Publicity tips/Use Craigslist to promote February 14, 2006

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #281 - February 14, 2006
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.net (Blog)
The Publicity Hound®

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"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"
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NEW TELESEMINAR: How to Use Craigslist as a Global Publicity Tool
Time: 4 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, February 22

In this 70-minute teleseminar, you'll learn how to use Craigslist--a free website that features community classified ads and forums, to target publicity about your product, service, cause or issue to specific cities in the U.S., Canada and around the world.

To register or order the CD or electronic transcript: http://www.PublicityHound.com/teleseminar.htm

See Item #1 below
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In This Issue
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1. Use Craigslist to Promote

2. Valentine's Day Ideas

3. Attention "Oprah" Authors

4. Try a Publicity Stunt

5. How to Market Networking Seminars

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. And at My Blog...

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1. Use Craigslist to Promote
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If you’re looking for a job, an apartment, a date, or people in your own community with common interests, you probably already know about Craigslist.

But did you realize you can also use these f~ree online community classifieds and forums to promote an event, announce a new employee, advertise a workshop months before it will be held, publicize an award, announce your new book, find people to attend your events, and enhance your visibility in specific cities in the U.S. and around the world?

Just about anything you publicize in the traditional media is worth publicizing someplace on Craigslist, a trustworthy, efficient, relatively non-commercial place for folks to find all the basics in their local area. Each month, more than 10 million people generate more than 3 billion page views.

Nancy Mills, a former journalist, was telling me last week about how she uses Craigslist for publicity. I was so intrigued with her command of this popular forum--and the creative way she uses it for publicity--that I invited her to join me on a teleseminar next week so we can share the information with Publicity Hounds who want one more weapon for their publicity arsenal.

For years, Nancy was a successful publicist in Beverly Hills. Later, she moved over to the media side of the business and became a well-known freelance journalist, writing for such publications as The Hollywood Reporter and MORE magazine. Now she's an inspirational writer for women, a workshop leader, and the founder of Spirited Woman, a very inspired woman's empowerment community at http://www.TheSpiritedWoman.com.

Nancy knows the importance of publicity--from all angles. That's why she's a true believer in Craigslist and thinks it's an invaluable source of free publicity for her business. She "spins her post" from city to city, keeps her ads updated and fresh, and cherry-picks certain cities where the publicity will do her the most good, depending on what she's promoting. She also uses Craigslist to increase the community recognition of her business, create more sales, get better search engine optimization and localize generic news.

But using the service is a little tricky. Break the rules and you could be banned. Forget a detail here or there and you could miss out on massive exposure.

"Craigslist must be included in your company's ongoing public relations and marketing strategy or you'll miss out," she says.

Seats for this teleseminar are limited. You can register or buy the CD or electronic transcript at http://www.PublicityHound.com/teleseminar.htm

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2. Valentine's Day Ideas
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It's too late for most of you to get into the news today by using a Valentine's Day pitch, but remind yourself to start pitching Valentine's Day ideas early enough next year.

Here are some creative ways others have piggybacked onto Valentine's Day:

--Friday's Wall Street Journal included an interesting article about how February 14 is the perfect opportunity for private investigators to catch their clients' cheating spouses. The cheaters unintentionally sprinkle all sorts of little clues along the way. They drive to a rendezvous unaware that a detective is following them, or that they will be photographed in public with their secret sweetie. Other cheaters sometimes use a credit card to pay for gifts for Number Two, thus allowing the purchases to show up on their credit card statements.

--Yesterday's Dear Abby column included a letter from Sheryl Cates, executive director of the National Domestic Violence Hotline, reminding us that for many women whose husbands and boyfriends abuse them, Valentine's Day is filled with fear, anxiety and violence. The association tied its message into Valentine's Day and, as a result, got exposure in thousands of newspapers around the world.

--Yesterday's column written by syndicated humor columnist D.L. Stewart featured the book "The 50 Most Romantic Things Ever Done" by Dini von Mueffling. I don't know if von Mueffling pitched the book idea to Stewart (no relation), but I know for a fact that columnists are always looking for timely topics that tie into the holidays. Keep columnists in mind and tie your pitch to the holidays.

--My friend Barbara Bartlein, author of "Why Did I Marry You Anyway?" already has done 10 radio interviews and has four more planned for today as a result of a news release she sent that ties in with Valentine's Day. "I always end the interviews letting the listeners know that I have a free quiz called "How is The Health of Your Relationship?" on my website at http://www.whydidimarryyouanyway.com/marriagequizzes.html That drives traffic and sales. I do get ezine sign-ups and I see an immediate increase in sales."

