Publicity tips/Why I'm Crying Elephant Tears, Aug 7 2007

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #358 Aug. 7, 2007
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.com/
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)
The Publicity Hound®

Circulation: 33,589

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"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"
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Please forward this ezine to anyone you know who needs free publicity to establish their credibility, enhance their reputation, position themselves as employers of choice, sell more products and services, or promote a favorite cause or issue.

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TELESEMINARS FOR HOUNDS:

Here are two teleseminars you'll want to know about, both on Thursday:

--Listen to Steve Harrison's "Seven Things You Absolutely Must Know to Get Publicity in Major Magazines and Newspapers" at 2 or 7 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, August 9. The 90-minute call will explain the three biggest mistakes most people make trying to get publicity in magazines and newspapers. You'll also learn how to understand the mind set of top magazine writers and editors, how a woman was so good at getting advance publicity her book hit the New York Times Best Seller List BEFORE her publication date, an incredibly simple strategy for scoring an Associated Press story about you that runs in dozens of newspapers across the United States, how to contact journalists, and how to spin a small story into a much larger feature for yourself. Steve has offered this call in the past, and I know you'll come away with some good tips." Read more about it at http://www.freepublicity.com/printpublicitycall/?10011


--"Pitching Holiday Gift Guides: Editors Show How to Get Products in Front of Millions of Shoppers," 1 PM Eastern on Thursday, Aug. 9, sponsored by Bulldog Reporter's PR University. The winter holiday shopping season is make or break time for many companies with seasonal gift-oriented products to sell. That's why so many PR pros start working this summer to finagle their products into the media's most credible holiday shopping guides and product reviews pages. Get an inside look at the secrets of scoring valuable coverage in the nation's top holiday gift guides--from the very editorial gatekeepers who decide what runs and what doesn't. They'll outline what they're looking for and when, this year's hottest items and how best to position your product for optimal placement in front of millions of holiday shoppers. Register at http://tinyurl.com/2bpyxv
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In This Issue
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1. Why I'm Crying Elephant Tears

2. Keep Your Message Clear

3. 6 Ways to Attract More Clients

4. Promote a Book with a Contest

5. Making a Website Ready for Visitors

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. And at My Blog...


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1. Why I'm Crying Elephant Tears
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I love getting Hound success stories from readers like you.

But sometimes I cry big, fat elephant tears when I learn about missed opportunities, or how people who generated fabulous publicity didn't follow up.

Publicity Hound Sue Lowery of Chattanooga, Tennessee saw a short news item on one of her local TV stations about how the Bliss spa in Dallas, Texas pampered an elephant the day before it was making its Dallas debut at the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey circus.

She said the news clip showed a spa worker giving the elephant a facial by slathering mashed avocado all over its face. The worker also used an oversized nail file to give the elephant a pedicure.

Curious, Sue started searching for the story online and found a shortened video clip at the Dallas Morning News website at http://tinyurl.com/2x33bj She sent me the link.

I watched it this morning, and got all excited that I had stumbled upon a great story. I Googled the Dallas Bliss, found the website, but saw that the only phone number listed was the one to call for reservations. I was hoping to reach the manager and ask her how the story originated, then congratulate her on a brilliant publicity coup.

Silly me.

I reached what sounded like an answering service, or perhaps the woman who takes reservations for the entire Bliss chain of spas. She said there was no way to reach the manager, and the only thing she could do was send her an email on my behalf.

When I asked for the manager's email address, she wouldn't give it to me. So I patiently dictated the message. She asked me to wait while she proofread it.

This, my dear Hounds, is called making somebody jump through hoops to give you publicity. Had I been a working journalist, I would have given up long before then. I patiently explained to the woman who answered the phone that I send this newsletter to more than 30,000 people, and this was a chance for the spa to get even more publicity. She didn't seem impressed.

What can Publicity Hounds learn from this lesson?

--Make sure your front-line employees understand the importance of media inquiries. Give them an emergency telephone number they can use if the media call on deadline. Better yet, include the emergency number at your website.

--When you get a fabulous media hit, include it at your website. Most local and network news people will gladly let you use the clip. I found nothing at the Dallas Bliss site--not even a mention.

--The Bliss Press Room included several press releases which I didn't have time to open. I couldn't find the name or phone number of a media contact anywhere on the site. Put contact information--including a shipping address, phone number and email address--in an easy-to-find place on your homepage.

