The days of having just a traditional PR person pitching you as an expert are long past. Unfortunately (or fortunately) the old mass pitching methods of fax, spam mail, and phone do not see the uptake they once did.

More than 50% of journalists and bloggers are freelancers. It’s vitally important to remember they are actively on the hunt for the next great story because that’s how they’ll get paid!

That next great story could be YOU.

As a longtime journalist turned online visibility strategist I’ve seen many of my clients apply the power of their social media content to connect directly with journalists and secure media coverage.

Here are five tips on how to use your blog content to garner media attention.

1. Set up Google news alerts that match your expertise and respond to at least one major media article that comes through those alerts on a weekly basis. Link to the article in a blog post, and give additional insight from your perspective to the article’s topic. Don’t be snarky. Give actionable insight.
2. Subscribe to three e-newsletters from publications that cover your topic. When you get those e-newsletters, read through them to see if there’s a wonderful article you can cite in your own blog. Again, give your take on the article. (Extra tip: After you’ve made your blog post, go to the site where the original article appears and leave a comment. Always comment authentically, not just to get a link back to your site.)
3. Be a news breaker. Offline PR people spend hours scanning the news and trying to determine how their clients can comment on breaking events. You can do the same by monitoring media stories and using your blog to comment as things happen. If you’re a fiction writer, for instance, you might keep up with the latest sales in fiction and share your insights with your readers.
4. Don’t leave out the local and regional. Too often we’re focused only on national blogs, media, and coverage. Once in a while, blog “close to home” by sharing some local insight or linking to your local paper. You’ll begin to catch the local media’s attention. Imagine if your local paper is The Washington Post and the editor is scanning blogs for local folks to comment on business stories.
5. Stop waiting for just the right blog-bite. The longer you wait to start sharing your insight on your blog, the more the competition will outpace you. Take 30 minutes today and write up 10 things you know that you could effectively comment on to the media. Start building some content around those topics on your blog.

You will succeed!

———

For more tips on how to use social media to promote your book and garner media coverage, join Highspot for a free teleclass with Nettie Hartsock on September 28. Full details and registration here.

Nettie Hartsock is a digital strategist and teacher who works with individuals and companies, helping them create and convey their messages to the online world. Find Nettie on Twitter at @nettiehartsock.

Have you been scratching your head over how to generate some online word of mouth about your book? Head on over to Mini Book Expo and scratch no more.

The site’s tagline of Claim It – Read It – Blog It says it all: MiniBookExpo showcases free copies of books. Anyone can claim a copy in return for a blog post or review.

The site has been around since 2006 but seems to taking off in a huge way over the last few weeks. More publishers are signing up and more books are being offered every day.

The great news is that Mini Book Expo welcomes self-publishers with open arms and it’s free to get your book into the lineup. Fiction, non-fiction, and children’s books are all eligible. According to the site, business books get snapped up quickly.

Books are shipped out to bloggers for free within Canada, thanks to sponsors who are covering the mailing costs. Bloggers outside of Canada can also request your book, but it sounds like you will have to subsidize the mailing cost yourself or make the bloggers pay it.

Donate a few copies of your book, get exposure on the site, get connected with bloggers, and get online reviews circulating – you can’t beat it.

Check the site’s FAQ for instructions on how to submit your book.