Everyone loves publicity tips. Especially me! Part I and publicity tips #1-3 can be found here. Now here are 4 more proven tips. And one quick tip about implementation…don’t add all these tips at once. Pick one to focus on first. Gain some experience and a decent comfort level with that particular tip. That will help anchor that technique with your ongoing marketing program. Once that approach is in place then move on to other tips on the list.

So here are tips #4-7…

Publicity Tip #4: Become sound bite worthy: speak in pictures

Every see a professional sports athlete or coach interviewed? Most of the time it’s cliché city. Reporters are helpless in those situations. It’s their jobs to cover those stories. Your story is another matter.

So the more memorable your sound bite, the more likely the media will go to you first. Here’s an example: when I had my ad agency, it was common to submit press releases that highlighted new accounts, employees and other company news.

In this particular case, we changed the name of the company. From Harty Communications to HartyCom. Again, by itself, not news. However, in the release, I had my own original sound bite. It was a clever twist on highly service-driven industry.

Here’s what I said: “All the time we save by saying the shorter name will be put towards client deadlines.” This gave the reporter an immediate image of our industry. It had a touch of humor and out of the thousands of company news items, this one stood out. It was published in the Dallas Business Journal. (With more expanded coverage than more typical news items.)

Publicity Tip #5: Going beyond text to images and video

When people think of powerful publicity tips, they often focus on words, not pictures. So look for photo or image opportunities locally, nationally and internationally. The web makes this much easier. You can find photo opportunities just about everywhere. Here’s just a sample: local newspapers, trade journals, TV stations, weekly shoppers, authority blogs, and other media are always on the lookout for photos that help to better communicate a story.

Call the media with ideas, or submit your own photos. And don’t forget online video as both a viral marketing and publicity tip. Your videos can be viral for marketing purposes or tutorial and more education-driven. Google ranks images and videos that are optimized correctly. And online software allows automation of uploading videos that saves time.

Publicity Tip #6: Use the calendar to your advantage

One of the most overlooked publicity tips is simply doing some research about how news organizations actually prepare the news. Most print publications have an editorial calendar they publish way in advance. For example, many magazines will start producing holiday issues in the summer.

Another calendar advantage is simply to know what days are slow news days. Typically, they’re around holidays and weekends. That may be a great time to pitch your story.

Planning ahead tip: every year, like clockwork, you’ll see the same stories. Why, because they work! Here are a few examples.

The “end of the year recap or best of” story. Example: “The 10 Best new technology products of 2010.”

The “beginning of the year, predictions/trends” story. Example: “5 Predictions for Real Estate in 2011.”

For a fast, proven method to leverage these stories and many more, check out the entire PR Traffic Templates System.

Publicity Tip #7: get started and ditch the “being perfect” syndrome

Flub an interview? No problem. It’s not the end of the world. No one becomes an expert first time out. Use it as a learning experience. You can even work into a funny story you share on stage if you do any professional speaking. The goal is to keep moving forward.

Please share your comments and feedback? Which tip do you like best and why?

4 More Tips for Successful Online and Offline Publicity: Part II is a post from: 30 Minute PR

You’re here because you’re interested in publicity. Now where to focus to get the best results?

First, let’s look at how people view publicity compared to advertising. Did you know that publicity has 7 times the credibility compared to advertising? Wonder why?

Publicity implies something is newsworthy. Those who view publicity do so knowing they won’t be hit with a big sales pitch. Now that same halo of credibility also extends to online press releases.

Publicity, by its very nature, is free. You don’t buy media space or time. So when you do get publicity, especially in print or broadcast, that visibility is worth thousands of dollars. Or more.

Of course, no one would question the value or impact of publicity. So why do so few people attempt do-it-yourself publicity?  There’s no shortage of free publicity tips out there.

Somehow, somewhere there is a real disconnect. Fear of failure, perhaps? Or maybe it’s intimidation from all the publicity, public relations and PR experts out there doing the very same thing.

Not to worry. Because the web has leveled the playing field. Dramatically. You’re about to discover some proven best practices, that when followed, can put you miles ahead of even the PR professionals.

Publicity Tip #1: Google media and reporters in your city and niche

For traditional media publicity, search online for your topic. You can add your location to further narrow your search as well as connect with media in your area. Once you’ve located the reporter, DO NOT email them. Read some of their past stories. If their stories allow comments online, comment on them. The goal is to build an understanding first and a relationship later.

A quick search tip: say your topic centers around health. Then, do a search for “health reporter (insert your city)”. Now searching is an inexact science. So just remember if you don’t get something right away, then approach from another angle. Find the web sites of the media outlets in your city and then do a search on the website for your topic and see what you get.

It’s possible that with the media industry downsizing, local outlets might not have dedicated reporters for a specific topic. But they do have writers that cover the main areas: money/finance, consumer issues, business and more.

