I wish I could say I always wanted to be an entrepreneur.

After all, my father was one, my brothers run a successful business and I married an entrepreneur.

From my perspective, they worked long hours, talked about business all the time and always seemed to be thinking of taking things “to the next level.”

I didn’t understand that those long hours didn’t seem long enough when it’s spent pursuing your passion. That you cannot help sharing your enthusiasm about what you love and how you are going to change the world to anyone who has a minute to spare. And that having your own business opens up a whole new world of creativity and perseverance that you previously didn’t know existed about yourself.

I didn’t know any of this until I became an entrepreneur myself.

In a new country, with no local experience and no contacts, I began consulting until I could get a secure job. What was simply a bridge to the next “sure thing” turned into a never-ending road with an unknown destination.

In 13 years, I’ve gone down the bumpy road of entrepreneurship traveled by many before me, and learned a few good lessons along the way. I hope these lessons make your road to adventure a whole lot smoother:

1. Embrace That You’ll Never Know Everything

It took you years to be THE expert in your field. You struggled to finally make THE product that everyone’s talking about. However, if, after all those years of hard work, you think you know it all and stop learning, or stop innovating on product development, your business will either fail or eventually get left behind.

Curiosity and perseverance are some of the most important traits for an entrepreneur to embrace – why do things work and how can it be better? What would happen if I did the opposite of what is the logical thing to do? Who knows more than I do and whom did they learn from? Do I really know what my customer wants?

Assume there is more than one “right” answer and ask the difficult questions no one is asking. You might be surprised at the answers you’ll get.

2. Work Hard And Give Yourself The Gift of Time

One of the most frustrating traits of an entrepreneur is our impatience. We spend weeks, months, even years creating something we love and when it’s ready, we’re caught by surprise at how slow it sells: How come my potential client can’t see how brilliant our product or solution is and how perfect it is for them? How can they not want it right NOW?

In a market with ever-increasing noise, it really does take time for you to stand out and build a momentum with your marketing.  “Overnight successes” can often take 18 – 24 months or more. If you truly believe in your offering, keep working hard but give yourself the gift of time and know that you may need to take the marathon approach versus trying to sprint to success. Remember that childhood story? The turtle eventually beats the hare!

3. Be Willing To Succeed As A Result of Your Work

You should definitely be willing to fail as an entrepreneur, but sometimes what can hold us back is the willingness to succeed.  It seems counter-intuitive but many of us have a fear of success in some way.  We may believe: I’ve worked so hard but don’t deserve the good things and recognition that come my way. What if I can’t sustain my success? What if I take on something way over my capabilities?

Remember that many of your fears will be irrational if you look at them closely. Success is your reward for setting your sights on a seemingly impossible goal, pursuing it doggedly and sometimes making incredible sacrifices to get there.  YES, you are worth it, and yes, you deserve all the recognition and success that comes your way.

4. Keep Working Towards The Next Step

Having your own business can provide amazing freedom and flexibility in creating a lifestyle you want.  There are times though, where it takes great effort to get out of bed and hang onto your determination to keep going. You may be stuck on what you need to do next in order to reach your goal.

During these times, I remember an analogy a business coach shared with me: When trying to reach a mountain’s summit (your goal) you know the general direction is up. Even in the worst weather, when you cannot see the summit and don’t know how you are going to get there, you can at least see the next step.

In building your business, just keep taking the next step, work hard, and trust that you know what you need to succeed. You may go down the wrong path here and there, but you won’t know until you take that step…and sometimes the step you need to take may be asking for help from a guide who’s been to the summit and back!

Disclosure: I received compensation from Visa for sharing my views in this post, but the views expressed here are solely mine, not Visa’s. This post was sponsored by Visa Small Business as part of their #gobiz Sweepstakes for @VisaSmallBusiness. Visa will be rewarding small business owners with $10,000 in prizes for their hard work from October 25^th through November 17^th. Visit here http://hosting.thetenthwave.com/visasb/ for more details, and follow @VisaSmallBiz for ways to help make your small business more efficient and successful. Discover more at http://visa.com/business.

Photo Credit: The Femme Files

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I’ve been thinking about my business a lot lately. So far, I’m really happy with the way things have been going. Business is growing faster than I can sometimes handle — and that’s a good thing.

However, it’s clear I need to prune some areas of my biz in order to let the other areas grow even more.

And so, I have decided to retire two of my products: How to Do Your Own PR: A Guide for Small Businesses and Social Media for Beginners: Generating Online Buzz.

Before I take them off the shelves, I’d like to give you the opportunity to buy them — at a huge discount.

From today until Friday, July 15, 2011, you can purchase How to Do Your Own PR and Social Media for Beginners for only $47 each.

That’s $150 off the regular price!

If you’re interested, grab these today, because after July 15, they will no longer be available — at any price.

Click here to check out this massive sale.

Or click on the ecovers below:

Remember, these products will disappear after midnight this Friday, July 15. So don’t wait!

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Yes, we all have them.

A professional crush is someone who is brilliant and you admire a lot (sometimes from afar). You want to follow in their footsteps. You’d love to pick their brains all day. You will do anything to work on a project with them.

For years now, one of my professional crushes has been Guy Kawasaki, Silicon Valley venture capitalist, Apple evangelist and marketing guru. I first met and wrote about Guy in 2007 when he was speaking about his book The Art of the Start – a start-up bootstrapper’s bible that I still refer my clients to.

