The Publicity Hound’s
Tips of the Week
Issue #492 Feb. 16, 2010
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.com/
http://www.publicityHound.net/ (Blog)
http://www.publicityarticles.net/ (Ezine Archives)

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

“Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity”

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

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

1. Four Benefits of a Google Profile

2. Video: Facebook Changes

3. New Media Leads Service

4. Promoting Book Videos

5. Help This Hound

6. Hound Joke of the Week

7. And at My Blogs…

======================================
1. Four Benefits of a Google Profile
======================================

Have you ever Googled your name, and then flinched when you saw
what showed up on the first page?

If so, you might be able to push what you didn’t like onto Page
2. That’s the first benefit of creating your Google profile at
http://tinyurl.com/createmyprofile

It’s sort of like a mini version of a Facebook profile page.
After you list your name, occupation and location, your profile
will appear in a box on the first page of Google’s search results
for your name. Next to the thumbnail information and your photo,
people can click a link to your full Google profile.

Three more benefits of creating your profile:

–It’s needed before you can start using Buzz, the hot new social
tool that Google introduced last week.

–You can link to your website, blog, Twitter and Facebook pages,
social bookmarking profiles, photo-sharing sites, and other
places where you want traffic.

–Your profile page can be your main home on the Web if you don’t
yet have a website.

After you’ve created it, here are five ways to share it:

–Add it to your IM status message.

–Link to it in your email signature.

–Note it in Google Reader.

–Post about it on Twitter.

–Share it on Facebook.

How you write your profile often determines whether someone wants
to learn more about you, or bail out. See “Can Your Social Media
Profile Pass the 10-Second Test?” at
http://tinyurl.com/socialmediaprofiles

======================================
2. Video: Facebook Changes
======================================

Last week, I wrote about Facebook’s redesigned home page and
heard from lots of readers who said they were still having
problems navigating it.

Thanks to Publicity Hound Christine Buffaloe, my virtual
assistant, for sharing this video tour of the redesign:
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=484066065483

Do you have a VA yet? Knowing where to look and what questions to
ask these independent contractors will save you time. See “How to
Hire a Virtual Assistant to Help with Your Publicity Campaign” at
http://tinyurl.com/prassistants

=====================================
3. New Media Leads Service
=====================================

Here’s another free media leads service designed to give you
daily email updates, Monday through Friday, of queries by
journalists, broadcasters and bloggers who are looking for
specific types of sources to interview.

Reporter Connection, created by Bill and Steve Harrison, tells
you which journalists are looking for sources with your
expertise. You respond, and then you wait to see if the
journalist wants to interview you. You can sign up for the
service at http://ReporterConnection.com/JoinFree/?11577 (I’m an
affiliate).

Almost every week through March 20, they’ll choose one subscriber
and give away something cool like an Amazon Kindle, digital
camera or GPS.

Publicity Hound Steve Hines, of Marketing Resource Management,
said a query he saw in Reporter Connection resulted in almost a
dozen radio interviews about the Olympics.

“I had covered four Summer Games, one Winter Olympics and 15+
world championships in a variety of sports as a photojournalist,”
Steve said. “The stations were looking for comments on being a
part of the Games.”

You could be next.

====================================
4. Promoting Book Videos
====================================

This week, four Publicity Hounds have suggestions for Jenni
Bowring-McDonough of St. Paul, MN on how her husband, Tim, can
let authors and publishers know about the promotional book videos
(trailers) he creates.

From Meryl K. Evans:

“Go the extra mile and add captions or subtitles to your
trailers. You’ll make a lot of people happy, not just those who
rely on captions. So few videos are captioned so folks like me
mention those that are by word of mouth. The website
http://www.22frames.com/ lists all captioned videos or videos
without words, so submit your videos there to reach that
audience.”

From Martine Ehrenclou:

“Maybe you can connect with independent publishers through the
Independent Book Publishers Association (formerly PMA). They have
a monthly newsletter that goes out to all the publishers. You
could place an ad or write an article on the advantages of book
trailers for book promotion and list your name and website
address.”

From Alexis O’Neill:

“It seems that the real buyers of trailers today are authors,
since the houses claim they have no money. Find out from the
houses/agents what their upcoming lists will include and have
them pass your information along to their authors.”

The Publicity Hound says:

Tim should write a series of articles on how to create book
trailers, how to use the videos, and examples of success stories
from authors who have used them. See “How to Write How-to
Articles” at http://tinyurl.com/howtoarticles

===================================
5. Help This Hound
===================================

Gabrielle Javier-Cerulli, of Rochester, NY writes:

“I just launched the Global Network of Expressive Arts
Facilitators at http://www.expressiveartsfacilitators.com/ and
need to get the word out about it and attract new members on an
international scale.

“It’s a membership-based organization for facilitators, all non-
therapists, who use the creative process (painting, drumming,
singing, journal writing, collage-making) with their clients with
the intent of self-discovery, clarity, enjoyment and healing.

“Our mission is to build community for these heart- and soul-
centered facilitators, and also to publicize our members and what
they do by listing them on the online directory, highlighting
them in the Member of the Week, a BlogTalkRadio show and giving
them an opportunity to submit their articles on videos to the
website.

“We have Twitter and Facebook pages and a blog. I’d love to hear
other ideas of getting the word out to this global niche market.
Also, how do we go about finding speaking engagements to talk
about the network?”

The Publicity Hound says:

Gabrielle, your topic lends itself perfectly to video. Let’s see
what my Hounds suggest on ways you can use it, and any of their
other ideas. Hounds with suggestions for Gabrielle can post them
to my blog at http://tinyurl.com/artsfacilitators

=================================
6. Hound Joke of the Week
=================================

The front door was accidentally left open and our dog was gone.
After unsuccessfully whistling and calling, my husband got in the
car and went looking for him.

He drove around the neighborhood for some time with no luck.

Finally, he stopped beside a couple out for a walk and asked if
they had seen our dog.

“You mean the one following your car?” they asked.

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/

==================================
7. And at My Blogs…
==================================

Consider retweeting these blog posts:

Don’t be anonymous at social media sites: Use a gravatar
http://ow.ly/15RAq

Let people comment at your blog without logging in first
http://tinyurl.com/commentatblogs

Action Sports Hub magazine needs articles
http://tinyurl.com/actionsportshub

————————————

Follow me on Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/PublicityHound

Join my Facebook Fan Page:
http://www.facebook.com/publicitytips

Connect with me on LinkedIn (and tell me how we know each other):
http://www.linkedin.com/in/publicityhound

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 Press 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

The Publicity Hound’s
Tips of the Week
Issue #491 Feb. 9, 2010
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityHound.net/ (Blog)
http://www.PublicityArticles.net (Ezine Archives)

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

“Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity”

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

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

1. More Facebook Changes, Ugh

2. Radio Show Needs Guests

3. A Year’s Worth of Promotion Ideas

4. Corporate Sponsors & Social Media

5. Promoting a Day for Retirees

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Commercial of the Week

8. And at My Blogs…

======================================
1. More Facebook Changes, Ugh
======================================

If you log into your Facebook page and it looks different, it’s
because Facebook is rolling out a new redesign of its home page,
yet again.

Here’s what’s new:

–Your “Home” and “Profile” links are on the top right.

–On the menu in the top left corner, near the search bar, you’ll
see red bubbles. When you click on them, drop-down menus will
show your new notifications. This is the place to look if you
want to see who wrote on your wall or tagged you.

–The “Highlights” column along the right side is gone.

–The left-hand bar has been expanded.

–You now have two views of the news feed: a summary view of the
most interesting activity that’s happened in the last day and a
real-time view that shows you what is happening right now.

You can read more about the changes, and read comments from those
who are mostly griping, at Facebook’s blog at
http://tinyurl.com/facebookgriping

As a special customer service, I’ll be sending revised handouts
to anyone who attended the teleseminar or bought the product “11
Ways to Avoid Missed Opportunities on Facebook.” If you haven’t
ordered yours yet, do it! You’ll get the new handouts in several
days or as soon as they’re ready. Read more about what you’ll
learn at http://budurl.com/facebookwithchris

======================================
2. Radio Show Needs Guests
======================================

Thanks to RadioGuestList.com for this media lead:

The “Cal and Bob Show,” on KBLF-AM in Northern California, is
looking for guests who have stories that don’t sound true, but
are. Topics range from “dumb” small-town criminals to the
(thousands of) stupid decisions made by politicians in D.C.

If you have a book or product to sell, you’re welcome to appear
as a guest, as long as your story is a good fit and you’re
willing to laugh about it. The show airs during the all-important
drive-time from 7 to 9 a.m. Pacific. Contact Paul Vietti,
producer, at 520-276-3641 or email dpvietti@gmail.com.

Sign up for more booking and podcasting leads, or submit leads
for your own show, at http://www.radioguestlist.com/

If you have a great story to tell but you need tips on how to be
the type of guest who’s invited back, see “How to Get onto Drive-
time Radio Shows” at http://tinyurl.com/drivetimeradio

===================================
3. A Year’s Worth of Promotion Ideas
===================================

Thanks to Publicity Hound Tim Morse of Norfolk, VA for sharing
this helpful website that gives 12 months worth of promotion
ideas by listing special days, weeks and months of the year:
http://www.adsources.com/IDEAS/Cal/index.htm

Use these to plan advertising campaigns. Or piggyback onto them
for free publicity. They’re very similar to Chase’s Calendar of
Events at http://www.chases.com/. The deadline for Chase’s, by the
way, is April 15.

