Move over Zumba there’s a new kid on the block

Posted on May 18, 2013 by admin

To be honest when I went along to the BOKWA event in Birmingham at the start of May I didn’t really know what to expect.

I knew it was dance fitness.

I knew it was a new craze.

I knew I would be meeting Paul Mavi the creator.

That was pretty much all I knew.

Oh and there were 700 people attending – now that got my interest! That’s a big number for a new fitness craze. It was one of the first events of its kind in the UK and it was SOLD OUT.

That’s the sign of a popular programme.

The sessions are amazing and so full of energy – the steps are simple so anyone can do them.

Creator Paul Mavi constructed it that way so you can be 5 or 75 and still take part.

I got to meet him after his first set and in this in interview

Find out how Bokwa went from being a popular class in an LA studio to the fastest growing fitness programme that is taking over the world.
He explains how Bokwa is like playing a game for the guys doing it.
He says simplicity is key both in the dance steps and the business plan.
Find out what drives Bokwa…
He reveals what he thinks of the fitness industry currently
Find out what happened when he met brand genius and now his business partner Johann Verheem
There used to be 6 degrees of separation but the world has changes find out how many degrees of separation there are now
Revealed: Why Paul Mavi left his home in South Africa to live in LA.
Who influenced Paul when he was growing up in South Africa.
Revealed: Find out how many hours it takes you to get a successful business.
He gives a key piece of advice to other fitness entrepreneurs who want to launch their own brand.

Let me know what you take from the interview in the comments below I’d love to hear what you think.

And here’s how they danced featuring the creator himself Paul Mavi.

Two Great Stories You Should Be Plugging

Posted on May 7, 2013 by admin

I’m always banging on about “riding the back of national stories” and there’s two coming up in the next week or so that are an absolute dream for fitness pro’s. You should easily be able to grab some publicity with both of them.

But many people ask me “what do I do with my press release once I’ve got it?”

You need to build a list of contacts – just like you have a list of clients.

At my LIVE event in Nottingham on June 15th I’m going to be going over this in great detail. But mainly, you need to make contacts who will publish or broadcast things for you regularly.

You don’t have to give them any back-handers or funny handshakes.

They will be happy to get great content from a reliable source.

So who do you contact?

At newspapers go for the News Editor (he hands out all the jobs to the reporters)

Or the Junior Reporter (they are looking to build there own list of contacts/experts)

It’s easy to find out who these guys are, check out the Contact section of the paper’s website and you will probably come across their email address.

If not, ring reception and ask for their name and email – it really is that simple.

For local radio you want the newsroom email. In radio newsrooms they all tend to share one email account as they work different shifts so the easiest way to get someone is via the newsroom.

There are other circumstances when you want to contact the producer of certain shows or even the Programme Controller but that’s going to be touched upon by Lee Burton, my friend and radio expert who’s coming to my LIVE event to teach you guys who are making the journey to Nottingham all about radio.

For example, he’s going to tell you the kinds of people who rang in to the station when the horse meat scandal was at it’s height.

It was all over the national and local news and we are going to teach you how to “ride a national story” to elevate your own status in your community and get publicity for yourself and your business.

It’s so easy to do – all you have to do is ring one of your contacts and offer a local angle or your expert opinion.

So the two stories you should be tackling this week…

Monday 06 May 2013 – Sunday 12 May 2013

Sun Awareness Week

Nationwide

Focuses on the risk of skin cancer and the importance of early detection. This is a brilliant opportunity with the sunny Bank Holiday Weekend we’ve just had – how many people got caught out? You could talk about the importance of sun screen or how about the benefits of Vitamin D. You could do a whole list of do’s and don’ts in the sun.

[GREAT CHANCE FOR LOCAL PUBLICITY]

Monday 13 May 2013 – Friday 17 May 2013

Walk to Work Week

Nationwide

Encourages employers to get their employees walking to work. Promotes the environmental and health benefits, as well as greater use of public spaces. Part of the Great British Walking Challenge.

Even though this story is happening next week you need to get your press release in this week – or contact your local radio station and offer to talk about the benefits of walking.

[GOOD OPPORTUNITY FOR LOCAL PRESS COVERAGE]

So you see you don’t even have to come up with story ideas, if you wanted to you could just ride the back of national stories all the time.

