Publicity tips/My Gift to You Dec 17, 2008

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #429 Dec. 17, 2008
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)

Circulation: 44,601

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

"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"

Receive this ezine direct to your desktop
http://www.publicityarticles.net/archive/

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

You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The Publicity
Hound website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you told me
that you want to subscribe. If you didn't subscribe, you can
unsubscribe by clicking the link at the bottom of the newsletter.

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.

================================
In This Issue
================================

1. My Gift to You

2. 'I Blogged About You'

3. Choose the Right TV Show

4. Google Alerts for Twitter

5. How to Keep Track of Media Contacts

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. And at My Blog...


================================
1. My Gift to You
================================

This is the time of year when smart Publicity Hounds are creating
"Best of 2008" lists to squeeze a few more publicity hits into 2008.

As for me, it's time for my annual "Best of the Publicity Hound's Tips
of the Week" ebook, my gift to you at Christmas, Hanukkah and
New Year's. The ebook includes the best 24 tips from this past
year, or tips that generated a lot of response from readers.

I encourage you to regift it to your own blog readers, newsletter
subscribers, clients, customers, Twitter followers, and MySpace and
Facebook friends.

This year's book includes tips on:

--A fast, inexpensive way to catch the attention of journalists in
your community.

--A clever way to get onto the morning TV talk shows by
suggesting something out-of-the-ordinary.

--A place where you can connect daily with journalists who are
looking for sources. And it won't cost you a penny.

--What to do when you're tempted to strangle a reporter for
wasting your time interviewing you, and then leaving your name out
of the story.

--A news story that appears several times a year in almost every
community and is PERFECT for piggybacking onto.

--9 ways to use video to pull more traffic to your website, sell more
products, generate publicity, and build the buzz about your
product, service, cause or issue.

--11 ways to use a paid or unpaid assistant to help with publicity-
related tasks.

--How to make your local Chamber of Commerce one of your
biggest promoters.

--A f~ree tool that tell you whether your press release gets a
passing grade or falls flat on its face.

--How to use a popular social networking site to snoop on your
competitors

--What writers can learn from a beloved dog's obit.

--How to claim the Number 1 spot on Google.

--A publicity mistake that most companies make, and it kills their
chances of ever getting covered

You can get the ebook here, save it to your hard drive and then
share it on the social networking sites:
http://tinyurl.com/Bestof2008Tips


If you'd like to excerpt content from the ebook and then link to the
book, let me know and I'll send you the item as a Word document
so you can cut and paste.

Thanks to all of you for being loyal readers and to many of you for
being active participants in this newsletter. Each week, I receive
dozens of emails from Hounds who share publicity success stories,
contrarian viewpoints, helpful publicity tips, time- saving tools and
shortcuts and, of course, Hound jokes, quotes and hysterical
videos.

Thanks, too, for correcting me when I goof. I'm grateful that you're
part of my community, and it's because of you that I have the best
job in the world.

P.S. Regifting this ebook is entirely appropriate. Share this link:
http://tinyurl.com/Bestof2008Tips


====================================
2. 'I Blogged About You'
====================================

If you're following journalists or bloggers who are in an ideal position
to give you publicity, here's a great way to get their attention.

Set up a Google alert at http://www.Google.com/alerts for their
names. Every time you see that they've written a blog post or an
article that fits in with the content at your blog, comment on it at
your own blog and link to it.

Then send an email with the subject line "I blogged about you"
and provide the link. Every time I see subject lines like that one, I
open the email immediately, then I jump to the blog to see what
somebody said about me. I can almost guarantee they'll open your
email. And they might even reply.

You can keep the conversation going by:

--Inviting the blogger to write a guest post at your blog. don't
bother asking journalists who are too busy. You can, however, ask
permission to reprint a post from their blog on your own blog.

--Posting comments on the blogger's or journalist's blog. This is a
powerful way to get onto their radar screens BEFORE you pitch
them. In fact, comment several times over a few weeks and
chances are good they'll remember you when they see your pitch.

--Search for them on Twitter, follow them, and reply to their
tweets. Check out the Journalists Who Twitter wiki at
http://tinyurl.com/3erv9s

--Friend them on Facebook.

--Connect with them on LinkedIn. When extending an invitation, be
sure to mention you read their blog regularly. Some people, me
included, won't accept invitations from strangers who are trolling for
connections.

Now, for the hard part. None of this is much good if your blog
stinks.

My heart breaks when Publicity Hounds tell me they've stopped
blogging because they don't have time or can't think of anything to
write about. Or they've been blogging for two months and quit
because traffic is sparse and nobody bothers to comment.

Denise Wakeman and Patsi Krakoff, aka The Blog Squad, are
releasing their "Build a Better Blog" training system that helps you
create a blog from scratch, or shows you how to make over an
existing blog and pull traffic like a magnet. You can do most of the
work yourself using their step-by-step instructions, or let them build
the entire blog for you.

