How to get free PR, be paid for it and increase your sales from more visibility
My latest book How to get free PR for your business – and be paid for it: 280 ways to gain media coverage and raise your profile is published today (22 October 2024).
It is available to buy from Amazon (Associate Link) Signed copies are available here.
If you are self-employed or run a small business and you wish to become more visible in the media, to bring you credibility and sales, then you need this book! I applied most of the tips in this book to go from writing an opinion piece in the local newspaper through to being a panellist for Jeremy Vine on 5.
I started The Complaining Cow blog in 2012 as a hobby. Since then I have developed it into a business. With two best-selling consumer advice books under my belt, I am now a well-established and trusted Consumer Champion, who also advises businesses on improving customer service to increase sales. I have appeared in/on about 200 media outlets, many of them regularly, with countless case studies and contributions, plus writing specially-commissioned pieces.
Here I show how you can do it, too.
A comprehensive guide packed full of ideas, it includes many examples from myself and from others who have used these ideas to boost their PR coverage. It will help you grow your own contact list, approach television, radio and newspaper outlets and leverage your coverage. Armed with this knowledge you can become the “go-to” media expert in your chosen subject area, with regular paid appearances.
The book includes a foreword by Jeremy Vine and reviews from Rob Rinder, Brad Burton and Lynsey Hope
Reviews of How to get free PR for your business – and be paid for it: 280 ways to gain media coverage and raise your profile
“Helen Dewdney writes with fearless clarity and she’s done it again… She’s one of my few and regular go-tos, especially for how to approach consumer issues or in the event of an urgent sense check. This book is packed full of great and creative ideas for building up excellent PR, establishing yourself as the expert and keeping the momentum going. She is – hands down – a mega star in the world of consumer affairs and in this latest book, on PR, she shares how you can do it for yourself.” – Rob Rinder, Barrister, Presenter and Columnist
“She’s not doing the devious PR stuff, but rather making wholly honest and interesting suggestions about how you reach out – I can hardly object to her suggestion that it might be a good idea to work out who you’re speaking to before you ring them; what the story is; what your expertise is. All good! There are no dark arts in here because dark arts don’t work – Jeremy Vine, Broadcaster
“Exceptional, Truly Exceptional I’ve been in business now for 20 years, and PR has been a massive vehicle for me. Helen Dewdney’s PR book is the PR Bible, I promise you. There’s no filler; it’s all thriller. No fluff, just straight talk. Succinct and comprehensive, it’s an enjoyable scannable read that gives so much value. I’ve seen PR books that are a “hoity-toity” almost costume-playing what it is to be a PR. They are not Absolutely Fabulous. This is, Helen cuts through all that, delivering pure, good stuff, zero wastage. None. It is as lean as you’re going to get. This is the book PR professionals and “agencies” really do not want you to read. PR just isn’t the dark art it’s been made out to be, and this book shines a light on everything you’ll need to know to go it alone, and get your PR working fast. Before you hire an agency for thousands of pounds, read this for just over a tenner. Exceptional. A true 10 out of 10 book. Absolute belter. Absolutely fabulous!” – Brad Burton, 4Networking Founder and Motivational Leader
“Helen’s book is full of helpful advice for businesses, big and small, looking to get some publicity. Helen is a very experienced consumer champion, adept at dealing with journalists from all walks of life. Her advice is easy to follow, practical and will get results. She knows the value of good press and her book is a great starting point for anyone wanting to promote their work and grow their business.” – Lynsey Hope, Freelance Journalist and Editor
How to get free PR for your business – and be paid for it: 280 ways to gain media coverage and raise your profile is available to buy from Amazon (Affiliate Link) Signed copies here.
The post “How to get free PR for your business – and be paid for it” – published today appeared first on The Complaining Cow – Consumer Rights, Complaints and Customer Service Expert.
If someone decides to retire and live off of their investment portfolio, an important detail called the sequence of returns risk can be one of the most critical components to comprehend. You might have an understanding or at least a notion of the 4% rule that helps give you some direction in retirement planning. The idea is that you likely can take out 4% from a given portfolio every year and never run out of money. There are several caveats […]
It’s all in the contract!
