Dan Janal's PR LEADS Blog

Online press releases attract consumers: Study shows

2008-05-11T11:33:00.005-05:00

Online press releases are an effective tool for attracting leads from consumers and business customers, a new study shows.

As reported in Shel Holtz' blog, Dr. MIhaela Vorvoreanu, with Clemson University’s Department of Communication Studies, presents the results of research conducted into the ROI of online press releases at the recent New Communication Forum in Santa Rosa, California. The study was developed conducted by the Society for New Communication Research for Vocus, which commissioned the research, The research team included Jiyan Wei from Vocus, Shel Holtz, SNCR Executive Director Jen McClure, and Dr. Vorvoreanu. TWI Surveys managed the online survey and produced the data that led to Dr. Vorvoreanu’s presentation on April 23, 2008.

Download the file here (MP3, 11.5Mb, 25:13).

If you'd like to get more leads from press releases, I'd recommend this service: Public Relations Softwar e because Google indexes every press release sent by clients of this service. If you don't know how to write a press release, they will connect you with a writer who charges extremely reasonable rates, or you can find writers on elance.

Newest PR LEADER appears on Oprah's radio show on first day!

2008-05-08T10:52:00.004-05:00

I had a great time speaking at the NSA Marketing Lab in Boston last weekend. It was great to see so many old friends, current clients and new friends!

Many people signed up for PR LEADS as the service is a great help to speakers and authors.

One expert who signed up for PR LEADS had phenomenal success right out of the gate! Russ L'HommeDieu responded to a lead and appeared on Oprah's radio show right away! Here's Russ' story:

"I met Dan at a weekend NSA jam session on branding and promotion. He impressed me enough for me to give his company PR leads a try. I got my first email from him that very Monday and I was on an Oprah and friends radio show by Tuesday afternoon. What is even more amazing Is that, I was not even entered in Dan's system yet. When he saw the lead he immediately thought of me and sent me a personal email. He simply knew it was perfect for me and then personally saw to it that I got it! Incredible service from a guy that I just met. I am thrilled to have Dan working for me. He just became my most valuable consultant!"

Dr. Russ L'HommeDieu, DPT
Author
The Truth Diet
http://www.NewLifeInProgress.com

How to get fame and fortune with white papers

2008-05-07T17:07:00.002-05:00

I interviewed bestselling author Michael Stelzner about his secrets for how we used white papers to gain 60,000 leads for his business.

Watch his first video, How To Generate Mass Interest in Your Business During Tough Times and sign up to watch the second video, Six Deadly Marketing Mistakes and the New Solution.

To listen to the MP3 file click here.

New directory helps you appear on national TV shows!

2008-03-24T16:59:00.002-05:00

My friend Steve Harrison gave me an advance copy of his
new directory that shows all the contact info
anyone needs to appear on top TV shows! It is very, very good,
so I wanted to share the info with you so you can get
your very own copy.

Hhis "Harrison's Guide" directory/database which gives you
927 key contacts at the top 259 top national TV and cable shows
that interview guests.

Steve's directory/database goes far beyond simply providing
the names and numbers of who to contact because it includes
detailed "how to get on" profiles of all the major shows
including Oprah, Montel, Today Show, CNN, Fox News, Larry
King Live, CNBC, Live With Regis & Kelly, Bloomberg TV,
Nightline, Charlie Rose and many, many more -- 259 top shows
in all. You also get monthly updates to keep you current.

=> On Sale Until 6 pm Eastern
this Friday, March 28th

Steve has just released a brand-new, 100% updated edition of
his directory/database. To celebrate, through Friday, March 28th at
6:00 pm EST he's offering the new directory at a big savings.
Go here now to grab your copy:

http://www.appearontoptvshows.com/special/?10064

=> You'll Get Your Private Consult
With Former NBC producer

In addition to big savings, when you respond by this Friday's
deadline you'll also get a private, one-on-one telephone
consultation with a former NBC producer who booked guests
for Dateline NBC and the Today Show. She'll help you craft
your own strategy for getting on national TV shows.

