In my new series, I will be sharing my personal answers to the top questions about marketing online today.

You see, I’ve been asking questions and listening to my coaching and mentoring clients, as well as my other customers, and these questions seem to be the ones everyone is asking.

Let’s get started:

How much time does it take to be successful online? How many hours do I need to be working?

Obviously, the pat answer is the more time you put in the faster you can reach your goal. But let’s face it: it’s not the answer you are looking for, right?

Frankly, it’s not about the hours or the amount of time you spend on your business; it’s how you define success that matters first.

What is success? That depends on you.

Some people look at a successful business owner as someone who’s very famous in their niche and making a high 6 figure or 7 figure salary.

For me, I define success as making enough money to be happy (no debt for me) without compromising my time with my family. I prefer only working 25 hours a week and to have a flexible schedule to adjust to the needs of my girls. I also hate excess. I don’t need the latest and greatest car, or the newest gizmo to make me happy. I don’t need a spa treatment every week to make me feel pampered.

The hours I work, however, are jammed-packed. I try to use every possible minute to execute my plans.

So it’s really not about the hours you work, but what you’re doing with the time you have. Are you dithering about on Facebook or Pinterest? (Frankly none have the power to give you success that you think they do! after all, they are only a tool.)

Spending ten hours with circumstantial tasks like this won’t get you anywhere compared to spending one hour doing your most profitable tasks.

The idea is to control your business; don’t let it control you. You can be sure no matter how much time you spend working your business, it will be time well spent, and you are moving forward. That’s the most important thing.

Want to learn about how to be the most productive you can in the hours YOU choose in your business?  The get ready for Business Charm School, my live experience which shows you how to create a business on your own terms.

Many business owners are under the false belief that writing an effective press release has to be done by an expert, and that it takes expert knowledge to magically garner media attention and visibility. The honest truth is that with a little time and energy you can write your own press releases.

The benefit for doing it yourself? You save money. You get the release out on your timetable and you have one hundred percent control over the release and the visibility results.

So what’s the secret? How do you make sure your press release gets noticed? Here are five do-it-yourself top tips:

Tip #1 – Understand what is newsworthy. Many beginners and experienced business owners alike make the mistake of submitting press releases that the media isn’t interested in. They make the release about themselves and their business. The media doesn’t care if you just released a book or launched a new product.

So what do they care about? They care about how the news affects the public. The media reports to the public and they want to discuss and report on things the general public will find interesting. That means when you’re writing a press release you want to be thinking about how it affects your community.

If you want more details on what an editor looks for when it comes to what’s newsworthy – and what isn’t, check out my free webinar at http://ReadySetPublicity.com to find out the five criteria the media decision makers are looking at.

Tip #2 – Consider adding video or images. More and more reporting is becoming a multimedia affair. Television broadcasts release videos on air, and print uses images. We’re a visual society and when you can enhance a press release with a video or a photo, you’re adding value to that release in the eyes of the media.

But here’s the key: do not, I repeat, DO NOT send them embedded or as an attachment. Instead, have a webpage created with the additional materials. Not only will you get through  more spam filters (if using email), but you can also track the click-through rates for effectiveness.

Tip #3 – Spend time on your headline. Reporters and journalists are busy people. Just like you, they’ll give something about seven seconds to capture their attention before moving on. That means your headline has to grab them by the eyeballs.

However, you probably want to skip anything too flashy or obvious. Over-the-top headlines don’t arouse curiosity and interest. They simply provoke a giggle and a rolling of the eyes. You also don’t want to bore them to tears. Show them how you’re providing a solution, addressing a problem and offering value.

I talk a lot about crafting a great attention-getting, media friendly headline in Press Release Success. You can check out what else it features at http://PressReleaseSuccess.com

Tip #4 – Make friends with the media. Media representatives are people too. They have good days and bad days. They respond better when they know you. And they appreciate not being hounded. There are a number of ways you can connect with reporters and start building a relationship.

Social media is a powerful tool. You can also network with local media organizations and associations. Finally, don’t be afraid to pick up the phone from time to time and call them. However, before you do call them, consider their schedule.  Mondays and Fridays are probably their busiest times – just like the rest of us.

Tip #5 – Start small. Aim for your local paper. Focus on a current event or issue in your community and connect with your local reporters. Often, big news agencies pick up stories from smaller papers and television stations. Starting small is often the key to going big.

