How to Get Testimonials for Your Business
As I was going through some blogs and websites for entrepreneurs and small businesses, the ones that had the most impact used testimonials on their site. Why? It gives me, who may be a new reader on their site, proof of how good their service or product is. It shows readers how much other people have tried and tested their product/service and how satisfied they were. So, to get a testimonial that will boost your business, here are some quick tips.
- Make it easy for them to say YES by guiding them on what you want highlighted in the testimonial. Most people don’t like to write so ask just 3 – 5 questions on how did your product work for them? How were you to work with? What did they like? What could you do better (this is also great research for you in terms of product development) – ask whatever question will serve your needs best. From the answers, craft a testimonial and ask them to approve it. Read more
How To Get Over The Comparison Trap
“How Does She Do It?” is a common question we wonder when success appears so effortless for others and we’re not getting the results we want. But, it’s when we look externally for validation and confirmation that our ideas have value that self-doubt can be triggered and we fall into the trap.
So…I’d like to invite you to participate in the FREE How Does She Do It? Tele-series happening October 16th and 17th by registering here http://www.how09.com
The simplest way to describe this series is this:
It’s like Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty but… for business.
Dove placed the spotlight on “the comparison trap” as it relates to body image and self-esteem issues that result from beauty stereotypes.
This thought-provoking interview series exposes the comparison trap as it relates to “success” stereotypes and draws attention to how our knee-jerk reaction to compare ourselves to others or to “model success” the wrong way sabotages authenticity and confidence.
The series also reveals the top five challenges that women in business online commonly face and directs the how does she do it question to these relevant topics with the intention of protecting your authenticity.
So, are you ready to join us in drawing a line in the sand?
Are you ready to break free from the cookie-cutter/copycat approach to modeling success so you can create success your way, authentically and with confidence?
I’m proud to be one of 16 successful women who are speaking up to reveal our own experiences with comparison. Our goal is to provide valuable insight, share lessons learned and inspire you to take YOUR next steps all from a caring and supportive approach that protects your authenticity.
The event is sponsored by IAWBO, the International Association of Women in Business Online and your free registration also includes a starter membership as well as contest prizes to be won!
Again, the tele-series starts October 16th at 9:00 am CST and you can listen to the interviews FREE when you register at http://www.how09.com
I’d love to get the conversation started – are you in a comparison trap? How do YOU handle it?
How to Get PR With InfoWorld
It was fun catching up with Sean McCown, contributing editor of InfoWorld Magazine, one of the most respected and oldest IT magazines around which focuses on enterprise technologies and large scale applications. Having worked in technology PR for many years, Sean is the type of editor that’s a pleasure to work with…if you know your stuff!
Even if your company isn’t in technology, you’ll benefit from listening to an experienced journalist like Sean tell it like it is: “If you can’t capture my interest in the subject of your email” then you don’t have much chance of getting good PR. Find out what makes Sean “throw away a press release almost instantly” and how he encourages entrepreneurs to be authentic and give a good passionate pitch themselves since “really good PR is expensive!”
Sean McCown’s blogs can be found at:
How To Get PR On The Rise To The Top TV Show
Listen to my interview with David Siteman Garland – writer, producer and award-winning host of the hit ABC-TV series The Rise to The Top, which has inspired over 500,000 entrepreneurs in its first season.
The Rise to The Top empowers learning and inspiration for young and young-at-heart entrepreneurs through the TV show, events and resources on the website. You can learn from entrepreneurs such as Maxine Clark of Build a Bear Workshop and social media superstar Gary Vaynerchuk of Wine Library TV.
If you’re an entrepreneur or mompreneur, you’ll want to hear David’s tips on getting PR coverage on his TV show and online PR such as “just introduce yourself, refer to something you may have seen on the show and include a buzz point or what’s exciting in your business.”
Hurry and listen now, David’s energy is contagious (his show will probably be national if not international soon) and at the moment he reads every email, yup, every email that comes his way so if you have an interesting story to tell, make sure he hears about YOU!
Simply click below to start the recording!
How To Get PR With SavvyMom
UPDATE: While our site is being updated with new audio features you can CLICK HERE to listen to the interview!
How to Be A Journalist Source and Get PR
A few months ago I wrote about how mompreneurs and entrepreneurs can access HARO or Help A Reporter Out, which is a free service where you sign up and three times a day an email is sent out with 10 – 15 reporters looking for experts or “journalist sources” to interview and quote for their story. By signing up, you can proactively contact reporters and get PR for your company.
It’s a great way to learn what types of stories are being written about, magazines that may be reaching your target market that you didn’t know about, and make personal connections with reporters who may write about you and your company.
Now, there is a similar service targeting the Canadian market called Journalist Source. Check it out at www.journalistsource.ca
If you’ve had experience and/or success with either HARO or Journalist Source, I’d love to hear about it.
How To Build Your Own Media List
One of the key components for getting PR is a Media List. After all, once you have your press release or story that you want to send to a reporter, how are you going to contact them?
