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.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

           The Publicity Hound’s
              Tips of the Week
           Issue #468 Sept. 8, 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. Use Trade Associations

2. Ditch the Shovels, Scissors & Checks

3. Sell 120,000 Books with One Phone Call

4. Marketing an Indie Movie

5. Help This Hound

6. Hound Joke of the Week

=====================================
1. Use Trade Associations
=====================================

If you aren’t using trade associations in your publicity
campaign, you’re missing a valuable tool that can save you time
and help you flex your promotional muscle.

Here’s how:

–If you belong to a particular trade association, let their PR
department know that you welcome calls from reporters. Often, if
the media need sources in a particular industry and they don’t
know who to call, they call the trade association and ask for
names of members.

–Sending a direct mail piece? You can often buy lists of names
from trade associations.

–If you’re a speaker, and you want to be hired to speak before
audiences in a particular industry, contact the editor of that
association’s newsletter or trade magazine and start submitting
articles. Months later, when you call the meeting planner, you
can refer to the articles you’ve written–proof that you’re not a
novice to the industry. I’ve written many articles for the
Society for Marketing Professional Services magazine and PR
Tactics, published by the Public Relations Society of America.
Both have led to numerous speaking engagements.

–Writing an opinion column and looking for ammunition to support
your position? If so, find out which trade associations support
your cause. Trade groups are among the most ardent lobbyists.

–If you need statistics to incorporate into your story pitches,
or for letters to the editor or articles you’re writing, you can
find them by calling trade associations or visiting their
websites or blogs.

Need a quick, handy template for a how-to article? I’ve included
one in the handouts that come with the CD or electronic
transcript on “How to Write a How-to Article.” Learn more about
it at http://budurl.com/s6r2

=======================================
2. Ditch the Shovels, Scissors & Checks
=======================================

I saw it again this week, another one of those ghastly ground-
breaking photos.

You know what it looks like, because you’ve seen hundreds of
them. Four guys wearing business suits and hard hats are
posing, each with their foot on a shovel, looking very
uncomfortable and out of place.

These photos belong in the same category with the photos of
oversized cardboard checks being passed from one person to
another, or the ribbon-cutting photos that feature a 3-foot
pair of cardboard scissors.

C’mon, Hounds. You can do better than that.

Instead of passing an oversized check, how about asking the local
newspaper to photograph kids playing on the playground equipment
that your fund-raiser made possible? Instead of a ribbon-cutting
for your candy store, plan a fun chocolate-tasting.

Promise yourself that from now on, you will never assign, allow,
take or request one of those horrible ground-breaking, ribbon-
cutting or check-passing photos?

Instead, think creatively about how to promote a donation, the
opening of a new business, or a new construction project.

If you’re coming up dry, Dan Collins can help. He’s the
creative media relations director at Mercy Medical Center in
Baltimore. I interviewed him during a teleseminar a few
years ago on “Fun Alternatives to Boring Ground-breakings,
Ribbon-cuttings & Check-passings.” Lean more about it at
http://tinyurl.com/7cl6z

========================================
3. Sell 120,000 Books with One Phone Call
========================================

Dr. Neil Baum tried lots of ways to promote and distribute his
book, Marketing Your Clinical Practice.

But most of them didn’t work, and he ended up frustrated.

Then, he thought that perhaps a big pharmaceutical company might
want to buy his book in mass quantity and give it away to doctors
as a gift. Pharmaceutical companies have very strict regulations
on what they’re allowed to give to doctors. But giving them
educational products wasn’t a problem.

So Dr. Baum contacted Bayer, the aspirin company, and asked if
they’d like to give his book away to their customer doctors as a
way of showing appreciation for their patronage. Within a week,
Bayer bought more than 120,000 copies and sent it to doctors
throughout the U.S. Today, his book is on the shelf of
virtually every medical clinic in the U.S.

And it all happened from just one phone call.

These kinds of deals happen all the time. But few authors
understand the step-by-step process of how to make that happen.

Matthew Bennett, a self-published author who’s relatively unknown
to the general public, has had even greater success than Dr.
Baum. He has sold more than 5 million books in quantity to
Fortune 500 corporations, including Disney, Reebok, NBC, Abbott
Labs, Pfizer, US Healthplans, Subway and many others.

Want to learn how he does it–and how you, too, can get started
selling your books by the truckload to big companies?

You’re invited to a free telephone seminar on Thursday, Sept. 10,
to hear Steve Harrison interview Matthew about his proven methods
and system for selling tons of books. Register at
http://www.freepublicity.com/mattbennett/?10011

=================================
4. Marketing an Indie Movie
=================================

This week, eight Publicity Hounds have tips for Maria Antonia, of
New York, N.Y. on how to market the movie “Under Jakob’s Ladder.
Set in the Soviet Union in 1941, it’s based on a true story about
a man who was thrown into prison for praying at a funeral.