The trick is to be highly organised.

Know what stories are coming up.

Get your contacts in place.

After that it’s just about systemising your press releases and scheduling your stories every month, every quarter or some do it for the whole year.

This is just one of the many tricks me and my media friends are going to be teaching you on my first ever LIVE EVENT.

http://bigmeuplive.co.uk

Places are still available but numbers are limited and you only have a few more days to get booked on as doors close on Wednesday May 15th.

You get access to 4 experts for the whole day.

People who have worked in the media for many years and who are still working in the media.

They know this world inside out, what works and what doesn’t work.

We’ll be asking for volunteers out of the audience to take part in a radio interview so you can see first hand what that is like, then a TV interview which is very different.

We’ll show you how to break down barriers between you and them and how to create a media profile.

Even if you have no desire to go on TV the TV element of the course is so useful because you get to learn how to create fantastic workout videos or blogs, some tricks of the trade to make you look even more professional like what make up to use, where to position your hands when talking, how to look at camera, even how to look slimmer on camera.

I’m sure this LIVE EVENT will give you dozens of ideas to get you and your business out there into the public eye. Once you start getting noticed by the public your reputation goes up. Advertising becomes a thing of the past and when people think of fitness in your town they think of you because you are in your local paper week after week, on your local radio station, your video’s look amazing and you’re even on TV. You’ve even been seen quoted in Top Sante or The Sun.

When was the last time someone told YOU to work your ass off?

Posted on May 2, 2013 by admin

Work your ass off – It’s a phrase we see again and again in the fitness industry – we probably take it for granted. It’s definitely become a cliche, but like so many cliche’s it is true.

And it’s pretty much the same for those of us running a business – In a minute I’m going to share how THREE of my clients kicked ASS and blew their competition out of the water by playing the long game.

If you put the work in – it is amazing how it pays off in the long run.

After all anything worth having is worth waiting for right? No-one wants a quick fix.

Work your ass off!!

We use it all the time at our bootcamps, fitness sessions or in the gym.

“You’ve got to work your ass off if you want results.”

“Get that ass to the grass with those squats.”

“Use it or lose it.”

And of course “no pain, no gain.”

I could go on but I don’t need to.

We know that online programme isn’t gonna write itself, the accounts don’t do themselves, tonight’s workout doesn’t miraculously appear.

In fact, when we are working on a BIG project it can take weeks, even months before it finally pays off.

It’s the same in media.

It takes a while to build up momentum.

You can’t get fame and fortune overnight, unless you win the lottery and then blow the lot!

First you have to build up your local profile.

Then you start building your national profile.

Until eventually the media start calling YOU.

This week at BIG ME UP MEDIA we have had an AMAZING week with several BIG PROJECTS ALL FINALLY PAYING OFF.

I have been working for many months now with three great Fit Pro’s on varying projects and they have all paid off BIG styly.

The first is Fitness Guru and Creator of Kick Start Fat Loss Rachel Holmes.

I managed to get her a piece in Shortlist about Breakfast being the Most Important Meal of the Day. Her company got a massive plug and she has had LOADS of response about it. Shortlist is read by HALF A MILLION MEN which is more than ALL THE MEN’S FITNESS MAGS TOGETHER.

Who knows where it will lead but we will certainly be leveraging the publicity and getting even more off the back of it. You can learn how to do this too.

Now another of my clients is Pre and Post Natal Expert Claire Mockridge. Ages ago we came up with the idea of focusing on the Royal Pregnancy and decided to send Kate Middleton some of Claire’s products including her DVD.

We also pitched the idea that Claire could write monthly column about the pregnancy for her local paper which they jumped at. She gives tip to other mums to be on how to have a safe and enjoyable pregnancy and what kind of exercise they should and shouldn’t be doing.

Well this week was Claire’s birthday and she got the perfect present. A THANK YOU LETTER from the palace.

Claire is appearing in quite a few publications now and has also been approached this week to supply some quotes for a national magazine after they found her on Google.

And finally,

Katie Bulmer Cooke has been working with me for a while now and I’m hoping she might spare five minutes at my Big Me Up Live event to tell the audience all about her experience.

But basically when Katie first came to me she wanted to go straight on TV – the hardest of all the media to crack.

