The Publicity Hound’s
              Tips of the Week
           Issue #466 Aug. 25, 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. Sample Social Media Policy

2. Read Facebook, LinkedIn Blogs

3. Media Lead: O Magazine & Others

4. How to Repitch Oprah

5. Thanks for Feedback

6. Help This HOund

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. And at My Blog…

=====================================
1. Sample Social Media Policy
=====================================

If it’s time to write a social media policy for your company or
nonprofit, don’t panic.

It doesn’t have to be a thick tome that goes ker-plunk when you
drop it on the table. And it doesn’t have to get the legal
department all worked up into a lather.

The entire policy can fit nicely onto a single sheet of paper.
Here’s the best part. It’s ready and waiting for you at
http://www.shiftcomm.com/downloads/socialmediaguidelines.pdf

The “Top 10 Guidelines for Social Media Participation,” a
copyright-free document, is courtesy of Todd Defren at Shift
Communications, a PR firm in Boston and San Francisco.

Shift helped a client write it, and Todd invites you to use it
with or without attribution to his firm. The attorneys have
already given it their blessing. Some highlights:

–Transparency rules. If you’re writing about your company or a
competitor, you must use your real name and be clear about your
role.

–Never participate in social media when the topic can be
considered a crisis situation.

–Be polite. No criticizing. No flaming.

–Yes, you can write about the competition, but you’d better have
the facts straight, behave diplomatically, and have the
appropriate permissions.

You can cherry-pick guidelines from more than 30 other social
media policies I discuss at my blog at http://budurl.com/t7rs
Run the final version by your own attorney.

My “research,” by the way, took about 10 minutes. Rather than
spending hours on Google searching for social media policies, I
simply went over to LinkedIn and asked whether anyone had a
sample they’d be willing to share.

LinkedIn’s Q&A feature is one of the most powerful research tools
if you’re in a hurry, and a terrific way to flaunt your expertise
if you’re willing to take the time to respond to questions. See
my article “How to Use LinkedIn to Promote These 7 Ways” at
http://budurl.com/2jla

===================================
2. Read Facebook, LinkedIn Blogs
===================================

One way to stay on top of what’s happening at your favorite
social media site is to read the site’s corporate blog.

Last week, Facebook announced that it was releasing a feature
that allows administrators of Facebook Pages to publish their
Facebook updates to their Twitter accounts automatically.

I saw lots of bloggers discussing it, but the official details
are at the Facebook blog at
http://blog.facebook.com/blog.php?post=123006872130

So are more than 600 comments from Facebook users who love or
hate the change. Reading the comments can often help you see
quickly whether that site’s community gives thumbs-up or thumbs-
down to a new feature or application.

Two other blogs worth noting:

–If you’re on LinkedIn, don’t miss their blog at
http://blog.linkedin.com/ The first page includes tips on how to
win new clients by optimizing your LinkedIn profile, how LinkedIn
helps an entrepreneur close deals, and how to organize networking
events for free using your LinkedIn network.

–Google, the granddaddy of search engines, has an entire line-up
of blogs in its directory at
http://www.google.com/press/blogs/directory.html It includes
search tips, how to use Google tools and applications, and a
nifty blog called Citizentube that gives lots of examples on how
video is changing the world.

If you have a favorite social site, check to see if it has a blog
worth following, and subscribe to the RSS feed.

Befuddled by social media? You’re not alone. Blogger BL Ochman,
one of my social media teachers, helps you sift through what’s
important and what isn’t. See “How to Do Social Media, Run a
Business & Still Have a Life” at http://budurl.com/7gck

=====================================
3. Media Lead: O Magazine & Others
=====================================

If you’re a woman business owner, or you’re a woman who has a
great success story or tips you’d like to pitch, let a team of
top-notch publicists pitch it for you to major media outlets,
including O Magazine.

It will cost you nothing.

PitchRate.com, the service that provides media leads to anyone
who wants free publicity, is doing a round-up of story ideas and
pitches about successful women business owners, or women in
business who have great stories to tell about how they overcame
obstacles.

