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The insider PR tactic most publicists don't want you to know (but I'm telling)
Sent Tuesday, December 16, 2008
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Be Heard! December 16, 2008 Volume IV, Issue 37 ISSN: 1942-9320 Published weekly. You are on our list because you asked to be. To change your subscription, see link at end of the ezine. Be Heard! is the free weekly online newsletter for entrepreneurs, solo professionals, consultants, coaches and small business owners that will help you learn the secrets to attract more targeted clients and customers through publicity and promotions. Was this forwarded to you from a friend? Get your own copy in your inbox every week by signing up today here! Please add "beheardezine@cherrycommunications.com" to your email friends list, so you won't miss future issues. **Recommend Be Heard!** Find this ezine valuable? Why not recommend it to a few friends? As a thank you for doing this, you'll have a chance to win a complimentary copy of my bestselling audio program, The Inside Scoop. To tell a friend, cli^ck here. And thanks so much. ______ Thoughts from Shannon: Ok, enough already... Shannon Recommends: There are just 15 days left in 2008, let me help you make 2009 your year! Feature Article: Got your 2009 calendars? Events & Highlights: What's Shannon Up To? Media Profile: InStyle About Shannon: Find out more about this award-winning presenter, author and publicist. Marketplace: Great Offers From Great People ______________________ Dear , OK. I'll admit it. December hasn't been as much fun as I had hoped...yet. I was excited to finally get back on my feet and back into full-time action after recovering from back surgery. But fate had to remind me that there were a few things needing so taking care of. And those 'things' were my daughters who came down with pink eye last week. All I can say is yuck! So Matt & I entertained the girls, who were going crazy with cabin fever near the end. And that's when it struck! Matt & I came down with a very bad cold. We're all doing much better, but I had hoped to be further along with all my new business plans by now. But the time gave me time to really think. I got to sit down with a calendar and map out the first eight months of the year: from my business ideas to publicity plan, from vacations to joint venture ideas. Now my plan is to relax a bit, and put the systems in place to automate as much as possible. Since I mentioned calendars and planning, I thought it would be appropriate to talk a bit about one of my PR secret weapons - one that most publicists keep guarded - until now. Read this week's feature article to get the lo-down! But even when sick, I finished all of my holiday shopping (thanks to the Internet). And I even got something for you! Go to: http://www.beheardsolutions.com/holidaygifts2008.htm Shannon Cherry PS: On Twitter? Follow me and I promise to return the favor: http://twitter.com/shannoncherry And would you mind being my friend of Facebook? I'm here: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/profile.php?id=627919261&ref=name __________________________ Tick, tock. Tick, tock. There's just 15 days left to take advantage of the low, low price to learn publicity tactics that will attract more clients & customers! Are you looking to get more customers, make more money, without spending a ton of cash? Then you need publicity! And next month, I'll be teaching the very first Attract More Clients & Customers - and Get a Little Famous in 2009. This is the exact methods I use to help my clients (and myself) get in major news media, including Better Homes & Gardens, Newsweek, the NY Times, Good Morning America and the Oprah Winfrey Show. If you want to: * attract more clients and customers * get people talking positively about you and your business * increase your search engine rankings * become THE GO-TO expert in your field * and do it all, without paying a dime to advertise Check out Attract More Clients & Customers - and Get a Little Famous in 2009. But here's the thing: there just 15 days left to get in at the early bird, recession busting price! (And I'm telling you, you'll be shocked at how affordable this class is!) With the extra busy year end stuff we all have to do, take the time right now, before you miss the early bird deadline! _______________________ Got your 2009 calendars? It's the time of year when calendars start to crowd out the books and magazines in bookstores. But there's a special kind of calendar that all good public relations professionals use - the editorial calendar. Except for the year and the names of the months, these calendars bear little resemblance to the glossy hang-up calendars in the stores. No swimsuit-clad models, lush scenery, puppies, kittens or cartoons of Dilbert. Editorial calendars are usually bare-bones lists of upcoming issue topics and major features--or at least the cover stories or special sections. Not much to look at--unless you're a PR pro trying to crack that market. What's great about editorial calendars is that your target publications - the ones which their target markets match yours - are basically telling you exactly what information they need for each issue. If you can spin your own story to match what the media is looking for, then you have a great chance of being featured in that publication. A current editorial calendar can usually be found in the advertising section at the publication's website. If you can't find it there, contact the publications marketing/sales department and ask them to email/snail mail it to you. For example: * Choice: The Magazine for Professional Coaching: www.choice-online.com/calendar.html * Smart Money: www.smartmoney.com/mag/mediakit/pdf/EditCalendar.pdf * Working Mother: www.workingmother.com/?service=direct/1/ViewConferenceCategoryPage/d