Read more about the three levels of training for "the best marketing
tool on the planet," offered by the two best blog teachers on the
planet, at http://tinyurl.com/ydew4w


===================================
3. Choose the Right TV Show
===================================

If you're angling to get onto TV, your pitch had better be a perfect
match with the content and tone of the show, its hosts and its
interviewers.

Take, for example, these five TV shows, all of which are very
different:

--ABC's "20/20"

--C-span's "Book TV"

--"The Ellen DeGeneres Show"

--"Hannity & Colmes" on Fox News

--"The Rachael Ray Show"

Ready for some tough questions? Then you might welcome a
chance to sit across from tough interviewers on "20/20."

Standing firm on the left or right of a political issue?
"Hannity & Colmes" (soon to be without Alan Colmes) might be
perfect for you.

Or do you prefer fun and games and an unpredictable host? If so,
you'll love Ellen, who features a mix of celebs, entertainers and
everyday people with extraordinary stories and talents.

If your product or service ties into food, there might be a spot for
you on the set of "Rachael Ray."

If you're an author, "Book TV" is one of the best media outlets
where you can feature your book and your expertise.

Even if you were only pitching two of those five shows, you must
customize your pitch, and then make sure it's delivered to the
correct person. Sometimes it's a guest booker, and sometimes it's
an assistant producer. Unless you have specific pitching
instructions and contact information, you can never know for sure.

Steve Harrison will give you exact pitching instructions for each of
those five shows, if you go to
http://www.freepublicity.com/freetvlistings/?10011

The listings are from "Harrison's Guide to the Top National TV Talk &
Interview Programs" database which gives you
1,122 key contacts at the top 323 national TV and cable shows
that interview guests.

If you like the samples and want the entire database, grab it before
6 p.m. Eastern Time on Friday, Dec. 19, and get up to $200 off,
depending on which option you choose. You'll also get the next
edition when it comes out in March.


===================================
4. Google Alerts for Twitter
===================================

Frustrated because you can't keep up with the waves of
information washing over you each day on Twitter? But you don't
want to miss who's talking about you and your products?

Welcome to TweetBeep, sort of a Google Alerts for Twitter.

It helps you keep track of conversations that mention you, your
products, your company or anything else you want to follow. You
can even keep track of who's tweeting your website or blog, even if
they use a Tiny URL.

This is a great service for reputation management, catching all
your replies, finding job/networking opportunities, and keeping up on
your favorite hobbies and TV programs.

Sign up for TweetBeep at http://TweetBeep.com


Then learn many more ways to use Twitter to promote whatever it
is you're selling, without being an obnoxious pest. Warren Whitlock,
one of the most well-respected Twitterers, walks you step by step
through the process of "How to Use Twitter to Amass an Army of
Followers, Customers & Valuable contacts--and Promote."

It's available as electronic transcripts and your choice of CDs or
MP3 downloads. Read more about how Twitter will make your
marketing and your life a lot easier at http://tinyurl.com/3lbcaw


==========================================
5. How to Keep Track of Media Contacts
==========================================

This week, nine Publicity Hounds have tips for Erin Portman of
Austin, Texas, a freelance writer, who is asking for ideas for a
better way to keep track of media contacts.


From Barbara Florio Graham:

"I use ClipMate at http://www.thornsoft.com to keep media contact
info on hand for insertion into email, letters, and my label program.
It allows you to store an unlimited amount of information, in an
assortment of categories, and I find it invaluable."


From Jeff "SKI" Kinsey:

"Please do not use MS Outlook on a Mac.

"For each person, there is a best solution. We don't know enough
about your needs to make recommendations. And wisely, you did
not ask for any.

"You simply asked what we use.

"Me? Apple Mac Mini and its Address Book and iCal plus my iPod
touch which syncs nicely, so I ALWAYS have all details with me at
all times. For those urgent interactions while enjoying a Frappuccino
at Starbucks, it offers free WiFi to card carrying fans, which allows
me to check (and send) emails from my iPod while on the road."


From Denise Dorman:

"I may be unique in my method because I have ADD, but for me,
once something is out of sight and touch, such as tucked away in
an Excel program or on an electronic hand held-device, I will never
think of it ever again. My system is tactile, visual, and cannot be
easily lost, flushed down a toilet or lost by electronics gone
haywire.

"I create old-fashioned, handwritten Rolodexes for each client's
media list. I also have an Excel sheet backup for email blasts, etc.,
and a Google shared document spreadsheet to share with my
cohorts, but I've found that for someone like me with ADD, I need
to see and touch those Rolodex cards to keep those journalists top
of mind."


The Publicity Hound says:

Because I'm not a publicist, I don't have a lot of use for a media
database. So I use ACT. My series of teleseminars on "How to
Create a Media Plan" includes a template for a 12-month plan, sort
of a "fill in the blanks" document that tells you exactly what kind of
information you need to keep on hand for every media outlet you
are target, regardless of which program you are using.