In my free webinar, I suggest a technique called piggybacking. Find out what it means and how to apply it in your press releases at http://ReadySetPublicity.com

Press releases aren’t difficult to create. They do, however, require an understanding of the media’s primary goals and objectives. Write your release for them, not you, and you’ll be well on your way to the coverage you desire.

Do you know the secret of how PR professionals know what stories will be covered before they hit the newstand or get on the air?

It’s editorial calendars. Knowing about this all-important calendar can help your company to get some much-needed and best of all- free – visibility.

Besides including months and the year, these calendars bear little in common with the ones you are familiar with.

An editorial calendar is a strictly functional item: There are no swimming suit models or adorable pets here, just lists of the notable issues and forthcoming features slated for future stories. While most people wouldn’t be all that interested in these calendars, they can be a gold mine for small business owners and entrepreneurs looking to get more visibility through media coverage.

By taking a look at the editorial calendars of the media your target market uses, you can see what topics they will be covering in the future.  And then you will be able to share your story with those media outlets and you’ll more than likely be able to score a PR coup as a  result.

More than 7,000 publications in the U.S. And Canada publish editorial calendars and a few thousand do so for TV and radio shows. Typically, these can be found in advertising sales kits.  The calendar topics are included so advertisers can tie their ads into topics covered in the publication.

Once you’ve looked over a media outlet’s calendar, you can make a choice on which of their upcoming stories you may be able to offer your ideas as a source. For example, if you’re looking at a trade journal, you may want to look at the calendar in terms of what topics you could offer an industry-insider opinion piece on.

It’s a bad idea to wait until the last minute to pitch your story to an editor, however. If the publication isn’t working on a tight deadline, a good rule of thumb is that they will be looking for information about four to six months ahead of publication.

Want to learn more about how to use editorial calendars and other tactics to increase your visibility, then get access to me free recorded webinar: Ready, Set, Publicity! at http://ReadySetPublicity.com

Staying positive can be difficult. In fact, simply watching the evening news can set back your smile for weeks. So how do some people manage to stay so happy all of the time?

#1 Practice – Staying positive, initially, is a process of being aware of your negative thoughts and replacing them with positive ones. It can be hard work and can take weeks, even months, but the payoff is worth it. You can rewire your brain to think positively.

For example, last week I was kicking myself for seeing an opportunity to make more money that was right in front of me. It was consuming me to the point where I was frozen. I couldn’t get my work done. So I ditched the pity party and focused on the positive: I FOUND  A NEW WAY TO MAKE MORE MONEY!  Woohoo! Then set forth a plan to ‘make it so.’

#2 Surroundings – Make sure the people and things around you are supporting your smile. If they’re negative, or cause you to feel and think negatively, they’re not doing you any favors.

#3 Gratitude – Regularly acknowledging the blessings you have practically ensures you embrace your inner smile. Regularly give thanks for what you have, the people in your life, and the simple things that make you smile.

I actually (thanks to a special journal from Sandra Martini, and a wonderful bracelet from Shawn Driscoll) take time every day to acknowledge what I am grateful for. Sometimes, it’s as simply as getting through the day.  Other times, it’s more detailed, such as being grateful that my husband is a great sounding board for the video series I am working on.

Finally, do things you love to do. If your days are spent toiling on unsatisfying and unenjoyable tasks, it’s no wonder your inner smile has vanished. Find something you love and do it every day.

Finding joy, passion and staying positive is the single most important element of an entrepreneurial mindset.

Press releases (also called news releases) are one of the best recipes to have on hand to generate free publicity. But if you really want to attract the  media to partake, you need to give them a good reason.  And that reason is: you’ve got a great story.

One of the easiest ways to do this is what the people in the news business call ‘piggybacking.’ ‘Piggybacking’ simply mean localizing a national story.

Why is this important? Local news is the local media’s bread and butter. Any time they can find someone in their area who can offer background, commentary or story ideas that piggyback off a national event, or someone who is part of a national trend, they will usually bite.

In fact, piggybacking plays a major role in local newsrooms across the country. Reporters often search for hours for someone who can shed new light on a national news story – and give the story a more ‘neighborhood’ perspective.

