March 9th, 2010 by JStewart in Publicity Tips
The Publicity Hound’s
Tips of the Week
Issue #495 March 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. The Next Big Thing: Mobile
2. Time-saving Blogging Tips
3. Social Media Cheat Sheet
4. Marketing a Lifestyle for Boomers
5. Help This Hound
6. Hound Joke of the Week
7. And at My Blogs…
======================================
1. The Next Big Thing: Mobile
======================================
Ten years ago, the hot new thing was building an email list.
Seven years ago, it was blogs and video.
Last year, it was Twitter.
This year, it’s mobile marketing. In 2010, our planet already has
more mobile phones than it does TV sets, cars, credit cards or
computers.
New generations of mobile devices are being unleashed not every
few months, but every few WEEKS. Hundreds of millions of
consumers worldwide are glued to their iPhones, Blackberries or
other mobile devices. To put it bluntly, they are waiting for
YOU.
That means more new technology to learn. But the opportunities to
reach your ideal customers, whether they’re standing in line at
Starbucks or lying in bed, is huge–only if you do it right and
don’t believe the two biggest misconceptions about mobile
marketing:
–It’s just like Internet marketing, but on a much smaller
screen.
–Sending a string of text messages is just like sending a series
of autoresponder messages.
If you’re confused about how to tap into this opportunity, let
StomperNet help. I’m their affiliate and they’re letting me share
these two goodies with you:
–A free webinar at 8 Eastern tonight featuring Dan Hollings, the
creator of StomperMobile and the guy who did the Internet
marketing behind the phenomenon “The Secret.” Sign up for the
webinar at
https://stompernet.infusionsoft.com/go/SMW1/SN332 If you can’t
make it, sign up anyway in case they record it. Or recruit
somebody to watch and take notes for you.
–A free series of three video lessons that will help you get
started the right way:
https://stompernet.infusionsoft.com/go/SM1/SN332
I’ll be on the webinar tonight. See you there.
======================================
2. Time-saving Blogging Tips
======================================
The biggest excuse people use to explain why they aren’t
blogging, or why they don’t comment at other people’s blogs, is
“I don’t have time.”
Here’s a tip that that lets you do both at the same time.
Create a Google Alert at http://www.Google.com/alerts for a
keyword or keyword phrase. When you check your alerts and you
find a blog post that screams out for your expert commentary,
tell yourself: “What I’m going to write here will be the basis of
a post at my own blog.”
Write the comment. Save it to your clipboard. Then take it over
to your blog where you can expound on it a little more. Then,
link back to the blog where you commented. That’s exactly what I
did over the weekend when I saw law firm marketing expert Kevin
O’Keefe’s blog post about press releases.
The topic was perfect for me. I wrote a lengthy comment, brought
it back to my own blog and elaborated, linking back to Kevin’s
blog. You can read my post “Why a press release and not just a
blog post?” at http://ow.ly/1pVlma
This little trick also works when you’re answering questions on
LinkedIn.
The 27 pages of handouts that I offered during the teleseminar
“Time-saving Tips for Smart Business Blogging,” with Patsi
Krakoff in January, are as helpful for veteran bloggers as they
are for newbies. They include 101 places to find content for your
blog, the first 7 steps before creating your blog, how to write
better and faster, and 20 mistakes smart professionals make with
blogs.
The handouts accompany the electronic transcript, CD or MP3
recording. Learn more at http://tinyurl.com/businessblogger
=====================================
3. Social Media Cheat Sheet
=====================================
You’ll love Drew McLellan’s handy, color-coded Social Media Cheat
Sheet that will help you understand how to leverage major social
media sites: http://ow.ly/1g8CO
Notice how well Digg, the popular bookmarking site, fares on this
chart. It’s a valuable tool for brand exposure, generating
traffic to your site, and search engine optimization.
If you’re not using Digg, now is the time to start. Colin Martin
explains how during the teleseminar on “How to do Social
Bookmarking to Promote Your Expertise, Attract Followers & Pull
Massive Amounts of Traffic.” The CD, MP3 and electronic
transcript include a series of four videos in which Colin
demonstrates how to create your accounts at bookmarking sites,
how to bookmark content, how to make friends and join groups, and
everyday uses for this powerful marketing tool.