The package includes more than 200 story ideas for all 12 months
of the year. You'll also get a half-hour consultation with me to help
you get a running start.

Read more about the value of a plan and why you need one at
http://publicityhound.com/mediaplan.htm

Read all the responses to this week's Help This Hound question
http://tinyurl.com/5vf9pq

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


==================================
6. Help This Hound
==================================

Kendra Hinzmann of Oshkosh, Wisconsin writes:

"I am the director for a fine art exhibit space within an upscale
retirement community. This new venture was mostly set in place as
life enrichment for the residents, but I really wanted to include the
community as well.

"I got on board with the local Gallery Walks (over 40 local
businesses) that occur monthly. That proved to be a good move
and attendance had been building with the last shows at 80 and
100 (including public) respectively. I was thrilled to have booked an
internationally known artist for November. He is very prestigious in
the art world and thought the community would be as ecstatic as
we were to have him. He generously donated his time for a great
presentation and an art piece for a silent auction that would benefit
our nonprofit.

"I feel like I used all the correct avenues--tying it to another
community event that pertained to the show’s holiday theme,
printed press releases, inviting pillars of the community, Chamber of
Commerce advertising that went out to 1,600 recipients, and on
and on. I was shocked at our lowest turnout yet!

"Do your readers have any ideas to salvage and re-promote this
show (without the artist present) that ends Jan. 15?"


The Publicity Hound says: My Hounds ALWAYS have a few last-
minute ideas up their sleeves and they'll post them to my blog at
http://tinyurl.com/6eafms

Speaking of art, artists won't want to miss the 2008 smARTist
Telesummit, a series of teleseminars that teach you how to turn an
art hobby into an art career. I'm presenting a segment on how to
use social networking on Jan. 21. Learn more at
http://tinyurl.com/5axy3x


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

Top 10 things heard at Fido's office Christmas party:


10. "Wow! Check out the hot poodle with Rover."

9. "So I says to him, throw in toilet bowl privileges, and you
got yourself a deal."

8. "Look, I gotta go chase a cab..."

7. "Hey you--cat! You work here?"

6. "Not the Macarena again! Somebody cut off the boss' bar
tab..."

5. "Did you see the neat photocopies of Bowser's rear end?"

4. "Hey, good lookin'. Wanna swing by the ol' doghouse later?"

3. "Who ordered the hot dog pizza with everything?"

2. "Dead Cats--We're Still for 'Em!"

1. "Gainesburgers? Who catered this disaster?"


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/


===================================
8. And at My Blog...
===================================

NPR canceling 'Day to Day,' 'News & Notes'
http://tinyurl.com/6f968j


How to write a guest post for Copyblogger.com
http://tinyurl.com/5wgytc


--------------------------------------

WHERE TO SEE AND HEAR THE PUBLICITY HOUND:


Wednesday, Jan. 21--Teleseminar

Join me for the third annual smARTist telesummit where
photographers, jewelers, potters, painters, metalworkers,
woodworkers and other artists will learn all the secrets for growing
their art business. I'm presenting a session on how to use social
networking, from 2 to 2:45 Eastern Time on Wednesday, Jan. 21.
Register for the telesummit at http://tinyurl.com/5axy3x



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You may reprint any items from "The Publicity Hound's Tips of the
Week" in your print or electronic newsletter. But please include the
following paragraph:

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 cheat sheet "89 Reasons to Send a News Release."

If you like these tips please pass them on to your friends, clients
and colleagues.

You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The Publicity
Hound® website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you told me
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PRIVACY STATEMENT:

The Publicity Hound® respects your privacy and has a strict anti-
spam policy. Read my privacy policy at
http://www.publicityhound.com/privacypolicy.htm

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

Publicity tips/Attract Media with an Ezine Nov 25, 2008

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #426 Nov. 25, 2008
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)

Circulation: 50,500


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

"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"
Receive this ezine direct to your desktop
http://www.publicityarticles.net/archive/

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

You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The
Publicity Hound website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you
told me that you want to subscribe. If you didn't subscribe, you
can unsubscribe by clicking the link at the bottom of the
newsletter.
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.

*********************************************

3 Tips for Corporate, Nonprofit Sponsorships

If you missed Steve Harrison's teleseminar last week on how to
convince a corporation or nonprofit to sponsor you, don't miss
his 14-minute bonus session in which Brendon Burchard gives three
valuable tips for finding sponsors for your book, product or
business. I especially like the tip on how to get the attention
of nonprofits. Unfortunately, Steve didn't record last week's
teleseminar so you can't listen to the entire call.
But you can find the 3 bonus tips here:
http://tinyurl.com/64nbql

*********************************************
================================
In This Issue
================================

1. Attract Media with an Ezine

2. "Someday I'll Start My Book"

3. The YouTube Boo-boo

4. The Dating Service of PR

5. How to Promote Italian Diorama Art

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. And at My Blog...


