Does Not Hurt To Be Wrong
By Cheval John
I don’t have any posts this week about social media or live streaming.
However, I will chat about something else many people are afraid of.
Being wrong.
What I mean is many of us always want to be right.
We see a lot of predictions of where social media is going in the next couple of years.
Or which social media platform will be around.
Some thought that Vine would be around for a while because they were one of the first to jump start the live streaming revolution.
We even thought that Facebook was going to be a second class social media platform because they implemented their program to where you pay in order to boost your post.
Look at facebook now as they are continuing to dominate the social media scene especially with live video.
This leads to what I am chatting about in being wrong with predictions.
I made predictions over the years that turned out to be wrong.
People made fun of me for my wrong predictions that they called it the “Chevy Curse”
I keep on making some predictions surrounding a sporting event because sometimes they come to pass.
In this case, I have made a bet on myself on being a full time entrepreneur.
I am believing that things will be well with the business because I have learned a lot of valuable lessons along the way.
I understand that there is no such thing as over night success in building a business.
Yet many want to believe that when they start a business they will become profitable or even rich quickly.
The above will happen only if they experienced failure in their first business and learned valuable lessons.
Some might call us insane because we have not seen money rolling in despite years of hard work.
They will tell us to get a real work at a company.
They are the same ones who are miserable working at a 9-5 corporation.
I will tell that I am not afraid to be wrong in believing that my business will succeed because I know I am trying something new in being an entrepreneur.
I faced a situation when I started college late and wondered if I will ever graduate.
I worked hard in order to attain my college degrees from Lone Star College and Sam Houston State University.
That same tenacity will propel me towards achieving profitability this year which will take my business to the next level.
Even if people tell me I am crazy, I will continue to air my podcast every Tuesday, publish my blog on Wednesdays and participate in Twitter chats despite not seeing the positive results yet.
I rather be insane in doing the above than waste time in work that does not fulfill my destiny as a business owner.
Do you agree or disagree with this post? You can leave your comments below.
Niche Media or Mass Media
By Cheval John
A person has just started a new business and they are looking to attract new customers.
They understand they do not have the funding to place an ad in newpapers or buy a spot on the billboards.
They figured out one of the ways to market their business is by being featured in the media.
The first thing they might do is hire a public relations firm to pitch their business to shows on major media outlets.
It might seem like a good idea because major media outlets like CBS, ABC and NBC has a nationwide reach.
The first problem: it cost an average $10,000 to hire a great public relations firm to pitch your story to major media.
The second problem: the shows from major media will not be interested in you because you are just starting out and you are not big enough for them.
The better solution would be to focus on getting your story featured in niche media.
The reasons are:
1. THEY HAVE A TARGETED AUDIENCE.
When your story gets featured on a new media outlets like blogs or podcasts, you have a much better chance at accomplishing your goals.
Their audience are very interested in what you have to say.
If they are interested, there is a good chance you can win over some customers.
Dr. Ai Addyson-Zhang‘s live streaming show, Classroom Without Walls, has an average audience of 100 views from around the world.
That might look to you like peanuts.
However, every times a guest appears on her show,they ended up gaining new clients.
2. THERE ARE TASTE TESTERS
The people who run blogs,podcasts or live stream shows are taste testers because they are the ones who are ahead of the curve.
They are willing to see what your business is and are willing to put themselves on the line for you.
3. THEY ARE MORE TRUSTED
Their audience trust them because they have built a solid reputation over the years.
When they recommend something that is valuable to them, they is a great chance their audience will respond.
4. THEIR CONTENT CAN BE RE-PURPOSED ON MAJOR MEDIA
Morning television shows on major media are searching for content everyday because they have to fill their time slot.
If your story gets discovered on a blog by a major media, they will feature it as one of their segments on their shows.
Abbie Unger runs a facebook group teaching people how to land work as a flight attendant.
Her story was featured on podcasts before being picked up by the Huffington Post.
A couple of months later, a major television show featured her story in their segment.
Now that you have seen the reasons for choosing niche media, the question is how to reach out to them.
Here are some suggestions to this question
1. BE ACTIVE ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Interact with your audience on a daily basis because they will appreciate you more.
This might even catch the eye of reporters because they are now on social media because they know that breaking news can happen there
2. KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE
If you know what your target audience is about, it can give you an idea of how to sell your story to a journalist.
You can’t just send a blanket press release to every journalist out there hoping for one to bite.
That will make you look bad in the long run.
3. SHARE THE REPORTER’S CONTENT
If an article by a reporter resonates, you can share it on your social media accounts.
If you do this consistently, they will take notice and there is a good chance they will respond to your pitch.
Also, interact with them on social media.
There is a good chance you all might have a lot in common.
4. MAKE YOUR WEBSITE A CONTENT HUB
Thanks to technology, journalists are short handed.
They to do everything from writing their story to editing their package before deadline to air on the news.
If your pitch does not get their attention, they will simply delete it and move on.
One of the best things you can do is create the story yourself.
You can put blog posts on your website with some clips from your event.
If you done the first three steps above, you can then send your pitch with the blog post attached to it.
There is a great chance the journalist will select it because they saw you took the time to put the story together yourself.
What are your thoughts on this?
Please leave your comment below.
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