T’was the Night B4 the Event!!

T'was the night before the event. We've worked like crazy promoting it, getting it out to the media, handing out brochures everywhere we've been in the last month, posting it all over the internet, telling people, shouting it from the roof tops and whatever else we could think of to get the word out there. The goodie bags are filled, the rooms all set up, foods ready, bookings are in and now we wait. Tomorrow the day finally arrives when we get to sit back and watch the day unfold. 

This series of blog posts have been to show you what strategies we've used to promote this workshop. It's very easy to tell people what to do but to roll up your sleeves and do it yourself is a whole different ball game. That's when the rubber hits the road and you really learn to practice what you preach. 

We've got to be honest, there's nothing like having only a few bookings a week or two out from an event. Have any of you experienced that? We're pretty sure it's fairly common for most people to get their bookings in the last few days. It's a huge test of your faith and certainly tests your stress levels as well. For this event we would have liked perhaps twice the numbers we have but we are also extremely happy with what we've got. The women coming are really excited and it's going to be an awesome day. It really has come together nicely. 

There are a couple of BIG events on The Sunny Coast this weekend that many women we know are going to plus we have realised a Saturday event for women, especially Mums is very difficult to get to. Most of them have family committments and find it hard to get away for a whole day. 

So we've learnt alot and this being our first big event, we have actually pulled it off really well. I'll let you know how it goes. It's going to be a brilliant day. Thanks for coming on this journey with us.

Sue

Media Releases Work!!

Good news everybody!!

Remember all those media releases we sent out last week? I'm ecstatically excited to say they WORKED!!!!

Today we had an article featured in The Sunshine Coast Daily all about Stacey Currie and her workshop here on The Sunshine Coast next week. They even put in a gorgeous photo of Stacey with the title 'Stacey's Turning Lives Around'. How brilliant is that!!! We couldnt be happier for Stacey and the exposure she is getting from all our efforts. 

The purpose of these blog posts is to explain to you the process we've been using to promote this event.

What I really want you to know is just how much work goes into it and how strategic you must be. Writing those media releases was step one. Pressing send on that email is NOT all you're going to have to do to get results. You may need to send them a few times and make however many follow up phone calls as it takes to get a response. Even when the journalist has your story and indicates that they'll print it, there could always be a more newsworthy story that may take precedence over yours.

This is why we are celebrating so much today because getting yourself in the media takes determination, commitment and strategy. So once you get a result, it is a wonderful achievement. We sent 20 releases out, have had one radio interview, one TV journalist contact us and a newspaper article. We still need to keep chasing up the others.

So if you're sending out media releases right now and unsure about the results you're going to get, I hope our story has helped you a little to know that it will happen with the right commitment on your part.

Don't give up or be discouraged. Believe in what you want and go out and get it.

Sue 

'If You Are Powered By Passion All Things Are Possible' one day workshop Sat 27th August

Teenage Mums

 

Today I had the privilege of going out to speak to some young mums at Burnside High School.

These girls are not your average young mums. These are teenage girls that are being given the chance to finish their schooling during or after having a baby. For many teenage girls that become Mums, finishing school becomes an impossible task. But thanks to amazing women like Jacquelyn Deane and Janelle Logan from the STEMM program, this has become an achievable goal for these courageous girls.

Some of these girls are having their second baby and many of them have had incredibly difficult lives. This program allows them to bring their babies or toddlers to school where they are cared for in the creche, allowing the young mums to concentrate on their school work. I can quickly see it goes way beyond them learning maths and english though.

The girls are supported emotionally, they learn basic life skills, health care and are surrounded by a nurturing, kind group of leaders and teachers. These extraordinary people are not only empowering and changing the lives of the girls here, but also those of their children.

We are sponsoring some of the girls to come to our Stacey Currie Event – "If you are Powered by Passion, All things are Possible" next week in Maroochydore. We have some incredibly generous business owners that have offered this sponsorship.

Stacey has a similar story to many of the girls here and we believe that we could quite possibly change their life forever as they connect with her and relate to all she's been through.

The challenge for many of these girls however is how to get to a one day workshop. Most of them have a baby or a toddler (or both), minimal or no family support, no car and almost no way of getting out for a Saturday to do something just for them.

Toni and I are truly hoping that some of them can find the way to get to this workshop.

We've got the event, we've got the sponsorship, now we've just got to get them there.

Can you help by sponsoring a ticket for one of these young girls to attend Stacey's Sunshine Coast Event?

Sue.

Pounding the Pavement!!

 

Media Releases – Have you done one? How did it go?

