Publicity tips/Line dance, shovel manure & pitch May 8, 2007

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #345- May 8, 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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In This Issue
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1. Line Dance, Shovel Manure & Pitch

2. How to Find a Virtual Assistant

3. 7 Reasons to Say No to New Business

4. How to Pitch Routine News

5. Promoting an RV Group

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Quote of the Week

8. And at My Blog...

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1. Line Dance, Shovel Manure & Pitch
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It's almost summer. In the corporate world, that means the unusual team-building activities like rock-climbing and "throw them off the island" competitions, all in the name of bonding.

The Creative Group, a specialized staffing service in Menlo Park, California, surveyed 250 U.S. marketing and advertising executives and asked them to describe unusual team-building activities they have heard of or participated in.

As you read this list of responses, think of the wonderful ways you could publicize these activities:

--"Line dancing on the beach in matching outfits."

--"We shoveled horse manure in a stable."

--"We made sculptures in the sand."

--"Our department built a race car."

--"We took an improvisational comedy class together."

--"We built a raft and used it to go through the water, retrieve a torch and bring it back without putting the flame out."

--"We built boats out of cardboard and raced them in a pool."

--"We created a human bridge to cross a small stream."

--"We treated everyone to a glorious day of massages and chocolates."

--"Team drumming."


On a tight budget? You can still have fun:

--"We went to a garden store and tried to build a creative project out of $9 worth of materials."


And, finally, The Publicity Hound's favorite:

"We held our own dog show."


If your company is bonding this summer, be sure to let the media know. Why not invite a newspaper reporter and photographer and a TV camera crew to join the fun?


That's not the only one way to get fabulous publicity this summer. There are dozens more ways, and Shawne Duperon and I explained them all on two CDs we produced:

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

and

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

Each CD comes with the entire list of ideas that you can download and be reading as soon as your order is approved. No more excuses like "I can't think of anything newsworthy to pitch."


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2. How to Find a Virtual Assistant
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More than 80 Publicity Hounds responded to my survey about publicity training for assistants, virtual assistants and summer interns.

Many of you who responded were curious about virtual assistants--what they do and how to find one.

That's why I'm hosting a one-hour telephone seminar at 1 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, May 17, on "How to Find a Virtual Assistant to Help with Your Publicity Campaign."

A virtual assistant is a temporary worker who works for businesses over the Internet, performing all work remotely, usually for a certain number of hours each week.

The assistant and the client can be thousands of miles away from each other. Because virtual assistants are independent contractors who usually bill by the hour, clients aren't saddled with Social Security taxes and expensive benefits such as health insurance.

I've been using a virtual assistant successfully for about a year. She frees me up from tedious administrative chores so I can concentrate on the fun, creative projects I love.

If you're flirting with the idea of hiring a V.A., join us on May 17. Registration is $39.95 which includes a recording of the call on CD that we'll mail to you about 10 days later.

Cindy Greenway, who has been working as a virtual assistant for several years, and Diana Ennen, a virtual assistant who specializes in publicity, will join me during the call. They'll offer tips on where to find V.A.s, how to know which V.A. is the best fit with your management style, and ways to work with your V.A. so it's smooth sailing all the way.

After you've hired your V.A., or found a part-time assistant, join me for a one-week intensive training program in early June, via telephone conference calls. This will be just like sending your V.A., part-time or full-time assistant, or summer intern to publicity school. I will teach them how to handle all the publicity grunt work--from researching media outlets to tracking down the most influential bloggers. They'll even learn how to help you maintain your online media room.

Several guest experts will be joining me for the calls. If you're a V.A. who completes the training, you'll have an entirely new skill set that will probably allow you to raise your fees. I'll share all the details with you in the next week or two.

Register for the May 17 call on how to find a V.A. at http://publicityhound.com/teleseminar.htm


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3. 7 Reasons to Say No to New Business
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When PR people complain to me about the Customers from Hell, I always try to help.

At some point in the conversation, I'm not surprised to hear them say, "I should have trusted my gut."

Indeed.

Debbie Bermont, president of Source Communications, a marketing consulting firm, says trusting your gut is one of seven reasons to say no to new business.

"Your gut instinct or intuition is the most powerful weapon you own that is always correct and even if it isn't always a logical thought," Debbie says. "You should never ignore a nagging feeling something isn't right."

Her other six reasons to turn away new business are:

--The customer doesn't appreciate the value of what you offer.

--The customer expects you to invest time and resources into
pursuing their business without any financial commitment on their end.

--The customer doesn't treat you in a courteous or professional manner.

--The customer asks for products or services you don't provide.

--The customer's requests are too large for your operation.

--The customer doesn't share the same values as you.

Recognize any of these? I sure do. Read Debbie's excellent article at http://tinyurl.com/3yqk82 Thanks to B.L. Ochman who tipped me off to this in her blog at http://www.whatsnextblog.com/

Once you know which clients to say no to, start finding the ones you'll love to work with. I teamed up with PR expert Marcia Yudkin to create a list of 24 ways PR people can find clients. We explained them all on the CD or electronic transcript called "24 Ways to Attract Clients to Your PR Practice."

