They say, there's more than one way to skin a cat - and the same hold's true for your group coaching publicity efforts. Many think getting media coverage is a just about news releases but there so much more. Have you thought about having your own newspaper column? It can result in a lot of free visibility that can pay off handsomely for your business.

Unsurprisingly, there are not many things which are honestly free; and if you manage to get a column in your newspaper, you will have to do the work of writing it, as well as producing some content to show to editors as you make the case that you'd be a good fit for the job.

That, by the way, is the first step in pulling off this publicity coup. Simply making the request to the editors that you want a column isn't enough. You have to show them your talent to generate well written articles  - ones which the audience will find entertaining or interesting to read.

What should you write about? As they always say, write what you know. Columnists in neighborhood newspapers tend to shine a spotlight on the things which make their city a great place to live or use their expertise to help others locally. So think about how your group coaching program helps others locally and start there.

Even though you don't have to write with a local angle, this sort of content will always find a following. It's best to mix it up and cover neighborhood events as well as news of national and/or international significance to keep your the audience interested.

How do you start? You need to show editors that you are a great choice as a columnist and to do that you need to write some samples. Once you have three very good samples, then craft a cover letter to the managing editor highlighting why your column is needed in their local newspaper.

Also, get more creative. Many regional newspapers are also needing for content for their online versions. Offer to produce a blog or an Internet-based column.

And what's great is that columns are one part of newspapers where injecting your own personality into your writing is acceptable and even welcomed. So you don;t have to worry about a press release format or Associated Press style for these.

But don't make the mistake of using the column as a way to advertise your business. The audience want a interesting story, not a sales pitch and your editors will no doubt reject any column you write which is intended to publicize for your company. What you can sell the audience is yourself: think of yourself as a brand. Your byline can include that you are the owner of a local business, but avoid trying to sell to your readers.

So how will this help your group coaching practice? Your column can confirm you as a trusted source of information, advice and someone who your the audience would feel comfortable doing business with. What you're doing is letting your readers get to know you a little better; and putting a face on your business in this way is some of the best free publicity you could possibly get. It allows your target market to know, like and trust you above the others in your field.

The publicity you'll get will be more than worth the time and effort spent writing your column.

Shannon Cherry, Publicity Expert for Group Mastery

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Shannon Cherry is the publicity/media expert for Group Mastery, and the founder of Be Heard Solutions. Known as The Power Publicist, she helps coaches, entrepreneurs, consultants and solo professionals attract more clients and customers through the power of publicity.

If you are serious about creating a powerful presence and get media coverage for your group coaching program, you need an online media room.

By creating an area of your site specifically for the media, you can save the expense and time of using postal mail (which most reporters hate anyway), assist journalists in their research, and impress your target audience and potential clients for your group coaching programs.

The following is a list of items you should include in an online media room:

• Contact information. Make sure you provide quick and easy ways for reporters to reach you any day at any time. This may include after hours phone numbers.
• A link to prior press releases. Demonstrate your credibility by posting press releases that either you have written or have been written about you.
• About the company. In the media room online, offer the mission of the company and remind them what it is that your business can do.
• Bios. Journalists need to know more about you in order to interview you. So make sure you provide them will a biography that's well written and relevant to what you are doing in business. (After all, no one cares if you were on the college badminton team unless it's relevant to what you are doing now.)
• Company fact sheet. A fact sheet offers the basic information about your business that clients and media outlets would want to know.
• Facts concerning your expertise. Offer findings and statistics to emphasize the importance of your field and how those facts are newsworthy.
• FAQs. Listing frequently asked questions can help address what reporters and clients want to ask about in addition to their concerns without wasting the time of exchanging emails.
• A photograph. A picture can be used by reporters or producers when quoting you as an expert source and also creates a source of familiarity with clients over the vastness of the Internet.
• Client list. Mention clients that you have dealt with in the past. This can establish the success of your business with your client list and provide you with the credibility to prove you are an expert.
• Story ideas. Listing story ideas in your field of expertise can give reporters topic ideas to cover. Journalists sometimes are looking for stories to write about. By doing some of the legwork for them, you are more likely to get coverage.
• Articles. Including articles that you have written shows and establishes you as the expert.  Also, with your permission, these articles can also be used by media outlets to republish.

Almost as significant as the content of an media room online is the way in which the content is presented. Follow these tips to complete the establishment of a great media room:

1.  Make sure your media room is easy to discover. Put a link to the page on the main navigation of your site or on the home page. It can be called a 'media room,' 'press room,' or under 'about us.'

2. Use the HTML format on regular web pages. PDFs are great, as well. You just want to make sure the information is esily accessible to as many people as possible.. This also keeps the content search engine friendly.

3. Include downloadable files. Always offer a link to past articles, photographs, or press releases to be used electronically or for print.

4. Remember that the Internet is global in search. Unless your company is only interested in generating business within a certain area, try to use words that are universal so that it can come up in searches made internationally.

Shannon Cherry, Publicity Expert for Group Mastery

Make sure everyone can access and understand the content in your online media room.

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Shannon Cherry is the publicity/media expert for Group Mastery, and the founder of Be Heard Solutions. Known as The Power Publicist, she helps coaches, entrepreneurs, consultants and solo professionals attract more clients and customers through the power of publicity.

By now you should know headlines are the most important part of copy. At least when it comes to drawing your readers in and keeping them interested.

Here are four quick ways to craft compelling headlines; offer a solution, tell readers how to do it, ask a question or give a quantifiable number. All of these techniques draw your customer in, engaging them in the sales process. Since headlines are so important, it's suggested (and often practiced by copywriting experts) that you should write 50 to 100 headlines before choosing the right one but this isn't always possible (unless you have the Red Hot Copy Headline Creator -which I highly recommend) - especially when you're in a rush. Here are four ways to supercharge your headlines in a hurry. Remember these are starting points - you'll want to juice your headlines up even more to excite and entice your readers.

Copywriting, Group Mastery Expert