Publicity tips/The Perils of Friending Journalists Sept 9, 2008

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #415 Sept. 9, 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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Don't Miss These 5 Deadlines & Events:

- -Publicity Hounds can still get $200 off the $1,195
registration fee for Ragan Communications' Social Media Summit
Sept. 10-12 in Chicago. Let me know if you're going so I can
meet you over coffee on Thursday or Friday. Register at
http://www.ragan.com/publicityhound

- -Learn why the college speaking circuit is one of the most
lucrative places for speakers, particularly if you speak on one
of about a dozen topics that are in demand. I'm hosting a free
teleseminar with James Malinchak, king of the college speaking
circuit, from 3 to 4 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, Sept. 17.
See item #2 below.

- -Tom Antion will teach you his (and my) three-part strategy--
public speaking, Internet marketing and success principles--to
position yourself as an expert and grow your business. From 9 to
10 p.m. Eastern tonight, Sept. 9. See Item #3 below.

- -Steve Harrison repeats his teleseminar on Thursday, Sept. 11,
on how to get onto major TV and radio shows. Learn more at
http://tinyurl.com/5ah6ah

- -Stompernet received such overwhelming response last week to
its free offer of a set of DVDs called "Stomping the Search
Engines 2" and the premiere issue of "The Net Effect," its
journal on Internet marketing, that too much traffic crashed the
system. Not great PR for a company that teaches Internet
marketing, but proof that an irresistible offer can blow the roof
off anybody's best laid plans. You can still claim your DVDs and
journal at http://tinyurl.com/5au4lo

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In This Issue
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1. The Perils of Friending Journalists

2. Why College Speakers Aren't Worried

3. What Experts Do

4. Media Leads

5. How to Promote a Keepsake CD

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. And at My Blog...


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1. The Perils of Friending Journalists
=========================================

Journalists have always hated being identified publicly as the
"friend" of a source.

"I'm not your friend," many insist. "I'm just trying to do my
job."

But that was 10 years ago, long before social networking sites
came onto the scene.

These days, if you're trying to get in front of a reporter at The
Washington Post, for example, and you know he has a Facebook
page, asking him to be your friend is as easy as a few mouse
clicks.

Easy and dangerous.

- -He can identify you as a spammer.

- -If he thinks your invitation is improper, and he's in a lousy
mood, he can put you on his blacklist and "out" you to other
journalists.

- -He can post a nasty comment about you. Or worse.

Journalists create Facebook pages as one way of taking advantage
of Web 2.0 tools. Facebook is a great place to look for sources.
They can friend other journalists. They can listen to and
participate in the online conversation. They also use Facebook
as a secondary distribution system for their work and link to
their articles, op-ed pieces, blogs and videos.

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation has directed its
journalists to avoid adding sources or contacts as Facebook
friends.

"It may compromise your work by letting friends see other friends
on your network," the policy document says. "It may also not be
in your interest to identify yourself as a 'friend' of a source
on their network."

You can read the entire policy at
http://www.insidethecbc.com/facebookpolicy

So what should you do if so see a journalist on a social
networking site and you want to connect? Here are three ways to
start building the relationship:

- -Publicity Hound Harry Hoover has compiled a list of
"Journalists Who Twitter" at
http://www.my-creativeteam.com/blog/?p=694
He suggests that if the journalist is on the list, you can follow
him or her and reply to their tweets when appropriate.
At some point, you can email them from Twitter and ask if
it's OK to invite them to be your friend on Facebook, and
connect with you on LinkedIn.

- -If the journalist has a page on LinkedIn, check to see if any
of their connections are also your connections. If so, you can
ask the connection to introduce you. If you are introduced, do
not pitch. Instead, offer yourself as a source who can provide
background, commentary, story ideas and anything else the
journalist needs. See "How to Promote Anything on LinkedIn,
Ethically & Powerfully," a series of two teleseminars I hosted
with LinkedIn expert Scott Allen, at http://tinyurl.com/5zvzyd

- -Can't find your favorite journalist at any of the social
networking sites? Google their name and see if they blog. If
so, read the blog and comment.

Let's see what other Publicity Hounds have to say about this
topic. Journalists, what's your policy of accepting friending
invitations from people you don't know?

Sources, have you made valuable contacts with journalists on
these social networking sites, or others? If so, how?

Post your comments to my blog at http://tinyurl.com/5769nf

If you're new to Facebook, or you've had a page for awhile but
you don't know all the insider tricks on how to use it to
promote, Jason Alba can help. He explained them all, including
an entire timeline on what to do on Facebook, and when, if you
have something to promote.

