Publicity tips/Write better press releases August 29, 2006

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #308 - August 29, 2006
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.net (Blog)
The Publicity Hound®

Circulation: 21,178

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"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"
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Inflight Magazine Contact Info Updated:

I just completed the annual update of all contact information for "Special Report #29: Fly High with Publicity in the Inflight Magazines." It includes all the information we could find--including editors' names, mailing addresses, emails, phone numbers, websites, pitching tips--for 42 inflight magazines, including many oveseas carriers. I'm raising the price on this report in the next few weeks because we keep adding so much information to it. So get it today before the increase.

See Item #3 below.
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In This Issue
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1. Write Better Press Releases

2. 'Thanks' Campaign Brilliant

3. Wanted: Road Warriors

4. Punk Principal

5. How to Promote a Podcast

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. And at my Blog...

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1. Write Better Press Releases
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David Meerman Scott says that when he used to work as a reporter, he never read a press release, then wrote a story directly from the release.

If he liked what he read, he'd pick up the phone and call the person for an interview. Come to think of it, when I worked as a reporter, I never wrote a story directly from a press release either.

David also says that he never once lifted a quote directly from a press release and used it for his article. If he wanted a quote, he'd call the source so that the quote he got was different.

Ditto for me. I'd never lift a quote directly from a press release because I didn't want it look like the same quote all the other reporters used.

Why, then, are many of you wasting valuable real estate on your press releases with what I call B.S. quotes, usually from the CEO? I can almost predict what most of those quotes look like:

"The ABC Widget Company is proud and delighted to be able to provide our customers with an important new widget that will dramatically increase the capabilities of our clients' manufacturing processes so that blah-blah-blah-blah-blah...."

Your CEO doesn't talk like that, so why do you quote him like that? Besides, that quote adds nothing to the press release.

David, an author and an expert in online marketing, says smart Publicity Hounds should be concentrating instead on press releases that are rich with keywords and keywords phrases that people would use if they were doing a Google search for the kinds of products and services you sell. That way, when you post the press releases online, you can snag potential customers who can buy from you directly, even if no journalists ever cover your company.

Your releases should also have a specific goal in mind--whether it's leading buyers directly to the product catalog at your website or encouraging them to sign up for your electronic newsletter. David shared more great tips during a 70-minute interview I conducted with him recently called "The New Rules of Press Releases: How to Write Them for Buyers, Not Only Journalists." It's available as a CD or an electronic transcript that you can download immediately.

If you've signed up for my free tutorial called "89 Ways to Write Powerful Press Releases" and you don't have 89 days to spend to learn the new rules, this CD or the electronic transcript will get you up to speed very quickly. It's the perfect complement to my course. Read more about what you'll learn at http://tinyurl.com/ndwfo

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2. 'Thanks' Campaign Brilliant
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Regardless of what you think of the war in Iraq, the interactive "Let's Say Thanks" campaign, created by Xerox as a way for people to send postcards of thanks to the troops overseas, is brilliant.

Here's how it works. You go to their website at http://www.letssaythanks.com/ and choose your favorite postcard design, all created by kids, from a selection that scrolls across the screen. You click on your favorite and write a personal message to a soldier. Xerox prints the postcard and mails it in care packages sent by the military support organization Give2theTroops to troops in Iraq, Egypt, Kosovo and elsewhere.

The postcard designs, submitted by youths 6 to 14, will continue to rotate with new artwork. So kids, teachers, children's organizations and volunteers can all get into the act by turning this into a class project. Read the rules at the "Submit a Design" page at http://www.letssaythanks.com/SubmitDesign.html

The website even has a long list of media hits about the project at http://www.letssaythanks.com/News.html If your student or school submits a design that's chosen, count on some fabulous publicity. Thanks to Publicity Hound Lori Lisi for tipping me off to this great idea.

This is the time of year when the PR machines at schools, colleges and universities are cranking on all cylinders. "Special Report #15: Publicity Tips for Schools, Colleges and Universities" shows you how to position your school to be heard, how to maximize your resources, tie into national events, educate your school about the media, educate the media about your school, and develop strategies for an effective op-ed program. Order at http://tinyurl.com/olqx4


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3. Wanted: Road Warriors
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Life on the road is a sport, and American Way inflight magazine is looking for a real MVP to win the 5th Annual American Way Road Warrior Search.

Just think of the great publicity you'll get if you win this one. Once you've completed the contact information and multiple choice questions, get ready to have some real Road Warrior fun! This year's entry form includes a beautiful travel montage (how many places can you identify?), a great travel Mad Lib (see the results after you've submitted your entry), one all-important essay question about your unique Road Warrior perspective, and a bonus question that involves writing your own top 10 list. You can also upload an image to your entry to really impress the judges.

The Grand Prize winner will score 2 million Hilton bonus award points that can be used at more than 2,800 participating Hilton Family hotels worldwide, plus 1 million AADVANTAGE® miles to get you where you want to go.

Other prizes include a Bose home entertainment system, trips to Hawaii, laptop computers, and a subscription for Wi-Fi Internet service.

The deadline to enter is 11:59 p.m. Central Time on Thursday, Aug. 31. Official rules and the entry form are at http://tinyurl.com/em5fj

If you don't win, there are other ways to get into American Way inflight magazine. Contact information and pitching tips for American Way and 41 other inflight magazines are in the new, updated "Special Report #29: Fly High with Publicity in the Inflight Magazines." Order at http://tinyurl.com/n3pk4

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4. Punk Principal
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Here's a great publicity stunt for schools and perhaps even a company whose CEO is brave enough.

The boss issues a challenge, then agrees to do something outrageous if the challenge is met.

