How to Position Yourself as "The Brand" - Hear CPN Member & "Celebrate PR Strategist" Karen Taylor Bass

My dear friend, Karen Taylor Bass has launched her new book! I'm so proud of her - and I'm glad I could contribute a chapter to it on book publicity. This book is the "nuts and bolts" of how to run your own PR campaign - on a budget.
Positioning Yourself for an Opportunity
By Karen Taylor Bass www.taylormademediapr.com

The economy is bad, however, now is the BEST time to become an entrepreneur. Build your brand, know your niche, have a plan and most importantly, know how to get FREE PR to build a successful brand and get noticed.

Here are a several signature steps to separate your BRAND and MISSION from the COMPETITION.

You want it so bad - you can taste, drink, and see your success. Are you ready for success? Is your team in place? Many times people are not prepared for the avalanche of blessings when they occur, please be ready. Here are a few tips to get you started:

1) Be prepared. Success can smell success. Have that look about you, dress appropriately, and have your message on hand to deliver the pitch and close the deal. If you believe in your product others will come to the party in a matter of time.

2) Reputation is everything. Let you work and rep speak for you. If you give your word, honor it. Don't commit if you cannot meet deadline - people always remember the screw up.

3) Be outspoken. If you don't agree with someone's agenda or how they are positioning your product speak up. Being amenable to everything will not garner fans, only enemies down the line.

4) Be well rounded. Make certain that you are always briefed on current events; this will empower you to have a conversation with any CEO, mogul or average Joe.

5) Be proactive. If there is someone that you want to get in contact with - reach out. Write a letter, send an email, and make a call, look within your circle for a connection. Work in that order and you will get results.

6) Never too busy. Time is a premium and you are a priority. Make certain that you treat yourself and others that way. If someone is reaching out to you, then you must respond in a timely fashion. Karma is everything.

7) Get to know the "team." Don't be an elitist and ignore the administrative assistant, reception, mailroom clerks, etc. They are the ones really running the company and are privy to information. Say hello to everyone and become allies with those in the "know" don't get confused with office trappings (corner office, title, expense account).

8) Be Wacky to stand out. Make your own rules. Send Christmas/Holiday cards in June; Valentine Cards in December. Set your own tone and be noticed.

9) Stay out of gossip. Don't get caught up not minding your business, which means not taking care of your money. If you have an opinion, speak directly to the respective party you have an "issue" with.

10) Dream vampires. I would not advise you to share your dream with people unless they are like - minded and posses the same energy as you. Record your dreams in a journal and talk with God.

11) Network and utilize your connections. I don't know why we always forget to tap into our database and circle. Join organizations to widen your networking base and utilize your friends/co-workers/affiliation to make the introduction for you.

12) Empower yourself and others. Real simple - give back to others from a sacred space and be counted. You can volunteer, make a contribution or just be there for someone in need.

13) Be consistent. If you provide service a certain way - continue to provide it that same way, only BETTER.

14) Be Viral. The Internet is a force and you must participate. For companies to prosper they must register with an online social network for connections (LINKEDIN, MySpace, Facebook, Twitter); blog; e-blast newsletters; webinars; and podcast.

15) Smile and look engaging.


Hear Karen on the Chocolate Pages Show:


Caviar Moment: Get out there and be counted. Be purposeful, be poised, and be consistent.

Excerpt taken from the book - ©You Want Caviar But Have Money For Chitlins - A Smart Do-It-Yourself- PR Guide For Those On A Budget. www.taylormademediapr.com; www.karentaylorbass.com.

(reprinted from an article which appeared in the November 2008 issue of
The Network Journal)"



See http://theprdistinction.blogspot.com & www.PamPerryPRCoach.com too and www.ChocolatePagesNetwork.com!

Research is KEY. Other than Google, where can a Writer Go to Find Information?

I just finished my monthly Chocolate Pages Network PR Coaching call. The authors are off to a great start. Those who show up, go up!

After I got off the call, I realized that a lot of what makes an author successful is getting the right resources they need and knowing where to find information.

One of my favorite scriptures is Hosea 4:6"...My people are destroy for lack of knowledge..." Well, I don't want to see Christian authors destroy, so it is my mission and assignment to help feed them with knowledge. If I can't answer the question, I make it my business to know who to ask or where to go to get the information.

So here is a list I got from the Christian Writer's Market Guide (my favorite tool, available on my website. The 2008 edition is 1/2 off - only $20 bucks):

Where to find INFORMATION:

ABOUT.COM. When you don’t know anything about a topic, search: www.about.com for hundreds of information links.

