52 PR Tips To Get Media Attention

52 PR Tips To Get Media Attention

1. Choose the right words.

Say what you mean and mean what you say, develop your sound bites word for word. Sound bites are the flashes of who you are and the message you want to get across. Choose the right words to express what you want to communicate clearly and precisely in the right tone. By considering what you want your audiences to know you’re giving them the gift of your expertise.

(Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul, reference page 144)

What are the proper proportions of a maxim? A minimum of sound to a maximum of sense. ~ Mark Twain

2. Do well by doing good.

Support your community or a charity whose vision upholds your own or create an event to bring awareness to your favorite cause. Over time your name will become associated with good deeds and good will and you’ll continue to grow as a philanthropist.

(Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul, reference page 10)

Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest. ~ Mark Twain

3. Consult your current customers for new ideas.

Discover what is working—or not—from your clients by asking them to give you ideas for products, services, or books they want you to develop. You’ll improve your service and get new ideas to pitch the media.

(Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul, reference page 6)

I do not seek to understand that I may believe, but I believe in order to understand. ~ St. Anselm of Canterbury

4. Create an original survey.

Gather opinions to generate ideas with fresh views to help broaden your own ideas and angles. You can conduct your own polls, support your findings with statistics and research, and then use that information in your next press release. The media is always looking for previously unpublished, fresh information.

(Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul, reference page 6)

I don’t really have studios. I wander around—around people’s attics, out in fields, in cellars, anyplace I find that invites me. ~ Andrew Wyeth

5. Personalize your press release.

Personalize whenever possible. If you’re familiar with a journalist’s work, attach a short note that tell him what you like about his style, the subject he’s covering and why your topic fits. This shows him you’re familiar with his “beat” and you understand what his audience needs.

(Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul, reference page 41)

Let yourself be silently drawn by the pull of what you really love. ~ Rumi

6. Give your subject matter emotional zing.

One potent part that’s often missing from a press release is emotional resonance. Make your subject call up a shock of feeling. If whatever you are promoting has elements that will stir up strong positive and/or negative feelings about a subject; you have a better chance of being heard through all the noise of those competing for media attention. The media loves subjects their audience can hate—or love.

(Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul, reference page 48)

Nobody has ever measured, even the poets, how much the heart can hold. ~ Zelda Fitzgerald

7. Write your own bio.

To make it easy for radio & TV producers to introduce you correctly include your bio at the top of your Ten Questions page. Not only is the information instantly accessible, you’re positioned exactly as you want.

(Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul, reference page 51)

Life is not holding a good hand, life is playing a poor hand well. ~ Danish Proverb

8. Preface your questions for radio with background information.

Questions help make the producer’s job easier. If producers choose to read the background information you’ve provided verbatim, it sounds as if they are as knowledgeable about your subject as you are, and it disseminates the information you want revealed.

(Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul, reference page 61)

Concentrate all your thoughts on the task at hand. The sun’s rays do not burn until brought to a focus. ~ Alexander Graham Bell

9. The key element in your press kit—the Tip sheet.

A tip sheet is pure knowledge. It consists of a short introduction plus an ego-free list of five to fifteen points that highlight your expertise while providing solutions to personal or professional problems. Use examples of the kind of clients you prefer so you’ll attract only those clients to you. Adding humor makes it more attractive to journalists, and their audience. If it’s well-written with flair this “sidebar” will often get printed verbatim.

(Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul, reference page 63)

I create places in which to think, without trying to dictate what to think. ~ Maya Lin

10. Create a campaign with style–your style.

Go beyond your self-described comfort zone to practice radical acts of self-acceptance. An empowering personal marketing and publicity plan is one that suits your personality and reflects you as you are. People relish an original!

(Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul, reference page 113)

Anything you are shows up in the music. ~ Marylou Williams

11. Create quotes using your own wisdom.

Quote yourself liberally in your press materials. Create an entire quote page of your wisdom to have ready when someone requests an interview. Pick your best lines–keenly honed to the interview–that describe what you are promoting clearly and vividly. When you give the media good quotes they are more apt to use them.

(Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul, reference page 117)

People who don’t speak for themselves allow others to speak for them. ~ J.D. Salinger & Joyce Maynard

12. Prep your mother!

Increased media exposure can mean increased exposure of your private life. Talk to your mother about what should or should not be discussed about your childhood secrets if contacted by dirt-digging media. You can’t control her, but you can sure try to minimize the torture. Do the same with other family members, friends and colleagues. You take charge of your media image by prepping your family.

(Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul, reference page 122)

After a good dinner one can forgive anybody, even one’s own relatives. ~ Oscar Wilde

13. Examine your public records.

Don’t be caught off guard if the media approaches you about a matter that’s of public record. Take a look for yourself. Be the first to bring up any issues to the media if it is relevant to the story. Then frame it as unimportant or put it in proper context. When you bring things up before the media it shows that you’re forthright and honest.

(Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul, reference page 123)

I have found that the little medicine of telling the truth at all times is certainly preferable to swallowing the big medicine of apology and punishment. ~ Patrick Morand

14. Prepare yourself for an increase in your business.

Before you send out your press release put the proper systems in place to be able to handle the increase in business resulting from your media coverage. Proper planning before you get overwhelmed with business will keep you sane and maintain your good reputation.

(Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul, reference page 124)

Go on working freely and furiously, and you will make progress. ~ Paul Gauguin

15. Connect with your audience.

Give people a way to connect with you after a presentation. Your audience wants to take away something from the feelings or information you just presented to them. If you don’t offer them something you deprive them of that pleasure. Give something for free or for sale, either way you are enriching another person’s life, and continuing your relationship with them.

(Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul, reference page 130)

I arise in the morning torn between a desire to save the world and a desire to savor the world. That makes it hard to plan the day. ~ E.B. White

16. Do everything with attitude–the attitude to help.

You don’t have to approach the media on bended knee. When approaching the media do it with the intention of helping them out rather than groveling for a morsel of their time. Media people always need ideas for stories. You’re doing them a favor by providing them with some.

(Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul, reference page 131)

Anybody can hype their products, but the open market is the real judge of true value. ~ Hank Edelman

17. Connect your past experience to your present-day profession.

Tell a story that has a beginning, middle, and end. There are three essentials that everyone wants to know about you: who you are, where you have come from, and where you are going. Once you’ve identified a meaningful story connect it to what you are currently promoting. Add that link to your story to tie it together. Conflict, problems, and struggle make the story universal. People can relate to you better as an imperfect and honest person.

(Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul, reference page 148)

There is only one success to be able to spend your life in your own way. ~ Christopher Morley

18. Find your own voice.

Your voice is as personal as your thumbprint. You use phrases and have mannerisms that are like billboards to those around you. With the help of family and friends you can identify which of these patterns need to be perfected, polished, or eliminated. Begin to notice how you talk about your experiences; these are the stories that frame your life and shape how you think and act.

(Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul, reference page 150)

Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony. ~ Mahatma Gandhi

19. Keep your wits about you.

Intimate questions can be hostile questions in disguise. A woman will typically be the one to ask an overly intimate question, while a man will ask a challenging one. Keep your wits about you and respond by reframing the question to focus attention on a broader social issue or expand the answer to encompass what other people might feel. In this way you can maintain your good relationship with the host while preserving your privacy.

(Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul, reference page 167)

Here are two rules for ultimate success in life. 1) Never tell everything you know.

20. Become the message you want to give.

Your essence plus your presence that is conveyed through your facial, verbal, and body language, is the quality of your being. Are you the message you want to give to people? Walk your talk and people will like and respect you.

(Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul, reference page 170)

My life is my message. ~ Mahatma Gandhi

21. Entrain your audience.

Share information with the audience that you know is fascinating and entertaining. You’ll not only please the audience but the interview will move at a swift pace, and you make the interviewer appear as if he’s doing an excellent job—a plus for any interview. (Sell

(Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul, reference page 157)

Hope is hearing the music of the future . . . Faith is dancing to it today!