Sign up for their free media leads service at
http://www.PitchRate.com/PublicityHound and you’ll be able to
submit your success story. After you sign up, look for the black
bar that says “Exclusive Requests” at the top and submit your
pitch. Deadline is 5 p.m. Eastern Time on Saturday, Sept. 12.

“We’ll take the best 10 to 20 pitches from Publicity Hounds and
deliver them to our list of women’s business media venues,
including Good Morning America, Women Entrepreneur magazine, the
Associated Press and O Magazine,” said Drew Gerber of
PitchRate.com.

If the journalists and broadcasters like your pitch, they’ll
contact you. This is no-brainer, Hounds. Their publicists have a
long track record of major media hits.

Why exclusivity for Publicity Hounds? Because Michelle Tennant
and Drew Gerber of PitchRate.com were among the first graduates
of The Publicity Hound Mentor Program. They also want more people
to participate in their free media leads service.

If you’re having problems submitting your pitch, contact Shannon
at mailto:Shannon.PitchRate@gmail.com and he’ll help you.

========================================
4. How to Repitch Oprah
========================================

This week, six Publicity Hounds have tips for Jennifer Louden of
Bainbridge Island, Wash., on how to repitch Oprah’s producers
about a system she has developed for staying organized. She is
the author of “The Life Organizer: A Woman’s Guide to a Mindful
Year.”

From Stan Unruh:

“Why not have one of the producers, or Oprah herself, use tips
from the book? Have them give the tips a try for one week.”

From Roberta Stein:

“Since you’re talking about a ‘Mindful Year,’ how about using the
New Year as an angle? If you bring the book out before the
holidays, your angle can be something like, ‘Remember to let this
be an organized year!’ And while I know that half the world wants
their products given away on Oprah’s Christmas show, she’s
already interested in you! So this would REALLY be a great gift
for her audience that day.”

From Barbara:

“I think your pitch should revolve around how harried and jumbled
life is before reading your book, and then how organized and
peaceful it is after employing your techniques.”

The Publicity Hound says:

Don’t pitch your book. Pitch an entire show with multiple guests.
This is what Susan Harrow, the Oprah publicity expert,
recommends. She did a 70-minute telesemninar and shared tips
galore on “How to Get Booked on Oprah.” Learn more about it at
http://tinyurl.com/855eb

Read all the responses to this week’s Help This Hound question
http://budurl.com/yldr

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

=================================
5. Thanks for Feedback
=================================

Thanks for your comments about this newsletter, and your
suggestions for improving it.

I love your idea of adding helpful bookmarks to the index so you
can click on a certain headline and jump to the item without
having to read or scroll through the entire newsletter.  I’ve
started using bookmarks.

Design issues continue to be a problem for a few Hounds reading
this newsletter on a Mac.  If you still notice problems or have
any other suggestions, email me.  I can’t promise I’ll be able to
solve them, but I’ll sure try.  Please let me know if you’re on a
Mac or a PC, what browser you’re using and the size of your
monitor. Email me at JStewart@PublicityHound.com?subject=Feedback

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

Jeff Clear of Monument, Colo., writes:

“I do Internet marketing for Lasater Grasslands Beef, a grass-fed
beef ranch in Colorado at http://www.lgbeef.com

“Our target audience consists of environmentally conscious
people, moms who want to feed their families healthy beef, and
people who have spent money on vitamins because they have already
proven they will spend money on health.

“Our beef is sold in Whole Foods, so that will give you an idea
of the demographics of our customer base.  Our grass-fed beef has
less saturated fat and is lower in calories than grain-fed beef,
and has no hormones, additives or pesticides.  It has higher
amounts of omega-3 fatty acids and other vitamins.

“What’s the best way to reach our target market online?”

The Publicity Hound says:

Reaching a target market is so much easier, and cheaper, these
days, thanks to social media. If you have an idea for Jeff, post
it to my blog at http://budurl.com/ejze

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

A tail is a dog’s PR department. A smile is yours.

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…
================================

Corporate social media policy needed? Here are samples
http://budurl.com/t7rs

————————————

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 #465 Aug. 18, 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. Feedback, Please

2. Huge Payoff for 15 Minutes a Week

3. Pitch Holiday Gift Guides Now

4. Promoting Intranet Software

5. Help This Hound

6. Hound Joke of the Week

7. And at My Blog…

=====================================
1. Feedback, Please
=====================================

This is the first issue of my newsletter that’s being sent from
AWeber, the list management company I’m using.