I look forward to seeing you get on national TV very soon!

PS -- Remember, Steve's directory/database will pay for
itself many, many times over the first time you get booked
on a national TV show so go here now before the price goes up:
http://www.appearontoptvshows.com/special/?10064

Dan Janal to Speak at Colorado Independent Publishers Association Conference

2008-03-21T09:59:00.002-05:00

I'm speaking at the Colorado Independent Publishers Association, which holds its CIPA College 2008 convention on March 27-29 in Denver. My topic is "How to become the most famous author in your niche." I'll also host two round table sessions with a "no-holds barred" Q&A format.

For information, go to http://www.cipabooks.com/

Let me know if you'll be there!

Celebrate Your Career, Promote Your Success

2008-03-11T09:41:00.003-05:00

Interior designer, author and PR LEADER Melissa Galt shares great ideas on how to frame and display the articles that feature you in this great video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDkrg4-q8Zk

I've written before about the need to frame your articles so your clients can see your success. Melissa does a great job of putting the words into action! For those of you who are visual and need to see the idea in pictures instead of words, this video is a must see!

How to Get Your Own Column in Your Daily Newspaper

2008-02-08T10:48:00.000-06:00

Getting your own column in your local newspaper might not be as hard as you think!

Here's how one real estate expert got his own column in the largest newspaper in his state. He told me this story when I was a guest on Doug Huggins' teleseminar yesterday.

Harold is a former economics professor. He simply contacted his local newspaper editor and told the editor why he (Harold) was better qualified to write about real estate and economics than the staff reporter, and how he (Harold) could offer a different perspective than the reporter.

The editor agreed and gave Harold his own column, and his own blog on the newspaper's web site! Each column has Harold's phone number and email address so prospects can contact him!

Way to go Harold! You are an inspiration to us all!

My advice: Be like Harold. Get off your butt, pick up the phone and pitch your local business, lifestyle or education editor!

Coaches: Grow your business with advice from 6-figure coaching experts

2008-01-09T12:56:00.000-06:00

Take 7 of my best teleseminars on how to build a 6-figure
coaching business and take your business to new heights!

Wouldn't you like to know how 12 consultants just like you
added coaching to their business models and added
six figures to their bottom lines?

Now you can read and hear how they did it! You'll learn:
- how they learned from mistakes
- what they would do differently
- marketing tactics that worked - and those that didn't
- how they run their businesses day-to-day
- how they balance their work and personal lives

If you've thought about coaching, this series will help you
get started on the right path.

If you coach now, you'll find dozens of tips on how to
take your business to the next level.

And you can have all the MP3 and transcripts for just $97.97
-- a value of $1,200.00! You save more than $1,100.00!

To order, click here:

http://www.prleads.com/coach-special.htm

Get priceless information for only $97.97.

As a special bonus, I'll give you a MP3 of Mark LeBlanc on
"How to Have Your Best Year Ever"
one of my most popular recordings!

I'm so sure you'll benefit from this series that
if you aren't happy for any reason,
I'll refund your money.

Click here to order now:

http://www.prleads.com/coach-special.htm

Article Marketing – Are You Submitting Articles to the Best Websites to Get More Traffic and Leads?

2008-01-07T11:54:00.000-06:00

Article marketing is not all about getting links. It’s about getting your articles published on the top, most trafficked, targeted websites, ezines and article directories that accept article submissions so you can experience more publicity, traffic and profits.

How can you make sure your articles are published on the biggest sites that get the most traffic?

That should be the number one concern of every article writer, whether they are a coach, author, consultant or information marketer.

It is easy to get articles published on sites, but shouldn’t you concentrate on the biggest and best sites?

This might sound like common sense, but the truth is that not many people know which sites are big and which ones are small. So they spend their time submitting to any site they run across. Most people have no idea how many visitors a site gets, or whether the site is the biggest in the field with lots of traffic, or a recent start-up with little traffic.

If you don’t know the difference, then you could be wasting a lot of time and energy!

