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Being in the Media can be such a beautiful, powerful and fascinating experience! It can truly change your business and your life in amazing ways. Publicity can increase your credibility, increase your reputation, it can give you an opportunity to impact larger audiences (in some cases hundreds of thousands and in other cases millions), you can also attract new clients and a flood of sales. So many celebrities and influencers that you adore today have tasted the good side of fame and exposure. I’ve literally been on TV more times than I can count, this includes Mainstream Media and Local Media and I have been booked for Local, National and International Speaking gigs. This year alone I have been booked for 8 speaking gigs in London, I also went to speak and a Conference in Bulgaria in June and I was booked to speak at a University in Amsterdam. I’m not telling you this to brag but rather to let you know that you can attract amazing media opportunities and raise your visibility in the media too!
If you’d like some powerful ideas that you can implement to raise your visibility in the media, then totally check out these 5 tips below:
1) Share your Former Press, Publications, Media Interviews and your Speaking Gigs on Social Media:
One of the things that you can do to raise your visibility in the media is to share your current and former features, publications, media interviews, and media mentions on Social Media, in your newsletters and with family and friends. This is a great way to create a bigger buzz around your brand and it’s a great way to attract even more media interviews, bookings and media opportunities. A few months ago I posted a video of one of my latest Speaking gigs on Facebook and within a day or two and I received a message from a friend of mine that invited me to speak at her organisation. So it truly works! Publicity attracts more publicity. You can do this once a week or even use popular days (typically known for sharing old content/photos) like Thursdays (#throwbackthursday TBT) and Fridays (#flashbackfriday).
2) Pitch to the Media and Follow up like a Pro:
Pitching to the media and following up is one of the most powerful ways to raise your visibility in the media by 20-40%. I have honestly used this PR and Media strategy to secure at least 40-60% of my interviews, speaking gigs, media publications, press and media mentions. The rest of my media opportunities came as a result of referrals, people recommending me, the media contacting me directly and connecting with the media on Social Media. Being a Publicist I can assure you that if you do this well, you will be more famous in the media, I regularly secure an abundance of media interviews, press, publications and so much more for my clients and so if I can do it you can do it too. I do believe that there is an art to this but also know that practice makes perfect. The more you pitch the better you’ll get at it. So make this part of your marketing strategy from this week.
3) Warm up to the Media Using Social Media:
Sometimes pitching to the Media isn’t enough, you have to be willing to hang out where the media hang out and engage. You can literally magnetise and attract media interviews and media opportunities to you by adding value to the media. One of the ways that you can do this is to follow the media on Social Media and engage in their content. Like their posts, leave them comments, truly show the media some love. If you want to be on ‘The Today Show’ then follow them and show up in the comment section (on different posts) on their instagram page, if you dream of being featured in ‘Entrepreneur’ then like their page on Facebook and start getting involved in the conversation on their Facebook page, if you would love to be in ‘Cosmopolitan Magazine’ ask yourself this question when was the last time that you actually bought their magazine or read one of their articles on their website? Try not to be that person that desires to be seen on all of these platforms but isn’t willing to engage in any of their content. If you truly LOVE a brand you will want to be around them for the right reasons not just to get featured. This is one of the reasons why some entrepreneurs struggle to get featured as they don’t do something as simply as this. If you are unsure of what media brands to follow/connect with, here are a few suggestions: CNN, Thrive Global, The Huffington Post, Cosmopolitan, BBC, ITV,.
4) Do Not Despise Small Media Opportunities or Local Press:
So many women entrepreneurs tell me that they want to be seen in Forbes, the Huffington Post, Thrive Global, they want to be on big Podcast shows like Goal Digger Podcast with Jenna Kutcher and Online Marketing Made Easy with Amy Porterfield. They say these things then I ask them where they have been featured so far and they say something like one podcast show. I then I take a good look at their media presence and I wonder how on earth they will achieve these BIG media wins without a Media kit, without a Media page on their website, without any small media interviews and publications under their belt, without a Publicist or a PR and Media Coaching helping them to reach these BIG media goals and above all I wonder how they will ever manifest consistent BIG media breakthroughs like being on Oprah when they look down at small media opportunities. I hate to break the bad news to you but this is almost delusional. We live in a world where very few people are willing take responsibility for their success but they’ll rather try and attract everything by visualising and this can work to a certain degree but it can also be a form of laziness and passivity. Joyce Meyer New York Times Best Selling Author and International Preacher has discussed the importance of having backbone instead of wishbone countless times on stage, she speaks in front of thousands of people every month and I can assure you she didn’t achieve this kind of success just by wishing. She has often emphasised the fact that we shouldn’t just wish for success without being willing to do anything about it. Some of the best ways to become a magnet for media interviews, speaking gigs, good press and publications is to do as many small media interviews and local speaking gigs as much as possible. Get good at being in the media in a small way and it won’t be long before you start attracting big TV interviews, big Speaking gigs and big huge interviews. Have the right attitude and be willing to pay the price. Beyonce didn’t start her career by performing at Coachella, she started out performing at her mum’s hair salon and competing in local talent shows and look at where she performs today! Look at all of the publicity that she has attracted.
5) Get your PR and Media House in Order:
Getting your media essentials in place is so important when it comes to manifesting good PR and Press for your personal brand or business. Media essentials include having a strong media page on your website, having a great media/press kit, having a press release, having an up to date bio, having 5-6 high resolution photos (that includes a head shot, mid-length shot and a full length shot) and other great things to have ready includes a professional showreel/highlight reel. I can’t tell you how many times I get asked to submit such things on a weekly basis either for my amazing clients or for myself. This truly tells me that the quicker you work on these essentials ready the better. Don’t be that entrepreneur that waits to be booked for a big TV interview then you rush and quickly your showreel together, get it ready now! Preparation is truly the key. You don’t want to attract a big magazine feature and end up missing out on a huge feature only because you haven’t positioned yourself well. Be sure to also work on your media presence which includes your media interview technique and your presentation skills so that you are ready to shine in beautiful and powerful ways when big media moments come your way.