Like real-life crushes, throughout the years, my path would cross with Guy’s – close, but not quite close enough:

• My friend Ria Sharon hosted a “virtual pajama party” as a fundraiser and I was on the same “virtual stage” as Guy and Lewis Howes.
• When I started my blog two years ago with just four posts and a Twitter following of maybe a hundred, Guy tweeted about me and one of his followers contacted me to work for his company.  Talk about social media power.
• And more recently, Guy was interviewed by Maruxa Murphy and she mentioned to him that she first heard about him from me.

Like real-life crushes, I’m sure Guy still didn’t know me from the 365,000 followers he currently has on Twitter.

When I found out he was coming to Vancouver for an event, I thought about buying a ticket, but that wouldn’t differentiate me from the hundreds of people there. I wanted to stand out.

So I set out to enchant my professional crush from what I’ve learned from his books and speeches. Here’s what Guy says about Enchantment and how I, in turn, implemented it:

Remove Barriers to Entry

This is about making it easy for people to get started with your product or service. “Don’t ask people to fill out 10 fields of personal information to open an account. Don’t require an appointment for a consultation,” says Guy. “Instead, create a slippery slope that gets people to work with you as quickly as possible.

Since I knew Guy was promoting his new book and it seemed the event wasn’t doing any PR, I reached out to him to see if he wanted to do a media interview with local press. I showed that I understood his needs, and by helping him out, empower him with more exposure as well as allow him to “try” out our PR service with no risk and no obligation.

I’m thrilled when Guy responds to me with a “Yes, let’s do this.”

Deliver Bad News Early

As Guy says: “Shiitake happens: products have problems, deliveries get delayed, employees get sick. Be proactive and tell your customers about the problem before they discover the hiccup for themselves. And to get on top of your game, let them know how you’ll solve the problem at the same time.”

Guy had time for only one interview and it had to be with a national outlet. We managed to secure the interview two weeks in advance of the event, no problem.

But, shiitake happens. Less than 48 hours before the event, the reporter cancelled on us. I was really embarrassed, especially since Guy gave me two tickets worth $800 to the event as a thank you. I offered to return them.

Guy being Guy, he responds: “It’s okay. Attend the event anyway. I’ll just play hockey that morning!”

Enchanting, for sure.

And I have to say, I work with an equally enchanting colleague, Jackie Peterson. She placed numerous calls and emails, trying to get a national publication at short notice. Together, we also played the six degrees of separation game: “Who do we know, that would know so and so….”

With a little bit of persistence and creativity (all the while sweating bullets about our reputation with Guy), we managed to secure a national media outlet with a reach of over 1 million. And because we reached out to multiple people, more interviews are in the works.

Phew. Reputation with professional crush, rescued.

Allow People to Reciprocate

Guy says: “People you help, want to give back. Let them.”

Reciprocating doesn’t have to mean cash for your services. In our case, Guy gave us passes to the event, and is sending over signed copies of his book.

In other cases where you have demonstrated your product or service on a trial basis, you could ask for a testimonial that would help give you credibility. You could ask for feedback or mentorship. You could ask for an introduction to a company or a contact of theirs that you would like to meet. You might just get what you asked for!

Be A Yes-Man (or Woman)

Finally, Guy says “The single most powerful way to enchant is with a “yes” attitude. It means that you believe the customer is right and reasonable until proven wrong and unreasonable. Custom order? No problem. Early delivery? No problem. Return for full credit? No problem. The math might show that if you did this for everyone, you’d go broke, but not everyone will ask for such treatment. In fact, very few will, and those that do will become your greatest evangelists, so they’re worth the exception.”

Go forth and enchant your customers.

Enchant your influencers too. Often the goodwill you create will go further, and feel much better, than cold, hard, cash.

How do you enchant people with your business? Let me know by posting a comment below, or by sending me a message on Twitter or Facebook.

Reach Guy on Twitter.

Order his latest book, Enchantment, and take up Guy’s special offer.

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Your business needs a social media policy.

Let me illustrate why:

Many of our clients at Cross Border PR embrace social media wholeheartedly. One in particular, is a service provider with $20M in revenue.

One day, the CEO attended a conference call with one of their clients, where it was announced that their client company’s president was retiring. Because there were several hundred people on that call, my client’s CEO felt it was ok to tweet about it. And he did. To all 200 of his followers.

Lo and behold, the CEO was shocked and embarrassed when he got a call from his client. Apparently, what he tweeted was not public knowledge. His innocent little tweet had set off a chain reaction, which turned into a PR situation for his client. As a result, this CEO got his hand slapped for leaking something confidential.

Was the CEO at fault?

What should he have done?

What could his client have done to avoid the leak in the first place?

The answers lie in a social media policy.

Why You Need a Social Media Policy

Any business that uses social media to achieve its corporate goals needs a social media policy in place.

A policy will help you to have a consistent social media presence — even when a dozen voices are speaking on your company’s behalf. It will help protect your company’s reputation. As in my example above, a social media policy would have prevented that information leak and other PR blunders.

A social media policy will also empower your employees — not just those who have the official role of spokespersons for your company, but each and every person who works for you. Policies will give them clear direction in their use of the various social media platforms, and serve as a guide for decision-making when a social media conflict or conundrum comes up.

How to Formulate a Social Media Policy

Your company’s social media policy can be as short or as long, as simple or as complicated as you want. Ideally, though, it should have the following essential elements. These are the building blocks, which will help you create a structure to support your social media marketing.

1. Your Goals for Social Media Marketing

Begin your policy by stating what your company wants to accomplish through social media. This sets the context for the rest of your policies. These will also help you make decisions about issues that may come up but aren’t covered by your policy.