The two teleseminars are available as electronic transcripts plus
MP3s which you can download as soon as your order is approved.
Learn how to start using Facebook the right way at
http://www.publicityhound.com/teleseminar/facebook.htm


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2. Why College Speakers Aren't Worried
=========================================

Every time the economy takes a dive, professional speakers feel
the pinch.

Companies and nonprofits have less money to pay speakers, and
they invite experts who are often willing to speak at seminars
and conventions for free.

But the college speaking circuit is almost immune from that kind
of ripple effect. That's because colleges and universities pay
their speakers from sources like student activity fees, which
aren't affected by a bad economy.

James Malinchak, king of the college speaking circuit, says
Publicity Hounds who are experts on a wide variety of topics--
leadership, dating and relationships, and drug and alcohol abuse,
to name just a few--have a fabulous opportunity to expand their
business by adding colleges to their target market.

If you're hired to speak at a college, it also increases your
chances for publicity. Fraternity and sorority newsletters,
college newspapers and radio stations, even MySpace and Facebook
pages and groups, can multiply your exposure and spread the word
about your expertise.

James will be my guest during a free one-hour teleseminar at 3
p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, Sept. 17. He'll give you a peek
at the kind of material he'll be presenting at his College
Speaking Success Boot Camp Dec. 4-7 in Los Angeles. If you have
no interest in attending the boot camp, join us for the
teleseminar. You'll come away with several valuable lists that
will help you get started that day booking speaking engagements
at colleges.

You'll learn, for instance, what topics are most in demand and
why, which departments have the budgets to book you, who are the
people you must contact to get booked as a college speaker, and
why creating traditional marketing materials for colleges is a
huge waste of time and money.

Register for the teleseminar at http://tinyurl.com/6dpaud


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3. What Experts Do
=========================================

If you want to be an expert in your topic, or more of an expert
than you already are, read the free 12-page White Paper titled
"The Expertise Imperative" at
http://www.PublicityHound.com/expertise.pdf

The National Speakers Association published it several years ago,
and I refer Publicity Hounds to it often, regardless of their
occupation. Speakers, remember, come from a wide variety of
backgrounds. The White Paper is an excellent starting point for
anybody who wants to be an expert.

Expertise, it explains, isn't only about how much you know. It's
also about how much you do.

What, exactly, do experts do?

Coach and mentor. Create products. Write articles. Write
commercially-published books. Blog. Do media interviews.
Provide commentary for the media. Take leadership positions in
trade associations.

Speak for free or for fee. Accept invitations to lecture on
other people's teleseminars. Accept new clients every year.
Research new topics to stay at the forefront of their field.
Create a huge presence for themselves online.

The White Paper says experts also demonstrate their own ethics
and character by admitting mistakes and correcting errors
promptly, sharing credit and acknowledging others in the field,
and exhibiting the highest standard of behavior.

Unfortunately, the White Paper doesn't explain how to do much of
what it says you should do. That's where I relied on Tom Antion
to teach me. I was a member of his mentor program for several
years and learned his three-pronged strategy for growing a
business--public speaking, Internet marketing and success
principles he learned from his father.

He has graciously agreed to do a complimentary teleseminar with
me from 9 to 10 p.m. Eastern Time tonight, Sept. 9, to explain
various aspects of that same business model.

The call will introduce Publicity Hounds to the type of content
he will present at this live event called "Fusion," Oct. 17-19,
in Los Angeles. Tom will do what he preaches on tonight's call:
under promise and over deliver. If you can't attend the live
event, you'll still come away with pages of notes you can start
implementing immediately.

Sign up for tonight's teleseminar at
http://www.PublicityHound.com/teleseminar/fusion.htm

Learn more about the conference at http://tinyurl.com/5cefjt


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4. Media Leads
=========================================

- -Susan Reynolds of Literary Cottage needs stories from anyone
who attended Woodstock in 1969 for Woodstock Revisited, an
anthology to be published by Adams Media next spring. Adams
Media pays $100 and one copy of the book. "We are seeking 50
true stories (850-1100 words) written by people who attended the
1969 Woodstock Festival. This anthology will document the event
itself, but will also provide a portrait of America as that
tumultuous decade came to a close. Stories should be historical
within the context of 1969 and yet unique to your experience.
Stories must be TRUE, vivid, and substantive. You can write an
'as told to' story if you have friends or family who attended.
If you are not a writer, send me a narrative of your experience,
and I will help you craft your story. Please carefully review
the details and sample story provided on the 'Woodstock '69
Guidelines' page at http://www.literarycottage.com/woodstock.html
Deadline is Sunday, Sept. 14." Please email Susan immediately if
you'll be sending a story. Mailto:sreynolds@literarycottage.com


