Customer Reviews

Streetwise Complete Publicity Plans: How to Create Publicity That Will Spark Media Exposure and Excitement

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have actually never posted a review on Amazon.com before, but this book was so useful, I felt compelled to share my thoughts with other readers attempting to sift through the wide variety of publicity books out there. After researching publicity books and reading other customer reviews, I settled on seven books in order to cover all of the bases and have a clear overview of my promotional options.

The other publicity books run from bland college textbook style to pages filled with useless fluff or information that may have been pertinent twenty years ago. One big tip: don't buy a book that was not published recently because there is no information about using the internet! If you are planning to buy a book over the internet, it only makes sense that the book itself should at least mention using the internet, and "Complete Publicity Plans" has the most comprehensive internet coverage of any of the books I have read.

In addition to being educational, it is written in a way that keeps the reader captivated and the author's vibrant sense of humor shines through the text. There are tons of real world examples, including the press release that created amazing publicity results for the author. Many of the other books seemed to be written by "experts" in an ivory tower, but this author has actually achieved the success that we are all seeking, so her advice comes from the perspective of success, not pure theoretical analysis.

The bottom line: "Complete Publicity Plans" is one title that doesn't lie, and while I have read this book more than once, the others are literally collecting dust, so if you only buy one publicity book, this is absolutely the one you want! It provides all of the tools you need to succeed and achieve your publicity goals, the next step is putting those tools to work for your own business, which is what I plan to do.

In contrast to most books on getting media coverage, this one is a genuine step-by-step, how-to guide. It bypasses the chatty anecdotal style of many PR-professionals-turned-authors, and goes for the "dummies guide" approach.

Personal taste of course, but I much prefer this approach. A flaw of the books by "experts" is that they focus on just one or two of their pet strategies (despite what the blurb claims), while leaving holes in vital areas you need. This book truly takes you from step 1 and covers everything you need thereafter.

A particular strength is that it compares and contrasts your different choices available - a pitch letter vs. a press release; a staff-written story vs. by-lined. It really gets down to what's the right approach for a given situation.

If you want a comprehensive (but plain) how-to guide, go for this. If you want the chatty advice of an expert (with some holes in it), go for Laermer.

I'm starting a new company and publicity is going to be a big part of our marketing and marketing communications activities. I'm kind of process and checklist driven -- and wanted a book that would refresh me on the basics so I could put together an effective publicity plan.

Well, I just finished reading three books on the subject -- and must say Sandra's book is the best by far.

What is so impressive is how complete it is. Seriously? I've been in the advertising business for 20 years. During this time, I worked with a number of VP level clients who oversaw all of their company's communications -- so I've been around some big PR firms and seen them in action. Believe me, there are public relations firms out there charging $20,000 a month retainers that don't provide the smart and insightful counsel Sandra does. She's that good -- and she can make YOU that good.

So if you think PR is simply cranking out press release after press release after press release -- and either mailing or e-mailing it to editors everywhere with hopes that something will stick -- you will learn that is a sure-fire recipe for failure. Sandra explains the difference between working hard and working SMART -- and why the smart part of the equation separates the 1% of people who do publicity right from the 99% of people who crank out junk mail and spam.

Bottom line? If you want to learn the difference between success and failure -- such as setting goals, determining strategies, tactics to employ, and create information that will gain attention from the press instead of being deleted or thrown in the garbage -- buy this book first. It's the only one you'll need.

I classify business books as follows: read and forget, take notes and dump, keep for reference. This book is definitely in the latter category. For small businesses, typically characterized by a tight budget, PR is often a mystery. How do so many businesses get into the media - sometimes repeatedly? This book demystifies PR in plain language. It also has formats, elements and numerous examples of the varius types of press releases. The book also makes the valid point that money is better spent on PR than advertising. Buy this book, save thousands of dollars for a consultant, and increase the probability to make thousands for your business.

This excellent book goes into great detail about publicity and how to get it. Beckwith covers everything you need to know in order to put together a working PR plan and how to implement it. If you have the drive, you can turn her advice into business-generating PR that will put you ahead of the competition.

This is an excellent book that can teach you a lot about the oft-misunderstood world of publicity. The author Sandra L. Beckwith holds nothing back as she clearly and logically lays out the plans for mounting a successful attack on the publicity campaign trail.
As anyone who has tried knows getting real publicity by simply sending out a PR (press release) is NOT ever going to guarantee an avalanche of interested traffic. Knowing exactly what to say, how to say it, and still more importantly what not to say is crucial and vital to having any real measure of success with PR people and the media at large.
This is where this book is so valuable. Sandra can help you save thousands of dollars and even potentially months and years of wasted effort by giving you a concise road map to achieving noteworthy or newsworhty publicity. I wish I had had this book when I did my first press release. The book is not quite a 5 star book but few are. I would have liked the book to have been just a bit longer with more examples but 4 stars is huge, a really great resource. Buy it at all cost. Using some of Sandras tips I am now getting better results promoting my book Car Wealth - How To Become Wealthy In The Automoblie Resale Business available for instant download at [...]

As PR has become more of a necessity for more companies, the world of public relations has become just as cluttered as the world of advertising, yet it remains a completely distinct animal. Gone are the days when writing a decent press release was enough to get you exposure. Today you need to take a strategic approach and have a complete plan. This book helps you develop that plan (and also helps you with how to write a good press release if you've not done that before).

As the host of a radio show called The Publicity Show, I have spoken with a lot of publicists and PR professionals. This book gives an insiders view on what it takes to break through the clutter that reporters are bombarded with and create real momentum that will snowball. If you are looking for how to get consistent exposure instead of just a quick hit, this is the book.

We have been using this book to promote our new window treatment web site,www.HomeDecInASec.com and have already secured placements in major newspapers across the country. The chapters are well organized and enjoyable to read - the book is full of examples to help you develop successful press releases and pitch letters. This is an invaluable resource if you're looking to promote your business.

This is an excellent book to create publicity for your business. It tells you step by step how to write and implement a publicity plan to promote your products or services. I cannot recommend it more highly.

I am starting as freelance publicist and this books has tons of ideas on simple things to get publicity for a small to medium-sized business. Also, for me, it has sparked many ideas to offer larger three- to six-month plans for my clients. I'll be using it for years to keep the ideas flowing.