I’m also offering you the choice of whether you want to read it
in HTML or plain text.

If you prefer HTML, please understand that using a lot of photos,
different colors and fancy formatting drastically increases the
chances that the newsletter might not arrive in your inbox.
Elaborate designs are more vulnerable to spam filters.

I’ll be making minor design changes in the weeks ahead. But I’m
curious to hear your feedback–good, bad or otherwise. We have
three concerns:

–Whether you’re getting the newsletter

–How it looks on your monitor

–If you’re receiving it in the format you’ve requested (text vs.
HTML)

All comments welcome. Email to
JStewart@PublicityHound.com?subject=Feedback

=====================================
2. Huge Payoff for 15 Minutes a Week
=====================================

If you want to boost the ranking of your blog or website on
Google by getting more authoritative sites to link to you, you
only have to spend five minutes a day, three times a week, on
social bookmarking.

That’s it. Just 15 minutes total. You can even delegate this task
to an assistant.

Colin Martin, who was my guest during last week’s teleseminar on
“How to do Social Bookmarking to Promote Your Expertise, Attract
Followers & Pull Massive Amounts of Traffic,” said that’s how
much time he spends to help get many of his sites in the Top 10
positions on Google.

That’s practically nothing, compared to all the time you spend
tweeting, retweeting, joining the conversation on Facebook and
checking your direct mail on all the social networking sites.

By sharing content, including your own, with other bookmarkers,
you’re making it easy for people to find you and connect.

There’s one other way to encourage people to bookmark your blog
posts, articles at your website, your videos, photos and other
content. (I delegated this to my assistant, and you can, too.)

You’ll learn what it is and how to do it when you listen to the
recording or read the electronic transcript from last week’s
call. CDs will be ready in a few days. The transcript will be
available this weekend. MP3s can be downloaded right now.

Read more about how to use bookmarking to enhance the power of
everything you do online at http://budurl.com/mdn5

=====================================
3. Pitch Holiday Gift Guides Now
=====================================

There’s still time to pitch more than 400 magazines, including
certain editors at Better Homes & Gardens, if you’re trying to be
included in their end-of-year holiday gift coverage.

Most editors are facing late deadlines, lean staffs, and
last-minute special sections that publishers hope will lure
advertisers.

“While this may put many editors in a quandary of pulling their
publications together quickly, it allows you to take advantage
of a unique opportunity to secure editorial coverage at later
dates,” says Amy Bates Stump, whose company, Gift List Media,
provides contact information and pitching tips for hundreds of
media outlets looking for products and services that will make
great gifts.

Long leads for large circulation magazines, however, will be
wrapped up within the next few weeks.

The list of media that are planning gift guides will grow
considerably over the next month as Amy and her staff discuss
holiday editorial plans with editors at newspapers,
syndicates, and broadcasters who traditionally don’t start
planning their editorial calendars until after Labor Day.

Don’t make the mistake of waiting until late autumn to start
thinking about pitching these media. Jump on board now and
test-drive her service at http://snipurl.com/GiftListMedia

=========================================
4. Promoting Intranet Software
=========================================

This week, nine Publicity Hounds have suggestions on how Martin
Amm of Boston, Mass., can market his company, adenin
Technologies, Inc. which provides intranet software for
businesses.

From Mellanie True Hills:

“I found features and pricing at your website, but where the heck
are the benefits for me, if I were still a corporate executive or
IT executive? Don’t waste my time on a demo. Just give me a
concise list of benefits. And if you can apply them to my
industry, so much the better.”

From Gin:

“I would suggest trying the regular and alternative schools and
colleges. Businesses that tend to have groups of people and this
area would be large in the metro areas and available across a
nation though it is just one niche. Maybe youth centres through
children services and small business trade shows and their trade
journals.”

From Reece Franklin:

“Use social media with a different ‘group,’ like on Facebook,
that you create for different types of prospects. Same with
publicity, as Joan taught me. One size does not fit all.”