--I got callbacks from Vollmer PR, the local firm in Dallas, which pitched the idea, and from the Bliss national PR person who told me they won't put the media contact phone number on the homepage because they get "flooded with calls." (I thought lots of calls were a good thing, not a bad thing.) Besides, she said, the national media all know how to contact them, which I find difficult to believe.

She asked if I wanted to be added to their media list. Uh, no thanks.

Tips on how to make it easy for the media to find you, plus thousands of helpful suggestions on how to make your company media-ready, then build strong relationships long after the interviews are over, are in "How to be a Kick-butt Publicity Hound," my most popular ebook. We've even added an entire lengthy chapter on blogging. Read more about what you'll learn at http://www.publicityhound.com/publicity/publicityhound.htm


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2. Keep Your Message Clear
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When you interview with the media, you always risk working with a reporter who doesn't understand your key point, or the most important thing you want to communicate.

Crisis counselor Lou Hampton of the Hampton Group in Washington, D.C. offers these six handy phrases to use during interviews:

--"The key point is..."

--"The bottom line is..."

--"The one thing people need to realize..."

--"Let me repeat that, because it's such a critical point..."

--"One trend we see..."

--"What is especially exciting/surprising/unexpected..."

The phrases are included in Lou's deck of Mem-cards, a package of 26 cards, each featuring a media tip for Hounds who interview. Use the cards as handy reference tools while you're waiting in the green room on the "Today" show. They also make great gifts for clients--even if you're on a budget. The cards are $9.97 per deck until August 31.

Read more about them at http://www.hamptongroup.com/meetthemediacards.htm


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3. 6 Ways to Attract More Clients
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Lots of people are complaining that business is flat during these slow days of summer. If you're among them, consider these six ideas for attracting more clients:

--Create a short presentation on how people can solve the most pressing problem that ties into the product or service your company sells, or the cause or issue your nonprofit addresses. Then hit the speaking circuit in your town. Dozens of service clubs are looking for luncheon and dinners speakers. This is what I did when I started my consulting business, and many people in my audiences hired me to help with their PR.

--Write articles for article directory sites like http://www.ezinearticles.com/.Make sure the author resource box links to your website. Be sure to capture email addresses at your site. I do with Hover Ad Creator, powerful HTML coding that makes the sign-up box at my website bypass spam filters. Learn more about it at http://www.marketingtips.com/hover/t/827664

--Start blogging. The search engines love timely, content-rich blogs, particularly on niche topics. The more you blog, the more traffic you'll get.

--If you sell anything that helps people generate publicity, consider joining The Publicity Hound's Resources List at http://www.publicityhound.com/resources.htm This is where I send callers when they want to know who I recommend to help them write press releases, proofread their copy, or contact the media on their behalf.

--Swallow your pride, call former clients and tell them you need more work.

--Go to the Craigslist in the city closest to where you live at http://www.craigslist.org/ and start posting tips on this f~ree community bulleting board. Then link to your website. See "How to Use Craigslist as a Global Publicity Tool" at http://tinyurl.com/geog2

If you're a PR practitioner or a publicist, you'll want to know about the 24 ideas I brainstormed with Marcia Yudkin on how to bring more clients through the door. They're on a handout that accompanies the CD and electronic transcript called "24 Ways to Attract Clients to Your PR Practice," and you can download it 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. Promote a Book with a Contest
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Dorothy Molstad, marketing manager for Voyageur Press in St.Paul, Minnesota, deserves a doggy treat for a clever idea she's using to promote their book "Green Bay Packers: The Complete Illustrated History." It hits bookstores next week.

Knowing I'm a Packers fan, she asked permission to send me the book. It arrived with a hand-written note that said:

"I'll bet you'll find many Packer fans read your newsletter if you print something about the book. I'll send a copy to the most distant fan who responds."

If you're a Packers fan in a distant land, email Dorothy and tell her how many miles you live from me at 3434 County KK, PortWashington, Wisconsin. Mailto:dmolstad@mbipublishing.com?subject=PackersContest

The coffee table book sells for $29.95 and includes some interesting photos from yesteryear.


If you're an author whose book has been on the market for several months and your sales have stalled, give 'em a jump-start. Publicist Lissa Warren knows how, and she explains how she boosts sales for her own clients' books on the CD or electronic transcript called "How to Revive a Dying Book Marketing Campaign." Too many authors give up after less than a year, but the most successful ones use many of the ideas she mentions.

Read more about what you'll learn at http://tinyurl.com/67bhu


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5. Making a Website Ready for Visitors
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This week, seven Publicity Hounds have tips for Nancy Mills, on how she can improve The Spirited Woman website at http://www.thespiritedwoman.com/ by August 11. That's the day that Six Apart, a blogging company, will feature her site as Website of the Day.


