Hype Yourself: A no-nonsense PR toolkit for small businesses

by Lucy Werner

Overview

***BUSINESS BOOK AWARDS 2021 SHORTLISTED TITLE***

Hype Yourself is an invaluable toolkit for getting you and your business featured in the media: newspapers, magazines, radio and TV. Crammed full of insider advice, from the building blocks of your PR strategy to the execution of creative campaigns, it includes expert tips from journalists and industry specialists and is supported by a stack of online resources.

Lucy Werner is founder of The Wern, a PR & branding consultancy and training hub for startups, entrepreneurs and independent brands. She is also a writer, speaker, blogger, teacher and podcaster on all things brand building for small businesses. For more information follow @wernchat or visit www.thewern.com

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781788601238
Publisher:	Practical Inspiration Publishing
Publication date:	01/09/2020
Pages:	228
Sales rank:	738,673
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.56(d)

About the Author

Lucy Werner is the founder of The Wern, a boutique consultancy for publicity & design. She has 17-years publicity experience both inhouse and for some of London’s top agencies. In May 2021, she created HypeYourself.com an online DIY PR & brand platform for small businesses. She has written a best-selling book Hype Yourself and her second book Brand Yourself is available for pre-order now, written with the co-founder of her two children and creative director Hadrien Chatelet.

She has worked with hundreds of creative entrepreneurs and teaches on all things publicity for spaces such as Cass Business School, Hatch Enterprise, UAL, Courier magazine and Second Home.

Table of Contents

Foreword ix

Introduction xi

Chapter 1 PR plan 1

1.1 Business objectives 2

1.2 Communications objectives 5

1.3 Your why 7

1.4 Audience 9

1.5 What is unique about your business? 12

1.6 Communications calendar 14

1.7 Crisis Q&A 20

Chapter 2 Master your media toolkit 25

2.1 One-liner 26

2.2 Boiler plate 29

2.3 Images 31

2.4 Biographies 35

2.5 Guest posts 40

2.6 Features 46

2.7 Press releases 51

Chapter 3 Starting your press office 59

3.1 Journalist details 60

3.2 Why help a journalist who isn't directly related to your business? 78

3.3 Where to took if you have a product and how to pitch 82

3.4 Guest posts 89

3.5 Podcasts 95

3.6 Guest panellist 99

3.7 Write for the national news 105

3.8 Hosting your own event 110

3.9 Feature pitch tips 116

3.10 News desks 120

3.11 Interviews and Q&As 126

Chapter 4 The brain farts 133

4.1 Newsjacking 134

4.2 Picture stories 141

4.3 Video stories 147

4.4 Influencer engagement 151

4.5 Research 160

4.6 TV 165

4.7 Radio 172

4.8 Social media for PR 178

4.9 Business book 184

Any other business 191

When to hire a PR agency or book some PR coaching 197

Don't believe the hype? 199

Useful resources 201

Key terms 203

Recommended reading 205

Acknowledgements 207

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"In an industry rife with jargon and snake oil, Lucy demystifies the dark arts of PR and cuts to the chase showing founders everywhere how to get the word out faster, more authentically and without a massive price tag. An essential read for anyone who wants to build a strong profile for their business or themselves."
- Jeff Taylor, Editor in Chief, Courier Media "PR has a deservedly bad reputation, which is why this book is so important: Lucy’s ideas for what PR is, and what it’s not, serve as a blueprint for what it should, and could be. Essential bullshit-free guidance in a bullshit-rich industry. I wish we’d had this book when we were starting out, in fact I wish the PR industry had read this book when it was starting out." - Sam Conniff Allende, Author of Be More Pirate, Founder of Livity, Digify "The world of PR is often seen as a scary black box that is exclusively for big companies with influential networks. Well, Lucy takes a crowbar to that black box and shovels the contents straight into the world of small businesses. Lucy brings to light a plethora of actionable and approachable options for businesses built off the back of a wealth of experience and knowledge. What makes this book so special is Lucy’s clear focus and passion for delivering actionable content to small businesses. In a world where we are inundated with digital marketing campaigns, curating a more genuine connection with potential/actual customers is ever more important. This book is a beautifully written insight into how anyone can start building themselves a strong PR campaign that works for their business."
- Albert Azis-Clauson, CEO & Founder @ UnderPinned "This is simply genius. A practical, easy-to-read guide to getting coverage for your small business." - Bex Burn-Callander, former enterprise editor of The Telegraph "Every small business should take its reputation seriously, and ‘Hype Yourself’ is a fantastic hands-on guide for business managers up and down the country. If you’re looking for a practical book to help you manage your own PR, look no further." - Francis Ingham, PRCA Director General "I’ve always admired Lucy and her approach towards her clients, she really knows her stuff – and this book is proof of that. Having worked in the PR industry for nearly 15 years, it’s very refreshing to see professionals in our industry offering solutions that aren’t just based on the highest price point. To someone with no knowledge of the PR world, it can seem intimidating and difficult to get started – however this book breaks that barrier down and makes it a world that everyone can be a part of. I would recommend this book to anyone starting their own business, it gives a clear, step by step guide to creating a full PR plan." - Nicky Marks, Managing Director, Censuswide

"Covering so much more than just PR, Hype Yourself is a must-read for any business owner wanting to build awareness in an authentic and genuine way. This book cuts the fluff and gives you straight-talking PR advice that you can action before you plough any more time or money into PR. Lucy’s thinking is outside the traditional PR box: refreshing and inspiring." - Rosie Davies-Smith, Founder, PR Dispatch & LFA

PR has a deservedly bad reputation, which is why this book is so important, Lucy’s ideas for what PR is, and what it’s not, serve as a blueprint for what it should, and could be. Essential bullshit-free guidance in a bullshit-rich industry. I wish we’d had this book when we were starting out, in fact I wish the PR industry had read this book when it was starting out.

Sam Conniff, Author of Be More Pirate, Founder of Livity

Editorial Reviews

I needed this book in my life right now! It's an easy to understand guide to promoting your business and yourself. It starts with the basics, of defining what your business is, what it provides, and who your customer is. The tone is positive and encouraging, yet also no nonsense. The writing is straight forward and complicated jargon is broken down for newbies like me. I went to the website and downloaded the pdfs mentioned in the book to complete the exercises. I started the first couple, and will definitely be returning to the book to finish the process. I learned a ton here, some that I will began implementing immediately in my work to grow and monetize my book blog.
Lucy's writing style had me jazzed up about some information that I'd read before and found daunting or boring. I feel affirmed that I'm on the right path, and my energy is renewed in believing that I am capable of doing the hard work to grow my business. I highly recommend this one!

NetGalley

I think we can safely say that all three of our book reviewers loved Hype Yourself. It seems that the no-nonsense, jargon free approach has won them over. If you’d like a better understanding of how PR can help your business, this is the book for you.

Social

This is a really useful book for any small business to keep on their shelf as a reference and help guide. It addresses a variety of ways for getting yourself out there and using the best media possible that is suited to your own business. It well written and is easy to follow and read. It is a book that will be useful to many and at the very least will get you thinking about what you could improve and include in your own strategy.

From the Publisher