The Publicity Hound’s
Tips of the Week
Issue #478 Nov. 11, 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 Follow Up

2. Predict Top Trends of 2010

3. Gary V’s 5 Commandments

4. How to Promote a Floral Shop

5. Help This Hound

6. Hound Joke of the Week

7. And at My Blog…

====================================
1. How to Follow Up
====================================

When you pitch a story idea to a journalist or blogger and hear
nothing, what do you do? Figure they’re not interested and move
on?

If so, it could be a missed opportunity. I’ve heard of cases in
which journalists won’t cover a story until a year or two after
someone pitched it.

If you’re following up with a phone call, don’t just call and ask
“are you covering the story?” That makes you sound desperate.

Instead, have a reason to follow up. Here are five things to
offer when you call:

–Additional sources for the story.

–Graphics or photos.

–A sidebar, like a quiz.

–A Top 10 list (see Item 2 below).

–A video that a newspaper reporter can refer to in a story, or
that any media outlet can post at its website.

You can also score points by asking this question: “Is there
anything else you need or any other way I can help?”
Chicago publicist Rickey Gold used the tips she learned during
the teleseminar on “Fail-proof Ways to Follow Up After Sending a
News Release or a Story Idea” and landed a product review for her
client in a magazine eight months after her original pitch. Read
more about the tips she followed at
 http://budurl.com/7zsx

===================================
2. Predict Top Trends of 2010
===================================

Any Publicity Hound in any industry can do this. Predict the top
trends for next year.

Every year, about this time, media everywhere are on the lookout
for predictions about what the new year will bring. Ditto for
bloggers. I found a great example at the RunningRestaurants.com
website last week where a chef/owner offered his top predictions
for restaurant trends next year. Take a look:
http://budurl.com/elqx

These make great tip lists, blog posts, guest blog posts, notes
for your Facebook fan page and even videos. You can send these
lists to multiple media outlets.

If you work at a company, you can ask five or six experts to
predict one top trend for next year and combine them all into one
list. Provide head shots of your experts.

“Special Report #16: How to Write Tip Sheets That Catch the
Media’s Attention” offers dozens of other ideas and suggestions
on how to use tip sheets, one of the most powerful tools in your
publicity toolkit. Read more at http://budurl.com/6j5h

===================================
3. Gary V’s 5 Commandments
===================================

The friend that listens is better than the friend that talks.

So says Gary Vaynerchuk, aka Gary V, one of the hottest stars in
the social media world. The thirtysomething son of Russian
immigrants hosts weekday podcasts about wine at
TV.WineLibrary.com.

His brash style and unpretentious approach to wine appreciation
have attracted an average 40,000 viewers to each podcast, more
than 85,000 followers on Twitter, and more than $60 million a
year in sales at the Wine Library, the New Jersey wine store he
co-owns with his father.

Here are Gary V’s 5 commandments for social media, as listed in
the Wall Street Journal:

–Treat it like a cocktail party. Don’t pitch as soon as you meet
someone.

–Don’t draw lines in the sand and call sites like Twitter
“stupid” just because you don’t know how to use them.

–Humanize yourself and your brand with personal information, but
only 2 percent of the time.

–Understand the authenticity and the incredible power of social
media sites and the voices of consumers to make or break
companies.

–Interacting with potential clients and becoming part of the
community is a real job. Listen before you talk.

Read the entire interview with him at http://budurl.com/lmru
Learn more about the teleseminar I hosted with blogger and social
media consultant BL Ochman on “How to do Social Networking, Run a
Business & Still Have a Life” at http://budurl.com/wmv2

===================================
4. How to Promote a Floral Shop
===================================

This week, 13 Publicity Hounds have tips for Cheryl Muskus of Oak
Creek, WI, owner of The CarmelRose, a floral shop. She needs
ideas for events and other pitches she can use with the local
media to promote her shop.

From C.M. Mayo:

“One of the things that has always really perplexed me is that
when I order flowers over the phone, I never know what the
delivered arrangement actually looks like. So if you would offer
to send your customers a .jpg photo via email of their
bouquet-?the actual one that just went out the door to Aunt
Bess?-I would think that would be a big plus. And then, you’d
have their emails for future promotional offers, a big plus for
you.”

From Debra Arrato:

“Start branding your business. How about a new tag line like,
‘CarmelRose ? we SEND what?s in your heart.’ Use the tagline on
everything. Join your local Chamber of Commerce and then join a
leads group within the Chamber. It?s worth every penny. The leads
groups usually meet once a week or twice a month and they only
allow one person in each industry/business.”

From Linda Swisher:

“Partnerships for weddings/proms: bridal and tux shops,
photographers, limo companies, reception venues, bakeries,
salons/spas, gift shops, caterers, wedding planners, stationers.
Partnerships for funerals: funeral homes, cemeteries, funeral
luncheon venues.

“Partnerships for decor or entertaining: interior designers,
local furniture stores, adult classes through park districts or
colleges, real estate stagers, model home builders, gift basket
shops, bakeries or specialty/imported food shops.”

