Publicity tips/More election tie-ins November 7, 2006

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #318 - Nov. 7, 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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In This Issue
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1. More Election Tie-ins

2. Find Material for Your Bio

3. What Big Magazines Want

4. Media Leads

5. Marketing a Kitchen & Bath Shop

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Quote of the Week

8. And at My Blog...


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1. More Election Tie-ins
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TV reporter Shawne Duperon had a great item in her newsletter last week about story ideas you can use to piggyback off today's mid-term elections in the U.S.

You might not get very far if you pitch these ideas today because journalists are working crazy schedules. So pitching tomorrow might be a better bet. And you don't necessarily have to pitch these to the national media. If you can comment on the election in any way, your local TV stations and newspapers will consider you "the local angle" to the national elections.

Here are Shawne's ideas combined with a few of my own:

--Are you an expert on leadership, politics, rhetorical criticism, or fighting fair? If so, share your thoughts on what you've seen this election season.

--Are you an expert on how to win or lose gracefully? If so, pass along your best tips.

--It's been a few months since thousands of Latinos marched in the streets. What’s going on with immigration reform? How will today's elections impact Latinos and the rest of the country?

--Voters everywhere say they hate the sleazy mud-slinging TV ads that are getting worse every year. If you're an advertising executive, comment on why politicians keep using them, and whether or not they work.

--Key Senate races like those in Tennessee, Missouri and Virginia are real nail-biters. Call your local TV stations and weigh in with comments about why you voted for your favorite candidate.

--Did you encounter any problems at your polling place? If so, let reporters know.

--The stock market might likely react to the election results. If so, stock market observers and investment counselors can share their thoughts with reporters and bloggers.

--Disgusted with the whole election? Feeling as though you don't have a clear choice? If so, call the media and explain why you didn't bother voting.

Sign up for Shawne's ezine at http://www.shawnetv.com/subscribe.htm

Then check out the two CDs I produced with Shawne. They include 219 story ideas that we're inviting you to use when creating your 2007 media plan. We explain which ones are best for TV and which are best for print.

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

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


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2. Find Material for Your Bio
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If you're an author, speaker or expert on any topic, you need a one-page bio for the media and as part of your marketing materials.

Yet lots of Publicity Hounds write bios so boring that they put readers to sleep.

Writer Faye Quam Heimerl comes to the rescue with a great idea. How about asking people who know you to describe you? Then use their observations for your own bio.

Her writer's group of eight women recently set out to "mine" for bio words by asking other writers a series of questions designed to give them fodder for their own bios.

For example, "What dance style best describes her?" Or "What color best describes her writing?"

The authors then compiled all the responses and used them to create lively, colorful descriptions of themselves for their own bios.

In an article Faye wrote for the November/December issue of The Publicity Hound newsletter, she includes nine great questions that will produce interesting answers.

I wrote an accompanying article that includes nine of my own favorite questions, such as "Who is your hero? And why?" and "What's the one thing you want to accomplish before you die?"

I'm betting that if you answer even just a few of those questions, or ask others to, you'll be able to rewrite your boring bio into one that really pops.

The November/December issue also includes articles on where to hear an interview on how author Jacqueline Marcell generated dozens of celebrity endorsements for her book, 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, where to download a free White Paper on pitching, how to pitch Men's Health magazine, and November and December story ideas.

All for $10. Order at http://tinyurl.com/vwowp


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3. What Big Magazines Want
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Aching to get into a major magazine like Time, Cosmopolitan or AARP?

The easiest way is to start writing briefs on timely, controversial or fun topics, then submit them to magazines on your media list.

When editors are creating a particular issue of the magazine and place a story onto a page, they sometimes end up with a hole on the page because the story isn't long enough.

So they turn to their file of "briefs." These are short little items that Publicity Hounds have submitted, and many of them can be used as fillers. An editor who finds a compelling brief that ties into the topic of the larger article might use it.

Or, an editor might want content on a certain topic but doesn't have the space for a long article. That's when a brief on the same topic comes in handy.

Briefs can include frequently asked questions and answers, a list of definitions on a certain topic, a list of trends, "9 tips on how on how to...." or even a little quiz (my favorite!).

You can also submit the same brief to non-competing publications simultaneously.

