Write On ~ Creative Writing Services

Shannon Cherry, an amazing PR resource has created a holiday around publicity. It’s called National Be Heard Day & it’s held on March 7th. To celebrate, Shannon has invited select marketers to provide some great FREEBIES for you (me included — I’m offering something that was created just for this occasion).

You see when you start looking at publicity as a helpful outlet that allows you to spread your message, products and services to more people and in turn help more people, you’ll feel more comfortable about sharing your news. I know, I had to get used to this, too. That’s why I’m so excited to support National Be Heard Day and to give you the opportunity to grab the free goodies to boost your biz, help you create publicity, get clear on your PR strategy and learn the ins and outs of press releases.

It really is time for you to share your gifts with the world.  That’s why I’m letting you know about goodies coming your way on National Be Heard Day including gifts to help you share your gifts –at NO COST. Don’t you just love gift giving?

That’s it. Short and sweet and my gift to you — compliments of Shannon Cherry (who by the way is really cool and has great taste in wine and music along with being a PR pro — someone I happily collaborate with because she’s a good person all the way around). Don’t miss your chance to grab your goodies on National Be Heard Day.

What news are you going to share?

[tags]National Be Heard Day, Shannon Cherry, publicity, public relations, press releases, free gifts, Lisa Manyon, www.writeoncreative.com [/tags}

Inevitably there will come a time where publicity needs to be a part of your marketing mix. You may opt for mainstream media publicity or Internet publicity. Either way, you need a solid platform to promote yourself and to be accessible when publicity opportunities come your way.

If there is a strategy in place it’s usually a strategy to gain Internet publicity or mainstream media attention (although sometimes it can consist of both).

Regardless of your reason for wanting publicity, there are three foundations you need to have in place before you issue your press release – no matter what your strategy.

Coaching is one of the offerings that I extent to be of service to my clients. I’ve actually kept this part of my business rather low-key and only offer ongoing Manyon Marketing Makeover Coaching packages on a limited, application only basis.  If you’d like to learn more, you can request an application by emailing Info@writeoncreative.com with the subject line Manyon Marketing Makeover.

But I digress. I actually wanted to let you know about some training that can really boost your coaching business (one of my goals for 2010 and I should let you know after I attend the event I’m sharing with you, the investment for Manyon Marketing Makeovers will increase).

Technorati Tags: coaching, coach training, Coaching Business Intensive, Ali Brown, Lisa Manyon, Invest in yourself, successful coaching business, do you have a successful coaching business, www.writeoncreative.com

Once you’ve determined that you have something to say to the press or specific online prospects, you’ll want to issue a press release or news release in accordance to your overall press release strategy. Press releases are relatively simple to write. However, there is a specific formula that you must use or you could damage your credibility. Plus, it cannot be sales-y.  Your press release must actually contain news, which by definition is previously unknown information.

Many media outlets prefer 2-3 weeks advance notice to cover an event. At the same time, the Internet has greatly changed the way releases are distributed and has opened new areas of opportunity.  You can distribute your message online much faster. Often online distribution sites also circulate to specific newswire services.

When compiling your press release information, keep the following in mind:

Technorati Tags: press releases, news releases, Internet publicity, publicity, free publicity, marketing, online press releases, press release formula, free press release software, press release template, Lisa Manyon, www.writeoncreative.com, news

This is a topic that’s been buzzing around my entrepreneurial community. To some degree we all do a bit of coaching and consulting and this is an area of my business that I plan to expand in 2010.

So, what’s working in your coaching business? What changes have you seen? Do you want to start offering coaching packages and you’re not sure where to start?

Regardless of where you are in your coaching career, if you want to improve or change your business model from delivering information one at a time to a program for many (same amount of work, but with a lot more income growth potential) I have a great resource that I cannot wait to share with you.

You see, I’ve invested in myself and my business with top-notch entrepreneurial coaches, trainers and mentors who can help me fast-track my success and I want the same for you.

With that being said if you are a coach or consulting struggling with your coaching programs or you want to add coaching to your current offerings, you will be interested in this call.

