It may not seem like you can extend your virtual summit speaking experience into the real world very easily, but you might be surprised! If you're looking to make a bigger impact through your summit speaking, then get ready, because in this episode, we're talking about leveraging PR to boost your post-summit success.

Get Tiffany's press kit resource!

Tiffany shared so many more gems in her full session, so get the rest of her session, along with all the other amazing Sell With a Summit: Speaker Edition presentations at sellwithasummit.com/speakeredition

Learn more about Tiffany at https://www.tiffanyeurich.com

Mentioned in this episode:

Summit Speaker Strategy Audio Training

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Speaker Audio Training

Welcome to Virtual Summit Success.

I'm Jenn, founder of Virtual Summit Search, and you're in the right place

if you want to make the most of your virtual summit experience, whether

you're a host or virtual summit speaker.

Let's get going with your next step to virtual summit success.

You're listening to a snippet from a Sell With a Summit: Speaker Edition session.

I talked with Tiffany about how to use PR - public relations - to leverage

your summit speaking experiences.

If you're not familiar with PR or how it works, stay tuned; Tiffany will explain.

You can get so much mileage from summit speaking and PR can take

you to a new level with that!

All right, let's get going.

So it may not seem like you can extend your virtual summit speaking

experience into the real world very easily, but you might be surprised!

If you're looking to make a bigger impact through your summit speaking,

then get ready, because during the session we're talking about leveraging

PR to boost your post-summit success.

I'm Jenn, host of Sell With a Summit:

Speaker Edition, and I'm so excited

I'm Jenn, host of Sell With a Summit:

to introduce you to the fantastic Tiffany Eurich, who is not only a PR

I'm Jenn, host of Sell With a Summit:

strategist, but also an author, former TV personality, and university professor.

I'm Jenn, host of Sell With a Summit:

Thank you so much for being here, Tiffany.

Thank you.

It's such an honor and a pleasure to be here.

I love talking about marketing strategies that most people don't

realize are even accessible to them, so this is a great pleasure.

That's something that I think a lot of summit speakers don't utilize,

because like you said, they just don't even realize that it's an option.

So I'm really excited to dive into this.

And before we do that, could you give us an overview of your philosophy around

boosting post-summit success through PR?

Yeah, absolutely.

So one of the things that people really often get confused with

PR - first and foremost, just to explain what we're talking about - is

they confuse PR and advertising.

So when we're talking about public relations, it really is everything you

say and do, but most people think of it in terms of media relations or publicity.

So that's where you get mentioned in a newspaper or a magazine or your

favorite podcast or a television program, or your contributor to

a blog or something like that.

That's publicity, in a more traditional sense.

And so a lot of people think, oh, I'm already paying for

advertising, this or that.

And the great thing about publicity is that it's free!

True PR, true publicity, media relations is free for a business.

And so that's the first part of that philosophy is that this is an incredibly

underused method 'cause people don't realize that it's accessible.

PR has such a sort of glamorous smoke and mirrors impression around it and most

people think that this is something that is reserved for billion dollar brands.

They think that it's something that you can't do unless you're, you know,

Coca-Cola or somebody like that and you hired this big agency to do your PR.

But PR Is actually a really simple and very straightforward process if

you know a few of the behind the scene keys, if you will, to making it work.

And it's always seemed inaccessible to small businesses and yet small businesses

are the ones that can benefit the most.

Small brands can benefit the most from a really effective, targeted,

laser-sharp publicity strategy.

And so that's one of the big keys of my philosophy is

that it's free and underused.

Learn some of those basic techniques and really incorporate it into your brand

and into your overall marketing strategy.

I think that there are different tactics and different strategies within marketing,

and most people end up using just one again and again and again, but it's kind

of like saying, "I'm going on a trip to Europe, and so I'm going to get in my car

and drive to the coast and then try and drive my car through the ocean to Europe."

It'll get you part of the way, but there's going to come a point that what you've

been doing isn't going to keep working.

And so having a bigger, broader picture of marketing and the tactics that are

available to you can really help you grow your brand and expand your influence much

more quickly and much more effectively.

So learn about some of these underutilized things that you

do actually have access to.

And then the second part of that is focused on how you can serve.

A lot of times people say, "well, I don't really want to be a celebrity.

Like, I'm not a Kardashian," or something like that, and that's

not what we're talking about.

What we're talking about is creating useful, helpful content

that serves audiences, just like you want to serve your audiences.

You're just serving somebody else's audience - a reporter, or a podcaster,

or a blogger or a television station, whatever it might be.

And so you are creating content that's going to really serve their audience

well, and then you are giving it to that media professional in a way

that makes it easy for them to use.

And that's a fantastic strategy for getting your name and your

brand mentioned in the media.

we help transform brands from best kept secrets

into the go-to experts in their space, and it's really a very simple process,

but I think the big key there is just learn what is actually accessible to you,

learn you can do, and then make it happen.

Love that, because as a small business, we don't want to be a

best kept secret because if we're a secret, no one's going to find us.

Exactly.

I tell people all the time being a best kept secret is a great compliment,

but it is a terrible business model.

