Stay Positive

“Stay positive.” It’s about as cliché as it gets, right? Well, if it’s not broken, don’t fix it. Truth is, in my experience people gravitate toward the positive and that’s not only true for media contacts I know, but also any successful business leader, athlete or community leader I’ve met. Think about your own life. How often do you say, “no” throughout your life? I bet it’s directly related to the level of success you have (or don’t have). One of my favorite movies is, “The Yes Man.” In it, the character attends a motivational seminar and takes on saying yes to all opportunities that comes his way in the future. It’s quite funny. Take a look, if you’ve not already seen it. Speaking of motivational speakers, I’m thrilled that Wasabi Publicity client and prosperity motivational speaker & author, Randy Gage is featured in this Investors Business Daily article I placed for him. Gage often speaks about the power of staying positive and teaches that steering clear of negative naysayers can increase your health, wealth and knowledge. All you pro-positive people reading this are saying, “Yes, that’s true, Michelle!” Alternatively, skeptics will be thinking, “Hmmm, but you know, the media and most people I know love a good drama. People victimize themselves and that’s opportunity, too.” I can see your point, skeptics. I’ve had my fair share of playing victim and thwarting my own success. However, standing at the top of my career, I will tell you this … at a party, everyone loves laughter. At night, bugs love light. At the end of the day, people want to feel good, speak good and BElieve THEre is GOOD in the world; so BE THE GOOD and stay positive. Your wallet, your heart and her mind will thank you. Shoot, with a little laughter, you might even create the next Facebook or write the next bestselling book (like Randy Gage did when he wrote, “Risky is The New Safe.“). When you stay positive, you are open to solutions. You see things you couldn’t see before. Be a positive source to the media on PitchRate.com — help them report to their readers, viewers and listeners what’s possible in their industries. That will make you  a top go-to media expert. If you’re stuck in drama or constantly see why things won’t work, that will be relayed to media in your interviews. Transform your drama. Find solutions. Track trends. Talk possibility. The media will love you for it and clients will swarm around you like bugs to a night-light. Happy 2013 everyone … and let me leave you with my favorite e.e. cummings quote on staying positive, “Yes is a world & in this world of yes live (skillfully curled) all worlds.” Let me know how you plan to say yes this year.

Building Buzz … In Your Grocery Line

Ever stand in line at the grocery store and read the glossy magazines? I do. In fact, I often thumb through to see who the current editor is. I did that two years ago while at my neighborhood whole foods co-op and noticed Well Being Journal.  It was a pleasant surprise when I emailed the address I saw in the magazine and heard from the editor. I told him I was a publicist and I represented some of the world’s thought leaders in well-being. I wondered if he’d like to review some articles from my clients. He said he’d be delighted. So, since then, he’s reviewed the articles I send to him from my clients. Sometimes he publishes the article, like he did from my client, Dr. Matt in this article. Forming relationships with magazine editors can be as easy as walking in and out of the grocery. Snack on that!

Make Your Pitches Fit!

Ever wonder how people land earned editorial mentions in major magazines? In this Woman’s Day article Wasabi Publicity client Pamela Yellen discusses not her book and product, “Bank On Yourself” but rather tips couples can use to be ‘financially fit’ in their marriage. See, if you focus on your book or product, media contacts will immediately send you to advertising. That’s fine … if you want to pay for advertising. However, if you’re trying to score the cherished “as quoted by” or if you want to be a go-to media source (which the public perceives as an endorsement), then give the magazine editors and TV producers something they can bite their teeth into: content their readers and viewers will salivate over. So, feed your media contacts a steady dose of ‘fit’ content. Another way of saying it, is educate and entertain them. Give them something that will make them stand-up and move. If you’re pitching angles that make a difference for the media contacts’ audiences, you know your stories are fit … and will be a fit. Happy spinning. This time I mean spinning stories, not Spinning at the gym – which I also love as you know

College Bound?

