The Art of Shameless Self-Promotion

by Willie Crawford

Published on this site: September 11th, 2006 - See more articles from this month

When it comes to really growing your online business without having a multi-million dollar budget, free publicity is essential. If you can master "the art of shameless self-promotion" you can literally get millions of dollars worth of free publicity.

While I call it "the art of shameless self-promotion," that in no way implies that you do anything dishonest or unethical. It just means that you actively seek opportunities to promote yourself - ideally for free.

I've been online since late-1996, and a major part of my massive success is directly due to me actively seeking and taking advantage of free publicity.

Let's look briefly at some of the things I do, that you can also easily do.

1. Seek interviews on radio, and in magazines, ezines, and newspapers.
   
   I haven't personally done television yet although I do have a cooking show coming out shortly.
   
   This generally means writing press releases and pushing those out to the media so that they know what your expertise is. Add a "media" page to your website where you offer a downloadable bio, and tell the media how to easily contact you.
   
   If you're uncomfortable with writing press releases, here's an inexpensive membership site that not only steps you through the process of writing press releases but also steps you through the process of doing most of the other things that I'll mention here: http://NewbiesStartHere.com The last press release that I wrote (in under 5 minutes), and then submitted through PRWeb.com, was created using the Press Release Generator on this site!
   
   Comb the Internet looking for radio shows and websites that feature experts in your niche. Contact the people who select guest for these shows, or to feature on these websites, and point out to them why you'd make the perfect guest. Read some of the interviews on the sites first, or listen to recordings of the shows, so that you confirm that they are a match for you, and that you are a match for them.
   
   This is one of the secrets as to how I've done well over 100 media interview over the past few years.
   
   
2. Seek to be featured in ebooks and ezines as an expert.
   
   People writing ebooks, or regularly publishing ezines on topics for which you are a subject matter expert, need you! They need to interview you and share your expertise with their audience. Your job is to be visible enough that they find you. That often means having a website that ranks high for your primary keywords, and that showcases your expertise. Do this and you'll soon be getting more request for interviews than you care to do.
   
   Do as many of these interviews as practical. They all promote you, and provide "signposts" pointing to your site.
   
   
3. Write articles on your area of expertise and submit them to article directories and appropriate ezines.
   
   This is an excellent way to get your name out into cyberspace as an expert on a given topic. A great article proves your expertise. Having someone publish your article serves as an indirect endorsement and is usually much more effective than running a paid ad in the same ezine. The publisher is hinting to his or her readers that they consider you someone worth listening too... and that's why they gave you some of the limited space in their publication.
   
   
4. Write a physical book.
   
   If you can write ezine articles, you can compile a few of them that are related, expand upon them, and you have the makings of an ebook or a physical book. Have as few or as many copies as you want printed up. Just having a physical book instantly adds to your credibility, and elevates you above your contemporaries/competitors who haven't written a physical book.
   
   Think of that physical book as a glorified business card. People tend to throw away or ignore business cards. It's harder to ignore a book sitting on the corner of their desk. In the "about the author" section include information on your projects, and how to best contact you. Also offer some type of free downloadable gift to drive them to your website where you can add them to your mailing list.
   
   I have an inspirational biography that I wrote and use just for that purpose. It tells of how a poor farm kid, who spent most of his youth on welfare, eventually rose to become one of the Internet's "superstars." It tells of how I made the decision to do this, made a plan, and then made it happen. More importantly, that book, available at http://GitOffThePorch.com or at http://Amazon.com tells the reader what pet projects I'm involved in, and how to contact me if they need my products or services.
   
   I have this book printed up by my print-on-demand publisher in small batches so that I can change the "about the author" section to target whatever project I want to focus attention on at the time. While I think it is a great book, and so does every reader who has provided me with feedback, it's a great example of effective shameless self-promotion.
   
   
5. Seek positions of authority.
   
   An example of how I did this is that I volunteered to be a moderator at one of Internet marketing's busiest forums. By becoming an authority figure at the forum, I gained instant credibility.
   
   
6. Leverage the "success by association" principle.
   
   An excellent way to gain credibility is to be seen, and photographed, with people considered experts and admired by others. This is why I teach subscribers and clients to always take a digital camera to seminars and workshops that they attend. Just by taking photos with famous people, and then posting those photos on their websites or blogs, those who listen to my advice often elevate themselves in the eyes of their audience. People see you hanging out with (or hugging) someone famous, and they subconsciously put you into the same category as that celebrity.
   
   In addition to taking a still camera to seminars, take a video camera or portable MP3 player, and look for opportunities to interview celebrities and up-and-coming marketers. Use these recordings as unique bonuses in your product packages. The speakers and other marketers will often agree to do these interviews because they know that when you spread these recordings, you are also promoting them.

These are just a few of dozens of ways that I've used shameless self-promotion to grow my business to a point that it's virtually unstoppable. To discover even more ways that I use shameless self-promotion, drop by my blog and join the thread discussing this very topic. That thread is at: http://TheMostTrustedGuyOnTheInternet.com/blog/

I'll share a few more techniques on my blog that I couldn't fit in here, without making this article too long.

More importantly than discussing these techniques though - just get out an apply a few of them! They've been proven to work.

Willie Crawford: has been teaching Internet marketing for over 9 years. Take advantage of his uncanny insights and unusual candor by subscribing to his free, information- packed newsletter. Also visit his top-rated blog. Do both at: http://WillieCrawford.com/blog/