How to Take Advantage of Free Publicity

Issue #2203

• WEALTHY: 15 ways to get your press release published (Michael Masterson)
• HEALTHY: Know the answer to this question before you eat Thanksgiving dinner (Kelley Herring)
• WISE: John Berger on publicity

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:

• Is there a RIGHT way to buy a new HDTV? (Charlie Byrne)
• 10 little things Charles is thankful for
• It’s Fun to Know… about networking, Pilgrim style
• Add "bon ton" to your vocabulary

== Highly Recommended ==

Announcing Your Complimentary Invitation to ETR’s 2008 Bootcamp

ETR’s Info-Marketing Bootcamp has without question become the premiere event in the industry. Now, you can attend this bootcamp, held in beautiful Delray Beach, Florida without paying the fee!

Come join us in 2008 and you’ll be brought up to date on all the latest and most powerful business-building secrets that are working in the marketplace that minute. It’s also an extraordinary chance to network with dozens of industry leaders, not to mention hundreds of your fellow high-achieving Early to Risers.

Lists of previous years’ speakers read like a who’s who of business-building and Internet marketing geniuses, including Jay Abraham, Joe Vitale, Robert Ringer, Brian Tracy, Jeff Paul, Michael Masterson, Bob Bly, Rich Schefren, Jeff Walker, Alex Mandossian and many, many more.

Martha Celestino of Santa Ana, CA said about our 2007 Bootcamp, “This event was fabulous. This is my second ETR event, and I’m always just blown away by the ideas and the concepts. The people presenting are leaders in their fields.”

Now, when you become a Charter Member of ETR’s new Internet Money Club, you’ll receive complimentary admission to next year’s Early to Rise 2008 Info-Marketing Bootcamp.

This event WILL sell out next fall. But as an Internet Money Club member, you’re automatically guaranteed a complimentary, locked-in seat for next year’s event.

And that’s just the beginning of your benefits as a Charter Member of the Internet Money Club… read on to see everything else you get.

"Publicity is the life of this culture - in so far as without publicity capitalism could not survive - and at the same time publicity is its dream."

John Berger

How to Take Advantage of Free Publicity

By Michael Masterson

There is nothing that will help you get yourself, your company, or your products recognized better or faster than getting the news media to see you/them as news. Every day, small businesses are propelled into the local or even national spotlight thanks to some journalist or radio or TV personality.

A book I once wrote on China became a quick best-seller (and got reprinted by Rand McNally) thanks to a positive review that somehow got picked up by the media. A student of American Writers and Artists Inc. (AWAI) has a very nice side business based solely on press releases he puts out during holidays. And just think about what Oprah has done for dozens of otherwise unknown novelists.

Not everyone can take advantage of free publicity. You need to offer something new and different - or make it seem so. The secret to getting covered is to forget for a moment about yourself and your product and think about the editor/producer you are targeting. What are his readers/viewers looking for?

I used to be a media person, so I have an idea of what they want.

Imagine their lives. These people are generally young and know little or nothing about business. They are understandably pro-consumer, assuredly news hungry, and overworked.

Most of the media people you want to reach are prejudiced against press releases. Yet they keep a stack of them around… just in case. When a deadline is approaching and the stuff they’ve been working on has disintegrated, they turn to that despised stack of self-interested hype to see if they can find something they can use.

They don’t have time to fool around reading every release carefully. It’s "search and dispose" time -much like what direct-mail prospects do when they come home to a mailbox full of junk mail.

Give them a reason to see your effort as ordinary or irrelevant, and it’s gone faster than a six-pack of Guinness at an Irish funeral. If they suspect your press release is self-serving, it’s gone. Like this widely lampooned memo from Michael Milken’s public relations staff:

"Michael Milken is often identified incorrectly in news reports because rushed copy editors or writers fall back on old cliches that gained currency through the efforts of his competitors’ public relations departments many years ago. Mike (what everyone calls him) heads or works with several organizations, including the Milken Institute (an economic think tank), the National Prostate Cancer Coalition…"

Milken’s PR people got a lot of press with this effort - all of it negative.

And don’t believe for a second the old aphorism about all publicity’s being good publicity. Bad publicity hurts.