===================================
4. Corporate Sponsors & Social Media
===================================

Here are teleseminars and webinars of interest this week:

–”How to Get Major Companies and Nonprofits to Sponsor the
Promotion of Your Book, Product or Service.” Steve Harrison
interviews Brendon Burchard about how to get big companies and
nonprofits to gladly sponsor your marketing, publicity and
promotional efforts. Brendon teaches simple methods that anyone
can use. This teleseminar, conducted in December, is being
brought back by popular demand. It’s free, but you must register
at http://www.sponsorshiptrainingteleseminar.com/?10011 (I’m an
affiliate).

–Social Media Rx. This is a private customer appreciation
webinar for anyone who has purchased “Social Media Rx: Your 20-
Minute Prescription for Cutting through the Clutter, Chatter &
Confusion of Social Media.” Come with your questions about how to
use your assessment report, checklists or bonuses, or anything
else dealing with social media. Jeanne Hurlbert, my partner, and
I will answer them. We’ll email your invitation today. Anyone can
see the replay of the webinar Jeanne and I hosted last week at
http://www.mysocialmediarx.com/subscribe/msms.htm

====================================
5. Promoting a Day for Retirees
====================================

This week, three Publicity Hounds have ideas on how Phyllis May
can promote “Refired Not Retired Day” on March 1.

From Reece Franklin:

“You should easily be able to find a list of senior centers. A
note to the center activity directors might work.

“Another way might be to get the addresses, send a postcard in a
color like goldenrod, and announce it on the card, with a message
asking, ‘What do you plan to do for Refire Not Retire Day?’

“While the people in assisted living are retired physically
(maybe) they are sure not retired mentally. You can create a
contest or, next year, ask people how they intend to refire
themselves. Just because the timeline is tight for March 1, does
not mean this cannot extend to the entire month.”

From The Publicity Hound:

“Tap into social networks that consist of retired people. Search
Facebook groups, Twibes.com (Twitter tribes) and Yahoo groups. Or
form your own group.

“Tell those people about your day and have them offer suggestions
on things they’d like to do-something that would be fun or help
their communities. It could be something as simple as doing
volunteer work on that day. Getting more people involved at the
ground level will give you lots of ideas to choose from.”

From J. Frizzera:

“I agree with Joan. If youre looking for a theme, remember that
March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb. If you can
incorporate that idea, or anything else you like, it helps people
identify with what youre doing. Make it memorable and people will
pay attention.”

Read all the responses to this “Help This Hound” question at
http://tinyurl.com/ygrw3oa

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

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

Jenni Bowring-McDonough of St. Paul, MN writes:

“My husband, Tim McDonough, is a graphic artist who is now
producing book trailers (book promotion videos) at Standard Book
Videos at http://www.standardbookvideos.com/

“Because I work in publishing, I introduced him to our president
who hired Tim to design several trailers (book videos) for us.
Thats terrific, but Tim needs more exposure to attract more
clients. He advertised in the event catalog for a regional
publishers conference and he will be running an ad in ForeWord
Magazine’s national online newsletter later this month.

“We have reached out to other local publishers to introduce Tim’s
business. He’s on Twitter, and we will be building a Facebook
page soon. We have also reached out to other contacts via the
local Book Publishers Association, but thus far, to no avail.

“I even pitched Tim’s story of reinventing himself after 20 years
in broadcast news to several weeklies and dailies, but no one bit
on the idea. We have also begun branching out into web videos and
hope to expand into promotional/sales web videos for small
businesses. Thanks for any and all advice!

The Publicity Hound says:

Jenni, I love Tim’s videos! Authors, you’ll love them, too. Go
take a look. While you’re there, post your best ideas for Jenni
and Tim at my blog at http://tinyurl.com/bookvideos

=================================
7. Hound Commercial of the Week
=================================

Thanks to Publicity Hound Tracey Bennett of Honolulu, HI for the
link to the clever Doritos commercial shown during the Super
Bowl. I howled with laughter when I saw it:

http://vodpod.com/watch/3011187-doritos-underdog

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 Blogs…
==================================

Consider retweeting these blog posts:

Don’t let PR clients insert damaging info into press releases
http://tinyurl.com/pressreleasesinfo

Huffington: ‘Blogs more effective than press releases’
http://tinyurl.com/blogsmoreeffective

Find social media frustrating? You’re not alone
http://tinyurl.com/frustratingsocialmedia

Pittsburgh PR company + social media = A virtual intern
http://tinyurl.com/avirtualintern

————————————

Follow me on Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/PublicityHound

Join my Facebook Fan Page:
http://www.facebook.com/publicitytips

Connect with me on LinkedIn (and tell me how we know each other):
http://www.linkedin.com/in/publicityhound
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 Press 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

The Publicity Hound’s
Tips of the Week
Issue #490 Feb. 2, 2010
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityHound.net/ (Blog)
http://www.PublicityArticles.net (Ezine Archives)

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

“Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity”

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

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

1. When Google Speaks, Listen

2. Five Blogging Must-Haves

3. LinkedIn Recommendations

4. For Authors & Publishers Only

5. A Book on Inappropriate Touching

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Slide Show of the Week

8. And at My Blogs…

======================================
1. When Google Speaks, Listen
======================================

So you think social media is a big fat waste of time, huh?

What if I told you that Google, the granddaddy of search engines,
is now including links and posts from social media sites like
Twitter, Facebook and MySpace as soon as they appear online? If
you aren’t participating at social media sites, and your
competitors are, they could be elbowing their way onto the top of
the Google search list for your keywords, if they’re using those
same keywords and sharing links.

You can read about it here: http://ow.ly/12CLQ

As you’ll see from that article, it’s more important than ever
for Publicity Hounds to use social networking sites to spread
information via shared links. If you’ve been putting off
participating, that should change your mind.

Jeanne Hurlbert, my new business partner, and I created Social
Media Rx, a new product specifically for Publicity Hounds who are
petrified about getting involved in social media, or can’t figure
out what to say or how to act at these sites.

Tomorrow, Feb. 3, we’re offering you a free webinar, chock full
of social media tips, for people who haven’t even dipped their
toes into the social media waters yet, or for those who are
participating, but aren’t quite sure what they’re doing or aren’t
seeing a return on investment.

It will be at 3 p.m. Eastern Time (Noon Pacific), and we’re
sharing tons of social media tips and success stories. We’ll also
give you a glimpse of Social Media Rx, our new product. It’s an
assessment you can take by answering a series of questions
designed to show you how much you do or don’t know about social
media.

When you’re done, it delivers, within seconds, a customized
report and your own formula that explains exactly what you should
be discussing at social media sites, based on your job, hobbies,
interests and level of expertise. It’s already received rave
reviews, and we can hardly wait to show it to you.

Everyone who registers for the call will receive the free report
“3 Dangerous Social Media Problems & How to Solve Them.”

For instructions on how to sign up, go to
http://budurl.com/socialmediarxwebinar

======================================
2. Five Blogging Must-Haves
======================================

If you’re blogging, here are five things that blogging expert
Patsi Krakoff says you must have at your blog:

–An email subscription form so your followers get each new post
via email. (I’ve added this to my to-do list.)

–An “About” page.

–Something you can offer them for free. (Another to-do for me.)

–A “retweet this” button to make it easy for readers to share
your post on Twitter. I use Tweetmeme. You can check it out at my
blog at http://www.PublicityHound.net

–An analytics program so you can see how much traffic you’re
getting and where it’s coming from.
Patsi listed seven more “must haves,” and the one issue that many
people waste time obsessing over, when she was my guest during a
teleseminar on “Time-saving Tips for Smart Business Blogging”
last month. The CD, MP3 replay and electronic transcript come
with 23 pages of handouts that include 101 ways to find content
for your blog, templates for writing a post quickly and easily,
and a list of 20 common mistakes you don’t want to make. Read
more about it and check out all the rave reviews at
http://tinyurl.com/businessblogger

===================================
3. LinkedIn Recommendations
===================================

If you aren’t regularly recommending people on LinkedIn, you’re
missing a chance to accumulate your own recommendations from
people who know, like and trust you.

That’s because every time you recommend someone, LinkedIn asks
that person if they’d like to return the favor.

Don’t just ask for recommendations. Offer them! It follows the
give-to-get rule that’s so important in the world of social
media.

See “How to Use LinkedIn to Promote Anything–Ethically &
Powerfully” at http://tinyurl.com/5zvzyd

===================================
4. For Authors & Publishers Only
===================================

Want to make your book a best-seller? You’re invited to a free
telseminar on Thursday, Feb., 4, at 2 and 7 p.m. Eastern Time.

Steve Harrison will interview Peggy McColl about the simple
blueprint she’s developed to quickly make many books instant
best-sellers at practically zero cost. This works for all types
of books: fiction, non-fiction, ebooks, novels, print on demand,
etc.

Interested? Register at
http://www.BestsellerBlueprintCall.com/?10011 (I’m an affiliate.)

====================================
5. A Book on Inappropriate Touching
====================================

This week, 10 Publicity Hounds have tips for Jill Starishevsky of
New York, NY, author of My Body Belongs to Me, a children’s book
on inappropriate touching. Jill needs ideas on how to promote it
to traditional and social media.

From Martine Ehrenclou:

“Submit your book to the Mom?s Choice Awards. That’s the book
awards competition that acknowledges the best books that benefit
families. They do a lot of promotion for their winners.”