This time last year, I shared with you my organic eating tips while attending my graduation ceremony in Pasadena, California. After ten years, I celebrated [finally] with my masters degree in human development. Or so I thought. Trouble came after the ceremony when my thesis wasn’t accepted. This past year, I’ve worked diligently to get the right type of content into my thesis and happy day: on the last day of March 2012, I got an email that said, “This is acceptable and I love it.” I don’t need to tell you to choose your colleges in a careful manner. However, most of us don’t. We choose what family and friends think best. Or we choose a school based on what paths we cross during our early education.

http://dadofdivas.com/the-ultimate-college-preparation-blueprint

Me? I chose my undergraduate school, DePaul University because I originally had interest in Northwestern (I can’t even remember why I was interested in THAT school) but ended up choosing DePaul because their theater program was more of a conservatory-style and I could get an undergraduate degree in education. (Mom and dad were sticklers for ‘fall-back’ degrees. Thanks mom and dad.) Years later, I chose my masters degree program at Pacific Oaks College because I had launched a TV network for the National Head Start Association and found most of the national early childhood education thought leaders coming from Pacific Oaks. Looking back, I’m not convinced I would have researched my path to higher education word-of-mouth like I did. In fact, I’d hope that I would approach my higher education in a more research oriented way (like I do most things now in my middle age of life). So when my media contact and blogger friend, Dr. Christopher Lewis, shared with me his new book — I couldn’t wait to help him get the word out about it. If you or someone you know is looking to choose a college any time soon, check out, “The Ultimate College Preparation Blueprint: Everything You Should Expect And Do When Planning for College.”  Oh, and if you’re interested in how my thesis turned out, feel free to read it. I call it, “The Art of Aha: How to Find Health, Wealth and Love in the 21st Century.” And feel free to come to my REAL graduation party. It’s going to be June 9th at the Saluda Inn and Wine Cellar at 7 pm. Hope to see you there. Oh, and if you missed my “why you need a college degree to impress the media” video, I’m including it here again for you. And if you have a good college story, send it to me. I love stories (as you know:-)

Barking Up the Front Page

WOOF! We landed the front page of the Hendersonville Times News daily paper over the weekend. Do you know how rrrrrough it is to score front page ink? [Dog whine.] Rrrrrough. After 20 years generating earned editorial media coverage (aka PR coverage), I’ve learned one thing… front page coverage doesn’t come around unless you do this one thing: serve the media’s needs first.  Joan Stewart aka The Publicity Hound used to edit newspapers. She taught me years ago that media people loathe press conferences and prefer fun and engaging events. So, when I wanted to gift the Blue Ridge Husky Rescue a media bone, I suggested in a PR Happy Hour training session they offer a fun and engaging event to publicize their new nonprofit. So an urban mushing event was born and I volunteered to “mush” my foster dog with my roller blades. You can see us barking up the newspaper’s front page with smiles. Best of all, the foster-turned-poster dog, Smokey, now is barking up and down his new backyard. See some video of his new home below. WOOF!

Dog Days of PR

Rrrrrrounding Up Media Coverage For a New Nonprofit or Small Business

Some of you have already listened to this hour long PR session at PitchRate’s PR Happy Hour on how to publicize a new nonprofit or small business. However, it’s back by popular demand so those of you wagging your tails in anticipation, here you go …

Teleseminar with Wasabi Publicity’s Chief Creative Officer, Michelle Tennant Nicholson — On Monday, January 30th, Wasabi Publicity’s Chief Creative Officer, Michelle Tennant Nicholson, advised Danielle Winkelman, founder of Blue Ridge Husky Rescue, on how to publicize her new nonprofit in a PR Happy Hour about: “The Dog Days of PR!”

Most people starting a new business or organizing a community nonprofit aren’t sure how to tell the media about their new venture. Do you send a press release? What’s necessary to get noticed online? Rrrrrrrounding up great PR can be rrrrrrough… unless you have dog treats you can share with the media!

If you want to tame the wild wolves of the Internet or bark your way to media mentions, be sure to SIT… STAY… and get rewarded as Michelle and Danielle yip about what makes the media growl with excitement. You’ll be top dog in PR when you learn:

* How to get the media to SIT at your events

* What to BARK when communicating with TV stations, radio producers, magazine editors and newspaper journalists

* The secret TREAT you can give the media so they learn RECALL and come back to you again and again

* How to DIG great online PR

* And much, much more!