I explained that we needed to build her profile locally first and get her some publicity with her local paper and radio station.

Eventually, I explained she will get a reputation and rank higher up the Google ratings the more publications she appears in and the nationals will start contacting her. It took a while.

SHE WORKED HER ASS OFF but eventually it did pay off. You can check out what she has to say about it here.

Click here to see Katie

So just like you tell your clients success does not come overnight you have to work at it but if you do the results are SO worth it!!!!

Coming up:

Big Me Up Live – Limited seats available for this live workshop in Nottingham and tickets are only on sale until Wed May 15th http://bigmeuplive.co.uk

My next coaching course starts Monday May 6th (although we’ll actually start on the Tuesday as it’s a Bank Holiday. There are only two spaces left on this now http://www.yvonneradleymedia.com/coaching-products/

My Prestige Pack is FULLY BOOKED http://www.yvonneradleymedia.com/prestige-pack/ but you can go on the waiting list by emailing me yvonneradley@bigmeupmedia.com

You can also join me on my Facebook business page for loads of free advice https://www.facebook.com/YvonneRadleyMedia?ref=hl

Five Easy Ways To Get Free Advertising

Posted on April 30, 2013 by admin

Advertising can cost you a small fortune and sometimes it’s hard to justify the cost especially when you’re struggling to pay the bills every month.

Quite often investing in your company has to take a back seat.

But it doesn’t have to… there are some neat little tricks you can do to get your message out there without it costing a fortune. When you’re starting out you have no choice, there’s no advertising or marketing budget available. And let’s face it, even when you are established there is still no marketing or advertising budget available because there’s always rent to pay on your premises, new kit to buy, courses to pay for, liability insurance, accountants fees, the list is endless.

Today I’m going to share with you some very easy ways to get free advertising and speak directly to your avatar – young mums.

When I first launched my boot camp Action Boot Camp, in Nottingham, I used all of these methods to spread the word that we were in town and it worked! Today we have 4 sites and around 400 members. And what I did then is still paying off today.

That’s because it really helps with Search Engine Optimisation too as you get some great back links to your website and that’s still paying off today.

Do you ever ask your clients how they hear about you?

Add a question onto your Parq’s so you get an idea of where clients are coming from?

A high percentage of mine come from Google because when they search for boot camps in Nottingham we come up right at the top of the page.

The sites I’m gonna share with you in a minute will help you do the same.

Also make sure your business is on Google maps and make sure you are all over Youtube too as this helps you to rank much higher than a normal listing.

Now If you’ve ever contacted your local newspaper, glossy magazine or even the free sheets you might be shocked at the price they are charging for advertising.

Even if they do you a deal it often runs into hundreds of pounds.

It’s a lot to cough up in one go and often leads to very little return on investment.

You might get five enquiries and one or two may sign up with you.

In reality you need all five just to break even.

And this is just in the press, if you are talking about radio advertising you need to start adding some noughts to that figure.

So how can you get your message out there without it costing a fortune?

Here are my top 3 ways to get some FREE advertising.

1: Put a free advert on Gumtree

http://www.gumtree.com/nottingham;gtbuyersessionid=0938CADF25F4F663A2FA79F81C2FBEED

2: List your business in the What’s On Section of Netmums

http://www.netmums.com/user/choose_location

3: Get regular press in your local media by sending in regular press releases at least once every 3 weeks

http://www.yvonneradleymedia.com/monthly-press-release/

4: Get listed on your local business networking site

Just google for your local networking clubs

5: Get listed on your local council websites, town and county.

Just google for your local councils

You can do most of these today.

Sending in a Press Release every 3 weeks is probably the hardest of these but there’s a couple of things I can offer to help you out there.

1: Email me and request my FREE Press Release Template and Guide

2: Sign up to my done-for-you monthly Press Release which gets sent to your In-Tray on the 1st of every month http://www.yvonneradleymedia.com/monthly-press-release/ This month it’s all about how you can get involved in Race for Life

3: Get yourself booked onto my Big Me Up Live Event where myself and my media pals are gonna walk you through how to earn extra money each month by getting free radio, TV and press coverage http://bigmeuplive.co.uk

At the Live event I’m going to be teaching you how to

Build relationships with your local journalist

Ride a national story so you are featured as the Go To Fitness expert in your town

Tap into local communities like business networks and Netmums

Get the timing right for your stories – there’s a Bank Holiday coming up and people search these sites looking for things to do

How easy it is to make contacts and keep them, it’s just the same as keeping your current clients happy really.

