The Wax Blog

For entrepreneurs, small business owners and experts, the daily query boards like HARO and ProfNet can be incredible resources for gaining media placements. From major news broadcast shows to popular niche bloggers, these sites host queries from journalists and producers looking for specific sources for current stories.  Despite how great these resources are,  reporters tell me most  folks  blow their chances completely by the time they write the first sentence in response to a query. Here are some ways to up your chances for getting the media to email you regarding a query, and hopefully get mentioned in a major story! (more…)

As promised in the wonderful Dana Larson’s post on time management, I’m going to fill you in on the rough process I use to manage my own (and Wax Marketing’s) social media accounts. Because I work on social media campaigns for some of my clients, people tend to think it’s really easy stay engaged in my own social media accounts. Unfortunately that’s not the case. Like most people, I either get totally sucked into goofing off on Twitter ( lately it’s @pharm84 who is a bad influence ) or I get so busy on client work I ignore it. But for the most part I have a routine I follow, and tools I use, that seem to work well for me in terms of staying consistent.  I hope it gives you some ideas, and PLEASE – let’s get some good comments going on favorite tools and tips for making social media less overwhelming. (more…)

Tim Busa from Constant Contact  sent me this recent video made by the Constant Contact email marketing folks. Props for trying to make a dry subject funny- but the woman at the beginning scares me.

(That’s Gail Goodman, CEO of Constant Contact. Just funnin’ ya Gail!)

Your email:

 

I’ve been chewed out one too many times by a fierce, brilliant magazine editor, and yet a great feature in a national print monthly is still a plum placement. I asked an old editor of mine (in my brief freelance writing career) to spill the beans on what these folks REALLY want. And how to avoid totally pissing them off.

Sheri Wallace is the former  Editor-in-Chief of ePregnancy magazine and Associate Publisher of REAL Magazine, with respective bi-monthly national newsstand circulations of 400,000 and 250,000. She doesn’t mince words so read on… (more…)

I’ve been hopping into the internet marketing forums to learn more about SEO for blogs lately. Suddenly I started seeing all these online gurus touting the benefits of making loads of money in “offline marketing”. Huh? (more…)

Last June I wrote about pitching radio in 10 steps. Since then, advertising is up and free spots are DOWN, making it a bit harder to gain those coveted drivetime spots. Be sure to check out 10 Tips for Pitching Radio – these basic points still apply, as do my tips for Being a Great Radio Guest. I’ve also included a sample pitch at the bottom of this post…this pitch got over 50 interviews for my client!

Here are a few more ways to see if you can get noticed and booked on a radio station. (more…)

After the success of my last blog post on pitching freelance writers I decided to start a weekly feature called “How to Pitch”. I’d like to encourage readers to comment with their own tips and ideas. Also, please let me know if there is a specific show you’d like to pitch. I’ll try to interview one of the producers to get the inside scoop! ( If you’re curious about being a good TV guest, here’s a post on that I did a while ago.)

First let’s start with basic stuff. Although social media is the craze (and it’s cheap) it’s still building fans one to one. Although TV numbers continue to decline the medium provides  a huge opportunity to deliver your message one to many.  But for most people regular press releases and pitches probably won’t get you in the door unless there is a show already planned -  that your message or back story fits perfectly. That can happen, but then you’re depending on luck.

It’s better to create your own pitch, which means thinking like a producer and coming up with a compelling segment all your own. (At the end of this post I’ve included an actual pitch that got my client on Montel, just to show you a successful sample.)  Here are the steps for creating your own pitch – whether it’s local or national, this is really how it works on most talk shows. Authors, it works the same for you. Unless you’re already well-known, you need to come up with a unique idea to help sell your book. (more…)

by Beth Graddon-Hodgson

For some businesses, choosing a topic isn’t quite as easy. It’s always important to write with your target demographic in mind, but with a business that caters to a broad range of people like a catch-all online retail website; who are they and what do they care about? There are a number of questions that you can ask yourself when establishing a blog for your business. They are the ones that I go through to hone in on a specific topic area for a client who can go in any direction with their blog. (more…)

Woo woo alert!! Readers, since you’re so enamored with the Feng Shui tip about wearing red underwear to give you energy on TV, I thought I’d provide five ways to use the ancient Chinese art of feng shui to improve the results of your PR campaign.

Think this is weird? The Chinese often refuse to erect a new office building in China until  it’s been certified for Feng Shui. Here in this country, folks like Roger Green and Carole Hyder are in high demand for their feng shui workshops and consultations. When I did Carole’s PR, people used to line up out the door at her book signings.

First find the area of your office or home on what they call the Bagua that is the “fame” area. (It’s basically the back middle area of your office) Then it’s time to decorate. (more…)

I was sitting here wondering when a marketing person was going answer my email (from two days ago) when it occurred to me that  traditionalists will have to add a sense of urgency to their worklife in order to survive. I came out of sales where response to request timing was everything. But when I started working with other publicists and marketing folks I realized that isn’t always the norm. Okay I understand when you’re working with books that get released 6-8 months after you’ve sent the galleys out for review. Or when you’re developing brand images with focus groups, etc. All those things move at a snail’s pace (at least to me).

A sense of urgency in response can no longer be reserved to the daily print reporters and local TV folks, or for breaking news. Folks, we’re living in an extemporaneous, real-time conversation world now. Getting back to someone three days later -or never- isn’t gonna cut it. I work with quite a few partners in what I do, whether it’s web design, marketing, writers, etc. Guess what – the blogger that answers my email or tweet the same day I send it is going to get my business. The one that answers me within an hour – they will always move to the top of the heap. And I think my clients feel the same way, and have felt that way long before the social media “engagement” craze started.

Look, I’m not asking you sew a Blackberry into your bra. But the days of taking days to answer messages are over. And the traditionalist publicists and marketing folks better learn that or they might end up like poor Goose.