Have the fame and fortune of being noticed through seeking the right publications for you

Hello and welcome to this episode of The Unnoticed Entrepreneur with me, your host, Jim James. And today we're going to the home of the Kentucky Derby to talk fame and fortune with Ali Martin. Ali, welcome to the show.

Jim, thank you so much for being here. I'm excited for us to talk today.

Well, me too. I've not, you know, ever watched the Kentucky Derby, but it is famous around the world. And that's something that you do for clients, isn't it? You help entrepreneurs and businesses to get fame and fortune. Today we're going to talk with you about how you do that, but also how you do that for yourself. So, Ali, tell us, how do you as an entrepreneur build your own reputation?

I really like to use the word visibility when it comes to this idea of getting noticed and getting yourself that fame. And I always reference visibility as the most impactful and quickest way to change the trajectory of how people view you and your business. And it's really this idea of you are tapping into outlets and publications that have a great deal of credibility. And when they can cite you and source you as an expert, you gain that credibility along with it. So yes, that is what I do and that's how I help others as well.

Now you've managed to get yourself on the CNN Anderson Cooper Show. Uh, you've also managed to get yourself into Forbes. That's no mean feat. How have you managed to accomplish that for your own business when large brands can't get on the show?

You know, it really is this idea of looking at it from the perspective of it's not about you. That's a lot of times a big mistake that I see entrepreneurs make is they think, what's my story to tell? How can I get this visibility that I'm looking for? But when you can really change things around and look at what the outlet is really trying to do. What is this publication, this TV show, what are they trying to do? How are they educating their audiences? And what are the timely and relevant stories you can tell through that outlet? That's really where the magic happens because you're no longer thinking about it from a selfish perspective, but more of how can I help you? How can I be a resource to this outlet. And that's when the fireworks go off.

Ali, I love that. So seeing yourself as a really a contributor to the piece for the audience rather than a contributor to the piece for your own merit. Is that fair to say like that?

You hit the nail on the head. Exactly. Because when you think about it, they all have a job to do. They have a goal. They need to retain viewers. They need to sell ads. They are a for-profit organization. So their job is not to just tell stories in a nonprofit way. They have a goal in mind. So when you can really help them achieve those goals by being an excellent resource, that's when they really want to work with you and see you as a partner rather than somebody that's just pitching a random story.

Ali, I think it's a wonderful, wonderful perspective to take. Now let's just talk about Your CNN contribution and being with Anderson Cooper, which we get here in Europe, and I think it's worldwide. Could you just take us through the steps that you went through to be a part of that show and what content you provided?

Yes, it was really this idea of starting from the ground and saying, where is my audience? Where are they spending time online? Where are they spending time in front of their TV? And where are they getting their news? And once you've identified what those outlets are, and in this case it was CNN, Anderson Cooper, it was looking at who are the journalists that are working for those outlets that I need to be connected with? Who do I need to know there? You know, there's so many members of the team that make this show happen every single night, determining who those contacts are and then sending your pitches that align the best with the timeliness of what's happening in the world. I always, not necessarily in this example, but I use the example that International Women's Day is March 8th, and that's an opportunity for any female business owners that are listening to look at a local TV station and say, this is where I can speak to your audience and I can fit myself in. So looking at what's happening in the world. And even if it is holidays, finding those niches and then offering yourself up as an expert and as a resource. And it just so happened that Kentucky had election results that were quite shocking and they happened to be coming into town and it worked out perfectly because they said, we would love to have you on the show to offer your insight and to speak as a female voter in the state of Kentucky. So it all happened very quickly. I will say you do have to be on your A-game and ready to go and, you know, even a 24-hour turnaround. But because I had made those connections, because I had done that research, it worked out.

Okay. So the bit that I'm missing, Ali, is what did you say to those CNN researchers? Why did you put yourself forward? And under what sort of pretense, if you like, or pretext did you say, hi, I'm contacting you as Ali Martin that runs Fame and Fortune? How did you do that part?

Yeah, you're exactly right, Jim. And it is simple as an email, but truly introducing myself as an expert in the marketing, publicity, social media arena. And you know, there's oftentimes things that happen where apps make updates, you know, Snapchat will make a, a change to their app and I wanna be that source that they come to and say, we see that TikTok is now gaining steam. Can you give us more insight on how this is or why this is? So really making that connection and introduction of saying, I am a resource, I am an expert that can offer that insight to your audience when that time comes, when those stories are evolving and coming up. And in this case, I do have a background in political science, so the election results, it worked out perfectly in this case. But, you know, I think that's really where if you can look at what the goal of these outlets are and you can look at the stories that they're telling and find ways that you can offer insight. That gives you the perfect pitch to be sending to these contacts.