Read more about what you’ll learn at http://tinyurl.com/ybzam7u
======================================
4. Marketing a Lifestyle for Boomers
======================================
This week, three Publicity Hounds have tips for Patti Chavet of
Frisco, Texas who wants to brand herself as an expert in active
adult lifestyles for Baby Boomers who live in Texas.
From Camille Torres:
“To position yourself as an expert, I suggest starting with a
blog. Offer information that helps your target audience, finding
the intersection between their informational needs/wants and your
expertise. Mixing it up a bit and having a video blog posting
every now and then might be a good idea. It would help people
identify with you and connect with you better, and the videos can
also be posted on YouTube and other video-sharing sites for extra
exposure. Tweet and Facebook your blog postings, along with other
info that will appeal to your audience.”
From Eric Gruber:
“You should be writing articles and submitting them on top
websites and ezines that your targeted audience (Baby Boomers
looking to retire) goes to every day for solutions you provide. I
know you’re looking for a local area, but article marketing works
for you, too.”
From Reece Franklin:
“Target the Boomers: While there are usually several networking
organizations within a large community that target the senior
market, there aren’t many that target Boomers. I suggest you
either find one or two that do hit the Boomers, or start your
own. Put together a list of the top 30 companies that might
target Boomers, and can influence them to use you. Then invite
these folks to your first networking meeting. Networking really
works if you’re the founder, or the key speaker.”
Read all the responses to this week’s ?Help This Hound” question
http://ow.ly/1die7
Send your own Help this Hound question to:
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com?subject=HelpThisHound
and include your city and state.
===================================
5. Help This Hound
===================================
Susan Murphy of Pleasant Ridge, MI writes:
“I’m looking for some interesting avenues in which to promote our
client, an environmental scientist who specializes in toxic mold
education, detection and remediation.
“Connie Morbach, M.S. CHMM CIE, is a respected national authority
on indoor air quality (IAQ) who has performed over 10,000
residential/commercial air tests and environmental evaluations.
“Since 1994, her team has witnessed the illnesses and devastation
caused by many ill-equipped and unscrupulous IAQ/Mold
‘professionals’ in their industry, and they continue to help so
many who have suffered from these injustices. She has just
started a blog at http://cleanlinest.wordpress.com/ and is
tweeting to share her knowledge as well.
“Connie has been featured on a half dozen indoor air quality
investigative segments for NBC’s “Today” show (”Why your gym may
be making you sick” and “Watch out for hidden germs in
supermarkets”), as well as “Rachael Ray” and “Extreme Makeover
Home Edition.” But she hasn’t worked with a PR firm since then.
She’s looking to get the word out again about her expertise, and
I’m hoping your loyal Hounds can suggest some thoughtful ideas.
The Publicity Hound says:
What a great topic! The “your (fill in the blank) is making you
sick” theme can be used dozens of ways. Let’s see what my Hounds
have to say. If you have a great idea for Susan, post it to my
blog at http://ow.ly/1g9z9
=================================
6. Hound Joke of the Week
=================================
“Dogs have no money. Isn’t that amazing? They’re broke their
entire lives. But they get through. You know why dogs have no
money? No pockets.”
–Jerry Seinfeld
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:
Job-hunters, publicity seekers: Wake up your boring bios
http://ow.ly/1frh9
Why a press release and not just a blog post?
http://ow.ly/1pVlma
Your dog can soon have its own Twitter account
http://ow.ly/1g48j
————————————
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
»
February 3rd, 2010 by JStewart in Publicity Tips
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
»
September 15th, 2009 by JStewart in Publicity Tips
The Publicity Hound’s
Tips of the Week
Issue #469 Sept. 15, 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. Grade Your LinkedIn Credibility
2. Help Celebs Deal with Anger
3. Twitter: A Giant Garbage Dump?
4. Test-drive Stompernet for Free
5. Publicizing Zombie Stories
6. Help This Hound
7. Hound Joke of the Week
=====================================
1. Grade Your LinkedIn Credibility
=====================================
If you’re answering questions on LinkedIn to promote your
expertise, good for you.
