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Member You - Media Coverage: 5 Myths, 5 Musts
Large Posters Is One Of The Most Effective Communication Medium lutely no control over what gets printed. If you are clear in your interviews, you’ll cut down the incidence of misquotes.Posters and banners have been in use since early days for communicating any message across a group of people. Communication is the very essence of life and nothing in this world can prosper or progress without the help of effective communication. So whether it is traditional media like television, radio, newspapers, posters, large posters or any other one needs to identify that one means that will be just perfect for whatever they are trying to communicate. One thing that you must realize that is only if the proper medium is used for communication, the message will reach across to people in the manner which one has intended. Large posters are easy to find and one can make use of this effectively for the purpose of promotion of any event, cause, goods or services. In fact large posters are the ideal means through which you can communicate about almost everything.Rather then the size of the poster, it is the message and purpose of the poster that is more important. If you are one of those individual Myth 4. An announcement of your newest service offering is juicy news. Okay, here is where you need to step outside yourself and detach from how fabulous you are – which I’m certain you truly are! But you want to write a delete-proof press release. Scour your business for something that is newsworthy to your target media outlet’s readers. Announcing your newest service may be news for some publications and not for others. Dig deep to really understand the story that is most interesting to the target readers. What is your angle? How does your service make life easier? Increase revenue? Revolutionize an old process? Impact the local community? Stir controversy? Talk to some of your best How To Recruit The Best People It’s true – media coverage is just about the best exposure your business can get. High impact for low cost. An article about your business generates greater readership and credibility than an ad or brochure or other sales tool. Period.In many sectors and industries recruiting good quality staff is a real challenge. For example, a recent survey of UK Finance Directors identified that 64% were finding it difficult to recruit good people. The way in which you tackle recruitment has a big impact on your success at recruiting the best people. Sadly, many organisations have more rigour around petty cash expenditure than one of their biggest investment decisions. So how can you stand out from the crowd?1. Take time to get clear on the type of person you need for the job. In doing this really think about the personal attributes of the ideal candidate. It is pretty easy to address skills gaps but really challenging to change personal attributes.2. Find the most appropriate source for accessing the type of applicants you want. For professional staff it is often worth going directly to a sector or industry specific recruitment consultant rather than to advertise. Similarly on-line sites might be great places for some jobs and I urge you to incorporate the media into your overall marketing strategy. It’s a no-lose proposition. That said, I know that cracking the crusty exterior of the media can feel rather daunting for the uninitiated. I come from the media side of the fence – a degree in journalism and career history of working for publishing companies – so my perspective includes what I know firsthand of what goes on behind the scenes. As an editor, I was always thrilled to receive a solid story idea. Thanks for helping me do my job! But for every solid pitch there were plenty of misfired press releases that, frankly, hit the trashcan quickly. So I’ve identified some of the most commonly held myths about getting media coverage as well as five “musts” that will help you hit the mark for your media blitz. I refer to the media and publications here, which can include local or national newspapers and magazines, trade journals and other printed media. But don’t exclude broadcast media – there are opportunities there, especially with the growing number of Internet radio stations. The Myths Myth 1. Sending a press release is your ticket to automatic coverage. Editors and reporters get stacks of press releases every day. Many entrepreneurs make the mistake of blanketing every media outlet in the phone book with press releases, and then they are disappointed (and sometimes arrogantly put out!) that no one picked up the story. The media doesn’t owe you anything – your best approach is to earn your way into their awareness through persistence, building credibility, deepening your understanding of their readership and being a resource. Treat your targeted media outlets just as you would your best clients… that means being courteous, respectful, responsive, service minded and relationship oriented. It’s not a one-shot deal. Myth 2. Buying an ad increases your chances of getting an article placed. Perhaps you’re thinking you can get into a publication’s good graces by purchasing advertising space. Put your credit card away. A reputable publication keeps the editorial department separate from the advertising department – and one does not influence the other. In fact, it is an insult to journalists with integrity to assume that you can buy your way into the news pages. In truth, there are media outlets that let themselves become influenced by advertiser dollars… and are those the kinds of media you want to affiliate with? Not me! Myth 3. If you are interviewed, you will have an opportunity to review the article before it is printed. It is extremely rare for an editor to allow interview sources to review an article they’ve been quoted in. Whether the publication is a daily, weekly or monthly, you are battling against very tight deadlines. No time for reviews and, frankly, if you have tweaks and changes you create more work for the editorial staff and invite schedule delays. Occasionally, a reporter will ask for clarification or a name spelling, and if this happens – respond swiftly. Ultimately, you have absolutely no control over what gets printed. If you are clear in your interviews, you’ll cut down the incidence of misquotes. Myth 4. An announcement of your newest service offering is juicy news. Okay, here is where you need to step outside yourself and detach from how fabulous you are – which I’m certain you truly are! But you want to write a delete-proof press release. Scour your business for something that is newsworthy to your target media outlet’s readers. Announcing your newest service may be news for some publications and not for others. Dig deep to really understand the story that is most interesting to the target readers. What is your angle? How does your service make life easier? Increase revenue? Revolutionize an old process? Impact the local community? Stir controversy? Talk to some of your best c Telecommuting Job Idea – Transcription leases that, frankly, hit the trashcan quickly. So I’ve identified some of the most commonly held myths about getting media coverage as well as five “musts” that will help you hit the mark for your media blitz.
