Create An Author Showcase Website The Media Will Love
If you are a book author, expert or wish to brand yourself to the media and are in pursuit of media placements Annie Jennings PR recommends you develop a media site, or author/expert showcase site developed especially for the media.
NAMING YOUR MEDIA WEBSITE
Choose a name that is easy to type and does not have any unusual spelling in it. You want to keep the site simple and easy to use plus limit or eliminate any challenges the media might have so the first step is the name the site in a way that makes it easy and obvious.
A great example of the name of your media site is www.YourName.com or www.YourNameCredentials.com (www.yournamePHD.com)
Or if www.yourname.com is not available by the .TV extension meaning you would buy the www.yourname.tv
By naming the site after yourself the media assumes they are going to the site to find out about you, the expert or author, and of course, they are right.
It is certainly OK to have more than one website in fact, I recommend it. Each site should have a specific strategy that is, what do you want the visitor to do? This is also called a conversion strategy.
With a media site, you want the media to be able to get all the info they need to book you for the media opportunity.
With a business site, you want the visitor to find out all about your business and hire your business.
And with an e-commerce site you want the visitor to find out all about your products or services and buy them.
So you see, all three types of sites have a unique strategy and the media website should not be combined with any other type of site especially with an e-commerce or sales site as it seems odd that you would want the media to buy your products or services, right?
CONTACT INFO
Each page should have a header area containing the essential info about you. This should include a short list of topics or a broad category name such as “Relationships” and your contact info.
I advise against using email as the only way to get in touch with you. Why? It is not instant and does not leave the media with certainty that you will respond. How do they know you will even get the email?
So they must continue their search for the perfect expert and you will most likely lose the media placement.
Certainly, never use info@ as that seems like it goes to an unmanned inbox but you can use your real email address as that might sound a little more convincing and be sure the email goes directly to your blackberry. You can even let the media know that the email goes directly to your blackberry and you will respond shortly.
But ALWAYS give out a telephone number if you want media placements. You can use a cell phone or even an answering service that contacts you the second the media calls them. The best choice is the most direct route to you!
YOUR BIO PAGE
If you have credentials let the media know right away. The more credentials and accomplishments you have in your area of expertise the better your chances are of being chosen by the media for the placement.
Also include all of the topics you can discuss as well.
Be sure to lead with a great color picture of you – one that is engaging, well-groomed and offers the viewers a glimpse of your personality.
Do not use your driver’s license picture!
Your bio page should be conversational in nature and not a copy and paste of your C.V. or resume. The idea is that you want you bio to tell a story about you, your expertise, who you are and in the end, answer the one question the media has,which is, are you the perfect expert for them?
YOUR MEDIA APPEARANCES PAGE
A Demo: Short video of previous author or expert media appearances. Sending your demo DVD overnight just takes too long! No kidding. Create a short DVD as a starter demo with clips of your BEST MOMENTS. Don’t have the long version of each segment as the first demo the media sees. They can always look at the rest if they like the first starter demo enough to want to know more about you.
An Audio Clip: Let the media hear you in action but first be sure to map out what they are going to hear. Start fast, engage fast and deliver some awesome talking points.
I highly recommend hiring a pro to help you develop and record a high-powered, blockbuster short audio especially for the media packed with what they need to hear to choose you from a great engaging personality to an action-packed pace to lots of great information.
Your Print And Online Placements: Include a list of your most prestigious placements including the month and issue date of the article. If the original article is online then by all means link to the article.
Your Topics & Areas Of Expertise Page
Your topic page should include a list of the topics you can discuss along with titles of tips sheets or links to tips sheets or articles you have written.
The reason why you want to actually link to tips sheets and articles (such as Ten Smart Career Moves or Why You Should Never Ask Your Boss For A Raise On A Business Trip) is because this gives you the chance to showcase your knowledge in a variety of areas.
The idea is to present yourself and your experience in the most powerful way possible creating certainty for the media that they are making an excellent choice in choosing you!