Need Publicity? Attend a free teleseminar

After being interviewed by and appearing in about 200 publications and being a guest on over 50 radio shows worldwide, I feel qualified to offer a little advice on the topic of generating PR.



Here's the advice: attend this free teleseminar Thursday. Here's the link:



http://www/.tvpublicityteleseminar.com/?10535




Why should you take my advice?

After my first self-published book came out in January, 2005, sales didn't exactly soar. So later that year when I got an email telling me about a free teleseminar on getting PR, I wasn't really sure, but thought "it's free, it's less than an hour, so what the heck."



Steve Harrison interviewed a couple people on that teleseminar, then at the end, he pitched the National Publicity Summit.



I listened to a replay of the teleseminar, then I went to the web site for the Summit. I checked out who was coming (from the press), talked to my wife, then signed up.



A week later Steve Harrison called me to tell me I wasn't a good fit for the Summit. He felt it was mostly B2C, not a B2B (or for me, business-to-government) type of event. I said has this particular magazine confirmed they'll be there. He said yes. I said, then it is well worth my time to attend. He said OK.



This points out 2 things. First, that Steve doesn't let just anyone attend because they have the money. He wants this to be a win for the press that attends and for the people paying to meet the media. He tried to talk me out of attending.



The publication I wanted to pitch was Entrepreneur magazine, and it turned out the (then) editor in chief was the attendee, Rieva Lesonsky. And here's how the pitch went (Keep in mind the first 2 days of the Summit is training the attendees how to pitch a story and it is well worth your time):



I am in line to pitch Ms Lesonsky, and my turn finally comes up. I have 2.5 minutes for my pitch and I start, full of enthusiasm. I am on a roll. Except at the 30 second market she holds up her hands in a "time out" gesture, and I think "Oh crap- I blew it..."



Ms Lesonsky says- and I quote because I remember this VERY clearly: "The soonest we can have you in is July. Is that OK?"



In July 2006 there is a 2/3 length picture of me down one side of page 25 and a short interview on the left side. Over the next 2 years I was back in the magazine 2 times and on the web site 3 more. A full-time PR pro can't get you any better coverage.



Fast forward to January 2011. Rieva Lesonky, now editor in chief at GrowSmartBusiness.com, reviews my third book-and even adds a review at Amazon. Obviosuly we are still in touch!



Did the National Publicity Summit work for me? Yes- and it still does. I went a total of 4 times.



Am I a paid affiliate? Yes- and proud of it! I don't do much affiliate stuff, but when Steve offered me the chance, I took it.



IF- and that's a big if, if you are ready for publicity, if you know why you want it, and you have something of value to share with a well-defined audience, then you should consider attending the National Publicity Summit. Check out the media that will be attending and match it to what you want publicity for. If it's a match....consider going!

And it all starts with a free teleseminar. If it is not a match, or if you are not quite ready, don't go! There will be TV, radio, print and more.

And the teleseminar all by itself will give you a couple of great tips.

http://www.tvpublicityteleseminar.com/?10535

If you have any questions, send me an email I will respond to any inquiries with "Publicity Summit" in the subject line.

email markamtower gmail com

And best of luck on your publicity adventure!

Do you have a book in you???

Besides my marriage and the birth of my children, the biggest thrills in my career have been seeing my name on the cover of three books- the latest just out (Selling to the Government).

I have a theory that goes like this:

95% of the people are very happy (professionally, not necessarily personally) with who they are, what they currently know about their profession, and assume that they will learn what they need to know by some form of osmosis- proximity to others in their profession. Possible, but not likely.

4% of the people proactively go to seminars, belong to professional associations, network with peers on a regular basis, read trade publications and the like. Practical and good - real growth occurs.

1% of the people wish to excel and go to seminars, belong to and participate in associations, read trade publications and the like. They also write articles or blogs, and/or make presentations, and find other ways to actively grow their knowledge bases and share it with others.

Among all three groups, there are some who think they should write a book.

For those in the 95% group, this will probably never happen.

For those in the top 5%, it is a possibility. But the possibility is stifled by a self-imposed limitation: it will take too much time and work to write a book.

As the author of 3 books (2 self-published, the 3rd just out from John Wiley) I can tell you from experience that-
1) yes, it takes time;
2) it is not easy, but it is not as difficult as most think;
3) the rewards of being an author come in many ways.