My media friends are coming in to teach you

How to get new leads from Facebook

How to move on camera so you look like a professional and she’ll also help you look thinner on camera too – great if you do video workouts or vlogs

And how to talk on radio so you sound like a pro and not some bumbling idiot.

It’s going to be an exciting event and a lot of fun.

We are literally rolling out the red carpet and we have the Paparazzi on standby.

So if you can make it get yourself booked on today as places are limited http://bigmeuplive.co.uk

And if you can’t make it don’t worry I will be holding another one maybe next year, let’s just hope your competition isn’t at this year’s event.

http://bigmeuplive.co.uk

Join me on my Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/YvonneRadleyMedia?ref=hl

Where do I start?

Posted on April 17, 2013 by admin

Back in the 1990′s I was working for Oak Fm, a local radio station in Loughborough.

I was asked to go and cover a new event that had come to the town at the University called Race for Life and in fact the DJ was also asked to go and play some songs and I have a feeling he even warmed the crowd up!

In a minute I’m going to tell you how you can use this event to push yourself into the public eye and raise your profile MASSIVELY by helping people prepare for the race.

Now when I went along to report on the event I wasn’t entirely looking forward to it as it was a Saturday morning when normally I would be lying in bed after a week of earlies, getting up at 4.30am for the breakfast show.

When I got there, there was not a big crowd of participants, especially given the vast expanse of the sports facility at Loughborough Uni where all the top Olympic athletes train.

“This is going to be shit,” I thought to myself.

The DJ was getting the (small) crowd to come closer to the stage so the photographer could get some shots and I was wandering around mic in hand asking a few people about the event and what kind of time they were hoping for, the usual stuff, people were unresponsive and even sullen.

I was still not that impressed and was wondering how I was going to make any kind of story from this especially with the crowd being so small and not everyone would talk to me.

Anyway, cut to the race – the guys had had their warm up and took their coats off and were starting to line up. They were all wearing pink T-shirts and had pinned a sign on their backs to say who they were running for.

Tears pricked my eyes as I wrote down the messages for the loved ones they were doing this for, sisters, mums, brothers, dads, aunts, uncles, children, boyfriends and girlfriends. Suddenly I realised what this event was all about.

Most of the messages were for those who had died, but there were a few survivors.

I was choked up as I scribbled away getting my story together.

When they racers came back and crossed the finishing line they were euphoric. Many were in tears and when I asked them WHY they had run they told me their stories with tears spilling down their faces. It made great radio and as you know the event has grown and grown and now thousands take part up and down the country raising thousands for Cancer Research UK.

It’s almost a celebration of live and a great way of promoting sport and physical exercise which is where you guys come in.

So how can you get involved? Where do I start?

1:Find out when your local races are taking place – you can use this link here

http://raceforlife.cancerresearchuk.org/choose-your-event/index.html

2:Put a team together wearing your T-shirts (nowadays the event is so big the local TV crews are usually there filming the finish line.

3: You could offer free training sessions once a week for anyone in your town and invite your local newspaper and radio journalists down

4:You could offer to warm up the crowd at your local event.

5:Write a training plan – one of my clients did this and their local radio station have put it on their webiste – GENIUS, that would cost you thousands if you had to pay for publicity like that.

6:Come up with Top Tips Sheet and send it in to your local paper or blog about it – print sheets off and hand them out to any women in your sessions taking part.

Here’s a list from the Race for Life Website but you can and should add your own to these

Wear comfy shoes and make sure your feet are well supported.
It’s also a good idea to wear a sports bra.
If you’re a beginner, concentrate on increasing the time you walk, jog or run for and build this up gradually.
Get the girls together to train and gang up on cancer. It’s a great excuse to have a natter while motivating one another to go that little bit further.
Whether you walk, run or dance, go at a conversational pace that feels comfortable.
Remember to warm up and cool down before and after any exercise. Taking time to stretch properly will help reduce chances of injury.
It’s important to stay hydrated before, during and after exercise – don’t wait until you are thirsty.

