Four Easy Ways to Obtain Publicity as a Fitness Professional
By Jim Labadie

Many Fitness Professionals shy away from trying to promote themselves through the media because they believe it to be a great deal of work. And because PR is not an exact science many can become discouraged when their first attempts do not results in the media attention they were hoping for.

In reality, while it does take some effort to start, it is much easier than most people think. Plus, once the ball gets rolling the media will come looking for you with no effort on your part. Being focused, unique and patient will allow you to discover firsthand the incredible benefits that come with being a media mainstay. Here are 4 easy ways to promote yourself and your fitness business through free publicity.

1) "Piggyback" on current events

As you are probably aware, the media loves to cover stories to death. Whatever topics are hot in the news are the ones you need to be looking for. So for example, whenever a major professional athlete is caught with steroids the media is going to be looking for experts to help make sense of it all. And they also want fresh angles so they can cover the same story in a different way.

How do you go about it? Call your local television and radio stations and ask to speak to the producer of whichever news program you would like to be covered by. Producers are the ones who will decide whether or not your idea is good enough to get on the air. Be as unique as you can. And if you'd like to get on TV be sure you can provide some really cool visuals.

2) "Piggyback" on national events and holidays

The media are always looking for unique stories on the same tired old themes. As a fitness professional what are you doing to help your clients stay fit during the holidays? Are you doing anything special to celebrate National Women's Fitness Day? If you are the media would love to hear from you. Also, the more unique you are and the "fresher" your ideas the greater the likelihood of the media starting to look for you!

3) Provide gift giving ideas

You use all sorts of fitness equipment, right? Why not let your local media know during the holidays that you are available to review all the latest gadgets and gizmos? I guarantee you at least one of your local morning TV news shows would love to have you in the studio to interview you about that. Just call and ask the station operator who the producer is you need to speak to. Then tell them your idea. Yes, it really is that simple. If they like it they'll have you on. If they don't, then ask another station.

4) Think in "bite size" terms

The media loves tips. Small nuggets of information they can relay to their readers, listeners and viewers. So don't be overwhelmed thinking you are going to have to write a novel to get your point across. If you have an idea for an article for a publication simply email them your idea with the tips as bullet points. The article can always be expanded on or they may even just use the tips as is and give you credit for them!

Additionally, when sending out press releases be sure to include quotes from yourself that the media can easily extract and include in a story. You'll be amazed, but oftentimes publications will quote you directly from your press release and never even mention it to you. And once the media views you as a credible source this will happen more and more making obtaining publicity almost effortless.

Ultimate Publicity Kit
I'm Jim Labadie a contributing writer for Personal Fitness Professional magazine, Club Industry, PTontheNET.com and I'm the only "full-time" faculty member of Ryan Lee’s Personal Trainer U.com

Publicity has played a vital role in my fitness company's success. Having been on TV, the radio and in the local newspapers countless times I now hear what all publicity seekers yearn for - "I see your name EVERYWHERE!" There's nothing cooler than that. Well, maybe when you walk into a speaking engagement and more than 1/2 the audience already saw you on TV that morning giving fitness tips. Talk about instant credibility!

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