2. Your Social Media Audience

Make it clear who you’re trying to reach out to, which social media platforms they use, and how you want your company to engage with them. Are most of your customers on Twitter and most of your investors are on LinkedIn? Mapping this out will help you formulate specific guidelines for the different social media.

3. Core Values

What does your company stand for, that your employees must embody even in their personal social media engagement? Examples include respect, tolerance, professionalism.

4. Spokespersons

Specify which people in your company are the official spokespersons — for all media. These are the ones who are authorized to grant interviews to journalists and bloggers. These spokespersons are representatives of your company. Some will manage your company’s social media accounts and be responsible for public announcements from your company.

5. Employee Roles

The rest of your company employees need to know what their role is, even if they aren’t official spokespersons. They need to appreciate that other people will always see them as extensions of your company. This means what they publish on their personal, public social media accounts will have an impact on your company’s social media footprint.

Clarifying this role includes putting a cap on how much time employees can spend engaging in social media while on official time. Are they allowed to use Twitter or Facebook during company hours and using the office computers? Can they download social media apps on their office-issued smart phones? Make a management decision and put it into your social media policy.

6. Social Media Content

What can spokespersons and other employees publish in social media about your company? Are employees (non-spokespersons) allowed to publicize their association with your company? How about consultants and vendors?

In my client’s example, his client should have had a policy of publishing a press release about big announcements, especially right after making it to a large audience. The hundreds of people on that conference call couldn’t be expected to keep the announcement to themselves.

Look back on your company’s core values and list the types of content, which are inconsistent with them. These may include flaming people in public, racial slurs, crude jokes about people with varying physical abilities, political statements, and maligning colleagues and supervisors.

You may want to unequivocally state that employees cannot complain about company policies on social networks. Or that they can’t talk about your company’s clients and projects — unless this has been published officially, such as on the company website or through press releases. Also include policies about photographs of company events, premises and personnel.

It’s also helpful to have stock answers available to the most frequently asked questions about your products or services.

7. Approval Process

When in doubt, who should decide whether something can be posted in social media? Map out an approval process, but don’t make it long and complicated. You need to be able to put out relevant information fast and you don’t want to completely stifle a personality either.

8. Monitoring, Tracking and Sanctions

Policies work only when they’re being implemented. And that requires tracking and monitoring. Who will be monitoring your company’s social media presence and your employees’ social media use? Fortunately, technology makes this easier than it’s ever been. Make somebody responsible for this or it will never get done.

Also very important, what are the sanctions for violating social media policies? Be reasonable and fair.

9. Social Media Platforms

Each social media platform has its unique features, strengths and weaknesses. It’s necessary to provide specific guidelines, at least for the main ones, such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube and Flickr.

10. Personal vs Business

Nowadays the line separating business and personal use of social media has gotten blurred. People will consider any employee to be a representative of your company, even if he or she isn’t a designated spokesperson. This means every personal tweet, every photo uploaded on Facebook, every job description published on LinkedIn will reflect on you.

Remember this when you’re drawing up your social media policy. That said, the temptation may be great to simply disallow employees to identify themselves with your company. However, that would greatly reduce the reach and impact you could have. Strive for a balance.

Your social media policy isn’t set in stone. You can make broad strokes for now, see what the real opportunities and risks are, and tweak along the way.

Takeaway Points

What is your company’s social media policy? If you don’t have one yet, start outlining a social media policy — before you think you need it. For inspiration, read IBM’s social computing policy.

Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. You can also reach me on Twitter or Facebook. I look forward to it!

photo credit: stevendepolo

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A Green Force in Social Media

Our #FollowFriday recommendation this week is Jacob Gordon, social media expert, green-tech writer and blogger, and host of TreeHugger Radio.

Jacob interviews thought leaders, opinion influencers, and pioneers in the world of green technology, environment conservation and other areas of eco-consciousness. Listen to his radio series to discover people who are making provocative contributions in green advocacy. An example is Isabella Rosellini, who’s been making “Green Porno,” a series of short films about the sex life of bugs and other animals.

He also edits Treehugger.com’s series of guides on “How to Green Your Life,” bringing the conversation down to the level of lay people. The series covers greening all aspects of daily life, such as cars and transportation, eating, beauty and fashion, home design, school, travel, gift giving and celebrations.

In his spare time, this Nashville-based eco-advocate plays the steel guitar. His latest venture is Nemonics Media, a social media startup and maker of QuoteTh.is, a social web app for sharing quotations.

Jacob only recently made his Twitter account un-private, which means we can now follow him. He enjoys tweeting quotations, useful links for startups and, of course, anything about the environment.

Get to Know Jacob

Jacob graciously responded to our usual #FollowFriday questions, so we can get to know him a little better.

Laughs at: Community, DamnYouAutocorrect.com, animals who Tweet, and life in general (can’t take things too seriously).

Hopes: to help make the world a better place through information technology. And that people learn how to use the apostrophe.

Thinks: the world of entrepreneurship is becoming more transparent, efficient, ethical, and the playing field is leveling. This is real good news.

Reveals: At night I play in a band for swing dancers and drunken tourists in the Nashville honky tonks, right across the street from the office where I produce my podcast and run my startup.

Dream Coffee Date: Bill Gross of Idealab; one of the most inspiring entrepreneurs I’ve ever heard speak. He seems like a genuinely inquisitive and laid-back guy and I’d like to experience this first-hand.

Is Inspired By: every single person I interview on TreeHugger Radio, TED Talks, popular uprisings, insect swarms, and three-year-olds who can recite Billy Collins poems.