7:What about a special Nutrition Guide – what to eat while you are training to help you get in really top shape? What to eat before and after race day to give you a boost? Many of the women running will be running for the first time and will want to know if they should eat before the run and if so, how soon before? You could even write a whole article or blog post on what foods to eat to avoid cancer.

8:There’s even a Race For Life At Your Place where you can organise your own event AND BOYS CAN TAKE PART – Here’s the link for more details if you want to sign up to that https://rayp-form.raceforlife.org

Dress down day: ideal if you work in an office. Everyone wear casual clothes for a day and pay a small fee.
Give cancer a kick: take on cancer with a sponsored kick-boxing or aerobics class at your local gym, workplace or community centre and charge to take part.
A night at the movies: have a pyjama party and watch chick flicks. Charge the price of a cinema ticket.
A sweet treat: ask for a donation and lay on tea, coffee and cakes. No one will be able to resist (in moderation of course!)
Job swap: sponsor your boss to work on reception or auction your manager’s job for the day.

The list is pretty endless – let me know if you have any ideas I’d love to hear them.

But the main point is this – it’s a massive event for YOUR town and YOU should be a part of it.

It’s also a great way to connect with lots of women in your town who could really do with your help and when they think about fitness in the future do you think they are likely to go to the man down the road who gave them no help OR YOU?

https://www.facebook.com/YvonneRadleyMedia?ref=hl

How would you like to run your own newspaper?

Posted on April 11, 2013 by admin

If you’re anything like me you’ve got a To-Do list that grows by the week, full of interesting and exciting products.

Your brain is frazzled with information overload with different marketing messages – Blog now! Blogging is dead! Facebook is dead! Facebook is changing and it’s going to get better for small business owners like you! Arrrrgggghhhhhhhhhhh!

It’s enough to drive anyone INSANE and you can spend hours flitting from one report to another.

In a minute I’m gonna tell you about a great little tool I’ve found that will SAVE YOU LOADS OF TIME (so you can spend hours flitting from website to website if that’s what floats your boat) and GET ONE OF THOSE JOBS THAT’S ALWAYS ON YOUR TO-DO LIST OFF THERE FOR GOOD.

Interested? Good, because it’s really easy and loads of fun. And it will make you look like a professional, a superstar, and someone who actually knows what they’re doing (which you do right?) Good.

So I’m going to take a stab in the dark here and say that one of the things ALWAYS on your To-Do list every week is your newsletter to your customers. It’s a nightmare isn’t it? Trying to come up with things to write about, the deadline is looming and in the end you just throw some old blogs up there, a what’s coming up section and a few pictures you’ve nicked from other sites, we’ve all been there (don’t check my pictures, now)

But how would you like to create your very own newspaper that you can send out every week or even daily if you want?

You can post it on Facebook and Twitter, your LinkedIn Account and anywhere else you can think of.

Plus the way it’s set up you can use a variety of sources.

You can tap into publications talking about health and nutrition.

Men’s Fitness Magazines

Women’s mags like Zest and Insight.

The Daily Mail

BBC

And, the sources don’t have to be famous – what’s great is that you can also tap into other bloggers posts and share loads of information with your clients. Depending on what you are selling you might want to limit that bit but if your guys are all cool dudes you could tap into music bloggers or top TV shows rather than aiming just towards fitness.

Maybe your market is young women but you don’t do any pre or post natal stuff, great, add in an expert from that area so they are getting expert info.

For my paper that I created BIG ME UP I’m obviously interested in tapping into anyone related to fitness news and putting it all in one place for you guys to read – you can check it out here:

http://paper.li/f-1364725348

Paper.li is completely free so it won’t cost you a penny although you can upgrade to get extras if you want them.

It’s a really easy way of providing your clients with that WOW factor that the guru’s are always talking about – a free resource packed with information plus stick it on your Facebook Page every week and you might get a few more visitors.

I would treat it like a proper paper and bring it out on the same day at the same time – I would avoid Fridays to Mondays and go for Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday when there’s more people hanging out on FB.

So I apologise for giving you another thing to go and check out but go check it out it’s so cool -

here’s the link again http://paper.li/f-1364725348

and if you want to keep up with all the fitness news on a daily basis then hit the subscribe button to Big Me Up to be in the know when it comes to finding out who’s doing what. In today’s edition you can find out about the Healthy Hero Awards which you can enter, What time Fat’O'Clock is, and 7 sites you should be wasting time on right now.