Publicity Tip #2: Use Twitter to join conversations with reporters and media personalities

Twitter, a microblogging platform, has removing many barriers between the public and the media. You can follow these reporters and media personalities, see what stories they are covering and give them feedback. Often, they will ask for feedback and read “Tweets” or responses on Twitter live on air. Check out my PR Leads on Twitter article for more on the topic.

Here’s a real insider resource for tracking down the media on Twitter. It’s a database that is constantly updated where  you can follow reporters right from the page, without going to Twitter directly. Oh, and it’s FREE!

Publicity Tip #3: Give current events your own unique twist

You can subscribe to Google Alerts on any topic, any keyword, even names. So if you find a reporter that covers your industry, create a Google Alert for their name. That way those stories will show up via email and it’s all 100% automated.

Ever hear of a news aggregator or a mashup? Alltop is my current favorite. You can also dig deeper on Alltop into categories and sub categories. There’s even an Alltop portal page on bacon!

Keeping tabs on what makes news provides the perfect springboard to launch your publicity. For example, a student of mine had a baby sling product. So when Brittney Spears was seen a couple years back dropping her children, he had a press release ready and “piggybacked” off those embarrassing incidents. (Something to the effect that Brittney wouldn’t have had those baby fumbling challenges if she was using the right type of baby sling.)

Now if you use this technique, a word of caution: you don’t want to imply that the public figure or celebrity is endorsing your product. You are just making a connection, nothing more. And it’s best to only refer to the personality in text, no images.

This is ONLY part one of a two-part series. In Part II, you’ll discover:

• What makes for the perfect “sound bite”
• What the media wants (even craves) that goes beyond the words”
• Two proven story ideas that work year in, year out like clockwork

Share your comments and feedback. Have you tried any of these techniques?

3 Insider Tips for Online and Offline Publicity: Part I is a post from: 30 Minute PR

How intense were the emotions from the NFC Championship game between the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers?

Chicago fans were burning the jersey of Chicago Bears Quarterback Jay Cutler after game. A Chicago car salesman wore a Packers tie the day after the game and got fired because of it. Only to land another job and become the next media sensation in this heated rivalry and story with numerous sub-plots.

How big a story was this?

It was the NFC Championship game. As Adweek noted, “Fox’s coverage of the Bears-Packers brawl scared up an average audience of 51.9 million viewers, making it the most-watched non-prime-time NFC Championship Game ever, and on any network.”

But what aroused passions beyond any sports rivalry was the injury to the Bears star-crossed quarterback, Jay Cutler. (A player known for his tremendous physical talents but a reputation of not being a “rah rah” kind of guy who has been known to show indifference and a dis-interested demeanor on the sidelines at times.)

The Cutler story, and the opinions it created, burned up the sports airwaves both locally (Chicago) and nationally. (ESPN, among others.)

After Cutler was knocked out of the game with some huge hits, he took even more body blows to his image.

Today, the Chicago Sun Times had an article titled “Cutler a victim of his indifference.” The reporter,  Neil Hayes said, ““Jay Cutler’s medial collateral ligament is torn, and his reputation is dangling by sinew.” The Chicago Tribune’s David Haugh added this in his story today, “Never has an NFL team been more relieved to announce its franchise quarterback suffered a tear in his knee ligament than the Bears were Monday at Halas Hall.”

Social media played a major role in the story going viral and web wide…

Here’s a SMALL sample. First, a fellow NFL player…

In football, you get a penalty for unnecessary roughness and “piling on.” But that sure didn’t stop the wave of anti-Cutler sentiment from sports commentators, journalists, other professional athletes and more. Many of those tweeting questioned Cutler’s toughness and commitment to his team.

Some of the other famous tweets came from NFL pros past and present included Deion Sanders.  And here’s one from ESPN TV analyst Mark Schlereth…

How did the story of a quarterback’s injured knee grow such legs?

It wasn’t the injury. It was the way it was handled. And the communication (or lack thereof) that caused this media frenzy still going strong now 48 hours into the news cycle.

In fact, a  search on Google for “Cutler + Quit” returning over 24,000 listings.  And a whopping 6322 related stories on the subject. And this is all in less than 2 days. Talk about a need for image management! Here’s what that looks like…

The other theme of all the negative publicity was questioning Cutler’s “toughness.”So I was curious to see what type of results the Google would display when I did a search for the phrase “Cutler + Toughness.” And that returned over 102,000 listings and 214 related articles.

After consuming print, media and online reports about the game and the story, I’ve come to the conclusion this entire episode is a great illustration of a PR/social media story that went horribly wrong.

Yes, there are lessons to be learned, but first let’s look at key PR blunders the Bears and their PR staff committed that didn’t help matter any.Granted, hindsight is 20/20. And I’m giving new meaning to the expression “Monday morning quarterbacking.”

Yet an examination of the details and the chronology of the story reveals a classic case of image and message mismanagement as well as a slow crisis communications response. Here’s a great video overview from Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk…

So, if nothing else, this incident is a great example of what NOT TO DO. It also provides some valuable  lessons on 1) how to prevent something like this happening again; and 2) some tips on how to blunt a fast moving story before it spins wildly out of control.