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

1. Attract Media with an Ezine

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

When the wildfires swept through California earlier this month,
firefighting consultant Mike Archer of Glendora, California was
one of the go-to experts for the media.

His weekly international wildfire "News of the Day" ezine,
published six days a week, kept subscribers abreast of what was
happening, why it was happening and what could be done to stop or
at least subside the fires.

"I use a piece of software called a Feedreader to collect news in
areas of interest, and link to the more interesting stories from
my newsletter," he says.

He also posts them to his blog at
http://firebomberpublications.blogspot.com/
Michael has a measly 49 subscribers. Yes, only 49.
But it's a line-up of fire experts, from the U.S. Forest Service
to local fire departments and even firefighting contractors.
Now comes the important part. Subscribers include editors and
reporters at major newspapers like the Los Angeles Times, San
Diego Union Tribune and others.

"I'm now on a first-name basis with a number of editors and
reporters who can be approached about doing stories on my for-
profit and nonprofit business activities," Mike says. "If any of
your Hounds are experts in their fields, or newbies trying to
make a splash, offering a free newsletter on breaking events can
be a great way to open the door with media outlets in their area,
or even farther afield. Mine is read by folks from a number of
states in the U.S., as well as by folks from Canada and
Australia."

A local cable TV show invited him to participate in an hour-long
show about the wild fires last week. And Los Angeles Weekly, the
largest weekly in the U.S., called him for an interview.
"The newsletter adds credibility to my wildfire consultant
status, which, in turn, opens up more opportunities for my
businesses," he adds.

Some of his earlier suggestions on how to fight fires, which have
been poo-pooed by some in the firefighting community, are now
used. For example, years before it became an accepted practice,
he proposed mixing water and firefighting gel when fighting a
fire from an airplane. Water alone evaporates too quickly. He
also advocated the use of fireproofed firefighting vehicles
to rescue people trapped by wildfires, something which is being
done by firefighters in Germany now.

Subscribers have sent emails remarking on how much they enjoy
"News Of The Day." One subscriber, Deputy Chief Brian Fennessy of
the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department, called it "the best I had
seen in 32 years in the fire service," which boosts credibility
further when talking to firefighters, media folks, and the
general public.

And it's only a simple collection of items harvested from the
news, six days a week, along with a short half-sentence
commentary on each headline.

Michael has shattered two myths about ezines: That you need
thousands of subscribers, and that they'll be angry if you
contact them more than once a week.

I'll shatter a third myth: That you must write a long ezine like
this one. Sometimes a helpful tip of the week can be just as
effective--a huge time-saver, particularly for Hounds who can't
write or hate to write.

Dan Janal interviewed me for an hour on "How to Turn Your Ezine
into a Cash Machine," and I spilled the beans on how I make up to
$12,000 a month just from this newsletter. I shatter more
newsletter myths and offer lots of helpful tips on what kinds of
vendors to use, where to find content, and how to keep your
readers coming back for more.

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 get started as an ezine publisher at
http://tinyurl.com/y6mp2c


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

2. "Someday I'll Start My Book"

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

I can't begin to count the number of times an author contacts me,
frustrated that it takes two, three, four years or more to write
a book.

And another year rewriting it after an editor rips it apart.
And another six months finally getting Draft Number Two edited,
proofread and to press.

And another six months on a publicity campaign.

Tired and exhausted, the author often wants nothing to do with
the book when it doesn't hit the New York Times Best Seller List.
If you know there's a book inside you, but you just can't start
writing it because you've heard horror stories like this one,
you're a perfect fit for the Procrastinator's Guide to
Authorship, a seven-month training program taught by Publicity
Hound Rita Emmett.

At $37 a month per person, this seven-month program is a good
alternative for Publicity Hounds who can't afford the higher-
priced, more intensive book coaching programs.

Here's why you should claim a spot right now:

-Rita's system allows your book to practically write itself. The process takes very little of your own willpower to see results.

-You want a proven way to get a reputable agent and major publisher, so you get the prestige and cash of a big-time author.

-You want a program that works naturally with the procrastinating way you like to do things so you can end self-sabotage and inner conflict and actually get a winning book
published.

Stop being paralyzed by fear and let somebody help you turn that
book idea into a book that sells. Read more about how Rita can
help you get started at http://tinyurl.com/5rc6ub


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

3. The YouTube Boo-boo

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

It's one of the biggest mistake Publicity Hounds make when they
create videos, and it's costing them viewers, website traffic,
and sales.

They create a few good-quality videos, upload them to YouTube,
and then sit back and wait for the traffic to start flowing in.
Problem is, even though YouTube is the most popular video-sharing
site, many people who are hungry for the kind of information
shared in those videos will be missing them entirely.

That's because they're searching at one of the other three dozen
video-sharing sites like LiveVideo.com, AOLVideo,com or
GoogleVideo.com. This is what I call the big YouTube Boo-boo. You
can't rely on that website alone.