22. Stick with what you know.

Inevitably you will be asked a question out of left field for which you don’t have a clear answer, or any answer. Don’t fall for it. Stay within your area of expertise and you’ll reinforce the impression that you are a knowledgeable expert.

(Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul, reference page 158)

An expert is a man who has made all the mistakes which can be made, in a narrow field. ~ Niels Bohr

23. And or but?

The word “but” is an unconscious cue to butt heads that could provoke controversy in the interview. The word “and” tends to smooth things over. Also, using “and” lets the interviewer know you have something else to say—so please don’t interrupt me! Unless you’re trying to consciously provoke controversy use “and.”

(Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul, reference page 164)

Words are loaded pistols. ~ Jean-Paul Sartre

24. Know who you are.

Memorize your bio so that you’re always prepared to spout off your brief introduction orally. You’ll be happy you did when you encounter a host who hasn’t had time to glance at your materials.

(Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul, reference page 209)

Words lead to deeds, they prepare the soul, make it ready, and move it to tenderness. ~ Theresa of Avila

25.Timing and availability are everything.

If you’re an excellent guest, producers will sometimes give you more time than you are allotted. They may even bump the following guest giving you the extra time. If you book yourself into the first half of a show you’re in a better position to get that extra segment should the opportunity arise. Always take the earlier time slot if it’s available.

(Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul, reference page 210)

80 percent of success is just showing up. ~ Woody Allen

26. Prepare to be the best.

Get a good night’s sleep the night before an interview. Then when you walk into that interview be prepared to leave the world behind you. Give 100 percent and focus solely on the interview. An in-demand guest is prompt, prepared, pleasant, lively, humorous, entertaining, informative, involved, eager to help and goes with the flow. If you’re that guest you’ll stand a good chance of being asked back.

(Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul, reference page 210)

Whatever you do, do it with all your heart. ~ Confucius

27. Realize that your audience can change at any moment.

People can and do tune-in and turn-off constantly during a program. The best guests are the ones who can get to their epiphanies in less than forty-five seconds. When someone tunes in for the first time, keep them from jumping to the next channel by saying something riveting. Your host will love you for helping them keep their ratings high.

(Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul, reference page 211)

I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.

~ Bill Cosby

28. Personalize your presentation.

Listen to the host for cues as to how they address their audience. They may talk of the weather, mention local happenings, allude to a recent guest or refer to a past show. When you link your presentation to what is personal and relevant to the audience, they will connect with you as one of them and buy into what you have more easily.

(Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul, reference page 212)

If the only prayer you say in your whole life is ‘Thank You,’ that would  suffice.

~ Meister Eckhart

29. Talk stories to kids.

To give your voice more expression and variety, try telling stories to children without a book. Children respond so well to unbridled silliness and rude sounds that you will have a heap of fun while lubricating your imagination. Then translate that talent to your more adult stories. If you don’t have a child, borrow one from a mother who will kiss you for the time off.

(Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul, reference page 213)

I always wanted to invent something that would move around & make funny noises & would change the world as we know it & I forgot all about that until we had kids & now I see I came pretty close. ~ Brian Andreas

30. Project your image through your voice.

On the radio you’re just a voice, there is no visual to add color and dimension. Find out what people think you look like from your voice. Ask those people you have only met by phone to describe you. You’ll discover the impression that you’re giving people with your voice. Decide if this is something you can live with or would rather change, then do so, if possible.

(Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul, reference page 213)

With telephone and TV it is not so much the message as the sender that is being ‘sent.’ ~ Wired magazine

31. People remember stories.

If there is one thing and one thing only you learn from being on radio, it is to tell stories. By telling stories full of insight, meaning, and pleasure the audience will forever associate you with good feeling. When they feel good about you they want more of what you have.

(Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul, reference page 213)

We live in stories. ~ William Kittredge

32. Persuade your audience to buy.

Weave the name of your book, business, product or cause into the conversation at least three times so it sounds like it is a necessary part of the sentence. Quote from your book, business product, or cause to give the audience a tasty bite of what it would be like to indulge in your services, buy your book or product. And make sure to provide them with your phone number or website URL so they can do so instantly.

(Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul, reference page 215)

With an apple, I will astonish Paris. ~ Paul Cezanne

33. Get your audience involved.

Tell your audience to get pencil and paper to write down tips or tricks that you will offer in your presentation, and so they won’t forget your toll-free number or your web address. By alerting your audience to the importance of your information, they are better prepared to hear what you have to say. You don’t want them to miss anything in some throwaway phrase.

(Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul, reference page 215)

Ya gots to work with what you gots to work with. ~ Stevie Wonder

34. Extend your coverage after the interview.

There is nothing like setting another date while you are in-studio (or on the phone) after you have finished a fantastic interview. This is also a good time to offer yourself to fill in for situations when other guests cancel. Have your pitch ready for what you will discuss for the next show’s topic. Leave behind your pitch letter and contact information highlighting that you’re available to save them when an emergency arises.

(Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul, reference page 218)

Power is the capacity to translate intention into reality and sustain it. ~ Warren Bennis

35. Don’t say yes by acquiescing.

You have the right to say no to an interview. There are lots of ways to do it including just saying the word “no.” Another is to continue insisting on having it your way. Use the short, sweet, and repeat method until you are granted your wish. Three times is usually the charm.

(Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul, reference page 229)

Accept your genius and say what you think. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

36. Practice in front of a camera.

Research shows that people alter their behavior on camera. Get comfortable with the idea of being in front of the camera so that you can ignore it when you are actually being filmed. Keeping your attention on the host or whoever is speaking is your best strategy to appearing and being natural and engaged.

(Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul, reference page 229)

One is doomed to remain inarticulate about anything which one hasn’t, by an act of the imagination, made one’s own. ~ James Baldwin

37.  Look the part.

You must take care with your appearance so you won’t be judged harshly for it. Don’t give anyone anything to criticize about your appearance and you will be given more leeway with your ideas. You’ll be glad when people focus on your message and not your makeup.

(Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul, reference page 232)

I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship. ~ Louisa May Alcott

38. Plant your message in the eyes of your host.

When talking to someone look first at one eye and then the other as though you are “planting” your message in the earth of their eyes. People read this as sincere and committed. It’s a method successfully used by President John F. Kennedy who was dearly loved.

(Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul, reference page 237)

Anything done with focus, awareness or mindfulness is a meditation. ~ David Harp

39. Don’t over-smile.

Women tend to smile too much in an effort to be liked. Instead of smiling, wear a look of animation and approval. Imagine you like your host and are interested in what he has to say. Your face will give the message that you are open and alert and people will respond to your sincere interest.

(Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul, reference page 241)

Don’t pay any attention to the critics. Don’t even ignore them. ~ Samuel Goldwyn

40. Don’t waste valuable airtime being extra nice.

At times you will share your airtime with other guests. Don’t waste your time trying to be nice to other guests by waiting to see if they had something to say first. Be polite, but let everyone take care of himself. This isn’t the time to play mom. Speak up or someone else will get your airtime.

(Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul, reference page 243)

He who dares not offend cannot be honest. ~ Thomas Paine

41. Leverage your success after the interview.

Something as simple as a thank you note can make a world of difference to a producer or journalist remembering you after the interview. Take the time immediately after interview to send out a thank you. Details like this are what make you memorable. Besides, gratitude tends to multiply your good luck.

(Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul, reference page 244)

Heaven never helps the men who will not act. ~ Sophocles

42. Let technology be your publicist.

The object of doing publicity on the Internet is to have it working when you are not. Of course create a website. Get involved with followers and fans via Instagram Stories, Facebook Lives, LinkedIn discussions, Twitter, chats, TikTok, podcasts, virtual summits, virtual events, webinars, guest blogs, set up a YouTube channel. Buy the appropriate domain names for your product–including your birth name and variations of it if it has an unusual or challenging spelling. Let technology do you the favor of keeping your name in front of millions of people who want to know about whatever you are selling.

(Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul, reference page 247)

Make a dent in the universe. ~ Steve Jobs

43. Recycle your articles.

Writing and selling your articles for syndication doesn’t mean you can’t get more mileage out of your hard work. Check the guidelines for usage and once any restrictions for use are removed, submit or sell the article to other sources. With this one simple method you’ll begin to be known everywhere.

(Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul, reference page 250

If you want your dreams to come true, don’t oversleep. ~ Yiddish Proverb

44. Give back through your newsletter or e-zine.

Online and offline newsletters give you access to people all over the world interested in absorbing your knowledge. By subscribing to your publication they have given you the highest level of permission possible to hear what you have to say. Sharing your expertise is this form is a great way to build loyalty while enriching the lives of your subscribers. And, they just might pass it on to a friend!

(Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul, reference page 251)

No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. ~ Aesop’s Fables

45. Never turn down opportunity.

There is often no way of predicting where something will lead, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem at the time. Make it a point to say “yes” when opportunity finds you. You never know who is watching, listening, or reading.

(Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul, reference page 278)

It’s never too late to be what you might have been. ~ George Eliot

46. Toot your own horn…lightly.

The object of publicity is to invite others to man the vehicle that sounds the gorgeous rhythms of your life. There is an art to giving a well-timed beep on your own behalf. Too loud and you bring out the fight in people. Too soft and you risk not being heard. Think of yourself as providing the license to drive your best qualities forward—and take every opportunity to do so.

(Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul, reference page 279)

Just trust yourself then you will know how to live. ~ Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

47. Turn your faults into your trademarks.

Assess your shortcomings. They are the greatest teacher you will ever have. If they have not yet metamorphosed into commendable career assets, reflect on how they can. Your unique faults can give you an inside edge to understanding the audience to which you are marketing. And people love those who are imperfect.

(Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul, reference page 282)

O Lord, help me to be pure, but not yet. ~ Saint Augustine

48. Speak out for those who can’t.

To make a difference you don’t have to sing, dance, or dig into your pockets. Get active. Become a spokesperson and help give voice to those who can’t do it for themselves. Use your know how for doing what you do best.

(Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul, reference page 283)

Speak your mind, even when your voice shakes. ~ Maggie Kuhn

49. Do publicity with heart.

Eternal wealth comes from practicing publicity with heart. Do everything from the center of your self in accordance with your own internal barometer. Be in complete alignment with your principles, what you believe, how you think, act, speak and behave. Become one with yourself and the world around you to the extent possible for you in this moment.

(Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul, reference page 284)

People think I am disciplined. It is not discipline. It is devotion. There is a great difference. ~ Luciano Pavarotti

50. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Many people are waiting for the chance to help you. Allow them to. “Help” is one of the most underused words in our vocabulary. You’d be surprised how flattered and eager people are to help you. Give your friends and business associates the opportunity to use their imagination fully and watch them shine in the pleasure of it.

(Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul, reference page 287)

One joy dispels a hundred cares. ~ Confucius

51. Enjoy the process.

Enjoy the process of carrying out your marketing and publicity plan. As you follow the pathways toward publicizing your offering, it is as if you were entering a beautiful and true space defined by your own thoughts, actions, feelings, and what you choose to see. The process, unfolding, is the thing itself.

(Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul, reference page 314)

Life is a sum of all your choices. ~ Voltaire

52. Leave a legacy.

What is it that you really want to do here on earth? No one wants to be forgotten, no matter who they are. Make something of your life to enrich the lives of your family, friends, and community that keeps on going when you are gone. Give your gifts to the world freely. Know that we are waiting.

(Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul, reference page 326)

Life shrinks or expands according to one’s courage. ~Anais Nin