First, let’s look at the mistakes that were made…

5 PR Blunders: How The Bears Fumbled Their Quarterback Situation

First, like several others, I don’t think anyone should be fired over this. And in the heat of the moment, it’s easy to slip-up. But there are precedents about handling things like this so let’s go to the actual blunders…

PR Blunder #1: Failure to disclose the obvious

Cutler was injured. Bear’s management, team staff (including doctors) knew that Cutler wouldn’t be returning to the game. He status should have been made crystal clear. As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk added, “”If he’s out, say he’s out. Don’t play games. Say the guy’s out. Say the guy’s not coming back. You’re not going to get a huge strategic advantage if the Packers thin there’s maybe a chance that Cutler’s coming back.”

Florio was also a guest on WSCR “The Score” a Chicago Sports Talk radio station. The host,  Laurence Holmes, added this to the conversation, ““As someone who’s there at the games, it bothers me that they even had him listed as questionable. Everyone knew after he finished that one drive in the third quarter that he was not coming back. At that point you say that Jay Cutler is OUT.”

To which Florio replied,  “That’s part of the PR effort. You’re playing that game, this is where that game blows up. Like, ‘Hey, maybe the Packers will think that Jay Cutler will be coming back. As if that will really give you a strategic edge.”

PR Blunder #2: Letting Cutler stay on the sideline

This opened up Cutler and the Bears to ongoing speculation and criticism in front a viewing audience of more than 50,000,000 people. During the game, cutaway shots of Cutler showed little emotion or even support for his fellow quarterbacks who had to play in his absence.

And with Cutler not on crutches or otherwise encumbered, it left the impression that he was a disinterested spectator while emotions were running high. Again, as Florio shared during his WSCR interview on January 24th, “Perception is reality. And that’s part of the problem here. The perception was permitted to be created. My bottom line on this whole thing is the PR staff, and these people, and there are multiple employees with every team that handle PR.

It’s not just sending out press releases for photo opportunities. The PR staff is charged with the responsibility of shaping and engineering the image of the team, the coaching staff, the front office and the entire organization.

There is one PR person, typically for each organization on the field on the sidelines. And I think that person ideally, and I’m not saying anyone did anything wrong here. This is the kind of thing where hindsight may be 20/20, and may be a good case study for future situations specifically involving the Bears.

But when you have a quarterback, who everyone knows what his reputation is for having that loose demeanor. The body language that projects is that he’s not interested. If you’re going to bring him out of the locker room, you’re going to take the risk that that’s exactly what’s going to play out for the Fox [TV] cameras to see.

And I think someone from the PR staff during that 12-minute you have during halftime should have gone to Lovie Smith and said look, ‘Do we really think he’s going to play? Because if we don’t think he’s going to play, we need to leave him in here.

We do not need to have him out on the sidelines with the Fox cameras watching every move he makes. Because you know how Jay Cutler is, I know how Jay Cutler is. We love him and accept him because of that but the rest of the county doesn’t. We gotta keep him in the locker room.’ And that’s what should have happened.”

PR Blunder #3: A slow and half-hearted Crisis Communication response

The “Cutler is a quitter” meme gained massive momentum for a variety of reasons. Here are a few…

One: the strong and vigorous defense of Cutler was either isolated or not well publicized compared to the avalanche of negative criticism.

Two: those who are seen as authorities, such as Coach Lovie Smith gave a tepid defense during his post game comments. It was nearly a full day later, during a team press conference where Smith, and General Manager Jerry Angelo were more outspoken in their defense of their quarterback.

Laurence Holmes of  WSCR, “The Score” said about the press conference, “They missed an opportunity today. The use of language is very important. You have the head coach of the Bears, while he correctly stated that Cutler had a sprained MCL.

I think it tells the story better that it’s a partial tear, considering that’s what it is. It’s another example of not fully managing the message. It bugged me a little bit because Cutler is getting killed and it feels as if the Bears are unprepared to handle it.”

David Haugh, in his article titled “Bears come to the defense of Cutler” added,  “As an organization, the Bears did Cutler no favors by waiting until Monday to use the words “sprained knee” and not getting out in front of the story to let us know how bad the injury was. The longer they let the image of Cutler standing stone-faced on the sidelines without a knee brace sink in without an announcement he was out, the more critics unfairly blasted away.”

PR Blunder #4: Cutler’s “no comment” comment

When Cutler was asked what he thought about other NFL players who were ripping him for not returning to the game, he said “No Comment.” This only fueled speculation rather than squelching it. A better response would have been something like, “Lets not rush to judgment without knowing the seriousness of the injury. If the situation were reversed, I’d sure give them the benefit of the doubt.”