The Publicity Hound says:

This question generated fabulous responses from my Hounds. Read
them all at http://budurl.com/s64s

Artist John Unger also received many wonderful responses to his
“Help This Hound” question two weeks ago on how to defend a
lawsuit filed against him by someone who is copying his artwork
and selling it. He chose the comment by former journalist Bonnie
Boots as the best one, and he’ll thank her with a beautiful
shovel mask, which he has created. Bonnie suggested that John
pitch his story to specific craft magazines. You can read all the
comments at http://budurl.com/4eeu

Email your own “Help this Hound” question to
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
and include your city and state or province.

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

Mary Ann Puckett from Oklahoma City, OK writes:

“I am the author of a self-published book, ‘Take Him Home and
Love Him/A Story of Autism and How to Cope with It’, which is
currently on eBay and Amazon.com. I published the book in 2005
and have received orders from around the world.

“It is a narrative of my son Stephen’s life from birth to age 23.
He is now 28 years old and has made great progress due to
therapies and medical interventions I share in the book.

“Autism is now the Number One childhood disability, and diagnosis
of this disorder is increasing rapidly. I am looking for ways to
get my information to parents and caregivers. The book is
endorsed by medical doctors, the Department of Human Services and
has received 100 percent positive responses from buyers on eBay.

“Can your Hounds help me promote my book to parents and
caregivers who need it?”

The Publicity Hound says:

Using social media sites, there are dozens of ways to find people
in niche audiences, like parents of autistic children. Let’s see
if my Hounds can help you find them, and spread the word about
your book online and offline. Hounds, post your best comments to
my blog at http://budurl.com/tvxv

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

In order to keep a true perspective of your importance, you
should have a dog that will worship you and a cat that will
ignore you.

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…
==================================

Learn how to teach, sell and create products with teleseminars
http://budurl.com/gph7

————————————

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 #476 Nov. 3, 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. Undo the New Facebook Change

2. Linking from Press Releases

3. Trunk or Treat & Thanksgiving

4. How an Artist Can Defend a Lawsuit

5. Help This Hound

6. Hound Video of the Week

7. And at My Blog…

====================================
1. Undo the New Facebook Change
====================================

Facebook users are still howling about recent changes to the
homepage. If you’re one of them, there’s a quick fix to change it
back to the way it used to be.

Ten days ago, with no warning, Facebook eliminated with the
Twitter-like feed of every real-time status update. Now, instead
of displaying everything from all your friends, Facebook uses a
secret algorithm to display only the posts and status updates
that are generating a lot of comments and responses. So you never
know what you’re missing.

If you hate the change, here’s a three-step process to revert
back to the old feed:

–Log into Facebook. On your homepage, on the top of the left
column, you’ll see “News Feed.” Go to the bottom of that column
and click on “More.”

–Find the “Status Updates.” Click and drag it to the very top of
that column.

–Click “Status Updates” to load that view. Now, Facebook will
deliver your feeds just like it did before.

The News Feed option is still on the left. If you click on it,
you’ll see the new view. And if you decide later that reading
your Facebook feed is like drinking from a firehose, you can
always revert back to the smaller feed.

Whatever you choose, make sure you’re getting the most return on
investment for all the time you spend at this site. See “11 Ways
to Avoid Missed Opportunities on Facebook” at
http://budurl.com/uqp3

========================================
2. Linking from Press Releases
========================================

Follow these three important rules when you’re linking to your
website or blog from a press release:

–Link to the exact page that dovetails with the “call to action”
within your release. If you want people to buy a specific
product, for example, send them to that product page. Too many
press release writers simply send readers to the homepage, where
they’re left searching for what you’re writing about. Confused
readers bail out.

–Write the entire URL with the “http://…., preferably near the
end of the boilerplate or “about us” section. If somebody finds
your release online and cuts and pastes the content into their
own blog or website but they forget to link your anchor text,
readers won’t be able to find your website.

–Use anchor text that includes one of your keyword phrases and
turn it into a link. How many? About one for every 100 words in
your press release.

Transcripts and audio from my Oct. 21 teleseminar on “How to Use
Keywords, the ‘Magic Magnets’ That Pull Journalists and Consumers
to Your Press Releases” have been delivered to everyone who
ordered them. The illustrated handouts include a simple six-point
checklist for anyone doing keyword research, the two best keyword
research tools, links to three videos that show you how to do
keyword research, the three best free press release distribution
services, and a sample press release that’s been optimized for
the search engines.

Grab ‘em now at http://budurl.com/pressreleasekeywords

========================================
3. Trunk or Treat & Thanksgiving
========================================

Get a head start pitching stories for Thanksgiving this month,
and for Halloween next year.

These ideas are courtesy of publicist Michelle Tennant of Wasabi
Publicity, whose “blogger butt” I wrote about last week.  They’re
almost guaranteed to bring the TV cameras to your school or
company.

Just before Halloween, host a “trunk or treat” event in your
parking lot for parents and kids. Everyone dresses up. Parents
open the trunks of their cars, decorate the insides with a
Halloween theme, and give treats to the kids who make their way
from car to car.

For Thanksgiving this year, Michelle suggests you round up a
bunch of kids, dress them as Pilgrims, and give them a big basket
of fresh vegetables and a box of toothpicks. Let them make
“Pilgrim people” out of the veggies, and ask them to explain why
the Pilgrim people are thankful.

