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GET FREE PUBLICITY
EZINE
March 21, 2002
Published by The
George McKenzie, Editor
See the bottom of this newsletter for
Subscribe/Unsubscribe Information
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This week's headlines (also known in the news biz as
"teases"):
*** "Here's the wind-up...and the pitch..." News
releases are great...but if you want to become a real a
"free publicity power-hitter," throw a pitch letter in
the direction of your favorite media contact. What's a
pitch letter? Read on.
*** "It's just common sense with chrome trim..." Marketing
tips from Frank Garon, who has lined his pockets - not with
chrome - but with gold, thanks (in part) to his knack for
getting free advertising and publicity.
*** "That's not free publicity! It's a license to steal!"
Success story from Michael Hart.
and more...
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Quick Media Marketing Tip
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How can three minutes of your time turn into thousands or
even hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of free
publicity.
Here's how.
Once you've gotten the attention of a reporter who has given
you either their time or some free publicity, write a thank
you note. A couple of lines are all that's necessary.
Mention how much you liked what you saw/heard/read. If
friends or associates commented to you about it, be sure to
mention that too. You can even - but do it briefly -
suggest another story.
VERY FEW people take the time to write thank you notes to
media decision-makers. But those who do are remembered - and
very often rewarded - next time the reporter needs a source
or an expert for a similar story.
For more quick but powerful media marketing tips, get our
"Going Public" Fast Track audio cassette.
It's a full hour of bits and bites with veteran broadcasters
and editors who give you the "scoop" on how to get free
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profitable than any advertising you can buy at any price.
http://www.get-free-publicity.com/fasttrack.html
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Advanced Media Marketing Article
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Pitch "Lettiquette"
by George McKenzie
Unless you've got a brother-in-law in the business (or a
sister-in-law, of course), one of the the best ways to get
the attention of a reporter, producer, or editor is through
a "pitch letter."
A pitch letter is like a news release because it's an appeal
for attention or coverage. But where a news release is more
likely to be distributed en masse, pitch letters are
targeted - they go to a specific person with a specific
idea.
Pitch letters tend to be more personal in nature, so
they'll probably get more attention in the first few
seconds. Nonetheless, a pitch letter MUST follow a certain
format, a certain protocol, a certain etiquette (or
"lettequette, if you will) or it wind up in the same waste
basket as a badly-written news release.
So how do you do it right?
First, remember that the overall impression - the way the
pitch letter strikes the eye - the way it looks on first
glance - can non-verbally signal the difference between
treasure and trash to a busy reporter, producer or
assignment editor.
Small print and big. blocklike paragraphs shout "You're
going to have to search for the story here." No one will
take the time.
Here are some other basics, suggested by Joan Stewart in her
outstanding Special Report #7, "How to Write the Perfect
Pitch Letter That Convinces an Editor to Write About You."
http://www.get-free-publicity.com/specialreports.htm
* Use company letterhead or plain white paper
* Choose a simple font with type size of at least 10 points
* Single space your copy with margins of one inch on each
side
* Bold/italics are okay, but don't overdo them
* Use bullets to list key points
* Spell the contact's name correctly, and send it to the
right address (you'd be amazed how often this one gets
messed up).
* Snail mail your pitch letter. Email pitches are a whole
separate subject and I'll cover those in a future ezine.
Follow up by phone and BE CONSCIOUS OF DEADLINES. You'll get
blown off in an instant if you call the "pitchee" just
before a story has to be completed or they're about to go on
the air.
Finally - and this is more advice from Joan - understand
that "No" doesn't usually mean "Never." It just means "Not
now." So don't be afraid to pitch the same contact again at
another time.
Think of pitch "lettiquette" in baseball terms. Follow the
form above and you'll fire your pitch the right down the
middle, making it attractive for the reporter to take a
swing.
The likely result: a free-publicity home run for you and
your business.