Learn about the nine types of briefs, how to write them and how to submit them on the CD called "Briefs, Fillers & Quizzes," a recording of a one-hour seminar I conducted. It's also available as an electronic transcript 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/d74h7


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4. Media Leads
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--CNN wants to know how you're spending Election Day. It wants to see your videos, photos and stories about going to the polls and watching the results come in afterward. It also wants video of last-minute political rallies and parties. And it wants to know if you experienced any problems when voting. You can send files and email directly from your computer. Learn more at http://tinyurl.com/ymz6yx


--Bob Greiner, editor for local news, says The Washington Post is collecting stories from voters today to assist journalists covering the election. You can offer your story and contact information at http://tinyurl.com/ye7aa6


--USA TODAY reporter Jon Swartz called yesterday and said he's still looking for sources for a story on online banking. He 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


Getting into any of these three top-tier media outlets is a great media hit. But sometimes you can get even greater exposure for your product, service, cause or issue by being mentioned on popular blogs. That's because unlike traditional journalists, bloggers love to link to each other.

"How to Pitch the Best Bloggers & Create a Publicity Explosion" shows you how to find the bloggers that want to know about your story, how to get to know them and how to pitch them. Pitching bloggers is very different than pitching journalists, and you have to know what you're doing, or you risk being embarrassed if they post a nasty comment about your bad pitch. I joined Denise Wakeman and Patsi Krakoff (The Blog Squad) several weeks ago and we shared our best tips.

The interview is available as a CD or electronic transcript. Read more about what you'll learn at http://tinyurl.com/m7ymr


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5. Marketing a Kitchen & Bath Shop
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This week, eight Publicity Hounds have advice for marketing consultant Karla Swita of Mosinee, Wisconsin on how to promote her client, a kitchen and bath shop.


From Linda Barrett:

"The most difficult part of having a showroom is getting people to come to it. Encourage referral sources by inviting related local association members like NARI (National Association of the Remodeling Industry), HBA (Home Builders Association) and IFDA (International Furnishings and Design Association) to the shop and hold demonstrations while they are there. Invite them for cocktail parties or have the manufacturer's reps in for a demonstration and a cookout. Provide food, drink and door prizes. Also, invite associations to hold their meetings in your location."


From Monica Ricci:

"Perhaps he could partner with an upscale home builder and put his kitchen and baths into a few model homes with marketing materials there to let people know that they are a special product and that they can request his product when buying a home. Along that same line, he could also partner with a home builder, and the two could co-brand by marketing the kitchens and baths as upscale and exclusive. For example, 'Joe Smith Homes only uses XYZ Kitchens and Baths.'"


From Jay Scott:

"Get a chef to do public cooking demonstrations in the demo kitchen. Promote the usefulness and versatility of the kitchen in this way. Perhaps eventually the chef would/could become the 'spokes-model' for the company."

The Publicity Hound says: How about ghostwriting some how-to articles for your client, like "How to remodel your kitchen on a budget" or "7 little extras that make bathrooms luxurious." Offer them to local newspapers and magazines that are printing special sections devoted to remodeling. Then post the same articles to online article directories.


"How to Write How-to Articles for Newspapers, Magazines & Trade Journals" walks you step-by-step through the entire process. It also includes a template for writing a how-to article. This is available as a CD or electronic transcript that you can download as soon as your order has been approved. Read more about what you'll learn at http://tinyurl.com/dnxhb

Read all the responses at http://tinyurl.com/ynh3kg


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6. Help This Hound
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Kathy Gerschutz of the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida writes:

"I am the first-year teaching assistant in the University of Miami's Music Business and Entertainment Industries Program department, and one of my major responsibilities is to promote the program.

"Our goal is to be recognized as an important preparatory program for aspiring industry professionals by both the music industry community and the greater community. Miami’s MBEI program was the first of its kind, and prides itself on keeping current with today's trends in the music industry and in preparing students for careers through in-class teaching and practical, real-world experience.

You can visit our website at http://tinyurl.com/yft2je I’m working on a newsletter to send to members in our alumni database. But beyond that, I’d love to hear some creative ideas for promoting our college program, inexpensively or free if possible. In today's competitive music industry market, we’d love to help the program’s graduates in getting a leg up.


The Publicity Hound says: Lots of PR directors for colleges and universities read this newsletter and I know their ideas will hit the right note. Hounds with suggestions can post them to my blog at http://tinyurl.com/ybf82b

If you want more great ideas on how to market your college or university, see "Special Report #15: Publicity Tips for Schools, Colleges and Universities" at http://tinyurl.com/olqx4


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7. Hound Joke of the Week
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If you think dogs can't count, try putting three dog biscuits in your pocket, then giving your dog two of them.


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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Want to be an expert? Listen to my radio show
http://tinyurl.com/y7axhd

How to write a social media press release
http://tinyurl.com/wznat

Find blog content from these 17 sources
http://tinyurl.com/wxfhg

Church marketing blog worth a visit
http://tinyurl.com/yy7do2

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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Reprinted from "The Publicity Hound's Tips of the Week," a free ezine featuring tips, tricks and tools for generating free publicity. Subscribe at http://www.publicityhound.com/ and receive free by email the handy list "89 Reasons to Send a News Release."


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