From Eric Gruber:

“You should be writing top tips, how-to, top mistakes, and top
question-type articles, and then submit them to the top websites,
ezines and article directories that parents are going to every
day. For example: Iparenting.com, About.com, Child Parenting.”

From Christel Hall:

“Send a copy of your book to Dr. Laura, who has her own
syndicated radio show. Whether you agree with all of her advice
or not, she is a big children?s advocate and covers a new book at
least weekly on her radio program.”

The Publicity Hound says:

Create a Facebook Fan Page just for the book, and share the link
with mommy bloggers. See “11 Ways to Avoid Missed Opportunities
on Facebook” at http://budurl.com/jfgw

Read all the responses to this week?s “Help This Hound” question
http://budurl.com/touching

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

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

Phyllis May of Key West, FL, writes:

“March 1 is my day in Chase?s Calendar of Events. It?s ?Refired
not Retired Day? and it?s also the title of my humorous book that
shows people how to make the most of life after retirement.

“Might your Publicity Hounds have ideas for things I can suggest
for people to do on March 1? Amazingly, because I have a Google
Alert, I know that there’s a restaurant in Australia that has it
on their calendar. I wrote and told them I thought I should be
there but they didn’t respond. Darn.

“One time I saw an assisted living facility promoting it but I
truly don’t know any BIG ideas. Can your creative readers help?”

The Publicity Hound says:

Hounds can create their own holidays like you did, or their own
days, weeks or months of the year, at http://www.Chases.com (the
deadline is April 15).

The hard part is figuring out how to promote it. But my Hounds
are, indeed, a creative bunch, and they’ll be glad to help by
posting their best ideas to my blog at http://tinyurl.com/ygrw3oa

=================================
7. Hound Slide Show of the Week
=================================

The popular exhibit “First Dogs: American Presidents and their
Pets,” at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., showcases some of the
top dogs that have lived at the White House. On display are
images of dogs belonging to 23 presidents, including the newest
addition: Bo, a gift to the Obamas from the late Sen. Edward M.
Kennedy.

Here’s a slide show that features six presidential pups: Barney,
Liberty, Bo, Him, Her and Checkers. Before you view the slide
show, can you guess which pups belong to which presidents?

http://www.newseum.org/exhibits_th/first_dogs/
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 Blogs…
==================================

Consider retweeting these blog posts:
6 ways to use the Newspaper Map of the World
http://tinyurl.com/yb4×7su

Shotgun Sports needs articles on trap, skeet, hunting
http://tinyurl.com/yjfb2r6

————————————

Follow me on Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/PublicityHound

Join my Facebook Fan Page:
http://www.facebook.com/publicitytips

Connect with me on LinkedIn (and tell me how we know each other):
http://www.linkedin.com/in/publicityhound
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 Press 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

The Publicity Hound’s
Tips of the Week
Issue #488 Jan. 19, 2010
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityHound.net/ (Blog)
http://www.PublicityArticles.net (Ezine Archives)

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

“Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity”

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

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

1. Pitch Comics Artists

2. 9 Places to Find Blog Content

3. Write a Book in a Weekend

4. Promoting a Religious Book

5. Help This Hound

6. Hound Joke of the Week

7. And at My Blogs…

======================================
1. Pitch Comics Artists
======================================

The next time you need to generate publicity for a worthy cause
or issue, don’t forget the comics.

Yes, the comics. Comic strip artists might agree to make your
cause part of their storyline.

Thanks to Rebecca Morgan, publisher of the popular SpeakerNet
News ezine at http://www.speakernetnews.com/, for sharing the
fabulous tip to pitch comic strip artists as a way of getting
into newspapers large and small all over the world.

Last fall, with just one email pitch, she convinced Greg Evans,
creator of the strip Luann, to incorporate her campaign to
encourage people to give gently used books, instead of candy, for
trick-or-treaters. That brought about 6,000 visitors to her
website.

See the strip, read about how she did it and learn about a
website with links to hundreds of comics strips that might tie
into your cause or issue. Go to http://budurl.com/pitchcomics

======================================
2. 9 Places to Find Blog Content
======================================

If you’re blogging, or you want to start a blog but you’re afraid
you won’t have enough content, here are 9 places to look to find
more than enough topics to write about.

–In your email box. When someone asks you a question, answer it,
and then include the question and the answer in a blog post.

–In print newsletters and ezines for your industry.

–At other people’s blogs. (Comment on the post at your own blog,
and link to it.)

–In newspaper and magazine articles. Excerpt a few tips from an
article you’ve just read, with attribution, and comment on them.

–5 things they don’t teach you in __________ school.

–3 things I want to do in my business before I die.

–In your office. Write about the best (or worst) computer
equipment and other tools you use.

–On TV. If a show or character you saw ties into your topic,
write about it.

–Your goals for 2010.

Want 68 more sources for blog content? They’ll be on the handout
you’ll get when you register for my teleseminar on “Time-saving
Tips for Smart Business Blogging” at 4 p.m. Eastern Time on
Wednesday, Jan. 20, with Patsi Krakoff.

Only a few seats remain. Read more about it and register here:
http://budurl.com/blogcontentideas

===================================
3. Write a Book in a Weekend
===================================

If you want to be taken seriously as an expert in your topic or
industry, a book can give you credibility and put you heads above
your competitors.

The big mistake many authors make, however, is that they spend
years writing their books, then many more months editing and
proofreading them. Many non-fiction books can be written in a few
days.

Ann McIndoo, the former creative assistant to motivational
speaker Tony Robbins, has developed a system for writing the
first draft of a non-fiction book in just one weekend-?a fraction
of the time it takes most authors.

She has helped 268 authors write their books in just three days,
thanks to time-saving shortcuts.

Her system works best for authors who are writing non-fiction
books on topics they know well, particularly how-to, leadership,
business, self-help and autobiographies.

Ann will explain her system during a free telephone seminar with
Steve Harrison at 2 and 7 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, Jan. 21,
at your choice of two times. If the times are inconvenient,
recruit someone to listen and take notes for you.

Register at http://www.WriteYourBookInAWeekend.com/call/?10011

I’m an affiliate.

====================================
4. Promoting a Religious Book
====================================

This week, six Publicity Hounds have tips for Bonnie Stuempfig of
Waukesha, Wis., author of Heavenly Connections, a book of
inspirational religious stories. She wants ideas on how to sell
the book.

From Jeff Rothe:

“Why not target 10 of the largest churches in your city, and get
them to get a copy to be discussed for X weeks at a Bible study,
or even better, used by the service head if they teach a weekly
class.”

From Anne:

“If you are still thinking about selling it at churches, look
into their bulletins and see what kinds of church groups they
have that meet on a regular basis. You might be able to be a
guest speaker (and pitch your book at the end) for one of their
meetings.

“Another idea is to tie it in with a religious holiday (for
example: Ash Wednesday for Catholics). Offer a small discount to
those who purchase multiple copies.”

From Dale Hutchings:

“The first thing that comes to mind for me is for you to target
Christian book reading clubs. On the Internet, there are numerous
websites that where you can find listings of these groups. There
is even a site where they show you how to start a Christian book
club and how to join one.”

Read all the answers to this question at
http://budurl.com/religiousbook

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

===================================
5. Help This Hound
===================================

Consuelo Okdie from Tampa Bay, Fla., writes:

“I’m hoping that you or one of your readers will be able to tell
me how to get my artwork used as set decoration for TV or films.

“My work is unique in medium and application as I am one of a
very few artists using polymer clay to create illustrations &
paintings. Any information you may be able to give me will be
greatly appreciated.”

The Publicity Hound says:

Hounds with ideas for Consuelo can post them to my blog at
http://budurl.com/artworkontv

Consuelo, you need to be willing to do the research necessary to
pitch set designers, costume coordinators, production
coordinators, prop masters and product placement decision-makers
for specific movies and TV shows. I hosted a teleseminar with Amy
Bates Stumpf two years ago on How to Get Your Consumer Product
onto the Sets of Movies and TV Shows. You can read more about it
at http://budurl.com/productplacement

=================================
6. Hound Joke of the Week
=================================

Wanda’s dishwasher quit working so she called a repairman. Since
she had to go to work the next day, she told the repairman, “I’ll
leave the key under the mat.  Fix the dishwasher, leave the bill
on the counter, and I’ll mail you a check.”

“Oh, by the way, don’t worry about my dog, Spike. He won’t bother
you. But, whatever you do, do NOT, under ANY circumstances, talk
to my parrot. I repeat. Do NOT talk to my parrot!”

When the repairman arrived at Wanda’s apartment the following
day, he discovered the biggest, meanest looking dog he has ever
seen. But, just as she had said, the dog just lay there on the
carpet watching the repairman go about his work.  ?  The parrot,
however, drove him nuts the whole time with his incessant
yelling, cursing and name calling.  Finally the repairman
couldn’t contain himself any longer and yelled,

“Shut up, you stupid, ugly bird!”

To which the parrot replied, “Get him, Spike!”

