Publicity tips/Piggyback onto Imus, April 10, 2007

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #341 - April 10, 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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It's Here: The Publicity Hound's Resources List

If you're looking for people to write or distribute your press releases, serve as your publicist, provide media directories, do voiceovers or ghostwrite articles, you'll find my handy resource directory at http://www.PublicityHound.com/resources.htm

I'm already promoting the list aggressively, and it will be growing in the months ahead. If you sell a product or service to people or companies that self-promote, read how you can be part of the list at http://www.PublicityHound.com/PublicityResources.htm

If you tell me you want to be on the list now, and pay for your spot, I'll start promoting you now. But the clock won't start ticking on your 3-month or one-year listing until May 1. It will take me a few weeks to get the entire promotions campaign for the resource list in place. And I think that's only fair. So the faster you sign up, the more f*ree exposure you'll get.

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In This Issue
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1. Piggyback onto Imus

2. How Publicity Snowballs

3. Cardboard Checks and Scissors

4. When to Hire a Publicist

5. Promoting a Safety Program

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Quote of the Week

8. And at My Blog...

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1. Piggyback onto Imus
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You can't go anywhere today without hearing about Don Imus and the hot water he's in over racial comments he made about the Rutgers University girls basketball team.

He's all over talk radio, TV news and in major newspapers. Even the comedians and the bloggers are having a great time with this one.

So what are you doing to piggyback onto the controversy? Here are some ideas:

--Crisis counselors and public relations professionals should offer their expert commentary on how people like Imus should respond and what he should do next.

--Diversity counselors can offer advice to Imus.

--Take a survey at your website or among your members. Should Don Imus be fired? Report results to the media.

--Girls basketball teams: What would you say to Imus if you were on the receiving end of his remarks?

--Broadcast groups and radio experts: Do most people who listen to shock jocks like Imus expect these kinds of comments? How far is too far?

--Church leaders: What's the lesson to be learned here?


When the media wolves are howling at your door, would you know how to respond? Crisis counselor Jonathan Bernstein teaches companies how to tame the wolves and not get eaten alive. During a teleseminar I conducted with him called "How to Keep the Media Wolves at Bay," he said that the time to learn savvy media strategies isn't when the crisis is spinning out of control. You can hear his advice on an audio CD, or read the electronic transcript.

Read more about what you'll learn at http://tinyurl.com/b8wcy


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2. How Publicity Snowballs
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Barbara Thompson, an expert in gastric bypass surgery and a graduate of The Publicity Hound Mentor Program, emailed me last week to tell me she's going to be on "Nightline."

It all started with the electronic newsletter she publishes, just like this one. Her story is a great example of how ezines generate calls from the media, and how one media hit can snowball, until it finally attracts the attention of a "Nightline" producer.

Barbara, who writes about bypass surgery, started getting email from her readers, claiming they never had a problem with alcohol until after their surgery and the pounds started coming off.

So she asked the 9,800 people on her subscription list if they had the same problem.

"I got a ton of emails, many of which I posted in my newsletter, "Barbara said. "One, in particular, was written by Patti Worrels and was quite good and I featured it along with many of the others."

Because her newsletters are archived at her website at http://wlscenter.com/e-Newsletter.htm, The Wall Street Journal found the comments, interviewed Patti Worrels, and quoted Barbara briefly.

Patti appeared on "Good Morning America" soon after that. Then CNN contacted Patti.

"They didn't want her on their show because she had already been on 'Good Morning America', so Patti had them contact me," Barbara said. "I supplied them with someone to interview with the understanding that I would be mentioned. Well, CNN did mention me but it was very brief."

Brief, yes. But it was enough that People magazine saw it. When People called Barbara, it was time for her to negotiate.

"I got an agreement up front with People that in exchange for my supplying them with people to interview, I would be mentioned, as well as my website," Barbara said. "The writer was true to her word. My name and a quote from me along with my website leads off the article. I am quoted again in the article as well."

A few days after the People article, "Nightline" contacted her, asking for an interview on what is now called "transfer addiction."

'Nightline' is coming to my next speaking event which is in Charlotte, North Carolina. I'm having the weigh*t loss surgery practice in Charlotte gather together people who have this problem, and Nightline will interview them as a group. They will then interview me separately and also film me speaking. That's how this happened, and it all started with an article in my newsletter."

If you aren't publishing a weekly newsletter, or sending a helpful email tip to your audience once every week or two, you're missing publicity opportunities--one of many benefits of an electronic newsletter.

Dan Janal got me to spill the beans about how I use this newsletter to sell products, generate publicity, and get invitations for speaking engagements. "How to Turn Your Ezine Into a Cash Machine" is available as a CD or an electronic transcript that you can be reading within minutes.

Read more about what you'll learn at http://tinyurl.com/y6mp2c

If you're interested in having unlimited access to me, read about The Publicity Hound Mentor Program at http://www.publicityhound.com/mentorprogram/intro.html


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3. Cardboard Checks and Scissors
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One of the ugliest, most uncreative tools people use to generate publicity are those oversized cardboard scissors that show up at just about every ribbon-cutting event.

We've all seen that same photo millions of times. People, often politicians, line up shoulder-to-shoulder, with big smiles on their faces. The person in the center usually holds the oversized cardboard scissors, making it look as though the ribbon is about to be cut.

Equally repugnant are those giant cardboard checks that somebody "presents" to someone else, usually when a company or a group makes a donation.

Sadly, too many lazy PR people rely on cardboard checks and scissors when they can't think of a creative way to generate publicity for a business that's opening, or for a donation.