When I write a press release, I write something that I would have used when I was a journalist - and that means something that is:

1. newsworthy
2. useful to the publication’s readers
3. humble (Bragging is fatal.)
4. written well enough that it doesn’t need much editing

Humor is tricky, but it can work - especially if it deflects the journalist’s attention away from your promotional intent. "If this guy is making fun of himself," the journalist might think, "he can’t be bad."

Here are some "rules" suggested in DM News by Steve Dubin, president of PR Works in Kingston, MA:

• Make it new. Unless you make your press release sound like news, your chances of seeing it published are next to zilch.
• Benefit the right reader. Nobody cares about your product/service but you… unless you point out how useful it can be to the readers you’re aiming at.
• Highlight the way your product/service is part of a hot trend. (Media people love trends.)
• Be timely. A dating website is a hotter topic on Valentine’s Day than on Veterans Day.
• Highlight the irony. What is the surprise? The contrast?
• Use surveys. Seemingly objective surveys can be intriguing.
• Show how good you are. Journalists like do-gooders but are skeptical of them. So if you take this route, do it well.
• Drop names. When David hooks up with Goliath, that’s news.
• Use case studies. How does your product/service help people?

One final bit of advice: Make sure you always follow up on your press releases, especially to your most important media contacts. But don’t call them right before the deadline and don’t harass them. Get them to think of you as someone who is helping them do their jobs, not as a pest.

[Ed. Note: Get Michael Masterson’s insights into becoming successful in your business and personal life, achieving financial independence, and accomplishing all your goals on his new website. You’ll find updates on all of Michael’s books, news on upcoming ETR events, Michael’s blog, and room to send in your comments and questions. Check it out today.]

== Highly Recommended ==

Make Over 764% from the Silver Supply Crunch!

If you can spot which commodities are undergoing huge supply shortages, you’re on track to make huge gains. Consider:

• Uranium Prices soared over 1,200% in the past five years as new nuclear power plants went online.
• Copper prices have zoomed over 426% as world demand hits unprecedented levels.

But had you owned resource companies that took advantage of these supply crunches, you could’ve made MUCH more.

Click here right now to learn the name of one company poised to make early investors over 764% from the silver supply crunch.

Consumer Advice: Navigating the High-Definition TV Minefield, Part 1

By Charlie Byrne

I watch very little television. But since I recently made the jump to HDTV, it’s become really enjoyable - maybe even better than going to the movies.

Retailers expect post-Thanksgiving "Black Friday" sales to tempt more buyers than ever to upgrade to this new technology. But at the same time, millions of Americans will find that what should be a fun adventure can turn into a nightmare.

In this limited space, I can’t advise you on what brand or type of TV (LCD, plasma, projection) to buy. (You can research the differences with Consumer Reports, CNet.com, or (for the brave and tech-savvy) perhaps the best site of all, AvsForum.com). But - based on my own buying experience - I can give you some useful tips you might not hear anywhere else.

So here’s my quick, admittedly non-expert, non-all-encompassing version of "HDTV 101"…

• You are probably going to need an upgraded cable or satellite box designed to handle the HDTV signal. If you are certain you’re going to buy an HDTV, plan ahead and order this well in advance. There’s nothing more disappointing than coming home Saturday morning with your shiny new set… and then finding out you can’t start getting the proper signal until Monday, or even later.

If you’re tech-savvy, you might be able to visit your local cable company to exchange the boxes yourself. If not, you’ll need a service call. Be aware that your monthly rates may rise when you "add in" the new HDTV channels you’ll be watching.

• Figuring out the correct size of the TV you need is critically important. Of course, budget will be a consideration. (Larger TV = higher price.) But in an ideal world, it should be based on the size of the TV room - more specifically, on the distance between the TV and where you’ll be sitting. Just like when you go to the movies, you don’t want the screen to seem too big or too small.

Here’s a table I found on the Internet that worked out right for me:

That said, I found several other tables with different numbers. So you might want to do a bit more research. Google "HDTV viewing distance" or talk to a knowledgeable salesperson.

Salespeople may tell you something like "Many people regret getting a unit that’s too small and wish they could go back and get a bigger one." And you might suspect you’re being "upsold." But I’ve read this in many places, and personally agree with this advice.

When my wife and I were shopping, we looked at the size right for our room - 42 inches - and it was absolutely humongous. We played with the idea of getting a 36-incher, but took the 42-inch TV home. Initially, it seemed gigantic. But now it seems just right. I’m certain I’d be disappointed if I’d gotten the smaller one.

