What To Do Once You Land A Media Interview: Part 2

May 1, 2013 Leave a comment

KELLY RIPA, MICHAEL STRAHAN (FILE PHOTO)In my last article, I reviewed some of the points to focus on when doing a media interview.  You’d be surprised at how many people spend time, money and effort into landing an interview, and then put very little, if any, time into preparing for when that coveted interview finally materializes.   That’s a mistake you don’t want to make.  An interview can quite literally be the springboard that launches a company, film, practice, service or product.  But to do so it has to be strategically approached.  It needs to be prepared for.  You need to know your talking points and practice delivering them.

In part one of What To Do Once You Land A Media Interview, I reviewed six points to keep in mind.  Some are obvious, but I’ve found that the obvious points are the ones that most clients tend to forget.  Why?  Because they seem so obvious.  So, never neglect the obvious.

Below are six more tips to review before doing any interview.  Some of these points seem to apply specifically to TV, but that’s not always the case.  Even if you’re doing a phone interview, keeping all of these tips in mind will help you deliver a strong impactful interview

7)  Lead with your most important points.  Interviews can be very short.  If you don’t lead with what’s important, you may have missed your chance.

8)  Breathe.  People have a tendency to hold their breath when nervous, which only creates more anxiety.  Remember to breathe.

9)  Smile.  I’ve seen more media opportunities ruined by people who have refused to smile during their interviews.  Looking grave does not make you appear more profound, it makes you look dull and somber.  Even if you’re doing a phone interview in your pajamas – smile.

10)  Listen.  Don’t anticipate questions.  Don’t think that you know what the interviewer is asking.  Wait until the question is asked and then respond.

11)  If you get momentarily confused, or lose your train of thought, that’s okay.  It happens to everyone.  Take a deep breath and start again.

12)  It’s alright to ask the interviewer to repeat a question.  The last thing you want to do is give an answer to a question you don’t fully understand.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2013

Filed under Uncategorized Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Secret to Marketing Benefits and Solutions

March 29, 2013 Leave a comment

illuminativeWhen it comes to PR and marketing, the focus should not be on selling but on effectively communicating your solutions.  But even before that, before you get to your benefits and solutions, your prospects have to realize that they indeed have a problem that you can solve.

True, you want to focus on the benefits, not the features of your business.   But that’s not enough you can read a laundry list of benefits and leave a prospect bored and ready to walk.  Your prospects need to understand why they need the benefits your touting.  You have to speak in their language.  You need to explain why those benefits can be the solution to some of their biggest problems.

When we pitch the media, we have to look at our pitch from the editor’s or producer’s perspective.  If we don’t pitch towards their needs, the conversation is going to fall on deaf ears.  It’s the same with pitching a potential client.  Look at the situation from their perspective.  .

Your benefits and your features are important, but only if the person you’re talking to perceives that they are important to him or her.  If your prospects don’t perceive that you can solve their problems, you can give the most compelling pitch, but it will fall on deaf ears.

Keep in mind what they’re thinking and what their problems are.  Then illustrate how your service or product helps solve those problems.  Do that and, believe me, they’ll not only listen, they’ll take action.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2013

Filed under Uncategorized Tagged with , , , , , , , ,

From Guest Blogger, Ann Convery: Want the Real Secrets of a Super Star? Ask Will Smith

March 27, 2013 Leave a comment

FILM Smith 1Hi ,

Years ago, Will Smith was doing OK
as a rising TV star and movie actor.

But he was dead clear about his goal:
he wanted to be the biggest movie
star in the world.

So he and his manager studied
the 10 top-grossing movies of all time.

10 out of 10 had special effects.
9 out of 10 had special effects with creatures.
8 out of 10 had special effects with creatures and a love story.

They found the sweet spot in the market.

So they found a special effects script
with creatures and a love story.

Matthew Perry dropped out of
“Independence Day” at the last minute,
and Smith was in.

It was the highest grossing movie of 1996.

“Men in Black” didn’t do too badly either.