In this case, a little bit of media training would go a long way. In fact, after Cutler gave his “no comment”  Sports Illustrated reporter Jim Trotter further added to the “lack of toughness” story by writing ,“Cutler appeared genuinely hurt when asked about the comments, saying: ‘No comment on that.’ He then turned his back to reporters, fiddled with some things on a shelf and bit his lip as tears welled.”

PR Blunder #5: Blaming the media

This blunder is a popular one, especially with politicians. The fact is the media will run with the story that’s getting the most traction. And playing the victim never got anyone anywhere. The day after press conference with Chicago’s coach Lovie Smith and General Manager Jerry Angelo, both were critical of the media.

Here’s an except from Angelo’s comments, “There are probably some old quarterbacks in the past, that if we had you as a media we would have probably heard some things about them and we wouldn’t have thought they were nice guys but they wound up in Canton.”

Angelo also said this during the press conference when addressing the media, “If you don’t have thick skin this is not the town to be in. And I’m not being disrespectful to anybody in this room. You have got jobs to do, you do your jobs. We have to deal with whatever adversity or pressure comes with the territory.”

In the past, the Chicago Bears brass has had an uneasy relationship with the local media. Smith in particular often seems annoyed at having to answer questions he doesn’t like receiving, or in the case of his post-game news conference, thought he had answered to his own satisfaction.

So what lessons can we learn from what’s happened ?

Here are four:

Lesson# 1: Perception is reality.
Image management matters.

Lesson #2: The media will default to the supporting narrative.
Your mission: change the narrative, or at least, deflect it.

Lesson #3: Be proactive, not reactive.
Know the person and the type of personality you’re dealing with. And plan accordingly.

Lesson #4: Use the right messaging via the right messenger.

To that last point, and as a closing thought, here again is Mike Florio from Pro Football Talk with an interesting observation on how to help Cutler and the Bears control, or at least, better influence the message…

“Something that draws the attention away from Cutler. Someone who steps up on his behalf that is so passionately. Brian Urlacher kinda did it, Sunday night. Something that would have made it on the SportsCenter infinite loop today.

That would have caused people to change their focus. From everything  the Maurice Jones-Drew’s of the world are saying. And all the other quarterbacks who have had injuries who are being compared to Jay Cutler. No matter what the Bears did they couldn’t shake the question of whether or not Jay Cutler cares.”

Now this his is one passionate, albeit disappointed Chicago Bears fan (yours truly) hoping the Bears not only learn from their PR mistakes. But also play a better game next time they have the chance!

What’s your comment on how this whole scenario unfolded? Which side are you on and why?

CutlerGate: How The Bears Dropped The PR Ball is a post from: 30 Minute PR

Editors note: this is the second in a series of three articles about becoming a Google News Publisher via information products like Google Red Carpet.

Google Red Carpet is blowing up. But not always in the way its owners or promoters intended. That’s because there are hidden risks that could blow up in your face. (As proof of exactly that happening check out the comment made by “Idratherkeepmyidentityprivate” to my first article about Google News Publishing.

What could blow up in your face? Well, not being approved as a Google News Publisher. Or what if you are accepted, only to be delisted later and forced to go through acceptance/approval all over again? These are just some of the risks I’ve discovered once I fully examined Google Red Carpet’s pitch. (Disclosure: I don’t have the $497 program, but did evaluate the ebook that spawned it.)

If you missed “The Hook Vs. The Reality: Google News Publisher Pitch Exposed. [Part I], you can access it here. I’d appreciate you spreading the word. (An informed buyer is anyone’s best customer.)

That first article really just laid the foundation and overall value proposition. Some feedback I received proved this was exactly the right approach. Because lots of folks had never heard of becoming a Google News Publisher, E. Brian Rose or Google Red Carpet for that matter.

Now that everyone’s up to speed, here’s where things get very interesting. Because after examining the facts, I’m more convinced then ever that there is A LOT more here than meets the eye than the promoters of Google Red Carpet are telling you.

Land Mine #1: Value Proposition

You build a Google News Site to get accepted as an official Google News Publisher. That, according to E. Brian Rose, is your  “VIP Pass to the first page of Google.” This implies you can easily and quickly get articles on your Google News Site to show on the first page of Google for high priced and competitive keywords.

E. Brian Rose demonstrates this ability via video demos. The time frame is anywhere from 2 minutes to 22 minutes.  I won’t quibble about the difference in time because that’s still impressive.

On one of his optin pages E. Brian Rose says “…how I get to the front page of Google again and again in a few minutes.”

Reality check:

1. To get those “instant rankings” you (or your outsource team) or both need to invest a massive amount of time creating fresh content. See Land Mine #4 for how much time.
2. News rankings change VERY quickly. One of the video demonstrations (May 28^th, 2010) was done at 3 am, a slow news period. This means less competition, and it’s much easier to rank higher faster.
3. What’s the fallback position if you don’t get accepted as a Google News Publisher? What kind of traffic and rankings can you expect? That’s not really addressed in the two webinars I attended on 9.21.10 and 9.24.10 promoting Google Red Carpet.
4. Here is what two experts on Search and News have to say: This except is from Top Rank Blogwhere Lee Odden had Jiyan Wei of Vocus/PR web talk about news and blended search.
   

