Elizabeth Venturini is among the most focused, tenacious do-it-yourself publicists I have ever met. She is SERIOUS about getting known for her expertise, and the media placements just keep coming, one right after the other. She has earned 18 placements in just a couple of months for her expertise as a college placement strategist. And, a press release she created for her husband’s Mona Lisa Code project earned over 191,000 placements around the world!
I asked her a few questions recently to find out how much time she is putting forth to get known and the specifics around what she is doing to make the noise. Read on for the details to inform your own journey.
Question: Are you primarily responding to media queries, or are you initiating contact with the media on your “wish list” of best places to show up?
I am primarily responding to inquiries from HARO and Reporter Connection. I started responding to their inquiries last November of 2011. I also have a ‘wish list’ of parent publications and local newspapers that I follow and send information when I think it is appropriate.
Question: Are you getting better with a sound bite each time?
Yes I am. Because I created my Rock Star Press Kit, I have stock information of sound bites that I can modify very quickly depending on the story requirements. I am usually able to respond to the requests of reporters within an hour.
Question: And more confident?
Yes. Again, because I created all of the key components, photo, taglines, bylines, 50, 100, word bios, and website listing. I have all of my printed articles in PDF format to send so the media can read what has already been written about me. I can give a reporter anything s/he needs without me being “under the gun” to quickly produce new documents.
Question: Are the media calling you yet?
To date the media has not personally searched me out for immediate quotes. However I have spoken with the media during scheduled interviews. When they speak with me directly I ask to have the questions ahead of time so I can think about the answers. Sometimes I just write the answers to their questions and send them back to the reporter/writer. This saves them a lot of time having to write the story and they use my copy as is without too much editing. I am doing my best to develop relationships with everyone in the media who uses my information. If they use my info I send each one of them a thank-you email and always state how it would be my pleasure to add input to any future stories for their readers.
Question: Have you noticed anything in terms of measurement of results? For example, are more people visiting your website, asking for consultations, or hiring your services than before you made the decision to get known?
By using the bio information I learned in your class I gained one new client. I reworked my bio so it read as if I were a real person who parents would want to call to help them with their children. I notice that when I respond to media inquiries the writers/editors always check my website and LinkedIn account.
Question: What keywords do people search to find someone like you? I searched for college career strategist, and your name came up #2, #4, and #5 on page one of Google.
The key words I use are admissions, college admissions, college counseling, career strategist, career management, Strong, Strong Interest Inventory Assessment.
Question: How much time do you spend each week on getting known? Is it worth it?
I check HAROs and Reporter Connection three times a day. Some days there are many requests for input on education or careers and other days there may be no requests. I submit my responses to meet the writers’ deadline. I do my best to create a head turning headline so my response will stand out among all the responses that are submitted. To date I have sent out 46 HAROs and Reporter Connections. I have been published 18 times to date. The time spent for me to work on getting known is worth it because I am building my credibility among parents as a thought leader in the subject of college and careers for their college-bound hopefuls.
“Google” college career strategist, and Elizabeth Venturini’s name comes up as of today in the #1 ranked position, and she did this one media placement at a time.
Elizabeth is a graduate of the Broadcast Your Brilliance Webinar Series, and she is certainly applying the lessons she learned about preparing and sharing her best story to her expert advantage.
If getting known for your expertise is a high priority, start first by giving your bio a client-attracting makeover. Join me for a free webinar I’ll be teaching on Tuesday, April 24 at 10 a.m. to show you how. Here is the link to register.
