I am pretty awesome at getting great publicity for my blogs and it is one of the things that I am often asked about by other bloggers. Therefore I thought I’d share a few things I’ve learnt about PR over the years.
Before I start with the how I am going to share a few of my PR highlights since I’ve been blogging. My personal win is being on This Morning, that is the dream right! I was discussing paying teenagers for exam results. I am firmly in the camp that rewards are important if you wonder which side of the argument I was on!
I have also been featured on written debates in Women’s Own, been on the One Show, BBC Radio many times and given countless interviews and quotes on money-saving. parenting and some slightly random topics too!
However, one thing that I have learnt from Fiona is that I am very reactive. I utilise the press when they come knocking at my door, or landing in my emails. I can pick up and run with these opportunities and have done so very successfully.
This approach though does frustrate me at times especially as I am changing focus in my business. I need to harness using the media to promote the stories I want to promote or raise awareness of. I want to be able to gain some media around blogging and how I am an expert in this area.
I have found myself in a situation where I wear various hats, and I am known by different people for different things and that can actually be a little complicated.
For example, the BBC know me as a personal finance blogger, I am very much on their books as someone to give interviews and quotes on saving tips. Other journalists come to me for parenting topics, especially parenting teenagers and this is due to my educational background and my many years of experience as a teacher.
However, I want to now be a driver in getting opportunities to talk about Top Blog Coaching and what I am building in my new coaching business.
Therefore when Fiona asked if I’d like to join her on her Power Day I jumped at the chance.
I have been working with Fiona for a number of years now. We have collaborated on a couple of webinars where I have shared tips on blogging and how businesses can use develop their skill set in this area. I have also worked on a few projects when Fiona’s clients are looking for blog outreach.
My hope is that within the next 18 months I can become one of Fiona’s retained clients and she can help elevate my blog coaching PR efforts! I just need to get foundations set in stone first and be making enough money for the dream to become the reality!
But in the meantime, I learn lots from being in her PR tribe, listening to her new podcast PR not BS and joining in where I can with her webinars etc.
Fiona’s new offering was a VIP Power Day focussed on how to grab the attention of the journalists and get you noticed to give you greater credibility and how to bring it all together.
The day took place in a gorgeous venue which also happened to be very Instagram friendly! The day took place with just a small group of business owners meaning that everyone had the opportunity to ask plenty of questions and really immerse themselves in the day.
We had a fabulous lunch and time to wander the venue, reflect, and network with each other before having a go at writing a press release to our ideal publication in the afternoon.
We also all had the opportunity to have a new headshot taken by the talented Helen. I absolutely love my headshot and will hopefully have the perfect opportunity to use it soon!
I would love to host a blogging event at the venue it really was that special!
The day was a huge success and I know that Fiona is already busy putting together another Power Day this time focussing on video. We all know that the power of video is huge. During the day you will work on your confidence with the camera, develop your messaging, your visibility and record a number of videos and then will record one broadcast-quality video message that you can use and leverage all over your platforms.
You can find out more at Fiona Scott Media and it will be well worth the investment I am sure!
If you are a blogger or entrepreneur I have found that to get picked up by journos it is important to be really visible. I use Twitter to search for opportunities and respond when I fit the brief.
Secondly, I love news jacking! If something is trending or gets covered in the news / This Morning / Loose Women etc and I have a blog post on the topic I will make sure that I reshare it everywhere. This really drives traffic to my blogs and also often gets picked up by the media for quotes.
Finally, it really helps to have a clear niche – as I said I have two! but it makes me a go-to person in my field. Now I just need to get my blogging expertise out there too!
If you’d like to explore blog coaching with me, check out Emma Bradley Coaching and how I can support you to make the most of your blog.