The Publicity Hound says:

Read all the responses to this week’s Help This Hound question
http://budurl.com/hux6

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

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

Jennifer Louden of Bainbridge Island, Wa. writes:

“I’m a best-selling author and my last book, The Life Organizer:
A Womans Guide to a Mindful Year, got a call back from an Oprah
producer in March 2007. They called us saying, ‘We love the book
but don’t know how to use it. We will be in touch.’

“Nothing since, even though we have repitched.

“The book is for women who juggle conflicting roles and
schedules. It shows them how to slay the ‘time monsters’ that
keep them from following their dreams. It has 13 planning
sections with four weeks of theme-based questions and includes
true stories of other women who have used the program to improve
their lives and discover their soul’s purpose.

“I want to repitch again with a new angle but am so close to the
material, I’m clueless. My wonderful publisher, New World
Library, will do the pitching, but they are out of ideas as well.

“Anybody have a good hook?”

The Publicity Hound says:

Back-to-school seems like the perfect tie-in. But I’m betting my
Hounds will post lots of other terrific ideas at my blog at
http://budurl.com/yldr

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

The Publicity Hound asks:

When dog food is “new and improved” and better tasting, who tests
it?

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…
=================================

National Publicity Summit expected to sell out soon
http://budurl.com/jbt8

Measure your PR, publicity success these 3 ways
http://budurl.com/paqf

————————————-

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 #463 Aug. 11, 2009
        Publisher: Joan Stewart
  mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
    http://www.PublicityHound.com
 http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)
 http://www.PublicityArticles.net (Ezine Archives)

           Circulation: 38,964

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

“Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity”

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

******************************************

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Please mark your calendar for Tuesday, Aug. 18, and remind
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*****************************************

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

1. ‘I See Your Name Everywhere’

2. Share Your Best Food Nuggets

3. Use Receipts as Marketing Tools

4. Inflight Mags Want Your Events

5. Promoting Skirts for Chairs

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Video of the Week

8. And at My Blog…

=====================================
1. ‘I See Your Name Everywhere’
=====================================

When people search for a product or service you sell by typing it
into the search engines, you want your website to appear on the
first page of Google.

But these days, that isn’t good enough.

Prospects often visit several sites, and then decide what they
want to buy–and from whom. That’s why it’s important for people
to find your website numerous times on that first page.

If you have only one website, or one blog, how can you capture
several of those top slots?

Paul Colligan, a faculty member for Stompernet, the membership
site for Internet marketers, said it’s much easier than you
think. In the latest issue of The Net Effect, Stompernet’s
subscription magazine, he has identified 10 websites that let you
create an account or page. All 10 tend to do very well in the
search engines for a specific term or phrase.

“Find enough of them and you’ll end up with a great batch of Top
10 listings where you can control the messaging,” he writes.

He calls it the “I’ve seen you out there” effect. I call it the
“I see your name everywhere” effect. Those phrases should be
music to every Publicity Hound’s ears.

Not surprisingly, those sites include Facebook, Twitter and
YouTube. They also include one you might not have thought of–
Digg.com, the most popular social bookmarking site.

“Update your profile for your message and ‘Digg’ a few articles
that help make your point,” Paul says. “This shows you’re a
serious player in this space–geek and non-geek alike. Those who
think Digg is important will be thrilled to find you there. Those
who don’t care will find you on yet another page.”

I’ve gotten so many requests for information on social
bookmarking that I’m hosting a teleseminar at 8 p.m. Eastern Time
on Thursday, Aug. 13, on “How to do Social Bookmarking to Promote
Your Expertise, Attract Followers & Pull Massive Amounts of
Traffic.”

Colin Martin, my guest expert, has created four videos that show
how to create your accounts at these sites, how to bookmark
content, how to make friends and join groups, and everyday uses
and results of this powerful marketing tool. Everyone who
registers will receive a link to the videos. We suggest you watch
them before the call.

If the time is inconvenient, sign up anyway and receive the MP3
download.

Hint: If you want major publicity in top-tier media, remember
that journalists and big bloggers frequently visit social
bookmarking sites to find out what people are talking about.

