A Brief Introduction to Internet Publicity: How to Find and Pitch Influential People On the Web Without Pissing Them off or Landing in Their Trash Bins 

This new eBook from 563 Media will teach you how to:

• find and approach influential people online
• get your book or product reviewed by bloggers
• secure guest blogging opportunities and interviews
• write an effective email pitch letter

This eBook, which I originally developed to train book publicists in how to pitch their clients to bloggers, is now available to everyone. Learn the secrets of “ego PR” and how it can guarantee you results.

Here’s a testimonial:

“This eBook is a must read for anyone who needs a simple introduction to internet publicity. Perfectly written in clear, concise, simple language, Kristen Havens holds your hand and explains how to promote product in the virtual world. She stays away from the jargon that internet newbies will not understand. It takes social media enthusiasts to the next practical step in developing online relationships. I particularly recommend this book for the baby boomer who didn’t grow up with a laptop in their playpen.”
- Cindy Rakowitz, CEO, Blackman Rakowitz Public Relations

A Brief Introduction to Internet Publicity launches on this website in early February–sign up for my newsletter to be notified when it’s available for purchase!

You may think this information is readily available on your Home page, but take a closer look.

Home pages are often dominated by “the latest news” or a splashy interface displaying a new product or campaign.

About pages are where new site visitors go after they’ve seen your sales pitch, when they want to get a sense for who’s selling to them.

Why You Should Tell a Compelling Story About Yourself (I Promise, This is Not Egoistic)

My favorite of Godin’s 5 Rules Godin is #4: “Be human. Write like you talk and put your name on it. Tell a story, a true one, one that resonates.”

Compelling personal stories are eye-catching. They also function as the most immediate of all possible testimonials: your story about why you started your business, wrote your book, or founded your non-profit.

For many business endeavors, the story goes something like this: “I saw a need. Nobody was filling this need. So I jumped in and created something I’m proud of. I know it will help you, because it helped me. Please get in touch and let me know how you like my product. I welcome your feedback.”

I spend a lot of time going through clients’ publicity materials and books, searching for eye-catching stories that will help me position them for publicity and marketing opportunities. The personal stories behind the products are the ones that always jump out at me. Sometimes it’s a single line hiding in a hundred pages; an enthusiasm and buzzing excitement that cuts straight to the heart of the sales message we all want to hear: “This product will change your life.”

Two examples:

“He became an accomplished fine artist, a published poet, a champion tournament tennis player, a happily married man, and much wiser parent—all while cutting his work time by more than half.”

“I know people can change the trajectory of their lives, because I have.”

When you sit down to write your About or Bio page, think about your personal connection to your work. What one line summarizes what’s so incredible and show-stopping about your story?

What made you decide to write your book?
Why did you start your own business?
What day-to-day problem compelled you to invent a new product?
What societal need drove you to start your non-profit?
Why did you finally stop thinking and start doing?

Here are some About pages I like—the personality, enthusiasm and/or mission for each is clear:

Jodi Picoult, author
Tom’s Shoes, big business
Danielle LaPorte, small business
Special Olympics, non-profit

An About page isn’t about the product or end result; it’s about you: the author, the staff, the CEO. Use this page to bring the person or people behind the product to life. Tell your story. Be honest. Use simple language. And if possible, pick a photo where you’re smiling and look like a nice person. Hugging a puppy never hurts. (Kidding!)

Now get writing!

1. Too much jargon, not enough meaning

It’s natural to want to mention every technical detail about how your product is built, what it’s made of, and what it can do. But remember, a product description is not really about the product—it’s about the customer buying the product. Always be asking yourself: Who buys this? Why? What specific void does it fill? What problem does it solve?

Your job is to make your customer want what you’re selling. Use your product description to provide a few major, important specifics in the form of a scenario that shows how your product will work in a particular (but at the same time, typical) situation.

For example:

This light-weight, insulated, compressible layering piece is warm enough to wear above the tree line, yet fitted enough to slip under our Tech Vest, Waterproof Shell or Alpine Parka. The water-resistent, 100% polyester outer layer will keep you dry in light rain or flurries. Wicking liner will keep you cool when on the move. Packs into its own pocket for easy stowaway, with a plastic clip for hooking to your belt loop or pack.

Unless your customers are extremely technical, save the detailed specs about construction and materials for your “Details” link. Customers with more knowledge can opt to review this info if they need it to make a decision. For everyone else, an overview is probably tantalizing enough to motivate an emotional buy (or at least a bookmark).

