How to Email the Press

People often ask me how do they get the attention of journalists via email. There are a few professional tactics you need to use in order to grab the reader's attention, but relationships are always key to getting your email read vs. going in cold.

The first tactic is to ensure your subject line is accurate, newsworthy, and concise. Journalists HATE fluff when it is pitched to them.  So, make their job easier by getting to the point right away without any subjective point of views applied to your subject line.

Next, don't send attachments. Journalists will not open them. If a journalist wants an EPK, he or she will either ask for it or can visit your website to download it.

Don't put a press release inside an email. Journalists hate this. Instead, send a media-relevant pitch that quickly links to the release should the reporter require further information.Make sure it is AP style or it will get tossed. 

These simple tactics can elevate your email to a viewable level with many press agents.

Until tomorrow,

Velma Trayham

Client Rewards & Publicity

I recently spoke to a client who asked why she wasn't rewarded with gift cards and so forth. Hmmm. It is an interesting marketing concept and a lot of retailers use this tactic. I put some thought into it and then decided to write my response here.

Here's the deal, rewards are not really rewards when it comes to services. Most of the time, clients are paying extra money for their own rewards. For example, I know one real estate provider who gives his clients a free iPad Air every time they buy a house through him. Wow, what a deal, right? Wrong.

You see, in my real estate friend's contract, he adds a $1,500 "marketing fee"- even on sales. So, essentially, his clients are buying a home, an iPad Air, and giving him a few extra hundred dollars profit. Is this really a customer reward or customer appreciate gift? No. It's a warm and fuzzy self-funded way for customers to feel good about selecting the Realtor to do his job.

Sure, I will send clients a gift-card for coffee here and there, but never out of their own contract and never as an expected gift. I believe in providing results and customer services that exceeds expectations as a real reward for my clients. It has worked, as they keep coming back.

So, today, as we hit the midweek point- ask yourself how you are really rewarding your clients. Are you buying their affection using their own money? Or are you setting the bar and then exceeding their expectations?

Until next time,

Velma Trayham of ThinkZILLA 

The cost of negativity – firing a client.

Last week I touched a bit on firing a client and a few basic reasons why and how to do this. Today, however, I want to talk about weighing the costs. Most people become emotional about firing a client. They think it’s going to harm the client or their own reputation.

Any smart business owner adds a Terms of Service agreement onto their invoices. These Terms of Service agreements not only show your client what guidelines and expectations come with working alongside and hiring your firm, but they also include social media and online review protections that can allow you to sue your client should you fire them and they become hostile.

Chip Bell, who is a Customer Loyalty Consultant and best-selling author, recently wrote “Business owners may anticipate having to replace lost revenue or fear potential negative word-of-mouth that might ensue from severing their ties with a client. This often keeps them from lowering the boom on highly toxic or bottom-line-eroding customers. And in the viral world, the word-of-mouth concern should definitely be figured into the decision.”

Money is often a concern, along with reputation management, when firing a client. You can replace a contract. You can’t replace your sanity or the amount you may lose because of a toxic client. If you have a client who requires too much of your time, other clients may leave your company. Is it easier to replace one client or many? The answer is pretty simple.

Chip Bell states, “Customers should be encouraged to exit for one of three reasons: They’re costing you too much financially, taking a steep emotional toll or violating a key value of the organization.”  Think about the client you may want to fire. Think about what I said and then think about the three steps Mr. Bell just listed. Now,  can you really afford to keep this client? 

Negativity and finances are always a good reason to part ways.

Until tomorrow,

Coco the CEO