   What an SEO and a PR expert say about news listings on the first page of Google.

5. There was a mention about other news sites and other traffic sources but there was no evidence, either in print or video form presented from those other sources as far as I know. After all, the product is called “Google Red Carpet” not Yahoo or Bing Red Carpet.

Land Mine #2: News Listings on Google’s First Page

Ever hear the phrase “blended search results?” When Google begin adding news listings, images and video, that’s when people started talking about blended search.

According to E. Brian Rose’s own video demonstrations, here is what you can expect:

Expectation #1: News listings rank high on Google’s first page

Examples: video demonstrations for “mortgage loan modification” and “Outsource Force” at 00:23:43 and 00:57:05 of the webinar on 09.21.10.

Expectation #2: News listings FOR YOUR KEYWORD(S) will appear on Google’s first page

Examples: video demonstrations for “mortgage loan modification” and “Outsource Force” indicated in Expectation #1.

Reality Check:

E. Brian Rose said that if no listings appear for news items, you could force a news item to appear on Google page one. He didn’t show any proof of that. He also said even if there are no news items for a particular keyword phrase when you do a search, it doesn’t mean there won’t be news items at a later day or time. That last comment is true in my experience. But it does suggest there is a “hit or miss” component that isn’t discussed in promoting Google Red Carpet.

Now it’s my turn for a video demonstration. The video below utilizes software from Jack Duncan called NewsRanker 2.0. I highly recommend it. The software is less than $70 and will “pre-qualify” your keywords to see if they show up in the news listings and blending search results on the first page of Google.

(Disclosure: the Newsranker link is an affiliate link of which I will receive a small commission if you purchase the software.)

Click here to view the embedded video.

While I STRONGLY encourage you to view the video, here are the highlights:

• Many keywords have NO Google News listings on Google’s first page
• Google news listings that do make it on the first page of Google often appear MUCH lower, definitely “below the fold” and sometimes at the very bottom of the page
• For highly competitive keywords there are often hundreds of news listings of which Google will only show the first one, two or three listings
• The software I’m using can tell you immediately if your keyword is a Google news item and what listing position it currently holds

Land Mine #3: Google Approval Time Frame

Since E. Brian Rose started promoting the idea of being a Google News Publisher, the time frame for getting approved has grown longer and longer.

Example #1: “Days”

Source: cover of E. Brian Rose’s GnewsNow.com ebook

At the time this ebook was released it only took "days" to become a Google News Publisher.

Example #2: “Two weeks for approval/indexing of articles”

Source: Warrior Forum post on May 6, 2010

Example #3: “Average time: 2 weeks”

Source: answer to a question from a webinar on 09/21/10. (At 02:16:00 elapsed time)

Example #4: “Longest time: 6 weeks”

Source: answer to a question on a webinar on 09/21/10. (At 02:16:00 elapsed time)

Reality check: 3 to 6 months or even LONGER?

I have heard anecdotal evidence the time frame is 3 months, maybe 6 months or longer. All the while you have to continue to add fresh, original content EVERY DAY. With no guarantee you will be approved as a Google News Publisher.

When I asked Jack Duncan, the developer of Newsranker 2.0 Software if he had any knowledge of the approval timeframe, he offered this response:

“They are “playing down” the difficulty of actually getting a site in Google News. I spoke with someone who personally has done this “from start to finish”…and after many rejections and a lot of “arm twisting”, he managed to become a Google News site after roughly 2 years.”

Reality check II: even once you are accepted, you won’t get traffic right away. Because there is additional wait time for your site and its pages to be indexed.

Land Mine #4: Total Time Investment

This for me is the biggest deal breaker. If you do it yourself, it’s recommended you add 3 original articles EVERY day. The webinar pitches talk about how easy it is to outsource the article writing at $2 an article.

On one webinar the price was $3 per article.

Reality check:

Lets look at a conservative financial estimate…

So if you have to add “several” articles a day, let’s say 3 articles as it is recommended in the webinar I attended on 09.28.10.

3 articles x 30 days = 90, x 3 months = 270 articles.

Lets also say an extra two weeks while the site is being evaluated = 14 x 3 = 42 additional articles.

270 + 42 = 312 articles x $6 each (that’s a good bulk rate for a native English speaking writer.)

That’s $1,872.00 investment for a site that MIGHT get accepted!

But that’s not all. Let’s say there is also a little bit of site promotion, a little SEO, some ongoing site maintenance, some ad rotating expenses, and of course web hosting. Let’s say that is another $100/month for the 4-month time period until you are getting the traffic promised to you. That’s another $400.

That’s a $2,272 investment for a news site over 4 months.

