Here at PR by the Book, we know that it can be daunting to find the right media outlet to cover your story. There are millions of outlets out there, and finding the right fit can be overwhelming and time consuming. However, the good news is that in just a few simple steps, you will be well on your way to finding the perfect outlet to broadcast your message.
1. Do Your Homework
Discover through Amazon, the library, or your local bookstore what other books have been written that are similar to your material. Since you and your book are unique, there will always be differences.
However, these authors could be your guide to creating a successful marketing plan. Other authors can also be allies for developing speaking engagements. Be their shadow, follow in their footsteps, and learn from their mistakes.
2. Find Experts, then Become One
Find at least five experts who write or talk about a topic similar to yours and follow them. What are they speaking about? Before telling your story, you need to be an expert, too. Do your research, and create your own unique parcel of expertise.
3. Imitation is the Biggest Form of Flattery
If there is an audience for an expert similar to you, then there is an audience for you. Use this to your advantage. Find out where these experts have received publicity and where they have spoken.
If a journalist, blogger, or producer decided to interview them, it’s probably because that journalist covers your topic. Why shouldn’t their next interview be with you?
Your pitch to the producer can be, “I saw that you interviewed Marcy Jones about her book on creating an amicable divorce. That was a great interview. I take a slightly different angle – I focus on the children, on saving money, or how men can be better fathers through the divorce.”
When you contact them, have your talking points about your book ready. Producers really appreciate you doing their homework for them.
Do the same thing with speaking engagements. Often, a meeting planner who booked your competitor in previous years will be open to booking you this year because they usually can’t have the same speakers back year after year.
4. Shadow and Stalk
When you shadow your competition, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. You can also possibly judge through your research whether that interview, review, or article was beneficial to them. Think about the following:
- Did that review on Amazon receive comments?
- Was that review in the San Francisco Book Review quoted in other articles, or interviews?
- Did that interview on George Noory’s “Coast to Coast” show spark copycat interviews?
- Did any of the reporters or producers invite him/her back for additional interviews?
After conducting your research, listen to some of the recorded interviews. How can you make your interview better and engage the listeners more?
5. Get Friendly
Find the same authors on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and follow/friend them. You will want to like and comment on their posts, respectfully. Their followers will see your comments and engagement and might decide to follow you, too.
Find out what pages they like and groups they follow. Go to these pages and groups and develop a following for yourself there. If they have followers from these pages, it only makes sense that you will also. Follow who they follow. You might even want to offer to trade blog posts if they have an active blog.
If you want to learn more about finding the right media outlets, among a host of other topics related to building your platform and publicizing your book, check out the Author to Influencer Accelerator, our DIY membership community for authors who want to take a hands-on approach to marketing their books.
