New York Times Bestselling Author, Michael Levin, Shares His Insight On Business, Books and Ghostwriters
I had the privilege to interview Michael Levin, New York Times bestselling author and CEO of Business Ghost (www.BusinessGhost.com) about why corporate executives and professionals should write a book. Having written novels, business books and co-written with or ghost written for many high profiled professionals, such as Baseball Hall of Famer Dave Winfield, football broadcasting legend Pat Summerall, FBI undercover agent Joaquin Garcia and E-Myth creator Michael Gerber, he offers a unique insight that is a wealth of information.
Michael has also written for the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CBS News, the Boston Globe, the Los Angeles Times and many other top outlets. Plus he is an eight-time national best-selling author and his books have received outstanding reviews in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the New Yorker, People Magazine, the Washington Post, the San Francisco Examiner, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, the Boston Globe, Esquire, Booklist and other leading publications. Read more on New York Times bestselling author, Michael Levin →
Are Blogs Important to My PR Campaign?
How To Tell Which Blogs Are Bonanzas And Which Ones Are Busts
In the age of the Internet, everyone has a blog.
According to BlogPulse, there were 152 million blogs on the Internet at the end of 2010 and the trend doesn’t seem to be slowing down. Many of these bloggers have become opinion leaders in their particular areas of expertise, while others have next to no following at all and blog just to let off steam. So how do you know which bloggers to target when you’re promoting yourself or your company and which ones to ignore? I have a few tips that might help you weed out the followers from the leaders: Read more on why blogs are important to your PR campaign →
How Charlie Sheen’s Use of Talk Radio Demonstrates the Medium’s Influence over Everything Else
Have you noticed how Charlie Sheen has quieted down? It’s not that his public meltdown has slowed or that he’s run out of things to say. It’s just that he isn’t saying it on radio anymore.
I was actually surprised when I realized that Sheen’s daily presence in the news wasn’t just from his tweets or his videos that he posted online, but rather his radio interviews. The meatier comments the media used for their stories about Sheen actually came from his constant calls to national radio shows like The Dan Patrick Show, The Alex Jones Show and a wide variety of morning shows in different cities.
In fact, Philadelphia’s Wired 96.5 FM station – recognizing Sheen’s penchant for phone-in radio rants – flew a banner over Sheen’s house inviting him to call the station. He did and another news cycle ensued. Read more on Charlie Sheen's use of talk radio →
Are You On Top of the News? It Can Dictate Your PR
One of the things I tell clients who want to get coverage in print and online press is that they have to read the news. If you want the print media to cover you, I think it simply helps if you know what it is they like to write about.
Part and parcel of my being a PR professional is to subsist on a vast daily diet of news digested the old fashioned way. I read newspapers and magazines, and at night and in the morning I watch a lot of television news programs, with a pretty even mix of straight-up news broadcasts and “talking head” panel shows.
My chief strategist calls that “old school.” He still reads the equivalent of two newspapers a day and he watches news broadcasts and talking head shows, as well – but he does it all online in smaller bites. He has a lot of hands-on PR work to do each day, so he can’t devote hours upon hours every day the way I do. Read more on being on top of the news →
How Much PR Should You Have? Persistent and Consistent is Key to Success
I’m always asked the question about how long a good publicity campaign should last. Invariably in the media business, more publicity is always better. Still, the question is a good one, and it bears answering.
To do that, I want you to think of the consumers you’re trying to reach as a quiet pond in the wilderness. If you want to make the pond ripple, throw a pebble in it. Big rocks make more waves than small pebbles, but even so, the ripples eventually end if all you’re doing is throwing in one rock at a time. Read more on how much PR you should have →
So I’m Launching a PR Campaign – How Many Sales Will I Make?
Understanding the Real ROI of PR
If I had a nickel every time a CEO or marketing executive asked me how many more sales they’d make by using PR, Bill Gates would be jealous of my island-sized yacht.
In order to answer that question, however, it’s important to understand the fallacy on which it’s based. So, let me ask you a few questions. Read more on the true ROI of PR →
Feel Like You’ve Failed As An Author?
I talk to authors every day who are ready to throw in the towel when it comes to promoting their books. It’s either because they were unsuccessful in their own efforts to get the media interested in interviewing them, or worse, they hired a publicity firm to get them media coverage and the firm had little to no success. This second scenario is really the worst one for an author as they can really lose faith in themselves and in the importance of their message. Read more on feeling like you failed as an author →
Planning on Booking Your Own TV Publicity?
There’s More to It than Just Sending Out a Press Release
In the past few months, I’ve covered a lot of ground with regard to how to do your own public relations campaign. I’ve explained how to make yourself or your company appealing to the media, how to write pitches and why articles work better than press releases.
But I haven’t yet explained some crucial elements with regard to orchestrating a PR campaign and more specifically with regard to landing TV appearances. Radio and print publicity definitely require attention to details – but the number of logistical issues you have to deal with for TV exposure is far greater. Read more on how to book your own TV publicity →
Do-It-Yourself Public Relations: Secrets to Getting PR with a Little Know-How and Elbow Grease
The cycle of marketing was once summarized in the story of the circus coming to town.
If the circus is coming to town and you buy a billboard saying “Circus Coming to the Fairground Saturday,” that’s advertising. If you put the sign on the back of an elephant and walk it into town, that’s promotion. If the elephant walks through the mayor’s flower bed and the local paper picks it up, that’s publicity. And if you get the mayor to laugh about it, that’s public relations. If the town’s citizens go to the circus, you show them the many entertainment booths, explain how much fun they’ll have spending money at the booths, answer their questions and ultimately, they spend a lot at the circus, that’s sales. Read more on secrets to getting PR →
Fox Business, Happy Hour, November 25, 2009, Mary Kay Hoal, Founder of Yoursphere
Watch Mary Kay Hoal, Founder of Yoursphere, interviewed on Fox Business.
CNN, CNN Newsroom, November 23, 2009, Mary Kay Hoal, Founder of Yoursphere
Watch Mary Kay Hoal, Founder of Yoursphere, on CNN.
County News: Is Pay for Performance PR for Real?
County News on the EMSI Pay for Performance Public Relations model. View the online version here: County News: Is Pay for Performance PR for Real?.
Or, click here to download the pdf version.
5 Tips for Building Viral Buzz
We hear a lot about buzz, but what is “buzz” exactly – and how does it start? First, a buzz is something that you create. It starts small, like ripples in a pond. It builds slowly. But when cultivated and capitalized on, the buzz eventually gets too loud to ignore. This is our goal when we work with you to turn a book into credibility into celebrity: create a buzz that makes your name, your face, your book, and your message instantly synonymous – and ultimately recognizable. Read more on building viral buzz →
USA Today, September 4, 2009, Michael Uslan, Producer of Batman Films
USA Today interviewed Michael Uslan when Disney purchased Marvel Comics.
ABC Radio Network, Curtis Sliwa Show, August 31, 2009, Michael Uslan, Producer of Batman Films
Curtis Sliwa Show on ABC Radio Network (Nationally Syndicated to 4 Stations) interviews Michael Uslan, producer of Batman films, to comment on Disney purchase of Marvel Comics.
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A Little Quiz to Show You How Big a Deal You Really Are
Joe the Plumber.
Dog the Bounty Hunter.
Bill Nye the Science Guy.
While plumbing, bounty hunting and science might be worthy industries, few would have ever thought they might be the breeding grounds of some of today’s unlikeliest celebrities. But such is the case when we live in a world where the popular media, indeed popular culture, is plugged in and turned on 24/7, 365 days a year. Read more on how big a deal are you really →
Portable Expertise: How Books Allow You to Go Everywhere They Can
If you’ve decided to become an expert in your field, in any field, allow me to show you how much faster that process can be – and how much further you can reach – through the publication of a well-written, carefully-planned, readable and entertaining book.
Books provide what I call “portable expertise.”
Low-Tech, High-Impact
Anywhere a book can go, you can go. Yes, there are more high-tech ways to reach your audience, but when someone’s wi-fi isn’t working, your book still is. When someone’s at 30,000-feet and can’t use their laptop yet, he or she can still open your book. Read more
Can the Power of PR Power Your Company Through the Recession?
“If I was down to my last dollar, I’d spend it on public relations.” – Bill Gates
As unlikely as it is that Bill Gates would ever be down to his last million dollars, let alone a single George Washington, the fact remains that it’s a powerful endorsement of the power of PR.
Still, when the economy is tight and corporations yank hard to get their belts down to that last notch, PR is usually one of the first few items on the budget that’s frozen or cut completely. To bean counters, it’s an easy choice. Because it’s impossible to track the impact of PR in strict accounting terms they consider it difficult to quantify PR expenditures. To the numbers guys, if something fails to leave a footprint on the spreadsheet, it is expendable. Read more
Building “BUZZ” For Your Book Can Be Fast, Easy and Cost Effective
In today’s world of publishing, I don’t have to tell you what a challenge it is to get your book noticed. With nearly 300,000 new books hitting the market every year, this is a problem all authors encounter – from first timers to big name celebrities. But once you have the word-of-mouth buzz going, it can spread like wildfire.One of the best methods to get people talking about you and your book is by being interviewed as a guest on talk radio. Why? This medium allows you to talk to a captive audience of affluent, educated and, most importantly, active consumers who are book-buyers. We’ve been one of the country’s top providers of radio show guests since 1990 and, from our years of experience, we’ve seen how instrumental talk radio has been in our daily lives. Talk radio hosts and their guests consistently create thought provoking conversations throughout the country. They’re largely responsible for spreading new ideas resulting in hot trends and lifestyle choices. You and the message of your book CAN be part of this forum that affects peoples lives daily. This is how buzz is built. Read more
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You Can Enjoy Expert Celebrity Status
Are you ready for your own brand of celebrity? Public relations expert Marsha Friedman teaches you how to Celebritize Yourself! Learn the secret to becoming an expert celebrity. Her book is the manual for becoming well known as an expert in your field! -
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