Thursday, Jan 27, my friend Steve Harrison will be hosting a free teleseminar/webinar where he will interview Ann McIndoo, the former creative assistant to motivational guru Tony Robbins. Ann has trained 268 authors to write their non-fiction books in under 90 days.

If you have a book inside you waiting to come out, or if you have one started that is stalled for whatever reason, consider listening in to the teleseminar or watching the webinar. It is available twice on Thursday, once in the afternoon and once in the evening. Details are here:

http://www.freeauthortraining.com/call/?10535

I can tell you that short of my marriage and the birth of my children, there is nothing like seeing your name on the cover of a book!

While I have not attended this session, I have attended several events hosted by Steve Harrison since my first book came out in 2005, and I have benefited from each. I am also now a compensated affiliate for Steve and Bradley Communications. If you have questions about my experience with Steve and Bradley Communications, enter your comment or question here on the blog post, or email me at markamtower gmail com

If you really want to write a book, take an hour and listen in!

http://www.freeauthortraining.com/call/?10535

Need more publicity?

Regardless of what we do, to some degree, we all need publicity.

If you are a speaker, writer, consultant or a business owner, you definitely need publicity.

But this issue for each of us is how do we get it?

I whole-heartedly recommend Steve Harrison's PR program. I have attended several since my first book came out in in 2005. Google "Mark Amtower" and see some of the results for yourself. My 3rd book comes out this December and I'll be using everything I have learned to sell more books.

Steve is hosting a free teleseminar Monday Oct 25 on strategies to promote almost any book, product, business or service. I'm an affiliate, but again, I am proof of the results.

If you'd like a little more info from me on this, or my advice to see if you are ready for this, drop me a line at MarkAmtower AT gmail.com and we can discuss your situation.

I truly wish you the best of luck with your PR efforts!

http://www.yourquantumleap.com/previewcallfour/?10535

Are you EVER going to write your non-fiction book???

You've seen "experts" on TV or heard them on the radio or read their quotes in the trade press - and these "experts" don't know as much as you, right?

Without a book, you will never be "the" expert, the one the press turns to for comment, or the one who commands higher fees and gets the speaking gigs.

I know - I am the author of 2 books - and I get more press and speaking gigs as a result - plus I can (and do) charge more. It took me a long time to get the first book done - but once it came out - wow! I even got featured in Entrepreneur (July 2006).

If you are committed to writing or finishing your book, there is a teleseminar this week (Thursday, and it is free) that will give you some tips on how to write it over a weekend.

Thursday Jan 21- discover how to write your book in a weekend.

http://www.WriteYourBookInAWeekend.com/call/?10535

This is a free teleseminar and it will give you some valuable tips.

Best to you in your writing quest!


Mark Amtower, author,
Government Marketing Best Practices
Why Epiphanies Never Occur to Couch Potatoes

PS - I have attended Steve Harrison's events in the past, and have purchased coaching from him on more than one occasion. I have always been satisfied with the results - and now I'm an affiliate. if you have questions - feel free to email me at Mark@FederalDirect.net

Ever thought about business coaching as a profit center?

Do you offer coaching services? Over the past 2 years I have, and it can be good income and emotionally rewarding as well.

If you have not considered business coaching, maybe you should for 2010.

Why? Because coaching is one of the quickest ways almost any 'subject matter expert' can make more while also helping a lot of people. In fact, you might be surprised how much others will pay for what you know (and probably take for granted).

To discover how to get started offering coaching services, you're invited to a free telephone seminar on Thursday, January 7th:

http://www.CoachingTrainingTeleseminar.com/?10535

On the call, my friend Steve Harrison interview Tim Paulson, an author, speaker and coaching expert who's helped many people start successful coaching practices. Although I am a compensated affiliate for this program, I recommend Steve Harrison's program without reservation. I have been through several of his programs since meeting him in January 2006, and each program has helped me develop new skills.

Here's just some of you what you'll discover on Thursday's call:

* Why you undoubtedly know (and take for granted) things others will pay to learn, plus why you probably don't need any special degrees or credentials to get started.

* How to get others to gladly pay you $100 ...$200 ... (or more) per hour for your advice and have it be worth every penny to them!