Let me know how you get on guys and what a difference it makes to your To-Do List.

By the way if you always have Write a Press Release on that To-Do List too you might wanna check this out http://www.yvonneradleymedia.com/monthly-press-release/

Another brilliant tool to help save you time so you can spend more time on your business.

Love bigging you guys up – let me know how you get on

yvonneradley@bigmeupmedia.com

Getting in the media is a race

Posted on April 2, 2013 by admin

Getting in the media is easy – if you know what you are doing.

Half the battle is knowing when to get in touch and who to get in touch with and of course, not pitching your new classes or your new gym but wrapping up what you actually do in a story that will help to raise your profile.

There’s one event this month that you should definitely be “riding the back of” – more on that in a sec.

There’s actually quite a lot going on nationally this month with Depression Awareness Week (15-21st April)

Wallace and Gromit’s Big Breakfast from April 22nd

And World Health Day this Sunday on the 7th.

You could tap into all of those events to raise the profile of your business. Organise a W&G breakfast to raise money and invite your local press to the event, send them a press release.

Or you could write a blog about Depression Week send it out to your list so your clients can see that you are switched on and know what you are talking about. You could even offer a series of special classes around meditation or clean eating or working out outdoors to help raise your profile.

Listen to your local radio on World Health Day (marks the founding of world health organisation WHO) to see if they are discussing it and call in with your opinion. 5 Live and Radio 4 as well as local BBC stations are more likely to be talking about it. Plus keep an eye on Twitter and respond too.

So what’s the ONE EVENT you should be riding the back of publicity wise this month?

It’s the London Marathon.

Ring up your local radio station and offer to go in and give expert advice to runners from your area on what to eat before race day, how to pace themselves, what to eat on the day, how to recover afterwards etc etc

You could become a regular guest for the next couple of weeks as people gear up for the big day on the 21st. Even some of the DJ’s up and down the country will be racing and you could go in and help them.

Plus, if you have PT clients or people at your fitness classes or camps that are doing it why not send a press release to your local paper and tell everyone how you’ve been training them.

A lot of people raise money for local charities as well so there will be some heart-warming stories to tell, maybe you are already working closely with a local charity and if not, put it in your diary for next year. Get a team entered and think of the publicity you could gain by taking part and raising money for good causes.

If you do have a great story or any of your members are dressing up to do it then it’s worth telling your local TV station too, maybe they could come out and film you training ahead of the race and give you a local plug.

A lot of local and regional press will be looking to get an angle on this massive fitness story so the sooner you get in the more chance you have of being featured.

And of course, don’t forget social media. If you are running it or have clients running it you should be all over Facebook and Twitter on the day with status updates, pictures and video footage.

Have a great race everyone and if you’re not in it this year make plans for next year.

How to get in your local paper in April

Posted on March 27, 2013 by admin

What if you could see into the future?

Wouldn’t it be amazing if you could see into the future and know instantly what health stories are going to be in the press next month?

You could see if any of them were relevant to you and even plan some events around them to attract new customers and maybe get a report featured in your local newspaper.

In a minute I’m going to tell you about a couple coming up……

But first, I was at IFS this weekend, backstage rather than front stage.

It was great because I got to meet some of my customers face to face and also loads of people who follow my blog. It was lovely to know that the stuff I ramble on about is actually being used and instructors up and down the country are getting publicity now where they weren’t getting any before.

Here’s me and Katie Bulmer Cooke – she has rocketed with her publicity now – she writes for her daily paper, she’s the health expert on several radio stations in the North East and she’s been featured in national magazines, in fact she doesn’t even have to contact them, THEY CALL HER.

But the one area people still struggle in is knowing what to write about.

In my Big Me Up Coaching Group I give my clients a forward planner every month and I’ve just posted Aprils.

It’s a list of all the stories coming up the next month that are likely to hit the headlines, like health reports and conferences. These are great for reacting to and getting yourself on radio as the local go-to fitness expert.

In fact last month my client Mike Bach got on Radio 4 and Suez Wray spoke to Jeremy Vine on Radio 2 using tips I had taught them, I love this!

