Christina Nicholson, Media Maven – InnovaBuzz 211
Christina Nicholson, Media Maven
In this episode, I’m really excited to have as my guest, Christina Nicholson of Media Maven, which is a full-service public relations agency. Christina and her team help their clients get greater visibility and enable them to connect with thousands of their ideal clients in moments instead of months.
Christina has been a journalist, TV news reporter and anchor, and based on her experience, she knows what the media wants and what will get their attention. She’s established relationships with journalism professionals across the USA and has used her experience and relationships to earn her clients publicity in a wide variety of media.
In our discussion, Christina talked to me about:
- How to get the media’s attention with very short pitches and following up on Twitter
- What you need to do to turn publicity into profit
- How it all starts with knowing your ideal client, serving your audience and building relationships
Monica Louie on episode 202 suggested we interview Christina.
Listen to the podcast to find out more.
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Don't get caught up on the glitz and glamour of the big media outlet because a niched outlet is where you can see your profit faster. @ChristinaAllDay on #InnovaBuzz podcast Click To Tweet
Show Notes from this episode with Christina Nicholson of Media Maven
Key points and takeaways from this episode include:
- It is not the media’s job to promote you. The media’s job is to educate and entertain their audience so stop thinking about your own promotion. Think about what the media’s job is. Help them do their job and you will benefit from it.
- To get somebody to know, like, and trust you, and then buy from you, is going to take some time. You need to be patient and look at your own buying behaviour.
- Today more than ever, we are being bombarded with so much content in so many places. It is important to stand out in front of the right people at the right time, and in multiple times for months or even years.
- The Three Different Tiers of Media:
- Owned media
- Paid Media
- Earned Media
- Earned media is the best kind of media because it’s free. You get that instant know, like, and trust factor.
- PR is tricky. It does take time so you need to be consistent. It is also why it is worth the most and why it makes the biggest difference in your business and your brand when you do land it.
- Media people are more inclined to pay attention to a mention on Twitter than they are on their email or inbox.
- Have a goal and don’t let your ego get in the way. Keep in mind that you want to turn this publicity into profit when you are thinking about your goal.
- You need to send the media something that is newsworthy. You need them to actually care about telling the story you are pitching not because it promotes you but because it is something that their audience wants to hear or see. It has to be timely. You want to give them a reason to do the story right now.
- Newsjacking is all about finding a different angle that is not being covered by something that is happening in the news that is related to your business or your brand.
- A story that only promotes your business is not newsworthy. You have to tie it to something that is already happening or that people are talking about and is interesting to the media outlet’s audience.
- Don’t get caught up on the glitz and glamour of the big media outlet because a niched outlet is where you can see your profit faster.
- A podcast is a great way to turn publicity into profit. The quickest ROI from publicity to profit is being a guest on a podcast. People who listen to podcasts are more likely to invest in their business.
- Treat yourself like a client and be good at it. Most people are their own avatar.
- Practicing what you preach makes the whole sales process a lot easier. People find you by what you do so make sure you are doing what you should be doing.
- Keep your media release short, sweet, and on point. Just let them know why they should care and how they can get hold of you for more information.
- Build a relationship with people before you pitch to them. Start building relationships with people who write about your niche.
- Make it easy for the media outlet to do their job. Hand them everything on a silver platter. If you can make their job easier, they are more likely to say “yes” to you.
- Doing PR on your PR is all about telling everybody about that coverage over and over again. It means a lot to the media outlet that you are sharing their content. When they see that you are sharing their content, they would want to come back to you.
- Always do your best to deliver good publicity. Keep in mind what your audience wants to hear, what resonates with them, and where they are. Make sure that you are building your brand in the right places.
- Your avatar is not at all exactly the same person. You have to be flexible with your avatar and the different angles you can play with.
- You have to accept the fact that some people are not going to like you. You are on the road to success when people start to hate you because you will never be successful by pleasing everybody.
Practicing what you preach makes the whole sales process a lot easier. People find you by what you do so make sure you are doing what you should be doing. @ChristinaAllDay on #InnovaBuzz podcast Click To Tweet
The Buzz – Our Innovation Round
Here are Christina’s answers to the questions of our Innovation round. Listen to the interview to get the full scoop.
- #1 thing to be more innovative – Tell everybody what you do and brand yourself that way.
- Best thing for new ideas – Listening to podcasts and reading.
- Favourite tool for innovation – Google Calendar, SmarterQueue
- Keep project / client on track – Constant communication. Be very open and honest. Spend most of your time on execution.
- Differentiate – Brand yourself because if you don’t then nobody will know who you are. Use your personal experience. Your personal experience goes a lot further than your professional experience. Treat yourself like a client. Be the best at what you do and share it through your personal experience. Be human and be more relatable.
To Be a Leader
Don’t be afraid to invest in your business.
Reach Out
You can reach out and thank Christina through her website, Facebook and on Twitter.
Suggested Guest
Christina suggested I interview Pat Flynn of the Smart Passive Income Show, and Azul Terronez, an authors’ coach and host of the Born to Write Podcast. So Pat and Azul, keep an eye on your inbox for an invitation from us to the InnovaBuzz podcast, courtesy of Christina Nicholson.
Links
Learn how to pitch the media to get publicity and turn it into profit. Get FREE access to Media Maven’s 3-Day Media Class.
Cool things about Christina
- She’s gotten her clients featured on the Today Show, the Rachael Ray Show, in the Chicago Tribune, Washington Post, Men’s Fitness, Food & Wine, Entrepreneur, and much more.
- She hosts a variety of morning shows on Lifetime TV, including The Balancing Act and Designing Spaces.
- When she’s not working, she loves to get out and about in the Palm Beach area with her kids, explore new things, attend fun events, meet unique people, and try different things.
You are on the road success when people start to hate you because you will never be successful by pleasing everybody.@ChristinaAllDay on #InnovaBuzz podcast Click To Tweet
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