blogging bloggers success achievement media campaign

In late January I conducted a news release campaign for Maggie Lamond Simone, author of the hilarious book about adulthood titled From Beer to Maternity.

Would you believe that the campaign netted her over 50 media requests for review copies, interviews and column requests?

Among the accomplishments: An invitation to blog regularly (whenever she wants actually) on Huffington Post (from Arianna Huffington herself, yes the one and only, creator of the site).

So here for your reading enjoyment is Maggie’s first column in HP all about:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/maggie-lamond-simone/the-history-of-valentines_b_459702.html

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! May your day be better that the man in who’s honor we apparently celebrate this very special day.

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On November 19th, 2009 I had a wonderful time being interviewed for Authors Access with Victor R. Volkman and Irene Watson about whether Press Releases are still revelant to marketing and promoting books.

We covered a wide-range of talking points, including:

* So What Exactly Is A News Release?

* Why Is This So Hard To Do? What Makes This So Special?

* So What Exactly Do Media People Look For When They Receive A News Release?

* So What Do You Need To Do To Write A News Release That Really Works & Truly Gets Media Attention?

* How do you know when you’re ready?

* What Specifically Should Authors Do To Create This Galvanizing Candy ­This Magic Script.

* What is the Magic Formula (DPAA+H)? (“Dramatic Personal Achievement in the face of Adversity, plus a little Humor”)

* Which Are Better For Authors To Aim At - Book Reviews Or Feature Stories & Why?

* How do you know when you achieve success with a news release?

* So once you have a trash proof news release, what do you do with it

Download the free Authors Access podcast interview free at:

http://authorsaccess.com/archives/164
A pdf file that summarizes all the talking points is also available here:

Are News Releases Effective for Marketing Your Book? http://www.directcontactpr.com/files/files/arepressreleasesaneffectiveway.pdf

The Trash Proof News Releases is available as a free ebook at Smashwords:

Trash Proof News Releases

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/5921

If you write what you think is a trash proof news release, send it to me and I’ll send you my extra two bits!

Paul@DirectContactPR.com

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Bloggers are quite important to all of us who do work in the world of publicity. Mommy bloggers are really crucial!

Who are the best ones with regard to marketing and publicizing a book or a product?

Well, it depends. There are now several thousand of them and their ranks are growing every day. Perhaps 20 to 25 percent of the media who write on family and parenting matters are now blogging regularly.

Mommy bloggers are simply mothers who blog. They don’t publish in magazines or newspapers. They just blog where people can find them - in the news search engines and specialty blog search engines. The originality and creativity or their unique perspective is what generates their audience.

Many of them offer up a highly personal view of parenting, women’s general interest, fashion, wifehood, love, romance, health, fitness, food and cooking, husbands, kids, and the challenges that go with being the head of the household.

Some are funny, some are serious, some are highly intellectual, some are sexy, some are not.

Many of them offer their experiences or opinions on the subjects that they decide are worthy and provide reviews of products, books, recipes, movies, TV shows, celebrities, politicians, even things like astronomical events, and quantum physics.

Some of them are highly regarded and have very dedicated audiences who relish their every post. The number of people and the demographics of their audiences vary.

I mean if you want to spend some time with a yenta, go see your local mommy blogger. Mommy bloggers know how to spread the word!

I’ve transmitted news releases about books and products to Mommy Bloggers and the responses, benefits and results for the author/owner have at times rivaled and even exceeded that produced by conventional prime media.

Mommy bloggers are a force to be recognized and utilized!

When you decide to do publicity you should make sure that you do your best to contact Mommy Bloggers if you have something that is of interest to Mommys everywhere.

Brief them in, share with them what you’ve created, tell them why it’s good and who will benefit from what you’ve created, and by all means, offer them a review copy or product sample if you can afford to do so. Offer to send them additional information, especially good photography.

Be forewarned! Some of them will only write about you favorably if you send them chocolate!

Here’s a web site that ranks the top mommy bloggers based on voter popularity.

Here’s TOPMOMMYBLOGS.com

http://www.topmommyblogs.com/blogs/index.php

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Great article all about a blogger turned book author in the Montreal Gazette.   Talk about a refreshing perspective.  This article takes off like a rocket even from the healine:  Blogger thumbs nose at athletes, media.  The article highlights the web site, gets into history, tells stories and reviews the book.  The blogger’s savvy and vision was revealed.  He saved the best for the book and didn’t put everything on his blog.   The review is excellent and makes one want to get the book.  Quite a cudo for the author. 

The Register Guard profiles local Eugene Oregon resident Joaquin Ramon Herrera, who is one of 51 citizen journalists posting blogs on MTV’s Choose or Lose Web site.  Herrera’s blog, the Unapologetic Mexican (www.the­unapologeticmexican.org) offers biting commentary and a “habañero of truth” on anything political or media.  He’s an author of a children’s book. 

USA Today look at soldier blogs in a dramatic article titled Five Years Later: The Iraqi War Goes Online.   If you want to jump in all the way:  Links to soldier blogs

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Blogging in the news — insights about this week.  

Great article in the NY Times about the role blogging can play in both journalism and marketing by Saul Hansell titled “What I Learned as a Blogger for the NY Times”

LA Times looks at blooger mentality and a South by Southwest interactive conference  Best quotes and ideas to remember:  Everyone’s a maker!   Promote Yourself!  Microcelebrity.  Talk about something interesting!

Business Week article canvasses blogs for best ideas on how to talk to your kids about NY Governor Spitzers scandalous actions

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I’m beginning an in depth study of the media coverage of bloggers and blogging.  I will be seeking to identify characteristics, tactics, and the content that is needed to achieve coverage with prime media.  This is the first of what will be a weekly installment.  Lessons learned are at the end of the articles identified and discussed.

Stories identified this week: 

• Newspaper series looking to build local blog directory in The OC Register (March 7. 2008, Orange, CA) Who’s Blogging in Ladera Ranch?

• Numerous stories of live blogging real time from political reporters at state legislatures in session or in conference example Tri-City Herald covering the Washington State Legislature (March 7, 2008) 

• NBC TV News Channel 12 (March 6, 2008) Phoenix, Arizona feature about US Army Captain Brian Love blogging from Iraq and Afghanistan.  Online version links to verbatim print versions of posts on his blog. 

• Rochester Democrat and Chronicle (March 4, 2008) article titled Area teacher blogs from Iraq. 

• Knoxville News Sentinel (March 7, 2008) article Blogging gardeners connect with others talks aout a group of women gardeners who banded together to create Garden Rant in mid-2006.  “A blend of gossip, news, crusade and, yes, raw rant, it blows the cobwebs out of gardening’s mustier corners.”   

Read the rest of this entry »

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