But don’t make the mistake I’ve been making. At times, I’ve been
creating the impression that it’s all about me.
Yesterday, for example, I answered a question from somebody who
wanted to know how to use press releases to promote his
consulting services in anger management.
I wrote a detailed answer (see Item #2 below). Then, at the
bottom of the answer, where I could offer three links to websites
where he could learn more about press releases, I offered three
links to my own websites.
LinkedIn also gave me the chance to name other experts on press
releases. But I didn’t.
A few hours later, I realized my mistake when I read the
excellent article “7 Ways to Have Character (and Show It) on
LinkedIn” at http://budurl.com/5jd2
It was written by LinkedIn expert Scott Allen, who says it isn’t
all about me or you. It’s all about giving before we take, and
offering other resources and experts that can help our LinkedIn
connections solve problems that are bugging them.
I used his article to grade my own credibility on LinkedIn. As a
result, I’ll be doing three things differently:
–Writing recommendations for my LinkedIn connections without
being asked.
–Responding more quickly to requests for introductions.
–Referring people whose questions I answer to other websites and
experts.
Read Scott’s article, and grade your own credibility. Then read
more about what he taught during the teleseminar I hosted with
him on “How to Use LinkedIn to Promote Anything–Ethically and
Powerfully” at http://budurl.com/44×8
======================================
2. Help Celebs Deal with Anger
======================================
U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson, tennis champ Serena Williams and rapper
Kanye West have just handed you three fabulous opportunities to
piggyback your pitches onto big news events.
Anger management experts, etiquette consultants, therapists,
sports coaches and others should be tying their tips to the
recent problems experienced by Wilson’s “You lie!” outburst,
Williams’ potty mouth threat at the US Open, and West’s obnoxious
interruption onstage at the MTV Awards ceremony.
Some ideas worth pitching:
–When is “I’m sorry” enough?
–What constitutes an appropriate apology?
–Should politicians, sports stars and music celebs be held to a
higher level of behavior than the rest of us?
–What does their bad behavior teach us about anger management?
–When somebody loses their cool in public, what does it tell us
about their character?
See “Special Report #50: How to Piggyback onto Celebrity News to
Promote Your Product, Service, Cause or Issue” at
http://budurl.com/qat2
=======================================
3. Twitter: A Giant Garbage Dump?
=======================================
Are you so disgusted with the garbage that flows into your
Twitter feed, that you sometimes feel like you’re knee-deep in a
stinky, fly-infested landfill?
Some days, I am.
Most of the tweets I see tell me to download a free ebook. Or
register for a teleseminar. Or ask me if I want 10,000 more
Twitter followers in just a few weeks.
Those automated “thanks for following me” messages are so overtly
promotional that I dread reading them.
Other followers bore me with annoying chatter about what’s going
on in the coffee shop where they’re tweeting.
Some talk nonstop about humorous things their cute kids have
done. Others offer a steady stream of pithy quotes from
celebrities, experts and gurus.
A few lazy authors and speakers offer nothing more than one-
liners taken directly from their books or speeches.
But I plod on, slogging through the garbage, because
occasionally, I come across a little nugget–usually a helpful
tip or a link to a content-rich article–that makes it all
worthwhile.
All the topics I’ve mentioned above, including humor, are
perfectly acceptable on Twitter, and your followers may actually
welcome them. But knowing the right formula for the kinds of
things to tweet, and how often, separates the Twitter “must-
follows” from the Twitter “unfollows.”
My new business partner, Jeanne Hurlbert, an expert on social
media and surveys, has been collaborating with me the last five
months on a new learning tool that will give every Publicity
Hound who uses it their own customized formula for participating
in social media, not just Twitter. It’s for social media newbies
who haven’t dipped their toes into the water yet, and for
Publicity Hounds who are already using social media but don’t
know what they don’t know.
The process we’ve developed for customizing our training–
depending on your level of expertise, interests and hobbies–is
so specialized that we’ve even applied for a patent.
I’ll keep you posted as soon as we’re ready to launch. In the
meantime, follow both of us on Twitter at @PublicityHound and
@MySurveyExpert and watch what we’re tweeting. You’ll find
valuable clues about what we’ll be teaching.