Allie, where did you find the details of these people at CNN? And you've also been on Forbes, or in Forbes, I should say. Where are you finding the contact details? Because quite often on websites, it just says info@ or contact. How are you going beyond the website directory email address?

I feel like this is like a magic skill, Jim, because you're right, it is a little tricky sometimes. There are softwares out there that a lot of publicity agencies use to gain contact information. But if you're listening and you don't have access to that, that doesn't mean you're out of the game. I like to always reference this idea that you can simply Google around and start to find different bits and pieces. You can tend to start to see a pattern with email addresses. Is it the first initial of their first name and then their last name? With the outlet. And I will be honest with you, I do that more often than not of just testing emails and seeing if they go through. If I get a bounce back, then I know it didn't work and you try again. You do have to do a little bit of digging and a little bit of magic to make it happen. But if you want it badly enough, you know that there's resources and ways to make it happen.

Okay. And also there are platforms like Prowly, for example, which for a monthly fee, you can get access to all of these contacts, aren't there? So if you don't want to just go commando on it, you can, as you say, subscribe to platforms. Ali, with services that provide information looking for people, do you use anything like that? Because with your background in PR, I know you're being proactive, but are there tools that you're using where you feel like people are, and journalists are looking for you?

Yes, Jim, you used exactly the word that I like to refer to it. When we're actively pitching ourselves to outlets, that is the idea of proactive public relations. There are outlets and platforms like HARO, which stands for Help a Reporter Out. And I know there's variations of that across the world. It's a free service and that is more of reactive public relations. That is the act of looking for these opportunities where last minute you can plug yourself in and be a resource. But I will say websites like HARO send out emails 3 times a day. They can be a little overwhelming for some people cuz there can be 100 opportunities in one email and they'll say, is this even worth my time? But that actually is the way that I was able to be sourced in Forbes. And I've gotten my husband, who is a business owner, in Martha Stewart Magazine, which is actually more of a female-based publication in the state, but it is very popular as well. So, you know, I can definitely say from experience that using these reactive platforms wisely is a good use of your time because you can get some really big wins out of them.

Okay. That's wonderful. It's HARO. And in Asia, there's a group called Telomedia that are compiling lists so that these do exist. And I think also there's a hashtag on Twitter, isn't there, for help a reporter out and, and journo requests. Now what's your view, Ali, on Twitter? Because many people feel that's where the journalists, you know, live. That's, if you like, their water cooler. Are you using Twitter? And if so, how?

That's a great question and you're absolutely right. It does tend to be a place where you can really connect well with journalists. I do not personally like Twitter. In the States particularly, it's most commonly used by politicians and nonprofits. And to me, I really just like the creativity that other platforms like Instagram and now TikTok have given us. To either create content that is more interactive and more engaging. Now, not to say that you can't do that on Twitter, but it's just been one of those things where over time I've just gradually and gradually pulled away from it. So there's only particular cases where I think it is wise for people to spend time on there. But again, it goes back to where is your audience? Where are they spending time? So if it is on Twitter, then you need to be there.

Well, you raise an interesting question because, Ellie, you're working, I believe, with luxury clients and wellness clients. You're in the B2B space, not in the young FMCG consumer space. You've mentioned TikTok. Are you then finding that TikTok is good for B2B communications?

Yes, and it's definitely still on the very early side of things. So if you're listening and you kind of feel like Is this the best place for me to be? I definitely will say TikTok is just so interactive. I will say the number one thing about TikTok that gives it a little bit of a leader over all the other platforms in my mind is the algorithm is so smart. So this idea of if you're on Instagram, it's really hard to discover new platforms or new accounts if you don't already follow them. So this idea that you just become discovered one day is very rare. However, on TikTok, it truly doesn't matter who you follow and what you've done with engaging with them in the past. It can only curate what you see today based off of behaviors you've done in the last couple of days, and You know, if it knows that you are somebody that would really enjoy going to a spa and you are engaging with content from a spa, it will start to show you other contents from spas. So to me, the discoverability via the algorithm is just so high likelihood of, of that happening. And I had a testimonial from a client just a couple days ago that said, we had our client come in and say, I found you solely on TikTok. And so I'm just hearing that more and more. So I really do believe in the power that it has.

