Publicity tips/Where Journalists Lurk July 17, 2007

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #355 July 17, 2007
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com http://www.publicityhound.com/
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)
The Publicity Hound®

Circulation: 32,259

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"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"
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Join Me in Norfolk, Va. August 14:

As some of you may know, I've drastically curtailed my travel schedule to give me more time to devote to my Internet marketing business. But I'll be in Norfolk, Virginia to present two half-day workshops on Tuesday, August 14--one on online and offline publicity and the other on the new rules of press releases. I hope you'll join me.

And, yes, I'm bringing a big Wisconsin Cheesehead Hat to giveaway as a door prize at the end of the day. Winner need not be a Green Bay Packers fan. Learn more at http://www.PublicityHound.com/norfolk.htm

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In This Issue
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1. Where Journalists Lurk

2. How to Follow Up

3. Will Harry Potter Live or Die?

4. Read Editors' Blogs

5. Promoting a Kids' Cafe

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Quote of the Week

8. And at My Blog...


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1. Where Journalists Lurk
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When personal assistant Christie Gaderson of Austin, Texas read my tip about how to set up a Google Alert to learn which bloggers are writing about her topic, she did as a I instructed.

She set up an alert for "personal assistant" and immediately started receiving daily email reminders from Google about which articles and blogs were discussing that topic.

One of the alerts led her to Unclutterer, a blog about getting and staying organized. She read the post at http://tinyurl.com/2uvf2a about personal assistants, and decided to submit a comment. It included a link back to her website.

"Today I had a follow-up interview with MORE magazine, which has well over 1 million circulation and reaches my target audience of mostly upscale women," she said. "The writer found me based on the comment I posted."

The writer was researching an article on chores that mid-lifewomen are outsourcing. She saw Christie's comment and thought she'd be perfect for the article. The first interview went so well that the writer followed it up with a second one.

Need I say more?

Posting comments at influential blogs is a powerful way to get infront of people who need your products and services, or journalists who are researching your topic.

The Unclutterer blog has a Google page rank of 3/10. Can you imagine how much more exposure Christie would have gotten if that blog had a high page rank such as 7/10? Page rank, by the way, is the level of importance that Google assigns to your blog. The most important criteria it considers are the number of inbound links.

If you aren't blogging or posting comments at influential blogs, you're missing one of the powerful ways to generate online publicity and interest from consumers who are searching for what you are selling or promoting.

"How to Pitch the Best Bloggers & Create a Publicity Explosion"walks you step-by-step through the entire process of pitching bloggers and posting to other blogs. Denise Wakeman and Patsi Krakof, aka The Blog Squad, offered their best tips along with mine. Our interview is 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/m7ymr

For a quick video on how to use Google Alerts, go to http://tinyurl.com/c82rm


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2. How to Follow Up
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When I worked as a newspaper reporter and editor, I'd never encourage people to follow up after sending a press release or contacting me with a story idea.

That's because most people are pests. The typical follow-upsounds like this:

"Hi, Joan. I'm just following up to see if you received the press release I sent you last week and if you know when it will be printed."

No and no.

I don't have time to stop and look for your release. And I don't know when it will be printed. That depends on how big the newspaper will be, and the size of the paper depends on how many ads we sell.

Mega-pests would then ask this dumb question, which would brand them as totally clueless:

"OK, I'll send the press release again. When it's printed, can you send me a copy of the paper when it appears so I don't miss it?"

At this point, I've made a mental note to never deal with this person again, and to purposely ignore their release. (Yes, some journalists do this out of spite but will never admit it.)

How do you follow up? Do you obey a journalist's orders and never contact them after you've sent important information? Or are you a savvy Publicity Hound who knows a clever way around that situation?

Publicity expert Jill Lublin does. In fact, she interviewed a variety of reporters and learned first-hand that many of them do appreciate the types of follow-ups that are truly helpful."Failproof Ways to Follow Up After Sending a Press Release or a Story Pitch," a one-hour teleseminar, is available as a CD or an electronic transcript that you can be reading as soon as your order has been approved.

Read more about what you'll learn at http://tinyurl.com/bmyn7


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3. Will Harry Potter Live or Die?
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Here's a great publicity idea for book clubs, libraries, bookstores, author groups or any organization that relates in any way to books or reading.

Offer predictions on how you think "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" will end. It's the last book in the record-breaking by author J.K. Rowling.

The article asks whether Rowling could kill off Harry Potter"without devastating her audience, many of whom are young children."

Hmmmmm. Sounds to me like child psychiatrists and even day care centers could piggyback onto this story with their own commentary.

Start pitching to your local newspapers and even TV stations. Don't forget the bloggers who might be interested in this story. And how about writing a press release offering your predictions? Post it online for all the world to find.

Get in the Yearbook of Experts and send up to 52 press releases a year, with no additional per-release charges, by subscribing to Expertclick, the Online Yearbook of Experts. A subscription includes the Power Media BlueBook, the talk show guest directory of America's leading print and broadcast journalists.

Publicity Hounds get $100 off the subscription price. Learn more at http://snipurl.com/ExpertClick or call them at 202-333-5000. The deadline is July 31 for the new edition of the printed Yearbook of Experts that will be out in October. Expertclick will send about 7,000 of those editions to journalists. CNN just called and requested two editions for its own newsroom.

Will they find you in the Yearbook of Experts?


