Using surprises to get media attention

By Avril O’Reilly

I am kind of old-fashioned when it comes to press packs. I like when a product or book lands on the desk accompanied by a goodie bag. I’m not greedy. When I worked on newspapers a nice biro or a bag of sweets was more than enough to earn my good will.

The BIG idea

When I was sending out copies of my book, Kathleen and the Communion Copter, I wanted the book to have that “feel good” factor. My original idea was to bake cookies in the shape of little girls making their communions. I would decorate the cookies and place each in a pretty paper box that I would buy from Etsy. These would be delivered by, I dunno, courier/winged messenger/mum, to the relevant newspapers and magazines. Journalists on a sugar high would write warmly about my book.

Bad idea

I’ll stop there and explain why that didn’t happen. The idea was time-consuming, expensive, and possibly a threat to the journalists’ health. It might have been a magnet for desk mice. And this approach was insensitive to the different lead-in times of mags, papers, and radio stations.

Better idea

The idea I ran with in the end was to make necklaces. My book is about Holy Communions and helicopters so I felt it might lend itself to jewelry. I decided on a silver chain with a cross and a helicopter. Crosses on chains are a well-known aspect of communions and are quite ageless. I was lucky to find a little helicopter that looked not unlike the drawing on my front cover.

Here’s my advice for doing something similar for your book:

• Determine your audience. Mine is little kids and their mums, aunts, and grannies. And initially it is female journalists. Jewelry has feminine appeal. Chains and bracelets might also work for tween, teens, or romance books.
• Set a budget. Decide how much you are willing to invest in this stage of your book. Books, stamps, and envelopes all cost.
• Keep it cheap. I originally thought that charm bracelets would be nice but a bracelet needs at least six charms while a necklace needs only one or two.
• Keep it light. A small gift that fits in an envelope will keep your shipping costs down.
• Keep it simple. I knew I would be sending about 50 of these so my design used just two charms on a chain. There was minimal skill involved. I learned on YouTube how to use jump rings or split rings to attach the crosses and copters to the chain.
• Head for Etsy. Look for what you want and then get Etsy to show the items ranked by price. Go for the cheapest. I used Bohemian Findings.
• Head for China. A surprising number of usable things are available from from Asia. I got my very pretty chains from a polite and skilled chap called Cheng. (His Etsy name is Predestination.) Allow time for your package to arrive. Allow 6-8 weeks or pay for quicker delivery.
• Give yourself searching time. It can take a while to find exactly what you want. Enjoy seeing what is out there that might complement your book. Etsy and eBay are creative places and clever ideas are plentiful. Use them.

A few extras to consider include:

• Add chocolate. Female journalists love opening a package and seeing chocolate inside. I paid a professional company, Lily O’Briens, to make up small boxes of two chocolates with the name of my book embossed on the cover. They do this service for couples getting married.
• Add stickers. I got large and small stickers made by Moo.com. I was going to stick them on the envelopes but instead I put them inside. That way the recipient can put them onto their iPad, notebook, or phone.
• Make it look pretty. Keep the feminine appeal going right through your press package.
• Check eBay. Paper bags and fabric bags can be had cheaply. Again, allow time for international deliveries.

The end result

Very few people ignored my press packs. One website used my book and necklace as a competition prize. I have been getting a lot of press coverage and even one TV appearance. The Holy Communion season peaks at the end of May so I have yet to see all the returns from my efforts.

And because little girls like the necklaces, I have a few mini-ambassadors for the book going around.

I am told that people wait until the last minute to buy Holy Communion gifts so I will let you know if all my efforts lead to sales.

What appealing goodies could you send to the media to entice them to open and read your book’s press kit?