Jacob certainly knows how to harness the power of social media to educate and entertain us about the environment.

Follow Jacob on Twitter.

Listen to the latest episodes of Trehugger Radio.

Do you have a question for Jacob? Post them below or send them to me via Twitter or Facebook. I’ll make sure to pass them on to him.

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In the two and a half years since I’ve been active on social networks, I’ve met a ton of really interesting and influential people. I love online networking and it works really well for me as an entrepreneur running a virtual business.

However, I’ve been attending more live events and conferences recently and networking in person because I really love meeting new people.

Even if you’re not the host, a speaker or an exhibitor at the event, here are simple ways you can have fun, make an impact and maximize your presence -– and therefore the business opportunities coming your way.

• GET personal

Yes, it’s usually a conversation opener to ask someone what they do, but that’s probably something you can learn in-depth from their website. I ask people questions like: what they will do for fun after the event, did they travel with their family, who’s an interesting person they have met at the event and why.  Which of the presentations are they most looking forward to?

It helps to make the conversation more memorable in their minds, and in yours. You may also learn a thing or two about the conference, or other attendees you would otherwise miss.

Make sure you ask for their business card and make notes –- that way when you follow up you can remind them of your conversation and make an instant re-connection.

• GIVE first and you shall receive

The secret to positive networking (the one where you feel good rather than sales-y and slim-y) is to think about what you can do for the other person. When getting to know them, ask what their goals are for attending the event. What are they hoping to achieve?

Listen well. Maybe there is some way you can help by introducing them to someone in your network or sharing information you know. Maybe later on as the event progresses, you meet someone that could help achieve those goals. Introduce them and believe that the good karma will come back to you! (It usually does.)

• GENERATE conversation in the hallways

I was recently at an event with over 600 people and I noticed almost a third were in the hallways, lobby and other places — not necessarily listening to the speakers.  Many were clustered in groups of 2 – 4 people. As one of them said to me, “this is where the deals are made.”

I couldn’t agree more. Although I had already met the founders of a company I wanted to meet, a chance encounter by the coffee bar with one of their marketing people is what may lead to a project for us: the marketing person contacted me even before the event ended.

• GO to breakfast, lunch and dinner

Many events include meals, or perhaps a nominal charge for an additional networking opportunity. Go! I once met the spouse of someone I had been trying to meet, at a pre-event reception. After getting to know each other, she offered to connect me with him. Problem solved. So, sit with new people each time and get to know them. I’ve found the most fascinating information about businesses and their leaders from their staff, service providers and peers simply by asking, “What do you think of this company?” The more information you can gather, the better prepared you’ll be when you meet your potential clients. People are lazy and don’t do enough research. Be the exception.

• GREET the hosts

Would you show up to a party and not greet the hosts? Of course not. Make a point of meeting and greeting those who have organized the event. Whether it’s one person or an entire committee, you can easily find out who they are or have someone point you in their direction. Tell them why you are there and what you are looking forward to. They are always interested in constructive feedback. And of course, they are looking to help YOU get the most out of the event. So tell them your goals and ask them if they can help you. After all, a good host will want to make sure you enjoy the party and tell everyone about it.

• GROUP your tweets

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention tweets. Almost every event these days will include a Twitter #hashtag so that people before, during and after an event can easily find each other, see who’s there and take online networking offline (and I’m also finding that people who meet me at an event ask what my Twitter name is and follow me after the event). It’s also good for those who couldn’t attend to see what other people’s experiences are like.

• GRAB the app

With smart phones, social media and sustainability encroaching on all aspects of our lives, it was only a matter of time that the paper event guide would fall out of favor. I recently got to experience a fun and powerful app from Quickmobile that allowed me to pull up each day’s updated agenda, speaker info and bios, event logistics, feedback forms and the attendee list where I could message an individual — all from my iPhone.

Those are just seven of the ways you can turn a live networking event into a huge business opportunity.

As always, think of others first — be gracious and interested — and these face-to-face connections will pay off in goodwill, partnerships, and maybe even some PR.

What tips do you have for making the most of live networking events? Share them in the comments below, so we can all learn from each other.

Or you can send them to me via Twitter or Facebook.

Thank you!

Image by Nan Palmero

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This post was first published in Copyblogger.com. My friend Patrick Garmoe, a former reporter, wrote this piece and received permission for us to reprint it here. Enjoy!

Ever wonder why some businesses get press and some don’t? Getting a mainstream media outlet to pay attention to your business seems like an impossible-to-solve mystery.

You might see your competitors spouting a diatribe that you know for a fact is wrong, or that you could explain better.

“Why did they interview that guy instead of me?” you wonder.

Actually, it’s not you. 99 times out of 100, it’s not your qualifications, your knowledge, or your ability.

It’s your approach.

After 10 years as a journalist, I’ve seen just about every bad pitch you can imagine. And I’ve also come up with 109 foolproof ways to entice the media in your city to highlight your business — approaches that make the mainstream media unable to resist you.

(And lots of them work just as well with bloggers and social media influencers.)

Build Relationships Months in Advance of Pitching

1. Connect on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, or in real life more than six months in advance of pitching a reporter.

2. Monitor the Twitter hashtags of your community. Often reporters chat with the public on Twitter, and you can respond to comments they make.

3. Compliment a reporter via Twitter, Facebook, or e-mail on a story he or she did.

4. Introduce yourself to reporters at big public or chamber of commerce events. Pass along your card, but don’t try and sell them the idea on the spot. Just be helpful.

