Are the experts speaking on radio and television shows “better” than you are, or do they just know how to leverage the media better than others do? Cathy Lewis, president of the book publicity firm C.S. Lewis Publicity regularly takes virtual unknowns to public figures by strategically positioning and delivering their messages to the right media contacts.

This week I talked with Cathy to discover what it takes to become recognized as the go-to person for your particular area of expertise.

As a publicist, Cathy’s role is to coach people on how to make themselves and their messages more marketable. Step two is then to raise their profile through radio interviews, television programs, newspapers, magazines, websites, and blogs. But how does this monumental challenge begin?

Establishing a Unique Message

The first thing Cathy looks at when assessing whether or not she will take on a new client, is if their message is marketable. She specifically looks for:

• A unique message that resonates with people
• A brilliantly executed idea
• A well written book
• Something that appeals to a specific niche of people

Bloggers already have some sense of whether or not their message is marketable. If your blog is attracting lots of subscribers and sparking interaction between readers, then you got something that people want to hear.

The harder part is defining that message…

Establish Talking Points

Quick! In 30 seconds, tell me about the purpose of your business, your service, your book, or your blog. If you can’t sum up your message in a powerful statement, then Cathy says you’re not alone. Most people can’t do this and that’s where she comes into play. TV and radio hosts have no time or patience for guests who ramble on and never get their point across.

She says that it’s critical to fine tune and practice your message of purpose and specific talking points about your product that can be delivered in less than 3 minutes in total.

When someone goes on the tonight show, people think it’s off the cuff, but it’s not! It’s all planned out. These people have practiced their talking points.

Your talking points must be something newsworthy, something of interest to your audience, not something about you. Your role is to be the expert who delivers the information.

What are your talking points?

Media Preparedness

Think it’s difficult to talk to a new prospect or a big name guru in your industry? Try talking to the media! She says that most television hosts won’t put people on the air unless they can show that they can perform on camera first.

For this reason, she sends all of her clients to a media coach to learn how to perform on air. The media coach films each practice interview so that clients can go through the painful process of learning how they behave on the air and learn how to become more effective.

Cathy suggests starting with local radio and TV shows first, saying that this is an important part of building confidence. “Local stations and publications are usually very interested in anything that is happening locally,” says Cathy. Even those who can’t afford to hire a publicist can work on making themselves a local celebrity.

Sell Your Ideas

One of the most important jobs of a publicist is selling story ideas to various media contacts and media outlets by packaging up tidbits in different ways. This means knowing exactly how different key individuals like to receive their information and pitching it in a way that will get noticed and then be well received.

It’s not enough to say “here’s someone you might be interested in.” Instead, Cathy produces email pitches that are highly targeted to the receiver’s interests. For example, for client Nicholas Aretakis, author of No More Ramen: The 20-Something’s Real World Survival Guide, Cathy sent out emails with catchy subject lines and in it listed bullet points that would resonate with the press contact and their audience.

Providing precise, print ready points makes it easier for a media publisher to understand exactly what type of value their readers could take away from story were they to cover it.

She ends each email with an invitation to send out an even more detailed article, a copy of the book (or sample of the product), and perhaps a press kit. Having content prepared for publication is critical. She says that many times, content publishers will literally print what you provide them.

Send a Press Kit

A press kit is one of the first items that a publicist creates, but Cathy says these are meant to be sent out once a media contact has already “taken the bait” of an email pitch and are ready to go to the next level. A good press kit includes:

• Bio
• Picture
• Website address
• Segment suggestions
• Interview ideas in a format ready to hand to a producer or editor
• A “cliff notes” version of the book
• Different ideas about ways they could look at the book (or product) depending on their particular angle

Cathy’s press kits are printed as bound books and you can see several sample press kits on her website. If you choose the do-it-yourself route, you can create your own professionally bound press kit by having your content finished by a print on demand publisher such as Lulu.com.

Do It Yourself, Or Hire a Publicist?

The real benefit that a publicist provides is the very valuable media contacts and the knowledge of what exactly those contacts are looking for. Publicists have a broader picture of what the people out there are looking for. However, Cathy encourages those who may not have the funds to hire a publicist try establishing himself or herself as a local go-to person.

What do You Think?

How much would it change your business if you were known in the media as the go-to person for advice on your area of expertise? Have you ever been interviewed on a radio show or TV program or been quoted in the newspaper? What other questions do you have for Cathy about creating a public profile or working with a publicist?

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