TV stations that are scrounging for ideas during Thanksgiving
week will love this one–great for schools, chambers of commerce,
brick-and-mortar businesses, churches, libraries, day care
centers and even home schoolers.

You’ll find 22 ideas for October, 23 more for November and 10
more for December on the handouts that accompany the CD, “103
Sizzling Story Ideas from July through December.” These ideas are
yours to steal. Read more about them at http://budurl.com/guu5

=======================================
4. How an Artist Can Defend a Lawsuit
=======================================

This week, nine Publicity Hounds have tips for John T. Unger of
Mancelona, MI, whose fire bowls, original art which he’s been
making since 2005, have been copied by a manufacturer. He wanted
ideas on how can he use traditional and social media to raise
awareness and money for his legal costs.
From Cheryl Pickett:

“Establish a Facebook fan page with full explanation and invite
people to follow what’s going on. Those kinds of things seem to
get passed around pretty regularly. Keep everyone informed on the
blog as to what’s going on and also invite them to the other
things you do as well.”
From Bonnie Boots:

“John should email The Crafts Report, which covers business for
the professional crafter. Their contact page is here:
http://www.craftsreport.com/contact-us.html

“He should also contact the American Craft Council at
http://www.craftcouncil.org/ Click on “The Council” at the bottom
and then “Staff” on the left. You’ll find the email addresses for
the senior editor, managing editor and assistant editor.  Email
one of them (I’d try the assistant editor first) and ask them to
suggest the names of any writers they know that might be
interested in this story.”
From Brisbane, Australia:

“Stories like this are just asking to be linked to and tweeted
about. I think you will be far more successful promoting the
injustice rather than an actual fund raising event. Also, try
contacting the stores selling their products. I’m sure they would
much rather be selling your legitimate products.”
The Publicity Hound says:

Read all the responses to this week’s “Help This Hound” question
at http://budurl.com/firebowl You have one week left to submit
your own idea in the comments section at my blog. The Hound who
submits the best entry wins a beautiful shovel mask, valued at
$59. The winner will be announced here next week.

Email your own Help this Hound question to
mailto:Jstewart@PublicityHound.com
and include your city, state and province.

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

Cheryl Muskus of Oak Creek, WI, writes:

“I’m the owner of The CarmelRose, a floral shop, and I’m looking
for ways to generate publicity in a very competitive market.

“Even though our industry is hurt to a large extent when
obituaries state ‘in lieu of flowers, the family suggests
donations to…,’ we’re trying to form relationships with local
funeral homes so they can refer us to families that are buying
flowers for the funeral. I’d also like to target the local
corporate market, because revenues from local businesses that
need floral arrangements can be significant.

“What ideas do your Hounds have for events I can sponsor at the
shop or elsewhere, story ideas I can pitch to the local media,
press releases I can write, photos I can offer the local media,
opportunities for getting onto local TV, and joint venture
partnerships I can form with other businesses?

“Also, suggestions for using social media would be appreciated.”

The Publicity Hound says:

Local businesses like yours, Cheryl, can benefit just as much
from online publicity as bigger companies, so you’re smart to
work that into the mix. Let’s see what ideas my Hounds can offer
at my blog at http://budurl.com/dcye

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

It’s NBA season, so here’s a cute video of a dog joining the
competition. I may have already shown you this, but it’s worth a
second look:

http://www.funnydogsite.com/videos/basketball.htm

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…
==================================

Learn how to pronounce names of radio/TV broadcasters,
journalists
http://budurl.com/l358

————————————

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

The Publicity Hound’s
Tips of the Week
Issue #474 Oct. 20, 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. Experts Research; Amateurs Guess

2. Estee Lauder’s Makeover Promotion

3. Balloon Boy Hoax

4. How to Penetrate Pittsburgh TV

5. Help This Hound

6. Hound Joke of the Week

7. And at My Blog…

====================================
1. Experts Research; Amateurs Guess
====================================

One of the biggest mistakes I made early in my career cost me
dearly.

I assumed that people who wanted information on how to write
press releases were typing “news releases” into the search
engines. So I used the phrase “news releases” in my articles, at
my website and in the titles of products I created on that topic.

Then one day, an Internet marketer told me that people were
typing “press releases” into the search engines seven times more
often than they were typing “news releases.”

Seven times more! My heart sank. I could have had seven times
more traffic.

He was an expert because he had done his keyword research. I was
an amateur because I simply guessed.

If you sell telephones, do you know if people are typing
“telephones,” “phones” or “phone systems” into the search
engines?

If you’re a management consultant who teaches leadership skills,
do you know how many people search for “leadership skills” vs.
“lead more effectively” vs. “management coaching”?

The only way to know is to do your research, an important step
that nine out of 10 press release writers skip. The one in 10 who
do the research can know within a minute or two the answers to
the three questions above. If they take a few additional steps in
their research, they can also learn which keywords are the most
competitive. Using two or three keywords that don’t have as much
competition can still help your press releases and articles rank
on Page 1 on Google.