A media list is simply a list of reporters, their contact information and the name of the magazine, newspaper or website that they write for. A good media list is customized and researched so that each reporter or magazine covers the type of product or service that you offer. In turn, your product or service is appropriate to the readers of that publication.
When planning PR, know that consultants and agencies can charge thousands of dollars to put together a media list for you, since there could be hundreds of editors and their magazines to research and target.
If you have the time and want to build your own media list, take 30 minutes a week and do some research.
• What do YOU read? List your favorite papers, magazines, websites and even TV and radio shows that may be interested in featuring your company.
• What do your customers read? If you can find just one website they are reading, chances are that website will have sponsors, partners or a resources page where you can find other media that your customers may be browsing. And so on, and so on.
• Who accepts submissions for new products? Most likely it will be a new products editor, news editor or in smaller publications, the editor-in-chief.
• Read the magazine and note if there is a columnist or reporter that is most likely to cover you for a feature story or interview.
I can bet that you have your favorite set of writers you follow and often think, my product or service would be perfect for them…if only they knew about it!
If you do this every week, by the end of the year you will have built up 52 solid contacts that may be writing about your company.
Update: 50% off sale on Mom Media List – they’ll be gone after Feb. 28, 2010
If you’re a mom entrepreneur wanting to jumpstart getting PR with no time to waste, do check out my media list for moms with hundreds of reporters here. I won’t be doing an updated list for 2010, so this is your last chance to get a copy. You can download a free sample from the page if you’d like to see what it looks like.
What To Do When You Piss People Off (aka as Getting Bad PR)
No matter what business you’re in, eventually you’ll piss someone off.
I’m not talking getting bad PR or a major crisis management campaign like laying off 500 people, or having a product recall where you have a gazillion journalists and customers to deal with. I’m talking about preserving your reputation with the more common one-off “your product or service is not good enough” emails or blog comments, your social media network saying your personality leaves much to be desired, or in another scenario, you jump to the next curve and are 10x better than the status quo and well, it tends to rile people up.
It’s always best to plan ahead, but let’s get real…most of the time, we don’t have the time, and are caught reacting to bad PR.
When this happens, what should you do?
1. Act Quickly – use the internet and your social network to find out what’s being said about you. Today (yes today), set up Google Alerts so that emails come to you whenever you or your company is mentioned on the net. On Twitter for example, you can use Tweetdeck to search tweets you may have missed (don’t just search your @name, search company name and possible abbreviations too) and although I’m just getting on Facebook, I’m sure there’s that function too. On vacation? Make sure someone is monitoring your customer service email account.
2. Assess the Situation – with small businesses the most common complaint is that your product or service did not deliver as promised. Find out what went wrong – remember that your customer WANTS you to succeed. They believed in you enough to buy your product in the first place so don’t be defensive and use the opportunity to let them help you make it better. They are not the enemy. Said something inappropriate? Take your hat in hand and apologize quickly before a firestorm starts.
3. Admit the Truth – the worst thing to do, is to do nothing. That just signifies guilt. So, in your communications whether to customers, your network or to the press, you need to get the truth out, and the truth can mean:
a. The story isn’t true
b. The story stretches the truth
c. The story is true (and therefore you are working to solve the problem)
Take your stance and start talking. And for goodness sake’s don’t be whiny.
4. Make Amends – I saw a sign the other day that says it takes 6 months to win a new client, and 60 seconds to lose them. A little goes a long way in taking action and making amends. New product substitute? A little extra service? A free upgrade? A full refund and apology? Often, your customer is happy with less than you think. What you are comfortable offering also depends on the severity of the situation (refer back to point #3).
And finally, on jumping the curve on a product or service and creating a group of naysayers, here are other thoughts to ponder from the experts:
Silicon Valley venture capitalist and former Apple evangelist Guy Kawasaki has said in The Art of Innovation that you need to be willing to polarize people. When you create a product or service that some people love, don’t be surprised when others hate it. Your goal is to catalyze passion- pro or anti. The only result that should offend you or scare you is lack of interest.
Innovation guru Robert Scoble in a recent article on Facebook says that sometimes, a true leader doesn’t listen to what anyone thinks – even the customer. A leader does what he or she thinks is best for his business.
And for my mompreneur readers, check out how Heather Armstrong, a famous blogger mom at Dooce handles some hate (jealousy?) mail.
What do you have in place for handling bad PR? Would love your thoughts.
For more tips on how to do PR or if would like to explore doing PR yourself, you can check out my ebook for entrepreneurs, moms and small businesses.
“Elena, I loved it!…YOUR BOOK WAS THE BEST AND THE MOST VALUABLE LESSON I HAVE LEARNED SINCE I STARTED MY BUSINESS.”
Natallia Antanovich
Organic by Nature
(Editor’s Note: Those capital letters, written by Natallia. More testimonials are here)
When and How to Work with a PR Consultant
With my mompreneur businesses, I’ve seen huge growth spurts when I let go of my perfectionist and controlling side and delegate. I focus on my natural gifts – the tasks I can spend all day doing and still be energized afterwards and also make money at. Getting PR, joint ventures, business development and creating winning teams and products are my strengths. Accounting, website maintenance, administrative and repetitive tasks are necessary, time consuming and do not contribute to revenues coming in, so I delegate those.
