Celebrity Leverage >>

Step Into the Spotlight!

I just finished reading a great new book by my friend Tsufit, "Step Into the Spotlight! A Guide to Getting Noticed."

If you yearn to stand out in a crowd, then this book is a must-read.

It's a fresh, fun, fast-paced book that reveals the secrets to stardom and showbiz tricks of the trade that any business (or anyone) can use to stand out and get noticed.

I highly recommend it.

But don't just take my word for it.

Look what others say about "Step Into the Spotlight!":

"A necessary and delightful book."
- Tom Peters, Co-Author of "In Search of Excellence"

"This book cuts to the chase. Getting noticed is everything; not getting noticed is oblivion. It's must reading."
- Jack Trout, Co-Author of "Positioning"

"We live in a celebrity-driven world and Tsufit tells you how to take advantage of that fact."
- Al Ries, Co-Author of "The Origin of Brands"

"It takes a star to teach a star and it takes a star to want to learn stardom."
- Jay Conrad Levinson, Author of "Guerilla Marketing"

"We'd be fools not to pay close attention."
- Robert Cialdini, Author of "Influence"

Get Tsufit's "Step Into the Spotlight" today!

Waking Up With The Stars in Nashville

Nashville is a city that really gets Celebrity Leverage. I'm here for a marketing conference, and how cool is this? At the Gaylord Opryland Resort where I'm staying, you can get wake-up calls from celebrities!

The Nashville Airport also celebrity voices (country music stars) to welcome visitors. It tells them about security procedures, etc. that most travelers usually ignore.

Why? Because they're usually boring.

And in my hotel, here's what the little card by my phone says:

"Choose a special wake-up call from your favorite artist! You're in Nashville, known around the world as "Music City," so we've arranged for a few of our "music friends" to wake you up!

Choose from Grand Ole Opry members like Trace Adkins, Vince Gill and Pam Tillis, or other popular artists like Kellie Pickler, Montgomery Gentry and Wynonna Judd.

For a list of this week's celebrities, tune in to Channel 16 [on your tv]."

How many times have you gone home and told people about the wake-up calls at the hotel you stayed in? Unless they forgot to call you and you missed something important, probably never.

But imagine all the people who stay at the Gaylord Opryland Resort, then go home and tell their friends, family, and co-workers about getting woken up by their favorite country star?

Use celebrities in your business to add interest, excitement, and customer satisfaction. You don't even have to hire real celebrities to record voice mail greetings, voice blasts, etc. You can hire celebrity impersonators!

I was just talking to Susan Berkley -- the voice of AT&T -- about this last night (she's also attending my conference).

If you want to lean how to use celebrity voices in your business, check out my Celebrity Leverage System, where Susan and I show you how!

"Celebrities Continually Get Top Page Views"

I just finished reading the new book "Blogging Heroes" by Michael A. Banks. If you're thinking about starting a blog (or you already run one), it's a must read.

In the book, Michael interviews 30 of the world's top bloggers. One of them is Kristin Darguzas of ParentDish, a blog about parenting.

Here's what she says when Michael asks here what the most popular subject matter on her blog is:

"Ironically, our celebrity section. People say they don't want to read about celebrities, and yet the topic continually gets the top page views.

They always say, "Don't write about them... we are sick of hearing about Britney [Spears]" -- but Britney is always a top search item on our blog."

How can you tie celebrities into what you're writing (blog posts, press releases, books, etc.)?

Would You Wear It?

More celebrities working on fashion lines from this week's Us Weekly...

"Rachel Bilson is working with DKNY Jeans to create a junior sportswear line Edie Rose, hitting stores in September.

The Hills' Whitney Port will launch her own lie, Eve & A, this fall...

Eva Mendes will appear in ads for Calvin Klein Underwear, to debut this fall."

Would you wear them? Comment below!

What Can You Autograph for Your Customers?

Imagine sending your xBox 360 in to get some graffiti removed, and having it come back signed by members of the entire xBox team -- including Bill Gates!

Not sure what the whole story is, but I saw this post on Seth Godin's blog and found is fascinating!

Seth Godin says:

"Way better than an impersonal letter apologizing for mishandling a computer that was sent in for repair, no? Do you know what most people want? They want you to care."

What can you sign for your customers to a) improve their customer service relationship with you and b) enhance your image as a celebrity in their eyes?

If you've written a book, autograph it it when people buy it directly from you. If it's in bookstores, ask the manager if you can sign your books (they'll usually love that you asked and will put an "Autographed Copy" stick on the front because they know that boosts sales.)

Other ideas? Comment below:

Stephen King on Celebrity Book Endorsements

In my Celebrity Book Endorsements Toolkit, I teach writers exactly how to approach celebrities to ask for book endorsements (this assumes, of course, that you've written a book).

This weekend, Stephen King's column in Entertainment Weekly caught my eye, because it's aptly titled "Fast Blurb Nation."

"I've only blurbed three or four movies in my time, but I've lent my name to perhaps a hundred books.

The first one, I admit, wasn't very good (in fact, it was pretty terrible), but that was over 30 years ago and I was flattered out of my socks just to be asked.

Since then, I've done it only for books I honestly loved, and for a very simple reason. Early on, nobody blurbed any of mine.

"Carrie," "Salem's Lot," and "The Shining" were published before the art of blurbing had been perfected.

In the old days, children, the back cover of novels was usually reserved for a black and white photograph of the author (often holding a cigarette and trying to look cosmopolitan). Nowadays, the back cover tends to be Blurb City.

"And really, maybe that's not so bad. Young writers and filmmakers need a hand up, because it's a hard world out there.

That alone doesn't justify a blurb, but in in most cases, good work does. It isn't just about the artist, either.

A blurb is sometimes a better way to point people toward the good stuff than a 2500-word review. It's certainly more direct."

So if you've written a book or are in the process of writing one, ask Stephen King for blurb. If he likes your book, you may just get one!

Matthew McConaughey's New Swimwear Line

It looks like Matthew McConaughey is the latest celebrity to create his own clothing line.

Tentatively called j.k. livin for "Just keep livin',", the line will be made up mostly of swim suits, t-shirts, and even frisbees.

It should be available on MatthewMcConaughey.com before summer.

He says:

"My mom didn't even put a bathing suit on us at the country club until we were 9."

They say:

"It will be a one-stop shop for everything you need for the beach."

What do you think about Matthew McConaughey having a swimwear clothing line?

Will you buy his designs this summer?