By age 44, Will Smith had accrued $4.4 Billion
in box office receipts.

What does this mean for you?

Will Smith’s success is no accident.
He studied the market and
made it happen.

Will Smith, and it might surprise you,
Elton John, Paul McCartney, and Mick Jagger
plotted their rise to the top.

If you want to go from where you are
to the top of your field, take this little test:

Have you actually studied your rise to the top?

Do you have a juicy, mouth-watering vision,
in living color, of what life will be like when you
get there?

Do you know what the sweet spot is
in your market?

Do you know what your market craves
and can’t get enough of?

Do you know what draws people to you and makes them
want you, you, you?

Do you know how to create that?

Think Will Smith. Bruce Willis. Tom Cruise.

Their star power is not an “accident of birth.”

Smith studied every actor, like Don Cheadle,
who came on “Fresh Prince” to learn the
secrets of what made them good.

Do you study the stars in your market
to see what makes them stand out?

Do you know how your market sees you now?

Do you know how to reposition
yourself for amazing success?

Do you have a mentor who can take
you there?

And by the way, you need that
juicy, mouth-watering vision from
the top right now.

Research proves that without a
crystal clear picture of your success,
you’ll never believe you can get there.

So you won’t have the motivation
to get going.

So you stay where you are.

Success is not fairy dust.

It’s more than hard work.

It’s a series of deliberate, planned, calculated,
shrewd moves.

If you answered “yes” to 8 out of
10 questions…

World – Stand back!

You’re on your way.

And..

There’s 1 spot left in the Private Accelerator
Program for entrepreneurs who are hell-bent
on reaching the top.

If this is you, and you’ve got butterflies
just thinking about it –
Good sign.

Send a quick email to annc@annconvery.com with “Ann, I’m interested” in the subject line.I
I’ll send you a one-page application so we can see if you’re a good fit for this high-octane ride.

Copyright © Ann Convery 2012

McMullen, Marion. “The Secret of Will Smith’s Success.” Photo. Coventry Telegraph. 12 Jun 2012. 27 Mar 2013. <http://blogs.coventrytelegraph.net/passtheremote/2012/06/the-secret-of-will-smiths-succ.html&gt;

Filed under art Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Be– Do–Have: Life’s Success Formula

March 22, 2013 Leave a comment

success formulaYou might have heard of the be – do – have cycle.   According to this theory, who you are (being) leads you to do (doing) which then leads you to have (having).

Makes sense, yet, we’re conditioned to believe the exact opposite.

The general formula for how life works goes:

You need to have (power, money, fame, etc.)

So you can do (something),

So you can then be (important, successful, loved, etc.)

It’s a confusing phenomenon.

That inverted formula has become the norm, the accepted theory of how life works – but is a difficult way to lead your life.

We’re taught that unless we have there’s not much we can do, and certainly nothing we can be.

According to that way of thinking, intrinsically we’re not worth much.

In fact that’s really not how life works at all.

be do formulaSo, you wonder what does this have to do with PR or marketing?

Basically the thinking process is the same.

Many people feel that they can’t market until they have reached a certain plateau (have).

They can comfortably market (do),

So they can become successful (be).

As with just about everything else in this article, that thinking is completely backwards.

If you have a good product, a valuable service or have created some amazing work, then the time to market is now.

You already are intrinsically valuable and completely unique (being)

You can now let the world know about you and your company, business, service, product (doing)

Which in turn will bring you sales, clients, customers, wealth, etc. (having)

Give the formula a shot.  You might be surprised.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2013

Filed under Entrepreneur PR Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Why Placements In Small Media Outlets Can Be Gold

March 20, 2013 Leave a comment

small media outletsNot long ago I had a conversation with a prospective client.  He was confused by some of the media I had suggested targeting for his campaign.  He wanted us to go big, fast.  As he explained, his story was hot, big; we should go directly to USA Today, People, CNN, and the New York Times.  This was a new filmmaker that no one has ever heard of, with a new film that is still in pre-production.  No producers or editors were knocking on his door, still, he was sure they would and he didn’t want to waste his time on smaller outlets.