Read more about the teleseminar and register at
http://www.snipurl.com/social_bookmarking_teleseminar

=====================================
2. Share Your Best Food Nuggets
=====================================

On Twitter, do you get tired of reading about what people ate for
lunch?

I do. But Internet marketer Sherman Hu says his Twitter followers
react most favorably to tweets about unusual food he has eaten,
or links to photos of spectacular restaurant meals he has
enjoyed.

Here are food-related ideas to discuss in social media without
boring your friends and followers. If you can somehow tie this
information to what you do, that’s even better.

–Yummy recipes for seasonal foods.

–The best and worst restaurant food you’ve eaten recently.

–Fun foods you’ve tasted at summer fairs and festivals. I wrote
about eating a pickle on a stick, rather than a fattening cream
puff, at the Wisconsin State Fair and got lots of comments
from my Twitter and Facebook friends.

–What are you doing with all those veggies in your garden? My
recipe for Tomato Pie at http://budurl.com/5gl6 gets fabulous
feedback from my followers.

–Your favorite mixed drinks and summer beverages.

–Fast and healthy back-to-school lunches for kids.

If you’re using Twitter for business, learn how to promote
without beating people over the head with an obnoxious sales
pitch. See “How to Use Twitter to Amass an Army of Followers,
Customers & Valuable Contacts–and Promote” at
http://budurl.com/bupu

=====================================
3. Use Receipts as Marketing Tools
=====================================

Here’s a great tip courtesy of Jaime Oikle, of
RestaurantReport.com, who hosted a teleseminar last week on how
restaurants can use social media. (I was a guest expert.)

Let your customers and clients know where they can find you on
the social media sites by printing your Twitter name and Facebook
URL on the front of your receipts.

Go a step further and add that information to your invoices, paid
ads, paper and plastic bags, product wrappers and business cards.
And don’t forget your website.

Did you know that Facebook lets you create an attractive “badge”
for your website or blog? When visitors click on the badge, it
takes them to your Facebook profile.

Christine Buffaloe of Serenity Virtual Assistant Services, my VA
who manages many of my social media accounts, explained in step-
by-step detail how to create the badge during the teleseminar “11
Ways to Avoid Missed Opportunities on Facebook.” The recording or
transcript comes with 28 pages of illustrated handouts that show
you how to get the great return on your investment of time on
Facebook.

Read more about the 11 opportunities that many Facebook users
miss at http://budurl.com/jfgw

=========================================
4. Inflight Mags Want Your Events
=========================================

Sponsoring an event that tourists as well as locals will love?

Don’t forget to submit a press release and photos to the inflight
magazines published by airlines that serve the city where your
event will be held.

On a recent trip, I found the following events listed in Midwest
Airline’s inflight magazine:

–The EAA AirVenture, the annual aviation event, in Oshkosh, Wis.

–Concerts at The Wolf Trap’s Filene Center in Washington, D.C.

–The Music City’s Brewer’s Festival in Nashville, Tenn.

–The National Derby Rallies’ soapbox derby championships in Des
Moines, Iowa.

–The BDO Women’s Junior World Cup, a field hockey event, at
Harvard University.

–The quirky Bumbershoot Festival, featuring music and
entertainment, in Seattle, Wash.

These magazines, by the way, absolutely love promoting things
like art exhibits and cultural programs.

It can take you several days to track down the correct contact
information for the inflight magazines where you want publicity.
Save time and aggravation with my “Special Report #29: Fly High
with Publicity in the Inflight Magazines.” It gives you contact
information and pitching tips for 49 magazines published by
domestic and international airlines. Buy the report today and
you’ll also get the October 2009 update in two months.

Read more about it at http://budurl.com/6kyz

========================================
5. Promoting Skirts for Chairs
========================================

This week, 11 Publicity Hounds have tips for Suzanne Fox Sevel,
of Melbourne, Fla., on how her client can promote Scurtz. They’re
stylish, decorative skirts for chairs.

From Lori Green LeRoy:

“Try contacting some of the HGTV, TLC, DIY renovation
shows and give them some of the Scurtz to use on the shows.”

From Sonia Singh:

“Try something around event planning. It’s a little late for
the wedding season but may be a good start for holiday parties.
Or partner with an event planner or venue to be one of their
vendors.”

