I hope you've had a great week!
Here are a few nuggets of gold I found for you this week...
1. FBM EXPERT TIP: HOW TO CREATE VIDEOS THAT HOOK YOUR VIEWER IN
Do you create videos for your business?
If so, this piece of gold from James Hughes (the expert with the most 5-star reviews on the marketplace) is for you...
In the same way the headline of your landing page is the thing that needs the lion's share of your attention, the first few seconds of your video is absolutely vital.
Have a look at the retention curve below, what's the first thing you notice?
The drop-off in the beginning is huge. Within 30 seconds, nearly 50% of the viewers had clicked off onto something else.
That's where some simple tweaks can lead to huge improvements in video success.
Here are 3 things that James has seen help his clients cut that drop off in half:
1. Craft a Powerful Hook:
Start with a statement, question, or fact that immediately grabs attention. This could be something surprising, controversial, or deeply relatable to your target audience.
2. Use Dynamic Visuals or Effects:
Viewers will get bored of watching you talk very quickly. To capture their attention, make sure you have multiple quick cuts or engaging effects within the first few seconds.
3. Heighten Their Intrigue:
Quickly establish the premise of your video in a way that promises an interesting story or valuable information. This could be through a brief, captivating glimpse of the video's content or you foreboding a payoff or challenge to come.
Add these to the start of your videos, and you will see engagement (and thus conversions) rise immediately. If you would prefer to hire an expert to ensure your videos are as powerful and captivating as they can be, send James a message by clicking here, and see what he can do for you.
You can also book a time to have a free chat with him here.
2. MARKETING TIP: HOW TO USE AI TO MAKE GREAT VIDEOS
On the topic of videos...
AI has been growing and growing over the past year or so with more and more people using it to enhance their content.
One area that hasn't received as much attention is how AI's video capabilities have helped some videos go viral.
Check out the image below for example.
This is a thumbnail for a short tutorial explaining how to use the generative fill feature in Adobe Photoshop to create custom environments for your videos.
We all know first impressions matter. So, if your recording space isn't quite up to the standard you'd like it to be, give this video a watch and start experimenting.
3. COMMUNITY MEMBER TOP TIP: TIPS TO HELP YOUR BUSINESS GET LOTS OF PR
In my opinion, PR is one of the most effective ways to get widespread social proof.
However, to most of us, the idea of being featured on TV or on globally recognised blogs is pretty daunting.
If it feels daunting to you, but it's something you're still interested in pursuing, this segment is for you...
In 2023, Justin Albertynas helped Ratepunk get a live TV mention and 486 mentions in various publications (The Washington Post, CNN, Forbes, and more).
Here are the PR tips and lessons he learned:
Public relations station
- A good subject line goes a long way.
- Always mention the name of the recipient at the beginning of the email.
- If this is not your first time contacting the journalist, don't introduce yourself again. Instead, mention how you were in contact previously .
- Maximum five words in the subject line.
- Maximum five paragraphs in the email.
- Maximum five short sentences per paragraph.
- Always check for grammar mistakes.
- Never sell to journalists. Instead, provide them with a valuable quote or idea.
- Organize your contacts in a database and note when you reach out to a particular journalist.
- Don't run automated emailing campaigns. Write personalized emails, making it obvious that you did your homework.
- As part of your daily routine, look up at least five different publications relevant to your niche. Hunt for articles in those publications where you can give your input and provide an interesting angle.
- Create a press page for your business.
- Use a mail tracker to see if and when your emails get opened.
The journalists
- Make a real connection with the journalists. Be quirky and funny, but stay professional.
- Do your research about the journalist. Who is this person you're writing to? What do they like to write about?
- If you have a team, work with them! They may have insights that you might've missed.
- Don't waste the journalist's time. Just get to the point.
- Don't be afraid to be told "no." Not every quote or pitch you send out is going to get published.
- Always follow up!
- If you see an interesting article in your niche, pitch the journalist an idea for something similar that suits your business . Find a way to help them write a new article.
- When pitching to journalists, if you can, send high-quality visual content (i.e. graphs).
- Don't pitch the same idea to multiple journalists at the same news publication at the same time.
- Follow the journalist's rules. If they say not to pitch them on X, don't pitch on X!
Your business
- Use your business data to come up with valuable insights for the press. Ratepunk has successfully leveraged our booking data (we see who has the cheapest overall hotel prices on the internet) to get a live TV mention.
- Share your wins and losses on LinkedIn, and remain active on the platform.
- Turn on Google alerts to track mentions.
- Establish clear goals. Do you want to get featured on live TV?
- Be mentioned in 30 publications? This will help you allocate your time and strategize according to your priorities.
- Participate in events and take your PR IRL.
- Try to find an angle you're passionate about every time.
- Don't burn bridges; always be pleasant and understanding.
- Find websites that let you publish your press releases for free, and keep them on a list.
Wrapping up
Be persistent and don't give up. PR success isn't going to be fast, and sometimes, you just have to get extremely lucky.
4. FUNNEL OF THE WEEK: WINNER OF THE 'SHOW US YOUR FUNNEL' COMPETITION
Did you know that each week, in the One Funnel Away Challenge, there is a 'Show Us Your Funnel' competition?
Challenge participants get to submit the funnel they have created and win the following prizes:
- A swag bag
- A private 30-Minute coaching session
- They also have the chance of their funnel getting mentioned to over 800,000 newsletter subscribers...
This week, the OFA community chose Sarah DeSchiffert's funnel as January's overall winner!
Check out her funnel here:
https://market.bigcovefoods.com/cart-page
I don't know about you, but I think Sarah's funnel looks great. This is due in no small part to the training and support of the challenge.
If you're not in the OFA Challenge already, there is a new group starting Monday that you can be part of. You can get started by signing up here:
https://www.onefunnelaway.com/
P.S. - You have to be part of the VIP group to have access to the coaches and get into the VIP OFA Challenge FB group.
5. FOOD FOR THOUGHT:
“It’s much easier to double your business by doubling your conversion rate than doubling your traffic.”
- Bryan Eisenberg
That's it for this week's digest!
Is there anything particular from the newsletter you're planning to implement?
I often feel like getting multiple ideas, and once can cause us to do nothing, so if 1 of them sounds good to you, consider putting it into play next week and let me know how you get on.
Have a great weekend, and I'll speak to you again next week!
Lee
Massive bbq celebration
this weekend. Brisket,
pulled pork, ribs, buffalo
chicken dip, the works!