Many of our ideas work not only for PR people, but for small business people who are also struggling to find clients. It comes with a list of all 24 ideas that you can download as soon as your order has been approved. Read more about what you'll learn at http://tinyurl.com/8txj8


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4. How to Pitch Routine News
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When I hear people griping about the U.S. economy, I wonder what planet they're really living on. Yet we still hear stories about "our bad economy."

And some of them come from, who else? Journalists.

That's why the following pitch worked so beautifully. When four prominent labor and employment lawyers on Long Island jumped from one firm to Meltzer, Lippe, Goldstein & Breitstone, LLP, in Mineola, New York, marketing consultant Cecilia Alers knew that the Long Island Business News wouldn't consider that a big deal. Reporters think that publicizing that kind of news is "catty."

So she gave it this spin:

"I told the legal reporter that I thought the business community should hear another side to the glut of stories right now about how 'the economy is stagnant or shrinking' and see how one firm went from zero to seven lawyers in seven months," she said. "It worked, and he's writing about it this week."

Smart thinking, Cecilia.

Other organizations can use that little trick, too. It might turn a four-line brief in the back of your business journal to a full-fledged feature story, complete with photo.

Remember, many business journals have certain sections of the paper devoted to a different industry such as manufacturing, law, banking and health care every week. So if your company pitches the editor of that section with this type of story, you might generate some decent coverage.

Paul Furiga knows at least a dozen other ways to get your company or your PR client into business journals. He's a former business journal editor, and he explained them all on "How to Use Business Journals to Tell Your Story." It's available as a CD or an electronic transcript that you can be reading as soon as your order is approved.

Read more about what you'll learn at http://tinyurl.com/q4rf7


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5. Promoting an RV Group
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This week, five Publicity Hounds have advice for Isabelle Kaminsky of Tustin, California. She and her husband belong to an RV group that has monthly weekend outings, and she wanted ideas on how to publicize the group.

From Lia Allen:

"I found a great resource that might help you: http://www.scrapblog.com/ Pictures speak louder than words. Capture the experience, and the emotion if you can and create a RV’ing Scrap Blog. Then use that to send as a link in emails.

"Also, in our area, the Visitors and Conventions Bureau is real active in bringing in tourists. I would partner with your local VCB to create an event, maybe a community open house that showcases your concept. They can partner with the local tourist attractions to offer discounts to RV’ers that are in the area. You might be able to create a series of events."


From Al Kalar:

"Talk to area RV dealers. The smart ones will see the sales hook to get customers into one of their rigs. Have something to put into their hands before you leave that explains the program so they won’t forget and can educate the sales staff."


From Cheryl Pickett:

"There is a book by authors Phil and Carol White, along with a great website focusing on RV travel. They are independent publishers and not only have they promoted their book well, I understand they’ve recently been named spokespeople for a national RV association.

"I contacted them last year for my book project, and Carol graciously agreed to be interviewed. I’m sure they’d have lots of tips and be willing to help you as well. Their site is http://www.roadtripdream.com


Read all the responses at http://www.publicityhound.com/publicityphotos.htm


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6. Help This Hound
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Mike New of Beverly Hills, California asks:

"We have a spiritual healing and teaching practice called Spirituality Inside and Out. We provide guided meditation classes and personal healing sessions.

"Michelle Morovaty is the main healer and has an interesting background. Seven years ago she healed herself from Lupus using the power of her mind when all the doctors were telling her she would be paralyzed for the rest of her life.

"Since then she has learned many lessons on self-healing and has taught and helped many people to heal themselves. She has produced a range of guided meditation CDs as well.

"We promote our Spiritually Inside and Out website and our Inside Now websites at http://www.insidenow.com/ via our list of opt-in email addresses, publish articles on the Internet, hold a monthly seminar in a spiritual bookshop, and we put flyers in various supermarkets etc.

"Things are moving forward, but only slowly. What ideas do your Hounds have for us?"


The Publicity Hound says: I know from the emails I receive that many people who read this newsletter are New Age experts, and some of them are the sharpest Hounds I know. If you have ideas for Mike and Michelle, post them to my blog at http://tinyurl.com/2abrxa


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7. Hound Quote of the Week
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"I've seen a look in dogs' eyes, a quickly vanishing look of amazed contempt, and I am convinced that basically dogs think humans are nuts."

--John Steinbeck


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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Book lovers protest shrinking book review sections http://tinyurl.com/3dxycv

Newspaper, magazine columnists: Don't be greedy http://tinyurl.com/ywbbcp


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Where to Meet or Hear The Publicity Hound®


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


June 6, 2007: Teleseminar for Attorneys

Save this date. I'll be the guest on Steven Farley's teleseminar at 4 p.m. Eastern Time on how attorneys can generate free publicity. Details pending.


June 7, 2007: Teleseminar on Press Releases

I'll be the guest on Debra J. Schmidt teleseminar at noon Eastern Time on "The New Rules of Press Releases: How to Write Them for Consumers, not Only for Journalists." Noon Eastern Time. Register at http://loyaltyleader.com/live_teleseminar.iml?id=81



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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