The Publicity Hound’s
Tips of the Week
Issue #479 Nov. 17, 2009
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityHound.net/ (Blog)
http://www.PublicityArticles.net (Ezine Archives)

==========================================

“Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity”

Receive this ezine direct to your desktop
http://www.publicityarticles.net/feed/rss/

===================================
        In This Issue
===================================

1. How to Promote Your Experts

2. Pay Attention to Media Websites

3. Oprah/Palin Outtakes

4. How to Promote a Book on Autism

5. Help This Hound

6. Hound Videos of the Week

7. And at My Blog…

====================================
1. How to Promote Your Experts
====================================

If you’re an expert in your industry, or you have a team of
experts, let the world know.

During yesterday’s teleseminar for members of The Publicity Hound
Mentor Program, I shared 14 ways to promote your experts. Here
are four of them:

–Create an Experts Directory. If you have many experts, list
them by category, in alphabetical order, and include all contact
information. Make sure your experts have given you permission to
include their names. If they’re at all shy about talking to
reporters or bloggers, pay for media training or don’t include
them. Send hard-copy directories to targeted media, and make the
directory available at your website, in your media room.

–Include one page at your website for each expert. Make sure the
title bar includes a keyword phrase that will help the media find
your expert quickly through the search engines. Example:
“Employee recruitment and retention expert.”

–During a big breaking news event that ties into an expert’s
topic, call or email your media contacts and offer your expert
for background, commentary and story ideas that tie into the
breaking news.

–Give your experts prominent exposure in online experts
directories.
Each year, I subscribe to Expertclick: The Online Yearbook of
Experts. PRWeek calls this the “Dating Service of PR” because it
connects experts and journalists. I’ve been a member for years,
and my Press Room Page has helped me capture the top two or three
positions on Google for the phrase “publicity expert.”

The deadline is Friday, Nov. 20, for their 25th Anniversary 2010
Yearbook of Experts. See the full brochure at
https://www.ExpertClick.com/Discount/Publicity-Hound and take
advantage of their special for Publicity Hounds. They’ll shave
$100 off your subscription. Or call 202-333-5000. They answer
their phones live and have great customer service.

===================================
2. Pay Attention to Media Websites
===================================

Before you pitch journalists or broadcasters, know all your
options by visiting their websites.

I wanted to pitch a story idea to the news department at Fox 6, a
Milwaukee TV station, recently and visited their site to see what
I could find. I learned they now accept news tips and pitches at
the site during their 1:45 p.m. news meeting each day.

They broadcast video of the meeting. And even though you can’t
hear the audio, you can pitch your story idea right at the
website. That’s exactly what I did.

The producer who was reading the pitches on his laptop while
attending the meeting responded immediately and said he loved my
idea. But he thought it was more appropriate for the station’s
early-morning news/feature program. I pitched that program, and
the host responded the next day and booked a segment with my
client for next month. Is that cool or what?

These websites often include other valuable nuggets. You might
find bios of the on-air reporters and anchors. You can upload
photos and videos at many newspaper, TV and radio websites. You
can submit items for their event calendars. You can also find
mini profiles of all their local programs. Many media outlets
also include links where you can follow them on Facebook and
Twitter.

Now that you know how to find them and pitch them, start building
relationships with them. “Special Report #49: 17 Ways to Build
Valuable Relationships with Media People” shows you how. Only
$10. Order at http://budurl.com/lzge

===================================
3. Oprah/Palin Outtakes
===================================

Oprah’s taped interview with Sarah Palin, which was broadcast
yesterday, attracted so many viewers who love her or hate her
that Oprah’s smart producers did something that we can do.

They posted five outtakes from the interview at Oprah’s website
under the headline “What You Didn’t See.” Take a look:
http://budurl.com/oprahandsarah

If you’re shooting video for whatever reason, and you have some
great outtakes, here are six ideas for using them:

–Edit them into separate videos and upload them to your YouTube
channel and to other video-sharing sites so they pull in traffic
from the search engines. Use different keywords for each video so
you pull the maximum amount of traffic possible.

–Insert the video links into press releases.

–Post the videos in your online press room.

–Use them at your blog.

–Include the links in articles you write for the article
directory sites.

–Share them with your social media friends, fans and followers.
Videographer John Easton of Charlotte, N.C. knows creative, easy
ways to use video to generate publicity and sales leads, even if
you only do business locally. I interviewed him about “9 Clever
Ways to Use Video to Become a Publicity Darling in Your Industry
or Community.” Learn more at http://budurl.com/sttl

===================================
4. How to Promote a Book on Autism
===================================

This week, six Publicity Hounds have tips for Mary Ann Puckett
from Oklahoma City, OK, author of a self-published book, “Take
Him Home and Love Him: A Story of Autism and How to Cope with
It.” She needs tips for promoting the book to parents and
caregivers.

From Linda Kotzian:

“Contact Care Trak at http://www.caretrak.com/news.htm  They sell
tracking devices for those afflicted by Alzheimer?s and autism.
They might share their mailing list with you, or even promote
your book as part of their service.”

From Eric Gruber:

“You should be writing articles and submitting them to the top
parenting and health websites, blogs, ezines and article
directories–as well as focusing on those sites that deal with
autism specifically. For example, you should target
http://autism.about.com/ ”

From Margaret Vos:

“Perhaps your high school, college, or university would LOVE to
hear about your accomplishment. Not just a ‘local girl does good’
story, but one that can help other parents too–and targeted to
an educational field but with a different angle. You could
include special needs schools that have newsletters for parents.”

The Publicity Hound says:

Mary Ann, you need to reach out to two huge segments of bloggers:
mommy bloggers and home-schoolers. Go to Google and search for
?top 20 mommy bloggers? and see what you find.  Also, ?top 20
home-school bloggers.?

Make sure you visit their blogs and post a comment or two before
you pitch. And, of course, make sure the blog is a good fit with
the book.

Read all the responses to this week?s ?Help This Hound” question
at http://budurl.com/tvxv

Send your own Help this Hound question to:
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com?subject=HelpThisHound
and include your city, state or province.

=================================
5. Help This Hound
=================================

I’m out of questions (send questions!) so this week’s is from me:
Publicity Hounds who responded to my Customer Profile Survey in
the spring said blogging was one of the top three topics they
wanted to know more about.

I’m planning one or more paid teleseminars on blogging for
business soon, and I want to make sure I’m teaching things you
need to know.

If you’re interested in this topic, let me know which sub-topics
interest you:

–How to find compelling content

–Shortcuts and time-saving tools

–Commenting at other blogs

–The best blog directories where you should submit your blog

–How to pull traffic to your blog

–Using photos and images

–How to pitch a guest blog post to someone else

–How to find guest bloggers

–Feeding your blog posts into social media sites

–Writing compelling headlines

–Or any topics I haven’t mentioned here.

Also, please let me know if you consider yourself a beginning,
intermediate or advanced blogger.
Mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com and put “Blogging” in the
subject line.

==================================
6. Hound Videos of the Week
==================================

Thanks to Publicity Hound Jacqueline Simonds of Reno, NV for
these three videos that show sheer joy, yelps of delight and lots
of tail-wagging as these four-legged hounds welcome home their
owners from Iran and Afghanistan. (This’ll cheer you up if you’re
having a really bad day.)

http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/40324

Dog Jokes & Quotes Ebook: 170+ G-rated dog jokes and quotes,
perfect for a dog-lover, your favorite vet, or just for a few
good laughs.

BONUS: Buy the ebook and you also get a compilation of the 50
best websites for dog humor.
Http://www.publicityhound.com/dogjokebook/

==================================
7. And at My Blog…
==================================

Oprah’s producers blog & drop clues about what they like
http://budurl.com/oprahproducersblog

8 ways public speaking produces multiple revenue streams
http://budurl.com/malinchakspeaking

————————————

Follow me on Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/PublicityHound

Join my Facebook Fan Page:
http://www.facebook.com/publicitytips

Connect with me on LinkedIn (and tell me how we know each other):
http://www.linkedin.com/in/publicityhound

Permission to Reprint:

You may reprint any items from “The Publicity Hound’s Tips of the
Week” in your print or electronic newsletter.  But please include
the following paragraph:

Reprinted from “The Publicity Hound’s Tips of the Week,” an ezine
featuring tips, tricks and tools for generating free publicity.
Subscribe at http://www.publicityhound.com/ and receive by email
the handy cheat sheet “89 Reasons to Send a Press Release.”

If you like these tips, please pass them on to your friends,
clients and colleagues.

You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The
Publicity Hound website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you
told me you want to subscribe.

Privacy Statement:

The Publicity Hound respects your privacy and has a strict anti-
spam policy.  Read my privacy policy at
http://www.publicityhound.com/privacypolicy.htm

================================================

Joan Stewart
a.k.a. The Publicity Hound

The Publicity Hound’s
Tips of the Week
Issue #478 Nov. 11, 2009
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityHound.net/ (Blog)
http://www.publicityarticles.net/ (Ezine Archives)

==========================================

“Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity”

Receive this ezine direct to your desktop
http://www.publicityarticles.net/feed/rss/

===================================
        In This Issue
===================================

1. How to Follow Up

2. Predict Top Trends of 2010

3. Gary V’s 5 Commandments

4. How to Promote a Floral Shop

5. Help This Hound

6. Hound Joke of the Week

7. And at My Blog…

====================================
1. How to Follow Up
====================================

When you pitch a story idea to a journalist or blogger and hear
nothing, what do you do? Figure they’re not interested and move
on?

If so, it could be a missed opportunity. I’ve heard of cases in
which journalists won’t cover a story until a year or two after
someone pitched it.

If you’re following up with a phone call, don’t just call and ask
“are you covering the story?” That makes you sound desperate.

Instead, have a reason to follow up. Here are five things to
offer when you call:

–Additional sources for the story.

–Graphics or photos.

–A sidebar, like a quiz.

–A Top 10 list (see Item 2 below).

–A video that a newspaper reporter can refer to in a story, or
that any media outlet can post at its website.

You can also score points by asking this question: “Is there
anything else you need or any other way I can help?”
Chicago publicist Rickey Gold used the tips she learned during
the teleseminar on “Fail-proof Ways to Follow Up After Sending a
News Release or a Story Idea” and landed a product review for her
client in a magazine eight months after her original pitch. Read
more about the tips she followed at
 http://budurl.com/7zsx

===================================
2. Predict Top Trends of 2010
===================================

Any Publicity Hound in any industry can do this. Predict the top
trends for next year.

Every year, about this time, media everywhere are on the lookout
for predictions about what the new year will bring. Ditto for
bloggers. I found a great example at the RunningRestaurants.com
website last week where a chef/owner offered his top predictions
for restaurant trends next year. Take a look:
http://budurl.com/elqx

These make great tip lists, blog posts, guest blog posts, notes
for your Facebook fan page and even videos. You can send these
lists to multiple media outlets.

If you work at a company, you can ask five or six experts to
predict one top trend for next year and combine them all into one
list. Provide head shots of your experts.