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/

==================================
7. And at My Blogs…
==================================

19+ story ideas to generate publicity, PR for your business
http://budurl.com/19publicityideas

Facebook makes it easy to reply to wall posts via email
http://budurl.com/facebookwallposts

9 ways nonprofits can use social media
http://budurl.com/nonprofitsocialmedia

Add comic strips to your PR campaign and pitch artists
http://budurl.com/pitchcomics

————————————

Follow me on Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/PublicityHound

Join my Facebook Fan Page:
http://www.facebook.com/publicitytips

Connect with me on LinkedIn (and tell me how we know each other):
http://www.linkedin.com/in/publicityhound

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 Press 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

The Publicity Hound’s
Tips of the Week
Issue #487 Jan. 12, 2010
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityHound.net/ (Blog)
http://www.PublicityArticles.net (Ezine Archives)

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

“Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity”

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

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

1. The Missing Marketing Tool

2. Ban This Cliche

3. How to Attract PR Clients

4. Promoting a Book for Associations

5. Help This Hound

6. Hound Joke of the Week

7. And at My Blogs…

======================================
1. The Missing Marketing Tool
======================================

At a small networking breakfast I attended last week, I met five
people who were either job-hunting or were there to talk about
their businesses.

They brought their resumes, engaging personalities, impressive
marketing materials and succinct elevator pitches and shared them
with our table of 10.

But all five were missing a critical marketing tool that could
have landed them a job or set them apart from their competitors.

Not one of them had a blog. For more than an hour, the
conversation centered on how each of them can reach their target
audiences.

By the end of the breakfast, I lost it.

“Everyone at this table should be blogging!” I yelled. With nine
pairs of eyes riveted on me, I explained:

–A blog establishes your credibility and expertise.

–It’s like a giant magnet that pulls in traffic.

–It can impress visitors and turn them into buyers.

–Many of your competitors are blogging.

–Unlike Twitter, you can use your blog to discuss topics in-
depth.

–You can engage visitors and carry on a conversation with them
in the comments section.

–A blog can give you a huge online presence, even if you can’t
afford a website.

–It can help you gain more traction than publicity in
traditional media because, unlike most media people, bloggers
love to link to each other. Get in front of just one influential
blogger and you can be all over the Internet within minutes.

Finally, they got it.

If you’re already blogging, good for you! If you aren’t, it’s not
too late to start.

Blogging expert Patsi Krakoff will be my guest during a
teleseminar on “Time-saving Tips for Smart Business Blogging” at
4 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, Jan. 20. Everyone who registers
will receive the MP3 recording and a handout that includes 77
ideas for finding blog content, and several simple formulas on
how to write blog posts quickly and easily.

Register at http://budurl.com/smartbusinessblogs and then start a
list of questions for Patsi.

======================================
2. Ban This Cliche
======================================

You can’t listen to a TV newscast without hearing somebody wrap
up their commentary with the tired phrase “at the end of the
day.”

Watch the talking heads shows on Sunday morning and you can’t
escape it. Even the sportscasters and meteorologists are using
it.

It’s showing up in blog posts, media pitches, press releases,
press kits, emails and how-to articles. Just for the heck of it,
I went to http://search.twitter.com and typed “at the end of the
day” into the search box. It’s even showing up in tweets!

When I critique articles and pitches for people in my mentor
program, I’m on the hunt for cliches and other mistakes that
dilute writing. If you need your own writing coach, find out if
you’re a good candidate for the program at
http://www.publicityhound.com/mentorprogram/intro.html

For smaller projects, I do telephone consulting at $300 an hour
and can help you brainstorm pitches, create a press kit, develop
a social media strategy, find joint venture partners, critique
your website and create an impressive presence online, one step
at a time. Email JStewart@PublicityHound.com with several times
you’re available.

===================================
3. How to Attract PR Clients
===================================

If you work in the PR industry and you’re fishing for new
clients, here’s a clever way to hook ‘em.

Choose a company that you’d love to have as a client. Then keep
your eyes open for coverage their competitors are receiving. When
you see a story written about a competitor, print it or clip it,
and send it along with a short note to one of the key decision-
makers at the company. The note can say something like, “Thought
you’d be interested in this.” Sign the note and include your
business card.

Do it again, then again. After you’ve sent two or three articles
to the same person, follow up with a phone call. I’m betting that
you’ll receive a return phone call, and maybe even a contract.

A Publicity Hound shared that tip during the teleseminar I hosted
titled “24 Ways to Attract Clients to Your PR Practice.” PR pro
Marcia Yudkin joined me in discussing 24 ways to bring more
business through the door. We’ve both used many of the ideas
ourselves, and we both have found two ideas that work
particularly well.

They can for you, too. Read more about what we discussed and
download the entire list of 24 ideas that you can be reading
within minutes while you’re waiting for the CD to arrive. It’s
also available as an electronic transcript. Read more about what
it includes at http://budurl.com/morePRclients

====================================
4. Promoting a Book for Associations
====================================

This week, four Publicity Hounds have tips for Linda Alexander of
Pitman, NJ, who wants advice on how to market a book. It helps
new members on association boards understand their new roles and
learn the skills and competencies they need to be a successful
board member.

From Leslie Sturgeon:

“Contact the American Society of Association Executives and try
to sell to the association itself for them to resell. Or check
out http://www.asaecenter.org and contact association management
companies and association executives directly.”

From Mary Callen:

“Send a sample copy, or sample pages by email if you’re on a
budget, to the executive director of every association you
mention. Work your way into newsletters for groups of association
managers with the free sample offer. If it’s truly a valuable
resource, they’ll jump at the chance to purchase and distribute a
book to each new member of their boards of directors. A few
copies to pass between newbies can be used and reused.”

From Mitch Carnell:

“Get leading community volunteers from several states or
nationally known volunteer leaders to write and publish reviews
in local and national publications. For example: the CEO of a
United Way, president of the Boy Scouts, chairman of a food bank.
Try for name and organization recognition. Some universities have
courses dealing with the not-for-profit world. I taught a
graduate course on the subject for many years. Contact the
professors.”

The Publicity Hound says:

How about pitching influential bloggers who write for nonprofits?
One of the best is Nancy Schwartz and her Getting Attention blog
at http://www.gettingattention.org/ See my article “Let Bloggers
Create Publicity for You” at http://budurl.com/49dw.

Read all the responses to this week?s “Help This Hound question”
at http://budurl.com/mentoringthestars

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

===================================
5. Help This Hound
===================================

From Bonnie Stuempfig of Waukesha, WI:

“I wrote a book, Heavenly Connections, a soft-cover spiral-bound
book, and hoped to sell it mostly at my church and other area
churches, but there seems to be a ho-hum attitude despite the
fact that I’m already a published writer and the stories are
uplifting and entertaining.

“They include 24 God-based contributions from other church
members and me, along with a few poems and four pages of color
photos.

“My plan was to donate a good portion of the proceeds to the
church, but now I’m thinking it would be best to just bypass the
church and pitch it to bookstores and gift shops.

“I’m working on getting a website and am doing nothing with
social media. I should have done all this earlier but have put
more than two years into this book and wanted it printed by
Christmas. Now, I can concentrate on the marketing but don’t
know where to start.

“Thanks for any help your Hounds can give.?

The Publicity Hound says:

The most difficult part of your task will be to promote the book
without a website. Let’s see what ideas my Hounds have. Hounds,
you can share them at my blog at http://budurl.com/religiousbook

=================================
6. Hound Joke of the Week
=================================

“I know that dogs are pack animals, but it is difficult to
imagine a pack of standard poodles…and if there was such a
thing as a pack of standard poodles, where would they rove to?
Bloomingdale’s?

–Yvonne Clifford, American actress

==================================
7. And at My Blogs…
==================================

Starting this week, I’ll be including on this list blog posts
I’ve written at MySocialMediaSolution.com, the blog I share with
Jeanne Hurlbert, my new business partner. The second post below
is from that blog.

3 business blogging tips to save time–even if you hate writing
http://budurl.com/bizbloggingtips

30 PR experts you should follow on Twitter
http://budurl.com/twitterprexperts

Social media boosts book marketing guru’s Alexa rankings
http://budurl.com/kremeralexaranking

————————————

Follow me on Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/PublicityHound

Join my Facebook Fan Page:
http://www.facebook.com/publicitytips

Connect with me on LinkedIn (and tell me how we know each other):
http://www.linkedin.com/in/publicityhound

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 Press 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

The Publicity Hound’s
Tips of the Week
Issue #486 Jan. 6, 2010
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.com/
http://www.publicityHound.net/ (Blog)
http://www.publicityarticles.net/ (Ezine Archives)

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

“Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity”

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

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

1. Facebook Redesign: Don’t Panic

2. New Year’s Resolutions for Bloggers

3. Still No Gravatar?

4. A Dozen Ways to Use My Free Ebook

5. Promoting Absorbent Mats

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. And at My Blog…

======================================
1. Facebook Redesign: Don’t Panic
======================================

If you’re like me and you’re on Facebook, the words “Facebook
redesign” send you into panic mode.

It can take me weeks to navigate my way around a redesigned site.
Facebook is slowly rolling out another one this week. But the
good news is that the changes are minor:

–The search box is being moved from the right side of the
screen, further to the left.

–Facebook is cleaning up the categories on the left.

–Facebook–finally!–has removed the double link to your profile
at the top of the screen. Instead of seeing “Profile” and “(Your
Name)” at the top of the screen (the information is identical),
you’ll only see “Profile.”

–Login/logout have been combined into a single ?account? drop
down.

The changes haven’t shown up on my own profile yet, but I’ll be
watching for them.

Facebook also has a new, streamlined Help Center that should make
it easier for you to find solutions to problems. You can read
more about it at Facebook’s blog at http://budurl.com/hdhc

During the teleseminar I conducted several months ago with
Christine Buffaloe, my guest expert, on “11 Ways to Avoid Missed
Opportunities on Facebook,” we identified “Missed Opportunity
#10: Not using the Help Center.” The Help Center is located on
the bottom right side of your screen. Facebook is so big that
it’s impossible to instinctively know what to do, and the Help
Center can lead you in the right direction.

