The Wax Blog

I had a conversation with a fairly well-known mystery writer a few weeks ago talking about using social media to promote his newest book. His question to me was “Is anybody REALLY reading all these blogs?”

So when the topic of this #letsblogoff came up I thought it was a timely one. The answer I believe is that all blogs serve a purpose – but not necessarily the SAME purpose. I think of news sites like the Huffington Post and it’s obvious they serve the purpose of media 2.0. Many blogs, like this one for example, help draw attention to a particular company or service provider.  Some blogs provide a source of income and employment along with valuable content. (Think of Copyblogger) Others give voice to a community of like-minded people who may not necessarily be heard normally, like the Fatosphere And many are simply public diaries, fulfilling the need to express emotions and communicate whatever it is that writer is experiencing. Matt Logelin is a poignant example of one man who poured his grief and heart out online, finding solace and comfort in the process.

Many bloggers start writing with one purpose, or because they simply were told they ‘should’…and later on find the real purpose behind their blog and find the true inspiration to continue. There are others that never find their purpose and those blogs die quickly.

So do blogs really matter? As long as they serve a purpose…to the writer or the readers…then of course they do. And I ask you…What’s the purpose of YOUR blog?

Read what the other participants in this #letsblogoff think!

Ever wonder why some people get instant press and others languish? Despite all the reasons you hear (bad publicist, bad timing, dumb media, war, famine, smallpox outbreak..) it’s because their pitch is not nearly as interesting as they think.  If you think you don’t have to read this post because you KNOW this doesn’t apply to you…you probably need to read this post. So bear with me… here are the top five reasons why pitches get ignored:

1. Unless you’re Einstein, you have not thought of this first. YOU may think it’s unique but if you went to the bookstore (yes, the actual bookstore not Google or Amazon) you will likely find at least three books on your topic. If you do a product competitive search you will find tons of people with the exact same idea/product/service. It’s inevitable.
2. Your pitch is a sales pitch. Nobody wants to hear the features and benefits of your stuff. They want a news story. I don’t care if your widget is the fastest/best/easiest/prettiest/etc. It’s the story BEHIND the widget that may or may not be interesting.
3. Nobody has heard of you – even if  you’re a big shot. Sorry, but there are thousands of people trying to get on Ellen/Oprah/Today show…etc. Even if you’ve started a multi-million dollar company or rock out on your local TV station every Friday – national media has never heard of you. Keep your ego in check and realize you are probably one of many.
4. You think if you keep calling/emailing/texting/twittering/faxing they’ll finally say yes. A NO means NO. The more you ignore the NO the more you will be ignored yourself. And get a reputation as a whiner/bully/stalker/insane person.
5.  You can’t tell your story well. If the person doesn’t “get it” in one sentence you’re out of there. Go back and revise your story and tell this “elevator pitch” to a million people until you’re sure they get it right away.

If you’re frustrated with your PR efforts, take a minute and be honest with yourself. Do you think you’re more unique than you are? Have you done your competitive analysis? Are you trying to sell your product/service/book instead of finding the real hook behind it? Are you taking 15 minutes to get someone to understand what you’re talking about? Really assess where you’re at, go back and get creative. There’s a unique aspect to EVERY client I work with…and there is in your business too. You just have to take the time and exercise the humility to find it!

Enough said, right Bart?

Presenting at the MN Blogger Conference

On Saturday September 11 I was fortunate enough to present to the first ever Minnesota Blogger Conference. The group was a delightful, engaged group of bloggers, social media experts and marketing folks – definitely reminded me that I need to get out and do more networking myself!

Based on the feedback at the presentation, I’ve decided to start a series soon on how to get a book deal…agents, publishers, social media platforms, the whole thing. So check back frequently. If you like, you can sign up for the weekly email with that week’s posts, and previews of coming posts and series.

Here’s the presentation on SlideShare – have a great week!Blog Your Way to a Book Deal

Food writers and bloggers are a persnickety lot. On the newspaper side, many food writers are being blended into the lifestyle sections. Or if they have survived, at times they can be prickly due to the circumstances.

On the blogger side, the fact that there really isn’t any need for impartiality in most cases lands you with a group that can have some very strong personal biases. (Of course this is true of many bloggers, not just foodies.) Even though chef TV shows are some of the most popular reality series on air, print cuisine magazines are still struggling both nationally and locally. Even Rachael Ray’s magazine lost circulation this year! That means editorial guidelines are tighter than ever and cross-promotions with advertising take precedence.

Add to that in most markets there is a very clear pecking order in terms of who to pitch first, and you’ve got a complicated pitching situation. That’s why so many PR agencies like Sauce Communications focus strictly on food and drink. It’s hard! (more…)

I was emailing with a virtual colleague of mine about a young media consultant who is known for having thousands upon thousands of Twitter followers. In fact, that’s her primary presence online. We were wondering whether this person’s Twitter stardom would turn into lucrative consulting deals. After all, how much of you intellectual capital can you display in 140 characters? (Those of you who follow me on Twitter during American Idol season might think it actually does the opposite.)

It’s a question that demonstrates how great success in one social media network may not translate to more business for you. And that’s why it’s so important to find the right social media tools to work your campaign, not necessarily the most popular ones.  (If you’d like to know how I feel about many company Facebook pages, you can read my post on that subject here.)

So for the fourth post in this series on writing an actionable social media plan,  instead of thinking about “should we do twitter and facebook” ask yourself, where are my customers engaged in social media? If you’re B2B, it’s probably not on Facebook. If you’re launching a book, what better place to be than Facebook, where you can set up a fan page and tell all your friends about it? Think about your customers, or readers, or whomever you are trying to reach. What are they using right now? Restaurants, bars and other social types of places better get have a presence on  geo-based social media like Yelp and Foursquare. Consultants, I’d suggest having an informative blog that really demonstrates your knowledge of your industry. Whatever you choose, don’t try to be everywhere. Pick a couple of networks that you think you can easily manage and go from there. Just as a quick primer, here is the social media that seems to work well for my clients in different industries: (more…)