It’s hard at first, to find the balance between profitability and hiring someone to help you. What I’ve found is the initial dip in profits eventually corrects itself as my team becomes more efficient and I can truly focus on what I love to do and work on the business, instead of in the business. At the end of the day, you are working on a business that needs to be profitable in order to survive. Right?
You may consider outsourcing PR to a consultant or agency if you provide products or services that are difficult to differentiate in the marketplace.
Professional publicists can help you with key messaging that will resonate with your target customers and media. PR professionals can also help you with more advanced publicity techniques and pulling together more comprehensive media lists and editorial calendars.
You would be staggered by the sheer opportunity that exists out there. Last year when we pulled from our database the media that are doing “holiday gift guides”, we came up with more than 300 opportunities! There’s no scarcity of places that you could promote your company.
If you do choose to work with a consultant (PR firms/agencies tend to cost twice as much, but have more resources than individual consultants), here are some things you’ll need to consider:
Goals. The positioning of your company in its market is essential. Determine how you want to be perceived.
Expectations. Assessing the newsworthiness or perception of your company’s products, services and other announcements is key. Be realistic.
Budget. Levels of communication programs vary. Costs vary too. Establishing a budget will keep you on track and allow you to wisely appropriate funds in the right projects.
Expertise. Familiarity with your specific industry is a plus, as it reduces a learning curve. However, experienced communications professionals can often hit the ground running.
References/Reliability. Past and present clients provide a proven track record and allow you to get to know working ethics and style. Make sure to check references.
Long-term vs. Project Basis. From your own goals, determine what you’ll require. Working on a per project basis allows you to complete existing projects, carry-out specific programs and helps companies with limited budgets. A long-term partnership can give you the advantage of having the same person strategically plan and execute your entire PR program for consistency and easier management.
Also remember that PR programs typically take a few months to gain momentum because media publishing schedules are often a few months ahead. So if you want to get into Oprah’s December issue, sometimes you may have to think about Christmas in July!
As with any outside consultant, you need to feel comfortable with them and their expertise – otherwise you won’t get your money’s worth. There are many companies out there that would love your business…find one you like!
4 Types of Headlines That Will Get Media Attention
When you’re writing press releases or pitches to help get your existing, or new business PR, always start with the headline first. It helps keep you focused on the ONE point you may want to get across and then content should flow from there.
Reporters are so busy, receiving hundreds of emails, voicemails and requests for their time that a headline has to grab attention in order for you to get PR. The first thing they see is the headline – so the 10 seconds it takes to glance at the headline is the deciding factor whether they will read your pitch further or throw it in the trash.
I’ll tackle other types of headlines in future posts, but in the meantime, here are four headline ideas for pitching a reporter on your business:
1. News Headline – to be effective, this actually has to be news! Examples are when you first launched your company or new product, awards for your company, and major company milestones.
- MonthlySocks.com offers North America its first socks-by-mail subscription service
- Babyclothing company launches spring clothing line only in the color green
- Elena Verlee awarded World Entrepreneur of the Year Award (hey, I can dream can’t I?)
2. How to Headline – the basic premise of this type of headline is that you are going to teach someone how to do something. You can make it even more appealing by using a structure such as “How to (Do this task) That (will give you this benefit).
- How to Get Your Kids to Read One Grade Level Higher
- How to Choose A Baby Carrier That Reduces Back and Shoulder Strain
- How Be a Thought Leader in a Crowded Marketplace
3. Question Headline – for this to work, it must be a question that the reporter’s audience (and therefore your target market) would really like to see answered.
- Would you (or your readers) like to get $1,000 worth of bike products for free?
- Do employers really know what moms are looking for in the workplace? (this is the result of a survey, which can be an effective PR tactic especially for start up businesses in a crowded marketplace)
- What are the top 5 business models for online businesses?
The last example combines a question and my favorite type of headline…
4. List Headline – who doesn’t love a top 10 list? This type of headline lists a number of reasons, ways or secrets where you make a specific promise to the reporter of what to expect if they read on. It also has the promise of communicating information that comes in bite-sized chunks.
- Top 20 Products that Soothe a Screaming, High-Needs or Colicky Baby
- The 10 Must-Do “Date-Nights” for Families
- 8 Lessons from a Life Coach
Another example of course, is the title of this post…
Remember, as with anything, if you do nothing…you get nothing. So take a few minutes now (yes, now) and brainstorm the types of headlines above that you can tailor to your business. Send a pitch today!
Since I am new to blogging, I’d sure appreciate a comment to let me know if you found this useful. Or, let me know what topic you would like me to address for you in a future post.
If you need help on writing a pitch, or are stuck on next steps in getting PR, check out my products and resources page here.
“Elena, I loved it!…YOUR BOOK WAS THE BEST AND THE MOST VALUABLE LESSON I HAVE LEARNED SINCE I STARTED MY BUSINESS.”
Natallia Antanovich
Organic by Nature
(Editor’s Note: Those capital letters, written by Natallia. More testimonials here)
And a lot more press