I did my best to explain the process.  You build a groundswell, start to generate some media interest and go from there.  PR is a cumulative process.  It works, but it takes time to gain momentum.  I walked him through another client’s campaign where it began slowly and then picked up steam.  It began with a small newspaper article, followed by a local NPR story, a larger newspaper then picked it up, that lead to the New Yorker, which caught the eye of the Colbert Report, CBS then became interested.  We then pinched and landed a piece in People magazine.  It was a consistent build.  If we had started by pitching People, chances are they would have passed on the story.  I explained that those first smaller placements are not necessarily important in and of themselves (although they can be), but that they offer us ammunition to help land interviews and stories in larger media outlets.  He listened and nodded and said it made sense and that he understood.

Then after about an hour conversation he said it all made sense but insisted that he not be pitched to smaller outlets because they were beneath him and didn’t have the readership his story demanded.  I told him a story about another client we worked with a few years back.  We initially placed him in a very small regional media outlet.  I then used that story to pitch Oprah and our client’s second media appearance was on Oprah.   I was about to explain the entire process one more time and illustrate why the small media placements are important because they help us land bigger, more mainstream media outlets, but decided not to.  Instead, I thanked him for the meeting and suggested we both think about possible next steps.

His campaign would have never been successful, because he wouldn’t have allowed it to be.  His preconceived ideas of how the campaign should work all but guaranteed that it never would work.  He can teach all of us a powerful lesson.  Whatever endeavor you’re involved in, if you start with a set-in-stone view of how it has to unfold, I guarantee you you’ll stop it from unfolding organically.  You’ll be cheating yourself and will never know just how amazingly successful it could have been.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2013

Filed under Marketing Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Building The Bridge Between Your Art & Your Audience

March 11, 2013 Leave a comment

artist audiencePerhaps the most difficult aspect to working as an artist is to find a path or direction.  It’s not like being a physician, or an attorney.  There is no true roadmap to follow that leads you from school to your basic career track.  Some artists are schooled in their craft, others are self taught.  And for each artist out there, there is an individual career track.  It is a singular individualized process.  There are practical aspects that need to be considered, but a good part of succeeding in the arts is intuitive.  To be honest, a good part of succeeding in any field is intuitive.

If you’re creating art for art’s sake, that’s fine, but if you want to make a career out of your art and to be both financially and artistically successful, you need to approach your career realistically.

 

grunge brushes. isolatedAs an artist you need to define:

your art,

your market,

your direction,

your marketing,

your media.

You need to view marketing and PR as a part of your career description.  You need to view marketing as an art form, one you can refine and tailor it specifically to your art, your personality, your market and your message.  Get excited about your marketing.  Play with it.  Have fun with it.  View it as a creative challenge.  It is the road that can lead you to a successful career; the bridge between your art and your audience.  Give it the care and respect it deserves

Turn your marketing into an art.  Have fun with it and give it the respect it deserves

Intention leads to inspiration.

Prepare:  Practice signing your autograph.  I know.  It sounds silly, but do it.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2013

Filed under art Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Art of Music Marketing

March 6, 2013 Leave a comment

music marketingBack when I was still managing musicians you could take a cassette to an A&R rep, drag him or her down to see a band perform and if they struck the right chord (so to speak) the label could take over from there.  Times have changed.

Truth is even if a label does get excited about an act or a singer; now a days they’re as much in the dark about how to launch a new artist as anyone else.  Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating it a bit.  The labels still have some clout.  But you basically follow my drift.

The bad news is there is no longer that huge well oiled machine that can take a band, run them through the process, and pop out a potential mega star.  Although, truth be told that machine was not always a benevolent one and quite a few artists lost their sound, persona and soul while being run through the process.

The good news is more artists have a shot at getting their music out there.  Production costs are miniscule compared to what they used to cost.  More and more artists are able to control the process and more albums, CDs, Downloads (whatever) are being produced.