Mike Koenigs, the video marketing guy who owns Traffic Geyser,
the subscription site that uploads one video to several dozen
video sharing sites with just one click of the mouse, has created
a series of four videos that, collectively, amount to a killer
Internet video marketing course. I've shared some of them with
you the last few weeks in this newsletter and at my blog, but you
may have missed one or two.

If you give Mike your email and let him show you how Traffic
Geyser works, here's give you the video course. Here are all the
titles:

-The Video Camera Buyer's Guide: What to Buy and Where to Get It

-Mac or PC? Desktop or Laptop? Web Video Producers Want to Know

-How to Get Your Point Across to Any Personality Type by Answering 4 Simple Questions

-The 10×10×4 Market Domination Formula

Even if you're already using another program like TubeMogul to
upload your videos, watch these videos anyway for some valuable
tips you can start using today: http://tinyurl.com/5b3aak


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

4. The Dating Service of PR

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

PR Week calls it the "dating service of PR."

The New York Times refers to it as "dial-an-expert."

CNN says it's an "invaluable tool" when journalists are
researching experts.

The Chicago Tribune describes it as the "type of tool great
stories are made of."

And the Associated Press calls it the "encyclopedia of sources."
They're all referring to Expertclick: The Online Yearbook of
Experts which doubles as a press release distribution service
that can push out your message to hundreds of journalists and
millions of consumers who search online.

My Expertclick profile appears on Page 1 of Google when people
search for "publicity expert." My press releases pull in traffic
to my website and blog. And my listing in its experts database
results in calls and emails from journalists asking for my expert
commentary for stories they're writing.

The deadline for your text and topics for the 2009 printed
yearbook is Friday, December 12. Tell them I sent you and they'll
knock $100 off your subscription price. For your listing, call
Mitch Davis and his staff at 202-333-5000. (They even answer
their own phone.)

Read more about it at http://tinyurl.com/588gqs


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

5. How to Promote Italian Diorama Art

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

This week, seven Publicity Hounds have tips for Susan Sogaro of
Tomball, Texas, an Italian Diorama artist who needs help
promoting her online store at http://www.shsartandgift.com


From Janine Libbey:

"Have you considered donating a piece to a nonprofit for a
fundraiser? It could be a door prize or an item for a silent
auction. Donors are listed in the program and are often
mentioned in press write-ups of the fundraiser. You could get
some free publicity from your support of a worthy cause."


From Christine Buffaloe:

"Have you thought of contacting any travel agencies that
specialize in Italian travel? They may have clients who are
particularly interested in this form of art. You could also set
up a Facebook page, with an added product page that would then
create a fan-base for your work."


From Flo Selfman:

"Susan, your work is beautiful and unusual. Please, immediately,
get visuals on the home page...Look at other artists' websites
and see how they display their art on their home pages."


The Publicity Hound says:

Artists who are struggling with ways to market their art and turn
a hobby into a career won't want to miss the Virtual Opening Day
Reception from 7 to 8 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, Dec. 4, the
free kick-off teleseminar leading up to the 2009 smARTist
Telesummit, hosted by Ariane Goodwin.

I'll be on next week's call along with the other art career
experts, and we'll be passing along los of great tips to make
your mouth water for the entire telesummit. Join us by signing up
for next week's call at http://tinyurl.com/5haqs5

During the telesummit, I'm presenting a 45-minute session on
social networking on Jan. 21. Take a look at all the great topics
we'll be covering at http://tinyurl.com/5axy3x

Read all the responses to this week's Help This Hound question
http://tinyurl.com/6hycv8

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


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

6. Help This Hound

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

Rachel Mielke of New York, New York writes:

"I have a high-end designer jewelry company, Hillberg & Berk,
at http://www.hillbergandberk.com/ and we wholesale across
Canada. We have just broken into the U.S. market by being invited
to do a trunk show with Bloomingdale's in New York City the
second week in December.

"This is an unheard of opportunity for our company and could
really change our business forever if the show goes well. Only
problem is that no one in NYC has ever heard of my company. I
want to do something to generate publicity and get some radio or
news press the day of my trunk show but I have no idea what to
do.

"I know it needs to be something huge and crazy to get the
attention of the New York media. Can your Hounds help?"