Are You Using the “Secret Weapon” That the Most Successful Article Marketing Professionals Use to Choose Where They Submit Articles to?

It’s called Alexa.

Many people have never heard of this site. And that’s too bad, because it could save you and your co-workers a lot of time and effort in getting prospects.

So here’s the scoop on Alexa.

Alexa ranks the traffic of each site on the Internet. It is owned by Amazon.com so you know it is a reputable site.

If you go to http://www.alexa.com/site/ds/top_500 you’ll see a listing of the top sites. As of this writing, the sites that get the most traffic are:

Yahoo
Google
Windows Live
You Tube
Microsoft Network
My Space
Facebook
Wikipedia
Hi 5
Orkut

Alexa indexes more than 5 million web sites!

The real power of Alexa comes when you search for a site. You can do this by going to www.alexa.com You’ll see a search bar. Type the URL of your company’s web site. Or your competitor’s site. Or a site that you think is really hot.

Alexa will show you the site’s ranking. It could be 100, 1,000, 10,000, 100,000 or even 10,000,000. There are a lot of sites on the web!

How to Use Alexa to Get Your Articles Published on the Top, Most Trafficked Websites

If you type in the URLs of several sites you are considering submitting articles to, you will see their rankings. Let’s say one site is ranked 250,000 and the other is ranked 435,000.

Now you know which site gets more traffic. So you’d be inclined to submit your article there first. If you had more time, you could submit your article to the second, third, fourth and fifth site that you searched for.

Now you know how to rank the sites that you submit to.

By the way, don’t be put off if a site is ranked 500,000. It might be the highest-ranked site in your vertical market. The way to look at these numbers is the relation of one site to the next. Don’t be blind and just think a site stinks if it is number 200,000. That might be a very good number!

How Alexa Can Help You With Additional Research for Your Article Marketing Efforts

You can search by country or language to find the top sites in a country or language you want prospects from.

Most importantly, you can search by subject!

For example, you can search on business, health, sports or dozens of other topics. When you select one topic, you’ll see a list of sub topics that help you find specific audiences.

For example, if you type “business,” you’ll see subtopics for:

Accounting
Marketing
Small business
And dozens more!

If you click on the subtopic, you’ll drill down deeper and find specific sites.

Now you can check out those sites to see if they reach your audience and if they accept articles. And, most importantly see what their traffic ranking it to see if it is worth your time to even go there in the first place.

Armed with Alexa, “the article marketer’s secret weapon,” you can now find sites that attract the most prospects.

About the Author:

Internationally recognized online publicity expert, author of 6 books, and Founder of PR LEADS Article Marketing Experts, Dan Janal has helped thousands of businesses, authors and experts just like you sell more products and service online using articles. Now you can discover his top article writing and article submission secrets with the PR Leads New A to Z Article System at http://www.BroadcastYourArticles.com

Donald Trump's Celebrity Apprentice Reality TV Show

2008-01-06T10:38:00.000-06:00

Okay, I admit it. I'm addicted to some forms of Reality TV and the Apprentice is one of those!

So the other night after watching celebrities sell hot dogs for big bucks, my REMs must have been in overdrive because I dreamed I was a contestant on the next year's edition, which featured celebrities against smart business people.

All I can remember is that my team shunned me. Yes, actually shunned me. I don't know why, but they were holding meetings and not letting me know where they were meeting!

I figured if this kept up, I'd be toast in the board room.

So I thought, "Well, what can one person do alone? I'm an Internet Marketer? What talents and skills do I have?"

The next thing I knew, I created a website for Celebrity Hot Dogs.com, optimize for Google, and sent press releases to all the news organizations in New York.

In the next scene, our hot dog cart is surrounded by all the news crews and radio talk show jocks.

My "team" sold more than the celebrities!

The Donald was so impressed with my strategy in the face of all these obstacles, he decided to make me the Apprentice and cancel the rest of the challenges.

Of course, he realized that as an entrepreneur, I have no leadership skills and that entrepreneurs don't want to part of a team. So he put me in charge of a project of his in Antarctica!

