Dear Friends,

My dear friend and client Ava Kay Jones brings joy to everyone she meets--she doesn't have to do or say anything. When we were at the farmers' market at the peach stand, the vendor said, "Some people's faces shine like the sun. Yours is one of them". Previously, all he had said to me was, "Three dollars please." There he was grinning from ear to ear, weighing the fruit (I'd never seen his teeth before) and Ava Kay was just squeezing some peaches. In daily interactions or media appearances your presence makes a statement--way before you open your mouth.

As we continued our walk through bins of corn, squash blossoms and homemade pies, Ava Kay sang me this song from the group Earth, Wind and Fire:

"Ain't if funny how the way you feel shows on your face. That no matter how you try to hide it will state your case. You wonder how your attitude is going down. Is it waken' and shakin' and safe and sound."

When you're working on your press releases and media appearances bear in mind we're buying you, not the product, service or cause. The big "branding" mystique is really quite simple. It's about who you are on a daily basis and the kind of feeling you leave people with.

Watching the documentary film "Touch the Sound", about one of the world's best percussionists Evelyn Glennie, discussing the nature of hearing and sound, I was struck by what she said: when a performer plays he brings the total experience of his life to bear in those moments. Oh, and she happens to be deaf, which she doesn't like people to mention. I'm doing so to lead into the next point which is on her website FAQ which illustrates her attitude in life.

"Is your handicap a subject of discussion among your musician colleagues? Among musician colleagues NO! We all make music together and respect each other for our music making. There is never really much time to discuss anything else. It is only journalists and other media forces who, IN THE MAIN, concentrate on the learning issue. I usually call the shots as to how I want people to treat me and they are usually surprised how unfussy and normal it all is. People with severe beards are advised to shave before expecting me to carry out a conversation with them though!"

We all "call the shots" on how the media and other people treat us by how we comport ourselves and what we choose to say. Everyone from children to TV hosts follow your lead. You develop your presence every day by the choices you make in what you think, say and do. When it all gets added up it's called a life. How do you want to be remembered every day?

Warmly,
Susan

What Your Press Release Has in Common with Hurricane Katrina

Hurricanes happen. While you can't predict them, you can prepare in advance for the inevitable. While you can't always plan your press release when news breaks, most of the time forethought could be the thing that saves face in the whirlwind that's the media.

1. Prepare for disaster.

The best way to get ready for the unexpected is to expect it. When ordained Voodoo & Yoruba priestess Ava Kay Jones heard that Katrina was coming through New Orleans, She packed a few things, her bird Tweety, then she and a group of friends drove straight to Houston. Knowing that the media sometimes doesn't tell you the whole story when they invite you on a show is more typical than not. When Ava Kay was invited to be on 20/20 with John Stossel they didn't tell her it was going to be a show that poked fun at and debunked spiritual matters. When Stossel asked her to put a hex on him, she refused and instead did a spiritual blessing at a cemetery. One of her colleagues didn't fare so well and did as he was told. Bad idea. Know your boundaries and what you will and won't do. You're not a performing seal.

2. Have your systems in place.

One client of mine is raring to go. She wants me to get her press releases out in a big way, nationally ASAP. I've refused. Even though she's already being interviewed by major magazines she doesn't have the systems in place yet so she wouldn't maximize her publicity. Opportunities would be wasted.

First she needs simple things like having a newsletter sign up page on her website, her website store in running order (go here if you don't yet have store software), a database set up and/or fulfillment house for sending her products, prices and descriptions for speaking engagements etc. We need to get all of the basics up and running before we go public in a major way. After we do that we'll define the niche markets we want to target and write the press releases accordingly.

3. Be resourceful.

If one thing doesn't work, try another. Ava Kay Jones waited in line for three days in Houston for assistance from the Red Cross. Every day they sent thousands of people home telling them to come back the next day...and the next, and the next.

When my sweetie and I flew her here to visit as a respite from the storm. Ava Kay and I went to the Red Cross in Marin County, but the door was blockaded and there was a sign that stated we had to go to San Francisco or Oakland for assistance.

We drove the hour to Oakland and we waited patiently as they asked inane questions about Ava Kay's past, filled out 5 separate forms by hand, and then asked us to get them a bill to prove her residence in New Orleans as her passport wasn't good enough.

We had to fax a bill (thankfully, she brought some with her and my sweetie was around to do it) in order to get a debit card for a measly $360, which wouldn't be operative for 24-48 hours and must be used within a month.

But first we had to wait for the fax machine to be free and then it was broken and had to be fixed. Can you imagine the thousands of people in Houston and throughout the gulf states spending 1.5 + hours getting paperwork filled out to get a pittance? I found out from my mother that one of her friend's who volunteered to help out is being flown from California to Baton Rouge and put up in a hotel. That's where all our Red Cross money is going, not to the people who need it.

When things don't go as planned for you when you send out a press release have a Plan B. And then be willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done--which is to get your message out to the audience you want to help.

Help Katrina Survivor Ava Kay Jones: Spiritual Leader of New Orleans

Ava Kay Jones was born in New Orleans and lived there her entire life until Hurricane Katrina destroyed her home and city and she was evacuated to Houston. As a spiritual and community leader, ordained Voodoo and Yoruba priestess, and tireless (worker) volunteer at St. Jude's Catholic Parish, Ava Kay's life's work has been helping others, especially those in need. Now she needs help from us as she has lost her lodgings and possessions in the flood following Katrina. If you can provide housing in Houston or give money in any amount to help her rebuild her life please send a check payable to Ava Kay Jones to:

Susan Harrow
(for Ava Kay Jones)
4200 Park Blvd. #333
Oakland CA 94602

For housing contact Ava Kay directly, .

Thank you for your great generosity. Ava Kay sends her gratitude, prayers and blessings.

P.S. If you want to post this notice in your own newsletter or anywhere where you think it would help, you are welcome to.

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Press Releases May Not Get to the Right Person

Let go of publicity and promotion that doesn't work. Like me, you may stop submitting press releases to book editors. Even though I submitted over 150 press releases in a year, I only got a few feature stories. I did get some action, but little for the time and effort. If you do send a press release, put a 3-5 tip blurb in it to make media editors more likely to publish it. They love short how-to information just like the rest of us.

This tip is courtesy of Judy Cullins, a 20-year Book and Internet Marketing Coach who works with small business people who want to make a difference in people's lives, build their credibility and clients, and make a consistent life-long income. Visit her at bookcoaching.com and get over 199 free articles.

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