Your customers will think you are very switched on reacting so quickly to breaking news and many will be thrilled to hear you on your local BBC station.

Also there are nice little charity events which local papers love and it’s a chance to get out into the community and raise some money.

And then there are awareness weeks, which are always great to comment on or organize an event around it to gain some publicity.

So today, I thought I would give you a peek into the future and share a couple of ideas in here with you guys.

Monday 15 April 2013 – Sunday 21 April 2013
Depression Awareness Week
Nationwide
Focuses on reducing the stigma attached to depression.
BLOG/ CLIENTS/ DEAL DIRECTLY WITH THIS ISSUE IN YOUR BUSINESS
PRESS RELEASE IN THE WEEK BEFORE TALKING ABOUT HOW EXERCISE HELPS – TRAINING OUTDOORS – GOOGLE SOME STATS

Monday 22 April 2013 – Sunday 28 April 2013
Wallace & Gromit’s Big Breakfast
Nationwide
Fundraiser from the Wallace and Gromit Foundation encouraging people to raise money for children’s hospices by hosting breakfast parties.
PRESS RELEASE TO LOCAL PAPER AND DO SOME FUNDRAISING WITH YOUR GUYS

Monday 15 April 2013 top story
Random DNA testing of beef products – first results published
Nationwide
Publication of the first results stemming from the Europe-wide three-month programme of random DNA testing of beef products. Launched in response to the contaminated meat scandal in which products purporting to be beef contained horse meat.
GET READY TO REACT

If you would like to get your hands on the full list and join me in my group to get yourself into your local paper regularly then my next coaching course starts straight after Easter on April 2nd and you can sign up by clicking the link http://www.yvonneradleymedia.com/coaching-products/

I Ran Away To Blackpool

Posted on March 25, 2013 by admin

When I was 16 I ran away to Blackpool.

I was crazy about this gorgeous guy I’d been dating and he’d gone up there to work (as a bus driver I think, not very romantic).

I lived in a tiny village in Leicestershire where the bus used to come through once every four hours and the last one was at 6pm, so you can imagine I was bursting at the seams for adventure!

He’d been staying with his sister who lived opposite us. He was Scottish and in his 20′s so much more exciting than the boys at school.

But I had exams and couldn’t go with him even though he wanted me to.

We came up with a plan though – that I would follow in the Summer Holidays.

You’re probably wondering why I’m telling you this, and to be honest I haven’t thought about it for a long time.

But you see this weekend I went back to Blackpool for the International Fitness Show and when I saw the Tower in front of me it all came rushing back.

I remembered the bier keller where I drank so much I ended up throwing up in the loo.

The cafe where I got myself a job starting on Monday.

The Ken Dodd show where it was very different to his Diddy Men show – I never knew he swore like that! They even locked the doors and told us if we were easily offended to leave now. He was very funny.

Going back up there this weekend made me appreciate how my life turned out.

I was going to experience the buzz of the IFS for the first time ever, to meet up with people I’ve only known for a year but I consider them really good friends, my business coach Rachel Holmes and tax expert and champagne drinking legend Andrew Crawford.

I also got to meet some of my clients in person.

People I speak to every week on Skype, people I know really well but I’d never met before.

People who are in Facebook groups I belong to and where I get a lot of support.

I loved every minute of it and taking a trip down memory lane made me really appreciate who I am today and how my life turned out.

You see my mum and dad made me come home from Blackpool, I was ordered to return and I hated going back. I still remember my dad picked me up from the bus stop in Loughborough after the long journey home and I don’t think I spoke to either of them for 2 days. I never did start my cafe job in Blackpool and as it turned out my bus driver exotic Scottish boyfriend had already found someone else and had shipped her off to her mother’s while I was visiting. All in all a bit of a let down (apart from Ken Dodd).

Today I am so grateful my parents put their foot down and I came home, that I am living my adventurous life every day surrounded by inspirational people.

Coming up next week…… Media Coaching Course April 2nd

http://www.yvonneradleymedia.com/coaching-products/

The Big One

Posted on March 20, 2013 by admin

I’m so excited about this coming weekend for several reasons.

In a minute I’m going to share with you some gold dust to help you get into your local paper and stop you spending hundreds of pounds in wasted adverts that will probably never bring you a return on investment.

