16 Publicity Tips for Professional Speakers

By Joan Stewart
The Publicity Hound

In a funk because other speakers seem to be snagging all the media attention? It’s time to start claiming your share. Here are a baker’s dozen of tips that will boost your publicity efforts and help you finally get noticed.

1. Every time you speak before a group, offer to submit a short summary of your presentation for the group’s newsletter. Don’t forget to send your photo. It gets you in front of those you just spoke to as well as those who missed you the first time around. Many groups also send their newsletters to the media. Be sure the last paragraph tells people what you do and how to get in touch with you.
    
2. Learn to write direct-to-consumer press releases and post them online so buyers, not just journalists, can find them. Sign up for my free email course called "89 Ways to Write Powerful Press Releases.")
    
3. Call the advertising department of every newspaper and magazine you want to get into and ask for a copy of their editorial calendar. It’s a free listing of all the special topics and special sections coming up during the calendar year. It will tip you off to sections where your story idea would be a good fit, so you can query the editor weeks and even months ahead. See Get Free Publicity in Print.
    
4. Start blogging. More than 90 percent of journalists surveyed research articles on the Internet, and blogs pull in search traffic like a magnet. Don Crowther's excellent book "Blogging for Business" shows you how to use a blog to pull in clients, sell more products and get more speaking gigs. 
    
5. Call a reporter from your local newspaper and invite her to lunch or coffee. Offer yourself as a resource and Ask "How can “how can I help you?” Feed her tips and story ideas. Become such a valuable source that she keeps coming back to you for more information and eventually writes about you.
    
6. Consider starting your own television show on your cable TV station’s community access channel. The station will provide the camera equipment for a $20 fee, and you can produce either one show or an entire series of programs. Air time is free. Call your cable company for details.
7. 
   If your speaking gigs are open to the public, start posting them for free on Craigslist. (See "How to Use Craigslist as a Global Publicity Tool.) 
    
8. Build a network of other speakers who concentrate on your topic or area of expertise. Agree informally that you will refer reporters to each other whenever the media calls. Often, reporters want more than one source for a story. It’s a chance for all of you to get additional publicity.
    
9. Whenever someone asks you to write for their ezine or online magazine, visit their web site first and see if they have a resource section where you would be a good fit. Ask to be listed for free, in exchanged for providing an article. See Special Report #6: How to Write How-to Articles That Position You as an Expert.
    
10. If you publish a print newsletter, be generous with free subscriptions for the national and local media. You’ll be amazed how many reporters start calling you for interviews. If you can’t afford to pay people who submit articles for your newsletter, be sure to tell them they will be seen by national media who get your free subscription.
     
11. Don’t forget newspaper and magazine columnists. They’re always hungry for fresh ideas. Keep in touch with them and feed them ideas regularly.
     
12. Call local radio talk show hosts and invite them to call on you when other guests cancel. They will be thankful you offered. See Special Report #27: How to Get Booked on Radio Talk Shows, Give a Great Interview and Get Invited Back
     
13. Write articles for print newsletters. My favorite resource is the Oxbridge Directory of Newsletters, which lists more than 18,000 newsletters by topic and includes detailed information on the type of audience and subjects covered. Most larger libraries have this resource directory.
     
14. Write articles for electronic magazines and include a paragraph of information at the end that leads readers to your web site. My favorite resource for thousands of ezines is Ezine Universe.
     
15. Contact your trade association and ask them to refer reporters to you. Many reporters who don’t know where to find sources start by calling trade associations.
     
16. Become an expert in your topic, then refer to yourself as an expert in your marketing materials, at your website, in information that explains your workshops, in your introductions, and in your press kit. Read the National Speaker Association's White Paper called "The Expertise Imperative." It explains the various levels of expertise for speakers. The media always seek out experts and interview them.