The Best Time to Plan for Interviews is Before they Happen Congrats! You've got a TV interview coming up!  Here's what you need to do to prepare.  For more info. on how to get started conducing your own DIY media training, check out 5 Simple Tips for Great Media Interviews. Need help GETTING the interviews? Check out The Publicity Workshop, my 6-month, online group coaching workshop.  You're just one great media story away... Share this Image On Your Site <p><strong>Please include attribution to melaniedowney.com with this graphic.</strong><br /><br ..read more

Public Relations in Times of Disaster If you are still making money from the sales you get, please don’t try to ‘newsjack’ and get publicity for it. That crosses a line.  And it comes across as sleazy. From a reporter’s point-of-view, it’s nothing more than a promotion. And it’s not their job to give you free advertising. I’m not at all saying that by only offering a portion of your proceeds that YOU are being sleazy. I love that you are helping to raise money, actually. And I might even buy your product.  I’m just saying that it’s not the right time or way to try and get publicity ..read more

Read the full article here. Share this Image On Your Site <p><strong>Please include attribution to melaniedowney.com with this graphic.</strong><br /><br /><a href='http://melaniedowney.com/freepressreleaseinfographic/'><img src='http://melaniedowney.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Best-Free-Press-Release-Distribution-Sites.jpg' alt='Best Free Press Release Distribution Sites' 540px /></a></p> My Publicity Workshop students who are using press releases have received not only great coverage as a result, but one, Kenisha Coy, told me th ..read more

Press releases are an important part of a robust, long-term Brand PR campaign.  And, they actually make a lot of sense for experts and small businesses. So what about distribution? While I don’t recommend using a distribution service (free or paid) for all press releases, using one does make sense when you have really big news. .  How do you know when your news is big enough to warrant a press release? Here's a quick test Is this news really helpful, interesting, and meaningful? Is it something people will want to read and should be aware of? Will it appeal to a wide number ..read more

​ Every now and then I work with a publicity student who is hesitant about doing interviews. When I ask why, the answer is almost always the same: I’m afraid of being misquoted or saying the wrong thing. Well, two things can help with that fear: Practice your messages, and practice your delivery. Creating your messages is an in-depth process that should be done as part of your Brand Development. But here are some quick tips for when you’re practicing your delivery: Need help practicing for press interviews? Here are 5 tips to get started #smallbiz #PR #entrepreneur Click to Tweet ..read more

After a years-long Twitter hiatus, I’m back on board. And I’m loving it — it’s a different kind of interaction than I’d become used to on Facebook. Yup, Twitter’s been great. Except for one thing: TrueTwit Validation. If you haven’t seen this, or you’re not on Twitter, basically, what happens is you follow someone, then you get an automated response that says “So and so uses TrueTwit validation”, and it prompts you to click on a link to ‘prove’ you’re a real person. The idea, I guess, is to show that the follower is a real person. The first few times I saw it, I immediately deleted it ..read more

by Melanie Downey Follow Attending trade shows and conferences is a great way to keep up with industry trends and issues, to network, and to strengthen or start relationships. But they can also be hectic and stressful. Luckily, a little advance planning will make for a smoother experience and get you better results. Here are some PR tips to get the most out of your time:  Before the Show: ​ 1. Figure out what your goals are for attending the show – both personal goals and goals for your company. This will keep you on track, and will help you make decisions, especially when y ..read more

Share0 Tweet0 Pin0 Share +10 Share0 I’m a believer that gifts should be practical. Things you can use. Things that will make your life better, easier, and most importantly, things that you’ll continue to use all year long... and not break the bank.  Here’s my list of  7 things that will make any small business owner or entrepreneur happy, and some are tax-deductible, too! 1. Neewer® 36 LED Clip-on Rechargable Selfie Cellphone Ring Light. Live Video. Everybody’s doing it, and if you aren’t, you might want want to make a resolution to start. I finally jumped on a Facebook liv ..read more

​Do Loyalty Programs really impact people's buying behavior?  According to this study, they do.  And we can use the data collected around them to improve our PR and content strategies. CrowdTwist, a loyalty and engagement firm, conducted a survey* of 1,027 men and women aged 18-71 in Sept. 2016, and here are some interesting behavioral attributes from their report, Battle For the Sexes: The 2016 CrowdTwist Gender Loyalty Report.  Women are more loyal to brands, meaning they’re more likely to make purchase decisions based on brand, regardless of price, quality, or conv ..read more

(Watch the video below, and if you listen carefully, you can hear the woodpecker outside my door!)​ 1.  No one will promote you better than you. That's because no matter how great your publicist is, they'll never match your level of passion, knowledge, and enthusiasm for what you're doing. 2.  Journalists love working directly with the people they’re interviewing or writing about. People who work in the media are busy! They’ve got tight deadlines and lots on their plate, so trying to schedule interviews between it all can be frustrating. But, if they’ve got direct access to you ..read more