Free PR Tips

Proven Strategies For Getting Media Placements

For 45 years Planned Television Arts has promoted thousands of bestselling authors and self-published novices from every genre to the news media. With each successful PR campaign, we have learned many lessons on what an author should consider when looking to promote their book.

Ten PR Tips

You must get your message to the news media via a PR campaign. Advertising is cost-prohibitive and not as effective.
Timing is key - get the word out early and often. Tell everyone you meet or know about your book.
Set a budget aside to invest in PR. It will pay off with book sales, prestige and positioning for future book deals.
Start with radio. It's the least expensive, but a very effective means to promote yourself.
Don't expect national TV. Not until you do some local media or gather press clippings.
Book reviews are not always the best way to go. Broad coverage off the book page is better. Book reviews are simply much harder to come by - and are less effective.
Be prepared to summarize the highlights of your book in 15 seconds. That's how long you have to convince someone your book is worth looking at.
Bring in a professional to promote you. Just as doctors don't treat themselves and lawyers would never represent themselves.
Look at getting PR for your book as a way to build up your name recognition. People like to read or buy from someone they have heard of.
Take action. Do book signings, tour colleges, create book clubs and take a grass roots approach.

Make Your Book Personal to Grow Interest

To differentiate your book from others on a similar topic is not to highlight the contents, but to spotlight your very own story. No one, no matter the subject they write on, can have your story.

Every day I receive calls from authors and potential clients. They have a diet book, a first-time novel, or a tome on how to make money. In one week I may have spoken to several people in each genre. My advice is to link your work to who you are -- your experiences, your credentials, your personality. We must be able to hear a unique voice from the author even when the books begin to look alike.

Sell Your Book with A 15-Second Sound Bite

You're not here to educate people while doing your radio interviews or television appearances. To get someone interested in you just give away a few pieces of information.

Once you schedule a media interview, you can reveal a little more, but not much more. Convince people with your energy and enthusiasm and perhaps a catchy phrase that what you have is unique, new, different and better than what is out there. Convince them with your inviting voice and a look of confidence that you will address their needs.

Remember: the less you say, the more likely people will want to buy your book.

Readers Prefer Style Over Substance

Whereas your book might resemble substance, a PR campaign is all about style. Be succinct and direct when telling people about your book. If it takes more than a few sentences to summarize what it's about, you're in trouble. People will lose interest.

When you tell someone about your book, the goal really isn't to become the Monarch or Cliff Notes for them. You don't want them to know about everything in the book, only something. Less is more here.

Look at your vocabulary selection you use to describe your book. Move from the functional to the descriptive. Load up your verbal diet with adjectives and use verbs that have some sound effects. Don't merely say your book is about how to invest money in the stock market -- it's about how to use the proven strategies and loopholes that rich people use to turn hard-earned money into bigger pots of gold. With this book, you'll retire early! See the difference?

Lastly, always give an analogy or metaphor -- something people can instantly relate to -- perhaps something funny, something timely, something eye opening.

Five Ways to Get Powerful Publicity

The first way to get media coverage is to tie your book's message to the things that are making news.
The second way is to anticipate the news. Check your calendar and look to see what holidays are coming up.
Memorial Day means:
- War,
- Security,
- International relations,
- Death,
- History, etc.
Father's Day means:
- Dads,
- Grandfathers,
- Parenting,
- Family, etc.
Can you speak on those topics?
Also, think of how your message ties into a season, or an honorary day, week or month.
The third way is to actually make news with the results of your research, surveys, interviews with important people, or the uncovering of hidden facts. Even if your book lacks original earth-shattering news, perhaps you can create a poll of 500 people on your subject and then report those results.
The fourth way is to give out news we can use. If you can shed light on the newest treatments for a disease or effective parenting strategies or tell us the three smartest ways to save for retirement, people will listen.
The fifth and final way is to raise an issue or ask a question. For instance, declare something interesting or controversial. Should pets be allowed to sue for health care? Should we eliminate the presidency and instead have three co-presidents? Should there be a legal limit on how much someone can weigh? Should people who have cosmetic surgery be forced to disclose this to the people they date?

What Words Do You Use To Describe Your Book?

Coming up with a 15 second summary of you and your book is crucial to getting it sold, promoted, read, and recommended. If you have difficulty describing what you have to offer, how will others know what to make of the book?

First, think of the summary as a selling tool. It's not a defensive exercise where you merely state what's in the book, but rather it's your chance to shine and seize the opportunity to say what you want, in a convincing tone, so that whomever you're talking to will find value in what you have to offer.
Second, think about what is in the book and then convert that into pro-active statements. For instance, for a book about losing weight that contains exercises, food lists, and recipes, you can say: "My book will give you all of the tools needed to lose weight, including 89 easy-to-do exercises, a 712 item list of foods to eat, 416 foods to avoid, and 76 scrumptious recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert."
Third, summarize the process. Tell people how they do this with a sentence or two. Compare it to things they're familiar with and help them develop a picture. For instance, using the diet book example, "Most diets exclude too many things or they over emphasize one item, like Atkins, but this diet calls for 3-4 days of moderate exercise and the eating of any foods that you desire -- up to a certain caloric value, somewhat like Weight Watchers, but without the meetings."
Fourth, people like to know who wrote the book. Credentials are important. So weave that into your description: "As a Ph.D, in nutrition..." or "As a nutritionist who has helped thousands of obese..." or "Having lost 142 pounds on this diet, I..."
Fifth, describe everything in terms of benefits. "You're not just losing weight; you're gaining a new body and the benefits that come with it." Tell people how they can fit into that attractive outfit they bought two years ago, go to the beach with confidence, get into shape for romance, drop those ten pounds before their 40th birthday party, etc.
Lastly, whatever you say in describing your book, be positive. Smile and give off a confident, inviting look. People must feel they need, like, and trust you before they'll buy from you.

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