AREA CODES. For a numerical listing of telephone area codes, go to: http://bennetyee.org/ucsd-pages/area.html.

ASK-AN-EXPERT SITES. (1) Website: www.K12Science.org/askanexpert.html. (2) www.askanexpert.com; (3) www.askjeeves.com. (4) The Yearbook of Experts, Authorities, and Spokespersons: www.yearbook.com.

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION. (1) Website: www.biography.com. Short biographies on 25,000+ personalities. (2) This biographical dictionary covers more than 28,000 notable men and women who have shaped our world from ancient times to the present day: http://s9.com/biography.

+BRITANNICA. Website: www.britannica.com. The Encyclopedia Britannica’s Website. Includes the Britannica blog, all of the articles in the Encyclopedia Britannica, a newsletter, and more.

COUNTRIES. These sites give information on various countries of the world: (1) CIA’s World Factbook: www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook; (2) Library of Congress’s Portals to the World: www.loc.gov/rr/international/portals.html; (3) Country Reports: www.countryreports.org; (4) www.economist.com/countries.

EXPERTS. (1) Website: www.experts.com. A diverse source of experts, academic and otherwise. (2) Directory that lists expertise of more than 1,000 University of Southern California scientists/scholars/administrators/physicians as a service to editors/reporters/
producers can be found at www.usc.edu/uscnews/newsroom/. (3) Also, check out: www.profnet.com. Site contains 14,000 expert profiles.

FACT PORTAL. Colin Powell’s favorite site links to sources of information on a multitude of topics. Website: www.refdesk.com.

FEDERAL CITIZEN INFORMATION CENTER SITES. (1) www.info.gov. Brochures on just about any subject. News, links, topics, resources, fun stuff, and more; (2) www.pueblo.gsa.gov. Information about anything and everything one could need. Free and low-cost booklets.

HOLIDAYS/FESTIVALS. (1) To find information on holidays/festivals worldwide, visit: www.holidays.net, or (2)www.wilstar.com/holidays.

HOW STUFF WORKS. (1) Website: www.howstuffworks.com. Explains how things work from vacuum cleaners to earthquakes, using text/pictures/animation. (2) See also: www.ehow.com.

INFORMATION PLEASE. Website: www.InfoPlease.com. This 50-year-old print resource now available on the Internet.

LOOKUPS. Amazing site with 30 databases for the demographic seeker: www.melissadata.com/Lookups.

MAG PORTAL. Website: www.MagPortal.com. Lets you search for articles online simultaneously, without having to visit each magazine’s Website individually.

PHONE BOOK SEARCH USA. Websites: (1) www.switchboard.com; (2) www.infobel.com/teldir.

PUBLIC RECORDS. (1) To find public records online, go to: www.oatis.com. (2) To find financial information/background checks/birthdays/occupations of people, go to: www.pretrieve.com.

REFERENCE SITES. List of free reference sites useful to writers and anyone looking for free information: www.writers-free-reference.com.

+STINK LIT. Find books that reveal in graphic detail the underbelly of a particular locale, time period, or culture, such as poverty/dyspepsia/general squalor. (1) A Journal of the Plague Year by Daniel Defoe; (2) The Jungle by Upton Sinclair; (3) Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell.

WRITERS’ KNOWLEDGE SWAP. Website: http://groups.yahoo
.com/group/writerswap. An information-exchange mailing list for writers doing research.


See www.PamPerryPRCoach.com too and www.ChocolatePagesNetwork.com!

Got Questions about PR? Get FREE PR Advice - Regular Chocolate Pages Network Call

The Chocolate Pages Network is 1,000 members strong and growing!!

If you would like me to help you create greater success and fulfillment with your Book Marketing and PR 2009, I invite you to send me your most pressing question and join me for our regular 4th Monday CPN Mini-Coaching call.

'Ask YOUR PR Book Coach,' is a live, 55-minute, content-rich call where YOU determine the content and I answer as many questions (as humanly possible) about book marketing, online PR and author branding.

Join us this Monday, send me questions thru www.PamPerryPRCoach.com or ask on the call!

Scheduled Conference Date:
Monday, January 26, 2009
Scheduled Start Time: 9:00 PM to 10 PM Eastern Std Time
Dial-in Number: 1-218-936-4700 Midwest
Participant Access Code: 528281#

Send your questions to info@ministrymarketingsolutions.com or ask on the call!




