How to secure effective media coverage for you/your business book
Jaqui Lane
Book coach and adviser to business leaders. Self publishing expert. Author. Increase your impact, recognition and visibility. Write, publish and successfully sell your business book. I can show you how. Ask me now.
One of the biggest challenges self published business book authors face is how to secure relevant and effective media coverage for their book, and themselves.
Media coverage is something most people want as it delivers that magical element VISIBILITY. Certainly, the business owners, entrepreneurs and consultants I work with learn very early on that the marketing and selling of their book is what I call ‘the visibility game’.
If you want your target audience to know your book exists and buy copies you and your book have to be visible.
But how to get the attention of ‘the media’, and just what is ‘the media’ anyway?
I recently attended Media Stable 's Meet the media event in Sydney. It was a terrific event as we heard from and met some of the leading journalists and media producers in Sydney.
One of the key take outs that Nic Hayes highlighted is that ‘the media are people too’. Funny that.
So, if you have a business book that you want to secure media coverage for here are my top 7 tips. These don’t include writing a great book to start with as I cover this in plenty of other articles. That said, my mantra about what to write for your business book is to write a book that helps to solve your target audiences’ challenges/interests NOT brain dump what you know.
The top 7 tips to secure media coverage for you (your book)
1.Develop a compelling, relevant story about what’s in your book, how it will help your target audience and why you are THE person to comment on this specific topic. Yes, the fact you have written a book about it is great, but on its own it’s not sufficient. What’s your credibility? Spell it out simply and clearly.
2. Identify and start a relationship with key journalists and producers in your area.
Identify the key journalists, programs, newspapers, magazines, influencers, industry publications, podcasts etc that your target audience follow and start a relationship with these people. How do you do that? Follow them, comment on their articles, mention their articles in your posts, blogs, newsletters, PodCasts… Engage them with your perspective on topics (news) they are writing about, regularly.
This is a long term approach and when you think about it, why would a journo or producer choose to contact you if they don’t know who you are, you’ve never engaged them, aren’t visible in your industry sector or have no presence on the web, across social media channels?
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3.???? Journos and program producers have different ways they prefer to receive information and how much information they want. Make sure you know how and what they want. For example: some like a simple text message, most like a short email with a clear subject line description. Others are happy to take a phone call, more often than not returning the message when they have time. Most have deadlines so know what these are and send your communication outside this time.
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4.???? What’s the news angle?
If you are pitching to newspapers or news programs understand that your book launch/your book is NOT news (sorry, this is true for all but people like Michelle Obama, Michael Lewis, Dolly Parton and Elon Musk).
You need to find an angle in the news that is relevant to your area of expertise/book content/topic and provide a different perspective on this…using your book as part of your street cred/authority.
#newsjacking is a great art to master. What is it? Taking a current news story and linking your book/story/insights to it and pitching it to the journo/producer (and/or hash-tagging the main story on your own posts. I do this regularly and gain great traction and engagement from it.
5.???? Follow this simple approach to your media releases, but don't 'spray and pray'.
Story/comment on current news item, stats, event
Customise your media release/initial email/phone call/LinkedIn message.
6.???? Have stats and real-life case studies you can quote.
Make sure your stats are from a credible source and mention that source. If you have case studies make sure they are real people and that they are willing to be involved in your story.
7.???? Don’t be put off by non-responses
Journos and producers are under the pump and have daily, weekly deadlines ALL the time. They simply might not have time on a particular day/week to get back to you. And, if your subject line descriptor isn’t compelling enough, your email might just get submerged in the hundreds they get EVERY day.
Unless you are told to go away, keep trying to contact the journo/producer with your angle on a new news item or one that is continuing. Try a different subject line heading, texting them, calling them (always remembering when their deadlines are to contact them outside this time.
In summary
Your book launch is exciting, important for you and your colleagues and perhaps even your industry/sector, but it’s unlikely to be newsworthy UNLESS you already have a high profile.
You need to be aware of what’s going on in your industry/sector and be engaged in discussions about the key topics across a wide range of platforms and outlets. The more engaged you are, the higher profile you have the more chance you have of gaining the attention of the media when they are seeking a different perspective on a news event or story. Of course, you need to be top of mind when the story breaks…and this is where building a relationship with journalists, producers and editors comes in to play.
Developing media relationships takes time, effort and consistency and, some courage/inner belief as you’re not always going to get a response.
Be clear, concise and direct when you engage journalists and producers. They’re time poor so you need to get to your point FAST.
Be prepared. Have everything they might need when they ask for it. This does not mean preparing and delivering wads of information, quite the opposite. It means having to hand short, succinct and well-researched/though out information, talking points and the necessary collateral AND speaking clearly with energy and passion.
Focus on a few strong relationships rather than hundreds of weak ones. Once you’re in the media other media will start to notice you as you’re VISIBLE.
Have a book that's not visible?
Want to build your visibility as you write your business book?
Keen to know how to build recognition and be known 'as the expert' for media?
Contact Jaqui: [email protected]
Check out our media and marketing packages: https://thebookadviser.com.au/book-marketing/
Read my articles here on LinkedIn.
And here are the links to the people and books mentioned in this article.
Normal book: https://www.normalbook.com.au/
Going the Distance: https://www.mattlevy.com.au/books
Ticker New: https://tickernews.co/
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The CEO’s Voice - lifting leaders on the screen, stage and page | Ghostwriter | Public speaking coach | TEDx speaker | Author | Board member
1 年Wise advice, Jaqui. It's great to know there ARE ways of promoting a book after you've published it but you've definitely taught me that planning to promote it before you've even written it is definitely the way forward.
Managing Director at IMPOWRD
1 年Or you just write a book that everyone wants to read! Simple really.
Book coach and adviser to business leaders. Self publishing expert. Author. Increase your impact, recognition and visibility. Write, publish and successfully sell your business book. I can show you how. Ask me now.
1 年Nic Hayes Ahron Young Trevor Young Angela Priestley Amanda Rose, Founder, CEO, Speaker