Publicity tips/Pumpkin soup & sea moss punch January 23, 2007

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #330 - Jan. 23, 2007
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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Oprah Teleseminar Rescheduled for Today:

If you missed last week's teleseminar called "The Three Big
Secrets for Getting Booked As a Guest on Top National TV
Shows," you can listen today. It's being presented three times:

---2 pm Eastern (11 am Pacific)

---7 pm Eastern (4 pm Pacific)

---10 pm Eastern (7 pm Pacific)

Sign up here:

http://snipurl.com/TopTVShows

On the call, you'll learn things like how to increase your odds
of getting on Oprah, Fox News, CNN, Today Show, Montel and
other top shows. You'll also hear about an important lesson
from one author who got on Oprah and saw sales soar as a
result.

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In This Issue
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1. Pumpkin Soup & Sea Moss Punch

2. Pitch Bloggers

3. "Do Business in Your Bathrobe" Day

4. How to Pitch NPR

5. How to Promote an NLP Book

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Quote of the Week

8. And at My Blog...


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1. Pumpkin Soup and Sea Moss Punch
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Having problems conceiving?

Go on vacation to a resort where you can dine on pumpkin soup
and drink a sea moss punch three times a day. Relax, enjoy a
romantic dinner for two, get a massage, then let nature do its
thing.

That was the key message in a wildly successful PR campaign for
Starwood Hotels and its resorts worldwide.

Quinn & Co., its PR firm, discovered that the locals in the
Bahamas had been using pumpkin soup and sea moss for
generations to help make babies. Certain spa treatments and
lots of relaxation also helped. So the PR firm came up with the
idea of "The Procreation Vacation."

Here's were it gets really interesting.

The agency knew freelance writer Lucinda Hughes and had heard
her talk about how she and her husband wanted to have a baby.
So it invited the couple to try the Procreation Vacation. It
didn't take long for the media to find out.

A staffer at "Inside Edition" read about the vacation package
in Travel and Romance and asked to follow the Hugheses on their
quest. "Good Morning America" featured the recipes for pumpkin
soup and sea moss elixir. Next month, it will air a tasting
demonstration of the recipes.

Other media picked up the story. It was featured in USA Today,
The Washington Post, Delta Sky inflight magazine, Travel &
Leisure magazine, Prevention, Conceive and American Baby.
Broadcast coverage included CNN, "Live with Regis and Kelly,"
"The View," "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" and ESPN's "Pardon
the Interruption."

Amid all the hoopla, and as if on queue, Lucinda found out she
was pregnant. That has sparked reviewed interest by the media.
You can read the USA Today story here:

http://tinyurl.com/ysabux

The PR campaign was brilliant, but the most important element
was that the freelancer experienced the story. She didn't just
write about it. By the way, Lucinda says that if it's a girl,
she and her husband will name the baby Lucaya, after the resort
where they stayed.

The next time you try to interest the media in your story, ask
yourself if there's a way to invite a reporter to go along for
the ride. "Special Report #42: Tips for Letting Reporters
Experience Your Story, Not Just Write About It," gives you lots
of ideas on how to create memorable experiences for the media,
tips for getting reporters excited about your story and ways to
entice the media to write about your new product or service.

You can order it at
http://publicityhound.com/publicity-products/reports.html


==================================
2. Pitch Bloggers
==================================

Every time somebody posts an online article on the topic of
press releases, or blogs about it, I want to be the first to
know.

So I set up a Google Alert for "press release" and "writing
press releases."

Every day, Google sends me an email message with a list of
articles that include those keyword phrases. If I find that a
blogger is writing about the topic, I'll click on the link to
the blog item, and check out what they've written.

Then I'll usually post a comment at their blog. Sometimes I'll
mention that their readers can sign up for my free email
tutorial "89 Ways to Write Powerful Press Releases" at
http://www.PublicityHound.com/pressreleasetips/art.htm
Or I'll email the blogger privately and let them know about the
course.

