How to be Your Own Publicist [Paperback]

Jessica Hatchigan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 15, 2002

Even though publicity is free­­ and provides impact and credibility that advertisements can't touch­­the majority of business owners never give it a second thought. How to Be Your Own Publicist shows small business owners and entrepreneurs how to generate good PR without hiring an outside firm. Written in an engaging and accessible style, it combines guidelines to maximize, multiply, and even recycle publicity leads with templates, checklists, and step-by-step instructions to help publicity beginners secure positive, profitable media coverage.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

"Excellent." -Jack Faris,CEO, National Federation of Independent Business

"A breakthrough." -Jim Rohn, Mentor to Les Brown, Harvey Mackay, and Tony Robbins

Do-it-yourself playbook shares insider secrets for scoring positive publicity

Every entrepreneur knows that no matter how good his or her product or service, getting the word out is the key to success. While most think boosting business requires breaking the bank on paid advertising, publicity is a credible alternative for pumping up a company's profile without spending all of the profits. In How to Be Your Own Publicist, PR maven Jessica Hatchigan proves that you don't have to run a Fortune 500 company, have a bottomless budget, or hire an outside PR firm in order to garner print and broadcast media attention.

With this fast-paced, step-by-step playbook to the insider secrets of the publicity game, anyone can learn the basics of the biz--targeting your audience, courting the media, packaging your information, and leveraging your success. Tried-and-true tips will teach you how to:

• Zero in on the newsworthy aspects of your business
• Craft and distribute an effective news release
• Create a captivating press kit that won't get dumped in the circular file
• Maximize your publicity efforts with a far-reaching online campaign

Written in an engaging style and packed with user-friendly checklists, templates, and sample documents, this guide provides all the tools necessary to generate major media buzz. You'll bask in the benefits of positive publicity as you pull customers to your business, make those you approach more receptive, and add to your professional prestige. Whether you're a small-business owner, solo service provider, or nonprofit organization, following the simple strategies in How to Be Your Own Publicist can make you a success.

About the Author

Jessica Hatchigan is an award-winning writer and publicist and the owner of Greenbriar Communications , a public relations company whose clients include General Motors, Ford Motor Company, and Comerica Bank.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (June 15, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071383328
• ISBN-13: 978-0071383325
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #441,906 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dipping your toes in PR? This one's for you, February 15, 2003

By 

Jay Lipe "Jay Lipe marketing author" (Minneapolis, MN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: How to be Your Own Publicist (Paperback)

Filled with checklists and call-out boxes, this book is crammed with many great tips...and it's an easy read. Being a marketing consultant for small businesses, I especially like Ms. Hatchigan's material on "Becoming an Expert". Other good sections cover "The Basic Press Kit Ingredients" and "News Release How-To's". Don't be surprised if many pages of your copy become covered with highlighter.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Introduction, With MEAT for Experts, April 17, 2006

By 

Warren Kelly (Southern Ohio) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: How to be Your Own Publicist (Paperback)

How to Be Your Own Publicist is written by an award-winning writer and publicist. This made me a bit nervous right away; I was afraid that the book would either be overly technical and thus inaccessible, or extremely basic (I've had some experience with overly basic business books).

Thankfully, I found the book to be neither. How to Be Your Own Publicist finds a great middle ground between people who just want to get attention for their cause/business/writing/blog and people who are getting ready to head up the PR department in their own small business. The book is easilly accessible for those with no marketing background, with plenty of meat for people with more experience.

The most valuable parts of the book for me were the sections on creating press kits and writing press releases. I'm looking at moving my podcasting beyond just a hobby, and I learned a lot that I can use to promote both my podcasts and myself as a podcaster. I'll be making use of those ideas in the very near future.

There are also valuable sections on getting yourself recognized as an "expert" in your field - leading to radio and TV interviews where you can let people know about your product/service/company. Hatchigan also covers what not to do, including the infamous "soup to nuts" speeches where you overload your audience with too much information. She also cautions budding publicity hounds to use "publicity stunts" with great care - don't let the stunt overshadow what you're trying to promote. This reminds me of commercials that I see all the time, witty, memorable skits that leave you humming the tune but wondering what they were trying to sell.

Knowing how to attract attention to your business - or your blog, or your podcast - is important. Being able to create not only an impression, but also a memory - and a good one - is also important. How to Be Your Own Publicist shows you how to do both.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best PR book EVER!, August 22, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: How to be Your Own Publicist (Paperback)

Out of all the public relations books that I own this one tops the cake. Jessica Hatchigan gives plain english terms and lets the reader know that it is not impossiable to be an excellent publicity professional. Each chapter gives a step by step information on how to get top quility results using the simple techniques in the book. I recommend that any who wants to be a publicist or do there companies publicity buys this book, YOU WON'T REGRET IT!