Press release expert Janet Thaeler has created three videos that
show you in step-by-step detail how to use two keyword research
tools that make you a whole lot smarter than the people who don’t
want to bother with this. The links are in handouts that I’m
emailing later this afternoon to everyone who has signed up for
tomorrow’s teleseminar on “How to Use Keywords: The ‘Magic
Magnets’ That Pull Consumers & Journalists to Your Press
Releases.”

The handouts also include a checklist you can refer to every time
you start writing a press release.

Read more about what you’ll learn on tomorrow’s call, and
register at http://tinyurl.com/yeygbqb

========================================
2. Estee Lauder’s Makeover Promotion
========================================

I love Estee Lauder’s recent promotion that offers free makeovers
and photo shoots at its cosmetics counters so women can use them
for their online social media profiles.

The promotion, which started Oct. 16 at Bloomingdale’s department
stores in New York, will extend to Macy’s, Saks and other
Bloomingdale’s stores in Southern California, Miami and Chicago.

After a free makeover, Estee Lauder will shoot your photo which
you can then use as the avatar at sites like Facebook, LinkedIn
and Match.com. The company’s logo is in the background and, if it
isn’t erased with Photoshop, can live on the social media sites
forever.

You can read about the promotion in an AdAge article at
http://adage.com/article?article_id=139524 and see the great
before-and-after photos of Kunur Patel, an Ad Age reporter who
took advantage of the makeover and then wrote about it at
http://adage.com/article?article_id=139749

If you aren’t getting journalists and bloggers involved in your
promotions, you’re missing a great opportunity. See “Special
Report #42: Tips for Letting Reporters Experience Your Story, Not
Just Write About It.” You’ll learn how to create memorable
experiences for the media and entice them to cover your product
or service. Only $10. Order at http://tinyurl.com/invitereporters

========================================
3. Balloon Boy Hoax
========================================

So much for publicity stunts gone bad.

Law enforcement officials say that if Richard Keene is charged
with perpetrating the hoax, it probably won’t be until next week.
That means there’s plenty of time to piggyback off this story and
get some good publicity for yourself. The most obvious angle is
the way the parents recruited their children to be part of the
hoax.

–Mommy and daddy bloggers, what are your readers saying about
what happened? Share your comments with other bloggers and the
media.

–Child development experts, what do stunts like this teach
children about right and wrong and common sense? What’s the long-
term damage?

–PR experts, what should the Keenes have done when their 6-year-
old son vomited on the set of the “Today” show? I found it
unsettling that they barely skipped a beat and continued the
interview, as if nothing unusual had happened.

Authors, speakers and experts, if your topic ties into this
bizarre story, pitch it.

=======================================
4. How to Penetrate Pittsburgh TV
=======================================

This week, three Publicity Hounds have tips for John and Bobbi
Robinson of Vanderbilt, PA on how to pitch local TV stations for
their non-profit organization that makes wishes come true for
people with severe illnesses.
From Gail Sideman:

“With a family?s permission, invite one of these television
reporters to accompany Unity to an event with a local recipient.
Suggest that reporters talk to the family, someone from your
organization and a physician about how these outings and trips
help them forget about their health challenges and simply focus
on a good time.”
From Bonnie Harris:

“TV stations are more willing to run footage they take
themselves. Extend individual invitations to members of your TV
stations to accompany you on these outings. If you get no takers,
ask just one of their team to go along, perhaps the weather
person. A good reporter will also want to talk to participants
about what the program means to them.”
From The Publicity Hound:

Try pitching the morning news/feature shows in Pittsburgh,
including the weekend shows. They’re often easier to get onto
than the weekday news, where you’re facing more competition from
hard news stories. If you’re granting a wish that ties into
Thanksgiving, like sending someone to see their relatives on
Turkey Day, pitch that a few days before Thanksgiving. Likewise
with Christmas.”
Read all the responses to this week?s ?Help This Hound” question,
or add your own, at http://budurl.com/5krx

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

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

Ivy Mendoza of Manila, Philippines writes:

“My small PR firm just got an account that needs a lot of
exposure in the lifestyle sections. The previous PR person had
been sacked due to some anomalies which she was supposed to have
committed while conniving with the client?s marketing department.

“To neutralize the situation, the marketing people have gradually
been replaced, the marketing manager was asked to resign, and the
contract of the old PR consultant was no longer renewed.

“The problem is that the previous PR person has already started
badmouthing the client to editors whom she is very close to. One
particular editor of a very highly circulated newspaper has
already declared that our client?s press releases will not see
print in her section anymore. They liked the old PR person and
they believed everything that person said about the client.

“The client (not us, the PR firm) wants us to start on a clean
slate, so they made an effort to appease this particular editor
by setting up a meeting. But the editor flat out refused to meet
with them and directly said that she cannot help the client
anymore as far as press releases are concerned.

