 About Elena Verlee Heralded as “The Passionate Publicist,” Elena Verlee helps even the most ordinary business become well‐ known and sought after through the power of publicity. Elena delivers high‐impact, low or no‐cost publicity strategies for entrepreneurs serious about claiming leadership in their market and growing their business to profitability and beyond. She has worked with a range of clients from moms, coaches, authors and start‐ups, to billion dollar technology companies to help them achieve publicity in countless media outlets. Elena is founder of a successful PR agency called Cross Border Communications that works with technology clients to promote them in the US, Canada and the UK. Elena’s goal with publishing her blog and do‐it‐yourself site PR in Your Pajamas is to help entrepreneurs who can’t afford a publicist get heard, get known and get talked about so they can change the world. Elena has built a 7‐figure business from home, and has sold two businesses for 6‐ figures. In 2010 she was named in Forbes.com as one of “20 Women for Entrepreneurs to Follow on Twitter” and has been called “clearly a brand building badass” by the editor‐in‐chief of Entrepreneur Magazine. She is also a columnist for Working Mom Magazine and is frequently interviewed on various topics regarding publicity, social media, goal setting, time management and building a business without sacrificing a personal life. She has two young kids, lives in 2 countries and recently finished her first triathlon after finally learning to swim in her 40’s. Connect with Elena on Social Networks: Twitter ‐ www.Twitter.com/elenaverlee Facebook ‐ www.Facebook.com/PRinYourPajamas LinkedIn ‐ www.LinkedIn.com/in/ElenaVerlee Copyright Elena Verlee www.PRinYourPajamas.com A 30DAY PR AND SOCIAL MEDIA PLAN Dear Fellow Entrepreneur One of the biggest questions I get is “How do I start?” Meaning, how and where do you start to build visibility and get publicity for your business? So…I put together this 30 day guide to help you get started. There are lots of links to resources that explain the steps in more depth. This is simply an introduction to the same steps I take my clients through, and a day‐by‐day encouragement to take action to build buzz and visibility for your business. No action = no results. There’s no need to take it literally. Maybe it’s better to think of it as 30 steps, it may take you 30 days, it may take you 60 days. The point is I wanted to give you a structure to follow logically, that builds upon a momentum you’ll create. So take a step today, and everyday if you can, and you’ll be well on your way to creating Offline and Online publicity for your company. Want to know if these strategies really work? Check out what my DIY clients are saying at www.prinyourpajamas.com/testimonial Let me know how it goes and make sure you send me clips of yourself in the news! Warmly, Elena Verlee Copyright Elena Verlee www.PRinYourPajamas.com Now, here are the 30 steps to get you going: 1. Answer key questions for writing a Media Pitch including the top 3 messages you want to communicate about yourself, your product, service and/or company. See my blog post for help: http://prinyourpajamas.com/media‐pitch‐questions/ 2. Using the above, write a complete media pitch. Write a few if you are on a roll! If you can write an email, you can write a media pitch! See my blog post on writing a 3 paragraph media pitch http://prinyourpajamas.com/how‐to‐write‐a‐3‐paragraph‐media‐pitch/ 3. Prepare graphics and photos. See http://prinyourpajamas.com/how‐to‐ use‐photos‐to‐get‐pr/ 4. Obtain testimonials. See http://prinyourpajamas.com/how‐to‐get‐ testimonials/ 5. Research one magazine, paper or blog you want to target and start a media list (or buy one). See http://prinyourpajamas.com/how‐to‐build‐ your‐own‐media‐list/ 6. Prepare for interviews by reviewing your key messages and knowing what to ask a reporter. See http://prinyourpajamas.com/how‐to‐ prepare‐for‐a‐media‐interview/ 7. Email pitches out to your target reporter or blogger. This is how you build a media list http://prinyourpajamas.com/how‐to‐build‐your‐own‐media‐ list/ 8. Prepare bio, topics to discuss and assemble other parts of your Media Kit together. 9. Create a page on your website and load Media Kit or create a Press Page like Pamela Slim of www.escapefromcubiclenation.com/press or like mine http://www.prinyourpajamas.com/press 10. Prepare hard copies of Media Kit if necessary. 11. Sign up for HARO www.helpareporterout.com , Journalist Source www.journalistsource.ca or Reporters Source www.reporterssource.com to get PR opportunities emailed to you. 12. Follow up media pitches by phone and start booking interviews and reviews. Feeling nervous about contacting the media? Read this http://prinyourpajamas.com/pr‐mindsets/ Copyright Elena Verlee www.PRinYourPajamas.com 13. Determine your social media strategy and plan. Check out http://prinyourpajamas.com/social‐media‐is‐online‐pr/ 14. Create a free or hosted blog to build up your community and presence. I love wordpress! 15. Create your My Alltop page at www.myalltop.com You can use this to follow blogs you like and also make it easy for you to find and post interesting links you like on social networking sites like Twitter or Facebook. 16. Sign up for Twitter www.twitter.com and learn to use it. 17. Checkout Tweetdeck www.tweetdeck.com , Adjix www.adjix.com (to use in conjunction with your Alltop page), SocialToo www.socialtoo.com Tweetlater www.tweetlater.com, Hootsuite www.hootsuite.com , Ping.fm www.ping.fm and decide which time‐saving tools are right for you. 18. Sign up for Facebook www.facebook.com and create Personal Profile and/or Company Page or Group Page. 19. Sign up for Linked In www.linkedin.com and make connections, answer questions and join groups or create your own groups. 20. Find out more about your target audiences using forums, www.technorati.com, Facebook searches or Twitter searches using www.search.twitter.com , www.twellow.com and www.wefollow.com 21. Research and book speaking opportunities with local groups and meet ups on your topic. 22. Send out a second media pitch and make it a regular part of your routine to think of contacting the media every week and thinking in terms of generating buzz. 23. Prepare an expert article for submission to article directories such as www.ezinearticles.com 24. Sign up for Google Alerts to track what is being said about you, your company or product. Use it to see what competitors or industry leaders are up to. 25. Sign up for Google Analytics and track your webpage stats so you can see how much and where traffic is coming from to optimize your site. Copyright Elena Verlee www.PRinYourPajamas.com 26. Approach influential bloggers for product reviews or guest posts on your expertise. 27. Approach Internet Radio shows for guesting spots like those on www.blogtalkradio.com 28. Plan for special PR or marketing promotions during the year – remember that magazines work 3 – 6 months in advance of their date of publication. Here’s how to use holidays to get PR http://prinyourpajamas.com/how‐ to‐use‐holidays‐to‐get‐publicity/ 29. Approach media for a contributed article that you write, and they run in their paper or magazine as a by‐lined article. 30. Get media clips and post it on your website, send it out to prospects, customers, partners to remind them why they work with you or why they should work with you. Remember, there are 50 great things publicity can do for you http://prinyourpajamas.com/50‐things‐getting‐publicity‐can‐ do‐for‐you/ Finally, do thank reporters and bloggers for any media clips or coverage that have been written about you. If you’d like a more in‐depth look at the above steps, you can find it at: How to Do Your Own PR (BASIC COURSE) http://www.PublicRelationsforSmallBusiness.com Publicity STORM (BASIC to ADVANCED COURSE) http://www.PublicitySTORM.com Social Media for Beginners http://www.SocialMediaPRBuzz.com Copyright Elena Verlee www.PRinYourPajamas.com 