant.

She relieves me of tiresome grunt work that sucks energy from me. That frees me up to think more creatively and create multiple streams of income.

If you’re frustrated that you don’t have time to implement all the great ideas you see here, consider hiring a virtual assistant to help with chores like:

—Regularly reading the blogs of journalists who you want to get in front of

—Submitting your press releases to press release distribution services

—Updating copy at your website, particularly in your online press room

—Updating your media contact lists

—Creating Google Alerts for specific keywords and keyword phrases, and then flagging you to the high-page-rank blogs that are writing about your topic, so you can post comments.

—Posting articles to article directory sites

—Proofreading your articles, press releases and website copy

—Researching media outlets that want your story ideas

—Uploading videos to sites like YouTube.

—Researching podcasts that might welcome you as a guest

—Finding ways to recycle publicity

—Looking for book reviewers

—Finding content for your ezine and blog

—Ordering reprints of articles

—Doing keyword research

Once that work is off your back, you’ll have time on your hands. Finally, you’ll be able to write more articles, start a blog, get onto the speaking circuit, or take a long weekend or even an extra vacation.

During the teleseminar I conducted called “How to Find a Virtual Assistant to Help with Your Publicity Campaign,” I explained that VAs can do far more than just what you assign. They can suggest ways to streamline your business, for example. Chris does that all the time because she knows the best software programs and other tricks to work efficiently.

If you’ve hired a virtual assistant to help with publicity, I’d love to hear your comments about exactly what your VA does for you, and how it’s helped you.

Filed Under: Authors & Publishers, Blogs, Business Promotion, General, Media Kits, Press Releases/News Releases, Publicity Resources, Writing Articles, YouTube

Words That Sell: Inspiration-on-demand

6/13/2007 By Joan 5 Comments

Have you ever found yourself writing a great article, or website copy or even a press release, and suddenly you’re hopelessly stuck because you can’t think of a better way to say a word like “authentic” or “beautiful” or “free”?

I’ve been known to sit there for 20 minutes staring at the screen.

My friend Denise Wakeman, half of The Blog Squad, told me about the book “Words That Sell” by Richard Bayan.

She says she keeps it right next to her keyboard at all times, and I can see why. You use it like a thesaurus.

The book is divided into separate “chapters” devoted to a specific word of phrase. Each chapter usually offers several dozen suggestions for words that are similar to the one you’re stuck on.

I particularly love the chapters devoted to transitional phrases, the P.S., justifying a high price, and flattering the reader. I can think of dozens of uses for this book: press releases, media kits, blogging, article writing, website copy, sales copy, public service announcements, information products, White Papers, office memos, marketing copy, columns, pitches to the media, and letters to the editor. Even those obnoxious annual Christmas letters.

I was so impressed with this book that I did an entire lecture on it for members of The Publicity Hound Mentor Program recently. They loved it.

Denise and her partner, Patsi Krakoff, by the way, will be my guests tomorrow as part of Publicity Hound University. They’ll talk about the power of blogging and podcasting.

Filed Under: Authors & Publishers, Blogs, Business Promotion, Information Products, Media Kits, Newspaper Publicity, Pitching the Media, Press Releases/News Releases, Public Service Announcements, Publicity Resources, Writing Articles

How to find a virtual assistant teleseminar May 17

5/9/2007 By Joan 5 Comments

When I surveyed readers of my ezine two weeks ago, 84 people responded, and many asked me to explain what a virtual assistant is and how to find one.

I’ll explain that, and more, during an hour-long teleseminar “How to Find a Virtual Assistant to Help with Your Publicity Campaign” at 1 PM Eastern Time on Thursday, May 17.

A virtual assistant is a temporary worker who works for businesses over the Internet, performing all work remotely, usually for a certain number of hours each week.

The assistant can live thousands of miles away from the client. V.A.s are independent contractors who usually bill by the hour. That means clients don’t have to worry about things like paying Social Security taxes or benefits.

My virtual assistant, who has been working with me for about a year, is a big help. She completes administrative chores so I can concentrate on more important projects.

Why not hire a V.A. to help you? Join us on May 17. Registration is $39.95 which includes a recording of the call on CD that we’ll mail to you about 10 days later. This teleseminar is perfect for authors, speakers, coaches, experts, PR professionals, publicists or business owners who don’t want to have to do all of their own publicity, or anyone who wants to hire a virtual assistant for other tasks.

