5Make the call. Call the association executive director/meet-ing planner (not the editor)
after your article is printed in
their magazine. Many magazines and
journals are association publications.
And if there’s one thing most speakers
want, it’s to speak for associations.
Think about it…when you speak to
associations, most of the people in the
audience are meeting planners who
can hire you. So to get more speaking
business, you want to be “seen” in the
association publications. After all, if
your topic is good enough for their
readers, then it’s also going to be a
great fit for their conference.
6Leverage with a letter. Write
letters to various associations
mentioning the article you just
had published. For example, if
your article is published in a medical
magazine, you can purchase a list of
medical associations. Then you can do a
mailing to the different associations that
cites your credentials and how you can
benefit the people attending their conference. In the letter, be sure to mention
that you’ve had articles published in
related magazines and journals, even if
the article wasn’t in their particular association publication. Cite four or five different magazines (in their same industry)
where you’ve been published.
This is important, because many times
meeting planners will say, “Well, you
know our topic, but do you know our
industry?” By showing that you’ve been
published in similar industries, you
come across as the expert they’ve been
searching for. Remember that all industries have similar challenges. Your goal
is to have an article in a publication that
targets as many industries as possible.
7Use publication names in
your postcards. Next to your
photo, insert a small line that
reads something like, “John
has been featured in over 100 magazines, including . . .” Remember that
meeting planners receive hundreds of
letters and mailings each week. When
they see a postcard, which is easy to
read, and then right away see a listing
of some of the publications you’ve been
in, they’re going to pick up your postcard and read more. They’ll think you
must be good because your articles have
appeared in so many magazines.
Understand that meeting planners have
a fear of hiring someone who turns out
to be lousy. When that happens, the bad
decision falls on their shoulders. By
showcasing right away that you’ve been
published in many magazines, you give
the impression that you’re the go-to person the media contacts for reliable information. That’s going to make you stand
out above all the other speakers who
have contacted that meeting planner.
8Give something for free. At
the end of your article, offer a
free tip sheet, CD or something else of value. Then
when a meeting planner calls you, you
can offer to send them your complimentary item. Now that you have their
contact information, you can market to
them on a regular basis.
9Make an entrance. Revise
your introduction to include a
short list of your article publication history. This is especially important when you’re speaking
to an association and there are executives in the audience who can hire you.
You want them to know you’re the
absolute best in your field before you
even walk onto the stage.
10Talk it up. When a
meeting planner contacts you, be sure to
mention the magazines
in their industry in which you have
been published. For example, if a financial association calls, mention all the
articles you’ve had published in related
industries such as insurance, banking
and mortgage publications.
11Update, update,
update. Update your
marketing materials,
Web site, blog, demo
video and one-sheet regularly with the
names of current publications and magazines where you’ve have been published to boost your credibility. Write
about the new articles you’re getting
published in your blog and include publications in your e-mail signature. Do it
monthly! And print your materials in
small quantities so you can afford to
update your publication list regularly.
12Think big—and small.
Don’t limit yourself to
“big” publications
because you never know
who is reading what. For example, just
because your article is in Laundry Today
(hardly the big-name publication writers
aspire to be in), don’t despair. The next
person who calls you might just read
that magazine, and she might just be
from the company that does all the laundry for the all hospitals in the United
States. Now that would be a client any
speaker would love to do business with.
The point is that if you want to be hired
as a speaker, you have to remember that
all industries have the same business
problems as any other industry: sales,
teamwork, hiring, delegation, motivating. So don’t worry about the industry
or the size of the publication. Small
newsletters can get lots of mileage.
Pam Lontos is president of PR/PR, a
public relations firm that has recently
placed clients in The Wall Street
Journal, US News & World Report,
Cosmopolitan, Forbes and USA Today.
Author of the upcoming book, I See Your
Name Everywhere, Pam knows how to
get you great publicity
to boost your business.
Contact her at (407)
299-6128 and get her free
publicity tips e-newsletter
at www.prpr.net.