From Maria:

“Create YouTube videos about ‘How to Decorate for a
Mother/Daughter Tea Party’ or ‘Create a Fairy Tale Birthday Table
for your Daughter.’”

The Publicity Hound says:

Take Maria’s idea one step further and pitch those ideas to mommy
bloggers. That niche is huge, and often ignored. See my article
“Let Bloggers Create Publicity for You” at http://budurl.com/8w45

Read all the responses to this week’s Help This Hound question
http://budurl.com/e4u2

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

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

Martin Amm of Boston, Mass., writes:

“Our company, Adenin Technologies, Inc., provides a complete
intranet suite for businesses. We also offer software that turns
your existing intranet into web 2.0, including blogs, a Twitter-
like app and more.

“Employees communicate and interact with each other better using
the intranet software. It’s a simpler and more user-friendly
intranet than Sharepoint.

“We’ve been using social media to build relationships with the
intranet industry and prospects. We’ve also contacted specific
publications with story ideas rather than pitching them. We’ve
made great connections, but haven’t seen many results in terms of
publicity and sales. What can we do to help our little company
gain more attention?”

The Publicity Hound says:

For starters, pitch a story about your business to the Boston
Business Journal. It’s one of 40 newspapers published by American
City Business Journals. Appearing in that publication will make
you more credible in the eyes of other journalists, bloggers and
web visitors.

Hounds with suggestions for Martin can post them to my blog at
http://budurl.com/hux6

Paul Furiga, a former business journal editor, says there’s a
great way to rub elbows with the top editors and reporters at
these newspapers and start building the relationship long
before you start pitching them. He explained the strategy when I
interviewed him on “How to Use Business Journals to Tell Your
Story.” Read more about what we discussed at
http://budurl.com/lhrt

=====================================
7. Hound Video of the Week
=====================================

This video titled “Stealing Animals” includes four dogs, so it
qualifies as a Hound Video of the Week. My favorite thief is the
Dalmatian that pilfers from the toaster oven.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_ZwceZWu_o

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…
=================================

Wanted: Testers for my publicity tips newsletter
http://budurl.com/hdwx

Authors, do these 2 things before writing a book
http://budurl.com/cwfj

————————————-

Where to See & Hear The Publicity Hound:

August 13 — Social Bookmarking Teleseminar

“How to do Social Bookmarking to Promote Your Expertise, Attract
Followers & Pull Massive Amounts of Traffic,” with Colin Martin.
Register and receive a link where you can watch four videos that
explain how to create your accounts at these sites, how to
bookmark content, how to make friends and join groups, and
everyday uses and results of this powerful marketing tool. All
registrants will also receive the MP3 audio of the call. Register
at http://www.snipurl.com/social_bookmarking_teleseminar

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

Friend me on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/joanstewart

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 #462 Aug. 4, 2009
        Publisher: Joan Stewart
  mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
    http://www.PublicityHound.com
 http://www.publicityhound.net/  (Blog)
 http://www.PublicityArticles.net   (Ezine Archives)

           Circulation: 38,964

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

“Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity”

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

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

1. No Junk for Granny

2. How to Make Page 1 on Google

3. Pitch Back-to-School Stories

4. Promote Your Food, Wine Events & Blogs

5. I’m Moving, Come with Me

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. And at My Blog…

=====================================
1. No Junk for Granny
=====================================

The world is filled with grandmothers and great grandmothers who
seldom venture outside their homes.

Yet their families buy them perfume, jewelry and other useless
junk that ends up in the trash.

Jacqueline Whitmore, the gift-giving expert for Sam’s Club,
can suggest dozens of better ideas for gifts that granny would
cherish.

Buying a gift for the boss?

Best not to give booze. As the gift-buying expert for Office
Depot, Jacqueline has better ideas for tasteful gifts that aren’t
too personal and won’t get you into trouble at work.

Buying cell phones for your kids? Why not teach them cell phone
etiquette?

You can get tips galore from, who else, but Jacqueline Whitmore,
the national spokesperson for Sprint. She shares them on Twitter
at http://twitter.com/EtiquetteExpert and on Facebook at
http://budurl.com/467b

Her photo and tips are usually plastered all over newspapers and
magazines during National Cell Phone Courtesy Month in July.