I refer to the media and publications here, which can include local or national newspapers and magazines, trade journals and other printed media. But don’t exclude broadcast media – there are opportunities there, especially with the growing number of Internet radio stations.Working as a transcriptionist is a great way to telecommute or work from home. Transcription simply means that you take spoken word and transcribe it into a written document. The person you are doing the transcription for usually speaks on a tape or records his voice as a digital file and then sends it to you. You simply type what you hear.Of course there is software and hardware out there that will make the job easier by allowing you to slow down the recording you are transcribing.Different Types of Transcription PositionsMedical TranscriptionMedical transcription is probably the most common and best know type of transcription. Doctors and other medical staff record their comments and notes about a patient. The transcriptionist then transcribes the recording and the written document is added to the patients file. As a medical transcriptionist you should have a good understanding of medical terminology and their spelling. While a degree or course in medical transcription is not The Myths Myth 1. Sending a press release is your ticket to automatic coverage. Editors and reporters get stacks of press releases every day. Many entrepreneurs make the mistake of blanketing every media outlet in the phone book with press releases, and then they are disappointed (and sometimes arrogantly put out!) that no one picked up the story. The media doesn’t owe you anything – your best approach is to earn your way into their awareness through persistence, building credibility, deepening your understanding of their readership and being a resource. Treat your targeted media outlets just as you would your best clients… that means being courteous, respectful, responsive, service minded and relationship oriented. It’s not a one-shot deal. Myth 2. Buying an ad increases your chances of getting an article placed. Perhaps you’re thinking you can get into a publication’s good graces by purchasing advertising space. Put your credit card away. A reputable publication keeps the editorial department separate from the advertising department – and one does not influence the other. In fact, it is an insult to journalists with integrity to assume that you can buy your way into the news pages. In truth, there are media outlets that let themselves become influenced by advertiser dollars… and are those the kinds of media you want to affiliate with? Not me! Myth 3. If you are interviewed, you will have an opportunity to review the article before it is printed. It is extremely rare for an editor to allow interview sources to review an article they’ve been quoted in. Whether the publication is a daily, weekly or monthly, you are battling against very tight deadlines. No time for reviews and, frankly, if you have tweaks and changes you create more work for the editorial staff and invite schedule delays. Occasionally, a reporter will ask for clarification or a name spelling, and if this happens – respond swiftly. Ultimately, you have absolutely no control over what gets printed. If you are clear in your interviews, you’ll cut down the incidence of misquotes. Myth 4. An announcement of your newest service offering is juicy news. Okay, here is where you need to step outside yourself and detach from how fabulous you are – which I’m certain you truly are! But you want to write a delete-proof press release. Scour your business for something that is newsworthy to your target media outlet’s readers. Announcing your newest service may be news for some publications and not for others. Dig deep to really understand the story that is most interesting to the target readers. What is your angle? How does your service make life easier? Increase revenue? Revolutionize an old process? Impact the local community? Stir controversy? Talk to some of your best Translation Companies: Finding a Suitor hat no one picked up the story. The media doesn’t owe you anything – your best approach is to earn your way into their awareness through persistence, building credibility, deepening your understanding of their readership and being a resource. Treat your targeted media outlets just as you would your best clients… that means being courteous, respectful, responsive, service minded and relationship oriented. It’s not a one-shot deal.When you are evaluating a translation service, it can be somewhat of a predicament because you may not be familiar with the target language that you need a document or website to be translated into. You cannot assume that all translators (especially freelancers) will be dependable and provide the critically important task of translating your important messages and communicating them in localized markets.In these cases, it's always advisable to have someone who is familiar with the target language in question and have them go over the final copies of the translated materials. It's