linkViewConferenceLanding&sp=15&sp=159 Now, not all publications have editorial calendars. Really small magazines - the many labor-of-love kind of magazines published by enthusiasts -usually don't. Magazines, which don't accept ads, may have one but they don't publish it. Totally reader-contributed publications don't. New magazines generally don't because the content is so often changed and tweaked as the publication searches for its "voice." Even some large, national magazines don't have calendars. News weeklies like Time and Newsweek don't. Neither does People or US Weekly. They are steered by what news hits that week and that is, of course, something you can't predict months in advance. After reviewing the calendar, you can decide which stories you can offer to be a source or expert for, or, in the case of trade publications, which months you could offer a written expert-opinion piece. Remember that editorial calendars can and do change, so check for updates regularly. Also, pay attention to deadlines. Article queries and pitches especially should be sent to the editors well ahead of time. And if they don't have deadlines, assume that the media need the information about four months out. _____________________ Where's Shannon? Special Surprise Year-End Free Teleseminar Sponsored by ReadyTalk Details coming soon! December 29 at 8 PM EDT (5 PM PDT) Attract More Clients & Customers - and Get a Little Famous in 2009 Special webinar series sponsored by ReadyTalk Begins January 4. Visit: http://www.beheardsolutions.com/yearendseries.htm _______________________________ InStyle 1271 Avenue Of The Americas, Ste 18 New York, NY 10020-1300 (212) 522-1212 FAX: (212) 467-0196 www.instyle.com Here's the scoop: Launched in 1994 and covers the private side of public faces and the expressions of personal style, including the choices people make about their homes, their clothes, their pastimes and passions. With photos and features, focuses on celebrities' homes, families, parties, weddings and charity events, offering ideas about entertaining, beauty, fashion and fitness. Here are some key people and what they want: Polly Blitzer - assistant editor -polly_blitzer@instylemag.com Polly is an Assistant Editor and covers beauty, health and fitness. Contact her via e-mail. Send press packages and samples via mail only. Jacqueline Goewey - Senior Editor Jackie is a Senior Editor and covers home accessories. She prefers to have the actual product sent to her, not just a picture and a description. When sending visuals, she prefers color slides but accepts black and white. Editor's Note: I've done my best to make sure this information is accurate. However, journalists' jobs can change. Before contacting anyone, do your homework and double check your contacts. _________________ Shannon Cherry, APR, MA is the founder and president of Cherry Communications, which includes the subsidiary Be Heard Solutions. She works with small business owners, nonprofit directors and entrepreneurs to help them to be heard. For more than 15 years, she's been turning people's thoughts and ideas into clear, concise, compelling stories - the kind that stand above the rest and get noticed. In addition to her consulting work, Shannon has co-authored two books: Be Your Own Great & Powerful: A Woman's Guide to Living a Real, Big Life and Parenting Beyond Belief, an Amazon best seller for more than eight months. She is also the blogger behind, Startup Spark, one of the top 50 business blogs in the world. She also blogs at http://www.thepowerpublicist.com, giving additional media relations and marketing communications advice and tips. Shannon is a professional speaker, who has presented internationally on the topics of media, public relations, marketing and parenting. _________________________ Use the biggest social networking site on the web to get free publicity. Learn quick ways to take your visibility to a whole new level and experience the effect of quantum marketing. Make MySpace YOUR space. Make more money by becoming a Be Heard Solutions affiliate. If your target market is small business owners, entrepreneurs, coaches, consultants and solo professionals, promote Shannon's products and programs for up to a 40% commission. You'll get everything you need including sales copy, graphics and more. Register at http://www.youraffiliatecommandpost.com ReadyTalk's audio conferencing and web meeting services will help you sell, work with clients, record content and communicate easily and affordably. With ReadyTalk, you will create web seminars, host online meetings, conduct conference calls and easily record and distribute your material all while saving time and money. Go to: http://www.readytalk.com Why isn't your website making you more money? In 30 minutes or less, you can pinpoint EXACTLY where your Web site is breaking down and put a plan together to transform your Web site and skyrocket your leads, customers and sales. Find out more today. Is your business failing? Are you struggling to get everything done? 97% of all failure is due to the system - not the person. Stop letting your business drive your life - and jump in the driver's seat. Create systems easily to build the business you love with Outrageously Effective Systems. Are you reading this? Then why not put your ad here too! Great rates, and a discount for buying multiple ad space. Visit our ezine info page. Disclaimer: Neither Be Heard Solutions, Cherry Communications nor Shannon Cherry endorses the accuracy or reliability of any of the paid advertisements above or the quality of any products, information, or other materials displayed, purchased, or obtained by you as a result of an offer in connection with any ad. Please do your own due diligence BEFORE purchasing any product. Copyright 2008. Be Heard Solutions. All Rights Reserved.