There are several free places you can advertise your event!
(If you want to send out a press release, get on Youtube, or become a sponsor of my newsletters, contact me for more information at LisaSaunders42@gmail.com. I help clients for a fee. Sometimes I have a free spot on my TV show, but I book up pretty quickly.)
Here are some free places to get your story heard:
Submit your events to (if in Mystic, Conn., area):
Want to get on TV?
Perhaps you can get on Harriet Grayson's show. See: www.communitycultureshowcase.weebly.com. Contact Harriet at: graysonharriet@gmail.com
You may also find a spot on "Books and Things" with Tom Santos, SECAPA Chairperson. Contact him at santostom@comcast.net. For more information about SECAPA, visit the website: www.secapa.org. More info on CAPA: www.aboutcapa.com.
Press Releases
Write a press release (or I can help you do that for a fee). Send them to your media contacts.
You can send your news to the editor at:
—Westerly Sun: http://www.thewesterlysun.com/contactus/publicsubmissions/
—The Day: http://www.theday.com/article/99999999/STATIC01/141009745
If you are a tourist site, The Mystic Wave may accept your news. Contact blogger: molly@themysticwave.com.
Writing press releases and YouTube videos are what I do for my clients--if that is what you want, contact me at LisaSaunders@gmail.com. See my article and press release sample below: If you are a tourist site, The Mystic Wave may accept your news. Contact blogger: molly@themysticwave.com.
Media Releases: When, Why and How to Send Them
By Lisa Saunders, Publicist
Ever present a talk at a library and no one showed up? Or publish a book and don’t know how to get media attention?
One of the best ways to broadcast your news is to send the media a press release, otherwise known as a media or news release. Many authors assume their publishers will send out press releases and that when they give a talk, the hosting organization will send one out. They may, but usually it’s up to you to make sure the word gets out. So start gathering media contacts now!
After you’ve sent a press release to the media, then post it to your blog from where you can easily repost to your LinkedIn, Facebook, Google +, and other online media accounts (ask your friends to do the same). There are even press release sites that let you post it there for free.
The first step is to learn how to properly format a release that will interest a reporter (who wants to quickly know, “How will this benefit my readers?”) and to minimize the reporter’s rewriting work (they need it written in Associated Press style, for example, write a.m., not AM or A.M.; and states fewer than six letters are spelled out. Connecticut is Conn.). If possible, you will want to attach a high resolution photograph to which you own the copyrights-- publications loves images they don’t have to search or pay for.
The most important and “why should my readers care” information needs to be on top of your release. Don’t make the reporter search for the date and time of an event. Make it easy on them and make it short! They don’t like to open attachments, so put your information within the body of the e-mail.
There are many reasons to send out a press release:
· Your topic is closely associated with an awareness month.
· You are giving a lecture.
· You won an award (I got a lot of news coverage when I sent a release about me winning a beer stein hoisting contest—I used that news to promote my book about my ancestor’s hanging, which was urged on by Samuel Adams, also the name of the brewing company hosting the contest).
One of my personal press releases that gained a lot of media coverage:
Email Subject: Mom asks CT to Stop # 1 Birth Defects Virus
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Mom Asks CT to Become 2nd State in Nation to Stop #1 Birth Defects Virus
Mystic, Conn.— Lisa Saunders of Mystic didn’t know how to prevent contracting CMV (cytomegalovirus), which causes more disabilities than Down syndrome, until it was too late for her daughter Elizabeth born with a severely damaged brain.
On March 25, Connecticut’s Public Health Committee voted in favor of House Bill 5147, which includes a cytomegalovirus (CMV) public education program. At present, Utah is the only state that requires their Public Health Department to provide CMV education.
Saunders, the parent representative of the Congenital CMV Foundation, is now asking legislators to make Connecticut the second state in the Union to prevent the leading viral cause of birth defects by passing HB 5147. Congenital CMV can be prevented if women of childbearing age learn the precautions to take, which includes refraining from kissing their toddlers around the mouth.
According to a study posted on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website, “fewer than half (44%) of OB/GYNs surveyed reported counseling their patients about preventing CMV infection” despite the following statistics from the CDC:
· About 1 in 150 children is born with congenital CMV infection (approximately 30,000 in the U.S. each year).
· Congenital CMV causes one child to become disabled every hour.
Saunders has been trying to raise CMV awareness for years through her speaking engagements and books, including Anything But a Dog! The perfect pet for a girl with congenital CMV (cytomegalovirus), and most recently her travel memoir, Mystic Seafarer’s Trail, where she jokes she's trying to get thin and famous like Amelia Earhart (secretly married in Noank), so people will listen to her CMV prevention message.
For more information, visit Saunders at: www.authorlisasaunders.com.
For more information, visit Saunders at: www.authorlisasaunders.com.
###
Lisa Saunders, author and publicist, will discuss press releases in depth at the next SE CAPA (Southeast Chapter of the Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association) meeting on Monday, November 17, 6:30 p.m., at the Groton Inn and Suites in Groton.
For more information, contact Tom Santos, SE CAPA Chairperson, at 860-599-5067, santostom@comcast.net, or visit: www.secapa.org
Free Press Release Websites--They will post your news:
From Mashables:
Many of the sites on the following link will accept your uploaded press releases at no cost: http://mashable.com/2007/10/19/press-releases/
24-7PressRelease.com - Free release distribution with ad-support
1888PressRelease.com - Free distribution, paid services gives you better placement and permanent archiving.
ClickPress.com - Distributs to sites like Google News and Topix.net, Gold level will also get you to sites like LexisNexis.
EcommWire.com - Focuses on ecommerece and requires you include an image, 3 keywords and links.
Express-Press-Release.com - Free distribution company with offices in 12 states.
Free-Press-Release.com - Easy press release distribution for free, more features for paid accounts.
Free-Press-Release-Center.info - Distributes your release, offers a web page with one keyword link to your site. Pro upgrade will give you three links, permanent archiving and more.
I-Newswire.com - Allows for free distribution to sites and search engines, premium membership differs only slightly in adding in graphics.
NewswireToday.com - All the usual free distribution tools, premium service includes logo, product picture and more.
PR.com - Not only will they distribute your press releases, but you can also set up a full company profile.
PR9.net - Ad supported press distribution site.
PR-Inside.com - European-based free press release distribution site.
PRBuzz.com - Completely free distribution to search engines, news sites, and blogs.
PRCompass.com - Distribute your press release with a free or paid version, others can vote it up ala Digg style.
PRUrgent.com - Not only distributes your release, but attempts to teach you how to write one, and even offers downloadbale samples for you to work with.
Press-Base.com - Submit your release for free and get on their front page and the category of your choice.
PressAbout.com - A free press release service formatted as a blog.
PressMethod.com - Free press release distribution no matter what, but extra services based on the size of your contribution.
PRLeap.com - Free distribution to search engines, newswires, and RSS feeds. Fee based bumps get you better placement.
PRLog.org - Free distribution to Google News and other other search engines.
TheOpenPress.com - Gives free distribution for plain formatted releases, fees for HTML-coded releases.
