You have finally gotten an invitation to deliver your expertise to the masses! Congratulations. Now it's time to maximize your exposure.
Even if it is a 2-minute sound bite on a local news channel, a radio show, a guest spot on a well-known blog or a panel discussion, don't underestimate its value to get you even more coverage. Shout it from the proverbial rooftops -- the Internet.
Set the stage: Let people know before you go live. This is not the time to be modest. Get excited about your opportunity and let your contacts get excited with you. This level of engagement creates a strong community of people invested in your success (and cheering you on). Highlight it as upcoming or breaking news in your blog, newsletter, email blast and social networking sites.
Going Live: The morning or night before your appearance send out a quick status update online and remind people to watch or listen for your segment. If the news outlet sees a rise in their viewer or listener participation they may credit your following for it and want you for a repeat performance.
Take a bow: As soon as you can, post the link to the video, audio or blog on your website and social networking sites. Send out an email to your contacts "in case you didn't see it..." Expand your visibility as far as possible.
Going Pro: Now it's time to let the big players know what you have been up to. If there is particular media exposure you are going after (national news or entertainment shows, newspapers, etc.) send them a one-paragraph pitch: "you might have missed this, I was just on the San Diego local news talking about X, Y, Z. If this particular topic is of interest to you let me know..."
In my work with the Spiritual Cinema Circle we received an enormous amount of publicity because every time we had an article in the LA Times we would send the link to every other major newspaper outlet we wanted to feature us by saying, "The LA Times just did a great piece on us and we thought you would want to see it..." Most often we would get a response asking if we had a local angle for them as well. Being covered in The Times gave us clout.
Create your own media buzz by showcasing any and all coverage you get before, during and after the coverage.
Arielle Ford has launched the careers of many NY Times bestselling authors including Deepak Chopra, Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Neale Donald Walsch& Debbie Ford. She is a former book publicist, literary agent and the author of seven books. To learn how to get started writing a book please visit: www.HowToWriteMyBook.com <