My mentor and coach Ali Brown is hosting a complimentary call titled “Coaching Business Secrets: The Inside Scoop on How to Design, Sell, and Run Profitable & Successful Coaching Programs.”

I am personally intrigued, energized and excited to learn from her experience to avoid any potential mistakes as I strengthen my coaching efforts.

So, if you’re intrigued too, follow my link to save your spot on the call. (yes, I am an affiliate and proud to support Ali because of all she’s done to help me grow my business).

Go ahead and grab your spot here for the free call about building your coaching business

Curious to know what you’ll learn on this call? Ali will reveal:

*the most POPULAR types of coaching programs that are in demand right now

*which types of programs are NOT easy to sell right now (don’t waste your time)

*Ali’s personal 3 no-fail formulas for various levels of group coaching delivery

*which price points ($$$) are working well across the board in many industries

*the biggest mistake Ali sees most solo-preneurs make when launching their coaching programs (it’s sad to see them shoot themselves in the foot, and publicly)

*hidden DANGERS of continuity (membership) programs, and how to avoid them

*details about Ali’s groundbreaking, private Coaching Business Intensive happening this summer, where over two full days Ali will personally walk you through exactly how to design, sell, and run your own profitable programs. ( I am going to be there and hope to see you, too!!!)

Okay, enough said – just didn’t want you to miss out on this opportunity. I’ll listen for you on the call Tuesday, February 23, 8pm Eastern at: Save your spot here

I have no doubt that this will be an eye-opening, revenue boosting call, packed full of information to help YOU grow your coaching businesses.

Technorati Tags: coaching success, coaching programs that work, designing your coaching business, free coaching training call, Ali Brown, Lisa Manyon

There’s a big buzz about branding right now.

I’m always curious to see what people are saying because I’m no stranger to the branding process. Back in ‘the day’ I used to work for an ad agency and I’ve worked on branding and image campaigns from start to finish (although, truthfully, branding is an ongoing process).

Anyway, there seems to be a lot of confusion about what branding really is. Some people think it’s a logo. Others swear it means creating a really cool television spot. And, others are simply mystified by the thought of branding.

To demystify branding for you, I’ll share the simple definitions that I included in the training materials I created for the Idaho Small Business Development Center several years ago. This clearly illustrates the difference between your logo and your brand because your logo is not your brand and your brand is not your logo.

Logo: An identifiable insignia that represents a company.

Brand: The overall impression and experience that your customers receive from your business.

Simply put: branding is EVERYTHING you do to create the overall experience and feeling that your customers get from doing business with you. Your logo is just one element of your branding.

With that being said, I’m interested to listen in to an upcoming call with my mentor Ali Brown and her mentor Anne McKevitt. They are going to dig into branding and share some dos and don’ts.

Anne is also going to share her thoughts on branding in relationship to social media like Twitter and Facebook. In fact, Anne’s going share exactly what she shared ? about branding that really caused a great BIG stir (and ticked a lot of people off) at Ali’s live Shine event last year.

I may just agree to disagree with her on that aspect of branding and social media. I believe there is always more than one way to do things. I won’t argue that her methods don’t work (look at what she’s done for Ali’s business & clearly she’s knows what she’s doing or she wouldn’t be a billionaire) but I will say there’s some real merit to social media.

And, although I don’t put my face on my business card (something Anne thinks is a branding mistake) I do know it works for many people - especially those active on social networking sites and live networking events. I’m  personally am a bit of a rebel and break a ’branding’ rule by having my business cards printed on glossy, thick card stock and I don’t plan on changing that any time soon.

I’m going to listen in with an open mind and see what I can learn. Maybe I’ll change my mind. How about you?

Anyway, I’m curious to hear your thoughts and I’d love for you to weigh in before and after the call. You can save your spot on the call by following my affiliate link here

Meanwhile, what are your stuck spots about branding? Do you have a clear picture of the branding process? How do you see the branding process evolving in light of social media? What do you think about pictures on business cards? Don’t be shy, weigh in here.

It’s commonly assumed that PR means “press release” but this is misleading and frankly, not true. “PR does not = Press Release” although, press releases are directly related to PR. Often people are unsure of what PR, publicity and press releases really are. They are all related but each is different and has its own function which works symbiotically with the others.