From Janine Libbey:

Nia Vardalos (of ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding’ fame) used Twitter to
promote a new movie recently. She tweeted details about it and
also included a link to the trailer in her Twitter profile. To
see what she did, follow her on twitter:
http://www.Twitter.com/NiaVardalos.

From Jackie O’Neal:

You may want to consider starting a social networking site
related to the film on Ning.com. It’s free and you can blog about
the film, add videos, invite others to the site, but best of all,
use the “Share” feature to promote on multiple social networking
sites with just a click.

From Maggy Whitehouse:

“Jakob’s Ladder is one of the diagrams used by Kabbalists
worldwide. Hundreds of thousands of people are aware of it as a
symbol. Assuming that there is a Jewish character in the movie
(the man who prayed?) and if there is any mystical aspect, then
it can be spread around the world on Kabbalistic email lists (I
have one) and promoted that way on Facebook, etc.

The Publicity Hound says:

Jackie O’Neal also suggested using Animoto, the cool program that
turns still photos into videos. Animoto just introduced a new
feature that now allows users to insert video clips, too. I raved
about Animoto and suggested ways you can use it to produce fast,
snazzy videos–even if you have no technical abilities. Read more
about Animoto at http://budurl.com/mqmu or go over to their
website and take a free test drive at http://www.budurl.com/zlye

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

Karma Bennett, a publicist for Ulysses Press, asks:

“My company is publishing a compilation of zombie stories. It
will be a direct-to-trade-paperback, so I can’t get reviews in
the leading periodicals that review fiction since it isn’t coming
out in hardback.

“Some, but not all, of the stories have never been printed
before. The editor is not local and, although the compilation
does include some of fiction?s biggest names–Steven King, Clive
Barker, Harlan Ellison, H.P. Lovecraft, Richard Matheson,
Christopher Fowler, Robert E. Howard and Joe Hill–I don’t think
they will be responsive to interview queries.

“We are only just starting to venture into releasing fiction and
I’m not sure how to go about this. I can’t get reviews. I can’t
get interviews. But the topic is zombies, which are so popular
now because of movies like World War Z, 28 Days Later, the film
version of Pride & Prejudice, and Zombies.

“Can your Hounds suggest ideas for publicity?’

The Publicity Hound says:

The popularity of all those zombie movies is a huge plus, and it
will make it easier for my Hounds to suggest ideas for publicity.
If you have a great idea for Karma, share it at my blog at
http://budurl.com/ujvz

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

Thanks to Darlene Arden, of Framingham, Mass., for this one:

A man wrote a letter to a small hotel in a Midwest town he
planned to visit on his vacation. He asked if it would be OK if
he brought his well-groomed and well-behaved dog. The hotel owner
sent him this immediate reply:

“I’ve been operating this hotel for many years. In all that time,
I’ve never had a dog steal towels, bedclothes, silverware or
pictures off the walls. I’ve never had to evict a dog in the
middle of the night for being drunk and disorderly. And I’ve
never had a dog run out on a hotel bill. Yes, indeed, your dog is
welcome at my hotel. And, if your dog will vouch for you, you’re
welcome to stay here, too.”

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

           The Publicity Hound’s
              Tips of the Week
           Issue #467 Sept. 1, 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. Texting in the Dentist’s Chair

2. Pull Traffic to Your Blog

3. The Gift List is Back

4. Marketing a Beef Ranch

5. Help This Hound

6. Hound Joke of the Week

7. And at My Blog…

=====================================
1. Texting in the Dentist’s Chair
=====================================

Text messaging has become so pervasive that in a recent study,
four out of five dentists said patients send or receive text
messages while in the dentist’s chair.

When the Chicago Dental Society took the survey, Dr. Alice
Boghosian, a dentist from Niles, Ill., reported that one of
her patients, a young boy, told her to stop what she was doing
when he heard his phone beep. You can read more about the survey
results at http://budurl.com/wtww

Compulsive texting, and how your company or organization is
dealing with it, is a great story to pitch to journalists and
bloggers.

–What’s the texting policy in the classroom? Pitch this as part
of back-to-school coverage.

–Are people texting during worship services? If so, is anybody
doing anything to stop it?

–What’s the policy regarding texting among doctors, nurses and
other health care providers while on duty?

–Can compulsive text messaging lead to carpal tunnel syndrome?
Doctors and chiropractors, are texters complaining about wrist
and hand pain?

–Speakers and sales trainers, do you admonish those who text
during your presentations? Does shaming them do any good?

If you can think of other story ideas that tie into texting,
pitch!

You can still participate in social media without letting it
consume you. Blogger BL Ochman, an active social networker,
explains “How to do Social Networking, Run a Business and Still
Have a Life.” See http://budurl.com/7gck

=======================================
2. Pull Traffic to Your Blog
=======================================

Dismayed by the skimpy traffic visiting your blog or website?