The Publicity Hound says: Talk about cutting it close! You have
little time to build the buzz for this show, so I'm asking my
Hounds to kick into "emergency mode" when answering this
question. Hounds with quick, effective ideas for Rachel can post
them to my blog at http://tinyurl.com/6b5b5l


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

7. Hound Joke of the Week

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

Here's a cute, short video that explains real reason your dog
goes outside. Watch it to the very end:

http://tinyurl.com/6hdv4k


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/


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

8. And at My Blog...

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

How to track Twitter quitters who don't follow you anymore
http://tinyurl.com/6njlmx


Offering testimonials can pay publicity dividends for years
http://tinyurl.com/6s46ey


Attleboro, MA threatens granny for past-due bill of 1 cent
http://tinyurl.com/6po6dy


-------------------------------------

WHERE TO SEE AND HEAR THE PUBLICITY HOUND:

Wednesday, Jan. 21--Teleseminar

Join me for the third annual smARTist telesummit where
photographers, jewelers, potters, painters, metalworkers,
woodworkers and other artists will learn all the secrets for
growing their art business. I'm presenting a session on how to
use social networking, from 2 to 2:45 Eastern Time on Wednesday,
Jan. 21. Register for the Virtual Opening Day Reception from 7 to
8 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, Dec. 4. It's a free teleseminar
leading up to the telesummit, in which all the speakers offer a
few of their best tips. Register for next week's call at
http://tinyurl.com/5haqs5 or for the telesummit at
http://tinyurl.com/5axy3x


PERMISSION TO REPRINT: You may reprint any items from "The
Publicity Hound's Tips of the Week" in your print or electronic
newsletter. But please include the following paragraph:

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 cheat sheet "89 Reasons to Send a News Release."
If you like these tips please pass them on to your friends,
clients and colleagues.

You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The
Publicity Hound® website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you
told me you want to subscribe.

PRIVACY STATEMENT: The Publicity Hound® respects your privacy and
has a strict anti-spam policy. Read my privacy policy at
http://www.publicityhound.com/privacypolicy.htm

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

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

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

"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"
Receive this ezine direct to your desktop
http://www.publicityarticles.net/archive/

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

You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The Publicity Hound® website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you told me that you want to subscribe. If you didn't subscribe, you can unsubscribe by clicking the link at the bottom of the newsletter.

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.

*******************************************************
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
********************************************************
================================
In This Issue
================================
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...


======================================
1. Why I'm Crying Elephant Tears
======================================

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


========================================
2. Keep Your Message Clear
========================================

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


=======================================
3. 6 Ways to Attract More Clients
=======================================

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


======================================
4. Promote a Book with a Contest
======================================

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


==========================================
5. Making a Website Ready for Visitors
==========================================

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


================================
6. Help This Hound
================================

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


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

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/


=================================
8. And at My Blog...
=================================

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


---------------------------------------------------------------

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.


PERMISSION TO REPRINT: You may reprint any items from "The Publicity Hound's Tips of the Week" in your print or electronic newsletter. But please include the following paragraph:

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."

If you like these tips, please pass them on to your friends, clients and colleagues.


You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The Publicity Hound® website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you told me you want to subscribe.

PRIVACY STATEMENT: The Publicity Hound® respects your privacy and has a strict anti-spam policy. Read my privacy policy at http://www.publicityhound.com/privacypolicy.htm

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

Publicity tips/Start an ezine January 30, 2007

The Publicity Hound's Tips of the Week
Issue #331 - Jan. 30, 2007
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.net
(Blog) The Publicity Hound®

Circulation: 27,934
=====================================
"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"
Receive this ezine direct to your desktop
http://www.publicityarticles.net/archive/
=====================================

You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The Publicity Hound® website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you told me that you want to subscribe. If you didn't subscribe, you can unsubscribe by clicking the link at the bottom of the newsletter.

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.

******************************************
How to Generate Publicity in Big Magazines & Newspapers:

Every smart Publicity Hound knows that one of the best ways to get into top-tier publications is to have a copy of the publication's editorial calendar, so you know months in advance what kinds of topics they'll be covering.

But don't stop there. On Thursday, Feb. 1, Steve Harrison will present a free teleseminar called "The Seven Things You Absolutely Must Know to Get Publicity In Major Magazines and Newspapers."

You'll hear from two editors from Woman’s Day and Woman's World, a top business writer who does stories for Inc., a New York Times best-selling author and four other entrepreneurs/authors who share how they got publicity in such places as Cosmopolitan, the New York Times, Entrepreneur, Parents, Family Circle, the Wall St. Journal and many other top publications.

Learn more at http://snipurl.com/MagazinePublicity
******************************************
================================
In This Issue
================================

1. Start an Ezine

2. Press Release Distribution

3. Valentines & Irritable Bowels

4. What Not to Say to Journalists

5. How to Promote a Voiceover Talent

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Quote of the Week

8. And at My Blog...

=====================================
1. Start an Ezine
=====================================

If you aren't emailing tips and advice regularly to people who have given you permission to contact them, you're missing one of the most powerful ways to market your products and services.

This newsletter is like the giant jackhammer in my marketing toolbox. How do I know?
Here's what happens every Tuesday after I send it:

I'm glutted with orders and requests for speaking engagements. Subscribers email me and ask if they can reprint items they see here in their own newsletters.

Others ask if they can buy a telephone consulting session. Journalists email or call me asking for an interview.

Publishing your own email newsletter helps you stay in touch with prospects, gain "expert" status, build a massive mailing list, and attract more sales and clients.

