In this blog post I’m focusing on insider tips to use to get free press coverage in newspapers and magazines. 

The Rule of Three:

The first insider tip is actually a rule called “The Rule of Three.” 

The average consumer needs to see something three times – in three distinct places – before a sale happens.  Don’t believe me?  Think about the last movie you saw in a theater?  What was the moment you actually decided to buy the tickets?  Was it after you saw the movie trailer, read an interview with the lead actor in a magazine, then heard your co-workers raving about it on Monday morning? 

That’s the rule of three: consumers need to have a product reinforced in their minds three different times – in three different ways – before they seriously consider making a purchase.  And it’s the same for your book. 

So when you’re developing your own PR and marketing campaigns for your book, keep in mind the rule of three: press coverage in one newspaper, one advertisement or marketing/promotional gimmick, and that coveted  “word-of-mouth” recommendation.  And boom.  CHA-CHING.  Sales, sales, sales…

Public Relations – What the Heck Does IT Mean, anyway?

Public Relations (PR) is the art of getting press overage – and getting it for free.  In this post, I’m going to focus on newspapers and magazines, but PR can include press coverage in any media outlets, including radio, TV, and the internet.  Whether you hire a publicist, work with your publisher’s publicist, or you try to generate a little PR yourself, it’s helpful to understand what PR really means.

Yes, there are book reviews.  But I’m talking articles magazines and newspapers written by staff writers about you and your book.  Features or cover stories about you as an author.  Human interest pieces about your professional writing life.  Author interviews.  Generating a PR campaign goes above and beyond book reviews.  You want magazines to run blurbs about your book’s release and its release date, or the date and time of your book reading at your local Barnes and Noble.  You want your local paper to write a human interest story about how you got your first major book deal, and how you’re able to make a living as a professional writer.

I Like This PR… Where Do I Get Me Some?

It’s all about approaching the right paper and the right editor with the right tie-in about the possibility of a blurb or story. While most magazines are monthly, newspapers are daily or even weekly.  That means newspapers are your best bet because they’re starving for content. 

While you and your book may not merit an entire full-page feature in the Arts & Entertainment section of the Chicago Tribune, it doesn’t mean nobody would be interested.  They’re interest.  Trust me. And if they don’t have print space, they have a website, and they need to fill that too.

The Press Release  --  The Most Basic PR Tool

Press releases sound so much more official and important than they really are.  Think third-grade book report.  Yeah, now you’re closer to imaging a press release.  A press release states the essential facts.  It announces who, what, where, when, and how.  And it’s printed on the publicist’s company letterhead with the name and contact information of the publicist at the top of the release.

More often than not, a press release is purely a formality.  A press release alone doesn’t get you a featured article in a newspaper or magazine.  That’s what pitching is for… But a press release can get you a blurb about your up-coming reading at Barnes and Noble.  These blurbs appear in special section of the newspapers and magazine, like “Around the Town” or “Happening This Weekend.”  Become familiar with a specific newspaper and magazine, target the section you want your blurb to appear, and send out the press release with the essential who, what, where, when and why…

And if you have an author photo, it never hurts to include it with your press release.

Author Photo – Yes, They Really Do Care About How You Look

Actually, they care about the quality of your author photo more than your physical appearance.  You could have a brown paper bag over your head, and if it was an eye-catching photograph of you with a brown paper bag over your head, you’d get a magazine editor’s attention.

Newspapers and magazines live and die by their art work.  And yes, they actually decide whether or not to run a feature article based on the photograph.  It’s the media industry’s dirty little secret.  No fabulous photo.  No story.

And please understand: this is not a professional studio photograph – with your hands on crossed on a podium and your head cocked to one side.  This is a publicity photo.  This is media “eye-candy” that helps sell a magazine’s content to its readership.  And it must be print quality.  That means high-resolution, perfect focus, stellar lighting, and the “oooooh” factor. 

Do you have to be gorgeous?  No.  Not even close.  But it must be an amazing photo of professional quality.   (Sidebar: I think Alice Sebold has a great author photo.  Love those magenta lips. http://www.avclub.com/content/files/images/Alice-Sebold.article.jpg

So how do you get an amazing photo?  You post a flyer in the photography department of your local college campus.  You do not settle for a snapshot taken by your brother-in-law with his digital camera.  Different lens, natural sunlight, and a good eye for composition makes or break a photo.  And there will be zero press coverage without the right author photo to accompany your pitch.

The Pitch – Yes, You Actually Need to Pick Up the Phone and Sell Yourself

The press release is a formality.  It’s the pitch from a publicist that makes an editor interested in running a story.  Professional publicists pitch the same editors over and over on behalf of their clients.  But that doesn’t mean you can’t pick up the phone and pitch yourself to these same editors. 

How do you start?  Become familiar with the newspaper that you want to pitch.  That means actually reading a piece done by the staff editor/writer that you intend to pitch.  Nothing starts a pitch conversation easier than “the two Fs”: familiarity and flattery.

Example Pitch: “Hey, Ms. Arts & Entertainment Editor of regional/local newspaper… I just read your piece on Mr. Local Studio Artist who got a major state grant to open up a gallery for local artists, and I really enjoyed it.  I wanted to call and introduce myself.  I’m a local author (tie-in) and I’m attempting to generate a little bit of PR about my book’s release.  I wanted to see if you would be interested in doing an interview piece about how a local writer like me got a New York agent and a two-book deal with a major publisher.  Oh, and by the way, part of my novel takes place locally (more tie-in)…”

How do you know who to pitch?  You call and ask.  Normally, it’s going to be the arts & culture editor, or the entertainment editor, or the book editor.  If you’re looking to pitch yourself as a feature article (because you have the perfect tie-in, the perfect photo, and the perfect pitch), go after the features editor.  But remember: feature articles are the crown jewels.  Make sure you craft an irresistible pitch before you make the call.

Remember, most authors pay professional publicists to pitch magazine and newspaper editors on their behalf.  But if hiring a professional publicist isn’t in your budget, or your publisher’s publicist is M.I.A, why not attempt to pitch yourself and your book to a few magazines and regional newspapers?  It’s time-consuming, but rewarding, especially when you score your first feature article!