In my last post, I gave a very detailed explanation of how things have changed in the way you generate media interest for you business, product, service, or cause.
Because I believe we have to put our money where our mouth is, I have created a one-day seminar designed to help you generate more sales, more media, and more mojo!
This will be on the ground in Portland, Oregon on Saturday, October 23rd with other dates and cities to follow. The good news about Portland is that this one will be a third of the regular cost of this program. This is because it is in my own city and it's a pilot program for now. I have taught this material many times before, but this is a new seminar and it's going to shine! You will leave with a well-produced video and tons of information on how you can use it. Would love to have you there.
Contact me at joanne (at) teleport (dot) com or 503-642-4191. When you're ready to make this happen, you'll know it. Call me.
Warmly,
Joanne
Showing posts with label book marketing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label book marketing. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Sell your Message; Sell your Book; Sell Yourself
I've been doing book publicity for a number of years now, and my clients can attest to the fact that I insist upon media training for each book that is released.
There are several reasons for this.
1. Each book is its own entity with its own key messages. You must take the time to be able to deliver these key messages in an informative and often entertaining way. This doesn't come naturally to most. Training will help you become more effective and engaging.
2. Confidence. The time to learn how to deliver your message is not while you are on the air. The time to learn this and figure it out is before you interview with a host, journalist, or blogger. Knowing how to handle any situation thrown at you will give you great confidence in your message and your abilities.
3. It can take a long time to build your brand, and you can blow it in seconds. Don't let that happen to you.
4. Ask yourself, "What subject am I most worried about being asked about during an interview?" That is the place to begin. Train until you are so good at answering this question that you actually hope each interviewer will ask you that. Then you are ready.
Being able to communicate your messages in a powerful, pursuasive way does not come naturally. It is a learned skill, and that's the good news. You can learn it.
So take the time to consult with your publicist, publisher, or media trainer about how you can be more effective and ultimately sell more books.
Have you been media trained? What was the best tip you got during your training?
There are several reasons for this.
1. Each book is its own entity with its own key messages. You must take the time to be able to deliver these key messages in an informative and often entertaining way. This doesn't come naturally to most. Training will help you become more effective and engaging.
2. Confidence. The time to learn how to deliver your message is not while you are on the air. The time to learn this and figure it out is before you interview with a host, journalist, or blogger. Knowing how to handle any situation thrown at you will give you great confidence in your message and your abilities.
3. It can take a long time to build your brand, and you can blow it in seconds. Don't let that happen to you.
4. Ask yourself, "What subject am I most worried about being asked about during an interview?" That is the place to begin. Train until you are so good at answering this question that you actually hope each interviewer will ask you that. Then you are ready.
Being able to communicate your messages in a powerful, pursuasive way does not come naturally. It is a learned skill, and that's the good news. You can learn it.
So take the time to consult with your publicist, publisher, or media trainer about how you can be more effective and ultimately sell more books.
Have you been media trained? What was the best tip you got during your training?
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Apolo Ohno & Joanne McCall
You just never know who you are going to meet next.
That life lesson was brought home to me again recently while on a business trip from the West Coast to Orlando, Florida. I was on my way to visit my client, Dr. Richard Bandler, the co-founder of NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) when I had a three-hour layover in Salt Lake City. (I prefer non-stop flights--doesn't everybody?--but for circumstances beyond my control I found myself on my laptop at the airport getting some work done while I waited.)
I didn't pay much attention when a couple of guys sat down next to me and started talking. At some point I looked over and before my eyes was one of the few people in the Universe I would be tempted to interrupt for a photo.
Speed skating great, Apolo Ohno. For those of you who watched the Winter Olympics, you know who I'm talking about. If you didn't, well, you might wonder why I am writing this at all. Trust me, he's very, very good and he's pretty darn cute too. I remember reading that during his training season he has four two-hour workouts a day. I complain when I have to exercise for an hour, but four two-hour workouts each and every day? Amazing. He looks it, too.
So there I was, blackberry in hand, when I posed this question to my Facebook friends: "I am sitting here in the Salt Lake City airport and Apolo Ohno is sitting next to me. Do I interrupt him for a picture?" Within moments I got a response from Amy who said, "Throw caution to the wind. Go for it!" and from Lisa, a publicist friend of mine who said, "YES!" That's all I needed to hear, so I grabbed my phone and in my most pleasant manner found a moment to break in. He was very, very gracious (made me swoon even more) and his friend snapped the photo. I'm not sure who his friend was and I feel a little bit bad about that. After all, he may be the #2 best speed skater in the world, which is pretty darn good, but Apolo is #1.