It's a time-consuming task, but it pays off. Last week, for
example, Google alerted me that blogger Terry Whalin had
written about press releases in this post at
http://www.PublicityHound.com/pressreleasetips/art.htm So I wrote a quick comment and let
Terry know about my tutorial.

Within 24 hours, he emailed me and thanked me for the
information. Then he wrote a follow-up post telling his readers
about my website, and he even included my logo. Here's an
excerpt:

"Yesterday I wrote about press releases as a tool to expand
your message and reach new audiences. One of the comments came
from Joan Stewart, The Publicity Hound. Until her comment, I
had not visited her website but what a vast resource on this
topic (and much of it free).

"In the press release area, Joan has created a free 89 lesson
tutorial to teach you how to craft and use news releases. You
gain her personal instruction and insight as a 20-year veteran
journalist. Late yesterday I signed up to receive this
instruction. Why? There is always something new to learn and I
am continuing to learn and grow as a writer, editor and now
agent."

Here's the best part. Terry's blog has a Google Page Rank of 5,
which means lots of other people link to it. And lots of other
bloggers might be linking to Terry's item about me. And that
means more traffic to my website.

Isn't that cool?

What Google Alert can you create so that you know who's writing
about you or about your area of expertise or industry? Learn
how to create a Google Alert in the short video, courtesy of my
friend Terry Brock, at http://tinyurl.com/c82rm

Then start pitching bloggers. Denise Wakeman and Patsi Krakoff
(aka The Blog Squad) joined me several months ago for a
teleseminar called "How to Pitch the Best Bloggers & Create a
Publicity Explosion." We explained how to approach influential
bloggers and encourage them to write about you. We also
detailed the land mines to avoid. It's available as a CD or an
electronic transcript that you can read as soon as your order
has been approved.

Read more about what you'll learn at http://tinyurl.com/m7ymr


==================================
3. "Do Business in Your Bathrobe" Day
==================================

I do 95 percent of my job in my bathrobe and slippers, in front
of my computer.

So do lots of other entrepreneurs who have home-based
businesses.

If you're one of them, generate some fabulous publicity for "Do
Business in Your Bathrobe" Day on Feb. 12. The idea was
conceived by Kristie Tamsevicius, founder of the Webmomz.com.

Kristie says "Bathrobe Day" has generated publicity for her and
other entrepreneurs in six countries. In fact, she's flying to
San Francisco where she'll be on the popular show "The View
from the Bay" on KGO-TV Channel 7, which airs just before
"Oprah."

Kristie encourages other Publicity Hounds to piggyback onto the
idea. She's even offering a sample press release you can send
to your local media at http://tinyurl.com/2q2ejh

I'm betting your local newspapers and TV stations will jump on
this story.

Just in case they don't say yes immediately, you should know
how to follow up and sweeten your pitch with some little
extras. Publicity expert Jill Lublin explains "Failproof Ways
to Follow Up After Sending a News Release or a Story Pitch."
It's 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/bmyn7


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4. How to Pitch NPR
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Two weeks ago, I wrote about the incredible shrinking
newspaper--how newspapers nationwide are laying off staff and
making the actual newspaper smaller to save on newsprint costs.

Don't be surprised if coverage of the arts suffers.

But don't fret. Head on over to the National Public Radio
website at http://www.npr.org where you can find many shows
that feature stories and interviews with artists, musicians and
others involved in the arts.

Just for the heck of it, I used the search box at the top of
the page and searched for "artists." Up popped a list of 8,930
items with the word "artists." Many of those included shows
that are archived at the website.

I found lots of fun stories, including one about do-it-yourself
crafters who are selling their homemade arts and crafts online
at boutiques and at craft fairs.

Why does NPR devote so much airtime to the arts? Because it's a
topic that appeals to its mostly well-educated audience.

If your story idea falls under the category of the arts, NPR
could be a publicity gold mine for you. But it's often
difficult to understand the NPR labyrinth and how it works.

