Copyright 2006 John Jantsch
Here is a good rule of thumb to follow when searching for a story angle to present to the media. Ask yourself this question: Will the readers of this publication think this is interesting, entertaining, informative or useful?
Self-interested, veiled attempts at promoting your business will fall flat. The media does not care about your company’s success unless their readers care about it. The media does not care about your new product unless you can help them understand how their readers are longing to know about the problems it solves.
The following is a list of topics that can help you get a reporter’s attention. If you can find a way to position your potential story ideas using one of these vehicles, you will have a better chance of success.
Have Real News
There is nothing that gets the media’s attention like news. Now, what you think is news may not actually be newsworthy, but if you have won a significant contract or licensed a new technology you may indeed have a story that provides a reporter with a news angle.
Be First
Everyone seems fascinated with things that are first: the first company to feature a technology, the first company to do a certain type of project, the first company in the area to win a national award, etc. Of course, there are ways to be a new kind of first. The first woman- or minority-owned business in your industry to do something of note is also a first.
Be Unique
Sometimes you can receive positive publicity by simply doing or offering something that is unique. An unheard-of guarantee, service technicians in tuxedos, balloon telegrams for marketing are all examples of unique practices.
Local Angles on National Stories
If some aspect of your business is making national headlines, you may be able to weigh in with the local media on a local angle of the story. Local news reporters often prefer to quote local sources even when they are covering a national story. Has some legislation recently passed that impacts your industry? Has a major lawsuit been settled? Is a new product, service, or innovation receiving coverage? It is critical that you watch the national news trends to stay on top of these opportunities.
Ties to a Trend
Your association and industry publications often report on industry and marketing trends. Reporters love to get a jump on a coming trend. You can put yourself in the middle of a story by simply pointing out something that may be happening in other parts of the country that ties your company or product to a recognized trend.
Overcoming Adversity
Everyone loves a story with a great ending. If you personally or your firm has overcome some adversity, this may be a great source for a story.
People Stories
Promotions, new hires, awards, board appointments, wedding, births, and all other manner of story that involves people in your firm and what they do on and off the job can be a good source for story ideas. Maybe your company’s softball team hasn’t won or lost a game in 10 years. Maybe your firm has repaired eight houses for a charitable organization this year. Perhaps your firm has college tuition reimbursement program that is far better than most, and you have four new college graduates at the firm to prove it.
Solving a Common Problem
If you have discovered a unique way to solve a problem that your target market has or that impacts other firms in your same industry, you may have a story idea. Business publications in particular are always on the look out for innovative business practices. Don’t just think in terms of some solution to a client need. Maybe you’ve discovered a successful way to attract prospective employees. These stories will often be read by potential clients and really help tell how your firm is different. In addition, it is easy to show how these types of stories can benefit the readership of a publication without appearing too self-serving.
John Jantsch is a veteran marketing coach, award winning blogger and author of Duct Tape Marketing: The World’s Most Practical Small Business Marketing Guide published by Thomas Nelson - due out in the fall of 2006
He is the creator of the Duct Tape Marketing small business marketing system. You can find more information by visiting www.ducttapemarketing.com
Well I started out with seven, Free and low cost promotional tips but somehow ended up with ten!
Owning your own website you need to promote it within a budget. For many business people and marketers alike we seem to like the low cost or Free promotion avenues.
With this in mind I have put together ten mostly Free ways or places to promote your Internet business.
Tip number one.
The Ryze Network is a Free online network of friends and business
contacts where you can belong to any number of network groups.
I have found that any links you have in your Ryze personal summary
or business page, usually appear in search engines fairly quickly
as Ryze is regarded as a high profile site by most search engines.
This is a free promotion, to get your site noticed.
Tip number two.
The main purpose of Ryze is networking, being able to contact
other Ryze members and adding them to your Friend or contact
list. But to do this in Ryze you need to email them first to get their
permission before adding them to your friends and contacts list. This
can be a nightmare as usually it is almost impossible to find their
email address.
Ryze members can grow their friends list way faster by including
their email address in their personal message on their Free Ryze
networking page. http://www.ryze.com/go/VoIP
Tip number three.
Like Ryze, ICQ provides you with a Free web page where you
can include your personal information, your personal website and
any Opportunities you belong to. ICQ also rates highly in search
engines, so if you provide a link to your ICQ page for search engines
to find and list your page. This also applies to many other online
networks and communities.
The Free version of 2000b ICQ the instant messaging system can be found at http://icq-10534pg.itsyournet.com
Tip number four.
This week I noticed one of my website pages, not the Index page
but one I have promoted has just reappeared again in search results
two days after I updated a page linking to it.
As you will know most links to pages in your site map or most
pages generally use one or two words as the text hyper link. What
I did was to type in the full URL as the hyper link. This is the only
time I have promoted that page in over a couple of month so
I am guessing that some search engines like the full URL as
the hyper link.
Tip number five.
The quickest way to get your site in search engines is to list
your site with Internet Directories that are relevant to your
site and its content. 40% of traffic to most sites is from
search engines, so get yourself listed! Search Estate, a new
search engine that also offer a Free web page to add your
profile and to list your Opportunities.
http://www.itsyournet.co.nz/estate.htm
Tip number six.
Well my article could have been on how to obtain 3 Free web
pages to promote your business. That’s 3 high profile ones
that I have listed so far. Do you really need your own website
when you can get Free pages to promote your services?
Tip number seven.
You can also use a personalized Opportunity.com redirect
link. These personalized redirects are a great way to hide your
affiliate member links. There is some good information hidden
among all the hype on this site. You receive 10 redirect links,
very useful when it comes to getting URL’s in your email past
the ISP filters. Membership is Free.
http://www.opportunity.com/r/VoIP_NZ
Tip number eight.
Most web pages promoting affiliated member opportunities
are telling the prospect to join, join, join. Where as most prospects
or customers have a need for a product or want to increase their
bank account.
Either way the prospect or customer is looking at your web page
with a need or want in mind. So really your web page should focus
on answering questions and explaining the benefits the customer
will gain from using your product or from joining your Opportunity
not a heap of hype about how amazingly incredible your product,
or service is. Honesty is the best policy.
All opportunities should combine a quality service along with
a good compensation package.
Tip number nine.
Check out the opposition and see how they are promoting their
product or system. It’s amazing what you can learn from them
on how, why and where they are promoting. If it works for them
it may well work for you too. Many times they have a similar
service but use a different slant or focus for their marketing.
Remember if someone has built a highway through the Internet
Jungle, one that you can benefit from. It is a waste of your time
and effort finding your own way and cutting a new pathway,
especially if this helpful person or company has created a highway,
benchmark or marketing focus that works equally well for your
product or Opportunity. But do not copy their promotional
material as it may be copyrighted. Create your own.
Last but by no means least.
Tip number ten.
Always keep track of your promotions and their results.
May your promotions be very successful.
PETER GREEN.
Editor of ~ The INDEX ~ ezine.
Editor@Internet-income-index.com
http://www.Internet-Income-Index.com
Your Free Weekly Internet Marketing
News, Ideas, Resources and Sources Ezine.