5. Invite reporters out for coffee, and ask a lot of questions about them.

6. Leave a comment at the end of the online version of a story a reporter did, which you genuinely liked.

7. Congratulate them on their birthdays, or other personal news they post.

8. Comb through Muck Rack to find regional or national reporters on Twitter who cover your industry.

9. Write a positive blog post on your blog highlighting a story of theirs, and e-mail them the link.

10. Respond regularly to posts they’ve written either on their blog, or on a local community blog you’ve noticed they post on.

11. Visit city council meetings in your town. Typically there’s a reporter sitting around bored, that you can build a relationship with.

12. Sign up on helpareporter.com. Several e-mail lists are sent out daily, full of reporters needing experts for stories. Jump on those that fall within your expertise.

13. Scout publications with smaller and more targeted readerships, such as a local business weekly publication. These media outlets are often run by just two or three people, and they’ll jump at a guest column or article by you because it’ll save them the time of tracking down a story on their own.

14. Listen to AM radio stations, especially on weekday mornings or on Saturdays. Befriend one of the regular show hosts. Often they’ll highlight any business that is doing something interesting the public might find interesting.

15. Nix spending money on an online press release site early on. Those online press release systems are more useful for building inbound links, or if you’re already a recognized expert with a track record, and there’s a major news event breaking that you could discuss.

16. Ask them if they’d mind if you added them to your email list. Then provide them with education-based content marketing to sell them on doing a story about your business.

Once You’ve Met, Make The Pitch Transition Smooth

17. Say “yes” without fail if a reporter wants to interview you that day, even if it has to be over the phone or while you’re on vacation.

18. Offer occasional suggestions of angles you think would make great follow-up stories, especially that don’t have anything to do with your business. Nearly all stories are parts of a long-running issues, so reporters always need additional story follow-up ideas.

19. Offer to connect reporters to experts you know. If the reporter sounds interested, follow through with the offer.

20. Be a source for stories that fall within your expertise by letting reporters in your industry know you’re available when they need a source. This can lead to regular spots on the news.

21. Point reporters to blog posts you genuinely think they’d be interested in – whether on your blog or others. It validates you as an expert.

22. Treat journalists with respect. You’ll set yourself apart just by being friendly.

23. Keep a camera handy for “spot news” photo opportunities, and then pass along to the media outlet. This can be anything from a deer crashing into a department store while you happened to be there to a good shot of an event or store opening.

24. Offer to write a column on your specialty for the online website of a media site, or for a print publication in your area.

Ponder These Issues Prior to Pitching

25. Define the story in just one sentence, so you can easily explain it to the media in 10 seconds.

26. Include people in your story pitch. Many owners try to pitch their company’s achievements, but stories that sell normally have people involved, not just the company.

27. Focus on selling the benefits to viewers, listeners or readers first. It’s about their perspective of what you’re selling, not about how wonderful it would be for you to sell your product or service.

28. Think visually. When can a media station shoot video and pictures? If that’s not possible, are there video or pictures you can provide?

29. Avoid offering a posed or fake event or picture. They are typically frowned on by the media.

30. Hold an event where you’re actually doing what you’re talking about, and invite them to come, whether it’s to write a story, or just take a picture or video.

31. Post your video online for easy download, or put it on DVDs.

32. Seek permission from the individuals in a potential photo shoot ahead of time.

33. Highlight trends in which your business is just one of several examples. Nearly every trend can be turned into a story pitch, and it has the added advantage of letting you not hog the limelight, which reporters often don’t find appealing.

34. Provide actual users of your service or product for the media to interview. Their testimonials will boost your credibility.

35. Offer to review the facts or your quotes if you feel nervous the journalist misunderstood you. Don’t try to pressure the journalist into letting you review the entire article before publication, though, because media stations normally don’t allow this.

36. Provide a journalist with an expert to interview who has used and can vouch for your product. If you sell skin cream, for example, ask a dermatologist who likes your product to be available for an interview.

37. Copy relevant documents for the reporter, to provide at the interview, or prior to it.

38. Create a list of key dates and facts relevant to the story, along with potential quotes.

39. Write a couple paragraphs describing the process in simple terms, ideally with a drawing if the story is complex.

40. Write a killer press release in the form of a ready-made story, if submitting a story to a weekly or a daily in regions of fewer than 50,000 people. You’d be surprised how often a newspaper will print almost exactly what you sent.

41. Give reporters two weeks’ notice for an upcoming story or event.

42. Remain flexible. Reporters have days that are jam-packed with breaking news, and other days that are slower and more open to a less-urgent story like yours.

43. Choose to meet in person if an option, because the journalist will then get to know you better, and you’ll have more time with him or her.

44. Travel to where the story actually happens for the interview – whether in your office or an hour away at a gravel pit.

45. Muzzle the natural urge to provide stacks of background research. Most reporters don’t have the time or interest in looking through it.

46. Leap on breaking news relevant to your industry as a chance to put yourself in the local news. The shootings in Arizona presented an opportunity for anyone who deals with mental health to be interviewed on local radio, television and in the newspaper.

47. Pitch local stories to local reporters. National attention typically springs from local attention first.

48. Call ahead and pitch a story, if you’re showcasing your products at a local convention or other major event typically covered by the news. Otherwise reporters just walk the aisles and randomly choose businesses to speak with.

49. Watch the calendar, and pitch a story that would ideally run around major holidays, when things are often really slow in newsrooms.

50. Act enthusiastic. If you don’t seem excited about the idea, neither will they.

51. Express why this story is of value to your community. If it’s a story you wouldn’t bother watching or reading, don’t pitch it.

