Monday, April 3, 2017

Professionals, CEOs & Business Experts Should Write A Book To Get Media Exposure



Companies, c-suite executives, and entrepreneurs spend billions of dollars annually in hopes of building a brand, garnering media attention, and raising their profile. There’s no better way to do this than to write a book and promote it.  This is not easy, but it’s far easier to do than to line up media interviews for a commercial-like press announcement about an ordinary product release or to gain interest in a new corporate initiative.  Trust me, I know.  I’ve helped scores of company founders, CEOs, executives, and professionals use a book to gain much-desired media coverage for their company and personal brand.

Getting media coverage for a book allows you to:
·         Pitch other journalists and broadcast producers you wouldn’t otherwise reach out to because they cover books and not the usual business and consumer world.
·         Promote an idea, a thought leader, or a message that is less commercial than promoting a widget, a service, or a brand initiative.
·         Tie your client’s message to news of the day.
·         Make the book the focus of a story, rather than a company.

Of course, whatever media coverage you get for the book will directly and indirectly help the company grow.

Favorable media coverage for the book allows you to:
·         Highlight your company’s story and accomplishments in a new light.
·         Take control of the conversation.
·         Showcase the human side and the intellectual capital of your company.
·         Build up positive press clippings.
·         Not only sell more books, but get book readers to feel more engaged with the brand.
·         Get consumers to click on your web site or social media.

Many business leaders and companies seek to get media with product launches, contests, charitable partnerships, expansion announcements, publicizing the hiring of elite talent, huge advertising campaigns, polls, white papers, and other activities, and each can play a role in garnering media exposure.  But a book is like 10 of those things in one.

A book:
·         Has a much longer shelf-life than a new hire announcement.
·         Comes off as being filled with information and ideas, not a story about a widget or service.
·         Is a product in itself but it is a valuable tool to generate leads for a company.
·         Allows for a longer dialogue with the media and is not just a brief conversation.
·         Influences both the media and consumers.
·         Generates interest from outlets you normally would not be associated with, such as bookstores and libraries.
·         Is a great calling card to get booked for speaking gigs in front of organizations, government agencies, or other companies.
·         Serves as one more legitimizing credential in an executive’s resume.
·         Gives you something to Tweet about and feed your social media.

Whereas the media may not always interview a chief marketing officer at a company about a new product, that same radio show, blog, or publication will be much more receptive to interviewing an author, accepting a guest post or bylined article, or running a book excerpt.

So how does one go about getting a book written, edited, published, distributed, promoted, and marketed?

There are many ways to get published, including:
·         Self-publishing and print-on-demand.
·         Traditional publishing.
·         Hybrid publishing.

How you determine to publish your book could come down to factors that include:
·         Budget availability.
·         Deadlines and timing.
·         What kind of distribution you need.
·         Your desire for a traditional publisher.
·         Your ability to persuade a publisher or literary agent to publish it.

The economics and complexities vary based on how you publish your book. On the one hand, self-publishing can be faster than the traditional route – plus you keep the lion’s share of the profits and retain full editorial control of your book – but you also don’t have the big publishing brand behind your book, your distribution can be limited, and you don’t have the benefit of the publisher’s team to sell rights or offer professional guidance. A customized plan will be needed, as every company and author will have different needs or goals that need to be addressed.

You can release a book, say in hardcover, and then a year later release a paperback version, perhaps revised, to get a second crack at media coverage.  You can also create an audiobook and sell it as a digital download.  If you think your message would be of interest overseas, you can sell the translation rights into any language and build up a presence in Asia, Latin America, Europe and elsewhere.  You can then promote your book in those places.

However you publish and regardless of the format you release your book in, the key to success comes with promoting the book, which could easily begin four months prior to the book’s scheduled release – and continue until at least three months post-launch date. 

Using a PR firm that specializes not only in book publicity but one that executes great campaigns for CEOs-turned-authors, is very important.  

Books for companies help not only with getting media coverage, but they also potentially assist in:

·         Raising a stock price if the company is public.
·         Generating interest from potential investors or partners.
·         Retaining and recruiting quality talent.
·         Helping to foster goodwill and a positive image of the company.
·         Qualifying you to apply to book awards, possibly furthering and elevating the exposure for your company and brand.

Writing a book – and promoting it – can be a fun and rewarding experience. Many lawyers, financial advisors, and health care professionals -- as well as CEOs, entrepreneurs, and corporate executives – have discovered the true value from such an experience. And the good news is that you don’t have to pen a best-seller to reap the rewards of such a venture.

Do you have a book in you? The media awaits you!!

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Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog 2017©. Born and raised in Brooklyn, now resides in Westchester. Named one of the best book marketing blogs by Book Baby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs 

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