Now let’s paint a more rosy scenario. What if you get your Google News Site accepted a lot quicker? Well, you’ll still have expenses for ongoing fresh, original content moving forward. Unless you chose to do it yourself. If that’s the case, isn’t that more like having a job with all the ongoing responsibility of the content requirements to keep in Google’s good graces?

Reality check II:

What about the time to manage your outsource writers? What about troubleshooting time for the entire Google approval process?

Land Mine #5: The Fallout from Gaming Google

E. Brian Rose talks about not doing any “black hat” techniques. He said his techniques are fully compliant with the policies of being a Google News Publisher.

Reality Check:

Every hear the expression, “don’t’ throw the baby out with the bath water?” Well even legitimate sites, as the one Google Red Carpet recommends are coming under additional scrutiny by Google.

Why? Because even though you’re not trying to game the system, many others have.

And there’s evidence you’ll be penalized with extra wait time because of it.

In fact, “No Cost Traffic Blueprint” a competitive product to Google Red Carpet has been criticized for questionable tactics like software that artificially backdates articles.

What’s more, the official Google News Publisher forum has an entire thread about exposing spammy Google News Sites. Guess who’s name comes up there? Yes, E. Brian Rose.

To be clear, those could be simple and unproven accusations. But the fact that many Google News Publishers are upset, even outraged, should NOT be ignored. This fact was further brought to light by several comments on my last Google News Publisher article.

I was disappointed that E. Brian Rose made is sound like these publishers are whiny complainers. The quality of these Google News sites is a legitimate concern and deserves a legitimate answer on the matter.

In fact, the quality of Google News Sites even has it’s own thread.

Land Mine #6: Traffic Conversion

The assumption is when you get traffic for very competitive keywords, even if the news item is only on the first page of Google for a matter of hours, you’ll get a lot of visitors. An example in the webinar cited 8,000 visitors in a 24-hour period. (Source: webinar on 9.21.10 at 00:41:01.)

You’ve got the traffic so mission accomplished, right? Not right. Many Google publishers have complained that the traffic doesn’t convert. That’s why E. Brian Rose talks about ways to generate revenue that don’t require purchase. (Like Adsense or CPA offers where you can make money by clicks or when visitors fill out forms.)

Land Mine #7: 30-Day Guarantee

Let’s do the math: how long is it going to take you to build and populate your Google News Site? How long until the site gets accepted and approved by Google? Can you really fully evaluate the validity of E. Brian Rose’s claims in only 30 days?

BONUS Land Mine: Flipping Google News Sites

In both the promotion of the webinars and during the webinars I attended, a major financial benefit being touted was building Google News Sites and “flipping” or selling them.

Reality Check:

I’m sure if you have a successful site, that you could certainly do that. However, recently several sites were sold and then were delisted shortly after the new owner took possession. One Google News Site was delisted 25 hours after purchase. (See the 3^rd post from the top.)

Obviously, if you were the buyer you’d want your money back. If you’re the seller, do you really such a possibility hanging over your head?

Some final thoughts

One dynamic that I see in the information product business is that marketers that are pitching products speak of their own experience. And successes. That’s only natural, right? Well, here is where things breakdown. It’s one thing for a marketer to achieve something. But can the average buyer do the same thing in a similar timeframe?

Is that realistic? Is that being authentic and telling it to you straight?

Coming up NEXT:

The third article in the series will look at what the future holds for Google News Publishing and what alternatives exist that may, in the long run, be a much better return on both your time and money.

Please share your feedback and experiences with Google News Publishing, E. Brian Rose, Google Red Carpet or No Cost Traffic Blueprint by Ben Shaffer.

7 Land Mines Under Google Red Carpet? is a post from: 30 Minute PR

Want a “VIP pass to Page One” of Google? That’s the hook for a new traffic method making the rounds in Internet marketing circles. It’s called Google Red Carpet by E. Brian Rose.

And it’s not the only one. There’s a competing product by one of Mr. Rose’s students and other smaller products, again with the pitch of getting free traffic from becoming a Google News Publisher.

There’s a lot of buzz about this. And there are some compelling examples and proof.

Having looked at Google Red Carpet via webinar pitch (as well as via previous incarnation, an ebook called GNewsNow), and after serious consideration on building my own Google News Site, I decided against it.

For that reason, among others, I’m compelled to share my thoughts. After all, I’ve learned a few things about the dynamics of Google News, Yahoo! News and news aggregator sites over the course of the last six years.

That’s how long I’ve been actively doing and teaching Online Press Release Marketing. Over that time I’ve generated tens of thousands of visitors and leads via press release traffic from both the news search engines and the regular search engines.

So yes, I’m a bit of an authority on the subject.

And that leads us to…

The first of a 3-part series revealing, in detail, the realities, risks and rewards of becoming a Google News Publisher.

Here’s the lure:
How to generate a lot of free web site traffic for some of the most competitive (and expensive keywords) and do so in minutes. All by becoming a Google News Publisher? What does that mean exactly?