Recently I found myself saying yes to freelance work. The tension between getting paid now and possibly getting paid later tipped toward getting paid now.
I began chatting with a poker pro I met online, and checked out his Kick channel. I wrote up an article on how he could build his Kick channel, and that led to discussions on creating and managing a website for him.
Around a week ago, he was ready to pull the trigger, and he wanted to have a contract for the work. He didn’t really say why, but it’s a completely reasonable thing to do.
That put the ball in my court to produce a contract and figure out how to get us both to sign it, because he’s not local to me.
These two services greased the skids for getting things in writing.
1. A Self Guru Legal Bundle
Setting up a website correctly is more than just getting hosting and firing up WordPress. It used to be about this easy, but not anymore.
Websites can potentially open up their owners up to a lot of liability. Legal protection on the website is a must in order to sleep better at night and to stay on the good side of the search engines, which have quality standards that affect search engine results placement.
I had been pilfering legal boilerplate from wherever (with permission) but got a bit spooked when the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came out.
At this point I searched for legal documents that addressed the GDPR, and eventually purchased the comprehensive legal bundle from A Self Guru here.
What made me pull the trigger on the ultimate bundle is that I could deploy the documents on as many of my websites as I wanted to with a single license. Other bundles were cheaper, but they only were licensed for one site. Since I had several sites, this was a good choice. And since I am managing the website, I can use the legal docs on that site.
And, as I found out recently, included in the comprehensive bundle was a Website Design Agreement, which I gladly used.
2. eSignatures.io
I asked my client if he had a scanner since the contracts from my bundle are in Word format. I’d print the contract, sign it, and scan it, and he’d do the same.
Well, it turned out that his scanner didn’t work, so I began investigating e-signature options. A lot of the options came with a monthly or annual fee, and I didn’t really need another subscription on top of what I have already.
Eventually I found eSignatures.io, which has a pay-as-you-go model and no subscription. For someone who doesn’t do a lot of contracts at the moment, this is great.
I paid in the minimum $50 which gets me 50 contracts (no expiration), and sent the contracts out to my client. I was able to paste in my contract from the bundle. It was really quite easy!
And I’m all paid up for the next contracts, whenever they come.
How do you streamline your signing process?
Let me know in the comments!
Thanks for reading!
Hi, I’m John and I encourage entrepreneurship in people, including myself.
Join 300+ savvy people with my Solid Cash Tips newsletter for regular insights on side hustling and saving money, with a generous portion of productivity, habit-building, and working smarter!
Photo by Sollange Brenis
Visit Mighty Bargain Hunter for more articles on recognizing life’s good deals!
In this PPhREI roundup, we discuss how to convert active to passive income and also the temptation of lifestyle inflation. Enjoy! The Prudent Plastic Surgeon In this post, Dr. Frey…
The post How to Convert Active to Passive Income | PPhREI Network Roundup | 10-21-2024 appeared first on The Darwinian Doctor.
The other day, I finally got around to finalizing my taxes for 2023. If you’re wondering why I’m filing my taxes so late, it’s because I got a tax extension back in April. I always file for an extension since I never get a tax refund anymore (so there’s no urgency for me to file) and I like giving myself more time to organize my stuff.
I’ve been writing about money and financial independence for 8 years now, and during that time, I’ve spent an inordinate amount of time trying to optimize my finances. Unfortunately, even with the extra time I gave myself to file my taxes, a combination of being overwhelmed with family duties, some disorganization, and a little bit of laziness meant that I messed up fairly badly this year, forgetting to do a bunch of stuff I usually do and leaving money on the table as a result.
It happens though. So if you’re ever feeling bad about not doing everything perfectly, you can look at all the stuff I didn’t do this year and maybe feel a bit better about what you may not have done.
Forgot To Do A Backdoor Roth IRA
This was definitely my worst mistake for the year.