***
Other Suggested Resources on this topic:
Joan Stewart's Special Report #7:How to Write the Perfect
Pitch Letter That Convinces an Editor to Write About You
http://www.get-free-publicity.com/specialreports.htm
Susan Harrow's outstanding work, "How To Get Booked On
Oprah." Susan targets the Oprah Show, but the principles
and tips apply to any situation where you're trying to get
free publicity from the media.
http://www.get-free-publicity.com/oprah.html
Also see Jeffrey Mayer's "Elevator Speech," which will help
you prepare a quick, clear, concise and COMPELLING
description of your product or service. Very helpful
information to have when you're pitching.
http://www.get-free-publicity.com/mayer.html
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Free Advertising: The "Not-So-Secret" Ingredient of
Frank Garon's "Rags To Riches" Story
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I got a great response to Frank Garon's interview on our
computer radio show when he was our guest recently.
If you do much internet marketing, you probably know a
little bit about Frank. He's famous as "the former New
Jersey truck driver who earned $137,000-plus last year"
on the internet. Frank will also admit that a few years
ago, before his internet business took off, he maxxed out
his credit cards and went bankrupt.
How times (and fortunes) have changed.
I got a copy of an eight-hour teleseminar Frank did recently
with Terry Dean, one of the most successful marketers doing
business on the internet today.
I've listened to the entire eight hour tape series 3 times.
It's fascinating. These guys really know their stuff, and
they don't hesitate to share their "secrets"-- although
Frank recently said to me, "There really are no secrets.
Just common sense with chrome trim."
Frank's not bad at turning a phrase either.
There's plenty of "chrome trim" in this series, along with
the common sense.
I was especially intrigued when Frank described how he sold
thousands of dollars worth of products and got a huge amount
of free publicity on the internet--without spending a nickel
on paid advertising.
Even if you're already doing business successfully on the
internet, there's plenty to learn from these two extremely
successful and knowledgeable "gurus."
You can find out more here:
http://www.get-free-publicity.com/garon-dean.html
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Success Story
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A SIMPLE IDEA EVEN I NEVER THOUGHT OF
Contributed by Michael Hart
Editor's note: My grandmother used to say, "You can ask for
anything if you're not afraid to take no for an answer."
The following success story is a perfect example.
Michael Hart is a colleague who speaks professionally on how
people - especially sales people - can boost their incomes
through free publicity. The story below appeared in his
ezine, "Publicity Prospecting" and is reprinted with his
permission.
A couple of weeks ago I was listening to my local talk radio
station (WAPI AM in Birmingham) and behold one of my readers
was on the air! He's an investment broker. After months of
prodding, through my ezine, he contacted the local hotshot
talk show guy (Richard Dixon), and now has his own weekly
segment. Mr. Dixon gives him 5 to 7 minutes, which in
promotional airtime is big, really big!
Each week this fellow has thousands of people hanging on
every word. And each week he receives dozens of calls for
investment advice, and from potential new clients.
But an interesting happened this week. Towards the
conclusion of his segment he asked the host if he could plug
an upcoming seminar. Obviously Mr. Dixon likes this guy,
because he said "sure". However the seminar was not his own.
He simply said "a friend of mine named David, with
Kensington will be conducting an investment and tax seminar
this Saturday at the Homewood library, between 1 and 3pm,
and everyone who is interested in learning his wealth
secrets should attend". Simple, short, to the point.
Well my curiosity got the better of me, and I
attended his little program. LITTLE my redneck behind!
There were over 150 people there!
No free coffee, no doughnuts, not a pro-bono peanut in
sight! After the program (about 45-50 minutes) roughly three
dozen folks ran to speak to him. Patiently I waited my turn,
I also wanted to know how he thought to ask his friend's
endorsement and subsequent plug.
What he said next floored me. "Never met the guy". "Heard
him a few times on Dixon (The radio show) gave him a call
and asked if he would plug my seminar".
Apparently he can and he did! Never in my most delirious
moment would I have thought, let alone had the guts to ask
such a thing, but hey why not. The worst that could happen
would be a "no", and you and I both are professionals at
dealing with that. And here's the most incredible part,
IT COST HIM NOTHING!
That's not free publicity, it's a license to steal.
