So You Want To Increase Your Media Appeal?

Welcome back to Day 3 of how to get free publicity in seven days. Today, we will be covering what you can do to increase your media appeal, and what things you need to avoid in the process.

How you can use the media to explode into your market?

The media is full of opportunities and there are many media outlets. Here are some of the most important ones.

• Internet Blogs
• Internet Video
• Internet Web Sites
• Internet Newsletters
• Internet Social Media
• Twitter
• TV
• Radio
• Newspapers
• Magazines
• Trade Magazines
• Film

Each one of these outlets has a massive reach. And each one continuously needs new content; something inspiring and entertaining to feature in their columns or shows.

Can I Get My Business / Organization / Website In The Media?

You can indeed and you should! But there may be hundreds of thousands of others in your field so it’s up to you to make yourself or your organization stand out.

How Can I Get In The Media?

It takes hard work and ingenuity to use one of these channels. But remember that publishers need your story too. You need to ask yourself some serious questions. These may seem like obvious questions to ask but you need to think about the answers. Here are just a few of the questions you can ask yourself.

• What makes your business different from everybody else’s in the marketplace and in your niche? (We don’t want standard answers such as ‘we have outstanding customer service and quality products.’) You may well have both of these but this is hardly newsworthy!

• Think from a media perspective – If you were in the media and wanted something to fill a column or a slot what would you choose? Something that is average like: ‘A new mascara is coming’ – or something that is exciting like: ‘A new mascara is coming out that uses a new semi permanent lash wearing concept.’ The second is more NEWSWORTHY. That is the key word here. Always ask yourself whether your story or idea is newsworthy.

The key to a winning formula is to always put yourself in the media’s shoes. Once you have cracked that you will be well on your way to success. You’ll be surprised how many people take the time to read articles if those articles interest them. I love fashion and when I see an article that talks to me about it then I will always read it even if I should be working!

In my next e-mail I will give you some questions to ask yourself to help you build a newsworthy story.

Common Mistakes To Watch Out For

• The special thing about having your own business, website or organization is that you get to spend hours a day doing something you believe in. The danger here is that you can become so absorbed in your own world that you lose sight of the fact that others don’t really care what you do unless you can bring it home to them with a vivid story!

• Don’t use technical language. The average person will most probably not know anything about what you are trying to promote so keep it simple and you will connect with a much wider audience. If you are promoting to your niche in a trade magazine or blog then this caution may not apply to the same extent.

I hope these initial concepts have helped you understand how you can use the media. The media is here for you; there are no end of media outlets – they have grown exponentially with The Internet – all waiting to hear about your exciting story.