* A little-known secret Tim discovered in Egypt on how to help other people change their lives through coaching ... and create a big cash surge quickly (authors and 'soon to be' authors will LOVE this.)

* How you can have a lot more fun, make a profound difference in the lives of others and do it in a way that completely fits your lifestyle (even part-time).

* Why having a non-fiction book can be a powerful (but not essential) way to get coaching clients. And how to get clients if your book isn't out yet.

* The fastest and easiest way to be up and running in a successful coaching business (literally within five days from now).

* Three costly mistakes and common pitfalls to avoid when getting started as a coach. (These you MUST know!).

* How to take an existing coaching business to the next level.

From my own experience as an occasional business coach, the emotional rewards are as good as the financial rewards. And your most successful clients will bring you more clients. You can offer coaching in groups (face to face or via teleseminar), or one on one (also via teleseminar or face to face). I prefer recorded teleseminars, as we can both (or all) review the entire discussion at our convenience.

I have seen coaching programs for a wide variety of skills, from dressing professionally (yes - how to dress for success!), business management, getting PR, blogging, public speaking, using social media (using Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebbok, etc), podcasting, how to start na seminar business, traditional networking (how to work a room) - all kinds of things!

Again, in the interest of full disclosure, you should know I'm a compensated affiliate for Steve's programs.

To register for Thursday's free telephone seminar on how to get started coaching, go here:

http://www.CoachingTrainingTeleseminar.com/?10535


I truly wish for a happy, healthy and safe New Year for each of you.

Mark Amtower

P.S. My coaching is in 3 areas: getting PR, B2G marketing and using LinkedIn. Drop me a line if you are interested! markamtower@gmail.com

Holiday Gift Ideas - books keep on giving: October through December Sale

Five Reasons to Give This Book to Employees, Friends and Family
(2 copies signed by the author for $15!!!)

Recently, my 12 year old son read Why Epiphanies Never Occur to Couch Potatoes for the first time. He knew about the book, but on his own he took a copy out of my library and read it in a few hours (it is a short book). He told me in no uncertain terms that he liked the book and he knew several people at his school that should read it.

I've been told by many that it is the perfect airplane book - short (with cartoons!)

Bob Bly (Robert W Bly, world famous copywriter and author of over 75 books) wrote:

"There are few people who can write and speak with equal ease on highly specialized topics as well as broad, big-picture notions. Mark Amtower is one of them. He is best-known as America’s leading expert on marketing to government. In Why Epiphanies Never Occur to Couch Potatoes, he widens his focus to dispense wisdom won from the school of hard knocks – common-sense advice and practical ideas that can help you achieve greater success in every important area of your life. Amtower’s wit and wisdom combined with Dave McCoy’s great cartoons make this is the perfect book for these tough times."

So here are five reasons to consider buying, reading and sharing this book:

1) As your children go off to college, or enter high school, it is important to send them with a reminder that character counts.

2) Inspiration helps people toward positive action. That is the core message in this book, complete with several personal anecdotes.

3) New Year's resolutions rarely stick. Why not give a book that shows the positive outcome of changes you choose and implement for yourself.

4) The book is short, sweet and to the point. The lessons are equally valid for teens to those who are retired; for men or women, boys or girls. These are lessons that can change lives for the good, and it is never too late to change.

5) The book is inexpensive. In today’s economy, that is huge.

Bonus Reason to Give this Book: All copies of the book will be signed by the author. A signed book is a wonderful gift for anyone.

Almost every person who has contacted me after reading the book has been moved to laughter, tears, or to evaluate where they are in their own lives.

I am having a 2-for-1 sale on Why Epiphanies Never Occur to Couch Potatoes until the end of the year. $15 gets you 2 signed copies -that's a hard deal to beat!

Take a look - http://www.epiphanybook.com/ - for $15 you cannot go wrong!

Oct 15 BlogTalkRadio interview

I did a BlogTalk Radio interview with Massachusetts-based Nat Couropmitree on Thursday, Oct 15 on his show, The Prosperity Lighthouse. It is available at

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ProsperityLighthouse/2009/10/15/Living-Your-Passion-with-Mark-Amtower-amtower

We spend almost an hour disucssing the evolution of Why Epiphanies Never Occur to Couch Potatoes - why I wrote the speech that became the book, the "laws" that I live by, why we each need a constant in our lives, and more.

I had a good time and it was a good discussion.