Here are far better ideas:

--Publicizing a bank branch that's opening? Ask the local newspaper to photograph the first customer on opening day.

--Better yet, stage a fun event at the bank. How about hiring a magician who can do magic tricks with dollar bills? Alert the media.

--If your organization is donating money to buy food for the local food pantry, ask a reporter to help stock the pantry when the food arrives, then write about what it's like to work at the food pantry for a day. Inviting reporters to become involved in your story often results in far more interesting stories.

--Donating money for new hospital equipment? Work with the hospital's PR department to line up a patient who would agree to be photographed using the equipment.

Dan Collins, director of media relations for Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore, one of the most creative PR people I know, uses a variety of fun, whacky, creative ideas that are far better than cardboard checks and scissors. He explained them all on the CD we recorded called "Fun Alternatives to Boring Ground-breakings, Ribbon-cuttings and Check-passings."

We explain why inviting politicians to your events can often backfire. And we pass along a valuable tip for Publicity Hounds who are ordered by their Boss from Hell to stage a ground-breaking, ribbon-cutting or check-passing. Our tip will help you placate the boss while saving face with the media.

It's also available as an electronic transcript. Read more about what you'll learn at http://tinyurl.com/7cl6z


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4. When to Hire a Publicist
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Based on the calls and emails you send me, many of you love the idea of generating free publicity on your own, but some of you don't have the time.

In certain cases, it's smart to let a publicist do it for you. Here are seven situations when you should consider hiring a publicist:

--You don’t have the right kinds of media contacts.

--Because of work or family commitments, you can’t devote the time to create and manage a major publicity campaign.

--You work for yourself, but running your business entails hundreds of other tasks that leave time for little else.

--You’re an author who’s on a book tour, or you’re busy working on your next book and don’t have time to line up all the details for events like book signings.

--You’re an author whose contract with the publicist assigned to you by your publishing company has expired, and now you’re on your own.

--You have a job such as a consulting practice, and your time is better spent making money on client projects than it is doing your own publicity.

Sound like you? If the time has come to hire a publicist, or someone to write your press releases, or other experts who know far more about how to generate publicity than you do, consult The Publicity Hound's Resources List at http://www.PublicityHound.com/resources.htm


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5. Promoting a Safety Program
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This week, 13 Publicity Hounds have ideas for Treg Stark of Delaware, Ohio. He wants tips on how to promote his Professor Safety DVD and CD on personal safety for children and parents at http://www.professorsafety.net


From Lia Allen:

"Add a video clip to the site for people to test it out and post that clip on YouTube. You might want to add a free report to your site that people can sign up for by adding an email address, and then you can capture their info to promote a special to them later." (See The Publicity Hound's "Special Report #51: 55 Free Things You Can Offer to Generate Publicity or Capture People's Email Addresses" at http://tinyurl.com/6uz9g)


From Kay Pinkerton:

"AMBER Alert is a public service that helps law-enforcement agencies quickly recover abducted children. The parent organization, Engaging and Empowering Citizenship (E2C), encompasses a number of public/private partnerships aimed at enhancing public safety. Consider teaming with this organization, which already has strong relationships with media, law enforcement and other organizations."


From Jenni Hilton:

"Align with other online child safety organizations such as The Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use and TheParentReport.com. Here are some other resources you could partner with: http://www.kidsolr.com/educationresources/page2.html"


Read all the responses at http://tinyurl.com/2ztjzu


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6. Help This Hound
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Kay Richardson of Miami, Florida writes:

"I need help with publicity ideas for Work Smart with Ergonomics, Inc., an ergonomic consulting/training company at http://www.worksmarterergo.com

"We provide assessments for businesses that have employees that may be complaining of wrist, neck, back and shoulder pains while sitting at their desk performing typing, researching (surfing)and speaking on the phone, pain from reaching into a file cabinet or even reaching over a counter to provide service. Our goal is to identify the potential cause of the problem and provide cost-effective solutions.

"We also provide all levels of employee educational training programs for HR and safety departments, and for managers on ways to identify the possible causes of an injured employee. We also teach the employee how to prevent injuries related to lifting, twisting or seating incorrectly when performing their jobs.

"Most people think of the word 'ergonomics' as either too expensive to correct, or a chair (which is not the only solution to fixing a problem). Can your Hounds help with ways to promote the company?"


The Publicity Hound says: You bet they can! Hounds with great tips for Kay can post them to my blog at http://tinyurl.com/2u8yfs


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7. Hound Quote of the Week
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"Dogs have no money. Isn't that amazing? They're broke their entire lives. But they get through. You know why dogs have no money? No pockets."

--Comedian Jerry Seinfeld


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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PR copywriters: SEO a great career opportunity http://tinyurl.com/yvxdgn


Alternative newspapers should be taken seriously http://tinyurl.com/ywb5r8


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Where to Meet or Hear The Publicity Hound®


April 27, 2007: Webinar

Women Business Owners Virtual Growth Summit Webinar. I'm presenting a session at 1 PM Eastern Time on how to become an expert in your topic, then generate online and offline publicity. Register at http://www.businesswomensgrowthsummit.com/


May 12, 2007: Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Florida Speakers Association: "The New Rules of Press Releases: How to Write Them for Consumers, Not Only for Journalists." 9a.m. to noon. "Sleeping with the Competition: How to Collaborate with Other Speakers to Create Profitable Products." 2 to 4 p.m. For more information, call 561-630-7766 or visit http://www.florida-speakers.org


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

If you like these tips, please pass them on to your friends, clients and colleagues.

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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)
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