This is a great book. Thank you so much for the ideas here. The prose is well written and organized.

Working for myself is fun. Working out how to get new clients isn't. I hate it. Mainly because I don't know what I'm doing. I don't like putting myself out there, waiting instead for people to come to me. For the most part, it's worked. I've gotten most of my freelance work through word of mouth. Sometimes, though, I wonder what I could achieve if I was just that little bit braver. Which is why I was interested in Hype Yourself. I was hoping it would help me take the next step with my business.

Then, the coronavirus hit and my work dried up, as did my energy for doing much of anything work-related. Come September, though, with my daughter back in school, and a couple of clients back on board, I felt it was time to think about 'hyping' myself again. Which is what I've been doing for the last few months, using Hype Yourself as a guide.

Has it worked? Yes and no. Because of the work I do, not everything was relevant to me. This meant I had to pick and choose the bits that I thought were relevant. For me, that was the PR plan, sitting down and thinking about what I wanted to achieve, how I wanted my clients to see me, and how I could better promote myself and the work I do. The media toolkit helped too, though possibly not as much because I'm not selling anything but myself. The same is true of the section of engaging the press.

These sections did, however, come in useful for one of my new contracts, which is long-term and includes helping a smaller charity develop their profile to increase fundraising. I've used the press office section for that and managed to get some media interest for a report we released as a result. To say I - and my client - was happy is an understatement.

All in all then, I'd say this book works. I'd also say start at the beginning and take time to do the exercises. They are really useful

Demystifies and simplifies publicity, a must have for all small and new businesses. By far one of the best PR books to be written in the last few years, possibly ever!

Fab book aimed at entrepreneurs.. whether you have a start-up, online business or so-called side-hustle, this is a really useful guide which you can dip in and out of to help you learn the skills you need. Think of it as a modern business and confidence coach!


Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I follow Lucy on Instagram and was really excited to dive into this book. Her style is easy to read and the tips she gives to gets visible are A+.

I own and run a small business and picked this up specifically to see if it would have any tangible impact on PR for my own company. And it did! The book really cuts through the jargon and helped me create plans, outlines and options for getting the word out about my business. This has been deeply impacted by the outbreak of a pandemic, but the book is incredibly helpful to anyone who has no idea what they're doing in PR, no matter how good their business is.

Excellent, empowering and instructive book. Lots of good research and practical advice from the author, who I reached out to and was really responsive. In today's age of social media, there are some great tips here.

Not really what I was expecting. It is still a good read. This book will be ideal for someone starting their own business or wanting to get better at promoting his/her services. I'm actually not in need for such motivation at the moment, so I think that played a role in my commitment to read it.

An excellent book that teaches you about how to promote yourself, your product or your business in a noisy world, without spending millions. The author calls herself “anti PR” and handholds you through the entire process, complete with checklists and templates.

Every reader will benefit from reading this book, whether you are (1) an author trying to increase book sales, (2) blogger who wants more traffic, (3) an entrepreneur who wants more revenue/ market share, or (4) just a normal person who wants to boost their personal brand or bag a promotion.

The action items take some time and effort, but are worth every minute spent - these methods WORK and will help you exponentially improve your odds of success. I only wish this book year had been available years earlier during my stint as a freelancer, and initial days as a blogger.

"If I could give one piece of advice, it is that good PR is more than just about telling your story once - it is the narrative thread that should underpin all your business activity and to keep consistent with this you must treat yourself like your most important client."
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Let me tell you something. It is not easy starting up a small business, with a small budget and little knowledge of PR. Doing something you are passionate about, but not getting your voice heard in the digital battlefield of promotion that changes at the blink of an eye. And that is exactly why this book is fantastic.
Hype Yourself is a must-read and a must-reread for small businesses, at a time that self-PR and a strong brand presence is crucial in survival.
Werner has created a goldmine of tips, constructive exercises, thoughtful insights and relevant case-studies that are easy to read, to follow and to apply.
I highly recommend to all interested in PR and business management.

Thanks to Netgalley and Practical Inspiration Publishing for this title!

4.5 stars, actually.