I turned him down, because my entrepreneurial lifestyle beats the lifestyle of his high-pressure executives any day!

I'd love to tell you the names of the celebrities on Celebrity Apprentice II: Revenge of the Nerds, but I signed a non-disclosure agreement.

Should I Launch a Radio Publicity Campaign over the Holidays?

2007-11-26T09:40:00.000-06:00

Alex Carroll, the guru of Radio Publicity, offered this advice:

Most radio shows don't book interviews any further than 2 weeks
in advance.

Furthermore, most radio shows take vacation starting Dec. 15-
20th and won't get back into the swing of things until Monday,
Jan 7th next year.

That being said, I think your best bet is to send your
postcards out at the beginning of January. Normally you would
want to give them a little more lead time, but with the way the
holiday season schedule falls, I think if you send them out
before that they'll just get lost in the holiday shuffle.

Alex maintains a comprehensive list of producers of radio shows. You can
learn more about this list and Alex's training tools by clicking here.

New York Times Reveals Secrets of its Best-Seller Lists

2007-10-21T10:40:00.000-05:00

The New York Times Best-Seller List, the gold standard for authors, revealed a little bit of how they choose the books that make the list in today's newspaper (October 21, 2007). You'll have to subscribe to the online edition to read the article as the site is membership driven.

Interesting insights include:
- bulk sales are discounted in the sales ranking as they don't want anyone to "game" their system. (Gee, who would do that???)
- long-standing books are sometimes tossed off the list. This rule is rather inconsistent, as "Night" by Elie Weisel was kicked off recently, even though other books that have been on the list for 2-3 years are still on the list, like "The Tipping Point," or "What to Expect When You're Expecting."

Read the article for other interesting points.

One truth the article didn't mention is the value of good publicity in book sales. Current PR LEADS clients Tim Ferriss' "Four Hour Work Week," and Dr. Mark Hyman's "Ultrametabolism" books both made strides on the NY Times Best-Seller List because of their PR and marketing campaigns.

Teleseminar: Speak at Colleges and Grow Your Business

2007-10-15T15:31:00.000-05:00

Would you like to add hundreds of thousands of “EXTRA M0ney” to
your speaking, writing, training, coaching and consulting income?

Did you know that the college market is one of the most
lucrative, yet overlooked markets that you could make BIG money from?

Most don't!

That’s why I asked my friend, James Malinchak, to be on a
special (no cost to you) teleseminar to share all of his secrets for
how you can tap into this unknown market.

James is called 'The King of the College Speaking Market,' and
has taught numerous authors, coaches, consultants, trainers,
and aspiring, beginning, and experienced speakers how to take
their message to the college market and make a 'T0N of M0ney!'

I've asked James to be a guest on a no cost teleseminar to tell
you step-by-step how you can quickly tap into this hidden, but
lucrative, speaking niche!

Click here now for all the details:

http://www.collegespeakingsuccess.com/janal

Don’t wait any longer – it’s time for you to make 'BIG M0ney By
Speaking at Colleges!' There is NO COST to listen in on the call
so I hope you’ll take advantage of it!

This is a one-time-only call. If you can’t attend the live call
October 17th, register anyway, and afterwards we’ll send you a
link to a recorded audio – you’ll be able to listen online or
download it to your mp3 player.
Go Now to:

http://www.collegespeakingsuccess.com/janal

Here is what you’ll discover during this no cost call:
Colleges have large budgets for booking speakers, authors,
trainers, coaches and consultants, but the trick is knowing who
the people are who have the money.

In this call, you will learn...

* Why there's BIG money in the college market.
* Which topics are most in demand and why?
* Which departments have the budgets to book you?
* Who are the people you must contact to get booked as a college
speaker?
* How to create marketing materials that will get you noticed
and booked.
* And, Much More!

*****************
Again, there’s no cost for listening to the call so register now
at
http://www.collegespeakingsuccess.com/janal

*****************

I hope you’ll join me as we discover these and other marketing
secrets. I’ll be looking for you on the call.