LISTEN TO THE RECORDING HERE FREE MEDIA LEADS HERE

Getting Daily Buzz

Want the nation to buzz about you in 2012? Learn secrets from this Wasabi Publicity success story. Yesterday,  Doug Varrieur, low carb cook and author of the bestselling book, Fat to Skinny, was on the nationally syndicated television morning show, The Daily Buzz. How did we get him on this show that reaches 140+ markets around the country? Our publicity team scored this segment by pitching the producers at The Daily Buzz a weight loss segment with Doug and regular recipe blog entries for their new website, Body Checklist. See, when media people learn you can educate their audience on something, like weight loss, they book you. They’re not necessarily interested in your books and services (that would be called advertising), but they for sure are interested in your tips, techniques and success stories so you can help them inspire and educate their loyal viewers. Today, that includes their online social media fans in addition to impacting television peeps. So, if you want to get the ‘daily buzz’ for your own books, products, organization or services (literally or figuratively) be sure to contact your favorite media friends with ideas on how you can educate, entertain and get their audiences all-a-buzz, too.

 

Be the Buzz

Holiday Photo with Oma, Shannon and Michelle Tennant Nicholson

Are you still not convinced about the power of social media: blogs, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and more? A blog visitor alerted me that an old holiday photo of my mother, husband, Siberian husky and myself was picked up as “TOP 20 holiday cheer pet photos” on Mentos and BuzzFeed (both have respectable Internet ranks). I had forgotten about this holiday photo, but since others claim to get cheer from it, I’m posting it again. I hope you get some joy out of it. Our family laughs until tears bubble up because Shannon and I look like we were up pretty late the night before and my dog is hating life while “Oma” is playing cuddle, cuddle with the miserable baby. Hysterical. Plus, the hat on Lou Lou’s head made a musical tune she loathed. The PR lesson here is get out there. Share yourself. If you want to get noticed by others for your services, products, books, organizational good deeds and more, there is nothing – nothing like the power of social media and PR placements. Always use photos and videos in your social media (they get noticed on the Internet as long as you title them strategically). Learn to leverage the media placements you do score with your social media connections. Merry Christmas everyone. If you don’t celebrate Christmas, then Happy Holidays and an amazing adventurous new year to you. Please write to Wasabi Publicity and let us know how PublicityResults can help you realize your dreams in 2012 and for sure take advantage of all our free PR services at PitchRate. (Yes, that was a plug. See, plugs don’t hurt you now do they? We all have to put food on the table Now, go get you some PR! Don’t be afraid to be the buzz.)

Leverage PR

I hope you enjoy the “How to Hire a Publicist” article by Joan Stewart. In that article, she links to an older blog post of hers that lists my fav ways to leverage media coverage. I thought it would be a good refresher here as well. Let me know what value you get from it. Love those links so feel free to send them along to me. Happy Holidays everyone!

Afraid of Success? 10 Most Flexible Careers – Michelle Tennant’s Story in More Magazine

This image of a half kayaker/half business woman is from an article on the TEN MOST FLEXIBLE CAREERS for women in MORE Magazine this month. I’m featured. In fact, I’m the half paddler half publicist who inspired the graphics team to create such an amazing image. Read my story.

After the article was published, I decided to use it as inspiration for a keynote address I was giving at a local church. My speaking appearance was captured on video and it’s below. If you’d like to download the worksheet and take the 20 minute workshop on releasing fear to be the best you can be, find it here.

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t  serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us: It’s in everyone and as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.  ~  Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela’s quote greatly inspires me each day and in this women’s workshop I deliver at Providence United Methodist Church in Forest City, NC, I lead ladies through a series of questions to face their fears and let their inner light shine. It’s a quick 20 minute workshop with a worksheet and maybe you’d like to check it out too.

Work along as you watch the following short five videos (20 minutes total to breaking through fear in your own life).

Nikki Nicholson introduces her daughter-in-law, Michelle Tennant Nicholson. See Intro Video

Question 1: WHAT PART OF YOUR LIFE IS NOT SHINING? WHAT DO YOU FEAR? See Video 1 of 5

WORKSHEET LINK
Question 2: WHAT GOOD WORKS CAN YOU SHINE TO OTHERS THAT YOU ARE (or ARE NOT) CURRENTLY SHARING? See Video 2 of 5

Question 3: WHAT ACTIONS CAN YOU TAKE TODAY, TOMORROW, THIS WEEK, THIS MONTH, THIS YEAR? See Video 3 of 5

Question 4: LOOKING AHEAD!  See Video 4 of 5

Question 5: HOW WILL IT MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR OTHERS See Video 5 of 5

Let me know if this makes a difference for you, too.