So you have a blog and you have a biz but sadly no press action? I am here today to share with you 5 extra fancy, yet easy peasy, ways to let the press know you mean business. Ready? Let’s go!
1. Have a Gravatar
What in the goodness is a Gravatar you ask? No it is not the sequel to James Cameron hit. It’s a globally recognized avatar with an image you have chosen that follows you around the web when you post a comment to a blog post. When you set it up you also have the ability to put your super-dee important web site address along with your photo. So once your image is clicked, the person so extra curious to know who you are goes straight to your site! Click here to get started!
2. Have at least 1 Professional Photo of Yourself
I have visited so many blogs and as a human being I naturally want to see who, as in what other human being, is selling or creating the product or post I am interested in. If I don’t see a picture, there is no opportunity for a connection. On the other hand, if I see a crazy picture of you with your cat in your pjs, my first impression is that you don’t take what you are doing seriously. And if that’s what I think, just envision what the press must think! If you can’t budget professional photography right now, approach some photographers and suggest bartering. It doesn’t hurt to try, right?
3. Sell Your Business by Selling Your Story
I know you’re like, “Wait a second, it isn’t all about me…it’s about what I’m selling.” WRONG! The media gets sold through your story telling, your About page and the inspiration behind your product. They can’t interview your e-book or the purse you just whipped up! They have to interview you, so you must present yourself as someone interesting and worthy of an interview. If you need help writing about yourself, like so many of us do (myself included), have someone interview you and record it.
4. Keep Your Blog Beautimous
This I could write an entire post about…and possibly will in the future. Where to start? Clean up your blog a bit. If you have buttons on the side of sponsors, keep them all the same size. Take down your follower count. What is this, high school? And most importantly, try and stay away from the busy backgrounds, unless you are a designer and know what you’re doing, this could be a big no-no.
5. Own Your Own Domain
Now I am not saying that good things can’t come to those who are at blogspot.com but what I am saying is you will look more serious about your business if you own your own domain. It shows that you believe in it and are investing in it. It is also a whole lot less letters to type in the browser, thus making it quicker to get to and easier to remember for the potential press scoping you out.
So you probably have some work to do. Start with the most tedious and work your way down, that way you won’t put the hard stuff off. I would love to hear what has worked for you in the past in the comments below…or even better, your questions!
Nice post! Agree with everything. I really wish I wasn’t so camera shy. I really have to get over that. I am wondering about the google friend connect button. It shows the followers. I’m not a big fan of it, but it’s recognizable & easy for people to click on. Is it totally unneeded? I created a follow button too so it probably is. How do I check my followers without it? I switched from a blogger blog to a WP blog (right before blogger made a TON of improvements) and I’m still kicking myself for it.
Oh, I think you’ll find that WP is worlds better than blogger. It allows you to create a site that looks like it’s solely yours. You can check your followers (although it matters more how those followers interact with you than how many you have) through an RSS feed like Google Reader. Just search for your blog and it will tell you how many subscribers there are, although this won’t tell you how many people stop by your site each day. That’s where Google Analytics comes into play.
Yes! Get over being shy!! People will connect with you so much more when you show them your face:)
I have struggled with this and still do, but with my recent photo shoot, I just got silly…and was sure to have some fun music playing to dance to:)
Love this post! Professionalism to the Nth degree goes a long way with the press and I certainly think you drove that point home.
I especially support your point about keeping your business blog “beautimous.” Getting rid of the clutter and amateur look is absolutely critical. So many websites today are still dated – and stick out like a sore thumbs because of it – up to 5 years ago!
My advice: If your website is more than 3 years old, you need to revisit your commitment to having a professional online presence & matching performance. Not only for the press, but for each customer you hope to attract.
Thanks Scott! And you have a great point, except with me I get tired of my site much faster than 3 years…more like 1:)!
Thanks for this post, but it seems a little basic. How does any of this actually get you more recognized by the press or help you build stronger relationships with those people once they know you? You could have all of these things and still be sitting in the dark in terms of press coverage.
Very nice post. Thanks so much!! I have recently completed them all and reading your post gave me such a sense of accomplishment and an added realization of how important it all was to do.
The problem with Google Analytics now is all the automated spam. I get all these hits on sites that I don’t know but I look at the time on site and it will be 0:00:07 !!! I use WordPress with a free theme and I love it and I did the FB share and like buttons without counting.
But I just updated my Gravatar! Thanks for the reminder!!