My guests will be Cindy Greenway, who has been working as a virtual assistant for several years, and Diana Ennen, a virtual assistant who specializes in publicity. They will offer tips on where to find V.A.s, how to work with them, and questions to ask when you interview candidates.

After you’ve hired your V.A., or found a part-time assistant, join me for a one-week intensive training program in early June, via telephone conference calls. This will be just like sending your V.A., part-time or full-time assistant, or summer intern to publicity school. I will teach them how to handle all the publicity grunt work—from researching media outlets to tracking down the most influential bloggers. They’ll even learn how to help you maintain your online media room.

Several guest experts will be joining me for the calls. If you’re a V.A. who completes the training, you’ll have an entirely new skill set that will probably allow you to raise your fees. I’ll share all the details with you in the next week or two.

Filed Under: Authors & Publishers, Media Kits, PR Consultants/Publicists, Publicity on the Internet, Publicity Resources

Virtual assistants can help with publicity

4/27/2007 By Joan 6 Comments

Virtual assistants can be one of the most valuable tools in your publicity campaign, freeing you from routine tasks that take time away from the really important duties like building strong relationships with the media.

You can hire a virtual assistant for as little as $30 an hour. And here’s the best part. Your VA doesn’t have to work near you. VAs, who are independent contractors, can live thousands of miles away from you, and still do a fabulous job.

I’m in the process of planning the content for a series of teleseminars that I’ll host during the next several weeks to train assistants, virtual assistants, executive assistants and summer interns on how to help their bosses manage a publicity campaign.

For example, they’ll learn how to do the all-important research that’s necessary before the boss starts pitching reporters. I’ll teach them how to write routine press releases and what to do after they’ve written them. They’ll learn how to use media kits.

I’ll even do a training session on user-generated video that explains how they can shoot their own video of special events, commentary, news stories or feature stories for use on your local evening news, or on national news channels like CNN.

They’ll learn about photos and graphics, and other topics such as how to get the boss in front of the best bloggers. I’m doing a segment on how to use social networking sites for publicity. But before I get too deep into the content, I want to know what you think I should be teaching them.

If you plan to hire a virtual assistant, a full-time assistant or an intern, or you already have one, or if you’re an assistant who wants to be trained so you can learn new skill sets that will let you raise your fees, I hope you’ll answer 5 questions that will help me plan this course around your needs. If you complete the survey, let me know which of my two special reports you’d like me to email to you—my way of saying thank-you.

If you want to get a jump on training your assistant, you can start right now. One of the first things your assistant should be doing is writing simple press releases. She can learn how by signing up for my free email tutorial “89 Ways to Write Powerful Press Releases.”

If you don’t want an assistant and would rather have someone like a publicist or a press release writer help you with your publicity campaign, check out The Publicity Hound’s Resources List where you’ll find many excellent vendors.

Want more info on my V.A. training? Sign up for my ezine, “The Publicity Hound’s Tips of the Week,” in the box on the right side of this page.

Filed Under: Blogs, Business Promotion, Media Kits, Photos & Graphics, PR Consultants/Publicists, Press Releases/News Releases, Publicity Resources, Social networking

Unusual product packaging is worth publicizing

3/9/2007 By Joan 2 Comments

“How do I open this damn thing?” I ask myself in frustration at least once a week.

I’m trying to tear the wrapper off a piece of candy, open one of those big padded envelopes, rip the stubborn cellophane off a new CD, or get inside a molded piece of plastic glued to a cardboard backing so I can retrieve the CD headphones I just bought.

If my 55-year-old hands can’t open it, I resort to using my teeth, a pen, a kitchen knife or a letter opener.

Then I stumbled across the article “10 Packaging Trends That Will Make Consumers Buy” by packaging diva JoAnn Hines. Consumers, particularly Baby Boomers, she says, are yearning for products with packaging that’s easy to open, handle and store.

The article also discusses product packaging that’s environmentally friendly, scented or personalized with the customer’s name.

That got me thinking. If your marketing campaign includes unusual product packaging, why not pitch that as a story idea? Business journals and the trade magazines would love it. (See “How to Use Business Journals to Tell Your Story.”)

While you’re at it, mail the product to journalists along with a pitch letter or press release, so they can see, touch and smell the product package. They can even open it. Or read the easy-to-understand directions.

Thanks, JoAnn, from Publicity Hounds everywhere. By the way, your online press kit is super.

Filed Under: Business Promotion, Information Products, Magazine Publicity, Media Kits, Newspaper Publicity, Pitching the Media, Press Releases/News Releases