Talk to you then. God bless you. 3 John 2

Pam Perry is a ministry marketing pioneer and expert in the African American Christian market. Her public relations career spans over two decades. She spent the first ten years working in ad agencies, media and has dedicated the past ten to ministry marketing and PR coaching authors. Her company, Ministry Marketing Solutions, Inc. has a roster of the most well-known publishers and Christian authors in the industry. She’s the creator of the ChocolatePagesNetwork.com, a social network for Christian authors. She is also the co-author of “Synergy Energy: How to Use the Power of Partnerships to Market Your Book, Grow Your Business and Brand Your Ministry.”

See www.PamPerryPRCoach.com too and www.ChocolatePagesNetwork.com!

Hope. Believe. Expect. Motivational Monday by Pam Perry

Dreams don't have an expiration date!
click to watch video and read article!

Hope. Believe. Expect. Motivational Monday by Pam Perry

Anybody can be great because anybody can serve! Martin Luther King

Andria Hall, more than an author - more than a client - my friend and mentor

Andria Hall, a former anchor for CNN and WNBC, died on Monday after a two-year battle with breast cancer, according to Caribbean World News and the New York Association of Black Journalists. From 2001 to 2005, she hosted the old Faith and Values Media's Sunday morning program "America at Worship," airing on the Hallmark Channel, which for two hours would take viewers to various services around the country, producer Jeff Weber told Journal-isms.

Andria authored three books, This Far by Faith: How to Put God First in Everyday Living; The Walk at Work: Seven Steps to Spiritual Success on the Job (Random House); and The Walk to Wealth: Seven Guiding Principles to Prosperity (SpeakEasy MEDIA Publishing). www.andriahall.com

She also was a Director with YTB Travel International, an Illinois-based online travel company; and a Board Director of Counterpart Caribbean, a sustainable development organization, based in Barbados.

Andria worked passionately as Executive Producer, Creator and Host of the radio programs, Andria Hall PROFILES! - The Walk As A Woman, and The Walk at Work: Committed to Your Calling and Your Career. Her radio broadcasts have been heard throughout the United States on The Sheridan Gospel Network, WBLS in New York, and WMCA and Salem Communications in New Jersey. Today, she can still be seen on www.faithstreams.com as host of America at Worship, which formerly aired on the Hallmark Channel.

Andria held an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters from Virginia University of Lynchburg, and has been featured in The Washington Post, Essence, Ebony, Jet, Precious Times, Rolling Out, Michigan Chronicle and many other newspapers and publications across the country and the world. A former columnist for Gospel Today magazine, Andria also played a supporting role in the movie "The Good Son."

In addition to winning the prestigious Emmy Award for Hosting, she has garnered numerous journalism awards. Andria was respected as a "faith and work" expert, showing that the two need not be separated but rather, when faith is lived out in one's everyday vocation, true success is achieved. Andria and her husband, Clayton Sizemore (CNN's Manager of Operations), made their home in New Jersey.

She was predeceased by her grandparents, Evelyn and Walter Sellars, and Aurelia and Grant Hall. Celebrating her life, she leaves her mother Mabel Hall, father Reverend Willie J. Hall, husband Clayton Sizemore, three children Amber, Cameron and Chase, sister Akosua Yeboah, aunts Marjorie (Matthew) Carden, Catherine Eason and Geraldine Young, and a large group of devoted relatives and friends.

A memorial service will be held on Friday, January 16, 2009 at Bethel Baptist Church in Brooklyn, New York (265 Bergen Street, NY 11217) from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., while her viewing and celebration is scheduled for First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens in Somerset, New Jersey (771 Somerset Street, NJ 08873) on Saturday, January 17, 2009 starting at 8 a.m.


In lieu of flowers, the family has asked well-wishers to make contributions to the SpeakEasy M.E.D.I.A. Foundation which Andria established to minister, mentor and mold the future generations.

Contributions can be sent to SpeakEasy M.E.D.I.A. Foundation - 1812 Front Street, Scotch Plains, New Jersey 07076. For further information, email info@speakeasymedia.com.








Andria Hall, seen through the lens of many TV cameras and heard through many microphones, has been called home to be with Jesus. Though I celebrate her homegoing to be with the Lord, I am so deeply sadden.



You see, she was more than an award-winning journalist, former CNN anchor, television host and author - she was my friend. A true and trusted friend. The kind of friend that has "your back" through thick and thin.

She pushed me to be my best. Her faith was an inspiration to me to really do Ministry Marketing Solutions. Her book, "The Walk at Work," literally changed my life.

Andria, I believe, is one of those gifts that God gives you that happen ever so rare. Like a treasure. It was a blessing to know her - and everyone who has met her says the same thing!

I remember the time we did her book tour in Detroit and she was always so gracious and never meeting a stranger. Our relationship grew over the last ten years - and she became like a big sister and mentor to me.