• Another initial step is figuring out where you’re going to put the darn thing. Many older "entertainment centers" have spaces designed for traditional TVs. HDTVs tend to be shorter and wider, and so won’t fit well in those spaces.

The good news is that they are slim and lightweight, so they can be hung on the wall. The catch is what to do with all the wires. You may need to bring in a professional installer to run them through the wall and into a hidden closet or cabinet.

The other option - the one I chose - is to get an HDTV stand. We got a slim table that sits right in front of our entertainment center. The new TV lines up with the entertainment center’s old "TV opening," which was too small to hold the new TV itself. So before you head for the store, think about where you’re going to put the TV, and maybe take a few measurements.

Now you’ve got a good idea of what it’s going to take to get started on your HDTV adventure. Tomorrow, I’ll be back with a few more pointers… and a way to avoid what is probably the biggest rip-off in the HDTV market. 

[Ed. Note: Have more ideas, comments, or criticism on Charlie’s HDTV advice? Join the discussion on ETR’s Speak Out Forum here.]

What Did Your Turkey Eat?

By Kelley Herring

Some people say you are what you eat. But, the truth of the matter is, you are what your food ate.

That’s why I’m hoping the Thanksgiving turkey you’ll be eating on Thursday is an organic, pastured bird that was fed no soy.

"Conventional" and even "organic" turkeys almost always eat a grain-based mixture high in soybeans. Many people worry about too much soy in the average American diet, but few equate animal feeds high in soy with the critical issue of a poor omega-6 to omega-3 ratio.

As you know from reading ETR, omega-3 fatty acids are essential for maintaining good health. They also help prevent most major "diseases of Westernization"… including diabetes, cancer, and heart disease.

Pastured turkeys subsist on a natural diet (grass, insects, etc.), so they have a better fatty acid ratio. And that results in healthier, more nutritious birds.

Here are some sources to look into:

texasgrassfedbeef.com

grassfedtraditions.com

weathertopfarm.com

[Ed. Note: Kelley Herringis the founder and CEO of Healing Gourmet (www.healinggourmet.com) and the creator of Healing Gourmet’s Personalized Nutrition Software. Learn more about how simple lifestyle choices can improve your health by reading ETR’s free natural health e-letter.]

10 Little Things I’m Thankful For

By Charles Delvalle, Financial Analyst

1. An alarm clock that has a snooze button

2. The Nintendo Wii being so much fun (People come over and everyone plays.)

3. Being able to mix chocolate protein powder with milk, bananas, and strawberries to create the best drink in the world

4. Super-fast V8 engines in tiny cars that shouldn’t have them

5. Jon Stewart

6. Deep-tissue massages

7. Having a few drinks with the people I’m close with

8. Understanding that the best trader is one who doesn’t trade

9. Florida being the theme park capital of the world (Where else can you live and be able to drive to Disney World, Islands of Adventure, and Busch Gardens?)

10. The Internet (Hey, it’s my life AND my job.)

It’s Fun to Know: Networking, Pilgrim Style

If your ancestors were at the first Thanksgiving, they were in good company. Here’s a short list of famous folks who claim Pilgrim ancestry: George W. Bush, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Laura Ingalls Wilder, and Ulysses S. Grant.

(Source: Ancestry.com)

== Highly Recommended ==

The Internet Money-Making Secret of a Desperate Housewife.

More bills than money. Dave, bless his heart, was trying, but he just couldn’t keep their heads above water.

Vicky and her husband Dave were caught between a rock and a hard place.

Vicky couldn’t stand to see the pain on Dave’s face.

That night fate intervened… Vicky got her hands on something very special.

What she saw changed her life… forever!

Click here to read more…

- Patrick Coffey

Word to the Wise: Bon Ton

The "bon ton" (bahn TAHN) is fashionable society. The term is derived from the French for "good tone."

Example (as used by Stanley Kauffmann in the New Republic): "Here, braving the bon ton of New York in the early 1900s, he seemed uncomfortable throughout, as if he had been invited to an Edith Wharton party for which he was not suitably dressed."

[Ed. Note: Become a more persuasive writer and speaker … build your self-confidence and intellect … increase your attractiveness to others … just by spending 10 VERY enjoyable minutes a day with ETR’s new Words to the Wise CD Library.]

Michael Masterson
Copyright ETR, LLC, 2007