Learn more about the other 10 missed opportunities at
http://budurl.com/facebookwithchris

======================================
2. New Year’s Resolutions for Bloggers
======================================

Here are three New Year’s Resolutions I’ve made about blogging.
You might want to make them, too:

–Post more frequently. The more posts, the more traffic. It’s
that simple. I usually post at least three times a week. I’m
trying to increase that to five a week.

–One way to post more frequently is to write short items. I’ve
fallen into the habit of trying to make each post as thorough as
possible, but that eats up precious time. I can’t tell you how
many unfinished posts are sitting in my Drafts folder. Readers,
always pressed for time, appreciate short posts, too.

–Reply to people who comment at my blog. Finally, I’m seeing the
number of comments increasing. But I haven’t been very good about
replying to those comments. By not replying, I’m simply talking
“at” people instead of talking “with” them.

Carrying on a conversation at your blog is incredibly time-
consuming, but it’s well worth the investment. People will be
more inclined to comment if they see you’re paying attention. And
they’ll be motivated to return to the blog to see how you
responded to what they said.

Results of my customer profile survey earlier this year show many
Publicity Hounds are hungry for time-saving tips on how to blog.
So I asked Patsi Krakoff of The Blog Squad to join me for a
teleseminar at 4 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, Jan. 20, called
“Time-saving Tips for Smart Business Blogging.” (This teleseminar
was originally scheduled for Jan. 13.) Everyone who registers
receives a handout that includes 77 ways to find content for a
blog.

Make 2010 the year you finally commit to a blog and build in
efficiencies that will make the job go faster. Read more about
what you’ll learn and register at
http://budurl.com/smartbusinessblogs

=======================================
3. Still No Gravatar?
=======================================

Here’s another resolution for 2010, even if you don’t blog, but
you comment at other people’s blogs.

Make sure you have a gravatar, a universal image that follows you
from site to site and appears beside your name when you comment
or post on a blog. A gravatar helps identify your posts and
attaches a face to a name.

It takes just a few minutes to create one at
http://en.gravatar.com/

Jeanne Hurlbert and I recommend that if you’re using social media
for your business, you use a photo instead of an image that
resembles a cartoon character. We’d both prefer to see the face
of the person we’re talking to. And it’s easier to build a
relationship with a person who has a name and a face vs. somebody
who seems to be hiding behind a logo or a silly graphic.  My
gravatar is the same photo that appears at the bottom of the HTML
version of this newsletter.

Jeanne is my new business partner, and I wrote about her last
week here and at my blog. If you missed it, check it out at
http://budurl.com/jeannehurlbert

In just a few weeks, we’ll be introducing you to Social Media Rx,
our new social media assessment that’s your 20-minute
prescription for cutting through the clutter, chatter and
confusion on social media sites.

===================================
4. A Dozen Ways to Use My Free Ebook
===================================

Have you claimed your copy of “The Best of The Publicity Hound’s
Tips of the Week of 2009″ yet? It not, go to
http://tinyurl.com/bestof2009tips and consider using it one of
these 12 ways:

–Create a Facebook note, and excerpt a tip in its entirety. Use
the JPEG of the ebook cover along with the text, and you’ve got a
nice little item that your followers and fans will love.

–No time for a Note? Write about it and share the link above in
a Facebook status update.

–Write about it in a LinkedIn status update.

–Blog about the book, and include your own success story that
ties into one of the tips.

–Offer the ebook as a bonus along with other products and
services you’re selling.

–Give it to your clients and customers.

–Mention it at your weekly staff meetings.

–Add it to the Free Articles page at your website.

–Give it away to the winner of a contest you’re sponsoring.

–Offer it as a freebie to help you capture names and email
addresses at your website.

–Create a video that discusses the ebook and upload it to your
website or to YouTube.

–Include the link (http://tinyurl.com/bestof2009tips) in a book
you’re writing, or in handouts you’re using for a speaking
engagement.

What other ways are you using the ebook? Share them at my blog at
http://budurl.com/howtousemyebook

===================================
5. Promoting Absorbent Mats
===================================

This week, six Publicity Hounds have tips for Jeanne Krieg of
Savage, MN. Her company, DryMate, makes a line of absorbent and
washable mats for home, pets, autos, hunting, garage and
outdoors. She needs ideas on how to pitch this product to
journalists.

From Christel Hall:

“I would consider picking the top three publications in each area
to do a special, custom publicity promotion to. For example, the
garage auto mat could be promoted to the top two auto
care/accessories magazines and also to the national publication
for Porsche owners, or other exclusive car club members. At the
same time, the outdoor blanket/mat could be promoted to camping
and outdoor magazines.”

From Jay Groff:

“I am friends with the vice president of PIG mats, which has the
same concept but they are more industrial. Despite the fact that
they are somewhat of a competitor, I think some kind of a
relationship could be formed where they could promote your line
of more household mats and you could promote their heavy duty
industrial mats. I truly believe cooperation can be better than
competition.”

From Laurie Morrow:

“DryMate might try to tie in with a realty company–get them to
buy a large amount, and give them as gifts to purchasers of new
homes. This is a tough market to sell real estate in, and you
could develop a number of cross-promotional ads.”

The Publicity Hound says:

All three ideas involve joint venture partnerships. Internet
marketer Don Crowther says “there’s no such thing as competitors,
just joint venture partners who don’t know it yet.”

Read all the responses to this week?s “Help This Hound” question
http://budurl.com/washablemats

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

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

Linda Alexander of Pitman, NJ, writes:

“I work for an association management and publishing company, and
we have just published the book Mentoring the Stars: A Program
for Volunteer Board Leaders at
http://budurl.com/mentoringstarsbook

“The book is designed to help new board members on association
boards understand their new roles and learn the skills and
competencies they need to be a successful board member.
Leadership, decision making, teamwork, strategic planning,
effective meetings and mentoring are just some of the topics
covered.

“Mentoring the Stars is a great resource for association board
members in any industry?nursing, hospitals and health care,
education, banking, real estate, human resources, plus church
groups, community organizations and more. While it’s great to be
applicable to anyone, it’s also hard to promote to everyone!

“The book is available on our website and on Amazon. We have done
some traditional PR and will be trying some targeted advertising
on Facebook, Google and Yahoo. Can your readers offer any
suggestions for ways to promote Mentoring the Stars to members of
association boards??

The Publicity Hound says:

The first thing that comes to my mind is LinkedIn. Let’s see what
my Hounds have to say. Hounds with their own ideas, or ways to
piggyback onto my LinkedIn suggestion, can post them to my blog
at http://budurl.com/mentoringthestars

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

Thanks to Mary Pacinda of New Carlisle, Ohio for this one:

Two fleas are coming out of the movie theater and it’s raining
very hard outside. One flea says to the other flea, “What are we
going to do? Should we walk or wait for a dog?”

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…
===================================

12 ways to use my free ebook of publicity tips
http://budurl.com/howtousemyebook

————————————

Follow me on Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/PublicityHound

Join my Facebook Fan Page:
http://www.facebook.com/publicitytips

Connect with me on LinkedIn (and tell me how we know each other):
http://www.linkedin.com/in/publicityhound

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 Press 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

The Publicity Hound’s
Tips of the Week
Issue #481 Dec. 1, 2009
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityHound.net/ (Blog)
http://www.PublicityArticles.net (Ezine Archives)

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

“Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity”

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

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

1. What if Your Lawyer is Wrong?

2. Website Magnets: Pet Ecards

3. Pitching Ellen, Rachael & Cavuto

4. Promoting a Book About Christians

5. Help This Hound

6. Hound Video of the Week

7. And at My Blog…

8. Correction

====================================
1. What if Your Lawyer is Wrong?
====================================

If you’re faced with a PR nightmare, don’t assume that your
lawyer’s advice will save you.

Just ask Tiger Woods, whose legal advice might well be
responsible for the public relations mess that’s been getting
even messier since last week’s car crash.

On TV talk shows and all over the Internet, media experts, crisis
counselors, PR pros and even attorneys are admonishing Woods for
flunking PR 101 since crashing his car into a fire hydrant, and
then a tree, outside the couple’s home Thanksgiving night.

They say he erred by:

–Holing up inside his home and refusing to talk to the police or
the public, making it look like he has something to hide and
fueling speculation about what happened.

–Waiting until Sunday to post a statement on his website, thus
letting anyone with an opinion take control of the story. PR pros
say that even though all the details aren’t necessary, he should
have given a more substantive response.

–Canceling an appearance at the Chevron World Challenge golf
tournament this weekend.

During an interview I did with crisis counselor Clarence Jones
several years ago, Jones said that attorneys, who usually tell
their clients not to comment, are concerned primarily about
winning in the court of law, not in the court of public opinion.
That’s why clients who have won in the court of law sometimes
emerge with their reputations in ruins. By that time, the PR
damage has been done.

Jones advises that if you find yourself in a PR crisis, weigh
your lawyer’s advice along with the advice of others such as a
good crisis counselor. Read more about what he discussed during
the teleseminar “In a Media Crisis, Your Lawyer Will be Wrong” at
http://budurl.com/yourlawyer

===================================
2. Website Magnets: Pet Ecards
===================================

When BL Ochman and her business partner, Caimin Jones, realized
their new company, Pawfun.com at http://www.pawfun.com, needed to
have more traffic before they could expect to make a profit
selling customized pet T-shirts, totes and other items, they
decided to change their business model.