If you missed out on this holiday, don't forget the next one. "116 WOW!Story Ideas from January through June" gives you the heads-up on opportunities galore for print, broadcast and online publicity. The CD comes with a list of all 116 ideas that you can download and be reading as soon as your order is approved. Read more about what you'll learn at http://tinyurl.com/6k7zk

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3. Attention "Oprah" Authors
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Does an author's appearance on "Oprah" automatically guarantee fame and fortune?

My good friend Dan Janal, president of PR Leads, a company that provides leads from working journalists, and a former journalist himself, is skeptical.

Last week, he posted a blog item at http://prleads.com/blog/2006/02/take-oprah-pr-leads-challenge.html in which he doubted whether any author could sell more than $10,000 worth of books after just one appearance on "Oprah."

He isn't talking about the authors like Jacqueline Mitchard or James Frey whose books are chosen for Oprah's Book of the Month Club. Rather, he is referring to all the other ones who appear on the show, then are lucky enough to have Oprah mention their books or, even better, hold up the books in front of the camera and maybe even discuss them.

"I don't know ANYONE who went on Oprah and sold 10,000 books to catapult themselves to best-sellers status on a truly legitimate Best-Seller List, with the exception of the authors Oprah selected for her Book Club," Dan wrote. "But I could be wrong."

So here's the challenge. And he's even willing to make it easy for you.

If you have sold $10,000 worth of books--not 10,000 books--from one appearance on "Oprah," send Dan proof and you'll get a year of PR LEADS for free. At $25 per copy, that's only 400 copies, an amount that many speakers can sell from the back of the room at one speaking engagement. He'll also tell your story at his blog.

"If I'm really off target, I'll limit this offer to the first five people who respond with proof," he says.

Even though his original deadline was last Friday, he's extending it to this Friday for Publicity Hounds only.

Send your proof to him at mailto:dan@prleads.com and you could win a subscription to PR Leads. See his blog for full details.

If Dan is right, and nobody can prove they sold $10,000 worth of books on "Oprah," I have just the answer. There's always big radio shows which, if done right, can make your books fly out of your fulfillment center. "Get Booked on Big Radio Shows in the Top 20 Markets" walks you step-by-step through the process of booking yourself on a big radio show so you can sell thousands of dollars in books or other products. Alex Carroll, a veteran guest of 1,264 radio talk shows, tells you exactly how it's done--without an expensive publicist. Read more about what you'll learn on this CD at http://tinyurl.com/asgyx

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4. Try a Publicity Stunt
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Thanks to Jeff Crilley, an Emmy Award-winning TV reporter from Dallas, Texas for letting me excerpt this tip from his ezine:

A disc jockey in Dallas named Alan Kabel knew he couldn’t fight the media attention being given to opening day for the Texas Rangers. So he came up with an angle to complement the coverage--and suddenly it was a whole new ball game. Alan sent out a news release announcing that in a show of support for the Rangers, he and his morning show co-host would be sitting in every seat in the ballpark on the day before opening day.

Pure publicity stunt, right? You bet it was. But you know what? It was so timely no one could pass it up. To use a baseball analogy, Alan hit a grand slam. Every TV station in town showed up to cover his stunt. Alan knew the TV folks would be out at the ballpark that day anyway doing a preview of opening day, and all of them would be looking for an angle. It was either get video of Alan going from seat-to-seat in the 50,000-seat ballpark or interview the head groundskeeper on field conditions. He had the right story at the right time. If he had tried it on opening day, the game itself would have overshadowed his stunt. Two days before--he would have been too early. The day after opening day? Too late. When it comes to news, timing is truly everything. Jeff's book Free Publicity, chock full of ideas just like this one, is available at http://www.jeffcrilley.com

OK, Hounds, so you're going to steal Alan Kabel's idea. No problem. Just make sure you know how to get through to the right person at your local TV station. "How to Get Booked on the Local TV News Tomorrow" tells you how to know exactly which person inside each TV newsroom makes the decision about what gets on the air. The CD or electronic transcript explains how to pitch, the kinds of other ideas TV stations are hungry for, and how to get great coverage for holidays, seasonal events and even business topics. Read more about what you'll learn at http://tinyurl.com/4zpuz

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5. How to Promote Networking Seminars
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This week, four Publicity Hounds have tips for Corinne Donlin of San Francisco, California, who needs ideas on how to promote networking seminars for real estate agents, financial planners, salespeople, insurance agents and other business people.