I thanked him and got back to my seat, immediately uploading the photo onto my Facebook page. Then I looked at the picture. He looks great. I am closing my eyes...Dang it! But, aside from that, not a bad pic.
Which reminds me: You just never know who you might meet next. When you are in line at the grocery store and you casually strike up a conversation, you have no idea who you're talking to. You may find out the most incredible thing about him or her. Yes, I had an advantage here. I watched Apolo skate for a couple of weeks and he is a celebrity now. But people don't have to be a celebrity to make an impact on us. He or she could be an agent (and you're looking for one for your next book) or a radio or TV producer (and you have a segment that would be perfect; he or she thinks so, too), or you might be next to someone who has just suffered a tremendous loss in this life and they are grieving. A smile from you might do wonders for his or her spirit. The person next to you might some day become your best friend, your husband, your wife.
Life is full of mysteries. When it comes to promoting your book, the process can sometimes seem mysterious (haha) but there are lots of steps you can actively take, and there are other coincidences that simply seem like fate. The stars lined up and you found the right people along the way. Stay open to life. Expect the miraculous. You never know who you're going to meet next. Enjoy each and every moment. I sure enjoyed my moments with Apolo. Oh, and Apolo? If you're looking for a publicist, I'm one of your Facebook friends.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Book Marketing and Publicity Tip #5
Book Publicity Tip #5: Read, Watch, and listen to the online and traditional media outlets you want to feature, mention, or cover you and your book in some way.
I'm a big believer in doing what works. Always have been. The key here is to remember that as much as things change, e.g., platforms, popular media outlets, etc., some things always stay the same, e.g., treat people well, don't spam, get to know who you want to cover you, etc.
It does not work to get a huge list of media folks and then spam all 2000 of them with your latest pitch letter. You would be amazed at how many people do exactly that. I can see the temptation: you can save time, money, and effort, but it just annoys people and makes them never want to talk to you, which completely defeats the purpose. Spamming is just wrong on so many levels that I don't know where to begin talking about it. So, here is my suggestion:
Create your own "wish list". This is a list of both online and traditional media where you think you and your book should be featured or mentioned or included in a story. This list can contain everything from your wildest dreams to the obvious--from Oprah to your local daily newspaper.
Research, research, research. Find out what outlets are interested in what you have to offer by reading them, watching them, or listening to them. Who writes on your topic? Who should know about you and your book? You want to be able to pitch them intelligently and knowing what the outlet or writer writes about is critical. The point here is to show you care and to show that you're a professional. You understand their job, which isn't to educate you or anyone else on what they cover. Through research, you will know. Show them that. It will take you far.
There is much written by online journalists and bloggers on how they do and don't want to be approached. The truth is, it hasn't changed over the past several decades. Online or offline, we all want to be heard and respected. If you do your homework, approach media like a professional with an understanding of what their work is about, you will be successful. Will everyone say yes? No. But at least they will know you took the time to understand their needs and the next time it may be yes!
I'm a big believer in doing what works. Always have been. The key here is to remember that as much as things change, e.g., platforms, popular media outlets, etc., some things always stay the same, e.g., treat people well, don't spam, get to know who you want to cover you, etc.
It does not work to get a huge list of media folks and then spam all 2000 of them with your latest pitch letter. You would be amazed at how many people do exactly that. I can see the temptation: you can save time, money, and effort, but it just annoys people and makes them never want to talk to you, which completely defeats the purpose. Spamming is just wrong on so many levels that I don't know where to begin talking about it. So, here is my suggestion:
Create your own "wish list". This is a list of both online and traditional media where you think you and your book should be featured or mentioned or included in a story. This list can contain everything from your wildest dreams to the obvious--from Oprah to your local daily newspaper.
Research, research, research. Find out what outlets are interested in what you have to offer by reading them, watching them, or listening to them. Who writes on your topic? Who should know about you and your book? You want to be able to pitch them intelligently and knowing what the outlet or writer writes about is critical. The point here is to show you care and to show that you're a professional. You understand their job, which isn't to educate you or anyone else on what they cover. Through research, you will know. Show them that. It will take you far.