High-level overview wise, it works like this:

Step #1: create/build a blog that is a Google News Site (following exact instructions as detailed by Google Red Carpet or the other competing products.)

Step #2: submit the site to Google to become an official Google News Publisher

Step #3: Once Google approves your site, it’s your “VIP Pass to Page One.”

So before we dive in to the value proposition of becoming a Google News Publisher, lets set the record straight. In short, the “why” behind this series of articles.

Reason #1: It’s my in-depth response to those colleagues, subscribers and customers who asked me what I thought about becoming a Google News Publisher. This article series is my response to their collective inquiries.

Reason #2: To inform and educate based on my experience with Google News and six years of online press release marketing.

Reason #3: To examine the assumptions and risks, that, in my view, have not been fully explained with the ongoing marketing blitz for Google Red Carpet or for a competing product, “No Cost Traffic Blueprint” by Ben Shaffer.

Here’s what this article series is NOT:

1. This is not a review. I have read E. Brian Rose’s original ebook that I discussed with a fellow colleague.
2. This is not a hatchet job. I’m not saying these programs doesn’t work, or the people promoting them are deceptive or crooks.
3. This is not a pseudo pitch for a competing product.

Let’s face it; anytime something new comes along and has some success, there is a bandwagon effect. And that is the dynamic happening now with Google Red Carpet.

So before YOU jump on the bandwagon, get the facts. Be informed. And after reading this series of articles you still want to go ahead and purchase, go for it.

It all started as a Warrior Special Offer (WSO) and an ebook…

The ebook that started the Google News Publishing Craze?

For those who don’t know, the Warrior Forum has a section where forum members sell information products. These are often at serious discounts to the ultimate price once these products are promoted to the public at large.

Now while I didn’t purchase the ebook via the WSO, a colleague did and shared it with me. We both read it cover to cover. And we discussed building a Google News Site and using it as a vehicle for  press release submissions of our PR clients and customers.

Upon investigation, and the anticipated level of work involved, I decided against it. And with all the hubbub about Google Red Carpet, I made the bold decision to speak out now.

So here, in a nutshell is how this 3-part series will unfold…

Part I: Introduction and Background on Becoming A Google News Publisher Exactly. What about the purpose and the promise behind Google Red Carpet? (Note:  this is what you are reading NOW.)

Part II: The Land Mines Lurking Under The Google Red Carpet. What are the assumptions and risks that are not being fully communicated, explained or documented? What could blow up in your face and be totally beyond your control? And how can you best arm yourself with knowledge to make an informed buying decision?

Part III: The Future Of Google News Publishing (Experts Weigh In) Don’t just take my word for it. I’ve interviewed several experts with knowledge and experience with Google News as well as publishing news-type sites.

So I’m sure this is going to ruffle some feathers. And I’ll be attacked. But hey, last time I checked, the first amendment of the constitution was still in full effect.

Please share your comments, feedback and questions about this article (and those that will follow) about Google News Publishing. (And Google Red Carpet.)

The Hook Vs. The Reality: Google News Publisher Pitch Exposed. [Part I] is a post from: 30 Minute PR

It’s so easy to get caught up with the micro that we forget the macro. In this case, did our work payoff? What results did we get? Can we track those results and connect the dots to the bottom line?

One way to answer those questions is to step back , gain perspective and then take a look and ask yourself one more question…

What were my “wins” for the week?

Now let’s define what I mean by a “win.” Here are a few examples:

• Successful completion of a project
• New client
• Launch a new product/service/website
• New speaking engagement
• Enthusiastic feedback on a presentation you gave recently
• Reaching your revenue targets
• Exceeding your revenue targets
• Blowing the doors off your revenue targets
• Getting a story published
• Media exposure: print, broadcast, online

The list above is by no means a complete one. Just enough to let you see where I’m going with this.

Do you know what all the above have in common? They’re specific. They’re outcome-driven.

So often we are in the middle of something that we forget to celebrate when we actually achieved something of distinction.

It’s important to take time to honor your successes. Because that’s the motivation that will keep all cylinders firing towards your next success.

So as a way of getting us started here are my wins for the week, publicity-wise:

• Radio Interview with 938LIVE: (largest English speaking news/talk radio station in Singapore
• PRWeb Webinar: “The Inside Scoop: PR and Marketing Strategy” This is great visibility and positions me as an Online PR expert. The announcement of this webinar went out to a mailing list of over 750,000 with an expected registrations of 6,000+!

Now it’s your turn. Do share. Because your successes will help inspire others. What are your wins for the week, publicity or otherwise?

Please share your successes with me in the comments below.

What are YOUR Wins for the Week? is a post from: 30 Minute PR

Celebrity and negative publicity often go together like hand in glove. Case in point, I recently spent two weeks in London and the newspapers there are a lot more “tabloid” in their approach to news than their USA counterparts.

