How Authors Convince The Media Of Their Expertise

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.

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Brian Feinblum’s insightful views, provocative opinions, and interesting ideas expressed in this terrific blog are his alone and not that of his employer or anyone else. You can – and should -- follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels much more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog © 2018. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s Independent.  This was named one of the best book marketing blogs by Book Baby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs and recognized by Feedspot in 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. Also named by WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” He recently hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America.

How To Be Persistent When Marketing Your Book

When it comes to marketing a book, certain skills can be taught and learned, while other traits may just come more naturally to some people.  I would have to think that persistence is something anyone can practice, provided they are dedicated to it.  So how does one effectively use the act of persistence to successfully promote a book?

First, let’s define persistence.  To me, it is the act of pursuing something and relentlessly following up until you obtain your desired goal or truly feel you need to try a different avenue.

Just because you ask, doesn’t mean you shall receive, but if you don’t ask, you assuredly shall not receive.  Try you must, again and again.  Persistence yields results.

Second, let’s think about what persistence really looks like on the book marketing landscape.

Persistence is getting an answer to your query, not settling for being ignored or feeling fulfilled by a lack of response.

Persistence is about trying to get a “no” converted into a “yes.”

Persistence is about at least getting a partial “yes” instead of an across-the-board rejection.

Persistence leads you to fine-tune and redefine what you are asking for, including how you ask, and whom you ask.

Persistence is a frame of mind, a way of living, a value that underlies all other values.  You simply believe in yourself and refuse to settle for less.

Persistence means you don’t give up and you don’t make excuses.  Your goal is to achieve something, not to have a rejection story to share.

Persistence means exploring all options and creatively tinkering with how to have your objective met.

Persistence means enlisting help, whether getting free advice, friendly support, or paid professionals to assist you in your endeavors.

Persistence also means to even fail.  It means to push hard enough to get a resolution, even if it’s one you disagree with.  This enables you to move on to something else that is achievable.

Persistence starts with you and how you view what you seek to accomplish.  It’s about your sense of self-worth.  It’s about courage, passion, smarts, and execution.  It’s about setting goals, sticking to self-imposed deadlines, and sacrificing other things in order to zone in on marketing your book.  

Persistence is a means and a reward all to itself to the one who practices it.

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Brian Feinblum’s insightful views, provocative opinions, and interesting ideas expressed in this terrific blog are his alone and not that of his employer or anyone else. You can – and should -- follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels much more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog © 2018. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s Independent.  This was named one of the best book marketing blogs by Book Baby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs and recognized by Feedspot in 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. Also named by WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” He recently hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America.

How To Model The Success Of Authors To Help Promote Your Book

What can you learn about competing books that will help you promote your book?

First, think about who your competitor is.  It’s obvious if your book’s topic is narrowly focused, such as a book on diabetes, weight loss, planning for retirement, being a better parent, relationship advice, or traveling to Europe on a budget.  But even if it’s not so obvious, think about books within your genre that would make for good role models to follow.

So let’s say you checked out various best-seller lists, award winners, or books that received a fair share of media coverage.  When you look to search these authors for clues as to what you can do to be just as successful, think of things in the following manner:

·         Which awards did they win or get honorable mention in?  Should you apply for them as well?

·         Who are their followers/connections on Facebook, Twitter, You Tube, or other social media outlets?  Can you connect with them as well?

·         Which media covered them via interviews, reviews or stories? Did any of them allow for guest posts or byline articles from that author?  Can you contact the same journalists at each media outlet to seek out coverage for you and your book?

·         When you look at the author’s website, do you see things worth copying and modeling for your site?

·         Can you reach out to those who provided testimonials for these other books and seek out endorsements for yours?

Perhaps directly contacting these authors is worth the risk.  They may be able to help introduce you to some helpful contacts or resources.  It can’t hurt.  The worst they could do is ignore you.  Certainly you have more to gain from a relationship with them, so if any of them help, great, and those that don’t, it’s no loss.

Of course there are, many reasons as to why these authors got the results that they did.  Perhaps they spent money on PR and advertising.  Maybe they cashed in on personal friendships for favors.  Perhaps they are on their tenth book or are affiliated with a major organization.  Maybe they got lucky or their books really are great.  Well, none of it matters.  Take what you can get, however you can get it.  And when you don’t succeed at replicating what another author did you needn’t worry or feel bad.  The circumstances for one author may be different from those surrounding your book.

Competitors in all industries copy each other, compete for the favor of the same influencers, and seek to exploit current conditions to their favor.  It’s perfectly fine to research, rip-off, and recruit other authors.  Okay, not rip-off.  Don’t commit a crime, but do use any public information, especially what authors provide on their site, social media, or news coverage, to your advantage.

Authors can certainly help each other, sometimes unknowingly.  Befriend them when you can, but never let the opportunity to model them slip away.

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Brian Feinblum’s insightful views, provocative opinions, and interesting ideas expressed in this terrific blog are his alone and not that of his employer or anyone else. You can – and should -- follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels much more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog © 2018. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s Independent.  This was named one of the best book marketing blogs by Book Baby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs and recognized by Feedspot in 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. Also named by WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” He recently hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America.

Authors Should See Book Marketing Like Going To A Gym Regularly

For some, going to the gym is like marketing a book.  It’s something that one doesn’t want to do, but has to. The gym, if used properly and often, will yield positive results, and book marketing, if done correctly and on a regular basis, also will yield good results. So what will it take for authors to stay dedicated to promoting a book, just as others remain committed to exercising and improving their state of health?

So what makes for a good gym member?

·        Working out often and according to a schedule - discipline is key.

·        Consistent workouts --working out at a certain level of intensity for a certain duration.

·        Diversifying workouts – rotating muscles and body parts or exercise helps avoid injuries, keeps you motivated, and works best for improving your body.

·        Pushing yourself – sometimes you go a little longer, a little harder and maybe you get in an extra workout session during some weeks.

·        Staying with it, no matter the level of stress, distractions, or demands of your day-to-day life.

·        Seeking the advice and support of a trainer or coach – let a pro help you.

So what makes for a good book marketing effort?

 ·        Promoting often and within a schedule.

·        Taking a consistent approach to book marketing and giving a certain level of intensity for a set amount of time.

·        Varying what you do to market your brand and promote your book, rotating between social media, news media, speaking, direct marketing, advertising, networking, and trading favors.

·         Going the extra mile and doing more than usual on occasion, whether it means staying up later, getting up earlier, or multi-tasking more efficiently.

·        Going full-force with your book marketing despite life’s distractions, demands, desires, and defeats.

·         Utilizing the advice and support of friends, family, and paid professionals.

·        Other similarities between marketing a book and working out extend to how we handle these challenges too:

·        Do you work out when tired, injured, or feeling unmotivated?

·        Will you market your book when exhausted, feeling uninspired, or after suffering rejection?

·        Can you push through limitations or get around changes at the gym?

·        Will you go outside your comfort zone and promote your book at a higher level?

·        Can you rest on your success and feel that you can ease up on your workout schedule while still seeing great results?

·        Could you slow your book marketing efforts down after seeing some success and still think your book will soar without igniting attention for it?

To live a healthy, balanced life, one inevitably needs a workout regimen, whether at a gym or in some other form of exercise.  And to have a strong writing career and a successful book, one must stick to promoting and branding oneself, never letting up.

Will you end up having a six-pack, runway model body by being a gym rat? Not necessarily, but you’ll be your best you and in a position to experience optimal health.  Will you end up a best-selling author and A-list celebrity by being a book promoter expert?  Certainly no guarantee there, but you’ll position your book and writing career to be ready to grow and be profitable.

Whether on a diet or pursuing a book writing career, stick with a gym -- and your book marketing plan.  The pay-off rests in your attitude, energy, and dedication to doing your best.

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Brian Feinblum’s insightful views, provocative opinions, and interesting ideas expressed in this terrific blog are his alone and not that of his employer or anyone else. You can – and should -- follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels much more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog © 2018. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s Independent.  This was named one of the best book marketing blogs by Book Baby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs and recognized by Feedspot in 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. Also named by WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” He recently hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America.

While Popularity Of Social Media As A News Source Rises, Authors Must Promote To All Media

 

The news consumption habits of Americans continue to evolve with technology, just as it did when television came out, as well as radio.  According to a new poll from the Pew Research Center, more people now get news more often from social media than print newspapers.  So what does this mean for authors looking to crack the media code?

According to the study, many people consult multiple sources for their news, crossing several mediums, but the most popular source continues to be television.  49% of Americans admit to getting a lot of their news from TV.  33% site news websites, 26% radio, 20% social media, and just 16% print newspapers.

However, as you can see, the poll didn’t ask people to rank which source they use most often, only asking them which types of media they utilize, allowing for more than one response.  It also doesn’t indicate how many people don’t consult any sources of news.

But patterns are emerging.

Over the last several years, TV viewership of the news has dropped.  So has readership of print newspapers.  Radio listenership is flat.  News websites and social media increased.  Those 65 and older are five times as likely as 18-to-29-year-olds to get news from TV, while those 18 to 29 are four times as likely to often get news from social media than those 65 and older.

The source of news for Americans is important.  How people are informed – and by whom – can influence the kind of society we live in.  It also can impact book sales, depending on how these different news sources are approached by authors and publishers.

The study could be misleading.  For instance, it’s saying 1 in 5 Americans get at least some of their news from social media.  But if that includes the times when someone retweets a New York Times article or a Facebook post discusses a Washington Post story, or a You Tube video is based on a USA Today story, is the “source” really social media or print newspapers?

The study would count those as social media news, since the consumer first learned of a story via a social media outlet, despite the fact that outlet did no original reporting and merely presented an existing newspaper story.

So much of what circulates online is based on real news stories from legitimate traditional news media outlets.  So authors should still contact established news media outlets across all mediums, with the hopes their book will be covered, by nearly all types of media.  They know there’s value in having a Wall Street Journal article, then a tweet about it, a Facebook post linking the story, and a You Tube video discussing it.

Each news medium has its own advantages in influencing society.  Some people prefer to see (TV) or listen (radio) or consume online (podcast, video, social media, website).  Others like print in their hands – newspapers, magazines, or newsletters.  

For authors to reach people through each medium, they’ll need to shape a media pitch that fits in with that medium.  Obviously, a pretty face or a cool visual goes well on TV, not so much on radio.  And if you influence people best with your written words, a bylined article for a publication or website could be the way to go.  Perhaps you are an interesting personality who can constantly dish out content.  Social media would be your best option.

The Pew Study shows the importance of pursuing all media. No one media is consumed by the majority of Americans and in many cases, multiple media sources are devoured by people.  Don’t be quick to live and die with one medium, and when possible, look to make an impact in all or many of them.

Books transcend all media.  Someone listening to NPR is as likely a book purchaser as one who watches CBS This Morning, follows the tweets of an influencer, reads a NYT article or a Newsweek editorial, or consumes a popular political podcast or reads Huff Post.  

Every media outlet is important, and each medium is significant.

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Brian Feinblum’s insightful views, provocative opinions, and interesting ideas expressed in this terrific blog are his alone and not that of his employer or anyone else. You can – and should -- follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels much more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog © 2018. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s Independent.  This was named one of the best book marketing blogs by Book Baby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs and recognized by Feedspot in 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. Also named by WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” He recently hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America.