For example, one of the best piggybacking stories I was pitched when I was a TV reporter was during the time when anthrax and chemical warfare were big on the national news. A local army-navy store owner called me saying that because of the scare, gas masks were flying off the shelves.  The store owner got great coverage, and my story was used in local broadcasts across the state – and covered as a print story on the Associated Press wire service, one of the largest distributors of news to the media.

Here are some of the best ways to give a national news story a local spin:

• Human Interest – These are stories of people that capture deep emotions or feelings. Remember Baby Jessica, the little girl who fell down the well and got stuck?  That’s a human interest story. Now what if you had done a similar type of rescue? Or you were stuck in a hole for a long time? Wouldn’t sharing your experiences be of interest to people in your area? You bet!

• Tips and Advice – These stories provide information on how to solve a problem.  This is where you can establish your expertise. If the national news was featuring a story on the increase in obese children and you were a weight loss counselor, you could offer tips to the local media on how parents can help their children lose weight without the kids feeling deprived.   

• Tragedy or Crisis – Think about the top news stories every day. I’ll bet you more than half involve some type of breaking news crisis.  Like the army-navy store owner, you should think if you have a story that relates to a tragedy or crisis.

• Holiday/Event Tie-Ins – Can your topic be connected to a holiday or national event, such as Valentine’s Day, Secretary’s Day, Small Business Week?  Then you’ve got a great hook. Take a look at Chase’s Directory of Events or Celebrate Today online or in the library to get more ideas of holidays and events.

• Current affairs – What’s coming up that’s going to be mentioned in the news frequently and how can you tie your product or service in to it?   Just before the presidential debates, I sent out a release about what to look for in a good debater for a client who teaches people how to make better public speeches.  He was featured on several radio programs nationwide.

Want to learn more about piggybacking for great visibility? Check out my free webinar at http://readysetpublicity.com

Want to boost your business image? Get more prospects opting in? Have more satisfied customers working with you? Then you need to get some media coverage.

People often neglect offline media, because they assume that their coverage doesn’t justify the amount of effort it would take to chase after them. The reality couldn’t be further from the truth.

So let me justify why you need media coverage to boost your business:

==> An Immediate Surge of Prospects

The first effect of  news  coverage will be an immediate surge of prospects. But don’t expect them to buy anything right away.

A coach I know was frustrated when – after I helped her get featured in the New York Times, she only had a few people buy her product. I had advised her to not push the book, but a free gift to capture the people visiting, but she ignored the tip. Instead she had 350,000 people visit her site in a couple of days, and only 20 people buying.

Remember, people who see you in the media may not know you very well. They often need to know, like and trust you before they buy, so I suggest using a free gift to get them on your list. Then, you can nurture that relationship to change these prospects into customers and clients.

==> Leads to Additional Coverage

It’s happened time and time again, when you start getting press, more media start banging on your door to give you more coverage.

Once a story is written about, it gets legitimacy. Often times a big story really started out as a small story that got published in a smaller paper that was later picked up by a larger paper.

This happened to me personally several times. I recently appeared in the Chicago Tribune in a story about traveling with kids. Within hours, I had a call from several TV stations wanting to interview me.

==> Builds Brand, Respectability and Credibility

When you tell someone who’s never heard about you about your company, they’re naturally going to be a little skeptical. However, if they hear about you through a newspaper, magazine, TV or radio, they’re automatically going to assume you’re credible.

There’s a lot of credibility that comes from being in the media. People naturally assume that only companies that deserve news coverage get it.  Getting in the press will help you increase your brand and prestige.

==> Find New Business Partners

Appearing on the news can bring potential partners out of the woodwork. Suppliers with great deals will hear about you, partners who want to work with you might contact you, people with platforms may ask you to speak, and top-notch talent might want to come and work for you.

I’ve had several companies pay me as sponsors due to my media coverage. That’s because it’s a win-win for everyone!

Want to learn more about getting media coverage for your business? Then check out my free webinar at http://ReadySetPublicity.com

Is your business starting to feel like a drag? It happens to the best of us.

You begin to get bored or stop seeing the results you once had – then you start finding ‘distractions’ to keep you from the tasks at hand – or perhaps start looking for jobs.