Again, This is a one-time-only call. If you can’t attend
the live call, register anyway, and afterwards we’ll send you a
link to a recorded audio – you’ll be able to listen online or
download it to you mp3 player.

Go Now to: http://www.collegespeakingsuccess.com/janal

New Cool Book of the Day Blog helps experts and authors get exposure and drive traffic

2007-10-11T14:10:00.000-05:00

Excelsior, Minnesota – October 11, 2007 – Internet entrepreneur Dan Janal, founder of PR Leads and the author of six books, recently unveiled his new Cool Book of the Day [http://www.coolbookoftheday.com/] blog. The blog features a new book each day accompanied by an author interview.

Janal got the idea for the Cool Book of the Day blog after attending Book Expo this year. “All reporters were writing about Harry Potter and other big name authors,” says Janal. “And, that’s still the case today. Reporters and critics don’t cover the ‘unknown’ authors writing books, which is a shame, because many of these people are experts in their fields who have written really good books filled with practical information.”

The blog gives authors who use Janal’s PR LEADS publicity service a place to publicize their book and in their own words, tell others about it and why they wrote it. An October 5, 2007 post by MSN Money writer and consultant Sally Herigstad, CPA, for example, talks about why she wrote her book, Help! I Can’t Pay My Bills! In her interview she writes,

Most [finance] books still focus on lifetime financial planning and investing. They may not meet the needs of a person who, regardless of age, just needs to get through this month without having the utilities turned off. Readers can find several existing categories of personal finance books. . . . None, however, offer the focused yet comprehensive information that Help! I Can’t Pay My Bills provides people with acute financial needs.

Due to its viral nature, the blog gives authors much greater exposure in the blogosphere. Those authors whose books are featured on the blog can add a clickable graphic to their Website and/or blog showing their book has been listed. Readers can leave comments on the Cool Book of the Day blog, and of course, post about the books in their blogs.

“It’s a win-win for everyone,” says Janal. “The book authors get the exposure they need for their books, bloggers can use the material to fill out blog posts, and readers have a place they can visit every day to learn about new books.”

The postings are having a big impact on traffic for PR LEADS authors whose works are cited.

“Thanks so much for choosing “Zero to Zillionaire” as your "Cool Book of the Day." My Amazon ranking improved a bunch yesterday and now I know why.Thanks for all your help,” wrote Chellie Campbell.

About Dan Janal

Developing online ventures is nothing new for Janal, who founded PR Leads in 2001 and Great Teleseminars in 2002. In addition to running his businesses, Janal is a frequent speaker at industry conferences around the globe. He also offers PR coaching for authors and small businesses.

Daniel Janal is an internationally-recognized speaker, Internet marketer and best-selling author. As president of Janal Communications, he conducts strategic planning seminars and consultations for clients ranging from start-ups to the Fortune 1000. A former public relations executive, Dan Janal was on the PR team that launched America Online, and personally directed the PR launch of Grolier's Electronic Encyclopedia, the first consumer software program ever produced on a CD-ROM.

He is the author of several best-selling books on marketing and the Internet including Dan Janal’s Guide to Marketing on the Internet and 101 Successful Businesses You Can Start on the Internet. The Los Angeles Times called Dan “an online marketing expert.” USA TODAY called Dan “A true Internet marketing pioneer.” He can be reached at 952-380-1554 or via his Website at www.PRLEADS.com.

How to respond to a bad review

2007-09-19T09:44:00.000-05:00

From my mailbag:

We just got reviewed (and it wasn't that great)and I was wondering how much we should stress over this. We are in beta, so that accounts for some of the bugginess, but we have corrected the ones he mentioned.

Dan answers:

First off, congratulations on getting the media's attention. It isn't that easy to do and if you didn't have a worthwhile concept, they wouldn't have reviewed your product. So you are on the right track.

Secondly, every review will have negative points. There's an unwritten rule in reviewers' minds that they can't like something 100 percent. They have to find something to complain about.