They added the kind of social media tools they create to help
their corporate clients build traffic and sales–a free service
that lets anyone create free pet ecards. Take a look:
http://www.pawfun.com/send-ecard/

Upload your own pet photo to the site, and add pithy, funny or
endearing comments to the bubble that comes out of the pet’s
mouth. Then share the card with your social media friends,
followers and fans.

“In order for us to make money, we need a high volume of
traffic,” BL said. “We really needed to turn that site into a
social media lab for ourselves–something that does all the
things we tell our clients to do.”

The result?

“It’s really starting to work,” she said. “Traffic is doubling
every week, and there are hundreds of ecards featured in our
gallery.”

They’ve even landed two corporate sponsorships. The first is with
StacksandStacks.com, which sells organizing tools for humans and
pets. The other is with Simon & Schuster, publisher of the book
“Cowboy and Wills” about the Golden Retriever and the autistic
boy who loved him. Pawfun will give the books as contest prizes.

“We know that those are the kinds of sponsorship deals that are
possible,” BL said.

What free magnets are you offering at your own website? “Special
Report #51: 55 Free Things You Can Offer to Generate Publicity or
Capture People’s Email Addresses” give you dozens of ideas. Read
more about it at http://budurl.com/specialreport51

====================================
3. Pitching Ellen, Rachael & Cavuto
====================================

Don’t make the mistake of assuming that big, celebrity-driven TV
talk shows only want celebrities.

Even though “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” loves celebrities and A-
list interviews, Ellen loves human interest stories like child
inventors, variety acts, and social causes like Hurricane Katrina
or animal rights. But how would you know that unless you watch
the show every day?

Get free detailed profiles with key contacts and how-to-get-on
info for five top shows including ABC’s “20/20,” “The Ellen
DeGeneres Show,” “Rachael Ray,” “Book TV” and “The Neil Cavuto
Show” by going to http://www.AppearOnTopTVShows.com/?10011

The five profiles are drawn from “Harrison’s Guide to the Top
National Talk & Interviews TV Shows,” which is on sale through 6
p.m. Eastern this Friday, December 4. Subscribe now and you’ll
also get a 30-minute consultation with a former national TV
producer who’ll help you get on TV. (I get a commission if you
buy this directory.)

===================================
4. Promoting a Book About Christians
===================================

This week, three Publicity Hounds have tips for Mitch Carnell of
Charleston, SC, who needs ideas on how to market his book,
Christian Civility in an Uncivil World.

From Gail Sideman:

“I would take some of the elements in this book and create story
angles and tips about why they apply to life in and outside
religious practices.

“Create a tips list with the top bits of advice in the book and
pitch them to media and as a column for consumers to use.  This
would be a good way to begin to help people relate to the book in
general and not corner it into a religious how-to book.”

From Christine Buffaloe:

“The first thing would be to create a presence on Facebook. If
you don?t already have a profile, create one at
http://www.facebook.com/. It?s easy to do. Then join groups that
are within your niche and, from there, connect with the people in
those groups.

“Then, create a Facebook fan page. This is where you can really
promote your book. You can send updates and link to your blog.
The possibilities are endless.”

From The Publicity Hound:

“Mitch, how about trying to get booked on niche radio talk shows
that will reach your niche audience?

“Francine Silverman?s ebooks that offer contact info are a good
place to start. I blogged about these this morning at
http://budurl.com/talkradioinfo

“Under the self-help category, I see several possibilities on how
you can spin your topic to match those topics.”
Read all the responses to this week’s ?Help This Hound” question
http://budurl.com/gjzx

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

=================================
5. Help This Hound
=================================

Ted Fuller of Lafayette, Calif., writes:

“Thanks to you and Paulette Ensign, the Tips Booklet Queen, I
have completed my first two booklets.

“The Best Ideas Yet About Aging Successfully is 16 pages, and
Tips for Writing a Great Memoir is 12 pages. Now comes the grind
of contacting book and gift store distributors, retirement home
companies, and other organizations serving seniors.

Any suggestions on how one gets these charming publications
publicized so the purchasing departments seek me out with their
orders??

The Publicity Hound says:

Mitch, I urge you to think far beyond nursing homes for your
target audience. Many of today’s senior citizens run marathons
and climb mountains. You don’t have a website, and that’s
compounding your problem. So I hope my Hounds make some
suggestions on how to also sell these booklets online. Hounds,
post your best ideas to my blog at
http://budurl.com/seniorsbooklets

==================================
6. Hound Video of the Week
==================================

Meet Cowboy and Wills. Cowboy is the Golden Retriever puppy that
brought joy and love to Wills Holloway, an autistic boy. They’re
the subject of the book “Cowboy & Wills,” by Monica Holloway.
This isn’t your typical book promo, and it made my day. Thanks to
BL Ochman of New York City (See Item #2 above), for sharing it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjyUJGw7urk

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/

==================================
7. And at My Blog…
==================================

Ebooks offer talk radio contact info for specific niches
http://budurl.com/talkradioinfo

==================================
8. Correction
==================================

In last week’s issue, I incorrectly identified Scott Martin of
Lake Mary, Fla., who runs DivorceDirection, a financial advisory
firm and who was quoted recently in the New York Times. I
apologize for the error.

————————————

Follow me on Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/PublicityHound

Join my Facebook Fan Page:
http://www.facebook.com/publicitytips

Connect with me on LinkedIn (and tell me how we know each other):
http://www.linkedin.com/in/publicityhound

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 Press 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

The Publicity Hound’s
Tips of the Week
Issue #480 Nov. 24, 2009
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityHound.net/ (Blog)
http://www.publicityarticles.net/ (Ezine Archives)

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

“Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity”

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

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

1. Stop Talking About Yourself

2. Call Your Trade Associations

3. Oprah’s Farewell

4. For Artists Only

5. Help This Hound

6. Hound Quote of the Week

7. And at My Blog…

====================================
1. Stop Talking About Yourself
====================================

If social media were a cocktail party, many of us would be
heading for home by 8:30.

That’s because everybody seems to be talking about themselves:

“I’m standing in line at Starbucks.”

“I’m starting my day with a hot bowl of oatmeal.”

“I just dropped my kids off at school. It’s pouring rain!”

Chris Brogan, who is arguably one of the top social media experts
in the world and whose blog has been ranked Number 1 by
Advertising Age magazine, says we should be spending 12 times as
much time talking about other people as we do about ourselves.

He spoke last week at the Web 2.0 Expo in New York City. A 10-
minute snippet of his presentation at
http://budurl.com/chrisbroganvideo may be one of the most
valuable videos you’ll watch all year. His tips:

–If you’re not spending time using http://www.Search.Twitter.com
or the search part of your social media application, you’re
missing one of the best opportunities that social media offers.
That’s because you can search for people who are talking about
specific topics. Following conversations is often more valuable
than following people.

–We should be listening far more than worrying about what to
say.

–When we share helpful tips and information from other people,
that makes us more valuable to the people who follow us. Eighty
percent of his Twitter posts are responses to things other people
have tweeted.

–No continual “barking” (his words, not mine) about your
products.

–The difference between an audience and a community is the way
you turn the chairs.

As you watch the video, notice the tweets that show up on the
screen behind him. Many of them are from audience members who are
tweeting about his presentation. They’re using the hashtag #w2e
in their tweets. That makes it easy for anyone searching for
information about the conference to find it at
http://www.search.twitter.com/

Read more about how to use hashtags for publicity at my blog at
http://budurl.com/usehashtags

===================================
2. Call Your Trade Associations
===================================

When New York Times columnist Ron Lieber wanted to end his recent
series of columns on money and divorce with advice from financial
advisors whose own marriages fell apart, he turned to the
Institute for Divorce Financial Analysts looking for experts.

The association contacted its members, including Publicity Hound
Scott Martin of Lake Mary, Fla, who runs DivorceDirection, a
financial advisory firm. Scott jumped at the chance to get into
the Times. He emailed the reporter, offered his expertise, and
was quoted in Saturday’s article at
http://budurl.com/moneyanddivorce

Don’t wait for your trade association or professional group to
contact you. Call or email them and let them know that if
journalists contact them looking for sources, you’ll be happy to
help. Your trade associations will welcome your call because they
won’t have to spend time searching for members who would agree to
be interviewed.

Scott, by the way, used my teaching tool “How to Create a Media
Plan” to build a relationship with the Times reporter. Scott is
also reviewing the more than 200 story ideas, from January to
December, that come with the step-by-step instructions, and
deciding which ones he’ll incorporate into his own media plan.
Read more about “How to Create a Media Plan” at
http://www.publicityhound.com/mediaplan.htm

====================================
3. Oprah’s Farewell
====================================

Many Publicity Hounds are devastated by the news that Oprah
Winfrey is ending her talk show in September 2011, but not nearly
as devastated as local affiliates, which share advertising
revenues with syndicated shows like “Oprah.”

Affiliates will be the big losers when Oprah says good-bye after
23 years so she can concentrate on creating the Oprah Winfrey
Network (OWN). It’s expected to launch January 2011 on cable and
will feature ?lifestyle?? programs shaped by Oprah. She isn’t
expected to have her own talk show.

That means that if you’ve been dying to get onto “Oprah,” you
still have almost two years to pitch her producers. Here are
three tips for getting onto the show:

–Pitch a topic that pushes Oprah’s hot buttons, like helping
children live better lives.

–Pitch an entire segment, not just yourself.