important to have some sort of a checks and balances if you will, where the editor of the material should not be biased on the material presented.It's important to find a translator or translation service company that has a good reputation. This you can do simply by referring to your immediate network of trusted associates and find out who has experienced good service with their translation needs.Another way y Myth 2. Buying an ad increases your chances of getting an article placed. Perhaps you’re thinking you can get into a publication’s good graces by purchasing advertising space. Put your credit card away. A reputable publication keeps the editorial department separate from the advertising department – and one does not influence the other. In fact, it is an insult to journalists with integrity to assume that you can buy your way into the news pages. In truth, there are media outlets that let themselves become influenced by advertiser dollars… and are those the kinds of media you want to affiliate with? Not me! Myth 3. If you are interviewed, you will have an opportunity to review the article before it is printed. It is extremely rare for an editor to allow interview sources to review an article they’ve been quoted in. Whether the publication is a daily, weekly or monthly, you are battling against very tight deadlines. No time for reviews and, frankly, if you have tweaks and changes you create more work for the editorial staff and invite schedule delays. Occasionally, a reporter will ask for clarification or a name spelling, and if this happens – respond swiftly. Ultimately, you have absolutely no control over what gets printed. If you are clear in your interviews, you’ll cut down the incidence of misquotes. Myth 4. An announcement of your newest service offering is juicy news. Okay, here is where you need to step outside yourself and detach from how fabulous you are – which I’m certain you truly are! But you want to write a delete-proof press release. Scour your business for something that is newsworthy to your target media outlet’s readers. Announcing your newest service may be news for some publications and not for others. Dig deep to really understand the story that is most interesting to the target readers. What is your angle? How does your service make life easier? Increase revenue? Revolutionize an old process? Impact the local community? Stir controversy? Talk to some of your best Easy Invention Ideas integrity to assume that you can buy your way into the news pages. In truth, there are media outlets that let themselves become influenced by advertiser dollars… and are those the kinds of media you want to affiliate with? Not me!Easy invention ideas? Why easy? Sometimes it's just too intimidating to think about building a new type of car, television, or other complicated invention. So these are ideas for garage or basement tinkerers. Coming up with a prototype for most of these will cost no more than the money in your pocket. They are not patented yet, as far as I know.Wild Game CarrierDeer hunters regularly die of heart attacks while carrying their bucks out of the woods. The invention here would solve that problem. It would have an inflatable wheel, using coated nylon that won't puncture easily. Once you get your deer, blow up the wheel, and using the clamps on either side, you attach two poles or sticks that you cut on site. Attach the simple nylon sling between the sticks, and you have a wheel-barrow-like device that will carry a deer over even rough trails. Probably weighing no more than two pounds, it could be carried easily in a day pack.Helium KitesPerhaps its been done, but I have Myth 3. If you are interviewed, you will have an opportunity to review the article before it is printed. It is extremely rare for an editor to allow interview sources to review an article they’ve been quoted in. Whether the publication is a daily, weekly or monthly, you are battling against very tight deadlines. No time for reviews and, frankly, if you have tweaks and changes you create more work for the editorial staff and invite schedule delays. Occasionally, a reporter will ask for clarification or a name spelling, and if this happens – respond swiftly. Ultimately, you have absolutely no control over what gets printed. If you are clear in your interviews, you’ll cut down the incidence of misquotes. Myth 4. An announcement of your newest service offering is juicy news. Okay, here is where you need to step outside yourself and detach from how fabulous you are – which I’m certain you truly are! But you want to write a delete-proof press release. Scour your business for something that is newsworthy to your target media outlet’s readers. Announcing your newest service may be news for some publications and not for others. Dig deep to really understand the story that is most interesting to the target readers. What is your angle? How does your service make life easier? Increase revenue? Revolutionize an old process? Impact the local community? Stir controversy? Talk to some of your best Marketing Lessons