You’ll also find her promoting Clarisonic, a company that sells
skin care products, as well as Hologic, which sells imaging
equipment for the health care industry.

Jacqueline has been covered by The Wall Street Journal, The New
York Times, USA Today, Glamour, Time, Fortune, Us Weekly, and O
magazine. She has been interviewed by CNN, FOX News, and ABC’s
20/20. That’s the short list, by the way.

“When you’re aligned with a corporation, especially a Fortune 500
company or one that has a reputable name, you’re perceived as
more credible because that corporation has chosen you as its
spokesperson,” she told me this morning.

She said that Brendon Burchard, an expert on how to partner with
large companies, presented a program on that topic last month at
the National Speakers Association convention in Phoenix. The
crowd loved him.

“He was one of the highest-rated speakers at the convention,” she
said.

Brendon will share his secrets during a free teleseminar this
Thursday, Aug. 6, with Steve Harrison. Discover how you can use
his methods to promote your own book, product or business, just
like Jacqueline does, and get PR firms to pay all your expenses.

The call will be presented twice–at 2 and 7 p.m. Eastern. If you
can’t make it, please recruit someone to listen and take notes
for you. Register at
http://www.SponsorshipTrainingTeleseminar.com/?10011

=====================================
2. How to Make Page 1 on Google
=====================================

The next time President Barack Obama does something inspiring,
infuriating, heroic or stupid–and millions of people type his
name into Google to learn more about it–will your blog or
website appear near the top of the list?

It very well could, says Colin Martin, even if you work in an
industry that’s a little dull.

“Your industry isn’t as boring as you think,” says Colin, a
social media expert who knows how you can spin a presidential
news item, or any news item for that matter, into a top spot on
Google.

One way to do it is by creating fun, quirky or controversial
content tied to Obama and submitting it to a major bookmarking
site like Digg.com.

Within minutes, you can have thousands of eyeballs reading your
blog post or an article at your website, or watching a video
you’ve created.

The content can even turn into what Colin calls a “server
burner.” That’s a website that gets thousands of hits in one day,
or just a few hours. That big burst of traffic can also give you
top search engine positioning.

I asked Colin to produce four videos for the teleseminar I’m
hosting next week on social bookmarking. In one video, he
demonstrates how interesting content on one of the major
bookmarking sites got 2,820 hits in just several hours.

“How to do Social Bookmarking to Promote Your Expertise, Attract
Followers & Pull Massive Amounts of Traffic” will be presented at
8 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, Aug. 13. If the time is inconvenient,
sign up anyway and receive the MP3 download.

Tomorrow, everyone who registers for the call will receive a link
to the four videos Colin has created. They show in step-by-step
detail how to create your accounts at these sites, how to
bookmark content, how to make friends and join groups, and
everyday uses and results of this powerful marking tool. I
suggest you watch the videos before the call, if you have time.

Hint: If you want major publicity in top-tier media, remember
that journalists and big bloggers frequently refer to social
bookmarking sites to find out what people are talking about.

Read more about the teleseminar and register at
http://www.snipurl.com/social_bookmarking_teleseminar

=====================================
3. Pitch Back-to-School Stories
=====================================

It’s almost time for students to return to school, and that means
publicity opportunities galore in the traditional and social
media. Pitch stories and offer advice on:

–Decorating college dorm rooms.

–How to make and pack healthy lunches.

–Resources for parents and students.

–Schoolyard bullying.

–Cell phones in the classroom.

–Technology in the classroom.

–How to beat the high cost of college.

–Fashion trends.

–Studying for the SAT tests.

–The trendiest school supplies.

–Parents returning to school.

–How to know if your kid needs a tutor.

–Cheating.

–Good study habits.

–The benefits of sleep.

If none of these ideas work for you, I have lots more that will.
I teamed up with TV producer Shawne Duperon to brainstorm “103
Sizzling Story Ideas from July through December.” You can
download all the ideas immediately when you buy the recording or
transcript of this teleseminar I hosted with Shawne. Read more
about the kinds of tips you’ll find at http://budurl.com/v84e

=========================================
4. Promote Your Food, Wine Events & Blogs
=========================================

Thanks to Publicity Hound Lee Romano Sequeira for sharing this
helpful website for anyone who needs to promote a wine event like
a wine tasting, festival, class or party.