The other good news is that you have fixed the bugs. So here's what to do:

1. Contact the reviewer, thank him and let him know that you appreciated his comments and have corrected the problems. He'll feel like an owner now. Offer to let him review the next version.

2. Search the web to see if the review is posted anywhere. If it is, be sure to post a message saying the bugs have been fixed. Consider offering a free review copy to people who read the post.

3. If the review had good points, promote those on your website.

4. People will understand that bugs happen in beta. That's why there's a beta.

5. If appropriate, point out the bugs that you fixed as 'enhancements' and new features.

So, don't sweat the small stuff -- but be vigilant to stamp out any fires this review might have created.

Dan Janal speaks at NSA-Michigan chapter on publicity topics

2007-09-09T14:36:00.000-05:00

I spoke at the NSA-Michigan chapter this weekend on publicity, article marketing, and video promotion for speakers.

The chapter treated me royally with a grand dinner at the Chop House in Ann Arbor and a ticket to the Michigan-Oregon college football game, as well as a book and gift card. They really showed a lot of class at every step of the way! Thanks, NSA-Michigan.

I also had a chance to visit with PR LEADERS April Callis (current NSA-Michigan chapter president) and Shawne Duperon. I also met a lot of great people there and heard a lot of great speakers. It is an excellent chapter!

I've spoken at these NSA chapters: Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Diego and New York State. I've also spoken to the Vancouver and Calgary chapters of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers. If you'd like me to speak to your chapter, please call me at 952-380-1554.

iPhone's Publicity Blunder

2007-09-09T10:09:00.000-05:00

By Dan Janal
Your Fearless PR LEADER

The blogs and the newspapers picked up many comments.

Apple's response was to give a $100 (not $200) discount on products at iPhone stores.

This is a bad reaction for several reasons:
1. A $100 discount on products does not equal a $200 discount in real dollars.
2. Consider that if products are marked up 100 percent, then Apple is buying people off with $50 from its own pocket.
3. What can you buy in an iPhone store that costs $100 or less? Not much! So if you do buy something, chances are you'll buy something that costs more than $100, so Apple wins again by getting more cash.

So, tell me Appple, how does this help consumers?

Michael Vick: There's a time to shut up

2007-08-24T16:45:00.000-05:00

Whoever said "All publicity is good publicity" never met Stephon Marbury, the basketball player (I'll avoid using the term "star") who defended Michael Vick.

Vick, as you might recall, is in all kinds of hot water because he likes to see dogs fight. That kind of obsession can lead to the cancellation of your football career, lucrative endorsement contracts, fines and jail time.

If any time is the time to keep your mouth shut about defending Michael Vick, this would be a good time.

But Stephon saw this as an opportunity to get his name in print -- and did so just as he was promoting his own line of basketball shoes.

I'm sure his sponsor is having his lawyer review the sponsorship contract now.

Lesson learned: Watch what you say, when you say it, and be careful about hitching your wagon to a locomotive going downhill.

Is any publicity good publicity?

2007-08-12T14:30:00.000-05:00

Not if you ask Michael Vick!

That old PR maxim just doesn't hold water when you do something really, totally stupid and undefendable.

I guess OJ would second that opinion!

OTOH, many celebrities and politicians have "rehabilitated" their images, but only after much pain, expense and time.

Better to consider your actions before you say or do something stupid.

The world is a very small place today and if you don't want to become the Michael Vick of your niche!

Are you the next network TV star?

2007-08-11T11:52:00.000-05:00

If you want to see what it is really like to be a network TV star, then you might want to start watching reality shows on the Food Network and HGTV. They both have shows where people compete to get their own TV show.

These shows put the contestants through the real paces of what TV personalities actually have to do in front of the camera.

I gotta tell you: It's not as easy at it looks!

Check out
The Next Food Network Star to watch each episode on the Internet.