52. Show an image that encapsulates the story you’re trying to tell. When Google held a national competition, our video shot on a Flip Camera received national attention from a variety of media outlets because it easily showed in one image how wild the competition became.

53. Forget about giving up. Don’t be a pest, but keep trying every few weeks to pitch an idea, until a reporter gives a straight yes-or-no answer to your idea.

54. Write very short e-mails to reporters. Three or four sentences total. Your e-mail is much more likely to get read by busy reporters if it’s short and to the point.

55. Devote lots of time on e-mail subject lines to reporters. You can apply the same techniques for writing magnetic headlines for blog posts – they make both readers and reporters want to know more about what you have to say.

21 Kinds of Reporter Bait

56. Hold a fundraising drive.

57. Do X for the 10th, 20th, 50th year.

58. Launch a brand new product.

59. Sell product X locally for the first time.

60. Provide an environmentally friendly version of a product everyone uses – and be the only local place to purchase it.

61. Link your underlying story pitch with some basic human emotion, like love, fear or hope. Start a knitting story in memory of your late aunt, who taught you about knitting.

62. Frame your story as a local example of a national or international issue currently in the news. If Congress is debating health care, and your clinic has developed a unique program for handling people without insurance, you’ve got a pitch.

63. Time a pitch about your company for a few weeks before your company’s anniversary.

64. Buck a trend. It’s Christmas Eve, and you’ve seen an uptick in your toy store sales, while everyone else has noticed a downturn.

65. Launch a product or service in your community no one locally has ever sold.

66. Highlight that you’re doing something most people are afraid to attempt, such as starting a business during a recession.

67. Brag. If you’ve been interviewed by a local media outlet, a larger one, or a major publication, play it up. It shows you’re desirable as a media interview.

68. Spotlight unique ties to major events. Show how your business has doubled through word of mouth marketing after volunteering for two weeks during Hurricane Katrina.

69. Share how you just hit X,000 regular subscribers on your blog, and show how that translates to online sales. This process remains foreign and therefore fascinating to most reporters.

70. Reveal how you’ve transitioned a primarily brick-and-mortar store into doing a healthy amount of online sales.

71. Announce that your business for the first time employs four generations of the same family.

72. Embrace anything that makes you unique. A local jewelry store owner in Northern Wisconsin received media coverage across all of Minnesota and Wisconsin simply because the owner felt the end of the world was coming soon, and incorporated it into his commercial.

73. Compile fascinating data. OkCupid.com mined its customer data to show which smartphone users have the most sex. What kind of irresistible statistic could you compile from your business?

74. Run a weird contest. Be the beauty parlor giving a makeover to the husband of the women who makes the best case that he looks like a slob.

75. Write an e-book. Just being able to say you’ve written a recently released “book” can be enough of a news hook for a story.

76. Look for sections in the newspaper that highlight interesting businesses, often under headlines like “What’s That Business.” Normally a simple phone call with a pitch will secure a feature on your business.

How To Become A Favorite Source for Reporters

77. Explain things chronologically if possible.

78. Speak slowly, so the reporter has time to take notes and mentally process what you’re saying.

79. Tell the story twice. The first time give the sweeping overview, and then return to the start of the story, and fill in all the details. The second time around you’ll remember more and fill in gaps in the narrative, and the reporter will ask better questions.

80. Respond to a reporter’s phone call or e-mail immediately, or as soon as humanly possible. Reporters love dependable, helpful people.

81. Provide information from most to least important if time is irrelevant to the topic.

82. Allow the reporter to lead the interview if he or she comes with questions.

83. Wear a company logo, and dark, solid colors on camera. Clothes with stripes or checkered patterns look bad on television.

84. Don’t waste time. Assume you won’t have more than half an hour to speak to the reporter.

85. Answer the obvious questions: Who, What, Where, When, Why, How and So What.

86. Ponder how you will answer every potential question, and don’t assume there won’t be any difficult ones.

87. Stay on topic.

88. Offer to return as a regular guest either weekly, monthly, or as needed, once your first interview concludes.

89. Send an e-mail or note a day after the interview talking about how you appreciated the reporter’s time, or how great the story was.

90. Provide a clear call to action, if there is one.

91. Ask the reporter to summarize what you said every few minutes during an interview. This typically gives you a better chance to clarify and reiterate key points.

92. Repeat your key couple of messages, so it’s more likely to make it in the story.

93. Refrain from saying “no comment” if you can’t answer a question. Explain why you’d prefer not to answer.

94. Remain flexible with the reporter, even if he or she decides to take the story in a direction that isn’t ideal in your eyes.

95. Assume anything you say will be printed or stated by the journalist. Avoid saying “off the record” unless the reporter verbally agrees to keep what you’re about to say out of the story.

96. Work with one news outlet at a time on a story.

97. Talk in short sentences, using simple English.

98. Avoid slang, industry vernacular or abbreviations.

99. Provide a business card with your name, title, and what numbers to reach you at both during and after business hours.

100. Contact the reporter every few weeks, to remain top of mind, and find out when the publication or air date will be.

101. Post on your website and other online outlets footage of you on television. Have someone record or videotape the segment while on television, just in case the station can’t or won’t provide you with a copy.

102. Propose being on a local Sunday show or early morning show, which often gives you 20 minutes to highlight your business.

103. Pre-write tweets and a blog post, so you can quickly tell friends, family, clients and supporters when the story runs without losing time.

A Few Important Don’ts

104. Don’t cold call. Warm up the reporter by sending an e-mail first, with a paragraph spelling out the bottom line of the story idea, then follow up with a call a few hours or a day later, depending on the urgency of the story.