- -Kathy Gerschutz, an intern at WIMA-AM radio in Lima, Ohio, a
Clear Channel station, says the Mike Miller Morning Show is
looking for interview subjects, including showbiz updates, home
improvement guests, health experts, TV critics, child care
experts, pet experts, travel experts, odd news, personal finance
experts, book reviewers, management experts, someone who can
explain how stuff works, consumer experts, collectable experts,
food experts, economists, video game experts, music reviewers,
dating experts, and more. Pre-recorded interviews are three
minutes. "We'd prefer a weekly guest, though we would definitely
consider bi-weekly guests, and in some cases, one-time guests."
The target audience is men 35 to 40. The show broadcasts from 6
to 9 a.m. weekdays. Contact Kathy at
mailto:kathygerschutz@yahoo.com


Smaller shows like that one are great places to get experience
before you hit the big-time. But the competition for the big
shows is incredibly tough. Alex Carroll, who has done more than
1,000 radio interviews, was my guest during a teleseminar and
showed Publicity Hounds how to "Get Booked on Big Radio Shows in
the Top 20 Markets."

It's available as a CD. You can read more about how to get your
foot in the door at the mega-shows at http://tinyurl.com/asgyx


==========================================
5. How to Promote a Keepsake CD
==========================================

This week, three Publicity Hound have tips for Alaa el Ghatit of
Libertyville, Illinois, on how to promote LifeOnRecord, a service
that lets people capture and preserve their memories from any
phone. The recordings are available on a keepsake CD, and can
also be managed and played via his website, or downloaded into
iTunes.


From Linda Swisher:

"I'm a genealogist. Family historians are a natural target
market. You might also branch out into family and military
reunions, where members of a certain military unit can record
their recollections from wherever they are. How about high
school reunions? Print media include Reunions magazine,
Ancestry, Family Tree Magazine, etc."


From Cheryl Pickett:

"Since one use for your product is a wedding gift, do you do
cross-promotions with other professionals? Certainly wedding
planners should top your list, but also Djs, photographers,
florists. See if you can get on the recommended vendor or
networking lists where these people are. If you aren't doing it
already, pitch wedding bloggers, websites and magazines.

You could also promote general event planners as well. The great
thing is you aren't limited by location so the sky is virtually
the limit for you as to who you can contact in just these two
groups alone."


From The Publicity Hound:

"The Gift List--a service that provides contact information for
national and regional magazines, the top 250 daily newspapers,
news wires and syndicates, national television, and national
radio, as well as a list for web and blog outlets--is perfect for
product publicity for this CD.

"These media are HUNGRY for press releases and photos about
consumer products that make great gifts for Christmas, Mother's
Day, Father's Day, Valentine's Day and Graduation Day. Learn
more about how to get into these gift guides at
http://tinyurl.com/9es8y


Read all the responses to this week's Help This Hound question at
http://tinyurl.com/64tgx7

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
==================================

Rik Feeney of Orlando, Florida writes:

"I need help from fellow Hounds on how to best promote my new
book, the Puppy Lover's Journal.

"It's made up of 104 lined journal pages with pictures of cute
little puppies of several different breeds on the bottom outside
corner of each page. Since it's a journal, you can write fond
memories of your puppy, personal notes about your life, shopping
lists for the grocery, or maybe even the next great romance
novel. I am also publishing a similar book titled the Kitten
Lover's Journal.

"My problem is cash flow, so I need ideas that use more sweat-
equity than cash from my wallet."

The Publicity Hound says: My Hounds don't discriminate, Rik, and
will give you great ideas for your kitten journal as well as your
puppy journal. Have a great idea for Rik? Post it to my blog at
http://tinyurl.com/6g6wx5


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7. Hound Joke of the Week
==================================

Thanks to Publicity Hound Barry Lebow of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
for this one:

A dog went to a telegram office, took out a blank form and wrote:
"Woof. Woof. Woof. Woof. Woof. Woof. Woof. Woof. Woof."

The clerk examined the paper and politely told the dog: "There
are only nine words here. You could send another ‘Woof’ for the
same price."

The dog replied, "But that would make no sense at all."


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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Authors, pitch issues & shows, not your books
http://tinyurl.com/5d7kvl


Why is 'the mic is always on' so difficult to understand?
Http://tinyurl.com/55bpa9


If you missed Oprah's guest booker, join her Thursday
http://tinyurl.com/5ah6ah


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