But first, why I am SO excited about the weekend?

Number One – I am going to my first IFS in Blackpool on Saturday - I will be meeting loads of Facebook friends for the first time and chatting to them in person for a change about how they can get FREE publicity for their businesses.

I cannot wait, I’ve spent the last year talking to some of these guys and some have even been my clients who I’ve talked to every week on Skype or the phone – like Katie Bulmer Cooke and Richard Morris, Eek, excited muchly.

I’ll also be catching up with my good friends Rachel Holmes and Andrew Crawford.

Rachel is one of my business mentors who inspires and guides me every week, and Andrew Crawford is THE tax expert who has spent years studying his craft and is the font of all knowledge when it comes to that side of the business.

The last time I saw these guys we had a 7-hour Christmas lunch in Nottingham where we are all based. We were celebrating a great 2012 and we always have so much to talk about and so many ideas to share, there’s always a lot of good fun and laughter as well. Plus my fella Eaton and Andrew always enjoy a friendly Man Hug.

Number Two – I am going up the day before and getting a proper day off – being pampered in a Spa Hotel. No racing up against the traffic on the Saturday morning. We’ll get there Friday morning and go for a nice beach walk, hit the Spa in the afternoon and then enjoy dinner in the hotel’s funky restaurant. A leisurely Full English the next day and then we hit Blackpool – cannot wait.

I might even get Eaton on The Big One.

Which could make his hair stand on end even more than usual!!! No scrub that, nothing could achieve that, he’d have so much wax in it he’d look exactly the same as when he climbed on it!

It’s going to be exciting.

I think networking with people on Facebook is amazing, I’m a massive fan of social media but meeting people in real life is a whole other ball game and I love it.

It was after FEB (Fitness Entrepreneur Bootcamp) last year that I came up with the idea of Big Me Up. After meeting and talking to fit pro’s at the event I realised many of you guys weren’t sure how to go about getting into the press.

Now I’ve helped loads of you get into your local paper, in magazines, on radio. I’ve literally just been listening to my client Suez Wray talking to Jeremy Vine on Radio 2 about weight loss.

And on Sunday my client Scott Marsh was in The Sun talking about footballing injuries.

These guys have never done anything like this before but they are doing it now and doing it in style. Imagine what their clients think of them? It’s a great way to get kudos and set yourself up as an expert. Plus you never know where it might lead, loads of my Big Me Up Coaching clients now have regular columns in their local paper.

Which brings me to my main reason for writing this blog. I want to talk to you about writing for your local paper.

First of all let me ask you a question.

When did you last read your local paper?

Be honest….

Have you ever read it?

It was probably when your wedding picture was in – or you were looking for a new car, a job or a house.

Many of us don’t pick up a local paper anymore, we check stuff out online.

But let me ask you another question.

If you don’t read your local paper how can you write for your local paper?

You need to aim your articles right at their audience.

So who is reading it and what should you write about?

Well it’s usually people who have just got married, people looking for a new car, people looking for a new house, or their parents and grandparents.

But don’t forget many local papers are now online as well.

You are talking to many different generations and if it’s a daily paper then each day they tend to focus on different sections of the community like Business, Education, Jobs.

You should be writing about anything local that impacts on health and fitness.

Does your paper have a health section?

Does your paper have a weekend magazine which features health stories?

Check it out – do a bit of research, go online, buy a copy mid-week and at the weekend and get a feel for the type of health stories they are covering then target your articles directly at their audience.

On the daily papers they will have a health journalist whose name will be featured on the health stories, ring the paper and ask for their email address if it’s not printed, they are the person you need to target with your press releases.

Plus, if a big health story breaks don’t be afraid to ring your contact and offer a quote as a local expert.

Another question, especially relevant if you are a Group Instructor and are heading to IFS this weekend.

Have you offered to write a piece for your local paper on the event?

They do not have the resources to send reporters all over the country but if you as the local fitness expert are attending I bet they would bite your hand off for a feature piece and some photos.

Ring your local paper and ask the news editor if it’s something they would be interested in.

And if you are there make sure you catch me and say hello, I’ll be posting on Facebook regularly and would love to meet you and answer any media questions you may have. I’ll be the one standing next to the spiky haired man giving Man Hugs to Andrew Crawford.