When you need publicity but you can’t think of an idea to pitch, even a lame one, take the shortcut Michelle Tennant Nicholson takes.
She milks the cows that are already in the barn.
That means she finds out what’s in the news that day, or what seasonal story journalists are writing about. She chooses one that’s a perfect tie-in with her client’s expertise.
She pitches. And she frequently produces gallons of publicity from those media cows, often in top-tier publications and on major networks.
When Michelle saw news about a recent study showing the benefits of getting more sleep, she swung into action.
It was the perfect tie-in to pitch her clients, Drs. Roy and Joy Martina, who launched their book Sleep Your Fat Away last Tuesday.
And it worked.
The authors appeared on Charlotte FOX TV in a 6-minute segment shortly before the launch. They offered tips galore on how to fall asleep faster and stay asleep. The station flashed the cover of their book on the screen. The hosts even asked where readers could buy it. On Amazon, of course.
How perfect is that?
Learn Her Pitching Tricks April 29
This Wednesday, April 29, Michelle will show you how you can do exactly what she does and tie into breaking and seasonal news to get massive publicity. She’ll be my guest during the webinar on “5 Steps to Use Breaking News to Score Publicity (and Sell More Books and Products)” from 4 to 5 p.m. Eastern Time.
You’ll learn the secrets of how to stay on top of breaking and seasonal news and “connect the dots” by tying it to your own expertise.
She’ll also share pitching tips and advice on how to encourage journalists to mention your book, product or service in their stories.
How good a publicist is Michelle? She has a Rolodex of media friends who regularly approach HER for quotes, sources, statistics and other tidbits they can use in their stories.
4 More Pitching Tricks She Used
Ask Michelle about recent media hits, and she doesn’t have to look far back on the calendar. In addition to the TV appearance she landed for the two authors mentioned above, here are four more hits she got in the last few months, all by tying into breaking or seasonal news:
On April 7, she landed an interview on Inc. radio for her client, Josselyne Herman Saccio, a Landmark Seminar Leader, on how to create the job you love, no matter what the circumstance.
On Feb. 22, she tied into the Oscars and got her client’s Hallelujah Diet Survival Bars placed not only in swag bags but in the Oscars’ green room. You can read more about how she did it here.
On April 3, she tied her pitch into a new study and Brain Awareness Month (March) to get her client, NovaVision VRT (Vision Restoration Therapy), onto the Into Tomorrow show with Dave Graveline, which syndicates to 200 FM and AM radio stations.
On April 24, last Friday, Michelle’s client, Carolyn McKecuen, executive director of Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Foundation, was quoted in an article in the San Francisco Chronicle. Under the headline Take your kids to work — er, petting zoos — at tech firm, the article discussed unusual ways that children of employees at Facebook and Google spent the day.
Michelle’s 5-Step Process for Pitching
During Wednesday’s webinar, Michelle will outline her publicity strategy using 5 simple steps that you can borrow whenever you need an idea.
She’ll also explain what authors can do to ensure that the radio or TV talk show host, or the print journalist, mentions your book.
Register for the webinar here. If the time doesn’t work for you because of other commitments, register anyway. I’m recording it, and you’ll get the video replay and all the bonuses within 48 hours after the training. They include actual pitches she used to get other clients onto top-tier media outlets.
See you Wednesday!
