Publicity tips/Celebrity endorsements October 31, 2006

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #317 - Oct. 31, 2006
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.net (Blog)
The Publicity Hound®

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In This Issue
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1. Celebrity Endorsements

2. Collect Editorial Calendars

3. Media Leads

4. Research Before You Pitch

5. Financial Services for Small Biz

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Quote of the Week

8. And at My Blog...


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1. Celebrity Endorsements
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When Jacqueline Marcell wrote a book about her struggles caring for her father, who had Alzheimer's Disease, she knew how important it was to collect celebrity endorsements for the book.

Jacqueline already had known Regis Philbin from her days working in the TV industry. But she feared that if she approached him to ask for an endorsement, he might view her as a pest.
She mustered up her courage and asked anyway. Regis said yes and gave her this endorsement that's now at the top of the front cover:

"I thought I knew Jacqueline until I read her book. Wow, what a story! If you're caring for an elder, you won't believe how much this book will help you."

That gave her the confidence she needed to collect dozens more celebrity endorsements for her book "Elder Rage--How to Survive Taking Care of Aging Parents." It also goes by the title "Take My Father...Please!"

After a long, painstaking and expensive task that made her feel like an amateur detective, she eventually received endorsements from this impressive list of celebs:

Jacqueline Bissett, Janet Leigh, Betty Friedan, Ed Asner, Ed McMahon, Hayley Mills, Joan Rivers, Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV, Tom Hayden, Leeza Gibbons, Art Linkletter and Erin Brockovich.

That's just a small sample. You can read the entire list and see the photo of Jacqueline and her book on the cover of the AARP Bulletin at her website at http://www.elderrage.com/ The book eventually became a Book-of-the-Month selection and is being considered for a movie.

Along the way, Jacqueline learned how to penetrate the invisible wall that protects the stars and makes them almost impossible to reach. She learned exactly who makes up a celebrity's inner circle. And she discovered how to use those people to get through to the stars and starlets for their valuable testimonials and endorsements.

She lays out her strategy in step-by-step detail for ContactAnyCelebrity.com, the subscription service that maintains a database of contact information for more than 54,000 movie and TV stars, sports figures, famous politicians and even reality TV celebrities. The November/December issue of The Publicity Hound subscription newsletter explains how you can hear the entire interview with Jacqueline for only $1.

The issue also includes an article by Jordan McAuley, creator of ContactAnyCelebrity.com, about how to get celebrity endorsements for a book. Other articles explain how an entrepreneur piggybacked off the YouTube sale, how to promote a special event through public speaking, a new magazine devoted to breast cancer, where to find examples of promotional campaigns in more than 30 industries, where to find great headlines for your how-to articles, how to use MySpace as a publicity tool, tips for writing a creative one-page bio, where to download a free White Paper on pitching, how to pitch Men's Health magazine, and November and December story ideas. The newsletter is $10. Order at http://tinyurl.com/vwowp


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2. Collect Editorial Calendars
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Most newspapers and magazines are putting the finishing touches on their 2007 editorial calendars.

An editorial calendar is the January-to-December list of all special sections and topics that are being planned for next year. It alerts advertisers to the sections where their ads would be the best fit. But editorial calendars can be equally valuable to Publicity Hounds who don't want to spend a penny on advertising.

An editorial calendar tips you off months ahead of time to the sections where you can place stories or how-to articles. Then you can find out which editor is responsible for the section, and ask about the deadline for pitching. Knowing this information will put you miles ahead of your competitors who don't even know about editorial calendars or won't bother to ask for them.

To obtain an editorial calendar, call the publication's advertising department. In fact, ask for the entire media kit which might include other information like pitching tips, the demographics of the circulation area and other goodies.

When you're creating next year's media plan, don't start from scratch. That's the hard way. Knowing ahead of time the types of stories that print and broadcast media love will put you miles ahead of your competitors. I teamed up with TV reporter Shawne Duperon and we brainstormed 219 story ideas the media love.