–Research her producers by reading their blogs at
http://budurl.com/oprahproducersblog

When I interviewed Susan Harrow, the foremost expert of “How to
Get Booked on Oprah,” Susan revealed Oprah’s other hot-button
topics and offered tips galore on how to get onto the show. Learn
more about what we discussed at http://budurl.com/bookedonoprah

===================================
4. For Artists Only
===================================

Most artists I know are incredibly creative, but they struggle to
sell their artwork when the economy is booming.

Today, when unemployment is still rising and there’s no end in
sight to the gloom and doom, artwork is one of the first things
consumers can do without.

If you’re a jeweler, potter, fabric artist, painter or
woodworker, join me in January for the smARTist Telesummit 2010,
hosted by art marketing expert Ariane Goodwin. I’ll present a
program on “Ezines, Bios & Blogs! The Top 3 Writing Problems That
Stop Artists Cold? and How to Solve Them.”

If you’re an artist who wants to turn an art passion into an art
business, or salvage an art business that has been ravaged by the
economy, don’t miss this one. It’s, by far, the very best
marketing training you’ll get anywhere.

The smARTist Telesummit 2010 launches today with the traditional
Early Bird Special. Save $50 by registering before Dec. 8.

Still not sure? Join Ariane, by phone, on Dec. 8 for the ?Virtual
Opening Reception Party,? a free teleseminar where the 11
speakers, including me, will whet your appetite with solid take-
away tips. Sign up for the reception party, or register for the
entire telesummit at http://budurl.com/smartistelesummit

=================================
5. Help This Hound
=================================

Mitch Carnell of Charleston, SC, writes:

“My book, Christian Civility in an Uncivil World, has just been
published and I need help promoting it. The other contributors
from different denominations are all much better known than I am.

“The publisher sells mostly online and relies on distributors to
get it into bookstores and on Amazon. The book is great for small
group discussions in churches and college classes. Each chapter
can stand alone. My chapter on ‘The Power of Words’ brings
everything together.

“Paul Raushenbush, associate dean of the Princeton University
Chapel, wrote a dynamic foreword. I am doing all of the normal
book publicity tasks but I need some breakthrough help. Can your
Hounds offer their best ideas on how to market the book?”
The Publicity Hound says:

Social media provides opportunities galore to target niche
audiences like a laser beam. How about it Hounds? How can Mitch
use traditional and social media to sell more books? Post your
best ideas to my blog at http://budurl.com/gjzx

==================================
6. Hound Quote of the Week
==================================

“You can say any foolish thing to a dog, and the dog will give
you a look that says, ‘My God, you’re right! I never would’ve
thought of that!’”  — Dave Barry

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/

==================================
7. And at My Blog…
==================================

13 ways to use royalty-free stock images in a PR campaign
http://budurl.com/stockimages

Bad news releases outed by journalists with blogs
http://budurl.com/badreleases

Speakers, publicize your speaking engagements these 9 ways
http://budurl.com/4w3z

————————————

Follow me on Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/PublicityHound

Join my Facebook Fan Page:
http://www.facebook.com/publicitytips

Connect with me on LinkedIn (and tell me how we know each other):
http://www.linkedin.com/in/publicityhound

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 Press 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

The Publicity Hound’s
Tips of the Week
Issue #479 Nov. 17, 2009
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityHound.net/ (Blog)
http://www.PublicityArticles.net (Ezine Archives)

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

“Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity”

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

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

1. How to Promote Your Experts

2. Pay Attention to Media Websites

3. Oprah/Palin Outtakes

4. How to Promote a Book on Autism

5. Help This Hound

6. Hound Videos of the Week

7. And at My Blog…

====================================
1. How to Promote Your Experts
====================================

If you’re an expert in your industry, or you have a team of
experts, let the world know.

During yesterday’s teleseminar for members of The Publicity Hound
Mentor Program, I shared 14 ways to promote your experts. Here
are four of them:

–Create an Experts Directory. If you have many experts, list
them by category, in alphabetical order, and include all contact
information. Make sure your experts have given you permission to
include their names. If they’re at all shy about talking to
reporters or bloggers, pay for media training or don’t include
them. Send hard-copy directories to targeted media, and make the
directory available at your website, in your media room.

–Include one page at your website for each expert. Make sure the
title bar includes a keyword phrase that will help the media find
your expert quickly through the search engines. Example:
“Employee recruitment and retention expert.”

–During a big breaking news event that ties into an expert’s
topic, call or email your media contacts and offer your expert
for background, commentary and story ideas that tie into the
breaking news.

–Give your experts prominent exposure in online experts
directories.
Each year, I subscribe to Expertclick: The Online Yearbook of
Experts. PRWeek calls this the “Dating Service of PR” because it
connects experts and journalists. I’ve been a member for years,
and my Press Room Page has helped me capture the top two or three
positions on Google for the phrase “publicity expert.”

The deadline is Friday, Nov. 20, for their 25th Anniversary 2010
Yearbook of Experts. See the full brochure at
https://www.ExpertClick.com/Discount/Publicity-Hound and take
advantage of their special for Publicity Hounds. They’ll shave
$100 off your subscription. Or call 202-333-5000. They answer
their phones live and have great customer service.

===================================
2. Pay Attention to Media Websites
===================================

Before you pitch journalists or broadcasters, know all your
options by visiting their websites.

I wanted to pitch a story idea to the news department at Fox 6, a
Milwaukee TV station, recently and visited their site to see what
I could find. I learned they now accept news tips and pitches at
the site during their 1:45 p.m. news meeting each day.

They broadcast video of the meeting. And even though you can’t
hear the audio, you can pitch your story idea right at the
website. That’s exactly what I did.

The producer who was reading the pitches on his laptop while
attending the meeting responded immediately and said he loved my
idea. But he thought it was more appropriate for the station’s
early-morning news/feature program. I pitched that program, and
the host responded the next day and booked a segment with my
client for next month. Is that cool or what?

These websites often include other valuable nuggets. You might
find bios of the on-air reporters and anchors. You can upload
photos and videos at many newspaper, TV and radio websites. You
can submit items for their event calendars. You can also find
mini profiles of all their local programs. Many media outlets
also include links where you can follow them on Facebook and
Twitter.

Now that you know how to find them and pitch them, start building
relationships with them. “Special Report #49: 17 Ways to Build
Valuable Relationships with Media People” shows you how. Only
$10. Order at http://budurl.com/lzge

===================================
3. Oprah/Palin Outtakes
===================================

Oprah’s taped interview with Sarah Palin, which was broadcast
yesterday, attracted so many viewers who love her or hate her
that Oprah’s smart producers did something that we can do.

They posted five outtakes from the interview at Oprah’s website
under the headline “What You Didn’t See.” Take a look:
http://budurl.com/oprahandsarah

If you’re shooting video for whatever reason, and you have some
great outtakes, here are six ideas for using them:

–Edit them into separate videos and upload them to your YouTube
channel and to other video-sharing sites so they pull in traffic
from the search engines. Use different keywords for each video so
you pull the maximum amount of traffic possible.

–Insert the video links into press releases.

–Post the videos in your online press room.

–Use them at your blog.

–Include the links in articles you write for the article
directory sites.

–Share them with your social media friends, fans and followers.
Videographer John Easton of Charlotte, N.C. knows creative, easy
ways to use video to generate publicity and sales leads, even if
you only do business locally. I interviewed him about “9 Clever
Ways to Use Video to Become a Publicity Darling in Your Industry
or Community.” Learn more at http://budurl.com/sttl

===================================
4. How to Promote a Book on Autism
===================================

This week, six Publicity Hounds have tips for Mary Ann Puckett
from Oklahoma City, OK, author of a self-published book, “Take
Him Home and Love Him: A Story of Autism and How to Cope with
It.” She needs tips for promoting the book to parents and
caregivers.

From Linda Kotzian:

“Contact Care Trak at http://www.caretrak.com/news.htm  They sell
tracking devices for those afflicted by Alzheimer?s and autism.
They might share their mailing list with you, or even promote
your book as part of their service.”

From Eric Gruber:

“You should be writing articles and submitting them to the top
parenting and health websites, blogs, ezines and article
directories–as well as focusing on those sites that deal with
autism specifically. For example, you should target
http://autism.about.com/ ”

From Margaret Vos:

“Perhaps your high school, college, or university would LOVE to
hear about your accomplishment. Not just a ‘local girl does good’
story, but one that can help other parents too–and targeted to
an educational field but with a different angle. You could
include special needs schools that have newsletters for parents.”

The Publicity Hound says:

Mary Ann, you need to reach out to two huge segments of bloggers:
mommy bloggers and home-schoolers. Go to Google and search for
?top 20 mommy bloggers? and see what you find.  Also, ?top 20
home-school bloggers.?

Make sure you visit their blogs and post a comment or two before
you pitch. And, of course, make sure the blog is a good fit with
the book.

Read all the responses to this week?s ?Help This Hound” question
at http://budurl.com/tvxv

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

=================================
5. Help This Hound
=================================

I’m out of questions (send questions!) so this week’s is from me:
Publicity Hounds who responded to my Customer Profile Survey in
the spring said blogging was one of the top three topics they
wanted to know more about.

I’m planning one or more paid teleseminars on blogging for
business soon, and I want to make sure I’m teaching things you
need to know.

If you’re interested in this topic, let me know which sub-topics
interest you:

–How to find compelling content

–Shortcuts and time-saving tools

–Commenting at other blogs

–The best blog directories where you should submit your blog

–How to pull traffic to your blog

–Using photos and images

–How to pitch a guest blog post to someone else

–How to find guest bloggers

–Feeding your blog posts into social media sites

–Writing compelling headlines

–Or any topics I haven’t mentioned here.