PR is actually an abbreviation for public relations. Press releases are a part of public relations and they generate publicity but they are not PR (they are a part of PR). At the same time, press releases may generate good public relations.

Are you getting confused yet? Let’s simplify this by taking a quick look at the definitions of each provided by the Wictionary (a great, open source dictionary) and Websters Dictionary (my hard copy favorite).

By definition, Public Relations is communication by a person or an organization with the purpose of creating a favorable public image; commonly referred to as PR.

So, in essence, Public Relations are really the strategies surrounding your overall business presence and message. PR is the foundation that allows you to be ready for publicity when it comes your way it’s your core message, business values and image. While any form of communication can be considered public relations including newsletters, ezines, letters, blog posts and yes, press releases, they must all be a part of a much bigger PR strategy.).

Publicity is what is generated by public relations. By definition, Publicity is an act or device designed to attract public interest, specifically information with news value issues as a means of gaining public attention or support.

When you create public relations (communications) it can generate publicity (public attention). Generally the goal of publicity is to gain UNPAID media exposure including ink (print exposure) and air (broadcast mentions), increase word of mouth and get more clients. Publicity is golden to your business because third party endorsements are more believable than paid ads.

By definition a Press Release is an official written statement that is sent to the media so that it can be publicized (although press releases are not crafted just for the media anymore).

Press releases are often referred to as news releases. They are essentially one in the same. However, the term “News release” can be used when the release is not intended solely for media distribution. For example: Online distribution of your news is a no-cost to low-cost way to establish credibility, help customers find you online and increase your online search engine rankings. So, the goal may not be mainstream media attention when you submit online and it would be appropriate to use the term “news release” instead. Either way is perfectly acceptable.

Basically press releases are both a public relations and publicity tool depending on your overall strategy.

Does your business have the three P’s (public relations, publicity and press releases) covered?

1) Do you have an overall Public Relations Strategy that defines your brand, how you want people to perceive you and what you want to accomplish in the way of publicity?

2) Do you create public relations materials to earn publicity based on a specific overall strategy?

3) Do you share your news via press releases, strategically in accordance to your overall PR plan?

If not, it may be time to start focusing on your P’s

P.S. When writing this article I was looking for a great example to share from an article I had once seen in Readers Digest- thanks to Shannon Cherry ( a fellow PR pro) for posting this excerpt on her blog.

“If the circus is coming to town and you paint a sign saying “Circus Coming to the Fairground Saturday’” that’s advertising. If you put the sign on the back of an elephant and walk it into town, that’s promotion. If the elephant walks through the mayor’s flower bed, that’s publicity. And if you get the mayor to laugh about it, that’s public relations.

If the town’s citizens go the circus, you show them the many entertainment booths, explain how much fun they’ll have spending money at the booths, answer their questions and ultimately, they spend a lot at the circus, that’s sales.”

- Reader’s Digest, “Promoting Issues and Ideas” by M. Booth and Associates, Inc.

What are your favorite PR strategies? Do you have a PR plan?

Technorati Tags: marketing, publicity, PR, Public Relations, press releases, online press releases, press release strategies, PR strategies, public relation strategies, www.writeoncreative.com, www.writeoncreative.com/prcall, how to get publicity, the difference between pr, publicity and press releases

I’m REALLY EXCITED. I’d love for you to join me Tuesday January 12th at 5 p.m. PT, 8 p.m ET as James Roche quizzes me about No Cost to Low Cost Online Press Release Strategies.

Sign up here or read on to learn more (there is NO cost to attend).

You may already be familiar with my passion for online press releases. I LOVE what press releases have done for my business and even more than that I LOVE the process of working with people on their press release strategies. But, more on that during the call. I’m keeping this short and sweet since I’ve been sending a ton of valuable resources your way lately.

The call is absolutely FREE to you!

James is going to ask me all about online press release strategies and how I’ve used them to market my business and to help my clients…

* Double opt ins for online teleseminars

* Help a new author get exposure and win awards

* Get “ink” and interviews in mainstream media

* Support grassroots marketing campaigns to help sway public & public officials opinion

* Increase search engine rankings

* Reinforce credibility resulting in testimonials from BIG NAME marketers

* Earn new clients and projects

I really hope you’ll be there because online press releases are a no-cost to low-cost way to build your business and I want 2010 to be your best year ever. Go ahead and register here.