You can also use a newsletter to attract the attention of dozens of journalists, newspaper reporters, magazine editors, freelance writers, radio talk show hosts and TV producers. If they like your topic, they'll subscribe to your newsletter to stay abreast of trends in your field, and to get ideas for stories they can cover.

But many people don't know how to start creating an ezine, and their biggest objection is time.

"Publishing a newsletter like yours would take me weeks," they complain.

Then don't publish a newsletter like this one. Instead, send a simple tip once a week, or every other week. Emailing people monthly or quarterly, like many of you do, isn't frequent enough.

Alexandria Brown, "The Ezine Queen," teaches people just like you how to start email newsletters, or weekly tips. Her ebook "Boost Your Business with Your Own Ezine" includes dozens of tips I've adopted for my own business. The ebook is one of several products she's offering during a special promotion that ends Wednesday.

Learn more at http://snipurl.com/PublishanEzine

==================================
2. Press Release Distribution
==================================

Don't say I didn't warn you.

If you're writing and distributing press releases online, don't rely on all those free press release distribution services.

The dirty little secret is that most of them don't distribute anything. They simply park your press release at their website, where the search engines might or might not find it.

For example, let's say you sell patio furniture. You write a press release about how to care for patio furniture and you submit it to one of those freebie sites. If somebody is searching online for "patio furniture," there's a good chance your press release won't show up on the list because it isn't in the Google or Yahoo news feeds.

Even worse, if you submit a press release to their service then suddenly discover it includes an error that you need to correct, there's usually no way to correct it because there's no customer service number you can call.

Disastrous.

In my email tutorial "89 Ways to Write Powerful Press Releases," I recommend two services that I've used: PRWeb and News Release Wire.

Use PRWeb at http://snipurl.com/PRWebDistribution if you're only writing a few press releases a year. But if you're an author, speaker or expert, and you regularly write press releases and post them online to be found not only by journalists but by consumers, subscribe to Expertclick at http://snipurl.com/ExpertClick and use their News Release Wire.

An Experclick subscription lets you post up to 52 press releases a year. It also includes your profile in its giant database of experts, which journalists search regularly when they're looking for sources on specific topics.

By the way, if you don't have 89 days to spend learning how to write press releases, you can buy the ebook which includes all 89 lessons. It's the second title on the list at http://www.publicityhound.com/ebooks.htm


==================================
3. Valentines & Irritable Bowels
==================================

Thanks to Publicity Hound Sarah Wernick for making me chuckle last week when she pointed out an online press release that tied Irritable Bowel Syndrome to Valentine's Day.

"It's tough to feel romantic when you suffer with Irritable Bowel Syndrome or Lactose Intolerance - even if it's Valentine's Day.

So along with jewelry, roses, candy and a day at the spa, give your loved ones the gift of good digestive health this Valentine's Day and the freedom to live life with passion - the freedom to feel and be romantic."

Since we're now posting press releases online where consumers can find them, the search engines probably would have found that release if somebody was searching for "irritable bowel syndrome."

But that's not the kind of story you should be pitching to the media, in hopes they'd welcome the Valentine's Day angle.

During the next two weeks, competition will be fierce among Publicity Hounds trying to tie their story idea to Valentine's Day. If you don't have a logical tie-in to this holiday, don't push it.

Instead, here's something to consider.

Lots of newspapers and magazines are looking for content for special gift sections they'll be publishing that tie into Mother's Day, Father's Day and high school and college graduations. Magazines, in particular, work months ahead, and some of them need information right now.

If your product or service, including your book, makes the perfect gift for a mom, dad or grad, start pitching the editors of these gift sections and producers at TV programs that will be featuring these kinds of gift-buying tips.

You can use a search engine like Google and search for "Mother's Day Gift Guide." Or you can save yourself hours of tedious searching online. The Gift List, a subscription service, offers contact information for media outlets and TV and radio programs that will feature special gifts for these occasions.

You won't find trade magazines like Nursing Science Quarterly on the list. You will find magazines like Redbook, Allure, Wired, Stereophile, Fast Company, Teen People, Organic Gardening, Cooking Light, Shape, Atlanta Magazine, Cottage Living, Cookie, Elite Traveler, and hundreds more like these.

Take a test drive at http://snipurl.com/GiftListMedia


=================================
4. What Not to Say to Journalists
=================================

If you see an interesting media lead in this newsletter and you respond to the journalist, please give them only the kind of information they requested. Don't badger them with other things you're selling.

A few weeks ago, I included a media lead from Donna Maria Coles who was looking for guests for her radio show.

"I booked one of the people who responded with great info about her book and speaking topics," Donna said. "After we booked the show, she sent me an email asking if I had ever heard of a networking marking company (which I assume she is a member of) and whether she could send me some samples of the products.

"I told her I want to focus on her book and expertise in that area, and do not plan to mention the network marketing company, and that she should let me know if that will be a problem for her and we can always change plans."

Donna hasn't heard back from the woman.

