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Getting More Publicity - How to Be Galvanizing

by Paul J. Krupin, Direct Contact PR

You've written a book. Now what? It's time for some publicity. It's time to "spread the word."

You ask, "What do I put in a news release? What are the right words?"

What can you say that pushes the media's hot buttons? How do you now get published and interviewed so that you get media coverage that sells you and your products?

If you are going to jumpstart your publishing career you've got to give the media what they want!

And guess what -- what "they" really want turns out to be what most people in America want:

Stimulation!

It should come as no surprise. People want an emotional experience that takes them out of their boring, humdrum lives and temporarily takes them away -- transcends their reality to a time and place far, far away.

They want to experience the dramatic personal pain, suffering, pleasure or achievement that someone else is going through.

Look around you and you'll see that all news coverage is basically designed to cater to this very special goal -- this is what the Public wants.

They want to be stimulated. Emotionally. Not intellectually, but deep, deep, deep inside. They want to feel what it's like to be in someone else's shoes.

And once you realize this, you'll realize and learn how to push the media's hot buttons.

If you are going to be successful you must give them what they need.

This is not rocket science. It is psychology.

I reviewed the news releases that I've done for the past few years for authors and publishers, seeking to identify the common characteristics of communications that produced stellar media responses -- and the book sales that went with them. I sought to take a fresh look at the key
issues that appear in the marketing communications that produced the best success -- the ones that were what I call "galvanizing." It was a fun exercise.

Here are 22 points on the topic:

"How to be Galvanizing"

gal·va·nize (def.) startle: to stimulate to action; "...startled him awake"; "galvanized into action"

1. Be right and be first to tell people that you are right on.

2. Be wrong but keep trying to do it right and be the first to admit it, telling people what you did wrong and are doing about it.

3. Communicate clearly and help the people you can help the most. Put your audience first.

4. Demonstrate purpose. Do something noble and heroic and active, don't just talk about it.

5. Be passionate and surprise people by doing something interesting, unusual, and real.

6. Make people laugh and smile at you, with you and at themselves.

7. Give people relief from a headache or the pain they are experiencing now.

8. Show people a half naked man or woman. Why? Because it works. Now make it relevant or
meaningful to your ideas in some surprising and legitimate way.

9. Tell people about their innermost fears or insecurities.

10. Predict what is going to happen six weeks from now and why it is important.

11. Be spontaneously alive and exuberant about people and your ideas.

12. Show people courage and do something amazing and brave.

13. Be astonishingly honest and sincere. Achieve authenticity.

14. Be irreverent and make people realize the folly of their beliefs.

15. Tell true dramatic and personal stories. Focus on achievement in the face or adversity. Help people see themselves in the story.

16. Shake people to their roots. Tear apart a sacred cow.

17. Scare people with a prediction. Identify and describe the common enemy or the crisis on the
horizon.

18. Use a really good relevant photograph. Give people visual evidence so they know they are in good company.

19. Do your absolute best and create something truly remarkable and memorable.

20. Create a vivid metaphor that illustrates and relates to your audience at a deep personal level.

21. Create a visual picture that makes people realize what their future will be like.

22. Tell people exactly what they need to do to be healthy, involved, authentic, purposeful, connected to the future, inspired to find greater
meaning and motivated to take immediate action to fulfill their destiny.

It's my belief and experience that these triggers to getting attention and galvanizing people are useful and applicable to all the marketing communications you use to promote your books or products or services.

You must develop, test and prove that you have content that can do one or more of these things. You can get help from experienced people to do this, such as hiring a publicist or marketing expert to assist you. Then you can place these ideas into the headline and lead of your news releases and use them to flesh out the content of your problem-solving tips articles, feature stories, and interview talking points.

The goal is to use these ideas to make what people read, hear, or see about you "sticky," so they will take it with them and show someone else what you have done. You must make such an incredible impression -- an indelible memory about you -- that gets people so interested in you that they are motivated to buy "everything" you have available.

It's applicable whether you are publishing an article in a newspaper, doing an interview, or posting something to a website, a blog, or an article site. It's also applicable to situations where you are speaking to people, whether one on one, or to a group.

A galvanizing message will tend to resonate with certain types of people and media. You may have to change your target to match the message. If you find out that one galvanizing idea works for one group or type of people, you may have to find out whether it works as well if you present it to another type of demographic pool of people. A message that works with mature seniors, may or may not work well with fitness, health or women's. A message that works well with techies may not work well with business or education.

You have to find out what works, and this may take time and effort. But, once you prove that it works, you have to use it! That's because what works for one media will work for other media. Media coverage begets media coverage. The same message that resonates in Miami is very likely to resonate with similar people everywhere in the world. That's the miracle of the microcosm. The most important thing to do is to learn how to turn people on in your backyard.

Create a message that works to produce the results and actions that you want. Once you learn to do that, you can use technology as a force
multiplier and get the word out so that the same effect is reproduced wherever that message is heard. Then roll it out systematically to the right people who will be most interested in hearing that message.

I hope you find that even just one of these is something you can use and benefit from. All you need is to find and use is one! Once you have it you can create the news releases and marketing communications you need to get better coverage with media -- and better sales!

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I would enjoy feedback and comments on this tips article. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or comments. Send me an email at Paul@DirectContactPR.com.

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Buy the eBook!
Galvanizing PR: Tactics and Examples to Light the Way for Improved Publicity Success is available as a PDF download for $24.95.

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Paul Krupin has been doing book publicity for independent publishers and authors for many years. His website is packed with educational articles and resources for publishers and can be viewed at www.DirectContactPR.com.

Paul J. Krupin - Direct Contact PR
"Reach the Right Media in the Right Market with the Right Message"
http://www.DirectContactPR.com
Paul@DirectContactPR.com
800-457-8746 509-545-2707
http://blog.directcontactpr.com/

(Ed. note: Paul's blog is excellent and includes some valuable information for independent authors and publishers. For example, his 12/17/08 entry, Media Comments on Self-Published Books, is a compilation of dozens of book reviewers' comments -- from around the country and representing various media -- on their policies about reviewing self-published books.)

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