HGTV Design Star

How NOT to impress a reporter

2007-07-27T12:05:00.000-05:00

Here's a nice article about how NOT to impress a reporter. Read the article at "Catching Flack" to make sure you don't make these mistakes!

http://blogs.bnet.com/pr/?p=12

Want to Be On National TV?

2007-07-23T14:30:00.000-05:00

If so, register for a free telephone seminar next
Thursday, July 26th on "The Three Big Secrets for
Getting Booked As a Guest on Top National TV Shows"
hosted by Steve Harrison of Radio-TV Interview Report
(RTIR).

In addition to Steve, you'll hear from a former Oprah
guest booker, Fox News Channel producer and some other
surprise guests. To register go here now:

http://www.FreePublicity.com/tvcall/?10064

PR LEADS Adds New Topics for Experts

2007-06-21T09:16:00.000-05:00

PR LEADS added new topics to connect experts with reporters.

These new topic areas will give experts even more access to publicity opportunities with the major media.

In addition to more than 200 topics in 12 major knowledge areas, the new topics include:

Health and Wellness - chiropractic, family planning, learning disabilities, gynecology, plastic surgery, spas, physical disabilities

Management - presentation skills, meeting planning

Living and relationships - adoption, self improvement, funerals and grief, toys, cultures

Banking and personal finance - identity theft

Computers - Web 2.0, social media

To see a complete list of topics, please see http://www.prleads.com/topics.htm

Business Week Quotes Oliva Fox Cabane, PR LEADER

2007-05-13T10:41:00.000-05:00

Business Week quoted PR LEADER Olivia Fox Cabane in its May 8, 2007 story on how to market correctly in My Space and other social networking sites.

Olivia has been quoted in Business Week previously, in an article about how business school students can network effectively, on September 6, 2006.

NY Times: What make a best-selling book?

2007-05-13T10:20:00.000-05:00

The New York Times today (May 13, 2007) wrote an article exploring why some books become best-sellers and some don't.

They made a few good points:

1. The book industry is based on intuition. No one does any market research to find out what people are interested in reading.

2. The book industry lives on its back list -- books that were best-sellers and classics, as well as the break out books in the current year.

3. Many people try to write the same book, like the Secret, but only the Secret broke out to sell millions.

So I asked myself, "What other factors contribute to success?"

Here's a starting point. Remember, I wrote six books for John Wiley & Sons, so I know and have helped more than 2,500 authors get publicity with my PR LEADS service:

1. Having a platform. You must market your books your self. No publisher has a clue how to attack a market the way my best clients have done. You need publicity, a blog, a newsletter and any other way to reach people who really care about your message on a regular basis. Without that, you are dead in the water.

2. Do research. Just because you have a calling to write a book doesn't mean there's a market for it. In my days as a high-tech publicist, I'd cringe when a new prospect would tell me they created another spreadsheet program. The world didn't need another spreadsheet that was 1 percent incrementally better than what was out there. Ask the market what they need, and give it to them. That very well could involve surveying your list of customers, or surveying a traditional mailing list to find large markets that would be interested in your message. Any good list broker would be willing to share their insights into their markets with you.

3. Promote the book like crazy. Nothing happens without awareness. It is up to you to create that awareness.

Recommended Services:

PR LEADS can put you in touch with reporters who are writing articles about your field. 2,500 happy clients can't be wrong. See other posts on this blog to see recent success for clients, and the PR LEADS website for hundreds of testimonials.

Low cost press release services like ExpertClick can distribute your press releases to thousands of reporters and make sure Google indexes your press releases so reporters will find them.

If you want to hire a PR firm, go right ahead. But ask them to prove that they have the contacts you need. In today's email-overloaded world, reporters will only respond to PR people and experts they know on a first-name basis. Find a the PR firm that has those contacts and you will have made a good investment. Email me if you need recommendations, but be very specific about what you are looking for and what you are trying to accomplish. A client who has unrealistic expectations will have disastrous results.

What tactics have you found that helped sell books? I'll post the best responses.

Dan Janal
Your Fearless PR LEADER
PR LEADS Expert Resource Network
www.prleads.com