It’s unfortunate and it doesn’t have to happen. You can keep the passion for your business burning brightly; maybe even hotter than it was when you first envisioned going into business for yourself! Here’s how:

Step Back
Take a few days, or even a few weeks, to step back from your business. Assess what you love about your business (or what you used to love and enjoy). Explore what you dislike about your business too. For example, maybe you’re a service provider and you used to enjoy your clients but your new clients are difficult and not enjoyable to work with. Or perhaps your desire to be a service provider has waned.

Knowing what you like about your business, and what you don’t like, can help you create a plan to modify it to fit your changing needs.

Embrace What You Love

Often, regaining or retaining your passion for your business means focusing on the tasks that you enjoy and finding ways to eliminate the rest. If you find that your passion is wavering, perhaps it’s because you’re doing too many tasks that you dislike.

Focus again on what you love and use that brilliant entrepreneurial mind of yours to find ways to get rid of the rest. It may mean modifying your systems so some tasks are no longer necessary. It may mean automating something or hiring outside help. Trust that when you’re able to focus on what you love, your passion will be sustained.

A Little Gratitude Goes a Long Way

It’s amazing what a little gratitude can do for the spirit. And when you’re an entrepreneur there are so many things to be grateful for. You’re the boss. You’re in control of your financial future. You get to spend your days doing something that you love. Whenever you feel your passion disappearing and procrastination setting in, think about all of the wonderful things you get to experience by owning your own business. It’s a quick and easy way to gain perspective and appreciation for your business.

I just started a gratitude journal this year. It’s amazing how much more appreciative I am of what I do and how I do it! Try it for yourself.

Don’t Be Afraid to Make Changes

Finally, remember that sometimes maintaining passion for your business is about keeping things interesting. If you’ve found yourself in a rut, consider how you can improve or change your business to keep the fires burning. Constantly striving to provide better products or services, or to make more money, is a great way to stay motivated and enthusiastic.

I decided to start a new blog this year to energize some of the passion I have for owning a business while raising kids. It has really re-energized me. (You can check it out at http://mommy-inc.com)

You own your own business and that gives you the power to control your day to day destiny. If you find that you’re feeling unenthusiastic about your business, take action to make a change.

Each week, I have someone say to me, “Shannon, I really want visibility, but I think press releases are too much for me.”

“Why?” I ask.

“I’m just not ready.”

“Not ready for increased visibility? To get instant expert status?”

“I’m afraid I’ll look silly.”

Ahh, fear. It’s the biggest reason you’re not using press releases in your marketing. And it’s a shame too, because press releases are one of the most cost-effective and efficient marketing tools you can use today. It’s the ONLY tool I know that works both online AND offline.

Many people point out that they are afraid that they will be misquoted or just look like an idiot when interviewed by a journalist. As a former TV anchor and reporter, I can tell you it is not our jobs to make you look stupid. Reporters want you to look good. So my advice is simply – GET OVER IT!

And here’s the other thing about press releases you may not know: they aren’t just for reporters anymore. Because they can be used online, you also can reach your audience directly and increase your search engine rankings.

See I told you it’s an efficient marketing tool!

That’s why I suggest to put out at least one press release every month. Then you can take advantage of all the ways you can market yourself with one tool.

Now I know what your thinking: ‘One release a month? I just couldn’t think of that many ideas!’

Sure you can. As a matter of fact, I am hosting a free 30-minute webinar called Ready, Set, Publicity!  on how you can create your own press release plan – with 2 releases per month. You’ll learn to:

• Generate a multitude of newsworthy stories the media – and your target market – will love
• Find the hot stories reporters are working on now
• Create a top 10 hit list of media outlets that resonate with your target market so you get maximum visibility
• Schedule and plan your press releases the RIGHT way so you won’t worry about over saturating the media and potential customers

And it all happens on Tuesday, February 7 at 4 PM ET, 1 PM PT. Go to http://ReadySetPublicity.com for details and to register.

Do you want visibility and more exposure without spending a dime? An effectively written and distributed press release can generate quite a bit of attention for your products or services, and it costs you nothing but your time.

When it comes to writing news releases, you can’t simply write what you would for your website or sales copy.

The people who read press releases are journalists and reporters. They are looking for stories that will sell newspapers or magazines, or get people to tune in to their radio or television show. You will want to make your product or service compelling to reporters and journalists.

How do you do this? First, stick to the accepted style for press releases. Ideally, it should fit on a single page and never go over two pages. It should also be in third person, not first person – that is, elminate I’s, We’s, you’s, etc excpet if you are using a quote.