I’d love to have you on the call because it’s an absolute honor to have James Roche interview me. If you’ve been a part of the Write On Community for any length of time, you’ve undoubtedly read about how much James has helped me and my business. So, jump on the line to hear us discuss No-cost to Low-cost Online Press Release Strategies.

Oh, and if for some reason you’ve missed the information I’ve sent about James in the past, you can check him out here. (And, YES, that’s him in the picture with Ali Brown and me and I am an affiliate for his services because I believe in what he does THAT much).

Technorati Tags: online press release strategies, increase credibility, get better search engine rankings, organic search engine rankings, free teleclass, James Roche, Lisa Manyon, get more clients, get media exposure, www.writeoncreative.com/pressrelease, www.writeoncreative.com, ali brown

Do you have a plan to build your business in 2010? It’s been proven that investing in marketing mentors helps build momentum, increase contacts, refresh creativity and in turn boost income. ? That’s why I’m curious to know who your mentors are.

My favorite mentors are Ali Brown, James Roche and Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero because to be frank they have always delivered what they promised to deliver. This isn’t always the case and you need to choose your mentors wisely. I’m bringing this up now because if you haven’t invested in your business for 2010 and you don’t have a mentor to help you along the way, I personally believe you’re making a big mistake. So, I want you to know about an opportunity to get valuable information to build your business in an ongoing basis in 2010. I believe you only have till January 13th to take advantage of this program. So, here it is.

You have the opportunity to invest in a program that will change your business IF you commit to it and do the work (this is a key ingredient to success — there really are no magic bullets).

Anyway Ali announced that she’s offering a new tier of the Millionaire Protege Club for 2010 and Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero is going to lead this tier. They offered a preview call (maybe you were on it and if so, you’ve probably already invested) and if you missed it, here’s a snap shot of what the program entails.

Ali and Lorrie revealed…

“Your 11 Best No-Cost to Low-Cost Marketing & Business Strategies for 2010!”

The cool thing about this is that I incorporate these strategies in my business and THEY WORK. So, when you join the the Gold tier you’ll focus on one of these business building strategies each month.

Cut to the Chase here to learn the program details or read on to discover the topics included.

Here’s a sampling of what the Gold tier covers:

1. Social Media – How to Maximize These Free Marketing Tools Without Wasting Your Days Away

2. Website Must-Haves: 7 Components of an Irresistible Website

3. Grab Their Attention With Your Online and Offline Powerful Marketing Headlines

4. Ezines, Blogs, and Print Newsletters: New Ways to Use Them to Build Your Professional Fame

5. Your First VA: A Step-by-Step System to Finding and Working with Your First Virtual Assistant

6. Online Shopping Cart Basics: Your Simple Guide to E-Commerce

7. In-Person Networking Secrets to Building Your Business with Personality and Confidence

8. Teleseminars: A Quick and Easy Guide to Hosting Your Own Cash-Creating Phone Calls

9. Webinars, Podcasting, and Video ?€“ Multi-Media Alternatives that Get Your Brand More Attention

10. Joint Ventures and Affiliate Marketing: Create Passive Income With Strong Relationships

11. Speaking and Hosting Your Own Events: Behind-the-Scenes Truths

Even though I implement many of the strategies, I’ll be listening in as a refresher because I firmly believe you must always be open to not only learning new marketing strategies but developing stronger strategies with the methods you already use.

Plus, this program is conveniently delivered as monthly training calls, Q&A calls, recordings, transcripts, and many other added benefits. So, you don’t have to travel (another money saving? strategy).

That’s it. Just didn’t want you to miss out on this? opportunity. And, ? when you are ready to join, please use my affiliate link here. ? I believe? registration? is only open through January 13th, so don’t delay.

Technorati Tags: Ali Brown, James Roche, Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero, Millionaire Protege Club Gold Tier, money saving marketing strategies, marketing, mentoring, mentoring programs, Lisa Manyon, www.writeoncreative.com