Meet Sharon Bolt, Author of a Free Press Release Report

Sharon Bolt is a dog behavior expert who has had great success in the press over the last eight years, and she's now showing other people how they can get unlimited amounts of free publicity, too. To that end, Sharon has written a report called "How to Write a Press Release that Gets You Tons of FREE Publicity, Gives You Expert Recognition and Increases Sales." To download this report for free, visit GetFreePublicityToday.com.

1. How did you first learn of the power of the press release in your career as a dog behavior expert?

I was first introduced to the power of press releases through a marketing course. It was the first time that I realized that there were reporters, journalists, and producers looking for knowledgeable people who have educational, newsworthy, and entertaining information to feature in the press.

I had thought that publicity was only for the large companies and corporations with big marketing budgets, so it was a real eye-opener to discover that it was also for small companies, individuals, and non-profit organizations.

Like a lot of people, I had heard only negative stories about the press, so it was good to put myself in a reporter's shoes. I realized that they have a lot of slots to fill and welcome stories that will make their job easier.

It's also really fun to do: not only is it lucrative for your business, but it gives you instant authority in your field, and it's exciting opening up a newspaper and reading your article, listening to yourself on the radio, or seeing yourself on TV.

2. When it comes to promoting a business, what are some tips for coming up with a newsworthy angle for a press release?

It's true a press release needs to have a specific topic or angle and be newsworthy, interesting, and not a disguised advert. Here are ten story ideas that could be used.

• "Top 10" lists of helpful information
• Offering anything free
• New company launch
• Release of a new product
• Winning an award or special title
• Change of key personnel (hiring, retirement, resignation, death)
• Charity work and charitable contributions
• Achieving milestones (anniversary of the business)
• Seminars/conferences/workshops/teleconference/webinar/trade shows
• News of the wild, weird, and unusual

3. For someone who hasn't written a press release before, what are the benefits to taking a do-it-yourself approach rather than hiring a marketing firm or consultant?

There are so many benefits to writing your own press releases. The most common benefit is cost. Employing the services of a marketing company doesn't come cheap; you would need a PR budget, and it affects your bottom line as the publicity is no longer free.

Another benefit is if you don't get featured from a press release you send out, it costs you nothing, whereas you'll likely still need to pay agency fees regardless of the results.

When I started my publicity journey over eight years ago, I initially enrolled with a PR company. I was one of many people on their books and decided to run my own PR campaigns alongside what they were doing.

I did receive some local press from their promotions, but by doing it myself, I received national exposure and quickly started working with celebrities.

By doing my own PR, I was able to focus solely on my business, rather than the focus being diluted to a number of clients. I also was, and still am, more enthusiastic and passionate about my business than they were, which I think is only natural; no one is more passionate about their business than the business owner themselves. The results spoke volumes, and I quickly ended my contract with the PR firm, and over the last eight years, I have received many £100,000s worth of free publicity.

4. What are some criteria you might suggest for evaluating a press release to determine if it will be effective?

In order for a press release to be successful, it needs to be relevant to the media outlet it is sent to. For example, if it's sent to the local newspaper, it needs to have a local angle and/or you should live in that local area. It also must contain the 5 W's as an article can't be written without them. The following is an example for a story about a new beekeeping business.

• Who: You and your company, "Bee's Knees," and your target market (farmers for produce pollination, hobbyists, commercial endeavors).
• What: What it is/does and any special features you offer (classes, supplies, removal of unwanted hives, pick-up and delivery, sale of honey, beeswax, royal jelly or queens/workers to start other hives).
• When: The official opening or when the launch took place or will soon take place.
• Where: Where you're located and why you chose that location/venue/town.
• Why: There's a myriad of possible answers for this. You may have perceived a need for this type of business, or it may have been your hobby and you decided to monetize it. You may be taking over the family business, realizing a childhood dream, or starting a business for your retirement.

5. In your experience, what is the biggest myth about getting free publicity that holds people back?

The biggest myth is that you need to know everything in your field and have been in business for many years in order to claim the "expert" position and be featured. This is not true. When I first received national press about being a dog behavior expert, I had a natural healing business and not a dog training business! I know that sounds strange but this is what happened...

