Promoting Projects

Essential Step

No matter what your project is, communication (or promotion) is now the key to success in many fields. Hence the sometimes disproportionate budgets allocated to it. And it's true that many mediocre ventures owe their success solely to the media hype surrounding them; too bad for the more interesting things that lack resources!

Media

For travelers as for others, marketing (or project success) and communication go hand in hand. This is especially true when you're doing everything yourself and primarily have a work to promote. However, don't forget that promotion for someone wanting to share their journey should always begin well before the first lines are written. The same applies when it comes to a travel project you want to publicize.

By regularly informing the media about the project and its progress, you'll find it easier later to get better press coverage for your work.

Press Release and Press Kit

The first essential thing to do if you hope to sell and/or gain recognition is to create a press release and a press kit.

Indeed, for the media to cover a book (or roughly the same principle for a travel project), you must send a press release containing a summary or at least the key points, along with basic information about it (number of pages, price, author and publisher names, distribution method, etc.). This content will serve as raw material (or an article) for the journalist assigned to cover it.

A more comprehensive kit, including press clippings, a cover visual, and all useful promotional elements, will also be helpful. Depending on the contacts and opportunities, you can use one or both. As with grant and sponsor applications, there's no need to go overboard with flashy or expensive materials, though a few "high-end" kits can sometimes help persuade. Meanwhile, press releases and kits can of course be sent by email. Given all the advantages, especially in terms of costs, it would be a mistake not to take advantage of this.

For a book, you can also include a copy with your mailing. However, given the extra cost, it's better to target carefully and specify on your press release that a "press copy" or "PC" (free copy) can be sent upon request. Besides saving money, this also helps identify who is genuinely interested—at least in principle.

Sending Information to the Media

Getting media coverage isn't always straightforward, and it's better to target specific outlets. For print media, also consider deadlines: roughly 4–5 days for a daily, 2–3 weeks for a weekly, and a month to a month and a half for a monthly.

The Right Person

Even if the topic is interesting, you still need to reach the right person at the right time. To maximize results, personalized mailings with a short cover letter addressed to the person most likely to share the information are best. This requires some preliminary research—tedious but necessary—such as identifying travel or book editors, freelance journalists, or section heads at different media outlets. As a last resort, you can contact the editor-in-chief.

The Right Outlet

Generally, choose different outlets based on what you're promoting. Focus mainly on print media, as while you might get some responses from radio (especially local), TV offers little hope, particularly for beginners. So, target travel media, general-interest publications, community press, and especially local outlets. Depending on your topic, specialized press may also be worth contacting.

The determined can also prepare a short article (1–2 pages max, where 1 page = 1,500 characters) adapted from their book or travel story for certain outlets. This is another way to grab attention, and instead of using the "traditional" press release, a publication might choose this approach to cover your work or project.

If you lack support, it's also good to know what to expect. The media world often requires maintaining relationships and being patient and persistent to achieve results. That’s why building a solid contact list from the start is valuable.

But to begin, or when contacts are still limited, don’t hesitate to rely on other ways to get noticed: mailings, small ads, newsletters, posters, etc.

Coverage

For a "press campaign," plan for around a hundred mailings on average. A few more for the first attempt and slightly fewer later (after filtering). Of course, to have more impact or simply to get results, it’s necessary to follow up by phone or email with the most promising outlets a little later, if only to find out what each plans to do.

Roughly, you can expect 10–15% coverage, which, depending on the outlet’s importance, format, location, article length, or publication date, can lead to very different outcomes. A mid-sized local newspaper may sometimes carry more weight than a major national media outlet. And while it’s rare, you can always ask journalists to send you a copy of their article for your press book after publication.

Getting Noticed by Other Means

Media coverage offers the best opportunities by far. But when starting out, or when contacts are still limited, you’ll need to find other ways to promote yourself. Get creative to find the best solutions and target them effectively.

A few ideas off the top of my head: public and guerrilla posters, flyer distribution, creating a newsletter, small ads, advertising, mailings, or phone outreach. The latter—both a communication and marketing tool—will generally yield the best results.

To increase impact, focus first on associations, works councils, and any established groups, including those you’re already part of, like alumni associations. Of course, personalized mailings that get to the point and lead to concrete proposals work best. This last point is important because, most of the time, if you don’t make proposals yourself, your contact won’t either—and it will at least give them a starting point for reflection.

As for results, even if there are some costs involved, they can often be worthwhile...

Public Speaking

If you succeed, you may be asked to speak publicly about your projects.

Prepare your remarks minimally, never read a script, and try to forget the audience, microphones, or cameras. Imagine you’re in a one-on-one conversation. Depending on the time available, plan to develop just two or three key ideas and don’t hesitate to repeat them. Speak calmly, avoiding a rapid pace. A few seconds of silence between ideas also helps the audience retain what you’re saying. To persuade, vary your rhythm and tone, and use gestures if needed. Craft your conclusion by engaging the audience—this can add a constructive note to your talk. If questions are asked, avoid overly technical or lengthy answers; always get to the point.

Finally, remember that in all cases, hosts are there to help or reassure you, and they can always step in if there’s a problem. So, no need to worry...