“Special Report #16: How to Write Tip Sheets That Catch the
Media’s Attention” offers dozens of other ideas and suggestions
on how to use tip sheets, one of the most powerful tools in your
publicity toolkit. Read more at http://budurl.com/6j5h

===================================
3. Gary V’s 5 Commandments
===================================

The friend that listens is better than the friend that talks.

So says Gary Vaynerchuk, aka Gary V, one of the hottest stars in
the social media world. The thirtysomething son of Russian
immigrants hosts weekday podcasts about wine at
TV.WineLibrary.com.

His brash style and unpretentious approach to wine appreciation
have attracted an average 40,000 viewers to each podcast, more
than 85,000 followers on Twitter, and more than $60 million a
year in sales at the Wine Library, the New Jersey wine store he
co-owns with his father.

Here are Gary V’s 5 commandments for social media, as listed in
the Wall Street Journal:

–Treat it like a cocktail party. Don’t pitch as soon as you meet
someone.

–Don’t draw lines in the sand and call sites like Twitter
“stupid” just because you don’t know how to use them.

–Humanize yourself and your brand with personal information, but
only 2 percent of the time.

–Understand the authenticity and the incredible power of social
media sites and the voices of consumers to make or break
companies.

–Interacting with potential clients and becoming part of the
community is a real job. Listen before you talk.

Read the entire interview with him at http://budurl.com/lmru
Learn more about the teleseminar I hosted with blogger and social
media consultant BL Ochman on “How to do Social Networking, Run a
Business & Still Have a Life” at http://budurl.com/wmv2

===================================
4. How to Promote a Floral Shop
===================================

This week, 13 Publicity Hounds have tips for Cheryl Muskus of Oak
Creek, WI, owner of The CarmelRose, a floral shop. She needs
ideas for events and other pitches she can use with the local
media to promote her shop.

From C.M. Mayo:

“One of the things that has always really perplexed me is that
when I order flowers over the phone, I never know what the
delivered arrangement actually looks like. So if you would offer
to send your customers a .jpg photo via email of their
bouquet-?the actual one that just went out the door to Aunt
Bess?-I would think that would be a big plus. And then, you’d
have their emails for future promotional offers, a big plus for
you.”

From Debra Arrato:

“Start branding your business. How about a new tag line like,
‘CarmelRose ? we SEND what?s in your heart.’ Use the tagline on
everything. Join your local Chamber of Commerce and then join a
leads group within the Chamber. It?s worth every penny. The leads
groups usually meet once a week or twice a month and they only
allow one person in each industry/business.”

From Linda Swisher:

“Partnerships for weddings/proms: bridal and tux shops,
photographers, limo companies, reception venues, bakeries,
salons/spas, gift shops, caterers, wedding planners, stationers.
Partnerships for funerals: funeral homes, cemeteries, funeral
luncheon venues.

“Partnerships for decor or entertaining: interior designers,
local furniture stores, adult classes through park districts or
colleges, real estate stagers, model home builders, gift basket
shops, bakeries or specialty/imported food shops.”

The Publicity Hound says:

This question generated fabulous responses from my Hounds. Read
them all at http://budurl.com/s64s

Artist John Unger also received many wonderful responses to his
“Help This Hound” question two weeks ago on how to defend a
lawsuit filed against him by someone who is copying his artwork
and selling it. He chose the comment by former journalist Bonnie
Boots as the best one, and he’ll thank her with a beautiful
shovel mask, which he has created. Bonnie suggested that John
pitch his story to specific craft magazines. You can read all the
comments at http://budurl.com/4eeu

Email your own “Help this Hound” question to
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
and include your city and state or province.

=================================
5. Help This Hound
=================================

Mary Ann Puckett from Oklahoma City, OK writes:

“I am the author of a self-published book, ‘Take Him Home and
Love Him/A Story of Autism and How to Cope with It’, which is
currently on eBay and Amazon.com. I published the book in 2005
and have received orders from around the world.

“It is a narrative of my son Stephen’s life from birth to age 23.
He is now 28 years old and has made great progress due to
therapies and medical interventions I share in the book.

“Autism is now the Number One childhood disability, and diagnosis
of this disorder is increasing rapidly. I am looking for ways to
get my information to parents and caregivers. The book is
endorsed by medical doctors, the Department of Human Services and
has received 100 percent positive responses from buyers on eBay.

“Can your Hounds help me promote my book to parents and
caregivers who need it?”

The Publicity Hound says:

Using social media sites, there are dozens of ways to find people
in niche audiences, like parents of autistic children. Let’s see
if my Hounds can help you find them, and spread the word about
your book online and offline. Hounds, post your best comments to
my blog at http://budurl.com/tvxv

==================================
6. Hound Joke of the Week
==================================

In order to keep a true perspective of your importance, you
should have a dog that will worship you and a cat that will
ignore you.

Dog Jokes & Quotes Ebook: 170+ G-rated dog jokes and quotes,
perfect for a dog-lover, your favorite vet, or just for a few
good laughs.

BONUS: Buy the ebook and you also get a compilation of the 50
best websites for dog humor.
Http://www.publicityhound.com/dogjokebook/

==================================
7. And at My Blog…
==================================

Learn how to teach, sell and create products with teleseminars
http://budurl.com/gph7

————————————

Follow me on Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/PublicityHound

Join my Facebook Fan Page:
http://www.facebook.com/publicitytips

Connect with me on LinkedIn (and tell me how we know each other):
http://www.linkedin.com/in/publicityhound

Permission to Reprint:

You may reprint any items from “The Publicity Hound’s Tips of the
Week” in your print or electronic newsletter.  But please include
the following paragraph:

Reprinted from “The Publicity Hound’s Tips of the Week,” an ezine
featuring tips, tricks and tools for generating free publicity.
Subscribe at http://www.publicityhound.com/ and receive by email
the handy cheat sheet “89 Reasons to Send a Press Release.”

If you like these tips, please pass them on to your friends,
clients and colleagues.

You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The
Publicity Hound website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you
told me you want to subscribe.

Privacy Statement:

The Publicity Hound respects your privacy and has a strict anti-
spam policy.  Read my privacy policy at
http://www.publicityhound.com/privacypolicy.htm

================================================

Joan Stewart
a.k.a. The Publicity Hound

The Publicity Hound’s
Tips of the Week
Issue #476 Nov. 3, 2009
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.net/(Blog)
http://www.PublicityArticles.net (Ezine Archives)

==========================================

“Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity”

Receive this ezine direct to your desktop
http://www.publicityarticles.net/feed/rss/

===================================
        In This Issue
===================================

1. Undo the New Facebook Change

2. Linking from Press Releases

3. Trunk or Treat & Thanksgiving

4. How an Artist Can Defend a Lawsuit

5. Help This Hound

6. Hound Video of the Week

7. And at My Blog…

====================================
1. Undo the New Facebook Change
====================================

Facebook users are still howling about recent changes to the
homepage. If you’re one of them, there’s a quick fix to change it
back to the way it used to be.

Ten days ago, with no warning, Facebook eliminated with the
Twitter-like feed of every real-time status update. Now, instead
of displaying everything from all your friends, Facebook uses a
secret algorithm to display only the posts and status updates
that are generating a lot of comments and responses. So you never
know what you’re missing.

If you hate the change, here’s a three-step process to revert
back to the old feed:

–Log into Facebook. On your homepage, on the top of the left
column, you’ll see “News Feed.” Go to the bottom of that column
and click on “More.”

–Find the “Status Updates.” Click and drag it to the very top of
that column.

–Click “Status Updates” to load that view. Now, Facebook will
deliver your feeds just like it did before.

The News Feed option is still on the left. If you click on it,
you’ll see the new view. And if you decide later that reading
your Facebook feed is like drinking from a firehose, you can
always revert back to the smaller feed.

Whatever you choose, make sure you’re getting the most return on
investment for all the time you spend at this site. See “11 Ways
to Avoid Missed Opportunities on Facebook” at
http://budurl.com/uqp3

========================================
2. Linking from Press Releases
========================================

Follow these three important rules when you’re linking to your
website or blog from a press release:

–Link to the exact page that dovetails with the “call to action”
within your release. If you want people to buy a specific
product, for example, send them to that product page. Too many
press release writers simply send readers to the homepage, where
they’re left searching for what you’re writing about. Confused
readers bail out.

–Write the entire URL with the “http://…., preferably near the
end of the boilerplate or “about us” section. If somebody finds
your release online and cuts and pastes the content into their
own blog or website but they forget to link your anchor text,
readers won’t be able to find your website.

–Use anchor text that includes one of your keyword phrases and
turn it into a link. How many? About one for every 100 words in
your press release.

Transcripts and audio from my Oct. 21 teleseminar on “How to Use
Keywords, the ‘Magic Magnets’ That Pull Journalists and Consumers
to Your Press Releases” have been delivered to everyone who
ordered them. The illustrated handouts include a simple six-point
checklist for anyone doing keyword research, the two best keyword
research tools, links to three videos that show you how to do
keyword research, the three best free press release distribution
services, and a sample press release that’s been optimized for
the search engines.

Grab ‘em now at http://budurl.com/pressreleasekeywords

========================================
3. Trunk or Treat & Thanksgiving
========================================

Get a head start pitching stories for Thanksgiving this month,
and for Halloween next year.

These ideas are courtesy of publicist Michelle Tennant of Wasabi
Publicity, whose “blogger butt” I wrote about last week.  They’re
almost guaranteed to bring the TV cameras to your school or
company.

Just before Halloween, host a “trunk or treat” event in your
parking lot for parents and kids. Everyone dresses up. Parents
open the trunks of their cars, decorate the insides with a
Halloween theme, and give treats to the kids who make their way
from car to car.

For Thanksgiving this year, Michelle suggests you round up a
bunch of kids, dress them as Pilgrims, and give them a big basket
of fresh vegetables and a box of toothpicks. Let them make
“Pilgrim people” out of the veggies, and ask them to explain why
the Pilgrim people are thankful.

TV stations that are scrounging for ideas during Thanksgiving
week will love this one–great for schools, chambers of commerce,
brick-and-mortar businesses, churches, libraries, day care
centers and even home schoolers.

You’ll find 22 ideas for October, 23 more for November and 10
more for December on the handouts that accompany the CD, “103
Sizzling Story Ideas from July through December.” These ideas are
yours to steal. Read more about them at http://budurl.com/guu5

=======================================
4. How an Artist Can Defend a Lawsuit
=======================================

This week, nine Publicity Hounds have tips for John T. Unger of
Mancelona, MI, whose fire bowls, original art which he’s been
making since 2005, have been copied by a manufacturer. He wanted
ideas on how can he use traditional and social media to raise
awareness and money for his legal costs.
From Cheryl Pickett:

“Establish a Facebook fan page with full explanation and invite
people to follow what’s going on. Those kinds of things seem to
get passed around pretty regularly. Keep everyone informed on the
blog as to what’s going on and also invite them to the other
things you do as well.”
From Bonnie Boots:

“John should email The Crafts Report, which covers business for
the professional crafter. Their contact page is here:
http://www.craftsreport.com/contact-us.html

“He should also contact the American Craft Council at
http://www.craftcouncil.org/ Click on “The Council” at the bottom
and then “Staff” on the left. You’ll find the email addresses for
the senior editor, managing editor and assistant editor.  Email
one of them (I’d try the assistant editor first) and ask them to
suggest the names of any writers they know that might be
interested in this story.”
From Brisbane, Australia:

“Stories like this are just asking to be linked to and tweeted
about. I think you will be far more successful promoting the
injustice rather than an actual fund raising event. Also, try
contacting the stores selling their products. I’m sure they would
much rather be selling your legitimate products.”
The Publicity Hound says:

Read all the responses to this week’s “Help This Hound” question
at http://budurl.com/firebowl You have one week left to submit
your own idea in the comments section at my blog. The Hound who
submits the best entry wins a beautiful shovel mask, valued at
$59. The winner will be announced here next week.

