A few times a week I go to the bookstore with my sons and take them to their favorite section; the children’s reading area. This is where we spend time together as a family, sitting  in little comfy chairs while enjoying our reading time! I have to admit that I am sort of a “geek” because I love to read and learn! These quite moments are some of the best times in my life where I can be in my own world and feel the creative flow!

Some of my favorite magazines are Oprah, Fortune, Blogger Guide, Inc,  and Success. But there are also other special magazines I love such as French Living and  Spirituality and Health.  My oldest son has developed a love for comic books and  movie magazines, so he often spends his time in the magazine and graphic novel section (he loves to feel like a teenager even though he is only 10!).

I take a few magazines off of the shelf, get a good cup of strong coffee and take a look at the magazine headlines and featured stories. It often surprises me what the media seeks to accomplish. Quite often it’s usually some sort of PR stunt to attract the most  attention and almost always, these topics discuss useless stuff.  I wonder what my kids see when they wander through the magazine shelves and what they think of the world based on what the media portrays.

It makes me stop and think.…Is your story good enough for your entire family to read? Are you proud of what you do?  What if your name becomes the front page news? What do you want your family to see? Are you truly living your own life or are you trying to “fit” into what society wants from you? Is your story interesting enough that your family members would share it?  It brings me back to the main question I ask my clients…“Do you believe that your publicity is newsworthy?”

Would you read your own story?

Before we go any further, you must remember three things when writing a media story:

1. Your facts must be trustworthy and reliable.

2. Your story angle must be interesting… compelling to read.

3. Stick to your values, your story even if media makes changes the rules for you.  Never try to to fit in.  Stand up for your name and what you represent.

It does not matter if you get publicity from magazines, newspapers or radio… your story must be interesting and true. No stunts, no pretense games. Being transparent and authentic is the key to build trust.  Do not try to “fit in” with your story.

Your task is to know what readers of your ideal publication love to read, comment and ask questions about… HOWEVER,  it does not mean that you should change your VALUES to match their values! You relate your story with their goals, their pains and bring solutions. As we say, “What your readers whine about you, you write about…”

One of the things you must know is the difference between the types of news you want to share:

1. Hard news

2.  Feature or People interest stories

Hard news presents certain deadlines. They have to be shared NOW. They are often breaking news. Think about what you have within your business development that could be shared as hard news. They are often breakthroughs, product research discoveries, company launches and even events that are held by certain companies… and yes, even negative news. These are URGENT.  One example I can give you is a press release I researched and wrote for my client about the launch of her company publishing platform, LoyaltePays. You can read it here: LoyaltePays Publishing Platform Press Release:

Feature news or people interest press releases are focused on a few things: customers case studies, new business partnerships and how it can bring about change, new solutions, major comebacks and the lessons of struggles that can help other readers. I recently asked the editor of a very well known magazine (among the top 10 business magazines) about her ideal story. She said, “We love writing about major comebacks, struggles,  and overcoming trials to teach our readers, who are mainly entrepreneurs, small business owners and top executives, to inspire them and give them fresh business ideas.”

If you are an entrepreneur, you would especially want to write about your major setbacks and what you did to get back on track and how you did it… Show the steps. Guide people. Give HOW TO advice.  Tip: create video releases and submit to video and radio release services. Make sure to watch the hottest trends. You can conduct your own research using free tools from Google Trends, Twitter Trends and Alexa Hot Topics before you put together the story and how it is related to a current hot topic.

For hard news, you must have a media newsroom set up with services such as PRlog, BusinessWire, CisionWire and PRWeb.

You can submit press releases to PR directories (make sure to at least get SEO press releases, so you can include the links). Advice: for every 400 words you must have at least 3 to 4 links in the body of a press release with 2 keywords ONLY per release.

For featured stories, the submission services I shared above are great, but I recommend to add a social media newsroom such as PitcheEngine and ask to be a guest blogger, sharing the message to your ideal readers. Some featured stories are not urgent, but bring advice that they can share with others day after day! New PR 2.0 strategies that incorporate SEO, PR and social media are a great way to say good bye to old marketing methods and start focusing on building a social media presence.

In my earliest video, I shared a message about why old public relations methods are not working … it is time to stop being a slave to the ideas that PR is only for “the big dawgs”. Some friendly advice: if you are a small business owner, you must have the best reputation,while learning how to compete ethically and win this game. You must learn to work smart and make the best impression. That is where Public Relations plays a big role: it elevates you above your competition and builds your credibility. It prepares the foundation to plant good seeds and gather the best harvest. If it is done correctly, it can bring a lot of leads using SEO and the right keywords for organic traffic.

Live your passion, tell your story, which could change people’s lives! Don’t make it your goal to become a celebrity… Make a goal for yourself to impact the world with your love, compassion and creativity… because the world needs something fresh every day or the media would NOT be seeking out the best stories!

Have a great day!

Tatyana Gann

Tatyana Gann is the founder of Smokin’ Hot PR Ezine and SmokinHotPR Boutique, providing publicity, online PR services and even private VIP consulting.  Tatyana Gann is ready to bring you publicity tips, advice and PR services to help you gain more raving fans for your business and create smokin’ hot publicity! She has the simple formula for creating a publicity plan that brings results! Grab your FREE publicity weekly advice at: http://www.smokinhotpr.com/