From Ankesh Kotheri:

"Get an elephant and sell elephant rides a few days before the seminar. Donate all the money to charity. And pitch a story of how you "networked" to get an elephant in town for a good cause. Drop in a few hints of how you can teach others to network like a pro too if they attend a seminar to be given in a few days time. (OK, so you might not be able to get an elephant but you get the idea--do something outrageous before the seminar for a good cause. And promote that outrageous event by pitching how you pulled it off because of your networking skills.)"

From Phyllis Cambria:

"We contacted the local professional associations that many of these people belong to. They are usually non-profit groups and have to raise money for their own purposes. So we presented proposals explaining the seminar and how it would benefit their members and how, if they agreed to promote the seminar to their members, we would give them a percentage of the ticket sales from any of their members who attend. They literally jumped at the opportunity."

From Lorie McClory:

"As a chamber of commerce executive, I am trying to figure out why we have poor turnout at our social events (Business After Hours). After talking with some very outgoing individuals, I found out they don’t attend because they don’t know how to network. What a great topic for a chamber of commerce to promote! Join your local chamber and offer your seminars."

Read all the comments, or add your own, at http://www.PublicityHound.net/?p=489

My "Special Report #21: 67 Great Publicity Tips for Professional Speakers" offers lots of ideas on how you can generate interest and publicity for your programs. Stop relying only on expensive press kits and cold-calling. Follow many of these tricks and meeting planners will start contacting you. Order at http://tinyurl.com/6uz9g

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6. Help This Hound
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Publicity Hound Jon Merz of Albany, New York writes:

"I have an idea for a great publicity campaign for McDonald's or Burger King that invoices partnering with my business. The problem is, these companies say they don't accept unsolicited publicity ideas. My question is this: how do I get some type of audience with them to pitch this idea? I know movies somehow partner with these big companies all the time, so there must be some system to it. I just don't know what it is. Can you or any of your other Hounds help?"

The Publicity Hound says: Media Mutts would just give up. But Publicity Hounds are a persistent bunch. Hounds with idea on how Jon can get in front of McDonald's or Burger King can post them at my blog at http://publicityhound.net/?p=464

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7. Hound Joke of the Week
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My dog chewed the tongue on one of my new, very expensive running shoes. I hoped to save my investment, so I took the sneakers to a shoe repair shop. I placed them on the counter and told the man, "My dog got hold of this."

The repairman picked up the shoe, looked it over, and placed it back down on the counter.

"Well, what do you recommend?" I asked.

He looked at me and replied, "Give your dog the other shoe."

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/

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7. And at My Blog...
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Here's what you can read in recent posts at my blog:

--Blogging for publicity? Here are 5 tips on how to write a better bloghttp://publicityhound.net/?p=495

--New publicity leads posted for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and graduation giftshttp://publicityhound.net/?p=494

--Fitness, weight loss still big during February sweeps--and ‘Oprah’ says sohttp://publicityhound.net/?p=493

--Archive of past issues of this newsletter http://publicityarticles.net/archive/

My blog at http://www.publicityhound.net/ has 20 categories so you can read only items on whatever publicity-related topics interest you. Click on the blue "Topics" bar on the right side.
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Where to Meet or Hear The Publicity Hound®:

March 22: Waukesha, Wisconsin

2006 Micro Entrepreneur Expo, "How to Get F~ree Publicity," Part 1 from 5:30-6:15 and Part 2 from 8-8:45 PM, Waukesha Area Technical College; pre-registration $25 or $30 at the door (includes dinner). To register, call 262-695-3468.


May 16: Washington, D.C.

I'll be hosting a half-day public seminar called "Savvy Media Relations: How to Use Your Expertise to Get Thousands of Dollars in F~ree Publicity." Don't miss out on the early bird sign-up. Read all about it at http://www.Publicityhound.com/washingtondc.htm


May 17: Washington, D.C.

PMA University, Washington D.C. Convention Center. Robin Bartlett and I will present "Advanced Website Tricks to Pull More Traffic and Sell, Sell, Sell," 8:30-10:00 a.m. Sponsored by Publishers Marketing Association.


May 18: Washington, D.C.

PMA University, Washington, D.C. Convention Center. Penny Sansevieri and I will present "How to Turn Your Ezine into a Cash Machine." Sponsored by Publishers Marketing Association. 8:30-10:15 a.m. Details pending.

***If you're in the National Speakers Association or the Public Relations Society of America--or another business, marketing or PR group--and you want details on how to bring in The Publicity Hound to do a fund-raiser for your chapter, or you want me to host a teleseminar customized just for your group, contact me at mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com?subject=speaker_inquiry or call 262-284-7451.

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Joan Stewart
a.k.a. The Publicity Hound®
3434 County KK Port Washington, WI 53074
U.S.A.
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