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| Visit Web sites of media outlets. Nearly every TV show, radio station, newspaper, and the like has one. Most of those Web sites have story submission forms or provide email addresses for their producers/editors. The information is free, and it’s current. And it’s yours, if you take advantage of it. |
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| Keep track of your media “hits” so that you can see patterns about which pitches worked and why. Build on those successes, and use them as a blueprint for future pitches. |
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| Keep up the good work. The only successful book promotion campaigns are ongoing book promotion campaigns. Your book may be flying off the virtual and books-and-mortar shelves this month…but they’ll continue to sell over the long term only if you keep putting energy into promoting your book. |
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| Turn competitors into allies. No author writes a unique book on a one-of-a-kind theme. Rather than get discouraged because a book “just like yours” is getting media attention, tap into the media’s interest in the topic and talk about how your perspective is different from the other author’s take on the subject matter. |
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| Look for opportunities, such as booktour.com, to promote your book signings and other book promotion events online. And remember to list events on your book Web site. |
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| Record podcasts, and upload them to every podcast directory you can find. There are hundreds of podcast aggregators out there – take advantage of as many as you have time for. And, of course, upload your podcasts to your book Web site. |
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| Don’t wait for the media to pick up on your press release. Self publish it. Post it on your book Web site and on sites that aggregate (and, in some cases, distribute) press releases. |
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| Make the most of holidays. When book publicists and others who are pitching story ideas to the media take the day off, that’s probably the best time to send an email or make a phone call to media decision makers. Those media decision makers who are in the office will likely have some free time on their hands – and, perhaps, some air-time or space to fill due to last-minute cancellations. |
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| No means no. When a producer or an editor rejects your story pitch with finality, then accept that your topic isn’t right for that media decision maker and move on. Persistence is only a good thing when you are respectful of a final, “No, thank you.” Bugging the media won’t win you friends, and it won’t help your cause. |
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| There’s usually more than one decision maker at a media outlet. If one producer or editor rejects your story pitch, try another media decision maker at the same outlet – but do so tactfully. |