========================================
4. Test-drive Stompernet for Free
========================================
Before Jeanne and I launch the social media learning tool
mentioned above, we need to solve a few knotty problems with how
we market and deliver it.
As a member of Stompernet, the world’s largest membership site
for Internet marketers, I took advantage of yesterday’s Faculty
Office Hour to present our questions to two top Internet
marketers.
Their feedback will keep us from making three major mistakes.
They also gave us several creative solutions we never would have
thought of on our own. The faculty calls, held four times a week,
are one of the most valuable benefits of a membership.
Several Publicity Hounds have joined Stompernet, based on my
recommendation. But many more have complained that the $800-a-
month membership is too expensive.
Stompernet has taken note of those complaints and revised their
membership structure. Next Tuesday, you’ll be able to join for as
little as $200 a month.
But don’t take my word for it. Test-drive Stompernet, and watch
seven days worth of webinars on topics like social media, search
engine optimization, article marketing, keyword research and
niche marketing. In all, you can get 40 pieces of content at no
charge–training courses, mega tutorials and free software.
There’s something for everybody.
Test-drive Stompernet at http://budurl.com/zqrs to get a taste of
what you’ll get when you join. And find out more about the 11
cool tools that come with a membership.
If you have any questions about this, feel free to email me at
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com?subject=StompernetQuestion
=================================
5. Publicizing Zombie Stories
=================================
This week, eight Publicity Hounds have tips for Karma Bennett, a
publicist for Ulysses Press. Her company is publishing a
compilation of zombie stories, and she needs ideas on how to
publicize the book.
From Jena Zakany:
“Do what Universal Studios did when it first announced the
upcoming Harry Potter ‘theme park within a theme park,’–go to
the bloggers.” (Read my free article “Let Bloggers Create
Publicity for You” at http://budurl.com/s6xx )
From Ryan Mecum:
“There’s a book, The Living Dead, that sounds exactly like your
book, which did really well in sales. The author went to zombie
conventions and horror conventions to help promote it.”
From Bruce Jones:
“We are becoming such a video world, and YouTube is becoming so
powerful, that I would recommend reading excerpts from some of
the stories onto video and publishing them on line. At the end of
the video, send the viewer to a website for more information or
how they can buy the books. Also put the text in the description
area to attract Google.”
The Publicity Hound says:
Read all the responses to this Help This Hound question at
http://budurl.com/ujvz
Send your own Help this Hound question to:
JStewart@PublicityHound.com?subject=HelpThisHound
and include your city and state.
===============================
6. Help This Hound
===============================
Suzanne Wood of Raleigh, NC asks:
“I’m starting an after-school writing academy to help kids in
grades 8-12 improve their writing. Services include tutoring and
workshops on topics such as writing the college application
essay.
“I’m having trouble figuring out how best to market this academy,
because most parents rely on word-of-mouth recommendations for
tutoring and instruction, and I haven’t generated enough momentum
yet for that to be effective. Besides, I can’t afford advertising
yet.
“Can your Hounds offer some creative ideas for promoting my
classes?”
The Publicity Hound says:
Here’s my idea. Sponsor a writing contest for kids, and convince
a local merchant to donate a cool prize in exchange for a little
publicity. Ask kids to write an essay on a really fun topic.
Write a press release and submit it to your local newspapers.
I know my readers can come up with ideas better than that one.
How about it, Hounds? Help Suzanne fill her classes by posting
your best ideas to my blog at http://budurl.com/3f5n
===============================
7. Hound Joke of the Week
===============================
Thanks to BL Ochman of New York, New York for this one:
I pulled into a crowded parking lot at the Pinecrest Plaza
Shopping Center and rolled down the car windows to make sure my
Labrador Retriever Pup had fresh air.
She was stretched full-out on the back seat and I wanted to
impress upon her that she must remain there. I walked to the curb
backward, pointing my finger at the car and saying emphatically,
“Now you stay. Do you hear me? Stay! Stay!”
The driver of a nearby car gave me a strange look and said,”Why
don’t you just put it in park?”
