Posted by Kristen on August 26, 2010 · Leave a Comment
The New York Times just posted this piece about a marketing and P.R. firm that was busted by the FTC for posting fake, glowing reviews of apps in the iTunes store.
Fake reviews have always struck me as wasteful attempts to influence buyers. The people hired to write them have tin ears for how real people engage with products and summarize their experiences. Fake reviews are transparently goofy, involve too many exclamation points, and are either pointlessly vague or suspiciously copywriter-like in their deployment of superlatives. Experienced online shoppers know the ringers and shills when they see them, because their reviews are short, sweet and overwhelmingly positive: “Fits great!,” “Finally! I’ve found the perfect dress to transition from summer to fall!” or “This book will change your life.”
Real reviews have context and tell a story, however brief, oftentimes describing the ups and downs of the consumer’s connection to the material or object being reviewed (e.g., “Per others’ reviews on this site saying this item ran large, I ordered it down a size, a 7 instead of an 8, and it fit my narrow foot perfectly.”).
If you’re trying to sell a product online and you’re considering paying someone to write fake reviews for you — don’t do it. And don’t do it yourself, either, because now the risks officially outweigh the benefits. Better to spend your time and money finding and getting your product into the hands of people who are likely to be excited by it.
Posted by Kristen on July 19, 2010 · Leave a Comment
In my last blog post, I talked about my second tip for succeeding as a blogger — having a gimmick or angle.
This week, I’m sharing a third and final tip based on my personal experiences as a blogger: be at home when the major media calls. (A.k.a., “Be ready for success.”)
Several years ago, I wrote a very short post on my blog, called “The Perils of Working from Home.” A few weeks later, a reporter from the Associated Press found my post, emailed me, and asked if I could be interviewed and photographed for a piece he was writing about telecommuting. I said yes. (Here’s the article, with a photo of me, three apartments ago.)
A few days after the article hit the news wires, a national A.M. radio program producer contacted me via email, asking to talk to me about the same topic for his morning radio show.
I didn’t act immediately; I can’t remember why (maybe I was asleep). By the time I called the producer back, he said “Sorry, we found somebody else.”
If I’d been faster to respond, maybe I would have become a media go-to source for quotes about working from home. It’s not my specialty and I’m not a productivity guru, but who am I to turn down free press?
Do this: Take the opportunities when they come to you, whatever form they take. Think of a way to spin them later. Media moves quickly, and it snowballs. If someone wants to interview you based on the content they’ve found on your blog, do what you can to make that interview happen — right away. News media can and will find other sources if you don’t respond immediately. Once you get mentioned by one major media outlet, be prepared for others to contact you. Have your materials and expertise ready.
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This post concludes my web series on preparing for, and taking advantage of, your 15 minutes of blogging (or Twittering!) fame. Do you have any questions? I welcome them in the comments.
Posted by Kristen on July 9, 2010 · Leave a Comment
Last week I posted my first tip for obtaining internet fame — Follow the Influencers. Now for my second tip:
Tip #2: Get Yourself a Gimmick (aka, Write a Good Bio)
This may be the single most important piece of advice I could impart to you: if you’re creating online content to promote something — or to promote yourself — you need an angle.
For example, if you’re a pediatrician who’s written a book about getting infants to sleep through the night — every aspect of your blog and site, from the visuals through to the website copy, should express this one blurbable fact: “I am a pediatrician and an expert on infants and sleep.”
Your angle should be visible everywhere, but is best described in a brief bio on the landing page where your content lives. For bloggers, this is usually the header or the sidebar of their blog.
This way, when people click through to your site from another source (be it a blog, a Wall Street Journal article, or somebody’s Tweet), they’ll know immediately who you are, what you’re about, and what you’re promoting.
Over the years and because of my prior blog, I’ve been phone interviewed by the Associated Press and MSNBC.com and excerpted by Slate. The topics were totally unconnected: working from home, higher education, and whether it’s unhealthy for women to vent their problems to their friends.
Why were the queries so random? Because my blog was a “personal blog” — a public work space for practicing my writing. I wasn’t selling anything and I wasn’t creating content for any specific reason, except that I loved to write. I wrote well enough to get media attention, but I didn’t have an easy-to-describe persona behind my content, so the leads never went anywhere.
Do This: Develop a short bio of yourself, no longer than 10 words. Practice reciting this bio aloud until it sounds right — polished, concise, authoritative. Then put it on your blog.
Content is a disposable item. Your over-arching voice and expertise is your real product. Don’t blog without purpose. Use your bio as your Mission Statement, and you’ll quickly find yourself creating a valuable information product that builds your brand and makes you a go-to source for mainstream media — and for your customers.
Next week… get ready for your close-up!