The really tricky part now is how, without the help of a label, artists can get their music heard.  It’s tricky but not impossible.  Musicians that realize that marketing is now a part of their job description can take their fate into their own hands.  Yes, the music is the thing, but musicians who focus on their look, image, PR, guerrilla marketing, social media outreach can still reach a formidable market.

It takes work time and dedication, but not that long ago this type of individualized outreach was not possible.  Without a label there was little chance of finding a real market.  Times have changed.  Chances are no A&R rep is going to make you into the next rock superstar, but you now have the control box in your hands.  Use it!

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2013

Filed under Marketing Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

PR Tip of the Day: Brainstorming & Outlining your PR Objective

March 2, 2013 Leave a comment

why-social-learning-benefits-your-business-e638abeebfBefore you launch a PR, social media or marketing campaign, you want to make sure that you’ve outlined your objectives and thoroughly mined your stories.  One of the best ways to do this is to set up a marketing brainstorming session.  To start, sit down and make a list of objectives that you want to achieve before starting the process.  You don’t want to limit your ideas, but you do want to define objectives you’re setting out to accomplish.  When it comes to PR and marketing brainstorming, your goal is to come up with a list of the most important story ideas including new business concepts, the unique value you offer, important information you can give your, and anecdotal stories that illustrate how you  work.  Also spend some time focusing on how and why you can present yourself as an expert in your overall field.  The media needs experts and talking heads to explain various fields.  Present yourself as that expert.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2013

 

 

Filed under Marketing Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

How to Increase Your Chances of Press Coverage

February 6, 2013 Leave a comment

wall-street-journalComing up with your story ideas, developing your pitches, building your media lists, defining your target market, and writing your initial press release are some of the steps you need to take when launching your public relations campaign.  But those are only the initial, basic steps.  Whereas many people think that coming up with pitch ideas and sending out press releases is all it takes to launch a media relations or publicity campaign, those are simply the initial steps.

Whereas many people think that sending out press releases is how you launch a media relations or publicity campaign, it’s simply one step.  Press releases are important, but generally they’re overrated.  Too many people are under the impression that once they write and send out a release or place a release on one of the paid wire services such as PR Newswire that the media will then come to them.  Truth be told the media is inundated with so many press releases on a daily, even hourly basis that they largely tend to be ignored.  We’re in the information overload era and that’s only going to get worse.  The media is now being pitched via mail, email, social media, phone, etc.  Having worked as a journalist and as a magazine editor, I can tell you from experience, that being in the media; it’s difficult not to feel assaulted by the number of releases and pitches that are sent.

-1That’s why it’s important not to rely solely on releases. .The following are some related activities you can try to stay in the news.

  • Hold a press conference.  But only do this if it’s really warranted.  Remember that media may not show up unless you have something or someone compelling to show them. Make the call to action very, very clear.
  • Contact journalists via social media outlets.  Don’t just pitch them, communicate with them.
  • Send product samples to key journalists.
  • Develop “champions”- high-profile individuals benefiting from your product or service.
  • Monitor the press for opportunities to respond to reported issues that allow you to talk about your own business.
  • Watch what your competitors are doing in the press.  If their ideas are working for them, follow their lead.
  • Monitor speaker opportunities and other editorial/seminar opportunities.  Once you land some, you can then use them to generate more PR opportunities.

Keep in mind when sending out press releases that you need to make sure to follow up with a phone call.  I know, journalists hate follow up phone calls.  To be honest, when I was a journalist I hated follow up phone calls, but when launching a media relations campaign, that’s the only way to make sure that the media received and actually read your release.