Yes.

A hundred percent agree.

So what would you say the first step that a summit speakers should take in order

to build their PR strategy would be?

Yeah.

So the first thing I would tell anybody - if you were coming to work

with us, if I was teaching you in a classroom or whatever - the first thing

I would say is understand your goal.

Because you can really get excited.

I think when people learn about what can be accomplished through

the use of media relations for their business, they get really excited

and it's very easy to get distracted.

Just like any other area of marketing, you can get distracted

by all of those shiny things.

So knowing what your goal is right from the beginning is one of the most useful

things that you can do for your strategy.

So there are a lot of different kinds of goals that you might have.

you just want people to know that you

exist and know that you're there.

That might be it.

It may be that you have a specific timeframe for a campaign because you're

publishing a book or you're going to be launching a new YouTube channel or

something like that, and so, you want to drive traffic to that channel or

drive sales for that book - you know, maybe it's pre-sales for that book.

Or it could be that what you're trying to really do is you've got an established

business, you've got a system that you've developed as an expert, you've

got an opinion on things, and you really wanting to build your standing

as a thought leader in your industry.

When you think in terms of the goal, it's going to dramatically shape the

way that you build your campaign.

For instance, if you're trying to increase sales around a product or a

service, the audience for that is going to be very different than the audience

for thought leadership building.

Because within the thought leadership campaign, you're going to people in

your own industry, you're establishing your leadership in your industry, and

those are not often people that are going to be buying from you, buying

services from you, and so those are two very different audiences.

And so that's probably the most important and most practical step

that you can take right out of the gate is really understanding what is

this campaign going to accomplish?

What timeframe do I want to accomplish this in?

And then who is the ideal audience?

We hear a lot about the ideal client and this is very similar, but it's

who our potential client is or who are the potential people that

I want to hear about my message?

Really understand who they are and take some time to research the media that

they consume and then start building a strategy to target those media outlets.

Awesome.

How would you say that summit speakers can use their summit speaking

experiences as an interest hook when they're pitching folks for PR?

Yeah, okay, great question.

So when you're trying to create a hook, you're looking for what is

newsworthy, and there are a few things that are going to be newsworthy.

does this tie into the season, into some kind of an

awareness day or an awareness month, does it tie into something that's

already happening in the media, right?

Can you hook into something that's going on in a seasonal sense?

So timeliness is one.

Impact is another.

If you can show that the work you're doing is creating some changes in

people's lives - it can be a major impact for a small number of people

or a small impact for a large number of people, you know, whatever.

Or if you can show that you do something that is local, so it has

some terms of geographical proximity.

One of the things I love when someone is getting ready to host a summit is

actually going to their local media outlets and letting them know about that

a couple of weeks in advance, because for a lot of people, let's say that

it's a summit that's around a business topic, that newspaper or that local media

will alert all those business owners in that area that, "Hey, here's the summit

that might be interesting to you."

Or if it's something for parents or something for gardening or whatever

it is, you will have a local audience that will be interested in that.

And especially since so many summits have free access for people and

that's part of the hook, you know, to get them in, a lot of media outlets

will take that and will run with it.

And I think sometimes we get so caught up in the digital business landscape

that we forget that we have a very real, very local audience and most people

can build an entire business just on the local support if they need it to.

I always encourage people to think about that when they're hosting a summit.

Let the media know locally so that people in your community can join in and that's

more real, more tangible support than you can often find online; especially

when you're just starting out, you'll have that built in support system.

So timeliness, locale - what kind of locality you're

in - an impact, prominence.

If you do, of course, have somebody that is going to connect with you in

some way because of that summit, that is a bigger name, you can use that to

leverage some interest in the media.

So there are lots of different ways that you can kind of build in that hook.

And what I always try to do is find some aspect, some facet of your expertise

that nobody is talking about or that you can add either a controversial

approach or an advanced approach.

And so for instance, a perfect example:

one of the strategies that worked for me

And so for instance, a perfect example:

really early on in building my business was I would look for podcasts that

And so for instance, a perfect example:

talked about marketing and talked about marketing for small businesses, and

And so for instance, a perfect example:

then I would approach them and say, "you know, you've talked about advertising,

And so for instance, a perfect example:

you've talked about funnels, you've talked about Pinterest, you've talked

And so for instance, a perfect example:

about this and this and this and this, but you've never talked about publicity."

And so for instance, a perfect example:

And inevitably every single person would come back to me and say, "I didn't...

And so for instance, a perfect example:

I didn't know we could, like, I didn't know, there was an expert out

And so for instance, a perfect example:

there talking to small businesses."

And so for instance, a perfect example:

And so those often became some of their most listened-to episodes because

And so for instance, a perfect example:

nobody else was talking about it.

And so for instance, a perfect example:

But conversely, if someone is already talking about your business or your

And so for instance, a perfect example:

expertise or whatever, don't get stressed that they're not going

And so for instance, a perfect example:

to want to talk to you instead.