Email your own Help this Hound question to
mailto:Jstewart@PublicityHound.com
and include your city, state and province.

=================================
5. Help This Hound
=================================

Cheryl Muskus of Oak Creek, WI, writes:

“I’m the owner of The CarmelRose, a floral shop, and I’m looking
for ways to generate publicity in a very competitive market.

“Even though our industry is hurt to a large extent when
obituaries state ‘in lieu of flowers, the family suggests
donations to…,’ we’re trying to form relationships with local
funeral homes so they can refer us to families that are buying
flowers for the funeral. I’d also like to target the local
corporate market, because revenues from local businesses that
need floral arrangements can be significant.

“What ideas do your Hounds have for events I can sponsor at the
shop or elsewhere, story ideas I can pitch to the local media,
press releases I can write, photos I can offer the local media,
opportunities for getting onto local TV, and joint venture
partnerships I can form with other businesses?

“Also, suggestions for using social media would be appreciated.”

The Publicity Hound says:

Local businesses like yours, Cheryl, can benefit just as much
from online publicity as bigger companies, so you’re smart to
work that into the mix. Let’s see what ideas my Hounds can offer
at my blog at http://budurl.com/dcye

==================================
6. Hound Video of the Week
==================================

It’s NBA season, so here’s a cute video of a dog joining the
competition. I may have already shown you this, but it’s worth a
second look:

http://www.funnydogsite.com/videos/basketball.htm

Dog Jokes & Quotes Ebook: 170+ G-rated dog jokes and quotes,
perfect for a dog-lover, your favorite vet, or just for a few
good laughs.

BONUS: Buy the ebook and you also get a compilation of the 50
best websites for dog humor.
Http://www.publicityhound.com/dogjokebook/

==================================
7. And at My Blog…
==================================

Learn how to pronounce names of radio/TV broadcasters,
journalists
http://budurl.com/l358

————————————

Follow me on Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/PublicityHound

Join my Facebook Fan Page:
http://www.facebook.com/publicitytips

Connect with me on LinkedIn (and tell me how we know each other):
http://www.linkedin.com/in/publicityhound
Permission to Reprint:

You may reprint any items from “The Publicity Hound’s Tips of the
Week” in your print or electronic newsletter. But please include
the following paragraph:

Reprinted from “The Publicity Hound’s Tips of the Week,” an ezine
featuring tips, tricks and tools for generating free publicity.
Subscribe at http://www.publicityhound.com/ and receive by email
the handy cheat sheet “89 Reasons to Send a Press Release.”

If you like these tips, please pass them on to your friends,
clients and colleagues.

You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The
Publicity Hound website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you
told me you want to subscribe.

Privacy Statement:

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spam policy. Read my privacy policy at
http://www.publicityhound.com/privacypolicy.htm

================================================

Joan Stewart
a.k.a. The Publicity Hound
3434 County KK
Port Washington, WI. 53074
USA

The Publicity Hound’s
Tips of the Week
Issue #475 Oct. 27, 2009
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)
http://www.PublicityArticles.net (Ezine Archives)

==========================================

“Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity”

Receive this ezine direct to your desktop
http://www.publicityarticles.net/feed/rss/

===================================
         In This Issue
===================================

1. Got Blogger Butt?

2. Rub Elbows with Editors

3. Tips from ‘Mars/Venus’ Author

4. How to Deal with Media Bias

5. Help This Hound; Win a Shovel Mask

6. Hound Video of the Week

7. And at My Blog…

====================================
1. Got Blogger Butt?
====================================

Thanks to those three little words, Publicity Hound Michelle
Tennant landed an interview with FOX News later today on the
topic of how women can stay healthy while in front of their
computers 14 hours a day.

When Michelle’s doctor ordered her to take off 50 pounds by
August of next year, she bought a treadmill. Her woodworker
husband made her a handy treadmill desk, a removable desk
attachment that lets her work on her laptop while working out.

Michelle, a publicist, blogged about it at
http://budurl.com/bloggerbutt and then pitched the story to FOX.
A producer called her, and she’ll use a webcam and Skype for the
interview later tonight. FOX is taping segments now for November
sweeps and loves any kind of angle that will appeal to the
masses.

You can do what she did. You can come up with a clever angle for
even the most routine story. Here are four tips from Michelle on
how to find a clever angle:

–Use alliteration in your pitch. “Blogger butt” turns the pitch
into a sound bite that’s irresistible to broadcasters.

–Magazine covers offer ideas galore for angles. “Women should
get out of their comfort zone and read the cover of a men’s
magazine, and men should read the cover of a women’s magazine,”
she says. Look for headlines you can steal. By substituting just
a few words, you’ve got an angle. Example from Cosmopolitan
magazine: 26 gutsy ways to make a fresh start. Your headline: 8
gutsy ways to make your office a fun place to work.

–Tie into breaking or seasonal news. “In this case, I tied my
breaking news into women in the workforce and weight gain in the
digital age.”

–Look for problem/solution angles that appeal to the masses. The
best angles tie into topics like saving money, staying young,
looking and feeling better, and being more successful.

Watch the video she produced about blogger butt at
http://storytellertothemedia.com/

Michelle, a graduate of The Publicity Hound Mentor program, has a
long track record of getting her clients into top-tier media. She
explained how she does it, and shared inside secrets on how she
connects with journalists, when I interviewed for my series of
lessons on “How to Create a Media Plan.” Learn more about it at
http://www.publicityhound.com/mediaplan.htm

========================================
2. Rub Elbows with Editors
========================================

Telephones and email aren’t the only ways to contact editors.
Here are three great ways to meet journalists face-to-face:

–At events sponsored by your local press club. Many press clubs
allow people who work outside the media to join. It’s a chance to
meet editors in a relaxed setting.

–At events sponsored by local business journals and magazines.
Business Journals generate a huge chunk of their revenue from
corporate sponsors at events such as power breakfasts, the 40
Under 40 awards ceremony, and the Book of Lists party. Pay
attention to what events they’re sponsoring and attend. Don’t
pitch at these events. Concentrate on building the relationship.

–By hanging out near the media room at trade shows. If you’re
attending a trade show as a participant, speaker or vendor, there
are lots of things you can do before, during and after the event
to make valuable media connections. Example: When you meet a
journalist at a trade show, invite him for coffee.

“Trade Show PR: How to Rise Above the Noise Level,” a recording
of an interview I did with PR expert Dan Janal, offers dozens of
tactics and strategies you can use long before trade shows begin,
and long after they’re over, to build valuable relationships with
the media. Learn more about the CD at
http://budurl.com/tradeshowpr

========================================
3. Tips from ‘Mars/Venus’ Author
========================================

John Gray says one of the biggest mistakes an author can make is
not understanding how to survive financially while writing and
promoting a book.

I know what he means. I’ve worked with clients who have taken
sabbaticals from their businesses or their corporate jobs to
write their books, only to reluctantly take out a second mortgage
just to pay the bills until their books hit the bookstores.

A second mistake, he says, is that they relied on the book for
revenue.

During a short interview with Steve Harrison, Gray discusses the
rocky road he traveled as a self-published author, long before
his ‘Mars/Venus’ success, and how anyone who is writing a book or
wants to write one can learn from his experiences.

You’ll also hear the one thing he did to come up with a memorable
title for his book on relationships. I’ve never heard this tip
mentioned anywhere. It worked. “Men Are From Mars, Women Are from
Venus” went on to sell 30 million copies and spent seven years on
the New York Times Best Seller List.

Listen to the interview, including what he learned about
appearing on Oprah, at http://budurl.com/menarefrommars

=======================================
4. How to Deal with Media Bias
=======================================

This week, three Publicity Hounds have tips for Ivy Mendoza of
Manila, Philippines on how to deal with a local newspaper editor
who refuses to print press releases about her client.
From Nancy Binzel Pierce:

“I suggest finding a neutral third party who is friendly with
both sides. Explain the situation to her (or him) and ask her to
help you re-establish a relationship.”
From Gin:

“Write a press release around the subject of forgiveness and bad
work ethics, then invite feedback from the public, adding
information about other available business services. The feedback
may indirectly reflect and change the opinion of the editor.”
From the Publicity Hound:

Forget about the Lifestyles editor. Call her direct supervisor
and explain what happened. If you don?t like that answer, keep
working your way up the ladder to the publisher. Everybody works
for somebody.

I’m also willing to guess that far more people read Craigslist in
the Philippines than that newspaper. See “How to Use Craigslist
as a Global Publicity Tool” at
http://budurl.com/howtousecraigslist

Read all the responses to this week?s ?Help This Hound question
http://tinyurl.com/editorsaysno

Send your own Help this Hound question to: mailto:
JStewart@PublicityHound.com
and include your city, state and province.

=====================================
5. Help This Hound; Win a Shovel Mask
=====================================

John T. Unger of Mancelona, MI writes:

“My original art, including my fire bowls, which I’ve been making
since 2005, has been copied by a manufacturer.

“He is now suing me in federal court to overturn my existing
copyrights and continue making knockoffs. I have a strong case, a
great lawyer and believe that if I can continue to defend myself,
the case will be resolved in my favor.

“I did not initiate this lawsuit, but am defending my art, my
creative rights, my reputation and my livelihood. I’ve already
spent over $50,000 out of pocket in defense of my original
designs. Seeking a judicial ruling in federal court will cost
more than most artists or small businesses can afford, but
attempts at settlement have been unsuccessful. I am holding a
fundraising sale of my artwork to finance a defense in court.

“What ideas do your hounds have for raising awareness of the
story, its broader implications for other creative professionals
and raising funds to see that the laws which protect copyright
are not weakened for other artists?”
The Publicity Hound says:

John called me to ask for my help with this problem, and I told
him my Publicity Hounds will come through with some great
suggestions on how he can defend he lawsuit without going broke.
What can he do in traditional and social media to spread the word
and muster support? Post your best ideas to my blog at
http://budurl.com/firebowl

The Publicity Hound who suggests the best idea will win a
beautiful shovel mask, made by John. The winner will be announced
here in two weeks. Check by blog post for photos of the shovel
mask and the fire bowl.

==================================
6. Hound Video of the Week
==================================

It’s almost Halloween and you can’t forget about your dog. Here
are several clever ideas for dog costumes.
http://ow.ly/wKW7

Dog Jokes & Quotes Ebook: 170+ G-rated dog jokes and quotes,
perfect for a dog-lover, your favorite vet, or just for a few
good laughs.