The above lists a few different approaches you can use. Now add some of your own ideas.  Get creative.   Have fun and keep coming up with new angles and pitches.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2013

Filed under Marketing Tagged with , , , , , ,

PR Tip of the day: 3 Various Ways to Present Your PR Pitch

February 4, 2013 Leave a comment

what-is-the-future-of-pr-find-out-at-mashable-connect-1730ec194fWhen launching your PR or media relations campaign, review and breakdown the various ways you can present a topic.  Make a list of how you can present your expertise in different ways.   How can you refine your pitch to target different markets and age groups?  How does the topic you’re discussing impacts women, men, children, seniors, etc.?  For example, if you’re a skincare expert, chances are you could come up with a number of different pitches targeted various target markets. You could develop a traditional beauty pitch for the women’s magazines, a story on men’s skincare for the male-oriented media outlets, a pitch on aging skin for the baby boomers and a pitch on protecting children’s skin from sun and wind damage.    When developing your public relations pitches, work on how you can present the topic in different ways and to different audiences.  You’ll have a much greater opportunity to garner media coverage as an expert in your field.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2013

Filed under Marketing Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

PR Mapping, Brainstorming and Media Success

January 25, 2013 Leave a comment

beautiful-dreams-dreams-come-true-feithful-fotografia-Favim.com-254548Developing and launching a PR campaign can be an interesting, exhilarating and exciting process.  I’d say that if it’s not, you’re approaching it the wrong way.  The most important thing to keep in mind is that it is a process, a cumulative process.  It begins with mapping out your stories, pitches, strategies, and timeline.  I generally begin every campaign with a brainstorming and PR mapping process.  Here I ask the client to tell me everything about their life, company product, hopes, dreams, etc.  This is where we gather the ideas and information to build the campaign.  I ask that the clients not censor themselves or only tell me information that they think is relevant or important.  Often what the client finds boring or inconsequential can be the basis for a fascinating pitch or story.  Generally the client is too close to his or her story to be the best judge of which pitches will or won’t work.

As I suggest to prospective clients, it’s important that you too go through a brainstorming session before moving forward on launching a campaign.  This is the process in which the stories and ideas for the public relations campaign are developed.  In fact these stand alone consultation sessions can redefine a direction and create a roadmap to success that had not been initially considered.  In a true sense, they have become a cornerstone of our business.

Once the PR roadmap is developed it’s important to focus on your primary goals and objectives.  Keep in mind that media exposure is the vehicle, not the end game.  You want to garner media in order to get you and your business exposure, but that’s not your ultimate objective. In other words, garnering media coverage is the avenue not the destination.  For a public relations campaign to be truly effective, the media exposure needs to lead you somewhere.  Which means before you launch you want to come up with a game plan; in essence you want a PR and business roadmap that will keep you on track towards your goal and objectives.

EliDavidsonMedia-300x295Media relations is a unique form of marketing.  Unlike advertising or direct marketing, with public relations you can’t pick and choose specific outlets and dates that your story or segment will run – that is the challenge of PR.  Yet, on the other hand, when a news story does run on you or your business, you are positioned in a unique and powerful way.  You gain the credibility and validation of being featured as a news story.  Your story is not an ad or a commercial.  It’s a news story.  A feature in a magazine or newspaper or a segment on TV or radio positions you as an expert and positions your company or product as one of the tops in the field.  With PR you reach your target market and build your brand via the media.

Still, as I mentioned before, the media coverage in and of itself is not the final objective.  Effectively utilizing your PR is what will build your brand and help bring you clients, customers and sales.  That’s why it’s important to define your objectives and your PR blueprint before you launch a campaign.  Do you want to establish your brand, sell more products, land more clients, and establish yourself as an expert in your field?  All of those objectives are valid, but which are your main objectives?  That’s where the brainstorming sessions can be of such value.  Once you develop a PR roadmap, you can set a course to reach your media and marketing destination.  I’ll be writing more about the value of brainstorming and PR mapping sessions in upcoming articles.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2013

Hassler, Christine. “Dream it. Wish it. Do it.” Photo. Christine Hassler. 15 Nov. 2012. 25 Jan 2012. <http://www.christinehassler.com/2012/11/wondering-if-your-dreams-will-ever-come-true/&gt;

Filed under Entrepreneur PR Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

← Older posts

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 129 other followers

%d bloggers like this: