This Marketing Communications column was written by Michael Kleiner of Michael Kleiner Public Relations Consulting & Web Design.
Last week’s tip discussed how publishing a book establishes your status as an expert in that area and how my memoir about Norway led to being interviewed, even if this was a request to respond to a tragic event.
There are other examples where you can receive more positive coverage for your expertise. The keys are knowing:
What makes you different than a competitor who does the same thing?
How do you do it differently or better?
What is the uniqueness?
And are you ready to strike while the iron’s hot?
In other words, timing is everything. In this fast-paced, mobile world with 24/7 news coverage, whoever answers the call first is going to get the coverage. There’s a service, Help A Reporter Out (HARO), that sends out e-mails three times a day with queries from reporters looking for sources for stories they’re working on. The queries are broken down into categories with the times and date of the deadline. It’s amazing how many have deadlines are on the same day. If the deadline is 5 PM that day and you see the query at 3 PM, you can’t waste time.
John has written four books dealing with historic aspects of baseball. If someone is chasing a record, John could talk about the person whose record is being chased and how he compares to his competition. You might also notice on news shows that a guest will be introduced as “the author of….”
There’s always an expert with a story somewhere. And its worth considering the SBN network first.
Connect with Michael and John by visiting the Sustainable Business Directory.