BONUS: Buy the ebook and you also get a compilation of the 50
best websites for dog humor.
Http://www.publicityhound.com/dogjokebook/

==================================
7. And at My Blog…
==================================

PR/social media book perfect for wanna-be publicists
http://ow.ly/wKRL

Want a Bulldog award? Teleconference explains how to win
http://ow.ly/wtww

Avoid press release buzzwords; use press release keywords
http://ow.ly/wtvO

————————————

Follow me on Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/PublicityHound

Join my Facebook Fan Page:
http://www.facebook.com/publicitytips

Connect with me on LinkedIn (and tell me how we know each other):
http://www.linkedin.com/in/publicityhound

Permission to Reprint:

You may reprint any items from “The Publicity Hound’s Tips of the
Week” in your print or electronic newsletter.  But please include
the following paragraph:

Reprinted from “The Publicity Hound’s Tips of the Week,” an ezine
featuring tips, tricks and tools for generating free publicity.
Subscribe at http://www.publicityhound.com/ and receive by email
the handy cheat sheet “89 Reasons to Send a Press Release.”

If you like these tips, please pass them on to your friends,
clients and colleagues.

You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The
Publicity Hound website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you
told me you want to subscribe.

Privacy Statement:

The Publicity Hound respects your privacy and has a strict anti-
spam policy.  Read my privacy policy at
http://www.publicityhound.com/privacypolicy.htm

================================================

Joan Stewart
a.k.a. The Publicity Hound
3434 County KK
Port Washington, WI 53074
USA
Phone: 262-284-7451 (Central) Fax: 262-284-1737

The Publicity Hound’s
Tips of the Week
Issue #474 Oct. 20, 2009
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)
http://www.PublicityArticles.net (Ezine Archives)

==========================================

“Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity”

Receive this ezine direct to your desktop
http://www.publicityarticles.net/feed/rss/

===================================
         In This Issue
===================================

1. Experts Research; Amateurs Guess

2. Estee Lauder’s Makeover Promotion

3. Balloon Boy Hoax

4. How to Penetrate Pittsburgh TV

5. Help This Hound

6. Hound Joke of the Week

7. And at My Blog…

====================================
1. Experts Research; Amateurs Guess
====================================

One of the biggest mistakes I made early in my career cost me
dearly.

I assumed that people who wanted information on how to write
press releases were typing “news releases” into the search
engines. So I used the phrase “news releases” in my articles, at
my website and in the titles of products I created on that topic.

Then one day, an Internet marketer told me that people were
typing “press releases” into the search engines seven times more
often than they were typing “news releases.”

Seven times more! My heart sank. I could have had seven times
more traffic.

He was an expert because he had done his keyword research. I was
an amateur because I simply guessed.

If you sell telephones, do you know if people are typing
“telephones,” “phones” or “phone systems” into the search
engines?

If you’re a management consultant who teaches leadership skills,
do you know how many people search for “leadership skills” vs.
“lead more effectively” vs. “management coaching”?

The only way to know is to do your research, an important step
that nine out of 10 press release writers skip. The one in 10 who
do the research can know within a minute or two the answers to
the three questions above. If they take a few additional steps in
their research, they can also learn which keywords are the most
competitive. Using two or three keywords that don’t have as much
competition can still help your press releases and articles rank
on Page 1 on Google.

Press release expert Janet Thaeler has created three videos that
show you in step-by-step detail how to use two keyword research
tools that make you a whole lot smarter than the people who don’t
want to bother with this. The links are in handouts that I’m
emailing later this afternoon to everyone who has signed up for
tomorrow’s teleseminar on “How to Use Keywords: The ‘Magic
Magnets’ That Pull Consumers & Journalists to Your Press
Releases.”

The handouts also include a checklist you can refer to every time
you start writing a press release.

Read more about what you’ll learn on tomorrow’s call, and
register at http://tinyurl.com/yeygbqb

========================================
2. Estee Lauder’s Makeover Promotion
========================================

I love Estee Lauder’s recent promotion that offers free makeovers
and photo shoots at its cosmetics counters so women can use them
for their online social media profiles.

The promotion, which started Oct. 16 at Bloomingdale’s department
stores in New York, will extend to Macy’s, Saks and other
Bloomingdale’s stores in Southern California, Miami and Chicago.

After a free makeover, Estee Lauder will shoot your photo which
you can then use as the avatar at sites like Facebook, LinkedIn
and Match.com. The company’s logo is in the background and, if it
isn’t erased with Photoshop, can live on the social media sites
forever.

You can read about the promotion in an AdAge article at
http://adage.com/article?article_id=139524 and see the great
before-and-after photos of Kunur Patel, an Ad Age reporter who
took advantage of the makeover and then wrote about it at
http://adage.com/article?article_id=139749

If you aren’t getting journalists and bloggers involved in your
promotions, you’re missing a great opportunity. See “Special
Report #42: Tips for Letting Reporters Experience Your Story, Not
Just Write About It.” You’ll learn how to create memorable
experiences for the media and entice them to cover your product
or service. Only $10. Order at http://tinyurl.com/invitereporters

========================================
3. Balloon Boy Hoax
========================================

So much for publicity stunts gone bad.

Law enforcement officials say that if Richard Keene is charged
with perpetrating the hoax, it probably won’t be until next week.
That means there’s plenty of time to piggyback off this story and
get some good publicity for yourself. The most obvious angle is
the way the parents recruited their children to be part of the
hoax.

–Mommy and daddy bloggers, what are your readers saying about
what happened? Share your comments with other bloggers and the
media.

–Child development experts, what do stunts like this teach
children about right and wrong and common sense? What’s the long-
term damage?

–PR experts, what should the Keenes have done when their 6-year-
old son vomited on the set of the “Today” show? I found it
unsettling that they barely skipped a beat and continued the
interview, as if nothing unusual had happened.

Authors, speakers and experts, if your topic ties into this
bizarre story, pitch it.

=======================================
4. How to Penetrate Pittsburgh TV
=======================================

This week, three Publicity Hounds have tips for John and Bobbi
Robinson of Vanderbilt, PA on how to pitch local TV stations for
their non-profit organization that makes wishes come true for
people with severe illnesses.
From Gail Sideman:

“With a family?s permission, invite one of these television
reporters to accompany Unity to an event with a local recipient.
Suggest that reporters talk to the family, someone from your
organization and a physician about how these outings and trips
help them forget about their health challenges and simply focus
on a good time.”
From Bonnie Harris:

“TV stations are more willing to run footage they take
themselves. Extend individual invitations to members of your TV
stations to accompany you on these outings. If you get no takers,
ask just one of their team to go along, perhaps the weather
person. A good reporter will also want to talk to participants
about what the program means to them.”
From The Publicity Hound:

Try pitching the morning news/feature shows in Pittsburgh,
including the weekend shows. They’re often easier to get onto
than the weekday news, where you’re facing more competition from
hard news stories. If you’re granting a wish that ties into
Thanksgiving, like sending someone to see their relatives on
Turkey Day, pitch that a few days before Thanksgiving. Likewise
with Christmas.”
Read all the responses to this week?s ?Help This Hound” question,
or add your own, at http://budurl.com/5krx

Send your own “Help this Hound” question to:
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
and include your city and state or province.

===================================
5. Help This Hound
===================================

Ivy Mendoza of Manila, Philippines writes:

“My small PR firm just got an account that needs a lot of
exposure in the lifestyle sections. The previous PR person had
been sacked due to some anomalies which she was supposed to have
committed while conniving with the client?s marketing department.

“To neutralize the situation, the marketing people have gradually
been replaced, the marketing manager was asked to resign, and the
contract of the old PR consultant was no longer renewed.

“The problem is that the previous PR person has already started
badmouthing the client to editors whom she is very close to. One
particular editor of a very highly circulated newspaper has
already declared that our client?s press releases will not see
print in her section anymore. They liked the old PR person and
they believed everything that person said about the client.

“The client (not us, the PR firm) wants us to start on a clean
slate, so they made an effort to appease this particular editor
by setting up a meeting. But the editor flat out refused to meet
with them and directly said that she cannot help the client
anymore as far as press releases are concerned.

“What should we do? Her paper and her section are very important
for our client because of its target readership and circulation.
I advised the client to let the editor ?thaw? first and just use
other sections of the same newspaper (Business, Entertainment,
etc.) in the meantime. Would you have other tips for me as far as
?power tripping? media is concerned?
The Publicity Hound says:

Ouch! There’s more than one way around this problem, however.
Let’s see what my media-savvy Hounds would do. If you have ideas
on how Icy can deal with this problem and generate publicity for
her client, post them to my blog at
http://tinyurl.com/editorsaysno

==================================
6. Hound Joke of the Week
==================================

Thanks to Publicity Hound Barry Lebow of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
for this one:

A dog went to a telegram office, took out a blank form and wrote:
“Woof.  Woof.  Woof.  Woof.  Woof.  Woof.  Woof.  Woof.  Woof.”

The clerk examined the paper and politely told the dog: “There
are only nine words here. You could send another ‘Woof’ for the
same price.”

The dog replied, “But that would make no sense at all.”
Dog Jokes & Quotes Ebook: 170+ G-rated dog jokes and quotes,
perfect for a dog-lover, your favorite vet, or just for a few
good laughs.

BONUS: Buy the ebook and you also get a compilation of the 50
best websites for dog humor.
Http://www.publicityhound.com/dogjokebook/

==================================
7. And at My Blog…
==================================

How to thrive as an author, speaker, expert in any economy
http://tinyurl.com/thriveasanauthor
————————————

Follow me on Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/PublicityHound

Join my Facebook Fan Page:
http://www.facebook.com/publicitytips

Connect with me on LinkedIn (and tell me how we know each other):
http://www.linkedin.com/in/publicityhound

Permission to Reprint:

You may reprint any items from “The Publicity Hound’s Tips of the
Week” in your print or electronic newsletter.  But please include
the following paragraph:

Reprinted from “The Publicity Hound’s Tips of the Week,” an ezine
featuring tips, tricks and tools for generating free publicity.
Subscribe at http://www.publicityhound.com/ and receive by email
the handy cheat sheet “89 Reasons to Send a Press Release.”

If you like these tips, please pass them on to your friends,
clients and colleagues.

You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The
Publicity Hound website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you
told me you want to subscribe.

Privacy Statement:

The Publicity Hound respects your privacy and has a strict anti-
spam policy.  Read my privacy policy at
http://www.publicityhound.com/privacypolicy.htm

================================================

Joan Stewart
a.k.a. The Publicity Hound
3434 County KK
Port Washington, WI 53074
USA
Phone: 262-284-7451 (Central) Fax: 262-284-1737

The Publicity Hound’s
Tips of the Week
Issue #473 Oct. 13, 2009
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.com/
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)
http://www.publicityarticles.net/ (Ezine Archives)

==========================================

“Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity”

Receive this ezine direct to your desktop
http://www.publicityarticles.net/feed/rss/

===================================
          In This Issue
===================================

1. 8 Ways to Distribute Your News

2. How the FTC Crackdown Affects You

3. Blogger LinkUp

4. How Publicists Set Fees

5. Help This Hound

6. Hound Joke of the Week

7. And at My Blog…

====================================
1. 8 Ways to Distribute Your News
====================================

When it’s time to share news about your business, how do you
share it?

