Do you Have your Press Release?
April Tribe Giauque Interviewed Crystal Waltman about Press Releases.
Hello, to all the authors!
April: Why do you need a Press Release?
Crystal: It is a formal way to communicate with the media. That includes TV, print, radio; they are used to getting things in a specific formula. Topic, release date, who you are, etc. You want to do all of that for them [the press] to make it as easy as possible.
Cyrstal: When I started, I didn’t receive “no’s,” more like, “not-right-now.” Because of different news topics like human rights issues, COVID, etc.
April: Where do we look to put the press release out there?
Crystal: To put those Press Releases out there; you want to look up Free Press Release. Plug your information in and what is going on [that is news worthy].
Crystal: For example, if you are nominated for Author Elite Awards [formerly Author Academy Awards], put that in there; and that is a Hot Topic! Following the announcement of the Top 10 for the global awards, if you make it in ther
e as a finalist, then it is definitely press worthy of announcing that.
April: Have your press release ready for each new launch that you have?
Crystal: Keep them [press release] on your website because generally, somebody would want to do a story about your audiobook, a new course, if you partnered with a new charity, etc. You will want to put that up on “The Wire.” And anybody can do that for free.
April: Where do you find The Wire?
Crystal: There are three different websites: PR.com, prlog.org, pr9.org. Upload it to the wire, check back within 48 hours, and see who will contact you from the Press release. They should contact you from the press release.
April: What do I share in the email? What do I want to share?
Crystal: Free press release for free. You can add links in it for some money. Draft an email, a generic canned email, and then attach your live links (they are from your email) to just read about it. I follow up with them every five days. They can give you a time for the calendar or time for the following month if they do not cover anything.
Crystal: It’s possible that they are full for this month, but are looking into it for the next month. Keep checking in with them.
April: If they pick up the story and want to interview you, how should you prepare?
Crystal: You know your book best, so don’t really sweat the interview. Remind yourself of your book, share the best stories, and trust in that confidence that you know your book best again. Prepare ahead of time, and you will be prepared for the moment.
April: How do you breakthrough in your local area?
Crystal: Google search for the papers in your area, state, community, magazines. Pick out a city, and then all the different publications in that city and just go one at a time: For example, I’m in Scottsdale, AZ, so I put in Scottsdale publication. Then, I have my canned email ready and my press release ready, so I look up the editor if it is for print, and if it is for TV, I look up the producer. I plug in that information, read up on the editor or producer, and you send it off.
Crystal: I go by city by city and look this up and send it out to the local area over and over again. It’s almost like fishing every day. You work it like a sales cycle. Just like you are funneling people in, you need to funnel your message out.
Crystal: Once somebody picks it up, others want to pick it up as well.
Be Prepare, and the moment will be prepared for you.
April: What if your message doesn’t seem to be sticking? What do you do?
Crystal: Take a look at your message again, and see what you can massage and change. Then send it out again, but to a different producer or editor.
TIP**** Here is a KEY for local areas:
Google Search local publications and make a list
Type in the name of the publication with the word editor, reporter, or producer with it.
This will lead you to their email address. Getting the email address is key!
TP*****
Create a spreadsheet with
Date
Name
News publication name/print/TV etc.
Interview (Y, N)
Date to resend
Thank you, Crystal. This is all amazing advice. We look forward to hearing about all the success you will have in your future.
***Twenty-four hours Following the Interview, Crystal Waltman was nominated for the Author Elite Awards in the Health Category. Congratulations, Crystal, for getting a Top Ten Nomination!
Also, April Tribe Giauqe was also nominated for the Author Elite Awards in the Memoir Category! Congratulations.
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