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Welcome to Season 6 of The Book Marketing Action Podcast with Becky Robinson, where we give you information you can immediately implement to increase your influence and market your books more successfully.
In today’s episode, Becky is joined by Larissa Banting—accredited publicist, CEO of El Bee PR, and author—for a powerhouse conversation on personal branding, earned media, and strategic PR for authors. Larissa shares actionable insights on how to define your niche, pitch your personal stories, and build media momentum long before your book launches. If you’ve ever wondered how to get your story featured or how to find the right audience for your message, this episode is filled with tips you can implement right away.
Key Points From This Episode:
[01:09] Larissa starts by sharing about herself, her work in the world, and her company, El Bee PR.
[02:33] Larissa reveals some of the key elements of a personal brand that actually move the needle when an author is trying to promote their book.
[04:33] Discover the branding strategies Larissa believes solo entrepreneurs and authors should borrow from more high-profile clients and brands.
[06:21] Larissa outlines some practical ways that authors can begin to show up as the expert on their topic before they launch their books.
[11:22] (AD) Schedule a call with Becky Robinson to discover how Weaving Influence’s custom strategies can support your book launch.
[12:27] Larissa talks about finding media gold in a personal story, what it means, and why it is so powerful.
[15:00] How can an author figure out which of their personal stories are worth pitching to media outlets? Larissa explains.
[17:20] Larissa shares six ideas to get you started on finding media gold in your personal story:
- Where did you go to school?
- What kind of hobbies do you have?
- How did you get started on your journey?
- Have you won any awards?
- What challenges have you overcome?
- Is there something timely in the news cycle that you can speak on?
[20:00] Larissa reveals one thing she wishes more authors knew about the power of PR and building a strong personal brand.
[22:18] Larissa concludes by sharing a story about a client who “planted the seeds” early and found great success.
Action Steps:
- Think about how you can get started in the media, and be realistic with the goals you set. Start small and start far in advance of your book launch in order to get more coverage and move up to bigger media opportunities.
- Reflect on this question: Who are your people and where can you find them? Look for niche media opportunities where you can find the people who most want to learn from your expertise.
- Have a great, free, downloadable resource that will drive people to your website and help you grow your email list. Larissa has an excellent resource called “Publicist in a Box” that you can download here.
Resources:
- Explore Larissa’s website and get to know more about El Bee PR.
- Follow Larissa on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.
Key Quotes:
You need to start building that personal brand well before you even have your book in the final draft form. —Larissa Banting
The best brands understand that you can’t sell to everybody. —Larissa Banting
What is your special sauce? Build your brand around that. —Larissa Banting
I think a lot of people don’t realize that their life story has all of this beautiful pixie dust in it. —Larissa Banting
Keep your eyes and ears open to what’s going on in the news cycle, because there may be something that you can step into as an expert in that particular field and give your opinion on, and that’s another great way to start getting your personal brand out there. —Larissa Banting
If you try to wait until the last minute, it’s going to be really hard to get interest going because you won’t have a runway. —Larissa Banting
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I am the founder/CEO of the Weaving Influence team, the author of Reach: Creating the Biggest Possible Audience for Your Message, Book, or Cause, and the host of the Book Marketing Action Podcast. I’m a wife and mom of three kids, and I enjoy running, reading, writing, coffee, and dark chocolate.