In the old days, we’d type a press release and mail dozens of
them.

Or, we’d pitch the story to one of the wire services and hope for
the best.

These days, however, the Internet opens many more avenues for
distributing our news. “Moving Beyond the Wire: Tips for Making
the Most of Distribution Channels,” a free White Paper from
Vocus, lists the strengths and weaknesses of eight distribution
channels. You can download it at http://budurl.com/wka4

Writing online press releases is one of my favorites because it
lets us bypass the media and reach consumers directly if–and
this is a very big if–we’ve used the correct keywords in our
releases so consumers can find them.

Two weeks ago, I wrote about the biggest mistake people make when
writing releases: not using keywords. The second big boo-boo is
using keywords that have too much competition.

For example, if you sell handbags, writing a press release and
using the word “handbags” throughout won’t do you much good. Your
release would be competing against companies like Zappos,
Overstock.com, Handbags.com and others that have top ranking in
Google for “handbags.”

But if you write about “quilted handbags” or “handmade handbags”
or “Desperate Housewives handbags,” you’ll be targeting potential
customers like a laser beam, and you’ll have a chance to make it
onto Page 1 of Google’s search results more easily.

Keywords don’t have to be confusing or frustrating if you have a
step-by-step checklist you can use when writing releases. Janet
Thaeler will give you one during next week’s teleseminar on “How
to Use Keywords: The ‘Magic Magnets’ That PUll Consumers and
Journalists to Your Press Releases.” It will be at 3 p.m. Eastern
Time on Wednesday, Oct. 21.

I’m betting that most of your competitors don’t know how to use
keywords. So this is a golden opportunity to learn how, and leave
them in the dust.

Everyone who registers for the call will have the chance to win a
press release written by Janet, and distributed through PRWeb.
Read more about what you?ll learn, and register at
http://tinyurl.com/yeygbqb
=========================================
2. How the FTC Crackdown Affects You
=========================================

Last week’s ruling by the FTC that forces bloggers and other
business people to reveal paid endorsements that they receive, or
requires them to mention that the products they review were given
to them for free, is sending bloggers into a tailspin.

Most bloggers don’t accept money to write favorable reviews of
products.

But what about sneaking affiliate links into copy so they earn a
commission for recommending somebody else’s products and
services?

What about celebrity endorsements?

What about writing “blurbs” for somebody else’s book jacket? If
an author asks you to write one, is it your responsibility, or
the publisher’s, to let readers know that the publisher didn’t
make you pay for the book?

The new regulations, which take effect Dec. 1, don’t only affect
bloggers. They cover copywriters, Internet entrepreneurs,
affiliate program managers, publishers and others. News stories
last week said that the FTC isn’t quite sure how it’s going to
police bloggers and others and that it doesn’t even have the
manpower to enforce the new rules proactively.

If you’re tempted to ignore the rules, what if a disgruntled
competitor reports you to the FTC?

Publicity expert Marcia Yudkin’s will be interviewing Boston
business attorney Jean Sifleet on Thursday, Oct. 29, about how
the new rules affect bloggers and others. She’ll record the call
and then sell the recording. If you’re curious about what you’ll
have to do differently starting Dec. 1, or you’d like to submit a
question, go to  or http://budurl.com/8fj4 and read more about
what you’ll learn, and then register.
========================================
3. Blogger LinkUp
========================================

Publicity Hound Cathy Stucker read last week’s tips about how to
find guest bloggers, and asked me to share another helpful
suggestion.

If you’re looking for guest posts, try submitting a request to
her free service, http://BloggerLinkUp.com/

“A blogger can submit a request for a guest post, offer to guest
post, and more,” she said. “Authors have done blog tours and
gotten their books reviewed. Bloggers have gotten useful content
for their blogs, and others have gotten great links. I got a link
from the Huffington Post through a request posted in Blogger
LinkUp.”

The service launched in April and already has resulted in lots of
matches. You can also use it to look for sources for interviews
or to offer products to bloggers for review. (See Item #2 above.)

When you’ve identified a blogger you want to pitch, do you spend
time becoming familiar with their blog content and posting a few
comments there over several days, so they can get to know you
before you pitch? If not, you’re skipping a valuable step. Learn
more about how to approach bloggers—even the big ones—and
encourage them to write about you. See “How to Pitch the Best
Bloggers & Create a PUblicity Explosion” at
http://budurl.com/gqln
=======================================
4. How Publicists Set Fees
=======================================

This week, five Publicity Hounds answered a question from Joel
Kweskin of Charlotte, NC. He wanted to know if publicists should
receive higher fees for publicity in major media outlets.
From Diana Ennen:

“I don?t feel it?s necessary to be paid more for a big hit. We do
get rewarded in just landing those. They show our clients that we
really can do it. And those make great additions to their press
page too.”
From Bonnie Harris:

“Best to price your work according to the effort, not the outcome
because that is what you can measure on a consistent basis.  Your
big hits will earn you more business, and eventually allow you to
charge more anyway.”
From Gail Sideman:

“I create fees based on the scope of a project. The best I can do
for an honest fee is to approach targeted, appropriate media for
a story and present it professionally and in a way that meets the
needs of said outlet?s audience.”
The Publicity Hound says:

Read all the responses to last week?s ?Help This Hound” question
at http://budurl.com/9h2q

In my ebook, “How to Hire the Perfect Publicist,’ I discuss the
advantages and disadvantages of each of the four ways publicists
charge for their services: by the hour, retainer, by the project
and pay-per-placement. You can decide which model is right for
you. Read more about what you’ll learn at
http://www.publicityhound.com/hireapublicist.html

Send your own Help this Hound question to:
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com?subject=HelpThisHound
and include your city, state or province.
===================================
5. Help This Hound
===================================

John and Bobbi Robinson of Vanderbilt, PA write:

“Unity, a Journey of Hope, is our nonprofit that grants wishes to
adults with a life-limiting illness.

“We take them to concerts and sporting events, introduce them to
people they want to meet, send them on vacation with a friend or
family member, or send them on trips to meet relatives they
haven?t seen in awhile.

“It has been impossible to get our story onto the local
Pittsburgh TV stations.  Coverage in the local newspapers has
been awesome.  But the TV stations are like a fortress.  If your
Hounds have any ideas on how we can pitch an idea to the local
stations and get on the air, their help would be appreciated.”
The Publicity Hound says:

TV usually requires great visuals along with your pitch, and it
sounds like you have opportunities galore for those. Hounds with
suggestions on how John and Bobbi can get their story onto
Pittsburgh TV stations should post them to my blog at
 http://budurl.com/5krx
==================================
6. Hound Joke of the Week
==================================

Did you ever notice when you blow in a dog’s face he gets mad at
you?  But when you take him in a car he sticks his head out the
window.

DOG JOKES & QUOTES EBOOK: 170+ G-rated dog jokes and quotes,
perfect for a dog-lover, your favorite vet, or just for a few
good laughs.

BONUS: Buy the ebook and you also get a compilation of the 50
best websites for dog humor.
Http://www.publicityhound.com/dogjokebook/
==================================
7. And at My Blog…
==================================

Win lunch with Jack Canfield and pick his brain
http://budurl.com/46ph

Number One press release mistake: A lack of keywords
http://budurl.com/czqq
————————————

Follow me on Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/PublicityHound

Join my Facebook Fan Page:
http://www.facebook.com/publicitytips

Connect with me on LinkedIn (and tell me how we know each other):
http://www.linkedin.com/in/publicityhound

Permission to Reprint:

You may reprint any items from “The Publicity Hound’s Tips of the
Week” in your print or electronic newsletter.  But please include
the following paragraph:

Reprinted from “The Publicity Hound’s Tips of the Week,” an ezine
featuring tips, tricks and tools for generating free publicity.
Subscribe at http://www.publicityhound.com/ and receive by email
the handy cheat sheet “89 Reasons to Send a Press Release.”

If you like these tips, please pass them on to your friends,
clients and colleagues.

You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The
Publicity Hound website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you
told me you want to subscribe.

Privacy Statement:

The Publicity Hound respects your privacy and has a strict anti-
spam policy.  Read my privacy policy at
http://www.publicityhound.com/privacypolicy.htm

================================================

Joan Stewart
a.k.a. The Publicity Hound
3434 County KK
Port Washington, WI 53074
USA
Phone: 262-284-7451 (Central) Fax: 262-284-1737

The Publicity Hound’s
Tips of the Week
Issue #472 Oct. 6, 2009
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.com/
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)
http://www.publicityarticles.net/ (Ezine Archives)

==========================================

“Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity”

Receive this ezine direct to your desktop
http://www.publicityarticles.net/feed/rss/

===================================
         In This Issue
===================================

1. Where to Find Guest Bloggers

2. Free Press Release Distribution

3. Media Lead: Animal Planet

4. For Authors Only

5. When Journalists Ignore Your Releases

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. And at My Blog…

=========================================
1. Where to Find Guest Bloggers
=========================================

If you’re weary of cranking out quality content for your blog,
consider recruiting an occasional guest blogger.

Guest bloggers expose your readers to new opinions, topics and
perspectives.

They give you a break. And they give other writers and experts
exposure to your audience.

Here’s the best part. They don’t even have to have their own
blog. If they can write well, they can guest blog.

Here are five ways to find guest bloggers:

–Invite bloggers whose opinions you admire. Ask them to write
original content, because the search engines don’t look favorably
on duplicate content. Stress that they’ll have the chance to be
in front of a new audience and that you’ll give them a link back
to their website or blog.

–Invite some of the most frequent commenters at your own blog–
writers whose opinions and writing you admire.

–Consider inviting publishers or editors of some of your
favorite ezines, as long as their topic is related to the topics
you write about.

–If you’re on LinkedIn, pay attention to the question-and-answer
feature. I found a great answer to a question, and asked the
writer if I could print her answer as a guest blog post. She said
yes.

–Ask your readers to contribute their best posts–again,
original content. It’s best that readers pitch an idea for your
approval, just like they’d pitch a story to journalists.

Want to be a guest blogger for my blog at
http://www.publicityhound.net/? Send your idea to
JStewart@PublicityHound.com

=======================================
2. Free Press Release Distribution
=======================================

Here’s the dirty little secret of most free press release
distribution services.

Most of them don’t distribute anything. They simply take your
press release and park it at their website. They exist primarily
to get revenue from Google AdSense ads, which show up on the same
page as your release.

There’s more you need to know.

If you discover that the press release you just submitted
includes a typo–like a wrong phone number or a bad URL–you’re
usually stuck with the error forever. Most of these services
don’t have help desks.

Paid services like PRWeb and Expertclick.com have help desks that
can spring into action within minutes after you call.

Janet Thaeler, a press release specialist and an expert at search
engine optimization, says that if press release writers insist on
using one of the free services, there are three she recommends.
She’ll discuss them when she’s a guest on a teleseminar I’m
hosting on Wednesday, Oct. 21, from 3 to 4:10 p.m. Eastern Time.
It’s on “How to Use Keywords, the Magic Magnets that Pull
Consumers and Journalists to Your Press Releases.”