 

Media Releases

 

Have you ever written a media release? Have you ever sent one? How did you go? Did they call you back in 5 minutes and feature you on the six oclock news that night?  Let me tell you our story………

Last week I wrote our first media release. I got a few people to check it and adjusted it so that it was brilliant. Ofcourse!! Toni-Louise and I sent them off to about 20 newspapers, radio stations and television stations. We were so excited. This was IT!! We sent them late at night so that when they all arrived for work, they’d be sitting right there in there inbox ready to be read.

We were waiting excitedly by the phone and computer all the next day……and the next…….and the next.

Astoundingly they didn’t call, or email, or even text. So why not? Where were they? Didn’t they love our media release? Didn’t they love us?? Apparently not because after many phone call s today to follow them up, none of them had even seen the email.  One journalist told me that if we’d sent them last week that was like a lifetime ago in newspaper land. Things happen daily so we can forget any replies from a week old email.

So what have we learned here? When sending off your media release don’t just press send and leave it at that.  Like everything you need to work hard to get those media opportunities. Send the media release, phone, send again, phone, do whatever you need to until you get a response.  That will be more of my day tomorrow.  Repeat emails and follow up calls. I’ll let you know how it goes.

 

By the way, we did get a tv station reply saying it sounded like a good story. We havnt heard any more…YET!! Also I had a contact at a radio station which got me an interview. You can listen to it HERE if you like.

Sue

 

Networking Pays Off!!!

Another day on our mission to promote our event with Stacey Currie. It was a very productive one to say the least! Toni-Louise and I do a lot of networking. Most of it is online but we do try to go to networking events that are beneficial to our business. Tonight was certainly one not to be missed. Business Matters Magazine on The Sunshine Coast launches their new edition every six weeks and celebrate the launch with a networking event. Its always fun, interactive and full of great Sunny Coast Business People. The last one we went to we were fortunate to WIN a half page editorial in the August Magazine which was launched TODAY!!

So there we are, The Red Hot Girls in a half page editorial (worth $1650) promoting our business, our Mastermind Meetings AND our Stacey Currie event.

The gorgeous Vickie Magic from Business Matters also listed Stacey’s event in her calendar AND in the Mini Matters page of the mag.  She is sponsoring this event and is promoting it  in an awesome way. A HUGE thanks goes to Vickie for her promotion and support for us and our events.

So our tip for today is to network with people that you can work with to cross promote and support one another in your respective businesses.  All our efforts have now got us into 15 000 copies of a great magazine. Now THIS is very cool!!

Sue

www.redhoteventsandseminars.com

Stacey's Event Info  'If You Are Powered By Passion All Things Are Possible'

 

Diary of a Promoter

 

Okay, I’ve decided to bare all to you in this blog series titled “Diary Of A Promoter’.

We are 3 weeks off running our first ever big event. We’re bringing the gorgeous, inspirational, amazing Stacey Currie to The Sunshine Coast, all the way from Melbourne to present her one day workshop in Maroochydore "If you are Powered by Passion, ALL things are Possible", Saturday August 27th.

Stacey has the most incredible story that will have a profound effect on the life of every woman that hears it.

Its OUR job to make sure as many women on The Sunny Coast hear it!! We know how great she is, but HOW do we tell everyone else?  

Well, there are many ways to promote an event and I’m going to share with you our journey over the next 3 weeks as we go through this process.

Today I hit the pavement running. I literally walked for miles handing out brochures and talking to local business owners.  We had 1000 brochures printed and they look beautiful. (You can download the brochure here). All glossy and gorgeous. But now what do we do with them? Who's going to read them and how do we get them out to the right people?

So there I am in my knee high black boots, smart little dress and on a mission!

I went to coffee shops, handed them to business owners and talked to everyone I could about what an amazing event this is going to be.

At the same time I was looking for lucky door prizes and goodie bag donations.  It's interesting the responses I got. Some were very happy to help, some suspicious and not at all helpful and some just took the brochure and said ‘You need to contact head office’. Not so helpful!!

I asked the bigger stores to put brochures in their staff rooms and went around my local business area tonight putting brochures under doors and in letter boxes.

Every event we’re attending between now and the 27^th August, we’ll be taking our brochures and every person that shows the slightest interest in helping us will be getting a stack of brochures.

So today's blog post is all about the brochures. Tomorrow I’ll let you know what else we’re doing to promote this fabulous event. AND in 3 weeks time you’ll get to hear how successful all this effort was.

Stay tuned……..

I need some sleep………

Oh, and if you want to come to this event, here's the info. http://poweredbypassion.eventbrite.com/

Sue