Publicity tips/The Worst TV Talk Show Guest Ever April 1, 2008

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #392 April 1, 2008
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. The Worst TV Talk Show Guest Ever

2. When 'Oprah' Features Your Competitor

3. Book Waiver Forms

4. 'The Office' Returns

5. Promoting Garage Sale Signs

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Quote of the Week

8. At My Blog...

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1. The Worst TV Talk Show Guest Ever
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When Madonna appeared on "The Late Show with David Letterman" on March 31, 1994, her coarse language made the episode the most censored in American network television talk-show history.

It also resulted in some of the highest ratings of Letterman's late-night career.

Three year's later, when Farrah Fawcett appeared on Letterman's show, either drunk or stoned or both, Letterman made the most of the interview, interjecting comments like "time to get into a 12-step program" into the conversation, without her even realizing he was making fun of her.

Then there's Adam Green, a singer/songwriter and member of the now-defunct band Moldy Peaches, who appeared on "Total tv," a late-night German TV talk show, recently.

After host Stefan Raab introduced him, Green sauntered onto the stage, beer bottle in hand, then jumped onto the couch next to Raab's desk and almost landed on his head. Swigging from the bottle periodically, he gave one of the oddest interviews I've ever seen.

At one point, he joked about serving in Iraq. He sat on the host's lap and kissed him. Then he threw the beer bottle at a member of the production crew. He missed, and the bottle shattered on stage. Green ranks right up there as one of the worst TV talk show guests ever.

Judge for yourself by watching the video: http://youtube.com/watch?v=XfBIz-NyQFY

Celebrity guests can often get away with disobeying one of the commandments that no other guest can break on a TV talk show: Never, ever embarrass the host.

Embarrassing the host also means:

- -Holding up your book on camera and pitching it

- -Hogging the spotlight and not letting the host control the conversation

- -Continuing to talk when it's time for a commercial break

If you're trying to get onto TV talk shows, know what's expected of you before, during and after the show. Know the 6 traits every talk show host is looking for. Know how to avoid the "freeze and squeeze" mistake that can make you sound like you're 10 years old. And the nine other commandments you must follow during taped interviews.

TV personality Connie Dieken explained them all during an interview she did with me. It's available as a CD or an electronic transcript that you can download and be reading as soon as your order has been approved.

Read more about "How to be a TV Talk Show Host's Dream Date" at http://publicityhound.net/cdtvtalkshowdreamdate


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2. When 'Oprah' Features Your Competitor
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If you're dying to get onto "Oprah," one of the worst things that can happen to you is having Oprah pass you over in favor of one of your competitors.

Unless you're Santosh Krinskey of Lotus Brands, a company in Twin Lakes, Wisconsin that sells neti pots. A neti pot is a miniature watering can that resembles an Aladdin's lamp. People like me, who are susceptible to sinus infections, use neti pots regularly to keep sinus passages clean.

Fill the pot with a homemade mixture of salt water. Hang your head over a sink. Shove the pot's long spout up one nostril. Turn your head to one side and let the water flow through your sinus cavity and drip out the other nostril. It sounds gross and uncomfortable, but it works.

Last April, Santosh didn't see the "Oprah" segment on nasal irrigation, in which she featured a neti pot from one of his competitors. But within hours after the show was broadcast, he was deluged with orders.

He air-freighted 300,000 pots immediately. Two months later, he started ordering 220,000 pots a month for the rest of the year from his Chinese supplier.

But it didn't end there. The neti pot show was aired again in November and December last year, resulting in another tidal wave of sales. Santosh estimates he sold 750,000 neti pots as a result or his competitor's publicity.

That's probably because many people still aren't familiar with neti pots. So when they saw the Oprah segment, they didn't go shopping for a particular brand.

If your competitor ends up on "Oprah" and is hawking a certain book or another product that appears, you probably won't be as lucky as Santosh. Susan Harrow shows you how to tilt the odds of being on the show in your favor. My interview with her called "How to Get Booked on Oprah" includes advice on how to tap into Oprah's hot-button topics. Susan explains what producers are listening for when they hear your pitch and the little "extras" that will make Oprah's producers more interested in you.

The interview is available as a CD or an electronic transcript that you can download and be reading as soon as your order has been approved.

Read more about what you'll learn at http://publicityhound.net/cdoprah


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3. Book Waiver Forms
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If an author asks to interview you and write about your business for a new book, don't be a pain in the neck.

Give a great interview. When the author sends you a waiver form that explains who gets rights to the information and how the publisher can use it, read it. Unless there's a major problem with what the publisher wants, sign the form without a lot of fanfare or complaining.

Some people raise such a huge stink over these forms that the "negotiations" last for weeks. The interview subject assumes the role of editor and even asks for a rewrite. In some cases, the deadline lapses, and the frustrated author is forced to leave the complainer out of the book.

Publicity Hound Shelley Hunter, who helped research and write the new book "The Million-Dollar Idea in Everyone" by Mike Collins, tipped me off to this problem. Wiley published the book, but it was her job to obtain the author waiver forms from business people mentioned in it.

"While most professionals faxed back signed waivers immediately with a note of thanks, a few made the process very difficult--asking for changes to the standard waiver, insisting on seeing the completed manuscript before signature, withholding permission unless we'd change non-essential words, and so forth.

"Some delayed so long that we had no choice but to scramble and replace their stories. One woman even withdrew permission because she didn't want to contribute to a book authored by a man (I'm not kidding!)"

Ironically, Shelley says, the people who created the most fuss were those whose businesses are relatively new. The more experienced entrepreneurs returned their waivers without issue.

Getting into books is part of building a publicity platform. The more books you're in, the more TV and radio shows you're on, the more newspapers and magazines you're in, the bigger your platform. And the bigger your platform, the greater the chance that a major publishing house will publish your book. But don't even think of seeking a publisher unless you already have a huge platform.