“What should we do? Her paper and her section are very important
for our client because of its target readership and circulation.
I advised the client to let the editor ?thaw? first and just use
other sections of the same newspaper (Business, Entertainment,
etc.) in the meantime. Would you have other tips for me as far as
?power tripping? media is concerned?
The Publicity Hound says:

Ouch! There’s more than one way around this problem, however.
Let’s see what my media-savvy Hounds would do. If you have ideas
on how Icy can deal with this problem and generate publicity for
her client, post them to my blog at
http://tinyurl.com/editorsaysno

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

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

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

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

The dog replied, “But that would make no sense at all.”
Dog Jokes & Quotes Ebook: 170+ G-rated dog jokes and quotes,
perfect for a dog-lover, your favorite vet, or just for a few
good laughs.

BONUS: Buy the ebook and you also get a compilation of the 50
best websites for dog humor.
Http://www.publicityhound.com/dogjokebook/

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

How to thrive as an author, speaker, expert in any economy
http://tinyurl.com/thriveasanauthor
————————————

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

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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
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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

The Publicity Hound’s
Tips of the Week
Issue #473 Oct. 13, 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. 8 Ways to Distribute Your News

2. How the FTC Crackdown Affects You

3. Blogger LinkUp

4. How Publicists Set Fees

5. Help This Hound

6. Hound Joke of the Week

7. And at My Blog…

====================================
1. 8 Ways to Distribute Your News
====================================

When it’s time to share news about your business, how do you
share it?

In the old days, we’d type a press release and mail dozens of
them.

Or, we’d pitch the story to one of the wire services and hope for
the best.

These days, however, the Internet opens many more avenues for
distributing our news. “Moving Beyond the Wire: Tips for Making
the Most of Distribution Channels,” a free White Paper from
Vocus, lists the strengths and weaknesses of eight distribution
channels. You can download it at http://budurl.com/wka4

Writing online press releases is one of my favorites because it
lets us bypass the media and reach consumers directly if–and
this is a very big if–we’ve used the correct keywords in our
releases so consumers can find them.

Two weeks ago, I wrote about the biggest mistake people make when
writing releases: not using keywords. The second big boo-boo is
using keywords that have too much competition.

For example, if you sell handbags, writing a press release and
using the word “handbags” throughout won’t do you much good. Your
release would be competing against companies like Zappos,
Overstock.com, Handbags.com and others that have top ranking in
Google for “handbags.”

But if you write about “quilted handbags” or “handmade handbags”
or “Desperate Housewives handbags,” you’ll be targeting potential
customers like a laser beam, and you’ll have a chance to make it
onto Page 1 of Google’s search results more easily.

Keywords don’t have to be confusing or frustrating if you have a
step-by-step checklist you can use when writing releases. Janet
Thaeler will give you one during next week’s teleseminar on “How
to Use Keywords: The ‘Magic Magnets’ That PUll Consumers and
Journalists to Your Press Releases.” It will be at 3 p.m. Eastern
Time on Wednesday, Oct. 21.

I’m betting that most of your competitors don’t know how to use
keywords. So this is a golden opportunity to learn how, and leave
them in the dust.

Everyone who registers for the call will have the chance to win a
press release written by Janet, and distributed through PRWeb.
Read more about what you?ll learn, and register at
http://tinyurl.com/yeygbqb
=========================================
2. How the FTC Crackdown Affects You
=========================================

Last week’s ruling by the FTC that forces bloggers and other
business people to reveal paid endorsements that they receive, or
requires them to mention that the products they review were given
to them for free, is sending bloggers into a tailspin.

Most bloggers don’t accept money to write favorable reviews of
products.

But what about sneaking affiliate links into copy so they earn a
commission for recommending somebody else’s products and
services?

What about celebrity endorsements?

What about writing “blurbs” for somebody else’s book jacket? If
an author asks you to write one, is it your responsibility, or
the publisher’s, to let readers know that the publisher didn’t
make you pay for the book?

The new regulations, which take effect Dec. 1, don’t only affect
bloggers. They cover copywriters, Internet entrepreneurs,
affiliate program managers, publishers and others. News stories
last week said that the FTC isn’t quite sure how it’s going to
police bloggers and others and that it doesn’t even have the
manpower to enforce the new rules proactively.

If you’re tempted to ignore the rules, what if a disgruntled
competitor reports you to the FTC?

Publicity expert Marcia Yudkin’s will be interviewing Boston
business attorney Jean Sifleet on Thursday, Oct. 29, about how
the new rules affect bloggers and others. She’ll record the call
and then sell the recording. If you’re curious about what you’ll
have to do differently starting Dec. 1, or you’d like to submit a
question, go to  or http://budurl.com/8fj4 and read more about
what you’ll learn, and then register.
========================================
3. Blogger LinkUp
========================================

Publicity Hound Cathy Stucker read last week’s tips about how to
find guest bloggers, and asked me to share another helpful
suggestion.

If you’re looking for guest posts, try submitting a request to
her free service, http://BloggerLinkUp.com/

“A blogger can submit a request for a guest post, offer to guest
post, and more,” she said. “Authors have done blog tours and
gotten their books reviewed. Bloggers have gotten useful content
for their blogs, and others have gotten great links. I got a link
from the Huffington Post through a request posted in Blogger
LinkUp.”

The service launched in April and already has resulted in lots of
matches. You can also use it to look for sources for interviews
or to offer products to bloggers for review. (See Item #2 above.)