Learned from the Dating World lutely no control over what gets printed. If you are clear in your interviews, you’ll cut down the incidence of misquotes.I have this theory that marketing and dating are the exact same thing.Now, as a single guy (by which I mean, "not married") I've been on my share of dates.And as a marketing guy, I've seen my share of unique ways to spread the word about ideas, products and websites.Not it's time to merge the two and see what's been learned:1) I was once introduced to a girl named Karen by a mutual friend. She and I clicked right away. We discussed sushi. She said she "always wanted to try it." I made a mental note. The following week I found out where she worked and stopped by her office with a little card, the front of which which had a picture of a box of California Rolls. On the inside I simply wrote, "Sushi?" and left my businsss card. I handed it to the receptionist. By the time I returned home, there was an email from Karen. She was ecstatic. We went out the next night, then dated for a few months.LESSON LEARNED: unexpected + unique = unforgettable.2) I'm bi Myth 4. An announcement of your newest service offering is juicy news. Okay, here is where you need to step outside yourself and detach from how fabulous you are – which I’m certain you truly are! But you want to write a delete-proof press release. Scour your business for something that is newsworthy to your target media outlet’s readers. Announcing your newest service may be news for some publications and not for others. Dig deep to really understand the story that is most interesting to the target readers. What is your angle? How does your service make life easier? Increase revenue? Revolutionize an old process? Impact the local community? Stir controversy? Talk to some of your best clients and ask them what they see as newsworthy about your business. Myth 5. You can make copies of your printed article and distribute them any way you like. If you submit a bylined article, be sure to understand the rights you have to the story. Go to the U.S. Copyright Office website (www.copyright.gov) for a crash course on copyrights. Get a written agreement with the publication spelling out your rights as the author. If the publication retains the rights, you then have no legal right to copy and distribute the article. Don’t assume anything. If you have been quoted in an article, you likely have zero rights to it. You may make a copy for your mother… or to put in your scrapbook… but not much more than that. You’ll need to contact the publisher and speak with someone in their Reprints Department to learn the proper way to redistribute copies. Don’t be surprised if there is a cost for reprints. In most cases, it is well worth it. Remember, your quote or byline holds great value. The Musts Now that we have busted up some of the biggest media coverage myths, here are five questions you MUST ask yourself as you design your media strategy: 1. Who is my audience? What do they read? Don’t guess – ask them! Make a list and learn as much as you can about each publication. Based on what you learn, select three that you can fully focus on building a relationship with. This is your primary media target list. You can certainly send press releases and contact other media outlets, but you want to put most of your attention on your primary targets. 2. What is newsworthy? Grab a pad of paper and start listing all of the press release topics you can think of that relate to your business. Announcements, events, something controversial or cutting-edge, surveys, statistics, a link to current events or seasons, human interest – how you have succeeded, obstacles you overcame, how your vision will change the world. Study your target media with the filter of: How does my business fit in here? How will the publication’s readers benefit from my story? One tough question to ask yourself is: “Who Cares?” 3. How committed am I? This is where you pitch your story idea either through a press release or a query to the editor. You are now a sales person – selling your story. Where most entrepreneurs fail is lack of follow-up. They send one press release and are disappointed they weren’t published. Be prepared to make a follow-up phone call a day or so after you send your release. Also, your first press release may not catch the editor’s attention. Sending a steady stream of releases and communications over time will increase the chances that you’ll catch the editor’s eye. This takes commitment on your behalf. Are you up to it? 4. What are my soundbites? When a reporter calls you for an interview (Congratulations! Your press release grabbed them!), be prepared to speak quotably. Even though your task is to answer the reporter’s questions, there are ways you can incorporate your core business message. One tip is to create three short bullet-point statements that convey what you want people to know about your business… have them handy and find ways to work those catchy statements in. 5. How will I leverage
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