Remember the sniper and shotgun approaches to PR that we discussed in earlier posts? You should take time as you prepare your public relations campaign for your books to prepare also for both types of approaches.
Here we’ll look at the sniper approach. The sniper approach works bests for targeted journalists, broadcasters and the occasional talk-show host with who you might already have a relationship. (Though, really, television looks mainly to book already-known authors, when it books authors at all.)
Ideally you will have already cultivate relationships with journalists and podcasters and bloggers and even television bookers (though this last is harder to do, many local stations need content), which will aid you in crafting a sniper plan. But it takes a lot of pre-planning.
You have to be good with the sniper approach. Many competitors vie to reach the same outlets – and with fewer outlets and more competitors, it’s increasingly difficult to be noticed.
So for a sniper approach, you need to have done your research in order to determine exactly what each outlet wants and how to present your pitch and also to have developed a relationship with your targets. In addition you need to have worked to line up your “shot” to hit precisely when your book needs publicity. You have no room for a miss.
If you strike a target well, you’re likely to begin to receive publicity for your book. And that can even translate into more publicity, in the form of interviews.
We’ll look at the shotgun approach for your book promotion in our next post.