It could lead to publicity you never expected.
That’s what happened to me recently when author Carolyn Howard-Johnson’s ezine arrived in my Inbox a few weeks ago. Her target audience consists of authors, who are also among my Publicity Hounds.
So I scour her ezine looking for tips to pass along to my own readers, with her permission, and for other juicy nuggets.
That particular issue was excellent, so I took the time to dash off a quick email testimonial telling her how much I loved the ezine:
Carolyn, from one newsletter publisher to another, I just wanted to let you know how super your newsletter is. I know how much work goes into these things, and yours is one of the very best—consistently chock full of meaty tips—a must for authors and publishers!
Joan
P.S. Yes, you may use this as a testimonial.
She thanked me for the comment.
Then earlier today, while reviewing my Google Alerts, I learned that she wrote about my testimonial, pointing out to her readers why writing them can be so valuable to your publicity campaign.
“…because Joan is so generous, she gets a credit from me (also unsolicited) and a link to her website and a recommendation to subscribe to her newsletter back. So it appears that giving an endorsement from the heart may also be one of the best out there for people who need to promote anything! So find her at https://www.publicityhound.com.
“And notice how she (being the great publicist she is) made it easy for me. I didn’t have to write back begging on my hands and knees to use what she said. Her offer and permission didn’t lessen her beautiful gesture. It increased it! We’re all busy people.”
When offering testimonials, don’t deliver them only by email. Here are other things to consider:
—If you’re Twittering, tweet about how much you love somebody’s products and services. If you’re not Twittering, read about how other business and nonprofits are using Twitter for business and publicity. When Warren Whitlock, a well-respected expert on Twitter, was my guest during a teleseminar on “How to Use Twitter to Amass an Army of Followers, Customers & Valuable Contacts and Promote,” he said raving about other people’s products and services on Twitter, and even helping them promote what they’re selling, will come back to help you ten-fold.
—Write testimonials on other people’s Facebook walls.
—Comment on the photos they’ve uploaded to photo-sharing sites.
—Bookmark articles you see online that you love.
—Offer video testimonials for videos you think are helpful or entertaining. Tom Antion, who helped me update our ebook “How to be a Kick-butt Publicity Hound,” says offering video comments for a video that gets a lot of traffic is a powerful promotion tactic.
—Write complimentary comments at other people’s blogs but make sure they’re sincere.
Use offline testimonials too. If you buy products or services you love from a certain vendor who advertises, send a testimonial and give them permission to use it in a paid ad. Heck, you might even find yourself featured in a newspaper ad you didn’t have to pay for.