Takeaways
- Courtney says that all businesses are strapped for time. She says in the beginning you want to make sure where you’re spending your time is valuable. PR is connecting with a different audience and by doing that you’re going to potentially get new clientele.
- The Rule of 7: On average people need to see things 7 times before they will buy.
- Courtney says that with PR, you have nothing to lose! It is a free way to branch out, speak in front of new audiences and potentially gain new clientele.
- The first step of PR, Courtney says, is to figure out what your business goals are. She says that you want to make sure that your vision is clear, so you know where to reach out. Is it a podcast, is it a public speaking gig? Know where your target audience lies and go there!
- Courtney says that you want to get on the radar of the people whose shows and podcasts you want to get on. Subscribe to them, learn who they serve, see where they can use your value and when you go to send that email, before you pitch yourself, offer something about you that they might find valuable to their show.
- When you pitch use a story or headline. And make it timely! Make it so when they read your pitch they jump on it.
- Courtney says she’s sent 100,000s of emails pitching herself. You’re going to fail, you’re not going to get replies, you’re going to get nos. it’s okay! There will be responses.
- She gives a great example: if you want to get on the Today Show, but don’t have any experience on talk shows to back up your pitch, it’s like a realtor trying to sell a house without photos of it! You need stepping stones. If you want to get on the Today Show, get on your local news first, video interviews first, on youtube videos first.
- 10 minutes a day to pitch yourself. Create a list of influencers that you’re covering, check in what they’re writing about, see how you can contact them. Do a little research each day and the needle will start to move.
- If you have imposter syndrome, it might be because you don’t feel ready. If you have a vision, you are ready. You don’t need professional this and that, you just need something to share that you’re passionate about. Don’t worry about how you’ll sound or what others will think, focus on your vision–how you can serve, how you can make an impact. Know that you have something of value to share!
- “If you don’t do anything you’ll be exactly where you are right now, minus that experience.”
- For the most part people want to help other people! Don’t go into everything thinking you will fail, a lot of times if you put yourself out there you will grow from it.
- Courtney says making an impact to her is to inspire people through action and seeing the impact you can make.
Highlights
- (1:25) A little more about Courtney.
- (1:43) How Courtney got started in PR.
- (3:21) How you can use PR to supercharge your sales.
- (4:41) The rule of 7.
- (6:48) First steps in implementing PR into your biz.
- (9:16) How to pitch for podcasts successfully.
- (11:40) Use a story or headline as your pitch.
- (15:30) Be authentic to your own voice.
- (17:15) Take messy action!
- (17:56) Cher from clueless and failure.
- (18:28) How to deal with rejection in PR.
- (19:43) The benefits of getting in Forbes or other big ticket places.
- (21:02) Influence the influencers–stepping stones for your press.
- (21:53) First steps for pitching to big name magazines.
- (24:40) Action steps and a plan of action to pitch yourself: how long to spend on it.
- (27:10) 5 Step Guide to PR: http://courtneylovegavin.com/impact
- (28:29) What to do if you have imposter syndrome?
- (32:07) What is the best book Courtney’s ever read?
- (33:03) My favorite books.
- (33:35) What does it mean to Courtney to make an impact.
- (37:51) Where to connect with Courtney.
Quotes
“You want to make sure that where you’re spending your time has impact.”
“PR is another medium that people trust more.”
“PR is great in addition to whatever else you’re doing and it doesn’t cost anything to do it.”
“Look at people you aspire to be like and start to know that audience you’re targeting.”
“Before you pitch yourself, offer something about you.”
“You need to think about THEM and how you can help THEM.”
“If you get a no, it’s just a jumping off point to start negotiations.”
“Don’t confuse silence with a no.”
“Influence the influencer.”
“You can dispel any doubt with data.”
“If you don’t do anything you’ll be exactly where you are right now, minus that experience.”
“If you don’t ask, you don’t get.”
“Even these really, really big companies started with somebody having this idea and going for it.”
Resources
Connect with Courtney Love Gavin:
Instagram: @courtneylovegavin
Website: courtneylovegavin.com
5 Step Guide to PR: http://courtneylovegavin.com/impact
Books Mentioned in this Episode:
15 Invaluable Laws of Growth by John Maxwell
The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy
The John Maxwell Leadership Bible by John Maxwell
Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God by Francis Chan
Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream by David Platt
The Moment of Lift: How Empowering Women Changes the World by Melinda Gates
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