I have a gift of information that I would like to share with you. I surveyed thousands of people on what they think are the two biggest obstacles they have to using PR, publicity and branding in their business? And you too can have a chance to ask your questions.

I will comment on and provide answers to these PR, Publicity, Branding and Visibility Marketing burning obstacle questions in a no-cost, no pitching, no begging, no hidden agenda teleseminar, on Tuesday, August 12th at 12 noon, Pacific Time. Please sign up anyway, because it will be taped, which means you can listen when you have time.

www.promoteyourself.com/AskRaleigh.html

This is a sample of the questions I have received...

• I have a fear of promoting myself. What can I do to get over it?

• People don’t know who I am. How can I get known and accepted as the credible expert in my industry?

• I’m tired of seeing a “second rate” competitor getting the spotlight and annoyed the media is not calling me instead. What can I do?

• I’m upset at being passed over as the     featured expert, guest or speaker in my trade organization. I know this opportunity would have brought me good business and healthy cash flow. What can I do?

• I feel like I’ve spent too much money on PR companies and don’t have the results want.What did I do wrong? Can I do my own PR, Publicity, Branding and Visibility Marketing?

• How do I handle it if I get massive amounts of free publicity?

What are your questions? Go here and sign up for the call and ask your questions.

You can be looking for Speaking Tips, Speaker Tips or Tips for Speakers. But before you dive into these categories, you must first discuss, you must first establish the Who, What, Where, When and Why, of speaking itself.

In today’s PR, Branding, Publicity and Marketing blog, I feel it’s important to dissect the “why” of speaking. Why do we want to speak? Why do we stand up in front of an audience, in person or over the airwaves, and speak?

Speaking is the act of being seen, heard, understood, recognized, loved. …We speak to convey a message, a concept. To elevate a mood, deepen a way of thinking. Create social interaction. To Teach. To Un-teach. To conduct thought patterns across space and electrical energy. To coerce. Ease stress or a tattered soul. Prove a point. Settle a score. To establish territory.

There is another “why” to consider…to speak to promote yourself, in thought, deed and wallet. To enhance you being regarded as an expert, an authority. A celebrity in your back yard. A prophet in your hometown.

Did you know colleges can be a great place to speak? I've recorded a free audio you can download and listen to at College Speaking Success.

How do I learn how to please them and give them what they want?

When you are contacting the media do PR, branding, publicity, marketing and public relations, the best way I know for pleasing the media and understanding the media is to be media savvy. Watch the shows, follow their columns, study the make up of the features.

Know how they think and what they’re looking to present to their audience. When you go to pitch, not only will this knowledge will put you on equal footing in each and every phase of the dance you do when you write your releases, pitch letters, and do your follow up, but it will show how media savvy you are. They will be that much more open to hearing your PR pitch, your branding strategies, your marketing moments.

And most importantly, send them a thank you note for the on air interview, the story in print. Believe it or not, this gesture goes a long way in obtaining successful PR, and establishing you in their mind as a true Public Relations Person.

Why the media says no to your pitch.

· Treating the media as second-class citizens

· Assuming they are there to do your PR bidding

· You don’t take into consideration that they are busy with all the branding and publicity pitches

· You don’t care if they are on the other line talking to another public relations person

· You take them off your mailing list when they are unemployed. Not media savvy

· You think you are their best friend and that they are yours

· You think that just because they wrote on your PR, marketing and branding ideas before that they will do it again

· You think that because you have to offer them public relations strategic relationships you are just the best thing next to sliced bread

What PR, marketing, and branding media savvy topics will make the media open their arms and say yes to giving you publicity coverage?

· Timely / Current events or tie-ins

· Crisis of any kind, animal vegetable or mineral

· Emotional subjects

· Controversial subjects

· Entertaining subjects

· Problem solving topics

· Subjects that fill a need

· Subjects that fill a void

· Subjects that educate

· Subjects that empower and enlighten

· Subjects that heal

· Something the audience doesn’t already know

What makes you media savvy? It’s by understanding the media and pleasing the media. This is accomplished by dealing in wants, not needs. How? By pitching a story that draws from the readers wants, not their needs, from their agenda not their needs.

Sharing media savvy secrets of the inner lives of the media to give you a leg up for Successful PR campaigns.
The quote sums up for me this matter of understanding the media. (Not including the tabloids and shock broadcasting in this picture.)

“I am not in the business of providing a free ad or promotional service for anyone whether I know them or not. My job is to write a balanced, compelling story with news value for my readers. I am more interested in issues of impact than image, and if you give me that, then and only then can we strike a deal."

Question: Do the media like to form relationships with people who are pitching them?

Answer: What I have learned from my 28 years of successful PR, branding, marketing and public relations is that the media’s definition of a relationship is, that they are interested in you playing your part. This “part” is about understanding the media and pleasing the media. Doing it professionally, with dignity, and with competency. In short, media people are not interested in being your friend.

Question: What’s the rule of thumb for inviting the media out to a meal or a drink?

More Intro Tips to Pleasing the Media

My second Intro Tip on understanding the media and pleasing the media to obtain successful PR is to apply media savvy logic to this situation I described above. The more you know about someone, about their expectations, needs and requirements, the better your interaction will be. The more successful PR you will experience. The more exposure you’ll get for your branding, marketing and public relations efforts.

My advice, learn everything you can about the inner workings of the media mind. In other words, heed the saying, “when in Rome do as the Romans do.”

Knowing exactly what is the media’s job is critical for getting done what you need them to do. Understanding this will keep you out of the fire and off the list. The “I will never talk to them again” list.