Some are perfect for print but not broadcast, and vice-versa. Many work just as well for both. We're offering them as CDs that include a downloadable list of every idea, or as downloadable transcripts that also include the list. Read more about what you'll learn from each here:

"116 WOW! Story ideas from January through June":
http://tinyurl.com/6k7zk

"103 Sizzling Story Ideas from July through December":
http://tinyurl.com/54y6f

Smart Publicity Hounds will steal as many of these ideas as possible.


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3. Media Leads
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--USA TODAY reporter Jon Swartz is working on a project on online baking and wants to interview small business people who have lost $15,000 or less to online fraud in the past year. "If you were a victim, can you please share your experience with me and our readers? This would be an illuminating, and cautionary, tale on online Banking." Mailto:jhopkins@usatoday.com?subject=Online_Banking_Source


--Ann Lombardi and Wendy Swartzell, radio hosts/veteran travel consultants, are finishing their book and looking for your best travel secrets and your top questions for a team of travel experts. "We'd like to hear about your own unusual tips or find out your #1 burning question about travel in North America or overseas." From accommodations and airlines to restaurants, packing, etc., the book covers many aspects of the experience. Mailto:TheTripChicks@mindspring.com?subject=TravelBookSubmission

If they include your quotes in the book, you will receive a free copy and you'll be entered in a drawing for a $100 gift certificate. (Valid only in the U.S.; void where prohibited.) They'll also mention your name, city, state and website in the book, or you can remain anonymous.

--Judith S. Lederman, editor of The WAG in New York, Westchester's premiere gabazine, wants "unique and interesting items that would appeal to our age 40+, affluent, cultured and trend-conscious suburban readers." The "Tips & Trends" column is usually short-takes covering gifts, foods, trendy items, etc., with "where to buy" information at the end of the piece. "If you’d like to send samples, we will accept them for consideration, but due to our small staff, cannot send things back."

Items covered in the past include floral foot soak, fashionable self-defense pepper-spray, buy-an-expert, art guild catalogs, exotic fragrances, chocolate-covered anything, a luggage lugging service, an in-flight pillow, exotic Belize resort with concierge service, pet pampering products, etc." Items that have a Westchester County, New York or Fairfield County, Connecticut hook will be given special consideration. High-resolution photography required for all submissions. The column also covers books by local authors. Send short pitches only to mailto:jlederman@westchesterwag.com If she's interested, she will ask you for more information and product samples.

If you have a product that makes the perfect gift for Mother's Day, Father's Day or Graduation Day, you can test-drive The Gift List, a subscription service that provides information for more than 250 top newspapers, magazines and other media that are looking for specific types of consumer products to feature in their gift sections and gift features. Learn more at http://tinyurl.com/9es8y


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4. Research Before You Pitch
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When the Detroit Free Press kicked off several features in its Sunday paper, most PR people in Detroit probably didn't pay much attention.

The sections included a "Michigan" page, a "News to Use" page and another new feature called "You Haven’t Lived Here Until" which captures the experience of living in the area. The smart PR people, on the other hand, read all the new features closely and even commented on them to editors when pitching clients they thought would be a good fit.

"That was smart," said Nancy Laughlin, assistant managing editor." They had gotten to know the paper so well that they could tell when we were doing new features so they could position clients."

The Free Press ended up using several of the stories.

There's no better way to get an editor's attention than to comment on their work. That includes commenting on new sections, features, programs, columnists, freelancers, on-air reporters, radio talk show hosts, even awards the media receive.

But too few people bother doing that. When they call the media, they usually want something. The bottom line to their pitch is "I want you to help me" instead of "I want to help you."

Here are three of the best ways to research media outlets:

--Read newspapers and magazines thoroughly. That includes online versions, which often have more content. Pay particular attention to the column from the editor, a treasure trove of information that often discusses new features, staff members, new geographic areas they'll be covering and trends they think are important.

