5 PR Opportunities in the New Facebook Pages
February 15, 2011 by Elena
Filed under Social Media
The social media world has been abuzz lately with all the new changes in Facebook pages. Actually, these changes are still optional, but many users have upgraded their pages and have been posting tons of articles and videos about what’s new.
I myself am one of the early adopters and I must say — I love the new Facebook pages!
The number one reason is because the changes make it easier than ever for us to use our company or product Facebook page to get more exposure and PR.
Not sure what I mean?
Here are five ways you can use the new features of your Facebook page to get more publicity:
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7 Questions To Ponder When Using LinkedIn
February 10, 2011 by Elena
Filed under Social Media
Today we have another guest post from Lewis Howes, former pro athlete and founder of SportsNetworker.com and the Sports Executives Association. Lewis is a social media expert and co-author of LinkedWorking: Generating Success on the World’s Largest Professional Networking Site. Get more LinkedIn tips on his blog.
It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of LinkedIn.
When I co-wrote the LinkedIn book LinkedWorking over a year ago with Frank Agin, there were around 30 million users. It has doubled to 60 million since then and it also has the highest average household income per user over the top social networking sites (currently $109,000 per user).
These stats excite me, and they should excite you as well if you are serious about your personal brand, your career, and your business.
Are you serious about that?
If so, then LinkedIn is THE place to bring your briefcase, build amazing relationships and get down to work.
Whether you are using LinkedIn aggressively, or you don’t even have a profile, there are a number of questions you should be asking yourself during the time you spend on this sexy business site.
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How to Give Product Samples to Media
February 8, 2011 by Elena
Filed under What Is PR and How Do You Get It
One of the best ways to get free publicity is to give samples of your product to the media. Sometimes, the media themselves will approach you, requesting a sample for them to photograph or review.
However, even if you don’t get such requests, you can be proactive in sending out samples.
Doing so demonstrates your confidence in your product. The media themselves –or someone they know and trust–can try your product first-hand and give an unbiased opinion on it.
Plus, it’s much easier and more compelling to write about a product that’s already in your hands, especially if it’s relevant to your beat (a topic assigned to reporters). For example, a beauty editor may be more likely to write about a new moisturizer if they receive a sample bottle to try.
That said, there are right and wrong ways of giving product samples. Below are some useful tips to remember:
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How I Rebuilt My Destroyed Confidence
I’m honored to again have as a guest, Cameron Herold, one of my mentors. Cameron is a coach to CEOs in large corporations all around the world. After helping build multi-million dollar companies, Cameron is now a sought-after speaker, coach, and mentor. But in this post, Cameron shares a past few of us would have imagined for him. However, the fact that he overcame his academic challenges is an inspiration to us all.
I’ve never been a good student. I got about 64% in both high school and university. I’ve never felt smart. I’ve often felt like I have no idea what I’m really doing. And I often feel like I must be doing something wrong otherwise how could it be so easy?
My mind would spin with thoughts of ‘How could someone that was always told by the education system they were a C or D student actually be smart enough to really teach CEOs how to grow companies?’
Something started to change for me about six years ago, when I was already 38 years old.
How to Get PR for Your Live Event
February 1, 2011 by Elena
Filed under What Is PR and How Do You Get It
You may not realize it, but having a live event is an excellent PR opportunity. The event itself is usually newsworthy. If you think it isn’t, then make it so!
Make the most of this opportunity by planning your PR efforts for every stage of your event, as you can see below:
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Press Release vs. Media Pitch: Which One Do You Need?
January 25, 2011 by Elena
Filed under Press Releases
One of the most common misconceptions about PR is that you need to distribute press releases to get media coverage.
Few people know you can get media exposure without writing a press release — many of my students have done it!
But first, what is a press release, how is it different from a media pitch, and when do you use one or the other?
Press Releases, Simplified
A press release can be a full-blown news article. It has a definite format and conventional style. It’s written in a journalistic tone, which is objective and impersonal.
To be successful, a press release must read like news and be worthy of being published as such. In fact, it should be complete enough to be published as is, or quoted in a bigger news item.
A well-written press release can also get you media interviews. That is, even if journalists don’t use the piece itself, the press release can pique their interest enough to contact you.
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Do You Still Need Traditional Media for PR?
January 18, 2011 by Elena
Filed under What Is PR and How Do You Get It
With the rise of social media, many “experts” have predicted the demise of traditional media, whether for information dissemination, advertising, marketing or PR.
In fact, one of our readers recently commented, “I am not so sure I need access to a traditional reporter anymore!”
While I encourage my clients and students to include social media in their PR strategy, I would not advise anybody to drop traditional media.
It may seem that traditional media is losing its usefulness. Many newspapers and magazines have folded up. More and more people are turning to social networks first to get the news. And popular bloggers are reaching incredible numbers of people.
All this is true.
However, we still need traditional media for PR. Here are five reasons why:
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10 Ways to Repurpose Your Media Coverage
Getting your business talked about in media — newspapers, magazines, radio, TV, and the Internet — is what PR is all about.
You rejoice every time you get media coverage. It’s an opportunity to reach more of your target market, as well as potential partners and investors.
However, there’s more to media coverage than just getting exposure.
It also adds to your perceived credibility and authority in your field. It gives social proof that you’re good at what you do, that your product delivers, that your business is legit.
Therefore, you should use any media coverage you get to maximize these benefits. Don’t just clip them and stick them into your media kit. Of course, you should be doing that — at the very least.
Below are 10 ways you can reuse and repurpose your media coverage:
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5 New Year’s Resolutions to Get More PR in 2011
January 7, 2011 by Elena
Filed under What Is PR and How Do You Get It
Another year has rolled in, and I hope one of your business goals is to get more PR for your business.
PR doesn’t have to cost you thousands of dollars or hundreds of hours to achieve. In fact, with a few well-ingrained, PR-attracting habits, you can easily become a virtual PR magnet.
Below are five resolutions that will help you get more PR in 2011:
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The Entrepreneur’s Transition Curve: 5 Stages
December 30, 2010 by Elena
Filed under Entrepreneurs
Today’s guest post is by Cameron Herold, who’s been coaching, speaking to, and helping entrepreneurs all over the world to build their companies. While COO at 1-800-GOT-JUNK, he helped build the company from revenues of $2M to $150M in just six years and built a PR team that landed the company over 5,000 media hits. Cameron blogs at BackPocketCOO.com.
Richard Branson, Bill Gates, and every entrepreneur I’ve ever met has ridden the roller coaster of running a business.
The key to riding it out is that you’ve really got two choices: You can hold on and scream, or you can wave your hands in the air and have fun. Either way, you’re going to ride it.
I didn’t come up with the idea of the Transition Curve but what I figured out what entrepreneurs should or shouldn’t do when they are at each stage. It’s one thing to identify the feelings at each stage, and another thing entirely to know what to do when you’re on the ride itself.
WARNING: DO NOT THINK THESE WON’T HAPPEN TO YOU. IF YOU’RE HUMAN THEY WILL!!
And more 