Bottom line: Don't answer a media lead if your motive is to promote something else you sell. Savvy Publicity Hounds know how to build strong relationships with media people without resorting to that kind of trickery.

"Special Report #49: 17 Ways to Build Valuable Relationships with Media People" shows you how. Learn more at http://publicityhound.com/publicity-products/reports.html


==================================
5. How to Promote a Voiceover Talent
==================================

This week, three Publicity Hounds have tips for Ginger Bell of Tyler, Texas. She wants ideas on how her husband, Bobby Bell, can market his company, a production studio that creates radio and TV commercials, provides voiceovers and serves the advertising industry.

From Karen Commins:

"As another voice-over talent, many newcomers to the industry ask me the same question. I have written essays on my blog http://www.karenblogs.com/ in which I point out that voice-over is a business that requires a marketing plan. It can include:

--Creating and maintaining a personal website

--Making phone calls to casting directors, producers, directors

--Networking at industry meetings and events

--Sending direct mail (postcards, newsletters, etc.)

--Auditioning for one or more agents

--Joining on-line casting services and submitting auditions

--Writing postings in forums to show your expertise"


From Lois Carter Fay at MarketingIdeaShop.com:

"Create a viral marketing campaign that is funny. People love to pass on the commercials that have been made, especially for web viewing and listening. If he’s been in the radio business, I’m sure he knows people who can create a funny spot that people will want to pass on to everyone they know."


From The Publicity Hound:

"Ginger, your husband should be podcasting--one of the best ways to show off that terrific voice.

"What should he podcast about? Topics that are of interest to the kinds of people who he wants as clients. Those could include marketing, broadcasting and advertising. Or how about informative, funny behind-the-scenes stories about what happens while he and others are producing radio commercials?

"He can also discuss ways that people can save money when they’re buying radio advertising."

Read all the responses at http://tinyurl.com/3dfn9h


Small business is the fuel that drives the economy of many countries. And if you know what small-business reporters are looking for, it's easier to encourage them to write about you.

Jeff Zbar, a Business Journalist of the Year for the U.S. Small Business Administration, discussed exactly how small businesses can generate fabulous publicity when he was my guest during a teleseminar called "The Fastest, Cheapest, Easiest Ways to Publicize Your Small Business." We recorded it and it's available as a CD or electronic transcript that you can download and be reading in a few minutes.

Read more about what you'll learn at http://tinyurl.com/3tbbp


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6. Help This Hound
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Marcus Simmons of Southfield, Michigan writes:

"The Motown Automotive Professionals nonprofit is in its start-up stage. We will provide no-cost automotive vocational training for socially and economically deprived youths as they emerge from high school.

"I have been on the 6 o'clock news on two channels so far, and we have a website at http://www.map-n.org/ We need more ways to get donations and support from corporate America. Can your Hounds help?


The Publicity Hound says:

You bet they can, Marcus. Many Hounds who read this newsletter are experts at recruiting corporate sponsors, as well as getting publicity. Hounds with terrific ideas for Marcus can post them to my blog at http://tinyurl.com/2htmxa

In the meantime, publicity expert Paul Hartunian has dozens of great tips for nonprofits that want publicity--particularly nonprofits on a shoestring budget. "Failproof Publicity Tips for Your Nonprofit" is available as a CD or 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/29dba

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7. Hound Quote of the Week
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You know you're a dog person when you and your dog both have symptoms that resemble the flu. You take your dog to the vet while you settle for an over-the-counter remedy from the drugstore.

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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Press releases: How to make old news sound new
http://tinyurl.com/33nk9m

AP to carry bloggers' coverage of Libby trial
http://tinyurl.com/2u2pmv

Pitching tip: Join the conversation first
http://tinyurl.com/35yck7

On my blog at http://www.publicityhound.net/, I've made it easy for you to find what you're looking for by dividing my posts into more than 20 categories. Look under the "Topics" arrow on the right side of the blog to find the category you need.
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Where to Meet or Hear The Publicity Hound®

March 17, 2007: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

"Savvy Media Relations: How to Get Free Print, Broadcast and Online Publicity." 8 a.m. to noon. Learn more at http://www.nsapittsburgh.com/calendar.htm


May 12, 2007: Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Florida Speakers Association: "Savvy Media Relations: How to Get Free Print, Broadcast & Online Publicity." 9 a.m. to noon. "Sleeping with the Competition: How to Collaborate with Other Speakers to Create Profitable Products and Programs." 2 to 4 p. m. For more information, call 561-630-7766 or visit http://www.florida-speakers.org


PERMISSION TO REPRINT: You may reprint any items from "The Publicity Hound's Tips of the Week" in your print or electronic newsletter. But please include the following paragraph:

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."

If you like these tips, please pass them on to your friends, clients and colleagues.

You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The Publicity Hound® website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you told me you want to subscribe.

PRIVACY STATEMENT: The Publicity Hound® will never distribute your address to anyone.
Period. Promise.

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