There is much written by online journalists and bloggers on how they do and don't want to be approached. The truth is, it hasn't changed over the past several decades. Online or offline, we all want to be heard and respected. If you do your homework, approach media like a professional with an understanding of what their work is about, you will be successful. Will everyone say yes? No. But at least they will know you took the time to understand their needs and the next time it may be yes!
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Top Ten Tips for Marketing Your Book
I have lots of tips to share with you on how you can market and promote your book. For now, my top ten are listed below but keep in mind there will be many more coming over the next few months.
Starting with the first one (or the last one, depending on how you look at it), remember to have fun! Yes, marketing and publicizing your book can be a lot of work, and yes, it isn't as easy to secure those juicy interviews as you thought it was going to be, but remember: You want to remain curious and interested as you search for those who really do want to talk to you and hear the message contained within your book. Here are the Top Ten Tips:
# 10. Have fun! It isn't all serious. Enjoy the process of promoting and sharing with others the value of your book.
# 9. Get media trained! No matter how many books you've written, getting trained with the new content and key messages is essential.
# 8. Tell me in :15 seconds what your book is about (because that's how long some media is going to give you before making a decision.)
# 7. Do 5 things every day to promote your book.
#6. Identify the market(s) you are trying to reach.
#5. Read, watch and listen to the online and traditional media outlets you hope to land.
#4. Create a great hook! (The hook is the thing that grabs you.)
#3. Be able to answer the question, "Why you, Why now?" because every producer is going to be asking it.
#2. Hire a great editor.
#1. Write a fantastic book!
Of all the tips, #1 is tops: write a fantastic book. Really. It makes it much easier to market and publicize a great book rather than a mediocre one. One way to make sure you do that is to take tip #2 to heart: Hire a great editor. Some of the best writers out there really owe it to their editors that they've had such great books.
So, what tips come to your mind? Do you have some special tips that you think really helped you to market your book? I'd love to hear them.
Starting with the first one (or the last one, depending on how you look at it), remember to have fun! Yes, marketing and publicizing your book can be a lot of work, and yes, it isn't as easy to secure those juicy interviews as you thought it was going to be, but remember: You want to remain curious and interested as you search for those who really do want to talk to you and hear the message contained within your book. Here are the Top Ten Tips:
# 10. Have fun! It isn't all serious. Enjoy the process of promoting and sharing with others the value of your book.
# 9. Get media trained! No matter how many books you've written, getting trained with the new content and key messages is essential.
# 8. Tell me in :15 seconds what your book is about (because that's how long some media is going to give you before making a decision.)
# 7. Do 5 things every day to promote your book.
#6. Identify the market(s) you are trying to reach.
#5. Read, watch and listen to the online and traditional media outlets you hope to land.
#4. Create a great hook! (The hook is the thing that grabs you.)
#3. Be able to answer the question, "Why you, Why now?" because every producer is going to be asking it.
#2. Hire a great editor.
#1. Write a fantastic book!
Of all the tips, #1 is tops: write a fantastic book. Really. It makes it much easier to market and publicize a great book rather than a mediocre one. One way to make sure you do that is to take tip #2 to heart: Hire a great editor. Some of the best writers out there really owe it to their editors that they've had such great books.
So, what tips come to your mind? Do you have some special tips that you think really helped you to market your book? I'd love to hear them.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Successful Book Event with Career Intuitive Sue Frederick
I am watching a fascinating phenomenon occuring within this country right now. The catalyst is one of my authors, Sue Frederick. Sue is a career intuitive who has written a book called I See Your Dream Job: A Career Intuitive Shows You How to Discover What You Were Put on Earth to Do (St. Martin's Press; 2009). This book is taking off in ways I never imagined and Sue is having to hang on for a wide ride. More on that in a moment...
I liked Sue from the moment we first spoke on the phone. She is one of the most gracious and warm human beings I have ever had the pleasure to know. Deciding to work with her was an easy decision. Sometimes you just know when something is right, you know?
