Many entrepreneurs beat themselves up looking to hit a grand slam home run. I’ve helped many entrepreneurs create their business strategies and overcome personal roadblocks that hold them back. In my keynote speeches at conferences and in my coaching sessions, I give entrepreneurs and small business owners a new, empowering way to look at their businesses and redefine what … [Read more...]
Press Releases and the Search Engines
Google is cracking down on press releases – and that’s a good thing! Google wants to present information that people are searching for. That’s their mission. They want to do everything they can to prevent people from manipulating their results. That’s good news for people who are actively searching for your products and services. Google’s mantra is “If you can … [Read more...]
Is the Press Release Dead?
Does Santa Claus exist? Is the press release dead? These questions come up every year. While the existence of Santa Claus has been widely proven to be true, I’ll weigh in on the other question as one of my coaching clients asked me that question just the other day. My answer is simple. If you think a press release will get you quoted on the front page of the New … [Read more...]
#PR Predictions for 2015 from #Publicity Expert Dan Janal @prlead
Note from Cathy: Dan Janal offers some interesting predictions about PR and publicity in the coming year. I agree with Dan's predictions, and I believe that #2 is absolutely critical. It is no longer just about the media promoting us; we need to promote them, too. And despite what some say, press releases are not dead. As Dan notes, some of the techniques are changing, but … [Read more...]
How Can You Write the Perfect Pitch Letter?
A relatively new staffer at a PR agency asked me recently to consult with her and review the pitch letter she wrote. Here’s what I told her. Reporters and TV producers tell me they don’t have time to read long pitch letters. They are swamped! One producer said she gets more than 1,000 pitches a day! That’s right. Each day! So what can you do to stand out from the … [Read more...]
Why PowerPoint Doesn’t Suck, After All
Speakers love to criticize PowerPoint. I was one of them. I’m not any longer. When speakers slam PowerPoint, they say things like: “You shouldn’t read your presentation.” “If they can read your presentation, then what extra value do you bring?” “PowerPoint takes the attention from the speaker – and you’re the reason they are there.” “John Kennedy didn’t need … [Read more...]
3 Steps to Identifying Your Key Customer
When I coach my clients, and I ask them who their ideal client is, they usually say, “Everyone.” That’s because they honestly believe that their message can help everyone. And it probably can. The trouble is, the market doesn’t like solutions that appeal to the masses. They want their own customized solution, or at least someone who is an expert in their … [Read more...]
Convention Etiquette 101
Do you ever attend writers' conferences? They can be great places to meet agents, editors and other writers, and networking opportunities abound. To make the most of those opportunities, make sure you follow some basic rules of etiquette. In this article, Dan Janal outlines some behaviors to avoid at your next writers' conference. The people you meet at conventions are the … [Read more...]
Marketing Is Like a Treadmill: It Never Stops
A coaching prospect told me last week that his goal was to make money in his PJs. All he had to do, he said, was create a product, post it on a website and put up a few tweets and start networking on Facebook and then sit back and relax. Oh boy. I’ve heard that story before. I had to lay out the cold, hard truth. No product sells itself. If you want to sell … [Read more...]
Why Most Books Fail
Why isn’t your book successful? My good friend Joan Stewart spoke on a publishing seminar on a cruise ship recently hosted by my other good friend Judith Briles. Joan reported several reasons why books don’t sell: 1. No platform. 2. Giving up too soon. Let’s look at these. If you call one more reporter, respond to one more PR LEAD or send out one more … [Read more...]