Many clients and prospective clients tell us they know what they want. “I want to be on The New York Times best-seller list,” they might say, or “I want world peace” or “I want to make a million bucks and retire.”

Article at a glance: Writing a book elevates your stature. Make your book match the message you want to convey. Test-drive book ideas through 5 basic questions. Nearly every day, someone asks my advice on the best way to promote their business or themselves. I get the question at speaking engagements, at the office and, [...]

Article at a glance: People can’t search for you if they don’t know you exist. Keyword searches return thousands of competing results. Media exposure helps point people to your website.

Article at a glance: For maximum exposure, establish yourself as an expert. Look to your research, experience, book themes for ideas. Follow the news so you can craft timely pitches. I hear from so many fiction writers who believe their only shot at publicity is through the journalists and talk show hosts who focus on [...]

Article at a glance: Even the pros occasionally stumble on live TV If it happens to you, smile and keep talking. Be conscious of your body movements. It’s bad enough when you stick your foot in your mouth at a dinner party or walk out of the office bathroom with the back of your dress [...]

Let’s face it – we think TV, we think celebrity. It’s exciting. Ever spot the anchor from your local TV newscast dining in the same restaurant as you? Did you grab your companion’s arm, point, and say, sotto voce, “Look!” (Yes, I’m guilty, too.)

Tips for Taking on the Tough Questions Article at a glance: A lively debate makes for a memorable interview. Prepare yourself by writing down bullet points. Invest in media coaching. What makes good talk radio? Often, it’s a good argument – just the thing a lot of first-time guests hope to avoid. They hear shock [...]

Article highlights: How radio stations have married social media and traditional media into entertainment powerhouses. Why social media is important if you wish to be a guest. To read part 1, click here! Yesterday I introduced you to Alex Hinojosa, former full-time radio personality and current Senior Campaign Manager at EMSI. Alex was working as [...]

Tips for Connecting with the Media Article at a glance: Print journalists tend to like pitches in writing. Keep it short and sweet. Don’t rely on a web link to make your case. I’ve been saying it for 22 years: Getting mentioned in news stories and being interviewed on radio and TV is the best, [...]

Try These Tips for Tweaking Your Delivery   Article at a glance: Don’t use ‘Please read’ as your email subject line. Do your homework before calling or emailing. Respect the journalist’s time.  It’s beyond frustrating to discover that one of the first steps in your media campaign is a doozy. Connecting with the print, radio [...]

With Twitter, Leaders are Also Followers Apparently, there are quite a few PR Insider readers who know they should be building a following on social networks, but aren’t sure how to get started. Last week’s how-to on Facebook got lots of requests for more. So this week, let’s jump platforms and talk Twitter. That’s the [...]

Article at a glance: Facebook is one of the easiest social networks to use. Getting started requires only a valid e-mail. Post a link, photo or comment once or twice a day.

Prospective clients often send me emails asking me to visit their websites to learn more about them and their product, book or business. They want to avoid repeating to me what they’ve already spent so much time and money to explain on their site.

5 tips for creating an impressive website Article at a glance: Website design and development’s easy – when you hire a pro Be able to articulate your goals for the site Listen to your developer, even if you disagree First impressions are everything I’m so relieved and excited to be launching our new EMSI website [...]