When I thought I couldn't - she would tell me I could! When I felt like giving up, she would offer prayers of encouragement - and know just the right words to say to keep me going.

She was the epitome of a fine Christian lady. A sister, friend that will be missed so much.





Ecclesiastes 3:1-13 (New International Version)

A Time for Everything

There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

What does the worker gain from his toil?
I have seen the burden God has laid on men.
He has made everything beautiful in its time.
He has also set eternity in the hearts of men;
yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live.
That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil- this is the gift of God.


Sincerely,
Pam Perry


Visit: http://www.blackgospelpromo.com/walkatwork/#

See www.PamPerryPRCoach.com too and www.ChocolatePagesNetwork.com

Author’s Cheat Sheet: How to Work with the Print Media by Pam Perry

1. Get newsworthy info into the hands of the media. Make a habit of sending out releases on a regular basis about your events, special speakers, or anything impacting the community at large. Use a media directory or "Google" on the web to find names and contact information.

2. Get to know the beat of reporters of the daily and weekly newspapers. Position yourself with them as an accessible and reliable source and a key authority to be featured in future stories.

3. Read the dailies, weeklies. Respond to articles where you can take a stand on an issue while branding your ministry by writing a "Letter to Editor" or an "Op Ed" - Opinion Editorial.

4. Send out media releases for really intriguing or fascinating human interest stories by using news wire services. Wire services get wider distribution and can be picked up by national media via the web.

5. Place ads in local newspapers and monthly magazines. Have the ads consistent with your other marketing materials.

6. Become a regular advertiser in at least one publication. You build brand equity with that audience by advertising in one publication. They learn to trust you. Purchase ads in souvenir program books like the NAACP or SCLC to show your commitment to the community.

7. Feature bold graphics and a lot of white space in your newspaper and magazine ads. Keep copy to a minimum. Steer people to your web site. Color commands attention and adds impact. It also gets better ad placement in newspapers.

8. Supply media with well-written and professionally developed press kits. Include press releases (the who, what, when, where, how and why), fact sheets, bios, photo, brochure, annual reports and news clips. Suggest a story idea in the cover letter. Use the industry format for releases to improve your chances of gaining publicity.

9. Expect very little communication back from editors. They are very busy every day with tons of lead for stories. Assign an intern or team member to follow up by phone, email, or both.

10. Read any and all publications you can. Note stories that deal with issues important to your ministry. Add that reporter to your media contact list to send them future releases. The best media lists are the ones you personally create and are familiar with the reporter's work and style.

11. Send out thank you notes to reporters who feature you in stories. They will remember your personal touch and will keep you in mind as a good source in the future.

12. Assign a photographer to take photos at ALL events where you are participating. Releasing the photos to the media after an event is called Post-Publicity. Send the photo with a brief description of the event. Identify the people in the photo with a label on the back.

13. Realize that newspapers always need good photos. Most black newspapers love to chronicle events in the community.

Pam Perry is a ministry marketing pioneer and expert in the African-American Christian market and the author of "Synergy Energy: How to Use the Power of Partnerships to Market Your Book, Grow Your Business and Brand Your Ministry." For more information, go to www.PamPerryPR.com and get the free MP3 and more PR tips.


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LET YOUR GIFT SHINE!
Seminar for New and Aspiring Christian Writers
When: Saturday, January 24, 2009 from 9am to 4pm
Location: Greater Grace Temple - Detroit


Let your gift shine in 2009!

Do you have a helpful how-to, an inspiring memoir or an intriguing novel in your heart?

Are you clueless about how to get started as a Christian author?

Have you written a good book but want to make it better?

If your answer to any of these questions is yes, then this is the seminar for you!

Saturday, January 24, 2009
9am - 4 pm
Greater Grace Temple Conference Center
23500 W. 7 Mile Road, Detroit, Michigan 48219

E3 Publications, Venus Mason Theus, Seminar Host

Workshops and Presenters:

*Answering the Call to Write - Barbara A. Smith, author of From Ashes to Glory
*The Anatomy of A Book - Kimberley Brooks, Essence Best Selling author of He's Fine, But Is He Saved?
*Self Publishing - Christina Dixon, PriorityOne Publishing
Authorpreneurship - Sabrina Adams, Zoe Life Publishing (Canton, Michigan)
Marketing Your Message - Emmy Award winner Pam Perry, Ministry Marketing Solutions
Meet the Pros! - Panel of ABC Seminar Presenters, featuring Author and Internet Promo Guru Sylvia Hubbard

See www.PamPerryPRCoach.com too and www.ChocolatePagesNetwork.com!

Clck here for more info