105. If you must cold call due to time constraints, never call after 3 p.m.

106. Don’t neglect your headline. Without a good one, you’re dead.

107. Don’t try to get an editor. Their mentality is often to help reporters eliminate mediocre story ideas. Reach out for reporters instead – they’re looking for material.

108. Don’t show up in the newsroom unannounced.

109. Don’t mail information in unsolicited.

The list might seem insanely a bit daunting. But if all you do is take one step in each category (and respect all of the Don’ts), you’re likely to gain more coverage than any of your competitors. The bottom line is: reach out, be helpful, and get busy.

I’ll hang out in the comments section to help out anyone who has questions. But quite frankly, I’d rather see you out there, connecting with reporters, selling stories about you and your fantastic business successes.

The publicity is there for the taking. All you have to do is ask.

Patrick Garmoe serves as social media strategist for PureDriven, a Minnesota digital marketing agency that specializes in helping businesses spread great ideas both online and offline, and offers a free, four-part online seminar to teach you how to garner online and offline attention for your business. You can reach Patrick on Twitter @Garmoe.

Top image from Yuri Arcurs Website

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Many small business owners and solopreneurs have one-person marketing and PR departments. A common complaint I hear is the lack of time to do PR. What a shame! PR, done right, has far-reaching benefits. This is why I’ve invited Monique Wells, a time management expert and coach, to write a guest post for us today. Monique tells us how we can MAKE time for PR.

So you’re a small business owner who wants to begin a do-it-yourself public relations campaign! You’ve got Elena’s arsenal of PR weapons at your disposal, and you are ready to get started.

Or are you? What about the errands that need to be run? The invoices that need to be sent? The phone and e-mail messages that need to be answered?

Don’t worry! There is a way of dealing with these mundane, repetitive tasks so that you will have time to devote to your public relations project.

I recently interviewed Brian Tracy, a time management and productivity expert whose principles and practices I admire. We talked at length about the concept of delegation for the entrepreneur or solopreneur, and what value it can add to your business.

When To Delegate

Brian spoke of what he calls “The 70% Rule,” saying, “If somebody can do [a task] 70% as well as you, [you should] delegate it, especially if it is not a major task…. As your business grows, you get someone to do the little things that are of low value so that you can do more of the things of high value.”

Given that solopreneurs by definition work alone, delegation means subcontracting or outsourcing, in today’s parlance.

Brian recommends casting a wide net when conducting your search. Tell people that you are looking for a virtual assistant or an on-site assistant and get referrals. Once you obtain a list of candidates, ask for references and follow up with those for whom the assistants have worked before. Be sure to ask about their work habits, their character, their punctuality, etc.

Never rely on your own judgment to make your hiring decision. Always solicit outside opinions. The end result – hiring the right person or team – will transform your life!

Brian stressed that the cost of outsourcing should always come from current revenues. If you don’t have current revenues, then you are not earning enough to hire a subcontractor.

Obstacles to Delegating

You may resist the idea of hiring an assistant for many reasons:

• Relinquishing power – you may want to retain 100% control of what goes on in your business
• Lack of trust – you may have had a bad experience with an assistant before
• Lack of time – you don’t know when you’ll find the time to train someone

But if you can imagine the benefits of doing so, and learn from the success stories of other entrepreneurs who have assistants, then you should put aside these concerns and decide that you are going to make the situation work for you.

Tips to Delegate Successfully

Whether your assistant is virtual or on-site, follow these steps to maximize the success of your relationship:

• Clearly define the tasks to be undertaken.
• State the expected results and explain their importance.
• Consider the resources required (if any).
• Identify the authority level that is being assigned – example: Does the person need to check with you before sending out an e-mail message for your business?
• Make deadlines clear.
• Inform those who may need to know that you have hired someone.
• Keep an open line of communication with the assistant and provide support.
• Evaluate performance periodically.
• Provide feedback on results.

There are many PR activities that an assistant can take care for for you, such as:

• Scanning traditional and social media for PR opportunities
• Sending out media pitches
• Collecting contact information for your media list
• Brainstorming story ideas
• Responding to PR-related emails and inquiries
• Updating your media kit
• Submitting press releases to traditional media and online PR sites
• Scheduling press interviews

As you can see, you don’t have to do all the PR work by yourself — even if you can’t afford to hire a PR professional or retain the services of a PR agency. You can delegate the smaller tasks to an assistant and free yourself to focus on your messaging, interacting with media, and giving interviews or content to obtain more exposure for your business.

What are your questions, concerns or experiences with delegating and outsourcing? We’d love to know what you think. Submit them as a comment below, or send them to Elena via Twitter or Facebook.

Monique Y. Wells is the Paris Muse of Time Management™. She helps women solopreneurs who work from home “get over the overwhelm” that they experience during the workday. Monique owns two small businesses, and has over ten years of experience in maximizing productivity within the constraints of the number of hours available for work each day. Find her at understandingtimemanagement.com

Top image by Kirstea

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When we first started working with Dongbu HiTek in 2001, it was a start-up semiconductor manufacturer based in Korea wanting to enter the North American market. Though its parent company was worth $11 billion, Dongbu was going to enter a competitive market mostly buying from strong competitors in Taiwan and China. It was virtually unknown in the semiconductor industry and had no relationships with key media and analyst influencers in the US.

In 10 years we have provided the gamut of technology PR and marketing communications services for Dongbu – writing, media relations, trade show and event management, marketing collateral development, and much more.  We have also done PR projects for them in Europe and Asia.
Although we now work with clients on online strategies, a decade ago there was no Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn. No one was blogging, getting inbound links or using SEO to get found. We built relationships with Dongbu’s key influencers the old-fashioned way – one person at a time.