My wife and I have been taking advantage of the Backdoor Roth IRA for many years now since our income is too high to contribute to a regular Roth IRA. If you aren’t familiar with the Backdoor Roth IRA, it’s a way you can contribute to a Roth IRA even if your income is too high for a normal Roth IRA. There’s more that goes into a Backdoor Roth IRA than I can go into with this post, but essentially, what you do is make a nondeductible contribution to a traditional IRA, then immediately roll over your contribution to a Roth IRA. By doing this, you’re able to contribute to a Roth IRA, even if your income is too high to directly contribute to one.
Taking advantage of the Backdoor Roth IRA is important because it allows me to put thousands of dollars each year into a tax-advantaged account. That money can grow tax-free and I can withdraw the money tax-free as well. For last year, the contribution limit was $6,500 per person (if under 50). That means my wife and I could have contributed $13,000 total to our Roth IRAs as a Backdoor Roth IRA contribution.
The deadline for making this contribution, however, was the regular tax filing deadline and not the tax extension deadline. That means I needed to make this contribution back in April 2024, which I completely forgot to do.
It’s a fairly expensive mistake to make too. $13,000 invested in a Roth IRA could grow to around $50,000 in 20 years and to $98,000 in 30 years. As you can see, that’s a lot of tax-free income I left on the table due to my forgetfulness. It won’t ruin me by any means, but it does hurt to lose out on that much potential money.
Didn’t Max Out My 529 Tax Deduction
Another minor thing I forgot to do was max out my state 529 plan tax deduction. As a quick background, a 529 plan is a tax-advantaged account that provides tax-free growth if used for qualified educational expenses – usually college tuition for most people. In many ways, a 529 Plan is like a Roth IRA where you contribute to it using after-tax money and can then withdraw the money tax-free later.
Depending on which state you live in, contributing to a 529 plan could also qualify you for a state tax deduction. I live in Minnesota, which gives households up to a $3,000 state tax deduction for 529 plan contributions to any state’s 529 plan (i.e. I don’t have to contribute to the Minnesota 529 plan to qualify for the state tax deduction). In this case, I contribute to the New York 529 plan since I find that plan easy to use, it uses Vanguard funds, and most importantly, it has low fees (just 0.12% expense ratio as of when I write this).
For some reason, I only ended up contributing $2,800 to my 529 plan last year, which really makes no sense. It’s not a huge deal that I didn’t get to that max of $3,000, but as someone who likes to optimize everything, seeing that I randomly forgot to contribute an extra $200 for no particular reason hurts. At a minimum, I should always be contributing at least $250 per month to a 529 plan so I can maximize that state tax deduction (I’ve since gone ahead and updated my auto-contributions to be $250 per month).
Did A Terrible Job Keeping Track Of My Expenses
A big advantage of being a business owner is that a lot of your everyday expenses can qualify as business expenses, allowing you to reduce your taxable income and essentially pay for things using pre-tax income. There are a lot of things I already pay for that can qualify as a business expense. Things like my phone and internet or the bike maintenance I do on my bikes are good examples of things I’m already paying for that can qualify as business expenses. Even going out to eat can qualify as a business expense since I’m usually going out to lunch with my business partner.
The catch, of course, is that you need to actually track these expenses. And this is where I’ve been really bad lately because I’ve been doing an awful job of tracking my potential business expenses. As a result, at the end of the year, I’m always underreporting my expenses because I’ve simply forgotten what I spent money on.
This is something I need to work on improving because by not reporting all of my expenses, I’m for sure leaving money on the table. Even if I’m worried about stretching what is a business expense, I can’t even consider whether to include it if I never tracked it in the first place.
Final Thoughts
We’re still in October as I write this, which means I have plenty of time to optimize things this year. For contributions to tax-advantaged accounts, it’s important to think about when the contributions need to be made. It’ll either be by the end of the calendar year or by the tax filing deadline. But you have to pay attention because even if you get an extension, the deadline might still be with the original tax filing deadline and not the extension deadline.
As we head into these last two months of the year, I have time to at least make sure I don’t miss out on some of these easy things I missed last year. With my 529 Plan, I noticed I was coming up short again on the contributions, so I changed it so it’ll at least hit $3,000 in contributions by the end of the year.