Also, please let me know if you consider yourself a beginning,
intermediate or advanced blogger.
Mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com and put “Blogging” in the
subject line.

==================================
6. Hound Videos of the Week
==================================

Thanks to Publicity Hound Jacqueline Simonds of Reno, NV for
these three videos that show sheer joy, yelps of delight and lots
of tail-wagging as these four-legged hounds welcome home their
owners from Iran and Afghanistan. (This’ll cheer you up if you’re
having a really bad day.)

http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/40324

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/

==================================
7. And at My Blog…
==================================

Oprah’s producers blog & drop clues about what they like
http://budurl.com/oprahproducersblog

8 ways public speaking produces multiple revenue streams
http://budurl.com/malinchakspeaking

————————————

Follow me on Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/PublicityHound

Join my Facebook Fan Page:
http://www.facebook.com/publicitytips

Connect with me on LinkedIn (and tell me how we know each other):
http://www.linkedin.com/in/publicityhound

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 Press 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

           The Publicity Hound’s
              Tips of the Week
           Issue #468 Sept. 8, 2009
            Publisher: Joan Stewart
       mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
          http://www.PublicityHound.com
       http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)
 http://www.publicityarticles.net/ (Ezine Archives)

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

“Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity”

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

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

1. Use Trade Associations

2. Ditch the Shovels, Scissors & Checks

3. Sell 120,000 Books with One Phone Call

4. Marketing an Indie Movie

5. Help This Hound

6. Hound Joke of the Week

=====================================
1. Use Trade Associations
=====================================

If you aren’t using trade associations in your publicity
campaign, you’re missing a valuable tool that can save you time
and help you flex your promotional muscle.

Here’s how:

–If you belong to a particular trade association, let their PR
department know that you welcome calls from reporters. Often, if
the media need sources in a particular industry and they don’t
know who to call, they call the trade association and ask for
names of members.

–Sending a direct mail piece? You can often buy lists of names
from trade associations.

–If you’re a speaker, and you want to be hired to speak before
audiences in a particular industry, contact the editor of that
association’s newsletter or trade magazine and start submitting
articles. Months later, when you call the meeting planner, you
can refer to the articles you’ve written–proof that you’re not a
novice to the industry. I’ve written many articles for the
Society for Marketing Professional Services magazine and PR
Tactics, published by the Public Relations Society of America.
Both have led to numerous speaking engagements.

–Writing an opinion column and looking for ammunition to support
your position? If so, find out which trade associations support
your cause. Trade groups are among the most ardent lobbyists.

–If you need statistics to incorporate into your story pitches,
or for letters to the editor or articles you’re writing, you can
find them by calling trade associations or visiting their
websites or blogs.

Need a quick, handy template for a how-to article? I’ve included
one in the handouts that come with the CD or electronic
transcript on “How to Write a How-to Article.” Learn more about
it at http://budurl.com/s6r2

=======================================
2. Ditch the Shovels, Scissors & Checks
=======================================

I saw it again this week, another one of those ghastly ground-
breaking photos.

You know what it looks like, because you’ve seen hundreds of
them. Four guys wearing business suits and hard hats are
posing, each with their foot on a shovel, looking very
uncomfortable and out of place.

These photos belong in the same category with the photos of
oversized cardboard checks being passed from one person to
another, or the ribbon-cutting photos that feature a 3-foot
pair of cardboard scissors.

C’mon, Hounds. You can do better than that.

Instead of passing an oversized check, how about asking the local
newspaper to photograph kids playing on the playground equipment
that your fund-raiser made possible? Instead of a ribbon-cutting
for your candy store, plan a fun chocolate-tasting.

Promise yourself that from now on, you will never assign, allow,
take or request one of those horrible ground-breaking, ribbon-
cutting or check-passing photos?

Instead, think creatively about how to promote a donation, the
opening of a new business, or a new construction project.

If you’re coming up dry, Dan Collins can help. He’s the
creative media relations director at Mercy Medical Center in
Baltimore. I interviewed him during a teleseminar a few
years ago on “Fun Alternatives to Boring Ground-breakings,
Ribbon-cuttings & Check-passings.” Lean more about it at
http://tinyurl.com/7cl6z

========================================
3. Sell 120,000 Books with One Phone Call
========================================

Dr. Neil Baum tried lots of ways to promote and distribute his
book, Marketing Your Clinical Practice.

But most of them didn’t work, and he ended up frustrated.

Then, he thought that perhaps a big pharmaceutical company might
want to buy his book in mass quantity and give it away to doctors
as a gift. Pharmaceutical companies have very strict regulations
on what they’re allowed to give to doctors. But giving them
educational products wasn’t a problem.

So Dr. Baum contacted Bayer, the aspirin company, and asked if
they’d like to give his book away to their customer doctors as a
way of showing appreciation for their patronage. Within a week,
Bayer bought more than 120,000 copies and sent it to doctors
throughout the U.S. Today, his book is on the shelf of
virtually every medical clinic in the U.S.

And it all happened from just one phone call.

These kinds of deals happen all the time. But few authors
understand the step-by-step process of how to make that happen.

Matthew Bennett, a self-published author who’s relatively unknown
to the general public, has had even greater success than Dr.
Baum. He has sold more than 5 million books in quantity to
Fortune 500 corporations, including Disney, Reebok, NBC, Abbott
Labs, Pfizer, US Healthplans, Subway and many others.

Want to learn how he does it–and how you, too, can get started
selling your books by the truckload to big companies?

You’re invited to a free telephone seminar on Thursday, Sept. 10,
to hear Steve Harrison interview Matthew about his proven methods
and system for selling tons of books. Register at
http://www.freepublicity.com/mattbennett/?10011

=================================
4. Marketing an Indie Movie
=================================

This week, eight Publicity Hounds have tips for Maria Antonia, of
New York, N.Y. on how to market the movie “Under Jakob’s Ladder.
Set in the Soviet Union in 1941, it’s based on a true story about
a man who was thrown into prison for praying at a funeral.

From Janine Libbey:

Nia Vardalos (of ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding’ fame) used Twitter to
promote a new movie recently. She tweeted details about it and
also included a link to the trailer in her Twitter profile. To
see what she did, follow her on twitter:
http://www.Twitter.com/NiaVardalos.

From Jackie O’Neal:

You may want to consider starting a social networking site
related to the film on Ning.com. It’s free and you can blog about
the film, add videos, invite others to the site, but best of all,
use the “Share” feature to promote on multiple social networking
sites with just a click.

From Maggy Whitehouse:

“Jakob’s Ladder is one of the diagrams used by Kabbalists
worldwide. Hundreds of thousands of people are aware of it as a
symbol. Assuming that there is a Jewish character in the movie
(the man who prayed?) and if there is any mystical aspect, then
it can be spread around the world on Kabbalistic email lists (I
have one) and promoted that way on Facebook, etc.

The Publicity Hound says:

Jackie O’Neal also suggested using Animoto, the cool program that
turns still photos into videos. Animoto just introduced a new
feature that now allows users to insert video clips, too. I raved
about Animoto and suggested ways you can use it to produce fast,
snazzy videos–even if you have no technical abilities. Read more
about Animoto at http://budurl.com/mqmu or go over to their
website and take a free test drive at http://www.budurl.com/zlye

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

===============================
5. Help This Hound
===============================

Karma Bennett, a publicist for Ulysses Press, asks:

“My company is publishing a compilation of zombie stories. It
will be a direct-to-trade-paperback, so I can’t get reviews in
the leading periodicals that review fiction since it isn’t coming
out in hardback.

“Some, but not all, of the stories have never been printed
before. The editor is not local and, although the compilation
does include some of fiction?s biggest names–Steven King, Clive
Barker, Harlan Ellison, H.P. Lovecraft, Richard Matheson,
Christopher Fowler, Robert E. Howard and Joe Hill–I don’t think
they will be responsive to interview queries.

“We are only just starting to venture into releasing fiction and
I’m not sure how to go about this. I can’t get reviews. I can’t
get interviews. But the topic is zombies, which are so popular
now because of movies like World War Z, 28 Days Later, the film
version of Pride & Prejudice, and Zombies.

“Can your Hounds suggest ideas for publicity?’

The Publicity Hound says:

The popularity of all those zombie movies is a huge plus, and it
will make it easier for my Hounds to suggest ideas for publicity.
If you have a great idea for Karma, share it at my blog at
http://budurl.com/ujvz

===============================
6. Hound Joke of the Week
===============================

Thanks to Darlene Arden, of Framingham, Mass., for this one:

A man wrote a letter to a small hotel in a Midwest town he
planned to visit on his vacation. He asked if it would be OK if
he brought his well-groomed and well-behaved dog. The hotel owner
sent him this immediate reply:

“I’ve been operating this hotel for many years. In all that time,
I’ve never had a dog steal towels, bedclothes, silverware or
pictures off the walls. I’ve never had to evict a dog in the
middle of the night for being drunk and disorderly. And I’ve
never had a dog run out on a hotel bill. Yes, indeed, your dog is
welcome at my hotel. And, if your dog will vouch for you, you’re
welcome to stay here, too.”

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/

————————————

Follow me on Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/PublicityHound

Join my Facebook Fan Page:
http://www.facebook.com/publicitytips

Connect with me on LinkedIn (and tell me how we know each other):
http://www.linkedin.com/in/publicityhound

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 Press 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