When you’ve identified a blogger you want to pitch, do you spend
time becoming familiar with their blog content and posting a few
comments there over several days, so they can get to know you
before you pitch? If not, you’re skipping a valuable step. Learn
more about how to approach bloggers—even the big ones—and
encourage them to write about you. See “How to Pitch the Best
Bloggers & Create a PUblicity Explosion” at
http://budurl.com/gqln
=======================================
4. How Publicists Set Fees
=======================================

This week, five Publicity Hounds answered a question from Joel
Kweskin of Charlotte, NC. He wanted to know if publicists should
receive higher fees for publicity in major media outlets.
From Diana Ennen:

“I don?t feel it?s necessary to be paid more for a big hit. We do
get rewarded in just landing those. They show our clients that we
really can do it. And those make great additions to their press
page too.”
From Bonnie Harris:

“Best to price your work according to the effort, not the outcome
because that is what you can measure on a consistent basis.  Your
big hits will earn you more business, and eventually allow you to
charge more anyway.”
From Gail Sideman:

“I create fees based on the scope of a project. The best I can do
for an honest fee is to approach targeted, appropriate media for
a story and present it professionally and in a way that meets the
needs of said outlet?s audience.”
The Publicity Hound says:

Read all the responses to last week?s ?Help This Hound” question
at http://budurl.com/9h2q

In my ebook, “How to Hire the Perfect Publicist,’ I discuss the
advantages and disadvantages of each of the four ways publicists
charge for their services: by the hour, retainer, by the project
and pay-per-placement. You can decide which model is right for
you. Read more about what you’ll learn at
http://www.publicityhound.com/hireapublicist.html

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

John and Bobbi Robinson of Vanderbilt, PA write:

“Unity, a Journey of Hope, is our nonprofit that grants wishes to
adults with a life-limiting illness.

“We take them to concerts and sporting events, introduce them to
people they want to meet, send them on vacation with a friend or
family member, or send them on trips to meet relatives they
haven?t seen in awhile.

“It has been impossible to get our story onto the local
Pittsburgh TV stations.  Coverage in the local newspapers has
been awesome.  But the TV stations are like a fortress.  If your
Hounds have any ideas on how we can pitch an idea to the local
stations and get on the air, their help would be appreciated.”
The Publicity Hound says:

TV usually requires great visuals along with your pitch, and it
sounds like you have opportunities galore for those. Hounds with
suggestions on how John and Bobbi can get their story onto
Pittsburgh TV stations should post them to my blog at
 http://budurl.com/5krx
==================================
6. Hound Joke of the Week
==================================

Did you ever notice when you blow in a dog’s face he gets mad at
you?  But when you take him in a car he sticks his head out the
window.

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…
==================================

Win lunch with Jack Canfield and pick his brain
http://budurl.com/46ph

Number One press release mistake: A lack of keywords
http://budurl.com/czqq
————————————

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

The Publicity Hound’s
Tips of the Week
Issue #471 Sept. 29, 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. The #1 Press Release Writing Mistake

2. Get Retweeted These 9 Ways

3. Business Week Lets You Share Content

4. How to Get Pro Bono PR

5. Help This Hound

6. Hound Video of the Week

7. And at My Blog…
=========================================
1. The #1 Press Release Writing Mistake
=========================================

When a consulting client asks me to critique a press release, one
of the first questions I ask is, “What keywords are you using to
pull traffic?”

Silence.

It isn’t a trick question. But it stumps nine out of 10 people.

Most press release writers fail to use the right keywords, or any
keywords, in their online releases, which renders the releases
impotent.

People who know a little about keywords go overboard and stuff
too many into their releases, making it all too obvious that
they’re trying to trick the search engines.

Keywords are like magnets. Let’s say somebody wants to buy boots
online. The buyer types “patent leather boots” into the Google
search box.

Google goes looking for that phrase. It sifts through billions of
pieces of content. Within a second or two, it delivers a long
list of articles, videos, blog posts and press releases that have
the same keywords. If you sell patent leather boots and have
written a press release about them, but you haven’t used the
correct keywords within your release, it won’t be on Google’s
list.

But if you HAVE used keywords correctly, your release could end
up on the first page of Google, bringing a rush of traffic to the
release, and eventually to your sales page.

Too many people spend too much time sweating the right headline,
a clever news hook, or a killer quote. But all those are useless
without keywords. What good is a press release if nobody can find
it?

Janet Thaeler, an online press release specialist and search
engine optimization expert, will explain the often confusing
topic of keywords during a teleseminar I’m hosting at 3 p.m.
Eastern Time on Wednesday. Oct. 21. It will include links to two
videos that you’ll get before the call so you can watch her
search for keywords. You’ll also get a template for a press
release and a handy cheat sheet that explains, step by step, how
to research and use keywords. You can refer to it every time you
write a release.

Everyone who registers and emails me one keyword-related question
will be eligible to win a free press release written by Janet and
distributed through PR Web. Full details are on the sign-up page
at http://budurl.com/7ttk
=======================================
2. Get Retweeted These 9 Ways
=======================================

One of the measures of your influence on Twitter is the number of
times your followers retweet your tweets.