In an increasingly digital world, don’t underestimate the power of building long-term and personal relationships. The lessons below still apply today.

1. Send a regular stream of news.

One of the key things we do with clients is to develop a news release calendar identifying new products, customers, partnerships, milestones, events and anything that communicates the company is growing or executing on its vision. The news is then sent out on a regular basis to media, analysts and other influencers.

Reporters often won’t write about you the first time they hear about you. They want to know that you are creating something their readers want to know about, that your management is sound, that your company is well-funded enough to deliver your product or service. At least once a month, we reached out to inform reporters of what Dongbu was up to. Doing so kept the company top of mind with the reporter and reminded them why they should be covering Dongbu.

2. Be a source, not just a bullhorn.

It’s not always about your company. By looking out for the bigger picture and trying to help a reporter, you can position yourself as a true source and expert and have more PR opportunities come your way.

As a way of keeping in touch, we sometimes send competitive or industry news to a reporter with some comments, and in effect saying: “Did you see this?” It opens the lines of communication and sometimes if the reporter wants to write a follow up story, they may ask Dongbu’s spokesperson to comment. It’s not pitching our client directly, but having them comment on an overview or industry piece helps establish thought leadership for the company.

3. Make it personal.

From tweets to emails and phone calls, take it even further and meet your media, blogger or analyst in person. There is nothing like a face-to-face meeting to solidify a relationship – whether over a casual cup of coffee, a visit to your office (or theirs), a more formal dinner or even at a busy trade show booth.

In a niche industry, we chose to cultivate relationships with just a handful of people, some of whom have gone to visit Dongbu’s facilities all the way in Korea.

Ten years later, although many of our contacts have played musical chairs in different publications, they are still easily accessible and engage with us, and are willing to brainstorm with us possible ideas to write about Dongbu, even topics that Dongbu can contribute articles for. One of our key analysts has worked with Dongbu — free of charge — to help them host panel discussions. It’s a two-way and mutually beneficial relationship.

If you’re serious about being in business for the long-term, a little relationship building will go a long way. Just be consistent about it.

Thought leadership doesn’t happen overnight. Neither do relationships in business or with the media. Taking the time to sow good seeds, nurturing them carefully and with patience, will allow you to reap the return of a bountiful harvest — sometimes sooner, sometimes later.
Despite the adverse effects of the economy, Dongbu has continued to maintain its leadership and now holds the position as the sixth largest pure-play semiconductor foundry in the world.

“In the last 10 years, our partnership with Cross Border Communications has been extremely valuable to us. If you seek a PR agency that will be a significant key player in your company’s growth and marketing efforts, Cross Border is definitely the group to work with.”

Aabid Husain, VP Sales & Marketing, Dongbu HiTek

How are you currently building relationships with media or other opinion makers and influencers in your industry?

Share your insights in the comments below. Or send them to me through Twitter or Facebook.

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Today’s post is written by Patrick Garmoe, a former reporter for newspapers in three midwest cities. He is a digital marketing specialist who loves helping businesses spread good ideas through social media and search engine optimization. Patrick also works with me as a senior associate at Cross Border Communications.

This post was originally published at Spinsucks.com.

I spent 10 years as a reporter in the BT (Before Twitter) era. Now as a social media strategist and public relations professional, I’ve found Twitter to be my primary and most successful method of building and maintaining relationships with reporters. It’s brought myself and clients I work with tens of thousands of dollars in free press coverage.

One public relations agency I work with even grew out of a connection made on Twitter. And that’s perhaps the main reason I advise every public relations professional to become a regular. Just like real life, you communicate with a large circle of professionals, but the bulk of the benefits come from just a handful of clients or connections you make over months and years.

I consider Twitter the tool that delivers tangible value in great gulps, so long as you commit to it for a year.

Skeptical? Here’s exactly how I use it. This will work both for one-person shops and advertising agencies trying to build a following to use for clients.

How to Find Journalists on Twitter

1. Find the reporters by searching through Muckrack or Media on Twitter.

2. Peruse “contact us” pages for your local media outlets, to track down Twitter names (@name) of reporters. Be Helpful Especially When it Doesn’t Help You Directly

3. Watch for tweets asking for help like the one below, especially on deadline. That’s the quickest way to strike up a relationship with a reporter.

4. Monitor and post with the hashtags of the town or topic you or your client is involved in. Even if the reporters don’t post there, they monitor the channel for interesting ideas to create stories and nuggets about.

5. Say something nice about a story the reporter wrote or aired, making sure you add the reporter’s Twitter name to the comment. When possible, link to the story.

6. Retweet their tweets, especially when they’re linking to their stories.

7. Offer to connect them to experts you know who you think will genuinely help them on their beats.

8. Thank them via Twitter for covering an event you attended, especially if you were able to chat with the reporter. This helps solidify the new contact.

9. Look out for story ideas for them, not just big stories but follow up pieces on stories they’ve already done.

10. Thank them especially when they do write about an idea you pitched.

11. Take note of something in the reporter’s Twitter bio when sending an initial tweet, so the journalist knows you took a moment to learn about them.

12. Extend the relationship to other social networks, if they’re more active elsewhere, or get their e-mail – still the end goal.

13. Congratulate them on their birthdays or other news they tweet about themselves.

14. Highlight them on your own blog.

15. Now it’s your turn. Please post a way you use Twitter to assist with working with journalists.

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