If your competitors are using keywords correctly in their
releases, and you aren’t, they win and you lose.

Everyone who registers for the call will have the chance to win a
press release written by Janet, and distributed through PRWeb.
Read more about what you’ll learn, and register at
http://tinyurl.com/yeygbqb

========================================
3. Media Lead: Animal Planet
========================================

For all you Publicity Hounds out there who want a new best friend
AND want great PR at the same time, PitchRate.com has a unique
request from Animal Planet.

Their show, “Underdog to Wonderdog,” is looking for loving
families, couples or singles in the New England area to adopt an
unloved shelter dog. These once-neglected and forgotten shelter
dogs will be made over, trained and given a second chance at life
by being placed in a home on this second-season program.

If you or someone you know wants their very own hound to love,
visit http://www.pitchrate.com/ and make a pitch to Animal
Planet’s request, “Animal Planet – adopt an unwanted shelter
dog,” right away.

========================================
4. For Authors Only
========================================

If you’ve written a book or you’re thinking of writing one, learn
what 7 things rich authors do differently than poor authors.

Steve Harrison will discuss them when he hosts a free teleseminar
called “What do Rich Authors Know That Poor Authors Don’t?” on
Thursday, Oct. 8, at your choice of two times.

After working with more than 9,000 authors over the last two
decades, Steve has discovered that successful, best-selling
authors do 7 things differently. Find out what they are by
registering for the call at http://tinyurl.com/2onv6b and
listening at either 2 or 7 p.m. Eastern.

If these times are inconvenient, recruit somebody to listen for
you and take notes. These calls are seldom recorded.

=======================================
5. When Journalists Ignore Your Releases
=======================================

This week, seven Publicity Hounds have tips for Joel Kweskin of
Charlotte, NC, who needs advice on how to get his press releases
published. He has sent many releases to journalists, with little
success.

From J. Reeder, a former newspaper editor:

“One of the best things you can do is include a usable photo at
300 dpi and about 4-by-6 size. Make sure to include a caption
identifying anyone in the photo. Then write your release to sell
that photo. Most editors are looking for art to go with anything
canned to lay out a page.”

From Connie Oswald Stofko:

“Just pick up the phone and call the newspaper. It could be
you’re not meeting their deadlines. Or you’re faxing the press
release when they want it e-mailed, or vice versa. One paper
didn’t use a great story I sent them, because they never got it?-
their email was down.”

From Paul Furiga:

“The most important thing you can do is to get to know the people
who decide whether your news gets printed. They call it public
relations because it?s about relationships. And you build a media
relationship that leads to placements by initiating a dialogue
with the people who decide what?s news and what?s not. Buy the
appropriate editor or reporter coffee. Visit them in the
newsroom. Ask them this most important question: ‘How can I help
YOU?’”

The Publicity Hound says:

Read all the responses to this week?s ?Help This Hound” question
at http://budurl.com/85lh

Send your own Help this Hound question to:
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
and include your city, state or province.

===================================
6. Help This Hound
===================================

Joel Kweskin of Charlotte, NC, asks another question this week:

“I’d like to hear your Hounds’ opinions on how to compensate
publicists.

“Some press releases result in a little blurb in a publication,
which can be considered satisfactory. And then there’s a query to
a business publication that results in a full feature article,
which I’ve gotten a few times.

“Shouldn’t there be a different compensation ‘adjustment’ for an
effort on the publicist’s part that results in fairly major
coverage?”

The Publicity Hound says:

Publicists charge for their services several ways, Joel. The way
you’re referring to is called pay-per-placement. The client
doesn’t pay unless the publicist generates publicity. Fees are
determined by the size and reach of the media hit. You can read
more about it at BL Ochman’s blog at http://budurl.com/2wgt

How about it, publicists? Do you do pay-per-placement? If not,
are you compensated for bigger publicity hits? If not, why not?
And how can a client know which method of payment is better? Post
your comments to my blog at http://budurl.com/9h2q

==================================
7. Hound Joke of the Week
==================================

Actual classified ad that appeared in a weekly newspaper in Ohio:

FREE to a good home: Domestic tan male. Neutered and declawed.
Has shots.

DOG JOKES & QUOTES EBOOK: 170+ G-rated dog jokes and quotes,
perfect for a dog-lover, your favorite vet, or just for a few
good laughs.

BONUS: Buy the ebook and you also get a compilation of the 50
best websites for dog humor.

Http://www.publicityhound.com/dogjokebook/

===============================
8. And at My Blog…
===============================

NPR says pitch your idea to one show at a time
http://budurl.com/qh7v

————————————
Follow me on Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/PublicityHound

Join my Facebook Fan Page:
http://www.facebook.com/publicitytips

Connect with me on LinkedIn (and tell me how we know each other):
http://www.linkedin.com/in/publicityhound

Permission to Reprint:

You may reprint any items from “The Publicity Hound’s Tips of the
Week” in your print or electronic newsletter.  But please include
the following paragraph:

Reprinted from “The Publicity Hound’s Tips of the Week,” an ezine
featuring tips, tricks and tools for generating free publicity.
Subscribe at http://www.publicityhound.com/ and receive by email
the handy cheat sheet “89 Reasons to Send a Press Release.”

If you like these tips, please pass them on to your friends,
clients and colleagues.

You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The
Publicity Hound website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you
told me you want to subscribe.

Privacy Statement:

The Publicity Hound respects your privacy and has a strict anti-
spam policy.  Read my privacy policy at
http://www.publicityhound.com/privacypolicy.htm

================================================

Joan Stewart
a.k.a. The Publicity Hound
3434 County KK
Port Washington, WI 53074
USA
Phone: 262-284-7451 (Central) Fax: 262-284-1737

The Publicity Hound’s
Tips of the Week
Issue #471 Sept. 29, 2009
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)
http://www.publicityarticles.net/ (Ezine Archives)

==========================================

“Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity”

Receive this ezine direct to your desktop
http://www.publicityarticles.net/feed/rss/

===================================
         In This Issue
===================================

1. The #1 Press Release Writing Mistake

2. Get Retweeted These 9 Ways

3. Business Week Lets You Share Content

4. How to Get Pro Bono PR

5. Help This Hound

6. Hound Video of the Week

7. And at My Blog…
=========================================
1. The #1 Press Release Writing Mistake
=========================================

When a consulting client asks me to critique a press release, one
of the first questions I ask is, “What keywords are you using to
pull traffic?”

Silence.

It isn’t a trick question. But it stumps nine out of 10 people.

Most press release writers fail to use the right keywords, or any
keywords, in their online releases, which renders the releases
impotent.

People who know a little about keywords go overboard and stuff
too many into their releases, making it all too obvious that
they’re trying to trick the search engines.

Keywords are like magnets. Let’s say somebody wants to buy boots
online. The buyer types “patent leather boots” into the Google
search box.

Google goes looking for that phrase. It sifts through billions of
pieces of content. Within a second or two, it delivers a long
list of articles, videos, blog posts and press releases that have
the same keywords. If you sell patent leather boots and have
written a press release about them, but you haven’t used the
correct keywords within your release, it won’t be on Google’s
list.

But if you HAVE used keywords correctly, your release could end
up on the first page of Google, bringing a rush of traffic to the
release, and eventually to your sales page.

Too many people spend too much time sweating the right headline,
a clever news hook, or a killer quote. But all those are useless
without keywords. What good is a press release if nobody can find
it?

Janet Thaeler, an online press release specialist and search
engine optimization expert, will explain the often confusing
topic of keywords during a teleseminar I’m hosting at 3 p.m.
Eastern Time on Wednesday. Oct. 21. It will include links to two
videos that you’ll get before the call so you can watch her
search for keywords. You’ll also get a template for a press
release and a handy cheat sheet that explains, step by step, how
to research and use keywords. You can refer to it every time you
write a release.

Everyone who registers and emails me one keyword-related question
will be eligible to win a free press release written by Janet and
distributed through PR Web. Full details are on the sign-up page
at http://budurl.com/7ttk
=======================================
2. Get Retweeted These 9 Ways
=======================================

One of the measures of your influence on Twitter is the number of
times your followers retweet your tweets.

Viral marketing scientist Dan Zarrella, an avid Twitterer and
author of The Social Media Marketing Book, spent nine months
analyzing roughly 5 million tweets and 40 million retweets.
Based on his scientific research, he offers these nine tips for
getting retweeted:

–Link, but don’t use Tiny URLs.

–Ask your followers to retweet your posts. “Please” and
“retweet” were his third and fourth “most retweetable” words.

–Avoid idle chit-chat like what you’re eating for lunch.  Do NOT
answer Twitter’s question, “What are you doing?”

–Don’t be stupid. Use words instead of abbreviations and
emoticons. 

–Use punctuation, especially colons, periods, exclamation
points, commas and hyphens. But don’t use semicolons.

–Break news.

–Use proper nouns correctly.

–Bottle your emotions. Nobody cares about your problems at work.
They don’t like swear words either.

–Tweet at 4 p.m. on Friday.

Give Dan your email address and get his entire report at
http://budurl.com/cnp7

Do what Dan does. Capture email addresses by giving away
something for free, and then keep in touch with people on your
list regularly, just like I do when I send you this newsletter
weekly. See “Special Report #51: 55 Free Things You Can Offer to
Generate Publicity or Capture People’s Email Addresses.” Only
$10. Read more at http://budurl.com/qnu4

========================================
3. Business Week Lets You Share Content
========================================

During my teleseminar yesterday for members of The Publicity
Hound Mentor Program, Susan Joyce, one of my proteges, mentioned
the benefit of sharing articles on Business Exchange, Business
Week’s content-sharing site at http://bx.businessweek.com/

Susan, a job search expert, shares information at her website at
http://www.job-hunt.org/ and says she started seeing significant
traffic when she also started sharing a few of her own articles
at Business Exchange.

The site allows users to create business topics, collect content
from the Web, and connect with other business focused users
around these topics. This is a great way to find business people
in your target audience.

On Business Exchange you can:

–Search for information on any topic. Users can find a
collection of organized information on thousands of diverse
topics.

–After you register, collaborate with other users.

–Be the first one to share your expertise and perspective on
topics that aren’t yet on the site.

–Create your own network by adding users.

I’m betting Business Week editors periodically review this site
and pluck out story ideas for the magazine. Read the Frequently
Asked Questions Page at http://bx.businessweek.com/about/faqs/

Find out if you’re a good candidate for my mentor program at
http://www.publicityhound.com/mentorprogram/intro.html
==================================
4. How to Get Pro Bono PR
==================================

This week, seven Publicity Hounds have tips for Vicki Young of
Dallas, Texas, on how to get free PR help for Captain Hope’s
Kids, a nonprofit dedicated to helping homeless children in North
Texas.
From Ted Fuller:

“Contact or visit area senior centers and service clubs for
retired PR types. Also, drop in on Toastmaster clubs with a two-
minute pitch.”
From Terri Benincasa:

“Dallas, like many states, most likely has foundations or even
tax-funded boards (ours in Tampa is called The Children’s Board),
that provide ROI grants designed to provide non-profits with
technical assistance seed money for activities known to bring a
return on investment. This includes funding for marketing/PR
campaigns, grant-writing/grant-writers, etc.”
From Janine Libbey:

“Contact local PR firms and ask them if they can provide some
services at no charge. Most professional service companies do pro
bono work but you need to make them aware of your needs!”