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
»
August 25th, 2009 by JStewart in Publicity Tips
The Publicity Hound’s
Tips of the Week
Issue #466 Aug. 25, 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. Sample Social Media Policy
2. Read Facebook, LinkedIn Blogs
3. Media Lead: O Magazine & Others
4. How to Repitch Oprah
5. Thanks for Feedback
6. Help This HOund
7. Hound Joke of the Week
8. And at My Blog…
=====================================
1. Sample Social Media Policy
=====================================
If it’s time to write a social media policy for your company or
nonprofit, don’t panic.
It doesn’t have to be a thick tome that goes ker-plunk when you
drop it on the table. And it doesn’t have to get the legal
department all worked up into a lather.
The entire policy can fit nicely onto a single sheet of paper.
Here’s the best part. It’s ready and waiting for you at
http://www.shiftcomm.com/downloads/socialmediaguidelines.pdf
The “Top 10 Guidelines for Social Media Participation,” a
copyright-free document, is courtesy of Todd Defren at Shift
Communications, a PR firm in Boston and San Francisco.
Shift helped a client write it, and Todd invites you to use it
with or without attribution to his firm. The attorneys have
already given it their blessing. Some highlights:
–Transparency rules. If you’re writing about your company or a
competitor, you must use your real name and be clear about your
role.
–Never participate in social media when the topic can be
considered a crisis situation.
–Be polite. No criticizing. No flaming.
–Yes, you can write about the competition, but you’d better have
the facts straight, behave diplomatically, and have the
appropriate permissions.
You can cherry-pick guidelines from more than 30 other social
media policies I discuss at my blog at http://budurl.com/t7rs
Run the final version by your own attorney.
My “research,” by the way, took about 10 minutes. Rather than
spending hours on Google searching for social media policies, I
simply went over to LinkedIn and asked whether anyone had a
sample they’d be willing to share.
LinkedIn’s Q&A feature is one of the most powerful research tools
if you’re in a hurry, and a terrific way to flaunt your expertise
if you’re willing to take the time to respond to questions. See
my article “How to Use LinkedIn to Promote These 7 Ways” at
http://budurl.com/2jla
===================================
2. Read Facebook, LinkedIn Blogs
===================================
One way to stay on top of what’s happening at your favorite
social media site is to read the site’s corporate blog.
Last week, Facebook announced that it was releasing a feature
that allows administrators of Facebook Pages to publish their
Facebook updates to their Twitter accounts automatically.
I saw lots of bloggers discussing it, but the official details
are at the Facebook blog at
http://blog.facebook.com/blog.php?post=123006872130
So are more than 600 comments from Facebook users who love or
hate the change. Reading the comments can often help you see
quickly whether that site’s community gives thumbs-up or thumbs-
down to a new feature or application.
Two other blogs worth noting:
–If you’re on LinkedIn, don’t miss their blog at
http://blog.linkedin.com/ The first page includes tips on how to
win new clients by optimizing your LinkedIn profile, how LinkedIn
helps an entrepreneur close deals, and how to organize networking
events for free using your LinkedIn network.
–Google, the granddaddy of search engines, has an entire line-up
of blogs in its directory at
http://www.google.com/press/blogs/directory.html It includes
search tips, how to use Google tools and applications, and a
nifty blog called Citizentube that gives lots of examples on how
video is changing the world.
If you have a favorite social site, check to see if it has a blog
worth following, and subscribe to the RSS feed.
Befuddled by social media? You’re not alone. Blogger BL Ochman,
one of my social media teachers, helps you sift through what’s
important and what isn’t. See “How to Do Social Media, Run a
Business & Still Have a Life” at http://budurl.com/7gck
=====================================
3. Media Lead: O Magazine & Others
=====================================
If you’re a woman business owner, or you’re a woman who has a
great success story or tips you’d like to pitch, let a team of
top-notch publicists pitch it for you to major media outlets,
including O Magazine.
It will cost you nothing.
PitchRate.com, the service that provides media leads to anyone
who wants free publicity, is doing a round-up of story ideas and
pitches about successful women business owners, or women in
business who have great stories to tell about how they overcame
obstacles.
