Author: Maggie Patterson

As an entrepreneur, so much marketing, so little time. So it’s easy to put off promoting yourself because, it is like, totally freakin’ scary.

I know. Even I get a little queasy sometimes when it comes time to put myself out there. While I’ve got experience in the trenches doing it for other people, it still can set my teeth on edge and give me a hardcore case of the sweats.

Why? Because it can feel shameless. Look at me, how awesome I am! I am a whip smart, expert ninja rockstar! I instantly think…oh please sit down already.

Normal people ALL feel that way, especially when it comes to building a personal brand. I say “normal” because those of you that love it, I just don’t get you. (I still love you, I just don’t get WHY you’d want to put yourself out there…)

Fact. To play the game, you need to promote yourself. It’s that simple.

[Tweet “To play the game you’ve got to promote. @magspatterson has ideas on how to do it without the ick http://bit.ly/1fxb1UP “]

You need to give your fear a talking to and just get going. (And if you need a pep talk, we’ve got your back over in my The Playground group on Facebook. Join us.)

Where the #$@$# Do I Start?

First things first. You need to start somewhere. So if you are brand new to this whole “promoting” yourself thing, think of it like a pyramid. You are going to start by creating a solid foundation that you can build on over time. Where a local media opportunity leads to bigger things, or your guest post on a niche site helps you work up to the big one you’ve been eyeing up.

Promoting yourself takes patience. I know you want it all RIGHT NOW, but consistency and creating a great personal brand will take time to unfold. No overnight success stories here.

Here’s three of my favorite ways to get started and start putting yourself out there. Use them individually or all together:

Working with Your Local Media

Local media outlets including newspapers, magazines, TV and radio offer you a great way to build your profile. Acting as an expert that can comment on issues, provide timely news and offer story ideas are a great way to secure coverage.

Get to know the key players in your local media market and build relationships so they can use you as a go-to source for information on specific topics. If you are tech expert, you can comment on the latest iPhone or a lawyer can comment on a high profile legal matter. The key is to position yourself as an expert and then be highly responsive to their requests.

Taking the Stage

Getting out there in front of an audience helps you reach new audiences and build connections. Seek out local business or networking organizations and see if they are looking for speakers. Also, keep an eye out for “Calls for Papers” for shows within your industry or in your community.

Once you identify possible places to speak, you will want to develop a series of topics you can address, a summary of about 100 words for each and a short speaker’s bio.

Get Guest Posting

Guest posting is where you get to be the special guest star on a blog by providing them with content that showcases your expertise. Research targets online that accept article or guest posts and look for any writer’s guidelines on their site.

From there, review the publication and then identify stories that would be a fit for their audience. Finally, send the blogger or community manager an email to pitch your idea. Once your pitch is accepted, you’ll need to write the article and submit it. You can learn more about guest posting on my new niche site, called Get Guest Posting.

Pick your poison and get to work! How are you going to promote yourself, share in the comments below? Or if you are already, what’s been most effective?

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There’s been a whole string of articles lately on how the media are sick of dealing with PR people. As someone who’s worked in the PR trenches for years doing hands-on media relations this is nothing new.

In the past, I always felt like this articles calling for no PR involvement and more transparency weren’t directed at me because I’ve never been the typical crappy PR person who smiles and dials.

Long ago, I started refusing to engage in things like “call downs” where you call a list of reporters to pitch them a story or the practice of “spray and pray” where you blast out an email pitch or press release to a list of people. (Yes, that’s me not playing by the rules. Surprising, I know.)

For some reason, lately I’ve really taking these articles such as this one from Medium and this one on First Round Review to heart. And then you add Mark Cuban to the mix… do you know how much I heart Mark Cuban? Back in 2012, he wrote a piece on how startups shouldn’t hire PR firms which makes some insanely valid points. (And that’s saying something as someone who grew up in a PR firm working for startups.)

While I think there’s a time and a place for smart PR people to help you and your business get on the map, the world has changed. You don’t need a publicist or PR rep for you to get started.

The Media Are More Accessible Than You Realize

If we go on a quick trip in the wayback machine, back then you needed PR to help you get connected using their relationships and their fancypants media databases. Today, you can easily find most contact info in the matter of a few clicks while reading everything the reporter has ever written.

You have the information you need at your fingertips. You just need to learn how to use it and as a business owner if you can master pitching, you’ll stand out.

The sad, sad reality is that most of the “pitches” reporters receive suck. So if you can formulate a solid pitch, you’ll be able to rise to the top of the pack.

Add a solid pitch to the fact that you as the owner, the actual person they are going to be speaking with, is contacting them and you are winning. Your chances of a yes are increasing greatly.

The media want to hear from you. They want the direct line to the source and not publicist controlling the interaction.

[Tweet “The media wants to hear from you and not your publicist. @magspatterson elaborates  http://bit.ly/R3Ruj0 “]

That’s not to say you should run out and pitch the Wall Street Journal today, as you need some credibility as a source, but start where you are today. Get your website in order so that when you do pitch the editor doesn’t burst out laughing. (For more on this, grab The Press Kit Principle Guide.)

Relationships, Press Releases and Other PR BS

Maybe the idea of pitching the media makes you feel a little queasy. I get it. I seriously do. I’ve personally been doing it forever, (or at least it feels that way) and there’s still that little moment of apprehension. It’s healthy, and that wee bit of fear makes you ensure things are pitch perfect.

Maybe part of your fear around pitching yourself is fueled by some of the big myths that PR people spread in the impulse for self-preservation.

Let’s quickly debunk my three favorites.

1. You need a publicist for relationships. Sure a publicist or PR pro can get you connected, but you don’t necessarily need them. Yes, relationships are useful, but if your story blows and you are a terrible spokesperson, all the relationships in the world don’t matter. Not to mention, even the best PR person only has so many relationships, so don’t hire anyone based on their relationships. Hire them because they have a track record and can deliver the goods. Not because they can name drop like a D-list celeb.

2. You need to do press releases. No and no. More explanation here. 9/10 times you don’t need a press release. Anyone selling you a press release package is stuck in the 90s or straight up shady business. Oh and while we’re debunking this one, a press release posted on a big name site is NOT media coverage for your “as seen on”. Tacky, tacky, tacky. Be better than that.

3. DIYing your PR makes you look like small potatoes. This is one I used to tell my clients all the time (and I did fully believe this) but it’s patently untrue here in 2014. DIYing your media relations makes you smart. Do you want to to be the one building that relationship with your #1 trade reporter or your publicist? Exactly. Plus, you are probably the most qualified person to tell your story, even if you need a bit of help to refine it.

There you have it. You totally can and should be working with the media (and bloggers) to raise your profile.

If you want some help getting started, check out my brand spanking new website dedicated to Guest Posting or the revamped Marketing Moxie package.

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