The components of a standard release are:

• Headline
• Date
• Body text
• Company information
• Contact information

Second, make sure that the information you include is compelling and newsworthy, particularly your headline and first paragraph. Develop a hook or an angle for your products or services that ties in to current events, or to subjects with universal appeal.

If you don’t feel comfortable writing a press release or do not have time to spare, you may want to consider getting Press Release Success, my DIY product which helps you craft press releases quickly and easily.

And if you want to learn more how to increase your visibility, join me for the free 30-minute webinar: Ready, Set, Publicity!  on Tuesday, February 7 at 4:00 PM ET. Get the details and register at http://ReadySetPublicity.com In just 30-minutes, you’ll learn how to change your marketing and increase your success this year and every year.

guest post by Michele PW

At first, starting a business via the Internet sounds perfect. Not only can an entrepreneur spread her message to people all over the world with relative ease and minimal expense, but she can also work from – and live – anywhere.

Alas, with so many things that sound too good to be true, Internet businesses are NOT perfect. Those entrepreneurs, full of hope and anticipation, put up a web site, and within a few weeks (or maybe even days), she realizes that Internet businesses aren’t as simple or as easy as she thought it would be.

Not to be deterred by a little setback, the entrepreneur begins to research, determined to learn everything she can about Internet Marketing and business over the World Wide Web. She then implements all the strategies, methods, and techniques the “experts” recommend.

Unfortunately, it’s STILL not as simple or as effortless as what the “gurus” say.

Sound familiar? Maybe you’re still stuck at your current revenue goals and you know you could be making more. Maybe you feel uncomfortable or “icky” around your marketing. Maybe you agonize over every negative email and feedback you get. And maybe you feel like there MUST be a better way.

Well, never fear — help is here! Read on for 3 tips to help you get more success with your Internet Marketing strategies.

1. Pull up those big girl panties and get some business training. Look, I get it. You started your business for all sorts of reasons that have really nothing to do with owning your own business. You wanted freedom, to provide for your family, to not have a boss, to get your message out into the world, to make a difference. None of those reasons started with the words “I love business.”

So, it only stands to reason you have little to none training or experience in business. And if that’s the case, why do you think this is somehow going to come naturally to you?

Learning to run a business is like learning to do any skill. And if you learn to run an effective, profitable business, then you’re more likely to put Internet Marketing in its proper place, which is…

2. Internet Marketing is a tool in your marketing toolbox, it is NOT a business model. There’s a certain amount of confusion around this whole Internet Marketing thing, that this somehow is a business model rather than a collection of strategies. Now, while it certainly CAN turn into a business model, that’s not a desirable situation. Typically, when that happens, your business has turned into a “launch after launch” model, which is highly stressful on a number of levels (not to mention it’s not terribly sustainable for the long term).

If you view your Internet Marketing as simply another tool in your toolbox, then your mindset changes. It’s just another tool — nothing more, nothing less. Certainly nothing to agonize about. And now you can focus on using that tool correctly.

Which leads me to my third point…

3. If there’s a part of Internet Marketing you really struggle with, take a good hard look at it. One of two things will most likely happen — either you’ll see the reason you struggle is because you have a block around something else, and if you want to fix it you work on the block. Or you realize this piece is just not going to happen — either you really hate doing it or maybe you feel like it’s not in alignment with you or your business. Now, if it’s the latter, you’re going to either have to find another way to get the same results or you’re going to have to accept the consequences of not doing it.

But how do you know which it is? If it’s a block or something else? And if it’s something else, how do you make that choice to do something different? And how do you know what the consequences even are before it’s too late?

Well, I have the answer — and because it’s not a short and sweet answer, I created an entire special report around it: “Why EVERYTHING You’ve Been Taught About Marketing on the Internet Will NOT Work for You and What You Can Do To Turn it Around.”

You can download a copy for free — here’s the link: http://MichelePW.com/cmd.php?af=853402

This is a problem I’ve seen over and over again — conscious entrepreneurs making a choice around Internet Marketing based on faulty or incomplete information and not realizing the consequences until it’s too late. It’s something no one else is talking about and I finally got tired of seeing this so I decided to create a special report around it.

Here’s that link again: http://MichelePW.com/cmd.php?af=853402