And of course, I’m sure you’ve been following the David Letterman extortion plot saga. He had affairs with female staff members and when faced with extortion went public and admitted his failings with transparency and humor.

Letterman has received good grades in his response to the negative publicity. And his ratings are up 38% since the disclosure.And while Letterman’s ethics and response have been debated at length, in this article I focus on a lesser known celebrity’s response to negative publicity.

In fact, I chose this example because the issue is one more common and sympathetic: an athletic starlet’s weight gain from a previously “hot” body.

Here’s the headline from The Huffington Post: “Nicole Eggert Fat? Baywatch Babe Takes on Weight Critics In Funny or Die Video”

So come with me as I explore the thick and thin about this fat story…

The Situation

Nicole Eggert played lifeguard Summer Quinn in over 45 episodes on Baywatch, the TV show from 1992-1994.  As such, she spent many an episode in a red two piece bathing suit and developed her own sex symbol appeal. Flash forward to today. Some 15 years later. Nicole Eggert is now 37, has had a child and not a real surprise, gained some weight.

Naturally, the tabloids shared some unflattering photos. Followed by the usual round of whispers and gossip.

At this point Nicole Eggert faced a choice on how to respond. When any one of us are confronted with negative publicity there are typically three ways in which to respond…

1. Ignore it and hide
2. Be reactive and defensive (damage control)
3. Be proactive and go on the offensive

Now before we get to Nicole Eggert’s response, a question: if you’ve been hit with some negative publicity, which approach did you take? Can you guess which path Nicole Eggert took? She chose #3, which brings us to the next part of the story…

Nicole’s Response to the Negative Publicity

Nicole Eggert chose to go on the offensive. She followed a technique that’s proven successful in everything from martial arts to political strategists like Karl Rove. Turn your opponents strength against them.

The video Nicole did via her “Funny or Die” video did exactly that. The technique that had glamorized her in the past, the slo-mo running down the beach was featured again. But this time, there is the very noticeable jiggle of a few extra pounds at work, thus skewering the “babe” imagery from the past.

What’s evident here is Nicole Eggert is comfortable in her own skin, which is in more abundant supply compared to her Baywatch days.

In short, Nicole Eggert responded with humor and confidence to the negative publicity about her weight gain. She not only took her recent physique in stride, she took her own path in a funny and involving way. Which leads us to the actual results once the video hit the Internets…

The Results

First off, Nicole Eggert went from near obscurity to celebrity in the blink of an eye. Yes, she made news. The story hit the first pages of authority sites The Huffington Post and Salon. As the Salon article stated, “The video would seem — well, if not terribly witty, then at least a nice dose of female empowerment, a move that simultaneously strikes a blow toward the tyranny of the paparrazi and places Eggert back in the public eye on her own terms.”

Another article phrased it this way, “The comedic short makes a point about some people’s shallow hang-ups about weight.”

Even more interesting and encouraging were the hundreds of comments to these stories. The tone of those comments was universal in support of Nicole Eggert and her physique as a “real woman.”

And the results didn’t stop there. Consider the amount of publicity and shift in opinion that was generated…

Metrics from Nicole Eggert’s “Fat Video” response:

• The video viewed over 600,000 times in three days
• Thousands of Tweets with links to the video
• Over 500 diggs on Digg
• Numerous articles and stories on mainstream news and entertainment sites
• A search of “Nicole Eggert” on Google shows 5 listings on the first page of Google are about the “fat” video

Conclusion

In researching this story, I learned that Nicole Eggert will be starring with Kevin Federline in the upcoming season of the reality TV show, “Celebrity Fit Club.” As a result, many have called Nicole Eggert’s video response to her “fat” image more of a publicity stunt than a demonstration of female empowerment.

My take? It’s both and in my mind it shows a real savvy sense of publicity. So what can we learn from all this? Humor, when used appropriately can be powerful weapon in combating negative publicity. Obviously, humor needs to be used selectively. And real screw-ups need to be admitted as same. You don’t use humor to make light of an oil spill, for goodness sake.

In the final analysis, when using humor, there is a risk it can backfire. But kudos to those that refuse to let others define who they are and what they’re all about.

Please share your comments on this article. I’d especially like to hear from women on this topic.

Story highlights and action steps:

• Time to review: 13 minutes
  • There are three typical responses to addressing negative publicity:
    1. Ignore it and hide
    2. Be reactive and defensive (damage control)
    3. Be proactive and go on the offensive
  • Nicole Eggert utilized humor and both male and female stereotypes to her advantage
  • Funny or Die video generated 600,000 viewings and hundreds of supportive comments
  • A valuable lesson in defining your public image on your own terms
• Action Steps:
  • Brainstorm ways you could combat negative publicity using humor
  • Be mindful of how people in the public eye manage their image
  • If confronted with negative publicity, remember the three ways you can respond

Negative Publicity a Weighty Issue? Not For Ex-Baywatch Star is a post from: 30 Minute PR