"How to Create a Publicity Platform That Leads to a Six-Figure Book Advance" walks you step-by-step through the process of building platform so you have an edge over the thousands of other authors who are courting publishers.

It's available as a CD or an electronic transcript that you can download and be reading as soon as your order has been approved.

Read more about what you'll learn at http://publicityhound.net/cdbookadvance


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4. 'The Office' Returns
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Attention product placement watchers.

NBC's hit series "The Office" returns at 9 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, April 10.

The show is known for, among other things, its liberal use of branded products on the set. Some companies--like Staples, Sandals Resorts, Hewlett-Packard, Gateway and Cisco, for instance--pay big bucks to get their brands in front of viewers.

If you have a consumer product that you want to get onto a popular TV show or onto the set of a movie, you don't necessarily have to negotiate expensive product placement agreements like those companies have. Often, production coordinators will accept all kinds of products, from bottled water to artsy jewelry, and place them on the set for free.

Amy Bates Stumpf and Rebecca Lightsey, both experts at product placement, explained during an interview I conducted with them "How to Get Your Consumer Products onto the Sets of Movies & TV Shows" that the hard part is getting through to the right person.

They explained how the magic of technology can place your product onto sitcoms that have been in syndication for several years, how to build relationships with set designers, the types of products that are most in demand on the sets of TV shows and movies, and how to track down and pitch the correct people who have the power to get your products on the screen.

The interview is available as a CD or an electronic transcript that you can download and be reading as soon as your order has been approved.

Read more about what you'll learn at http://publicityhound.net/cdproductplacement


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5. Promoting Garage Sale Signs
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This week, 10 Publicity Hounds have tips on how Nycole Pederson of Eden Prairie, Minnesota can promote her company's chic, funky, sassy garage/yard sale signs.


From Lisa Romeo:

"Find all the mom/parent bloggers in a group of targeted cities/suburban regions, as well as those whose topics touch on real estate, moving, home renovation, etc. and give away signs to those folks."


From Julie Parvis:

"Have you considered placing a classified ad on eBay? There are several categories that accept ads where you might fit in. Under specialty services, there are sub-categories such as printing & personalization, artistic services or graphic & logo design.

"Or under business & industrial, there's a sub-category called office printing & shipping. There are ads there for banners, etc. Look through the ads and see where you think you might fit. Not all categories are allowing classified ads yet."


From Kathleen Lisson:

"I suggest holding an online contest to select a design for your newest garage sale sign. Have contestants submit digital photos of their signs and post the finalists on your site with a readers’ poll that will determine the winner.

"Send details of the contest to garage sale/home organization/life coach bloggers and also send localized releases to the media markets of each of your finalists, complete with a digital picture of the local finalist’s sign.

"I watch a show on cable called Clean House. It’s all about garage sales and home organization. Could you donate a few signs to their efforts?"


The Publicity Hound says:

How about creating short videos that show you creating the signs, and posting them to video-sharing sites like YouTube? The search engines give high ranking to videos, and they'll pull traffic into your website. Start creating videos today, with help from the 2-CD set "How to Make a Fortune using Video, Even if You Don't Have a Computer." Learn more at http://tinyurl.com/y3b6wj


Read all the responses at http://publicityhound.net/helpthishound/garagesalesigns


Send your own Help this Hound question to: mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com?subject=HelpThisHound and include your city and state.


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6. Help This Hound
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Natasha Henry of Laurel, Maryland writes:

"I'm a communications writer for a federal credit union in Maryland. Earlier this year, we launched a year-long savings campaign in which members who make monthly deposits into their accounts get a chance to win several thousand dollars in cash prizes through monthly and quarterly drawings. When members continue making deposits every month, they have a chance to win a $20,000 cash prize in December of this year.

"I'm interested in learning what type of affordable publicity ideas your Hounds would have for a campaign of this type. I'd like to present some low-cost promotional ideas and pitches to see if any of them can be done.

"Our level of media coverage is typically within local newspapers, national trade journals and local TV news station coverage. However, we have been mentioned in one national paper to my knowledge, which was the Wall Street Journal, on the topic of employee wellness programs. "

The Publicity Hound says:

Tying children into your campaign--specifically, how to teach children to save money, would be one angle. Let's see how many more ideas my Hounds can come up with. Hounds with great ideas for Natasha can post them to my blog at http://publicityhound.net/blogcreditunion


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7. Hound Joke of the Week
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Cat's motto:

No matter what you've done wrong, always try to make it look like the cat did it.


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. At My Blog...
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Publicity plan should target blogs and ezines
http://publicityhound.net/blogezines


Promote your expertise with these five tips http://publicityhound.net/blogpromoteyourexpertise


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Where to See or Hear The Publicity Hound


April 22: Shorewood, Wisconsin

"Savvy Media Relations: How to Get FREE Online & Offline Publicity," 8:30 to noon, and "The New Rules of Press Releases: How to Write Them for Consumers, Not Only for Journalists," 1 to 3:30 p.m.; North Star, 4515 W. Oakland Ave., sponsored by the Shorewood Business Improvement District. Tickets are $75 each or $65 for two or more persons. To register, contact Barb Caprile at barb@shorewood.com or 414-962-7008.


April 30: Teleseminar

"How to Create a Media Plan," part of the teleseminar series "Intro to Internet Marketing" for health professionals. Perfect for doctors, nurses, spa owners, holistic health counselors, massage therapists, etc. Register at http://publicityhound.net/introinternetmarketing


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Joan Stewart
a. k.a. The Publicity Hound®
3434 County KK
Port Washington, WI 53074
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Phone: 262-284-7451 (Central) Fax: 262-284-1737