For the Backdoor Roth IRA contributions, I’m planning to make my contribution soon after I write this. I’ve always been 1 year behind, where I make my contribution for the previous year in the current year (i.e. I’d normally make my 2024 Backdoor Roth IRA contribution at the beginning of 2025). I’m planning to get on track and make my contribution for the current year in the same year, just to simplify my thinking a bit.
So yeah, as much as I’d like to optimize everything, I don’t always do it. And this past year was probably my worst year when it came to optimizing things because I was so busy and forgetful.
It’s not the end of the world, but if I can optimize my finances, I’d rather do that.
Related
<!–
–>
Is Octopus Group legit? Check out the full review here and how you can make extra money with Octopus Group
The post Is Octopus Group Legit? How to Make the Most Money From Australia’s Highest Paying Online Survey Site appeared first on The Thrifty Issue.
Humans are the only species on earth blessed with the gift of CHOICE. While other species live at the mercy of instinct and genetic pre-programming, we get to choose.
Assuming you are currently human, you get to choose whether life happens to you or for you. If you choose to live your life with intention, you take the helm! Alternatively, when you let life happen to you, you leave life to CHANCE.
A prosperous and fulfilling life is lived by choice.
Of course, we are all still subject to chance to some degree no matter how intentionally we choose to live. We cherish chance when the outcome lands in our favor…but we curse it when it’s unfavorable, for the pain and inconvenience it tends to bring into our lives.
But this is where it gets interesting. The flow of chance – in its never-ending combination of up/down, good/bad, favorable/detrimental – creates an infinite circle where every chance event in life (and there will be many) always, ultimately, still brings us back to choice.
No matter how random an event, we choose our response. We get choice even when at the mercy of the uncontrollable. We may not necessarily notice this – or make a conscious choice to react a certain way – when things go our way because the positive inevitably takes care of itself, and we happily let it. But how about when things don’t go our way: how will we respond to the negative?
Will we choose to be the VICTIM or the VICTOR?
I’ve personally found that perception and preparation have made all the difference in my own life. I choose to perceive myself as a generally lucky person that occasionally gets hit with an unlucky break. I don’t dwell on the things that don’t go my way but instead embrace the fact that sometimes chance doesn’t fall in my favor no matter the amount of my planning and preparation.
One’s life is mostly a result of the choices made. But sometimes, even the most prepared and intentional (I count myself in this category, claiming planning as my super power!) still find himself on the receiving end of a negative outcome outside of his control (otherwise known as chance). But in choosing optimism, and confidence in my ability to handle any consequence, I’m still able to come out ahead. If not today, then tomorrow. That’s life, next!
Life is a combination of choice and chance..but mostly CHOICE!
– Gen Y Finance Guy
The post Life is a Combination of Choice and Chance…But Mostly Choice appeared first on Gen Y Finance Guy.
Navigating life as a young family includes immediate needs and long-term financial planning. Ensuring a stable and prosperous future requires understanding various strategies that address…
The post Future-Proofing Your Finances: Key Strategies for Young Parents appeared first on Savings and Sangria.
My wife and I spent September in Australia. This essay, the first in a series, recounts our sun-drenched start before things took a turn for the worst. Listen to the Podcast Australians, it seems, are utterly smitten with coffee. The beverage of choice appears to be the flat white, a silky yet buttoned-down cousin to …
Continue reading “The Flat White Chronicles”
The post The Flat White Chronicles appeared first on CLIPPING CHAINS.
I’ll be sharing my tips for memorable but budget-friendly travel and balancing vacations with a full-time job.
Some context: I do not work remotely or travel for work. I have 18 days of annual leave which is enough to travel 4-5 times a year..
I hope this post gives you practical tips on how to balance a full-time job with frequent travel while keeping it affordable.
Why aim for five trips a year? For me, travel is a great way to recharge, and getting away every three months is the ideal rhythm. I try to balance things out with two longer trips and three shorter ones, plus an occasional bonus getaway. In 2024, I managed to take five trips, spread out fairly evenly throughout the year.
Travel style
Whenever possible, I like to visit multiple cities during a single trip to make the most of the experience, as each city offers something different. By using a total of 22 leave days, I was able to enjoy 36 days of vacation time.