And so for instance, a perfect example:

See that as evidence that they're interested in the work that

And so for instance, a perfect example:

you do and they're probably going to want more experts with

And so for instance, a perfect example:

different perspectives on that.

And so for instance, a perfect example:

So if there's someone they've already interviewed that is talking

And so for instance, a perfect example:

about your area of expertise, what can you do to add to that?

And so for instance, a perfect example:

How can you extend the conversation, give them something else to think about, or

And so for instance, a perfect example:

perhaps provide a controversial viewpoint?

And so for instance, a perfect example:

You look at it differently, you have a different philosophy, so get very creative

And so for instance, a perfect example:

and see where you can, again, meet a need where you can serve the audience

And so for instance, a perfect example:

by providing content that they aren't already covering or some other approach.

And so for instance, a perfect example:

So for instance, let's say if it's a photography summit, and this is something

And so for instance, a perfect example:

that you're wanting to leverage this opportunity and talk about it, don't

And so for instance, a perfect example:

pitch a story, that's like, "how to take better pictures," because that's so bland

And so for instance, a perfect example:

and generic, and doesn't give us a reason to really emotionally connect with it.

And so for instance, a perfect example:

Instead, it would be something like "eight ways to take better pictures

And so for instance, a perfect example:

of your kids on your iPhone."

And so for instance, a perfect example:

And so now we're connecting with a real audience with real needs and

And so for instance, a perfect example:

they can see themselves in that story.

And so for instance, a perfect example:

They can be like, "oh, you know what?

And so for instance, a perfect example:

I didn't know that I needed eight ways to take better pictures of my kids

And so for instance, a perfect example:

on the iPhone, but I have an iPhone.

And so for instance, a perfect example:

I have kids.

And so for instance, a perfect example:

Yeah, let's read it."

And so for instance, a perfect example:

And so you're getting that exposure.

And so for instance, a perfect example:

So be thinking in terms of how can I make this very specific and how

And so for instance, a perfect example:

can I offer increased value for that media outlet and their audience?

Perfect.

I know we've covered a lot of things and folks are going to be able to go

and take that, especially figuring out how to use their expertise and their

experience to pitch their PR strategy.

So, I know you have a resource for folks that they can grab and they can

start taking steps right away to start crafting that PR strategy before their

next summit speaking engagement, so can you tell us a little bit more about that?

Sure!

So no matter who comes to me, no matter what context we're working in one of

the first things we do for our clients that we represent, our clients that we

consult, our clients that we teach and coach, one of the very first things

we have them do is create a press kit.

And a press kit is just - in this particular instance - a digital

repository of some specific assets about your business that will make it

easier for a reporter to say yes to you, or a podcaster to say yes to you.

And one of the reasons I love this is that it creates a level of polish,

it elevates your brand and says, "Hey, we're ready for media coverage.

We understand how the system works.

We understand how to get ourselves covered."

and just having a press kit and being able to offer that when you are reaching

out to a media professional can do wonders for, again, elevating the

professional polish of your business.

And so again, one of the very first things we do, it's something

that you can do in an hour or two.

And so we've put together a checklist that's the Press Kit in a Day checklist.

And I say in a day, but that would be an extremely leisurely day.

You really can do it in an hour or two.

And it's just going to be a collection of a few things like your bio and

your images, and a couple of other things that you can pull together

in a digital platform that just hangs out there and it's ready to

serve you whenever you need it.

And I think that that adds an extra boost of confidence, knowing that if

an opportunity arises and you can grab it just like that because you have

that fundamental piece of your puzzle in place so that when someone reaches

out, or you see an opportunity to be covered in the news, to connect with

something newsworthy that's happening, you can reach right out and say,

"Hey, here's the link to my press kit.

It's all set, it's all done."

So we want to give that to everybody who's here at the summit, so that

they can use that and start building that PR strategy because I'm really

passionate about getting PR strategy into the hands of small businesses.

I'm so excited for folks to grab that and start getting going on

that, because I have my husband has worked in PR, so I know how much of

an impact that can make on a business.

So thank you so much for being here and sharing all of your

amazing expertise, Tiffany.

It was so great getting to talk through all of this.

Oh, thank you.

It's my pleasure.

Thank you so much.

So don't forget to go and grab the checklist - the button is down

below the video - and if you have any questions for Tiffany, I'm sure she

would be happy to answer them and help you get started on your PR journey!

Absolutely.

Thanks, Jenn.

There are so many fantastic ways to leverage your speaking experiences through

PR and in the full session, Tiffany also shared the best types of media for summit

speakers, how to reverse engineer where you want to be, and PR timeframes and

interest hooks for summit speakers so that you can make the most of your PR pitches.

Go to sellwithasummit.com/speakeredition to watch the full

session and so much more.

Don't forget to leave a review and let us know what your biggest takeaways are.

You can do that on whatever podcast platform you're using,

or some me and Tiffany a message!

We would love to hear from you and find out what your biggest takeaway was.

Thanks for listening to Virtual Summit Success.

Don't forget to leave a review and let others know your biggest

takeaways from this episode.

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For show notes, links, and other resources, go to virtualsummitsuccess.live