From Valerie Hayes:

"I’m concerned that the sign-up box for your newsletter may get lost on the page. Consider enlarging or repositioning it to make it more noticeable."


From Stacey Kannenberg:

"I would profile a highly spirited woman on that day!! I would run a campaign starting today to tie into six degrees of separation to see who your readers already know--people who are a few degrees away to find your amazing spirited lady to profile. Not only will this help you find other spirited women to profile, but it will empower your existing base to help you find some truly amazing people and share the path. For example, I know a producer at the 'Rachael Ray' show...so we are two away from Rachael Ray!"


From Jim Labadie:

"Videotape yourself with a crystal clear message for all those visitors to see first thing on the 11th. Who are you? How do you help them? Why should they subscribe to your newsletter? Besides just looking around, what specific action do you want them to take? Video is such a powerful way to deliver a concise message. And it shouldn’t be like your other video where they have to click multiple times to watch it. It should be like an embedded YouTube video where they click on the video and the message plays."


The Publicity Hound says: Jim's suggestion to offer video is easier than you might think. Tom Antion, my mentor, has created a helpful set of two CDs. Learn how to create high-end infomercials on a low-end budget, how speakers can create their own videos to use in their marketing campaign, and how to create screen-capture videos right on your computer and sell them as info-products. Read more about it and see the cool videos Tom created himself at http://tinyurl.com/y3b6wj


Read all the responses to this Help this Hound question at http://tinyurl.com/37nlvh


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6. Help This Hound
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Carol Bloom Stevens of Rye Brook, New York writes:

"My husband, Mark Stevens, wrote a book called 'God Is a Salesman: Learn from the Master' which will be published by Hachette at the end of this year.

"We are looking for a Christian faith-based PR firm to get the word out to the churches across the country to buy this book. Grace Hill Media does this for movies like Mel Gibson's "Passion of the Christ." We are seeking specialists in the book publishing industry.

"We're also looking for creative ideas from other Hounds on how our own PR firm, MSCO, can promote this to consumer and business media."

The Publicity Hound says: Lots of authors and book publishers read this newsletter, Carol, and I'm sure you'll get lots of ideas. Here's my own:

Any author who wants to create a buzz for a book on just about any topic should head over to Amazon.com, a high-traffic website that offers 17 opportunities to promote your books, CDs and other products--even on your competitors' product pages. Mark can review other books and even provide a "Top 10" list of his favorite sales strategies or tips. Randy Gilbert and Don Mitchell explain all the other ways to use Amazon to promote.

They were my guests when I interviewed them on "How to Turn Amazon.com into a River of Gold." It's available as a CD or electronic transcript. You can download the handout with all 17 ideas as soon as your order has been approved. Read more about what you'll learn at http://tinyurl.com/7u76e


Hounds with ideas for Carol can post them to my blog at http://tinyurl.com/yvlbcq


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7. Hound Joke of the Week
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Dogs are better than kids. They eat less, don't ask for money all the time, are trained, usually come when called, never drive your car, don't hang out with drug-using friends, don't smoke or drink, don't worry about whether they have the latest fashions, don't wear your clothes and don't need a gazillion dollars for college. And if they get pregnant, you can sell the pups.


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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Restaurant reviewers report on dirty restrooms
http://tinyurl.com/3d6nxp


Online games, quizzes great for website promotion
http://tinyurl.com/38gmnu


Fortune Small Business wants to know your financials
http://tinyurl.com/2agmkw


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Where to Meet or Hear The Publicity Hound®


August 14: Norfolk, Virginia

9 a.m. to noon: "Savvy Media Relations: How to Get Free Print, Broadcast & Online Publicity." 1:30-4 p.m.: "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: Virginia Beach, Virginia

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. Or if you're just starting out, join for $15 a month. Learn more about the association at http://tinyurl.com/54dp6


September 11: Brookfield, Wisconsin

Association for Volunteer Administration of Southeastern Wisconsin, keynote presentation on "Savvy Media Relations: How to Get Thousands of Dollars in FREE Online and Offline Publicity," 9:45 a.m., University of Phoenix Metro-Milwaukee Campus, 20075 Watertower Blvd. $30 for AVA/SEW and IAVCmembers, $40 for non-members. Deadline August 31. Learn more at http://www.ava-sew.org/content/blogcategory/5/4/or call Kay Bloesl at 414-571-1327 to register.


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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