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Dear Readers:
Another terrific article on the
media, from
widely featured Coach Kristin Taliaferro. Kristin
introduces herself in her note below...thanks Kristin! |
Also in this issue is a bonus hour of
RealAudio on the topic of High End Media Coverage for Coaches,
here.
And lastly, you'll find the latest schedule for TeleClass
Leader Training options at the end of the issue. We are
always getting requests for more live offerings of these
courses, so if you've been waiting to get into one of these
live classes, here's your chance.
Questions?
support@coachville.com
Happy Reading,
Andrea Lee
GM, CoachVille
Dear Coaches:
In the past year, my coaching work has been
featured several times in
magazines and the media. I've been quoted in MSN.com,
Careerbuilder.net,
ivillage.com, Marie Claire Magazine, Entrepreneur Magazine,
and Woman's Day.
There have also been a few invitations to
appear on national television
shows. And the good news is that there are upcoming articles
in Family
Circle Magazine and others to be released soon. It just keeps
happening...
Very fun and exciting.
So, where on earth is this media attention coming from? What
is the
strategy? Thomas asked me to write this article to offer some
insight in
hopes of helping YOU attract media attention as well. Good
luck and have
fun with it.
Kristin Taliaferro
|
1. "Trying" too hard
does not work.
A couple of years back, Thomas hired me as a Consultant for his
whirlwind
national tour. My position evolved into "media attractor" for a
month or
so. I was asked to contact national newspaper editors to pitch
the coaching
tour and encourage them to write articles in the local papers..
What a flop! I
was hugely unsuccessful and majorly frustrated.. However, I am
grateful for
the education I received from the experience. Thomas and I
learned that
editors reallllly do not want you to pitch ideas to them. They
much prefer
to find YOU, instead. So, if you are actively pitching the media
on your
coaching biz, you may or may not be successful.. **It can work,
though,
it's just not my personal style**. I do not pitch the media on
my coaching
business and have never sent out a press release, nor hired a
publicist. I
may do so in the future, though.
2. Nothing says more than a taste of
coaching.
If you run across a writer or media person, you could talk about
your
coaching practice (perceived as a "pitch", by the way), or you
could jump in
and coach them for 15 minutes. I always coach instead of pitch.
This has
been one of the secrets I learned from Thomas for attracting
clients as well
as writers. For example, one writer contacted me for an
interview and we
ended up talking about her personal tolerations as well. I
couldn't resist!
So, now, there is another article coming out soon on
tolerations, in
addition to the first one she was writing. Writers need to "get"
coaching. The only way to do this is to coach them a bit.
3. Professional Writers and Magazine
Editors are just like you.
I loooooove media people. They are edgy. They love the truth..
They are
curious. They're just like me. And they're just like you, too.
Many
people are intimidated by them. Treat them like your best friend
and simply have a nice conversation during the interview or
article idea discussion.
4. Many articles never make
it to print or are delayed.
It takes about 4-5 months for an article to
make it to the stands. The interview is conducted, the article
in written and then the Editors proof it and recommend changes.
The whole process takes longer than you may think, and in some
cases it takes forever! I'm still waiting for the interviews
with Cosmopolitan and Redbook magazines to hit the stands..
(from over a year ago). Might happen. Might not.
5. It's better not to
tell all of your friends about your article until it
is confirmed.
What a bummer it was for me to tell everyone about an article
that never came out. An article is not confirmed for print until
a "fact checker" calls you to verify your information. Wait for
that call before you announce anything.
6. Writers pride themselves on finding
great talent.
They love to do research and much prefer to discover YOU. All of
the writers who've interviewed me found me through website
searches, my clients, newsletter articles, etc. They will find
you the same way a client will find you..
7. If clients aren't
discovering you, neither will the media.
Many people think their coaching business will explode if they
can get some
media attention. However, if they do not have a full practice,
chances are
the media will not come knocking. Make sure potential clients
and
interviewers can find you EASILY. You really need to be out
there in some
way. In my case, I'm "out there" through my website, newsletter
articles
and word of mouth from hundreds of clients.
8. Writers and Media people
love a good deadline.
In most cases, the deadlines are very tight.
Typically, a writer will email
me with an interview request for the same day. You MUST respond
to them
quickly. So, you have to be quick on your feet, since there is
virtually zero time to prepare your thoughts. Television works
the same way, I've found. It is not unusual to receive a request
to appear on a show the following day. So, be ready with your
bags packed!
9. Be succinct and
study the magazines and shows you want to be appear in.
As a magazine-a-holic, I have no problems with this one. I've
been studying
magazines for a long time! It's important to offer tips and
quotes in a style that suits the publication and their readers.
Pick up a few magazines and get a feel for their style. This is
important.
10. If you realllly want to
appear in the media, focus on being an
incredible coach.
I know this may frustrate some of you, but
this is what works. My strategy
has been simple: BE a great coach and learn the skills required.
BE
visible in some way, so people can find you. VISUALIZE yourself
in the magazines or on television and get excited about it IN
ADVANCE. That feeling of excitement and gratitude is magnetic. |