I love dogs and had recently got two male Parson Russell Terrier puppies from the same litter. I was told by numerous dog trainers that it was the worst case scenario and I would need to re-home one of them as they would fight for the top-dog position. There was no way that was going to happen, so I was on a mission to stop these predictions from coming true.

I learned my dogs' language instead of trying to humanize them, and I shared this method with my therapy clients with their dogs. The results were astounding, so when I heard a national radio station (BBC Radio 2) was doing a story about dogs, I contacted the show and offered my services. Three days later I was sitting in the studio being featured on their show.

I had a great time. I was introduced as a dog behavior expert and gave their listeners lots of dog training tips and advice. My local press at the time was actually about my transition from healing people to taming unruly dogs. There was nothing to hide.

The definition of expert in the Oxford English Dictionary is: "A person who is very knowledgeable about or skilful in a particular area."

This is not governed by how many years you've been in business, and you don't need to know absolutely everything.

Dare to be different, believe in yourself, and the sky's the limit!

Thanks, Sharon!

Meet Kereen Henry, Entrepreneur, Consultant, and CEO of The EntreMarketing Group

Kereen Henry is the CEO of The EntreMarketing Group, a company which focuses on helping women succeed in business. She has a true passion for helping women start new business ventures and make them successful. As a professional marketing consultant, Kereen has a true knack for helping business women build their brands.

1. What is the goal or purpose of The EntreMarketing Group?

The purpose of The EntreMarketing Group is to help women build successful businesses while balancing their lives. Many of us are mothers and wives. We work full time and still try to make extra income on the side. Juggling all of this is overwhelming, and that's where we come in. We will blog for you, update your website, post via social media--basically we provide all the services that are important but time-consuming. Our work helps women reach a broader audience and stay relevant, which in turn increases their return on investment.

2. How did your own success with real estate inspire you to start The EntreMarketing Group?

Real estate provided me the capital to be able to start The EntreMarketing Group without having to obtain a loan.

3. Why is web marketing so important, and what are some of the activities that are included in "web marketing"?

Web marketing is now more important than ever because statistics show that majority of consumers browse online before going to a store to buy anything. By being able to market and educate your audience online efficiently, you will be able to capitalize on these potential customers who browse before they shop. Some of the activities that are considered as "Web Marketing" are Social Media Marketing, Mobile Marketing, and Content Marketing.

4. How can a PR firm help individuals and businesses in ways that might be more powerful than someone doing their own PR?

Most women entering a business are already overwhelmed with the many facets of running a business, and a PR firm allows them the time to concentrate on internal operations while outsourcing marketing objectives to a company who has the know-how and connections to successfully reach their target market. The majority of corporations engage in this process of outsourcing their PR to a company that concentrates in this arena. We at The Entremarketing Group provide the resources of big business PR & marketing, for women starting a business.

5. As someone who started her own company, do you feel this puts you in a unique position in terms of being able to assist other women entrepreneurs to reach their goals?

Definitely, because not only was I a marketing major in college, but I have experienced my own success and failures. These experiences have given me the knowledge to assist other women starting a business.

Thanks, Kereen!

Following Your Dream and Spreading the Word

As the editor of this blog, I generally keep the spotlight on other people and their projects, which is as it should be for a blog which focuses mostly on sharing interviews! But I wanted to offer links to two articles which I hope you'll find useful.

The first is a first-person story by graphic designer Marissa Poppens on not being afraid to ask for help when you're pursuing your dream. In setting up her business, Marissa found that other people are more willing to help than she'd imagined. Read about her experiences here, on the Best Business Bytes blog.

The second link is for an article I wrote about utilizing some free promotional tools. I wrote this while thinking of the creative professionals I interview on this blog: I hope the article will prove useful in terms of generating free publicity for your interviews, should you wish to take a few easy steps to promote them. As an independent artist and/or businessperson, free PR can be critical in creating buzz about anything from your latest self-published book to an upcoming concert. Here's the link to the article, called "Make the Most of Your Post."

Thanks, as ever, for visiting this blog and meeting interesting artists and entrepreneurs from all over the world!