2. Generic adjectives (“weak words”)

One of my elementary school teachers named these “weak words,” and you should avoid them. Weak words are over-used and unspecific. They fail to paint a picture in the reader’s mind. 99% of the time, you can strike them from your writing and not notice a difference in meaning.

How do you know if you’re using a weak word? Close your eyes and say the word out loud to yourself. See anything vivid and specific in your mind? If the word doesn’t create an association for you, it’s probably not doing it for your customer, either.

A few weak words you’ll want to avoid: amazing, incredible, outrageous, super, big, large, small, nice, cool. These aren’t bad words, but on their own they’re not telling the customer anything useful.

Example: Let’s pretend you’re shopping online for a new car and the manufacturer’s description says, “This car is big enough for all your needs!” Wouldn’t you want to know, “How big, exactly?”

Maybe things would be clearer if the copy said:

This four-door, four seat sedan has an extra foot of head room, two under-seat storage compartments in the back, and a trunk big enough to carry sixteen overstuffed, reusable grocery bags (we counted!).

3. Stumbling blocks on the way to the sale

You’ve written a compelling product description, positioned your product in the customer’s mind, and replaced weak words with specifics. So why isn’t anyone buying?

There could be many reasons. But before you do a major analysis of your business, check your website for simple oversights that might slow shoppers down on their way to Checkout.

For example: If you sell clothing, is your size chart one easy click away from your product page? How about your return policy? Is it easy for customers to do a dry run so they can see how much Shipping & Handling will add to their final cost? Do you offer testimonials? How about customer reviews?

Make sure there’s nothing you’ve overlooked. Offering people what they expect to see takes a lot of anxiety out of the shopping process. Remember, your job is two-part: to create an itch to buy your product; and then to make it as easy as possible for people to buy it from you.

This is as true of writing as it is of user interface design. Readers expect to see specific words on your home page. If they don’t see them, they may assume you don’t offer the information they seek.

The worst mistake you could make as a business or site owner is to be obscure.

A new visitor to your site may spend less than ten seconds total on your home page. Ten distracted seconds, with the phone ringing, the email in-box chiming, and a viral video or iTunes playing in the background. To get her attention and meet her expectations, you need to write clearly.

The first step to getting and keeping visitors is to write clear, simple navigation, so people can immediately find the pages they need. On most websites, users expect to see some or all of the following words in your main site navigation:

• HOME
• ABOUT: If you’re an individual, consultancy, or service provider, this means personal/professional bio(s). If you’re a big company or non-profit, it means company overview, mission, history, awards.
• CONTACT: Name, address, email or contact form, phone, fax, customer service line, etc.
• HELP/FAQ: Help menus tend to be searchable, comprehensive and technical, with the goal of reducing the number of customer service phone calls. FAQs are appropriate for smaller sites, but can be used the same way: to answer questions that routinely bog down your staff’s email accounts.

As a website copywriter and consultant, where I see people get into trouble is when they offer the navigational items listed above, but change these words. Usually it’s an effort to differentiate themselves by making their sites edgy or friendly.

For example, “About” becomes “Meet Us.” It’s meant to sound like a friendly greeting. The problem is, web users don’t have a practiced short-hand ready for “Meet Us.” We’re conditioned to know that “About” means “Bio” or “Company Details.” “Meet Us” requires a moment of thought.

When I first saw this on a client’s site, I assumed it meant “Set up a meeting” or “Come by our office.” Putting myself in the shoes of a first-time site visitor, I assumed this link wasn’t for me. I wasn’t ready to meet these business owners face-to-face—I was still looking for their About page. Had I been a real prospective customer, I might have given up and gone to a different site where the executive bios were easier to find.

Similarly, “Contact” often becomes “Get in touch.” Not the worst substitution in the world, but why use 12 characters when you can use seven? Also, “Contact,” as a word, has become a symbol to website users. When we feel the urgent need to send a note or make a phone call, we scan for this symbol. If we don’t see the familiar letter “C,” we may go all Hulk on your website (or simply close the window).

The important thing to remember about business websites is that they exist to sell you and/or your product to an audience with a very short attention span.

If your site is easy to understand and FAST (meaning: I can find what I need in under ten seconds), you stand a much better chance of getting and holding a user’s attention long enough to sell to them.

Layout and design is only half the battle. Words matter. When it comes to navigation, being clear is more important than being different. Use the words people expect to see—even if you think they’re boring. Save your persuasive, friendly, personality-infused writing for your actual page content—where people expect to see it.