A PUBLIC relations consultant saw her debut book outsell some of the biggest names in the industry on Amazon in its first weekend.

Kerri L Watt, a New Forest-based PR strategist and trainer, published Get a YES! From the Press as a guide for businesses looking for media exposure.

It became the number one PR book on Amazon in its first weekend on sale, in both the US and UK charts, beating famous industry authors such as Ryan Holiday, Seth Godin and David Meerman-Scott.

It was also number three in marketing and sales, number four in advertising and the number one release across all three categories.

Kerri Watt said: “I started my own PR journey when my business first began. I was unable to leave the house due to illness and caring for a young child. Money was tight so I couldn’t get to networking.

“The only option to grow a business was to do my own PR. I started writing articles for magazines and appearing on podcasts when baby was napping. PR transformed my business and I hope readers see how simple PR can be and how to make it work for their business.”

She has been a PR strategist for more than six years and worked in marketing for 15 years.

Kerri, from Beaulieu, added: “Getting your business featured in the media can seem overwhelming at first. Knowing where to feature and how are the most common concerns I hear from clients.

“The PR process begins with what your overall objective is. Defining this will then steer all your marketing and PR activities in the right direction. For instance, if you want (or need) more clients then you will want to focus on activities that get you in front of your ideal clients.

“Whilst attaining media coverage may be free, your time certainly is not. It’s important you use your time strategically and in a way that is sure to benefit your business. Even if you decide to outsource your PR down the line, it’s important you have an understanding of who you want to target and that their time isn’t spent sourcing random opportunities.”

She said businesses need to consider what media titles their intended audience were reading, watching and listening to. “It could be they listen to podcasts at the gym or without fail they get the big industry magazines delivered to the office each month,” she said.

“When you have an idea on what media your ideal client consumes, then we look at what specific PR activities and strategies you could do to get in front of them.”

The book is available as a Kindle title on Amazon.