During this time of economic difficulty and job layoffs, Sue's message is powerful: This is your opportunity to reassess. Were you really happy doing what you were doing? When you're in a job and comfortable, it's very difficult to take a bold jump and leave. When you're forced to leave, before locking yourself into another similar position, stop and take a good, hard look: Is this what you are meant to do? Then talking with Sue gives you new, added insight. What is your true calling? (She gave me a reading and it gave me goosebumps for days.)
I See Your Dream Job is a much-needed guide to finding one's true calling and how to realize it, which uses the ancient system of numerology. It's What Color is Your Parachute for those who yearn for a meaningful career in today's world.
What is amazing to me is that every event she does -- a talk, a booksigning, a lecture -- is always filled to capacity and beyond. She was recently in New Orleans and had over 200 people at her Barnes & Noble bookstore event. Over 200!
It's one thing if you're a famous athlete or an infamous celebrity, it's something else when you're not particularly well known with the general public. Along with her publisher, we did the usual things like setting up media interviews on radio, TV and in print, in addition to arranging a talk at Loyola University. We notified everyone we knew in the area and used social media to spread the word and together it all worked. Over 200 people were at the event at Barns & Noble and they bought books.
Earlier in this post I mentioned a phenomenon going on in this country. Ever since the financial crises in the fall of 2008, Wall Street executives and others from around the country have been calling her for readings. We're talking top executives of very old, established, conservative industries--financial institutions, law firms, the insurance industry among them--calling Sue for help. She also hears from the average working man and woman, along with moms and dads, grandmothers and grandfathers in all demographic groups. And has she ever helped! (More on that coming up.) She has a story coming out in People magazine soon which I will post a link to here. Many individuals who have been helped by Sue will be covered in ths story.
So there you have it. Oh, and every single radio show I have booked her on has come back to me for a second interview. Every single one. I have never seen this before.
The beauty of this is that you just never know what you're sitting on when it comes to your book. You might have the next big topic that takes off and creates another phenomenon. Don't cut yourself short.
If you're looking for a publicist to help you with your book, I'd love to hear from you. Feel free to email me at joanne (at) joannemccall (dot) com. If you want to learn how to promote your own book, I invite you to explore an audio program I produced which covers a great deal of what you need to know and do for the success of your book. http://bit.ly/Ithj.
Happy marketing and promoting!
Warmly,
Joanne
Friday, August 21, 2009
Synchronicity in Book Marketing and Publicity
Hi there,
It has been a wild couple of weeks as we began the countdown to the launch of the new Web site http://www.joannemccall.com/. My designer, Fernando Martinez, has been an angel as we work together to get the site up and running. If you've created a Web site, and you probably have if you're reading this, then you know exactly what I'm talking about.
So, imagine my surprise when I got a phone call from him last week tentatively asking me, "Joanne, I have some good news and some bad news. Which do you want first?" I immediately to myself, "Oh no. Not bad news. We've been working so hard. How can there be bad news? What could it be? Do I really want to know?"
Long pause: "OK, give me the good news first."
Fernando says, "Well the good news is that I have the graphics and the links all set up on your new site for your radio show on Blog Talk Radio."
Now, keep in mind, I wasn't planning to begin a talk show right away. I do have a history of being a radio broadcaster for a number of years, so the idea of doing a show again is very attractive to me, but I've got so many other projects to work on that starting a talk show was way down on the list. That one was going to have to wait for awhile.
He continues, "The bad news is that I was experimenting with how Blog Talk Radio works and now you are actually going to be doing your first show next Friday, August 28, 2009, at 11:30 a.m. Pacific Time, 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time Oh, and by the way, you already have quite a few followers. I put in some tag words and because your show is called 'Your Brand', and because that's a popular search word, you already have an audience."
"WHAT?!" I asked incredulously.
Fernando launched into some kind of explanation as my brain tried to process what he was saying to me, and then I just erupted into laughter.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!
"Joanne?"
"Yes," I responded.
"You're OK?"
"I think that's hysterical! I guess I'm going back on the radio. I mean the Universe must want it if I didn't do a thing to make it happen and now you're telling me I'm going to be hosting a show next Friday." Who would have guessed?
Fernando went on to show me all the links and graphics and what he had written about the show.