Sign up for their free media leads service at
http://www.PitchRate.com/PublicityHound and you’ll be able to
submit your success story. After you sign up, look for the black
bar that says “Exclusive Requests” at the top and submit your
pitch. Deadline is 5 p.m. Eastern Time on Saturday, Sept. 12.
“We’ll take the best 10 to 20 pitches from Publicity Hounds and
deliver them to our list of women’s business media venues,
including Good Morning America, Women Entrepreneur magazine, the
Associated Press and O Magazine,” said Drew Gerber of
PitchRate.com.
If the journalists and broadcasters like your pitch, they’ll
contact you. This is no-brainer, Hounds. Their publicists have a
long track record of major media hits.
Why exclusivity for Publicity Hounds? Because Michelle Tennant
and Drew Gerber of PitchRate.com were among the first graduates
of The Publicity Hound Mentor Program. They also want more people
to participate in their free media leads service.
If you’re having problems submitting your pitch, contact Shannon
at mailto:Shannon.PitchRate@gmail.com and he’ll help you.
========================================
4. How to Repitch Oprah
========================================
This week, six Publicity Hounds have tips for Jennifer Louden of
Bainbridge Island, Wash., on how to repitch Oprah’s producers
about a system she has developed for staying organized. She is
the author of “The Life Organizer: A Woman’s Guide to a Mindful
Year.”
From Stan Unruh:
“Why not have one of the producers, or Oprah herself, use tips
from the book? Have them give the tips a try for one week.”
From Roberta Stein:
“Since you’re talking about a ‘Mindful Year,’ how about using the
New Year as an angle? If you bring the book out before the
holidays, your angle can be something like, ‘Remember to let this
be an organized year!’ And while I know that half the world wants
their products given away on Oprah’s Christmas show, she’s
already interested in you! So this would REALLY be a great gift
for her audience that day.”
From Barbara:
“I think your pitch should revolve around how harried and jumbled
life is before reading your book, and then how organized and
peaceful it is after employing your techniques.”
The Publicity Hound says:
Don’t pitch your book. Pitch an entire show with multiple guests.
This is what Susan Harrow, the Oprah publicity expert,
recommends. She did a 70-minute telesemninar and shared tips
galore on “How to Get Booked on Oprah.” Learn more about it at
http://tinyurl.com/855eb
Read all the responses to this week’s Help This Hound question
http://budurl.com/yldr
Send your own Help this Hound question to:
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com?subject=HelpThisHound
and include your city and state.
=================================
5. Thanks for Feedback
=================================
Thanks for your comments about this newsletter, and your
suggestions for improving it.
I love your idea of adding helpful bookmarks to the index so you
can click on a certain headline and jump to the item without
having to read or scroll through the entire newsletter. I’ve
started using bookmarks.
Design issues continue to be a problem for a few Hounds reading
this newsletter on a Mac. If you still notice problems or have
any other suggestions, email me. I can’t promise I’ll be able to
solve them, but I’ll sure try. Please let me know if you’re on a
Mac or a PC, what browser you’re using and the size of your
monitor. Email me at JStewart@PublicityHound.com?subject=Feedback
=================================
6. Help This Hound
=================================
Jeff Clear of Monument, Colo., writes:
“I do Internet marketing for Lasater Grasslands Beef, a grass-fed
beef ranch in Colorado at http://www.lgbeef.com
“Our target audience consists of environmentally conscious
people, moms who want to feed their families healthy beef, and
people who have spent money on vitamins because they have already
proven they will spend money on health.
“Our beef is sold in Whole Foods, so that will give you an idea
of the demographics of our customer base. Our grass-fed beef has
less saturated fat and is lower in calories than grain-fed beef,
and has no hormones, additives or pesticides. It has higher
amounts of omega-3 fatty acids and other vitamins.
“What’s the best way to reach our target market online?”
The Publicity Hound says:
Reaching a target market is so much easier, and cheaper, these
days, thanks to social media. If you have an idea for Jeff, post
it to my blog at http://budurl.com/ejze
================================
7. Hound Joke of the Week
================================
A tail is a dog’s PR department. A smile is yours.
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…
================================
Corporate social media policy needed? Here are samples
http://budurl.com/t7rs
————————————
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
»