That's amazing. Well, of course, it used to be called Douyin, and before that it was a music animation site that my daughters used to use in China just to dance to short clips of music. So it's come a long way. Interesting that you're finding it yet to be good for B2B. And we've talked about some of the things that you do as an entrepreneur and also for your clients. Can you give us also some ideas of what doesn't, you know, both as an entrepreneur and from a PR point of view, What are some things that my fellow unnoticed entrepreneurs should avoid doing?

Yeah, Jim, that's definitely a good question to ask because I do hear a lot of times this idea of people pitching themselves to outlets and getting zero response. And it's this idea that they're making it similar to what I shared earlier about they're making it about themselves. They're telling their story and then trying to make it fit with all the other publications and outlets out there, rather than reverse engineering it and looking at the outlet you're looking to get in, understanding the stories and the conversations that they're having, and determining the best way that you can fit yourself into those conversations. So I think so many journalists are turned off by these blanket pitches because it really gives no thought to the stories and the goals that they have to do. So really this idea of not blanket emails, and we all have heard this for so many years, we know it to be true, but this is a good, again, another situation where it just simply doesn't work and you're gonna be wasting your time by doing it. So niche down, figure out what your custom pitch is for that outlet and do it that way one at a time.

And I'm going to ask you this question then. If you were on, for example, CNN with Anderson Cooper talking about local Kentucky political affairs, how is that really valuable for your business, which is in, you know, consultancy for luxury and healthcare companies? What's the ROI?

I really looked at pitching myself to these outlets at the very beginning of my business with the idea of saying, This is me getting myself on outlets, and I can do the same for you. And I go back to this idea of CNN is such a credible platform, and there are so many different ways that I can tell my story on my own social media. And I could say, hi, I'm Ali Martin, I'm an expert in publicity, and maybe 5 or 6 of you would believe me and say, okay, sure, Ali. But if Anderson Cooper can sit in his chair and interview me and talk about the work that I've done, even if it is in a complementary industry like political affairs, that has so much more weight to it. And that really gives the viewers, my potential customers, this idea of, wow, if she can appear on CNN, so can I, and others will see me. And it will give this recognition to my personal brand that I can argue nowhere else can do quite as well as media opportunities.

Ali, I love that you're using the very presence of being online as evidence of what you can do for your clients. I love that. And Ali, next, you've talked about TikTok, for example, in the last sort of minute that we've got together, just explain what's the strategy going forward for Fame and Fortune?

This idea that video is king, we know that. And anybody that's listening that feels hesitant to put themselves on camera, I would really encourage you to get your face out there because you're holding your customers back from working with you because they aren't able to connect with you quite as well as video can do. So getting yourself on video, educating and giving away as much free content as possible. That's the best marketing we have is by sharing the knowledge and the education that we can bring to our clients and our customers. And so get that information out there. Don't hold it back. Don't put it behind a vault. Share that information, get your face out there and start to tell your story.

Ali, okay, so that's fantastic. Education and with video. And do you recommend that people are doing that on YouTube or On TikTok or having a platform like Vimeo, what would be your recommendation?

I go back always to where are your customers? And we do know that TikTok is growing faster than Google itself. So I do say TikTok is a very smart platform to be on just because we know the growth is there. But of course, as you mentioned, YouTube, that would be a close second, but I really say focus on one or two platforms, nail them, do them really well. Add in any other platforms that you think would be a complement to that once you've nailed those 1 or 2 platforms.

Okay. Final question for you, Ali. What do you say to someone who doesn't feel confident enough? They don't like the way they look or sound on video. What would be your advice?

It really comes down to this idea that you are not only holding yourself back from being out there, but you're holding your customers back from being able to reach their full potential. by you not stepping into that. So if we can think about it from that perspective of when we're pitching, it's not about us. Same thing with video. It's not about you. The message will be there and we're not paying attention to those other details. So remember, what is your end goal? What's the ultimate desire and result that we're looking to get out of it and focus on that instead.

Allie Martin joining me from the home of the Kentucky Derby and also founder and operator of Fame and Fortune PR Firm. Thank you so much for sharing how you've got your own business.

Thank you, Jim.

So you've been sharing with Ali Martin and myself on the mic today, and I'll put Ali's contact details, of course, and any references to those softwares in the show notes. And until we meet again, I wish you the very best. And do please refer this video to a fellow entrepreneur. And if you've got the time to rate and review the show, that would be wonderful. It really helps. Until we meet again, I encourage you to keep on communicating.