--Set up a Google "Alert" for a specific reporter or topic, and Google will email you, as often as once a day, a list of articles on that topic, or articles written by the reporter who you want to research. Watch the short video that my friend, Terry Brock, created for me. It explains how to use Google alerts: http://tinyurl.com/c82rm

--Visit the media outlet's website and look around. You might find a profile of TV reporters, or editorial calendars for newspapers and magazines, or archived shows for radio stations. National Public Radio, for example, archives lots of its shows.

"How to Get Booked on National Public Radio," available as a CD or electronic transcript, walks you through the NPR labyrinth and explains exactly how to research shows, pitch the producers, and be the perfect guest. Publicist Lissa Warren has booked more than 100 authors on NPR shows and shares the secrets of what she did. Read more about what you'll learn at http://tinyurl.com/ayms6

You can read the rest of the interview that Nancy Laughlin from the Detroit Free Press conducted with Bulldog Reporter about one-third of the way down the page at http://tinyurl.com/wtzzf


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5. Financial Services for Small Biz
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Joey Lo of Hong Kong stumped my Hounds with his query last week about ideas for promoting his financial services company which specializes in factoring to help small and micro-enterprises that offer credit terms to customers so they can generate cash flow without a loan.

"Factoring is buying outstanding invoices at an amount less than face value so companies can receive cash today instead of having to wait for 30 to 90 days. My target clients are growth-oriented companies that are turned down by banks due to their small sizes and insufficient financial histories."

OK, Joey, I'll give it a try. Here are my best ideas on how to promote your business. The two very best ways are speaking and writing. Specifically:

--Write articles about your topic and explain how your service is the solution to the problem small businesses face. Pitch the editors of publications that your target audience reads.

--Pitch bloggers, who are in a position to spread the word about your service. See "How to Pitch the Best Bloggers and Create a Publicity Explosion" at http://tinyurl.com/m7ymr

--Speak at business functions and networking events where small-business people gather. Offer lots of free advice to position yourself as an expert.

--Publish an informational tips booklet for small-business people, and concentrate on the financial aspects of starting a business. The best resource on the planet for tips booklets is Paulette Ensign, the Tips Booklet Queen, at http://tinyurl.com/gnpj7

--Start blogging on this topic.

--Create an ezine or a tip of the week that you can email to a list of people who have given you permission to market to them. A blog used in conjunction with an ezine is powerful.

--Teach classes about your topic in the community.

Add your own ideas to the list by commenting at my blog at http://tinyurl.com/yj5p95


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6. Help This Hound
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Marketing consultant Karla Swita of Mosinee, Wisconsin writes:

"You know the guy who says 'Word of mouth has gotten me this far, so why should I pay for marketing now?' Well, he's my client.

"I'd love some ideas on how to promote a custom kitchen and bath manufacturing shop without sending him into sticker shock. I'm tapped out of ideas on how to help with his modest budget.

"There's a showroom open to the public where they can see options related to constructing the entire kitchen cabinet. I'd also like to hear how others handle the client who believes word of mouth is the only way to go.

"I know a good marketing plan is what he needs, but I'm having more influence by easing into this and proving to him how a good idea works. I'd like to hear how others have been successful in getting publicity for a small manufacturer."


The Publicity Hound says: Clients who aren't convinced they need to market are the worst kinds of clients a marketing consultant can have. But some of my Hounds are savvy consultants who have been in your shoes, Karla. Hounds with helpful suggestions for Karla can post them to my blog at http://tinyurl.com/ynh3kg


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7. Hound Quote of the Week
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If your dog doesn't like someone, you probably shouldn't either.


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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8. And at My Blog...
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Author reads to kids on YouTube
http://tinyurl.com/yn7wnq

8 kinds of visuals to enhance your story
http://tinyurl.com/y37rzo

PRWeb ends free service
http://tinyurl.com/y5uob9


On my blog at http://www.publicityhound.net/, I've made it easy for you to find what you're looking for by dividing my posts into more than 20 categories. Click on the "Topics" arrow on the right side of the blog to find the category you're looking for.
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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
Port Washington, WI 53074
U.S.A.
Phone: 262-284-7451 (Central) Fax: 262-284-1737