Read all the responses to this week’s “Help This Hound” question
at http://budurl.com/vfe6

Send your own “Help this Hound” question to:
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com?subject=HelpThisHound
and include your city, state or province. I need questions!
===================================
5. Help This Hound
===================================

Joel Kweskin of Charlotte, NC, asks this week?s “Help This Hound”
question:

?What should I do when I send out press releases to, among
others, the local newspaper and they simply don?t publish them?
I?m talking legitimate and even entertaining news items.

?Do you just keep throwing the proverbial stuff against the wall
until something sticks?  Or, is there a tactic for following up
to better give the release a better chance to be picked up??
The Publicity Hound says:

This is a great question, and one that?s perplexed many Hounds.
If journalists are consistently ignoring your releases, you need
to solicit feedback from other trusted sources who can tell you
whether THEY think the releases are newsy?or interesting.  Do you
know somebody who used to work in the media? Or somebody who does
marketing or PR?  Have you tried coming up with an angle or news
hook and pitching it, along with contact information for other
sources, to the media?

Let?s see what other ideas my Hounds have for writing better
releases, and following up once you send them. Post your comments
to my blog at http://budurl.com/85lh

==================================
6. Hound Video of the Week
==================================

Thanks to Publicity Hound Meryl K. Evans for this wonderful video
that solves the mystery of why the dog owners frequently returned
home to find a wet patio:

http://stevebass.posterous.com/home-alone-in-the-pool

DOG JOKES & QUOTES EBOOK: 170+ G-rated dog jokes and quotes,
perfect for a dog-lover, your favorite vet, or just for a few
good laughs.

BONUS: Buy the ebook and you also get a compilation of the 50
best websites for dog humor.
Http://www.publicityhound.com/dogjokebook/
===============================
7. And at My Blog…
===============================

Did this PR pro err by chastising a reporter publicly?
http://budurl.com/3665

————————————

Follow me on Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/PublicityHound

Join my Facebook Fan Page:
http://www.facebook.com/publicitytips

Connect with me on LinkedIn (and tell me how we know each other):
http://www.linkedin.com/in/publicityhound

Permission to Reprint:

You may reprint any items from “The Publicity Hound’s Tips of the
Week” in your print or electronic newsletter.  But please include
the following paragraph:

Reprinted from “The Publicity Hound’s Tips of the Week,” an ezine
featuring tips, tricks and tools for generating free publicity.
Subscribe at http://www.publicityhound.com/ and receive by email
the handy cheat sheet “89 Reasons to Send a Press Release.”

If you like these tips, please pass them on to your friends,
clients and colleagues.

You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The
Publicity Hound website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you
told me you want to subscribe.

Privacy Statement:

The Publicity Hound respects your privacy and has a strict anti-
spam policy.  Read my privacy policy at
http://www.publicityhound.com/privacypolicy.htm

================================================

Joan Stewart
a.k.a. The Publicity Hound
3434 County KK
Port Washington, WI 53074
USA
Phone: 262-284-7451 (Central) Fax: 262-284-1737

The Publicity Hound’s
Tips of the Week
Issue #470 Sept. 22, 2009
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)
http://www.PublicityArticles.net (Ezine Archives)

==========================================

“Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity”

Receive this ezine direct to your desktop
http://www.publicityarticles.net/feed/rss/
===================================
         In This Issue
===================================

1. How to Promote Local Events on Twitter

2. Five Social Media Marketing Ideas

3. Entertainment Tonight Needs Pitches

4. Promoting a Reading Program

5. Help This Hound

6. Hound Joke of the Week

7. And at My Blog…
=========================================
1. How to Promote Local Events on Twitter
=========================================

You can find some of the best tips by reading comments at blogs.

For example, if you’re curious about how to use Twitter to
publicize local events, you’ll find a slew of tips in the
comments at http://budurl.com/uymm

They include:

–Use Twitter Grader at http://twitter.grader.com/ After entering
your Twitter username and getting your grade, click on your city,
state or country. A list of local tweeters will appear. If you
find them of like mind, you could choose to follow them. Then
tweet about your event so they’ll see it.

–Download and install Tweetdeck, a browser that will let you
organize your tweets and see everything all at once. Then set up
search columns based on your local area. You’ll then “see” people
talking about that area. Chances are that if they are talking
about it, they either live there, or visit regularly, so follow
them. Chances are also good they’ll follow you, too.

–Follow the premiere local tweeters in your area, including
bars, hotels, clubs and local businesses whose target customers
are the people you want to attract. Retweet events and posts they
tweet. This will tell them you’re interested in promoting what
they’re doing and, in turn, they may follow you and promote your
event.

–Two good tools for finding Twitterers in your area are
http://TwitterHawk.com and http://Twellowhood.com

Be sure to read the rest of the comments for lots more tips.

Now that you have the tools, adopt a good strategy. Warren
Whitlock shows you how. See “How to Use Twitter to Amass an Army
of Followers, Customers & Valuable Contacts–and Promote” at
http://budurl.com/b8nj
=======================================
2. Five Social Media Marketing Ideas
=======================================

Social media is more than just collecting Facebook fans, sending
tweets and joining the conversation. It’s also about making all
that hard work pay off.

Here are five great social media marketing ideas, courtesy of DP
Dialogue, a social media marketing agency in Australia. All of
them are free. Pick and choose which ones are best for you:

–Start a Twitter account and give people incentives to follow
you. Read their blog post to see how Domino’s Pizza did this at
http://budurl.com/8flq

–Use Google’s keyword tool at
https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal to find
whatever keywords related to your business are being searched for
the most. Blog about them and make videos about them.

–Become an expert and start blogging or podcasting. (Read the
excellent Expertise Imperative White Paper that explains how to
become an expert at http://www.PublicityHound.com/expertise.pdf
It was written specifically for professional speakers from a wide
variety of backgrounds. Use it as a starting point to grow your
own expertise.)

–Start a Facebook group that people will want to join and subtly
sponsor it. If you sell candles, start a Facebook group for
people who are afraid of the dark. (See “11 Ways to Avoid Missed
Opportunities on Facebook” at http://budurl.com/wcxb

–Figure out who the key influencers are for whatever it is
you’re selling. Read their blogs and leave comments on them
regularly. (When it comes time to pitch them, see “How to Pitch
the Best Bloggers & Create a Publicity Explosion” at
 http://budurl.com/xlgw
========================================
3. Entertainment Tonight Needs Pitches
========================================

Entertainment Tonight has asked PitchRate.com, a media leads
service, to suggest segment ideas and experts to be featured in
short segments of three to five minutes. Segments must be unique
and interesting.

PitchRate will review your pitches and pass along the best ones
to Entertainment Tonight. If the producers are interested,
they’ll contact you.

If you’ve already signed up as a Publicity Hound at
http://www.PitchRate.com, simply visit the site again, log in,
and at the top of the requesst list, you’ll see the request for
Publicity Hounds only. If you haven’t signed up yet, use this
link: http://www.PitchRate.com/PublicityHound

P.S. Shannon Nicholson says PitchRate’s recent request for women-
related tips, advice and success stories resulted in 17 great
pitches from Publicity Hounds. He will forward all of them to
PitchRate’s top media contacts, including O Magazine, Montel
Williams, the Associated Press, and more.
Not sure how to craft a great pitch? See “How to Write a Pitch
Letter More Powerful Than a Press Release” at
 http://budurl.com/rphb
=======================================
4. Promoting a Reading Program
=======================================

This week, nine Publicity Hounds have tips for Suzanne Wood, of
Raleigh, NC, who is starting an after-school writing academy to
help kids in grades 8-12 improve their writing.
From Meryl Evans:

“Contact local school PTAs to offer a free presentation on a
topic of value. I am sure there’s something you can offer to help
parents with kids and writing.”
From Karen Zapp:

“Look for any club or group for Home Schooling. Then meet with a
few moms to demonstrate how you can help them and the kids, and
the word will start to spread. These moms can also help spread it
to parents in the neighborhood who don’t home-school.”
From Shel Horowitz:

“Do a free demo for teachers and guidance counselors who then
could send a steady stream of referrals.”
The Publicity Hound says:

Read all the responses from last week’s “Help This Hound”
question at http://budurl.com/3f5n

Send your own Help this Hound question to:
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com?subject=HelpThisHound
and include your city, state or province. I need questions!
===================================
5. Help This Hound
===================================

Vicki Young of Dallas, Texas, writes:

“What’s the best way for a very worthy nonprofit agency to get
free help with their PR campaign?

“I’ve been doing PR work for Captain Hope’s Kids as a nonprofit
client for years, but I have to step down. It’s a great
organization in Dallas, Texas, that’s dedicated to meeting the
critical needs of homeless children in North Texas.

“They need an annual marketing and public relations plan
developed, and help publicizing their annual special events.

“I know this agency isn’t the only one that needs volunteer PR
help, so I’m hoping your Publicity Hounds can recommend ideas
that will help many other groups, too. Where should we be looking
for volunteer PR people who can write press releases, or at least
advise nonprofits on how to create a good marketing plan?”
The Publicity Hound says:

I hear this question all the time, so I hope my Hounds can
suggest ideas for nonprofits or any other company on a budget.
How about it Hounds? Are unemployed PR people, particularly
beginners, a possibility? What about college journalism classes?
Or stay-at-home moms who once worked in PR? Ideas? Post them to
my blog at http://budurl.com/vfe6

If you can find a great volunteer, I can do all the training for
you. See “How to Create a 12-Month Media Plan” at
http://publicityhound.com/mediaplan.htm
==================================
6. Hound Joke of the Week
==================================

The front door was accidentally left open and our dog was gone.
After unsuccessfully whistling and calling, my husband got in the
car and went looking for him.

He drove around the neighborhood for some time with no luck.
Finally he stopped beside a couple out for a walk and asked if
they had seen our dog.

“You mean the one following your car?” they asked.
DOG JOKES & QUOTES EBOOK: 170+ G-rated dog jokes and quotes,
perfect for a dog-lover, your favorite vet, or just for a few
good laughs.

BONUS: Buy the ebook and you also get a compilation of the 50
best websites for dog humor.
http://www.publicityhound.com/dogjokebook/
===============================
7. And at My Blog…
===============================

Stompernet taking new members: Here’s what you’ll get
http://budurl.com/wwpm

80+ free social media policies: Add yours to the list
http://budurl.com/sr6m

How to publicize your ‘Make a Difference Day’ activities
http://budurl.com/n28y

Gift List offers 25 percent discount until Sept. 30
http://budurl.com/lv6c

————————————

Follow me on Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/PublicityHound

Join my Facebook Fan Page:
http://www.facebook.com/publicitytips

Connect with me on LinkedIn (and tell me how we know each other):
http://www.linkedin.com/in/publicityhound

Permission to Reprint:

You may reprint any items from “The Publicity Hound’s Tips of the
Week” in your print or electronic newsletter. But please include
the following paragraph:

Reprinted from “The Publicity Hound’s Tips of the Week,” an ezine
featuring tips, tricks and tools for generating free publicity.
Subscribe at http://www.publicityhound.com/ and receive by email
the handy cheat sheet “89 Reasons to Send a Press Release.”