Book publicist Lissa Warren, who has gotten dozens of her
clients booked on NPR shows, was my guest on a teleseminar in
which she explained everything you need to know about how to
pitch your story to National Public Radio. She also explains
the best topics for NPR, and how to find the shows that are the
best fit for you.

"How to Get Booked on National Public Radio" is available as a
CD or electronic transcript that you can download as soon as
your order is approved. Read more about what you'll learn at
http://tinyurl.com/ayms6


==================================
5. How to Promote an NLP Book
==================================

This week, nine Publicity Hounds have tips for Roger Ellerton
of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada on how to promote his book "Live
Your Dreams Let Reality Catch Up--NLP and Common Sense for
Coaches, Managers and You."


From Annmarie Edwards:

"What about creating a 'Live your dream' contest? This might
get you some traffic as well as business."


From Phyllis Cambria:

"I noticed that you said that one of the things the book would
teach you was the 5 steps for success. You might want to use
those, or another short section of your book, as a teaser. It
could make a great sidebar feature for almost any magazine
these days...So why not submit your tip sheet to these health
and lifestyle magazines."


From Cheryl (Beck) Pickett:

"I’m wondering if the majority of the information you send out
explains NLP. I had no clue as to what that is, which did make
me go to your website. But just adding a line or two that
explains what the book is about might help you get more
response from what you’re already doing."


The Publicity Hound says: There are all kinds of ways you can
use Amazon for publicity about your book. For example, you
can review other books on this topic, and you can even post
articles at the site. Don Mitchell and Randy Gilbert explain
"How to Turn Amazon into a River of Gold." We recently
recorded an update of this popular program, available as a CD
or electronic transcript. Read more about what you'll learn at
http://tinyurl.com/vroek


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


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6. Help This Hound
================================

Ginger Bell of Tyler, Texas writes:

"After spending 20 years in radio and dissatisfied with the
shift from 'real" people to recorded jocks, my husband launched
his own production studio five years ago.

"With a 'voice like God' and a smooth delivery, he has stayed
fairly busy with creating commercials for local radio and
television production departments and providing voiceovers for
commercial shoots. He even has acquired accounts from ad
agencies up north.

"But what other venues are available to market his talent? He
has created a demo that is up on his website at
http://tinyurl.com/2skm53 But the trick is getting people to
visit http://bobbybell.voice123.com What are some of the latest
and greatest methods of spurring visits to your website?

"And what are other methods of connecting with media and
advertising outlets who could benefit from his award-winning
talent?"


The Publicity Hound says: OK, Hounds. If you're at work, turn
down your speakers and download Bobby's demo at
http://tinyurl.com/2skm53Then come up with some great ideas on
how he can pull traffic to his website and generate more
business. One idea is so obvious, I'd be surprised if a dozen
of you didn't mention it.

You can post your ideas to my blog at http://tinyurl.com/3dfn9h


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7. Hound Quote of the Week
================================

Thanks to Dan Poynter of Santa Barbara, California for this
one:

Scratch a dog and you'll find a permanent job.


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8. And at My Blog...
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EzineArticles.com adds 16 sports categories
http://tinyurl.com/yzj9s9


Why most Oprah fans need an ebook on how to pitch
http://tinyurl.com/yr48qe


Top 150 marketing blogs in U.S.
http://tinyurl.com/2zx2z8


Press release, marketing buzzwords to banish forever
http://tinyurl.com/2ydwze


On my blog at http://tinyurl.com/2ydwzeI've made it easy
for you to find what you're looking for by dividing my posts
into more than 20 categories. Look under the "Topics" arrow on
the right side of the blog to find the category you need.


---------------------------------------------------------------

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. Learn more at
http://www.nsapittsburgh.com/calendar.htm


May 12, 2007: Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Florida Speakers Association: "Savvy Media Relations: How to
Get Free Print, Broadcast & Online Publicity." 9 a.m. to noon.
"Sleeping with the Competition: How to Collaborate with Other
Speakers to Create Profitable Products and Programs." 2 to 4
p.m. For more information, call 561-630-7766 or visit
http://www.florida-speakers.org


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