Viral marketing scientist Dan Zarrella, an avid Twitterer and
author of The Social Media Marketing Book, spent nine months
analyzing roughly 5 million tweets and 40 million retweets.
Based on his scientific research, he offers these nine tips for
getting retweeted:

–Link, but don’t use Tiny URLs.

–Ask your followers to retweet your posts. “Please” and
“retweet” were his third and fourth “most retweetable” words.

–Avoid idle chit-chat like what you’re eating for lunch.  Do NOT
answer Twitter’s question, “What are you doing?”

–Don’t be stupid. Use words instead of abbreviations and
emoticons. 

–Use punctuation, especially colons, periods, exclamation
points, commas and hyphens. But don’t use semicolons.

–Break news.

–Use proper nouns correctly.

–Bottle your emotions. Nobody cares about your problems at work.
They don’t like swear words either.

–Tweet at 4 p.m. on Friday.

Give Dan your email address and get his entire report at
http://budurl.com/cnp7

Do what Dan does. Capture email addresses by giving away
something for free, and then keep in touch with people on your
list regularly, just like I do when I send you this newsletter
weekly. See “Special Report #51: 55 Free Things You Can Offer to
Generate Publicity or Capture People’s Email Addresses.” Only
$10. Read more at http://budurl.com/qnu4

========================================
3. Business Week Lets You Share Content
========================================

During my teleseminar yesterday for members of The Publicity
Hound Mentor Program, Susan Joyce, one of my proteges, mentioned
the benefit of sharing articles on Business Exchange, Business
Week’s content-sharing site at http://bx.businessweek.com/

Susan, a job search expert, shares information at her website at
http://www.job-hunt.org/ and says she started seeing significant
traffic when she also started sharing a few of her own articles
at Business Exchange.

The site allows users to create business topics, collect content
from the Web, and connect with other business focused users
around these topics. This is a great way to find business people
in your target audience.

On Business Exchange you can:

–Search for information on any topic. Users can find a
collection of organized information on thousands of diverse
topics.

–After you register, collaborate with other users.

–Be the first one to share your expertise and perspective on
topics that aren’t yet on the site.

–Create your own network by adding users.

I’m betting Business Week editors periodically review this site
and pluck out story ideas for the magazine. Read the Frequently
Asked Questions Page at http://bx.businessweek.com/about/faqs/

Find out if you’re a good candidate for my mentor program at
http://www.publicityhound.com/mentorprogram/intro.html
==================================
4. How to Get Pro Bono PR
==================================

This week, seven Publicity Hounds have tips for Vicki Young of
Dallas, Texas, on how to get free PR help for Captain Hope’s
Kids, a nonprofit dedicated to helping homeless children in North
Texas.
From Ted Fuller:

“Contact or visit area senior centers and service clubs for
retired PR types. Also, drop in on Toastmaster clubs with a two-
minute pitch.”
From Terri Benincasa:

“Dallas, like many states, most likely has foundations or even
tax-funded boards (ours in Tampa is called The Children’s Board),
that provide ROI grants designed to provide non-profits with
technical assistance seed money for activities known to bring a
return on investment. This includes funding for marketing/PR
campaigns, grant-writing/grant-writers, etc.”
From Janine Libbey:

“Contact local PR firms and ask them if they can provide some
services at no charge. Most professional service companies do pro
bono work but you need to make them aware of your needs!”

Read all the responses to this week’s “Help This Hound” question
at http://budurl.com/vfe6

Send your own “Help this Hound” question to:
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com?subject=HelpThisHound
and include your city, state or province. I need questions!
===================================
5. Help This Hound
===================================

Joel Kweskin of Charlotte, NC, asks this week?s “Help This Hound”
question:

?What should I do when I send out press releases to, among
others, the local newspaper and they simply don?t publish them?
I?m talking legitimate and even entertaining news items.

?Do you just keep throwing the proverbial stuff against the wall
until something sticks?  Or, is there a tactic for following up
to better give the release a better chance to be picked up??
The Publicity Hound says:

This is a great question, and one that?s perplexed many Hounds.
If journalists are consistently ignoring your releases, you need
to solicit feedback from other trusted sources who can tell you
whether THEY think the releases are newsy?or interesting.  Do you
know somebody who used to work in the media? Or somebody who does
marketing or PR?  Have you tried coming up with an angle or news
hook and pitching it, along with contact information for other
sources, to the media?

Let?s see what other ideas my Hounds have for writing better
releases, and following up once you send them. Post your comments
to my blog at http://budurl.com/85lh

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

Thanks to Publicity Hound Meryl K. Evans for this wonderful video
that solves the mystery of why the dog owners frequently returned
home to find a wet patio:

http://stevebass.posterous.com/home-alone-in-the-pool

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…
===============================

Did this PR pro err by chastising a reporter publicly?
http://budurl.com/3665

————————————

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

The Publicity Hound’s
Tips of the Week
Issue #440
March 3, 2009
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)

Circulation: 42,341

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

“Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity”

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

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

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

Please forward this ezine to anyone you know who needs free
publicity to establish their credibility, enhance their
reputation, position themselves as employers of choice, sell more
products and services, or promote a favorite cause or issue.