If you like these tips, please pass them on to your friends,
clients and colleagues.

You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The
Publicity Hound website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you
told me you want to subscribe.

Privacy Statement:

The Publicity Hound respects your privacy and has a strict anti-
spam policy. Read my privacy policy at
http://www.publicityhound.com/privacypolicy.htm

================================================

Joan Stewart
a.k.a. The Publicity Hound
3434 County KK
Port Washington, WI 53074
USA
Phone: 262-284-7451 (Central) Fax: 262-284-1737

           The Publicity Hound’s
              Tips of the Week
           Issue #469 Sept. 15, 2009
            Publisher: Joan Stewart
       mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
          http://www.PublicityHound.com
       http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)
 http://www.PublicityArticles.net (Ezine Archives)

==========================================

   “Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity”

    Receive this ezine direct to your desktop
    http://www.publicityarticles.net/feed/rss/

===================================
          In This Issue
===================================

1. Grade Your LinkedIn Credibility

2. Help Celebs Deal with Anger

3. Twitter: A Giant Garbage Dump?

4. Test-drive Stompernet for Free

5. Publicizing Zombie Stories

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

=====================================
1. Grade Your LinkedIn Credibility
=====================================

If you’re answering questions on LinkedIn to promote your
expertise, good for you.

But don’t make the mistake I’ve been making. At times, I’ve been
creating the impression that it’s all about me.

Yesterday, for example, I answered a question from somebody who
wanted to know how to use press releases to promote his
consulting services in anger management.

I wrote a detailed answer (see Item #2 below). Then, at the
bottom of the answer, where I could offer three links to websites
where he could learn more about press releases, I offered three
links to my own websites.

LinkedIn also gave me the chance to name other experts on press
releases. But I didn’t.

A few hours later, I realized my mistake when I read the
excellent article “7 Ways to Have Character (and Show It) on
LinkedIn” at http://budurl.com/5jd2

It was written by LinkedIn expert Scott Allen, who says it isn’t
all about me or you. It’s all about giving before we take, and
offering other resources and experts that can help our LinkedIn
connections solve problems that are bugging them.

I used his article to grade my own credibility on LinkedIn. As a
result, I’ll be doing three things differently:

–Writing recommendations for my LinkedIn connections without
being asked.

–Responding more quickly to requests for introductions.

–Referring people whose questions I answer to other websites and
experts.

Read Scott’s article, and grade your own credibility. Then read
more about what he taught during the teleseminar I hosted with
him on “How to Use LinkedIn to Promote Anything–Ethically and
Powerfully” at http://budurl.com/44×8

======================================
2. Help Celebs Deal with Anger
======================================

U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson, tennis champ Serena Williams and rapper
Kanye West have just handed you three fabulous opportunities to
piggyback your pitches onto big news events.

Anger management experts, etiquette consultants, therapists,
sports coaches and others should be tying their tips to the
recent problems experienced by Wilson’s “You lie!” outburst,
Williams’ potty mouth threat at the US Open, and West’s obnoxious
interruption onstage at the MTV Awards ceremony.

Some ideas worth pitching:

–When is “I’m sorry” enough?

–What constitutes an appropriate apology?

–Should politicians, sports stars and music celebs be held to a
higher level of behavior than the rest of us?

–What does their bad behavior teach us about anger management?

–When somebody loses their cool in public, what does it tell us
about their character?

See “Special Report #50: How to Piggyback onto Celebrity News to
Promote Your Product, Service, Cause or Issue” at
http://budurl.com/qat2

=======================================
3. Twitter: A Giant Garbage Dump?
=======================================

Are you so disgusted with the garbage that flows into your
Twitter feed, that you sometimes feel like you’re knee-deep in a
stinky, fly-infested landfill?

Some days, I am.

Most of the tweets I see tell me to download a free ebook. Or
register for a teleseminar. Or ask me if I want 10,000 more
Twitter followers in just a few weeks.

Those automated “thanks for following me” messages are so overtly
promotional that I dread reading them.

Other followers bore me with annoying chatter about what’s going
on in the coffee shop where they’re tweeting.

Some talk nonstop about humorous things their cute kids have
done. Others offer a steady stream of pithy quotes from
celebrities, experts and gurus.

A few lazy authors and speakers offer nothing more than one-
liners taken directly from their books or speeches.

But I plod on, slogging through the garbage, because
occasionally, I come across a little nugget–usually a helpful
tip or a link to a content-rich article–that makes it all
worthwhile.

All the topics I’ve mentioned above, including humor, are
perfectly acceptable on Twitter, and your followers may actually
welcome them. But knowing the right formula for the kinds of
things to tweet, and how often, separates the Twitter “must-
follows” from the Twitter “unfollows.”

My new business partner, Jeanne Hurlbert, an expert on social
media and surveys, has been collaborating with me the last five
months on a new learning tool that will give every Publicity
Hound who uses it their own customized formula for participating
in social media, not just Twitter. It’s for social media newbies
who haven’t dipped their toes into the water yet, and for
Publicity Hounds who are already using social media but don’t
know what they don’t know.

The process we’ve developed for customizing our training–
depending on your level of expertise, interests and hobbies–is
so specialized that we’ve even applied for a patent.

I’ll keep you posted as soon as we’re ready to launch. In the
meantime, follow both of us on Twitter at @PublicityHound and
@MySurveyExpert and watch what we’re tweeting. You’ll find
valuable clues about what we’ll be teaching.

========================================
4. Test-drive Stompernet for Free
========================================

Before Jeanne and I launch the social media learning tool
mentioned above, we need to solve a few knotty problems with how
we market and deliver it.

As a member of Stompernet, the world’s largest membership site
for Internet marketers, I took advantage of yesterday’s Faculty
Office Hour to present our questions to two top Internet
marketers.

Their feedback will keep us from making three major mistakes.
They also gave us several creative solutions we never would have
thought of on our own. The faculty calls, held four times a week,
are one of the most valuable benefits of a membership.

Several Publicity Hounds have joined Stompernet, based on my
recommendation. But many more have complained that the $800-a-
month membership is too expensive.

Stompernet has taken note of those complaints and revised their
membership structure. Next Tuesday, you’ll be able to join for as
little as $200 a month.

But don’t take my word for it. Test-drive Stompernet, and watch
seven days worth of webinars on topics like social media, search
engine optimization, article marketing, keyword research and
niche marketing. In all, you can get 40 pieces of content at no
charge–training courses, mega tutorials and free software.
There’s something for everybody.

Test-drive Stompernet at http://budurl.com/zqrs to get a taste of
what you’ll get when you join. And find out more about the 11
cool tools that come with a membership.

If you have any questions about this, feel free to email me at
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com?subject=StompernetQuestion

=================================
5. Publicizing Zombie Stories
=================================

This week, eight Publicity Hounds have tips for Karma Bennett, a
publicist for Ulysses Press. Her company is publishing a
compilation of zombie stories, and she needs ideas on how to
publicize the book.

From Jena Zakany:

“Do what Universal Studios did when it first announced the
upcoming Harry Potter ‘theme park within a theme park,’–go to
the bloggers.” (Read my free article “Let Bloggers Create
Publicity for You” at http://budurl.com/s6xx )

From Ryan Mecum:

“There’s a book, The Living Dead, that sounds exactly like your
book, which did really well in sales. The author went to zombie
conventions and horror conventions to help promote it.”

From Bruce Jones:

“We are becoming such a video world, and YouTube is becoming so
powerful, that I would recommend reading excerpts from some of
the stories onto video and publishing them on line. At the end of
the video, send the viewer to a website for more information or
how they can buy the books. Also put the text in the description
area to attract Google.”

The Publicity Hound says:

Read all the responses to this Help This Hound question at
http://budurl.com/ujvz

Send your own Help this Hound question to:
JStewart@PublicityHound.com?subject=HelpThisHound
and include your city and state.

===============================
6. Help This Hound
===============================

Suzanne Wood of Raleigh, NC asks:

“I’m starting an after-school writing academy to help kids in
grades 8-12 improve their writing. Services include tutoring and
workshops on topics such as writing the college application
essay.

“I’m having trouble figuring out how best to market this academy,
because most parents rely on word-of-mouth recommendations for
tutoring and instruction, and I haven’t generated enough momentum
yet for that to be effective. Besides, I can’t afford advertising
yet.

“Can your Hounds offer some creative ideas for promoting my
classes?”

The Publicity Hound says:

Here’s my idea. Sponsor a writing contest for kids, and convince
a local merchant to donate a cool prize in exchange for a little
publicity. Ask kids to write an essay on a really fun topic.
Write a press release and submit it to your local newspapers.

I know my readers can come up with ideas better than that one.
How about it, Hounds? Help Suzanne fill her classes by posting
your best ideas to my blog at http://budurl.com/3f5n

===============================
7. Hound Joke of the Week
===============================

Thanks to BL Ochman of New York, New York for this one:

I pulled into a crowded parking lot at the Pinecrest Plaza
Shopping Center and rolled down the car windows to make sure my
Labrador Retriever Pup had fresh air.

She was stretched full-out on the back seat and I wanted to
impress upon her that she must remain there. I walked to the curb
backward, pointing my finger at the car and saying emphatically,
“Now you stay. Do you hear me? Stay! Stay!”

The driver of a nearby car gave me a strange look and said,”Why
don’t you just put it in park?”

DOG JOKES & QUOTES EBOOK: 170+ G-rated dog jokes and quotes,
perfect for a dog-lover, your favorite vet, or just for a few
good laughs.

BONUS: Buy the ebook and you also get a compilation of the 50
best websites for dog humor.
http://www.publicityhound.com/dogjokebook/

————————————

Follow me on Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/PublicityHound

Join my Facebook Fan Page:
http://www.facebook.com/publicitytips

Connect with me on LinkedIn (and tell me how we know each other):
http://www.linkedin.com/in/publicityhound

Permission to Reprint:

You may reprint any items from “The Publicity Hound’s Tips of the
Week” in your print or electronic newsletter. But please include
the following paragraph:

Reprinted from “The Publicity Hound’s Tips of the Week,” an ezine
featuring tips, tricks and tools for generating free publicity.
Subscribe at http://www.publicityhound.com/ and receive by email
the handy cheat sheet “89 Reasons to Send a Press Release.”

If you like these tips, please pass them on to your friends,
clients and colleagues.

You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The
Publicity Hound website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you
told me you want to subscribe.

Privacy Statement:

The Publicity Hound respects your privacy and has a strict anti-
spam policy. Read my privacy policy at
http://www.publicityhound.com/privacypolicy.htm

================================================

Joan Stewart
a.k.a. The Publicity Hound
3434 County KK
Port Washington, WI 53074
USA
Phone: 262-284-7451 (Central) Fax: 262-284-1737