6 Steps to Free Publicity: For Corporate Publicists or Solo Professionals, Including...Publishers, Consultants, Conference Planners, Politicians,

This book will definitely help you attract media attention for your business or consulting practice. I highly recommend it to small business owners who need to develop a public relations or publicity plan as part of their marketing mix. The material included in this book will show you how to connect with newspapers, magazines, radio and television, as well as other media outlets. You will also find information about the Internet, Web sites, and search engines. As long as you understand that the public has an appetite for interesting stories that can be called "news," then you will find this book to be helpful to you in supplying the public what it craves. And you will get known in the process. At page 19 the author lists the "6 Steps" referred to in the book's title. They are as follows: 1. Determine the purpose of your publicity message 2. Determine what your publicity message should be (write it) 3. Determine where that target of your message is 4. Determine who that target is 5. Always include your contact info in your message 6. Pick a medium (newspaper, magazine, ezine, radio, tv, etc.) to hit your target The book is broken into 5 parts. The author suggests that you can get publicity by writing and speaking. Don't forget that some great publicity comes from doing public speaking! The best part of the book is the forth part which concerns: Polishing Your Publicity Skills. This is the meat of the book. It is the Publicity Guide that makes this book so good. It is here that the author provides tips and examples of pitch letters, press releases, and radio and TV blurbs. The book is well organized and easy to read. So if you need to put together a publicity campaign, then you will do yourself a favor by getting hold of this book to use as one of your resources. 5 stars!

I bought "6 Steps to Free Publicity" to help my website (www.ALittleLingerieCompany.com) get better known. Within one week of following the book's advice, a local women's newspaper called to interview me for one of their columns. Within a month, the largest newspaper in my state contacted me for an article, and both of these write-ups will appear in time for Valentine's Day - my biggest season. Better still, one reporter told me that her editor loved my press releases - they were so creative! That's all thanks to Marcia Yudkin's tips.

I recently purchased "6 Steps to Free Publicity". I had not finished more than 60% of the book before I noticed my first opportunity for free media attention, an article in the largest newspaper in our state. The article hit a hot button in my industry, and I saw an opportunity to expand on the article and be a resource for the media. I wrote a response letter using Marcia's suggestions in "6 Steps to Free Publicity," I suggested a follow up article that I would like the paper to write, and received a detailed and enthusiastic reply from the journalist, which included an offer to use me in the article. I know that without "6 Steps," I would not have seized this opportunity. Nor, would I have known the proper format to offer my suggestions."6 Steps" is an easy read that offers practical tips that will help eliminate your fears of contacting the media. In addition, it offers a wide range of ideas, examples, and stories to apply to all situations of publicity and all personality types. If you have a desire to get the word out about your product, service, organization, or yourself you owe it to yourself to purchase this book.

This is a revised edition from the original publication of 1994. The book is in five parts: getting started; writing; speaking and acting; polishing skills; and keeping the momentum going. In the first section (getting started), Marcia addresses your mindset with chapters called "Thinking Like a Publicity Hound," and "The Comfort Factor: Exposure without Feeling Exposed." In the next section, you learn about news releases, media kits, pitch letters, tip sheets, articles, and "advertorials". Part 3 gives ideas about staging events, speaking, broadcasting, and "Schmoozing". Part 4 helps bone up your skills in dealing with reporters, radio/tv interviews, and phone pitches. Marcia presents "10 Pitfalls in Publicity Writing -- And How to Avoid Them", 77 ways to defeat writer's block, how to work with search engines, and "Getting Sizzling, Forceful Testimonials." Finally, Marcia presents a directory of resources related to publicity campaigns.I found extra value in the sections on pitch letters, query letters, getting testimonials, "10 Ways to be Timely", and "23 Ways to be Newsworthy"!

The first edition of Marcia Yudkin's "6 Steps to Free Publicity" showed me that getting publicity was possible, and how to get started. My first press release got one of my seminars featured in the Houston Chronicle. Since then, I have appeared on television and radio numerous times, and in local and national publications including Black Enterprise, Bottom Line Personal and Woman's Day.The new "6 Steps" includes all the great information that made the first edition a classic, with lots of updates. Many of the updates show how to incorporate Internet strategies into your publicity campaign, and there are new tidbits, examples and resources throughout the book. Publishing articles has been a very effective strategy for me, and my current marketing plan calls for a more structured and ambitious effort in this area. The details in chapter 8 will be invaluable as I launch this part of my marketing program. Marcia Yudkin knows her subject, and communicates it well. Marcia has been a mentor to me for years through her writing. I have long suggested her books to colleagues and clients, and strongly recommend this book. So, what are you waiting for? Click the button and add "6 Steps to Free Publicity" to your shopping cart. You won't regret it. See you in the news!