In this post, I’ll be sharing how I prioritize and organize my time for travel. For me, a trip is truly successful when I return feeling refreshed and recharged, without the usual post-holiday blues, and ready to get back to my routine in Singapore. Although travel planning and research can be time-consuming, I’ve streamlined the process using my own templates. I hope this post offers you some helpful insights on how to do the same.
First trip of the year
I prefer to kick off my first holiday in March, as I like to use the first two months of the year to focus on work and build momentum. After that, I travel every three months, starting from March, with one slightly shorter getaway that extends over a weekend.
Travel days
The countries I choose to visit are shortlisted based on favorable weather conditions and the timing of public holidays.
When possible, I try to plan my trips around public holidays to minimize the number of leave days I need to take. I always include weekends as well, which is why I organize my vacation days well ahead of time. Weekends are always factored in, which is why I plan my vacation days well in advance.
Insurance
So far, I have been using FWD for an easy claim process.
Flight tickets
Here are my tips for saving on the biggest expense. I have a price range that I’m willing to pay for flights to ensure the cost stays reasonable.
I keep benchmark prices in mind based on typical rates, travel period and duration. This means I usually travel during off-peak seasons or look for good deals during peak times. For example, I purchased a 13-hour flight to the USA in December, a peak period, for $1.5K. Paying $1K for a 6-hour flight to Japan doesn’t feel that justified.
Another way I reduce my overall trip expenses is by booking multicity flights. This offers greater value as I get to visit different cities. As a reference, I can get a direct flight to New york for $1500, but a multicity flight covering New york and LA costs $1800.
Price range
When purchasing flights, there are several factors to take into account:
Budget: For trips under 6 hours, it’s ideal if the ticket costs less than $500.
Flight Timing: I prefer flight schedules that minimize disruption to my sleep, allowing me to feel rested.
Price: Where to buy tickets depends primarily on price, though there are some situations where third-party travel partners may be preferable.
Agoda, Trip, and Expedia are available for booking flights that involve multiple airlines.
Length of trip
The length of the trip is based on the activities at the holiday destination, which is why I prepared the itinerary first to figure this out.
So far, trips to nearby countries are usually 3-4 days, while destinations that are 6 hours away tend to be 8-11 days.
I usually purchase my flight tickets 6 to 12 months in advance or during sales events to secure a good rate.
I use Google Flights or Skyscanner to choose my preferred flight departure and arrival times and to monitor prices.
Hotel
To secure good hotel rates, I use travel deal websites like Agoda, apps such as Shopback, or credit card rewards programs. Traveling during non-touristy times of the year can save money on both flights and accommodation.
My criteria for hotels cover these five areas, with a typical price range of $100 to $250 per night. My default accommodation choice is a hotel. However, if I can’t find one that meets my expectations, I’ll consider Airbnb. If Airbnb also doesn’t work out—like in the case of my New York trip—there are Telegram groups I can explore. During certain times of the year, there are often room vacancies when hosts are out of the country.
Public transport
Generally, I prefer using public transportation to stay active and burn more calories by moving around, or I take a cab. For cities like Jeju, there’s no choice but to hire a private driver.
Activities
The activities and food are the main attractions of my travels; I love to experience things that aren’t available in my country. My travel priorities are hiking and enjoying beautiful views along the journey, discovering local scene, and joining interesting classes. For day trips,I like to do hikes that is within 4 hours, as it is between lunch and dinner.
Food
As a foodie, I love to try the local cuisine during my travels, especially dishes that are unique to the city. I bookmark places and food recommendations I come across on social media on my Google Maps, so I can explore when I travel. The food doesn’t need to be pricey. The recommendations are typically great value for money at their given price point.
Shopping
I love shopping, but it had changed so much ever since my concept of spending had evolved. I no longer want to accumulate things in my space. Much of the shopping I do is overseas, especially finding memorable items made locally or products that are much cheaper.
A note on travelling
Travel is fun and it is a powerful form of self-care for myself, offering a break from daily routine. I love the inspiration and experiences that I cannot find in my home country. I hope this post has been useful. For travel deals using insurance and credit cards, you can click on my post here