My interest in a book like this was honed over many years from every side of the desk. As a university administrator trying to promote public and private training programs, I needed to utilize public relations to connect with my customers - business leaders and the general public. As a public relations director at an advertising agency, it was my job to convince editors that my clients had wonderful stories to tell. And as a newspaper editor, I was the one being "pitched" by anyone who had stories they wanted me to tell - wonderful or not (usually not). So when the publisher approved my request for a review copy, I was delighted. Still, armed with all that practical experience, I said to myself, "Self, if there's much of anything truly valuable in here, I'll eat my favorite pair of flip-flops."

Now I've finished reading. And let's just say those flip-flops didn't taste very good (and worse, with spring fast approaching, I'm gonna miss 'em like crazy).

Subtitled "A no-nonsense PR toolkit for small businesses," this book really is all that and more; the author has hit a home run when it comes to practical and thorough advice (put another way, I couldn't have written it better myself). Well, actually I could have in one sense; I'd like to have found more resources geared to U.S. businesses (the author and her company are based across the Pond). The points are well taken and it's easy for me to transfer the concepts to this country, but the average small business owner here likely wouldn't without some professional help.

Chapters are heavy on the how-to, from developing a public relations plan to nuts-and-bolts templates, a glossary and plenty of other resources - all geared toward teaching small business people how to "transform your business for free" (other than, of course, the cost of your time). Even for those who have no time - or don't want to spend it this way - the book is an excellent primer that provides a heads-up on what you should expect if you hire a PR professional.

The tips are spot-on when it comes to the real world; one of my bugaboos, for instance, is that while putting a positive spin on clients' news is part of any PR professional's job description, telling lies certainly is not. I've seen my share of company owners who expected the latter - and to be sure, they didn't get it from me (nor would I accept them when submitted to "my" newspaper).

The writing is interesting and interspersed with humor - I've lost count of the times I've exorcised the words, "We're excited to announce..." from news releases, for instance. The last chapter, titled "Brain Farts," refers to creative ideas that pop into your head (tying into the overall concept that defines public relations as "anything you do in the public eye"). It read like a laundry list of suggestions I've made to clients in the past - plus a few I never thought of, like podcasting (well, okay, that possibility wasn't even around back then, so I'll cut myself a little slack here).

My bottom line? Reading this book and learning how to get positive exposure for your business could help your bottom line. At under 200 pages, it won't take long to finish, but the return-on-investment possibilities if you follow even some of the advice are well worth your time.

I LOVED this book! Must-read for any publicist in the business. It is a treasure trove of information.

Hype Yourself is a very useful guide for those who run a small business, whether that's a retail store or you're an indie author. The book flows easily, presents good ideas, and is written in a very easy to understand style that stays away from excessive jargon.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.

Special thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for a digital ARC of this book!

Anyone running their own business, or considering it, should snag a copy of this book before launching. So often, I see businesses - or friends turning their side hustles into businesses, forgetting to do one simple thing: HYPE THEMSELVES. And not by inviting their Facebook friends to like their page, or putting them in a godforsaken Facebook group they can't escape and didn't ask for - by using the tools they might not realize they have in order to get the job done.

From PR basics to creating and maintaining your media toolkit, this book has clear, concise ways for businesses to succeed in today's landscape of never-ending barrage of new fads and companies to pay attention to. As a marketing professional, I learned a few things I plan on putting into action in my current practices. Well done!

I needed this book in my life right now! It's an easy to understand guide to promoting your business and yourself. It starts with the basics, of defining what your business is, what it provides, and who your customer is. The tone is positive and encouraging, yet also no nonsense. The writing is straight forward and complicated jargon is broken down for newbies like me. I went to the website and downloaded the pdfs mentioned in the book to complete the exercises. I started the first couple, and will definitely be returning to the book to finish the process. I learned a ton here, some that I will began implementing immediately in my work to grow and monetize my book blog.
Lucy's writing style had me jazzed up about some information that I'd read before and found daunting or boring. I feel affirmed that I'm on the right path, and my energy is renewed in believing that I am capable of doing the hard work to grow my business. I highly recommend this one!

I thought this was a really approachable and easy to read book with lots of practical advice. I will be recommending this book to any new entrepreneurs or business people that come to the library looking for advice on PR etc.

This is a really useful book for any small business to keep on their shelf as a reference and help guide. It addresses a variety of ways for getting yourself out there and using the best media possible that is suited to your own business. It well written and is easy to follow and read. It is a book that will be useful to many and at the very least will get you thinking about what you could improve and include in your own strategy.