How
does one tell a brand-name item from a knock-off? Who can tell what’s fake news from real
news? When does one figure out the right
stock to invest in vs. a clunker? How
can you evaluate an offer to tell it’s legitimate, and not a scam?
I
don’t exactly know how often people can figure out any of the above, but I do
know that the media confronts these types of questions daily when trying to discern
if a pitch to them on behalf of a book and an author is (a) legit (b) worth
exploring, and (c) the best story or guest interview idea around.
So
how can the news media tell if what you proclaim is true, that you are uniquely
positioned to speak on something, that you are a qualified, knowledgeable,
interesting expert?
Sometimes
they can’t tell so easily from an email or pitch by phone. But they don’t always have the time or
resources to check out all of the claims thrown their way. So what do they do?
·
Make
an educated guess and rely on their gut instincts
·
Act
conservatively and only use tried and true sources
·
Take
a risk but get burned sometimes
·
Act
out of distrust of the unfamiliar and ignore even legitimate pitches
Your
job, as an author or publicist, is to not only convince the news media they
want what you are offering, but that you are who you say you are, and that who
you are is interesting enough to warrant media coverage.
You
need to convince the media of the facts that you may take for granted and know
they are true in order to get media coverage.
If the media doubts your claims, questions your credentials, or doesn’t
fully believe in or agree with your views, you will get tossed aside like last
week’s leftovers.
The
media doesn’t need a resume, but it needs to know exactly who you are and what
you’ve done or been trained in. Did you
work for an authoritative brand? Do
other established experts support your ideas or work? Have other media outlets given you coverage? Do you sound sane, competent, interesting,
and helpful?
It’s
not a crime to be unknown but it’s a shame that the media won’t take a risk and
give coverage to an unfamiliar entity.
You need to make them feel comfortable about yourself. The media needs to clearly see – not be told
by you – why you are an experienced, respected, in-the know expert in your
field.
So,
remember, the burden is not on the media to verify your background and claims;
you need to help them filter what’s being sent to them and show them why they
should interview you. If the media
senses you are a liar, bullshitter, inexperienced or unaware of certain things, you
will be dismissed. Find a way to show
your level of expertise and ways for them to feel confident and secure in
working with you.
DON”T MISS THESE!!!
5 Ways of
Bestseller Book Marketing
https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2018/12/5-ways-of-bestseller-book-marketing.html
Know WHY you are marketing a book; then determine the how, why, when
Know WHY you are marketing a book; then determine the how, why, when
https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2018/11/know-why-you-are-marketing-book-then.html
Market your book
using proven methods from others
NEW! FREE! 2019 Book Publicity & Marketing Toolkit
Study this exclusive author media training video from T J
Walker
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.