Back on the air waves;I guess it's the digital airwaves now. What a wonderful journey home to my roots. After all, radio has been such a part of me for such a long time--way back to when I was a little girl reading the back of the shampoo bottle in the bathtub--pretending I was on the radio. Don't get me wrong. I love what I am doing now. Publicity, marketing and promotion with my own company has been a dream come true. I love having my own business with a team of people to collaborate with me. There is nothing better. Still, a part of me will always live on the air--it gets in your blood. Ask anyone in the business and they will tell you the same thing. Plus, I had the added good fortune of working with air talent and program directors who were the best in the business. Many are still friends today.
And speaking of today, my crash course in how all this technology works continues. I am happy to say that the first show went off without a hitch. I had the good fortune of interviewing a fabulous book marketer, Sharon Castlen, about book distribution and what you should be thinking about if you're considering publishing a book. You can hear it here anytime as a podcast at blog talk radio or please join me every Friday at 11:30 a.m. Pacific Time for Your Brand. It's for anyone who has a small business--entrepreneurs, coaches, consultants, speakers, writers, authors, freelancers, etc., particularly if you have a book or are considering writing one.
This show is an an opportunity for me to give to others who are building their business and marketing a book. I hope you will find it of great value.
Warmly,
Joanne
P.S. Synchronicity. How has it shown up in your life this week? Do you believe things happen for a reason?
It has been a wild couple of weeks as we began the countdown to the launch of the new Web site http://www.joannemccall.com/. My designer, Fernando Martinez, has been an angel as we work together to get the site up and running. If you've created a Web site, and you probably have if you're reading this, then you know exactly what I'm talking about.
So, imagine my surprise when I got a phone call from him last week tentatively asking me, "Joanne, I have some good news and some bad news. Which do you want first?" I immediately to myself, "Oh no. Not bad news. We've been working so hard. How can there be bad news? What could it be? Do I really want to know?"
Long pause: "OK, give me the good news first."
Fernando says, "Well the good news is that I have the graphics and the links all set up on your new site for your radio show on Blog Talk Radio."
Now, keep in mind, I wasn't planning to begin a talk show right away. I do have a history of being a radio broadcaster for a number of years, so the idea of doing a show again is very attractive to me, but I've got so many other projects to work on that starting a talk show was way down on the list. That one was going to have to wait for awhile.
He continues, "The bad news is that I was experimenting with how Blog Talk Radio works and now you are actually going to be doing your first show next Friday, August 28, 2009, at 11:30 a.m. Pacific Time, 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time Oh, and by the way, you already have quite a few followers. I put in some tag words and because your show is called 'Your Brand', and because that's a popular search word, you already have an audience."
"WHAT?!" I asked incredulously.
Fernando launched into some kind of explanation as my brain tried to process what he was saying to me, and then I just erupted into laughter.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!
"Joanne?"
"Yes," I responded.
"You're OK?"
"I think that's hysterical! I guess I'm going back on the radio. I mean the Universe must want it if I didn't do a thing to make it happen and now you're telling me I'm going to be hosting a show next Friday." Who would have guessed?
Fernando went on to show me all the links and graphics and what he had written about the show.
Back on the air waves;I guess it's the digital airwaves now. What a wonderful journey home to my roots. After all, radio has been such a part of me for such a long time--way back to when I was a little girl reading the back of the shampoo bottle in the bathtub--pretending I was on the radio. Don't get me wrong. I love what I am doing now. Publicity, marketing and promotion with my own company has been a dream come true. I love having my own business with a team of people to collaborate with me. There is nothing better. Still, a part of me will always live on the air--it gets in your blood. Ask anyone in the business and they will tell you the same thing. Plus, I had the added good fortune of working with air talent and program directors who were the best in the business. Many are still friends today.
And speaking of today, my crash course in how all this technology works continues. I am happy to say that the first show went off without a hitch. I had the good fortune of interviewing a fabulous book marketer, Sharon Castlen, about book distribution and what you should be thinking about if you're considering publishing a book. You can hear it here anytime as a podcast at blog talk radio or please join me every Friday at 11:30 a.m. Pacific Time for Your Brand. It's for anyone who has a small business--entrepreneurs, coaches, consultants, speakers, writers, authors, freelancers, etc., particularly if you have a book or are considering writing one.
This show is an an opportunity for me to give to others who are building their business and marketing a book. I hope you will find it of great value.
Warmly,
Joanne
P.S. Synchronicity. How has it shown up in your life this week? Do you believe things happen for a reason?
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