For example, tell your football team that if they win the first four games this year, the coach will run 10 laps around the football field in front of the entire school. If your sales team surpasses this month's goals by at least 20 percent, the sales manager will cook each sales person a gourmet dinner at their homes. I'm sure you can come up with far better examples.

I got the idea when I saw the photo of the Punk Principal in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Scroll about halfway down the page and check out the photo on the right side: http://tinyurl.com/gqcd8

The photo shows Boca Raton High School Principal Geoff McKee getting a Mohawk after he had made a promise to students for their achievement in beating another school district in a Florida state assessment test.

When I worked as a newspaper editor, we'd often print photos like this one. But we'd use just a caption if there wasn't enough other information to warrant an article.

What kind of challenge can your CEO, coach, president, executive director or other Big Cheese issue? If the media won't cover the publicity stunt, take your own photos and submit them to newspapers and magazines and post them on the Internet. "How to Use Photos & Graphics in Your Publicity Campaign" shows you how to take your own photos that are media-ready.

It will save you hours of time and aggravation researching what kind of photo equipment to buy, and it will give you creative ideas for adding visuals to your publicity campaign. A recent study I saw by a PR firm showed that more than 90 percent of the journalists surveyed said a photo or graphic significantly improves your chances for coverage. Learn more about the ebook at http://tinyurl.com/m7zq2

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5. How to Promote a Podcast
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This week, five Publicity Hounds have ideas for Kit Behling of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She wanted to know how to promote a podcast for "Single Married Widowed Divorced" women. Their website is at http://tinyurl.com/hl5mc

From Tim Gordon:

"Send keyword-loaded press releases to sites such as PRWeb.com. These these can help bring curiosity seekers and media folks to your podcast.

"But most important, when your potential listeners arrive, make it as easy as possible for them to listen or download. Many people don’t want to download an MP3 because they are on a dial-up, so make sure you have an ‘instant-streaming’ solution, such as a flash-player optimized for 56K streaming. That way, people can click and instantly listen without waiting for a long download."

From Jeff Stimson:

"To whomever you plan to send a podcast, start a month or so beforehand with a simple text or Word emailed release spelling out your effort--and, maybe more importantly, what a podcast is and how listeners can hear them. (I advise only emailing for releases on this subject because anybody who can’t figure out email isn’t going to be a good cast prospect, anyway.) I’ve found that once they have it put plainly to them, would-be listeners are enthusiastic about tuning in, and after a while even regard podcasts as easier ways to take in information than reading! (Note from The Publicity Hound: Make sure you have permission to email them.)

From Lois Carter Fay at MarketingIdeaShop.com:

"I can see that the others covered some of the basics, but what I noticed is you don't have an ezine. Start sending out a weekly ezine with updates and additional information. Also submit articles to places that run them--EzineArticles.com comes to mind--that support your podcasting message to draw your listeners in.

The Publicity Hound says:

Kit, start blogging on your topic. A blog pulls in traffic like a giant magnet. Read Don Crowther's excellent ebook "Blogging for Business" at http://tinyurl.com/7fjrk

Read all the responses at http://tinyurl.com/j5cy8


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6. Help This Hound
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Jennifer Perry of Atlanta, Georgia writes:

"My client, Pam Weeks, wrote and produced the 'Pam & Buffy' television shows for children for years. You can learn more at http://www.pamandbuffy.com/ The show is now distributed nationally by NIMCO, an education products company. Buffy is a 6-foot sheepdog costumed character and performed a live interactive show with Pam for 15 years at the American Adventures, a family entertainment park.

"Pam is in negotiations to create a new season of shows at a station in Tennessee and does special live shows around Atlanta at schools and churches. They do a lot of charity work, such as getting emergency dental work for children of very poor families.

"I can’t seem to get Pam & Buffy in any of the local media in Atlanta. They aren’t edgy and hip but just too wholesome. Sometimes I think if Buffy smoked crack and Pam made rude body sounds, I could get them the cover of anything in Atlanta. But shows that teach responsibility, courtesy and kindness are, to use a movie term, box office poison. I’ve tried the local papers, magazines, even Atlanta Parent--zip, zero, zilch, nada!

"Can your Hounds help a fellow Hound in need?

The Publicity Hound says: You be they can! And they'll particularly love the fact that Buffy is a 6-foot sheepdog. Hounds with great ideas on how Jennifer can crack the Atlanta media can post comments to my blog at http://tinyurl.com/ob6u4

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7. Hound Joke of the Week
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Thanks to Judith Reppucci of Cape Cod, Massachusetts for this one.

FORD’S NEWEST MODELS:

The Ford Mutt (built from parts all over the world)

The Ford Schnauzer (originally a Porsche)

The Ford Pit Bull (oversized engine)

The Ford Collie (new feature: if lost, it will find its way home)

The Ford Greyhound (looks suspiciously like a bus)

The Ford Poodle (chick car)

The Ford Labrador (keeps going off the road looking for trees to expel fluid on)

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.


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8. And at My Blog...
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Newsday publicity is easier
with editor's pitching tips
http://tinyurl.com/zhk8c

Book promotion:
50 ideas for under $50
http://tinyurl.com/hrrx4

Online tools for journalists:
Here are top 3
http://tinyurl.com/g9ovr

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Where to Meet or Hear The Publicity Hound®

March 17, 2007: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

"Savvy Media Relations: How to Get FREE Print, Broadcast and Online Publicity." 8 a.m. to noon. Details pending.

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Joan Stewart
a.k.a. The Publicity Hound®
3434 County KK
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Phone: 262-284-7451 (Central) Fax: 262-284-1737