It’s at http://www.LocalWineEvents.com and it even invites
Publicity Hounds to submit and link to their blogs devoted to
wine, food, beer, spirits or etiquette. It has a Google Page Rank
of 6, which means more Google juice for you.

Lee, by the way, is my Facebook Friend, and that’s where I
learned about this website.

Facebook has become a valuable resource for me. Because I share a
lot of helpful information at that site, and have my own Fan
page, I get a lot of feedback from Friends and Fans. Hence, more
content for this newsletter.

For me, that’s a huge return on investment.

You can become my Fan at http://budurl.com/k48y

Learn how to create your own Fan Pages, find more top-quality
Fans, and use Facebook nine other ways to connect with people.
See “11 Ways to Avoid Missed Opportunities on Facebook” at
http://budurl.com/jfgw

========================================
5. I’m Moving, Come with Me
========================================

Starting next week, this newsletter will be coming to you from a
new server.

To stay with me, you must do two things:

First, resubscribe by going to
http://www.PublicityHound.com/aweber/optin.htm and entering your
name and email address into the form.

Second, check your email inbox for a message with the subject
line: “Response Required: Confirm Your Publicity Hound
Subscription.”

If you somehow get lost, email me and I’ll put you back onto the
list. But if you follow these two steps, you should be fine.

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

Suzanne Fox Sevel of Melbourne, Fla., writes:

“I have a client in Atlanta, Ga. who just launched a new product
called Scurtz: stylish, decorative skirts for chairs. They’re
very upscale, and some people see them as an alternative to
tablecloths or place settings as a unique way of decorating for
guests.

“They’re $49-$69 a pair and come in luxurious or traditional
fabrics such as velvet and tulle. Since they are so new, there
are not very many customers. The sales numbers are not
impressive enough for the local business press to even write a
story about it.

“Also, local newspapers and magazines are showing little interest
in writing a feature story about these fabulous home accessories
or the two entrepreneurial moms who invented them.

“They will be available to a major retailer very soon, but my job
is to create some initial buzz and excitement about them first so
that when they hit the stores, there will be a line of people
waiting for them. Do your Hounds have any ideas for low-cost,
high-impact PR? The owner is not on Facebook or Twitter and has
no interest in social networking as a means of promotion.”

The website is at http://www.Scurtz.com

The Publicity Hound says:

No interest in social networking as a means of promotion? You’re
breaking my heart!

There are so many opportunities to share their information on the
social networking sites, including the hundreds of mom
entrepreneur sites, that I don’t even know where to begin.

Let’s see how many clever publicity and marketing ideas other
Hounds can suggest. Think holidays, home decorating, mom
entrepreneurs, chairs inside businesses, types of chairs, etc.

You can watch a video demonstration of how to tie a Scurtz, and
post your best ideas for Suzanne, at my blog at
http://budurl.com/e4u2

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

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

Thanks to Twitter follower @NathanBryce for this one:

A dog gave birth on the side of the road and was cited for…
littering. (OK, Hounds, I’ll make to you next week with a
really funny video. Promise.)

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…
=================================

Social media time-saver: Turn a LinkedIn Q&A into a video
http://budurl.com/jhvb

Lemon-Ginger String Beans: Quick & healthy
http://budurl.com/aeyt

How to pitch small business tips, stories to BusinessWeek.com
http://budurl.com/kzfj

Subscribe to my publicity tips? I don’t want to lose you
http://budurl.com/my7z

How to land a corporate sponsor, even in a bad economy
http://budurl.com/4dvk

————————————-

Where to See & Hear The Publicity Hound:

Aug. 5 — Teleseminar for Restaurants

“How Restaurants Can Use Social Media to Create a Loyal Following
and Keep Customers Coming Back–Even in a Rotten Economy.”  3
p.m. Eastern. Host: Jaime Oikle of RestaurantReport.com. Register
at http://budurl.com/m6tl

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

Friend me on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/joanstewart

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