***
Michael Hart is the creator of "Presentation Skills Seminars
for Professional Salespeople"
http://www.MichaelpHart.com
205.672.8039
Member National Speakers Association
To Subcribe to our ezine on Sales Prospecting and Public
Speaking Skills. Email us at
subscribe@MichaelpHart
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Share Your Success Story--And Get A Reward!
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If you--or someone you know--has succeeded in getting TV,
radio, or print exposure, I'd like to share that story with
our readers.
In return, you'll get to download one of our audio seminars
as a reward.
Everyone who contributes a bona fide story will have access
to their choice of one the following audio seminars--whether
we publish the story in this ezine or not.
***How To Get Free Publicity On TV
with former TV assignment editor and news executive Frank
Guerra
90 minute interview.
***How To Promote Yourself To Huge Audiences On Radio During
Drive Time, with veteran drive time radio host Sonny
Melendrez
45 Minute Interview
***How To Promote Yourself On News/Talk Radio
with Pat Rodgers (Pat has more than 35 years experience as a
radio host)
45 minute interview
***How To Promote Yourself In Newspapers And Magazines
with former newspaper editor Joan "The Publicity Hound"
Stewart.
60 minute interview.
Email your stories directly to me at
mailto:successstories@get-free-publicity.com
In your email, be sure to tell me which interview you'd like
to download (using Windows Media Player)
In doing so you grant permission for your story to be used
in an upcoming edition of this ezine or in a free ebook to
be offered to readers upon compilation.
You'll receive an email telling you how to download your
choice within 24 hours after you send in your story.
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Time's running out...
The new "Going Public Fast Track Edition" is still available
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This is the one-hour, streamlined version of George
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You won't have to wait for the cassette to arrive in the
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Do the work once, get paid again and again and again...
============================================================
My friend Tom Antion says he loves doing business on the
internet.
"In the traditional work model," Tom says, "you do the work,
then you get paid. You do the work, then you get paid. You
do the work, then you get paid."
On the internet, you do the work once. Then you get paid,
and you get paid, and you get paid, and you get paid.
Possibly forever.
That's why you should sign up for our affiliate program,
even if you don't market products or sell on the internet.
Once you sign up, all you have to do is RECOMMEND our
website to your friends, associates, or customers. If they
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you get a minimum 40% commission.
And this is not a one shot deal. EVERY time they buy from
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after the first of the next month.
Don't worry, we won't spam them or bombard them endless
sales letters. They don't even have to subscribe to our
newsletter.
All it takes is one click-through. One time.
For more information, go to
http://www.get-free-publicity.com/affiliate.htm
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Recommended Resources
============================================================
These are some of the resources that have been most helpful
to us in building on online presence:
Terry Dean's NetBreakthroughs...
http://www.get-free-publicity.com/terrydean.html
FREE MARKETING EBOOK - "Six Deadly Small Business Marketing
Mistakes (and How to Fix Them!)"
http://www.MarketingBestPractices.com/ebook.htm
"Click" by Tom Antion. EBook. A "gotta-have-it" guide for
internet marketers.
http://www.get-free-publicity.com/speakershop.html
Internet Marketing Course-Cory Rudl
http://www.get-free-publicity.com/imc.html
"The Amazing Formula"
http://www.get-free-publicity.com/amazing.html
Postmaster General Listserver
http://www.get-free-publicity.com/postmaster.html
But THE ONE RESOURCE that has made the biggest impact on our
e-business:
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FREE ARTICLES FOR YOUR PUBLICATIONS
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We have many articles available for reprint in your
publication, company newsletter, etc. You may use
articles that you see in this ezine. Back issues
can be viewed at
http://www.get-free-publicity.com/backissues.htm
or
http://www.get-free-publicity.com/articlelist.htm
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SPONSOR MESSAGE
===========================================================
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GET FREE PUBLICITY
EZINE
Vol. 2 Number 6 - March 21, 2002
Publisher:
http://www.get-free-publicity.com
Editor: George McKenzie
mailto:george@get-free-publicity.com
Copyright 2002 by George McKenzie
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