Colin Martin has a fairly easy solution.

Several months ago, he wrote a blog post about celebrity gossip.
Then he went to Digg.com, the giant social bookmarking site, and
bookmarked it.

After that, the post got three more Diggs from other users. A
blogger who he doesn’t know, went to the Digg site, found Colin’s
blog post, and wrote about it at his own blog. It included a link
to Colin’s post.

“That person’s blog was so incredibly popular that my blog post
got 185 views that day,” Colin says. “My Friends on Digg didn’t
generate the Diggs and views, but because I bookmarked it there,
and made the content available, this blogger who I don’t even
know was able to go in, find it, and put it on his own blog and
link back to me.”

By checking his web traffic statistics, Colin was able to tell
that 185 people came to his blog as a result of his bookmark on
Digg.

You, too, can let other people  do all the hard work. You can do
the easy part and spend five or 10 minutes a week bookmarking
interesting content, including your own.

But you must follow several important rules. Colin explained the
formula he uses for bookmarking his own content vs. content from
other people during the teleseminar I hosted on “How to do Social
Bookmarking to Promote Your Expertise, Attract Followers & Pull
Massive Amounts of Traffic.” Learn more about it at
http://budurl.com/mdn5

========================================
3. The Gift List is Back
========================================

If you have a subscription to The Gift List but have been unable
to reach their staff, it’s because they evacuated their offices
near Los Angeles for several days due to the wild fires.

“We are back in the office and will be unpacked shortly,” said
Amy Bates Stumpf. “The winds have changed and the smoke isn’t an
issue for us. However the fire is still a very serious threat to
the area.

“We apologize for the intermittent brief outages on the
Gift List Media site and expect them to be resolved very shortly.

Contact information for both the Print & Broadcast and Web & Blog
lists should be fully loaded by Tuesday morning, Sept. 1.

Research on The Gift List databases is continuing, and the staff
will let subscribers know about new pitching opportunities for
media that are planning special coverage of holiday gift-giving.
This is a great opportunity to get a photo and press release
about your product or service in front of your target audience.
Test drive The Gift List at http://snipurl.com/GiftListMedia

=================================
4. Marketing a Beef Ranch
=================================

This week, four Publicity Hounds have tips for Jeff Clear, of
Monument, Colo., who does Internet marketing for Lasater
Grassland Beef, a grass-fed beef ranch. He is searching for more
ways to reach his target market online.

From Wendy Edsall-Kerwin:

“Try to find blogs aimed at foodies or health-conscious moms, and
see if you can guest post or submit recipes calling for your
grass-fed beef.”

From Christine Roen:

“Check out the blog attached to Foodnetwork.com and the
‘community’ at EatingWell.com. Start a blog of your own or a
newsletter. Finally, how about participating in the Forum
section on the Whole Foods site?”

From Laura Mackenzie:

“You might want to create some press releases or articles that
tell people why your food is a good choice instead of all these
tainted foods, and then explain, point by point, why your beef is
so healthy.”

The Publicity Hound says:

Read all the responses to this week’s Help This Hound question at
http://budurl.com/ejze and then check out “Publicity Tips for
Restaurants, Chefs & Foodies” at http://budurl.com/hyv8

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

Maria Antonia, of New York, N.Y., writes:

“I volunteer for a small independent film company based in New
York, NY. We recently completed filming for a feature film
called ‘Under Jakob’s Ladder’. Set in the Soviet Union in 1941,
it’s based on a true story about a man who was thrown into prison
for praying at a funeral.

“We’re still editing the movie and it’s almost ready to be
screened. How can we spread the word that this movie is coming
soon?

“Any ideas for unique and intriguing ways that we can use our
blog, website, and our Facebook page to get people interested?
What would make YOU want to go see an independent feature film
that doesn’t have oodles of money for advertisements? Remember,
we’re not studio backed. Right now, we’re looking at releasing
this movie ourselves and booking our own theaters.”

The Publicity Hound says:

You have a great blog at http://amoonbrothersfilm.blogspot.com/
that keeps fans updated while you’re making the movie. Let’s see
how many ideas my Hounds can suggest for other ways to attract
the attention of people who don’t yet know about the movie.

Hounds with creative ideas for Maria can post them at my blog at
http://budurl.com/d42w

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

I couldn’t help but smile when I read this profile story of
Chanel, the world’s oldest dog:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30596398/  The dachshund mix from
Long Island, N.Y., died Friday at age 21.

Chanel, by the way, wore “doggles” for her cataracts and lived to
a ripe old age despite downing an entire bag of peanut butter
cups.

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…
================================

Sept. 11 deadline for O Magazine pitches
http://budurl.com/3bvj

————————————

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