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4. Read Editors' Blogs
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If you're pitching newspapers or magazines, and you're targeting a particular reporter or editor, are you checking to see if your media contact blogs?

You should be. While thousands of other Publicity Hounds are all competing for the journalist's attention via phone and email, the smartest Hounds are posting comments at the journalist's blog.

For example, over at the blog written by editors of Redbook magazine, four editors are writing about their participation in the magazine's Real Life Healthy Life challenge.

Alyssa Yano, 29, assistant managing editor, is a self-described late-night snacker and junk food junkie who would like to build healthy habits. Yesterday, for example, she blogged about eating"fried dough for dinner" at her community's annual Italian festival. You can read it at http://tinyurl.com/2vdtno

"I always try to eat a healthy dinner of grilled chicken and then splurge on zeppoli and Italian ices," she wrote. "This year I decided to just admit I was going to eat crap. Sorry. I don’t eat fried dough smothered in powdered sugar on a daily basis and I wasn’t going to miss my only chance to indulge in this treat that brings me back to my childhood."

While it wasn't healthy, she rationalized, "it was still fewer calories to do that than eat the junk plus the chicken that, let’s face it, is being grilled in the fat from neighboring burgers and sausage and probably a bunch of oil. So even the healthy choice is not that healthy."

Health experts, nutritionists and fitness trainers could get in front of Alyssa by posting a comment to the blog.

Want more ideas on how to get close to media people you're targeting? "Special Report #49: 17 Ways to Build Valuable Relationships with Media People" explains them all. Only $10. Order at http://tinyurl.com/6uz9g


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5. Promoting a Kids' Cafe
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This week, 13 Publicity Hounds have great ideas for Kelly Parthen, who will be opening Bean Sprouts, a new kids' cafe outside Madison, Wisconsin. She asked for suggestions on how to promote the week-long grand opening.


From Julie Lichtman:

"Are there any well-known children’s musicians in your area who would like to perform at your cafe at your grand opening or on a regular basis? Often, these musicians sing songs about food. For instance, kids (and parents) in the DC-Metro area love a band called Milkshake. Maybe someone can write a song just for Bean Sprouts about the joys of eating vegetables."


From Viceca Stone-Berry:

"People love to have their photos taken and to stick their heads into funny costumes and scenes.

"Have an artist make up single vegetables. A child could stick their head in the hole and actually be a carrot head! You could make up a 'Salad Bowl' where the entire family could be in the photo.

"Then give them the photos for free (in exchange for their contact info--newsletter data mining). Finally, at the bottom of each photo, have your business name, address and phone number in large, easy-to-read type.

"This photo will end up on their fridge and be a constant reminder of you!"


From Terri Lynn:

"I would get children to plant a vegetable garden at a school, church or maybe a park. This would be sponsored by Bean Sprouts."

The Publicity Hound says:

Kelly, you have some great ideas here, no excuse for resorting to the boring ribbon-cutting ceremony like so many other business owners would be inclined to do. "Fun Alternatives to Boring Ground-breakings, Ribbon-cuttings and Check-passings" gives you even more suggestions for ways to interest the public and the media.

Read more about what you'll learn at http://tinyurl.com/7cl6z


Read all the responses to this Help This Hound question at http://tinyurl.com/2yw5b7


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6. Help This Hound
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Ted Fuller of Lafayette, California writes:

"My friend has a gift store in downtown Antioch, an older suburban city in California. At night, nearly all the shops shut down, and the streets are almost deserted.

"She's tried without success to stir up some action with the merchants association. After a brief period of remaining open at night, she gave up.

"Perhaps your readers can give her some tips."


The Publicity Hound says:

I can envision all kinds of fun special events to bring people to the area during the evening. Let's see what ideas my Hounds have. Post your best suggestions to my blog at http://tinyurl.com/38z6f8

One of the best ways to bring the locals, and outsiders, to your town is by hosting a fabulous special event. "How to Plan & Promote Sizzle Special Events" is the only guide you'll need to planning a special event that will draw the crowds and the media like a magnet. Read more about what you'll learn at http://tinyurl.com/46jzg


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7. Hound Quote of the Week
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"I know that dogs are pack animals, but it is difficult to imagine a pack of standard poodles...and if there was such a thing as a pack of standard poodles, where would they rove to?
Bloomingdale's?

--Yvonne Clifford, American actress


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 tour connects authors with audiences
http://tinyurl.com/2pxulc


CIO magazine offers pitching tips
http://tinyurl.com/2lzvd5


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Where to Meet or Hear The Publicity Hound®


August 14: Norfolk, Virginia

9 to noon: "Savvy Media Relations: How to Get Free Print, Broadcast & Online Publicity." $97. 1:30-4: "The New Rules of Press Releases: How to Write Them for Consumers, Not Only for Journalists." Each session is $97. Or attend the entire day for $147, and save $47. Register at http://www.PublicityHound.com/norfolk.htm


August 15: Virgina Beach, Virgina

I'll be spending the day with Internet marketing expert Tom Antion, my mentor, in his office, learning the latest strategies for Internet marketers. It's the annual daylong training session for members who join the Internet Association of Information Marketers at the highest level. If you earn most of your revenue through Internet marketing, you can join at the Outer Circle level, then meet us at Tom's place for this day of training. This one day alone is worth 50 times more than the price of membership. Learn more about the association at http://tinyurl.com/54dp6


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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."


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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