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

My Survey is Being Emailed Now:

During the next several days, you’ll receive my Customer Profile
Survey. Complete it, and you’ll get $40 off of any products or
services I sell, by March 13. Your name will also be entered in a
drawing for a Kindle 2, the new wireless reading device that
Amazon sells for $359. If the winner doesn’t want the Kindle,
I’ll send an Amazon gift certificate for that amount.

We’re already tabulating responses, and the results are
illuminating. I’ll share them with you in a few weeks once all
the surveys are tabulated.

If you’ve already completed yours, thank you! Your honest
feedback will help me improve this newsletter and every other
aspect of doing business with me.

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

1. How About a Little Good News?

2. It’s Square Root Day

3. 3 Teleseminars to Help You

4. The Advantage of Freelancers

5. Ugly Patio Furniture

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. And at My Blog…

====================================
1. How About a Little Good News?
====================================

You and I aren’t the only ones sick of bad news.

TV news producers are sick of it too. That’s what my friend, TV
producer Shawne Duperon, told me a few days ago. We were talking
about the demise of the Rocky Mountain News, one of Colorado’s
two biggest daily newspapers.

“Are things as bad in the TV industry as they are at newspapers?
“I asked her.

“It’s not even the same conversation,” she said. “Everything is
fine. But TV people are sick of all the gloom and doom.

“What does that mean to Publicity Hounds?

Pitch good news stories:

–My local newspaper had a story on Page 1 yesterday about how a
little small-town bank, where the bosses commute to work on foot,
is doing just fine, thank you, while bigger financial
institutions are grabbing bail-outs right and left. That bank
might never have received front-page publicity in a boom economy.
But today, it’s the exception to the rule.

–Has your family found creative ways to skirt high grocery
bills? Are you and the kids cooking more instead of eating out
and, in the process, learning more about each other? If so, pitch
lifestyle reporters, bloggers, and explain your own story at your
blog.

–My friend opened The Chocolate Chisel, a gourmet chocolate shop
in my town of Port Washington, Wisconsin a few weeks ago. When I
asked her if she had second thoughts about opening in this
economy, she said no. While creating her business plan with her
partner, they researched the history of chocolate and learned
that it’s one product that does well during bad times. People
might not be able to afford a $300 day at the spa, but a $10
sample pack of gourmet chocolates makes the world right again. I
told her that’s a terrific angle she ought to pitch.

–Moore Oil Company in Milwaukee has its own economic stimulus
plan. President Scott Haag is offering employees $2,000 if they
buy a new car, or $1,000 for a used car. “It’s just a gift.
There’s no there’s no payback,” he said. “It’s tough out there,
and a little positive news today goes a long way.

“Indeed. That story made it onto the local ABC station’s news last
night.What good news story can you pitch? If you’re having trouble
identifying it, you can learn all their inside secrets about what
TV stations want. Shawne Duperon was my guest during a
teleseminar on “How to Get on the Local TV News Tomorrow.” We
recorded it and it’s available as a CD or an electronic
transcript that you can download and be reading as soon as your
order has been approved.

Read more about how to get your story onto TV at
http://tinyurl.com/4zpuz

Learn three more ideas on how to piggyback your story idea onto
the economy by joining my “Friends of The Publicity Hound”
Facebook group at http://tinyurl.com/bawp2z

In the next day or two, I’ll email the group with more ideas on
how to piggyback your story ideas onto the economy.

====================================
2. It’s Square Root Day
====================================

Today is Square Root Day, a holiday celebrated on dates where the
day and the month are both the square root of the last two digits
in the current year.

For example, the last square root day was March 3, 2009 (3-3-09),
and the next square root day will be April 4, 2016 (4-4-16). The
final square root day of the century will occur on September 9,
2081 (9-9-81). Square root days fall on the same nine dates each
century.

Ron Gordon, a Redwood City, California high school teacher, first
created the day for 9-9-81. He’s the official PR person and sends
press releases to media outlets around the world.

There’s even a Facebook group devoted to Square Root Day at
http://tinyurl.com/d7gz39 and it has more than 2,600 members.
Many of them have written wall posts that explain how they’re
celebrating.

For all you foodies, one suggested way of celebrating the holiday
is by eating square radishes, or other root vegetables cut into
shapes with square cross sections.

If you think this is silly, check out the mountains of publicity
Square Root Day has received throughout the world:
http://tinyurl.com/ak4hjs

Now quite smirking. Go over to Chase’s Calendar of Events at
http://www.Chases.com and create your own holiday, or your own
day, week or month of the year by clicking on “Submit an Entry”
on the left side of the screen. You have until April 15 to submit
an entry for the 2010 printed edition.

Once you’ve created your day, use it as a springboard to pitch to
the media. When Dan Janal interviewed me about how to pitch, I
explained all the ways sources caught my attention with their
pitches when I worked as a newspaper editor. I shared them all in
the recording “Secrets of Perfect Pitching.”

It’s available as a CD or an electronic transcript that you can
download and be reading as soon as your order has been approved.
Read more about how to pitch the right way at
http://tinyurl.com/s3tyx

===================================
3. 3 Teleseminars to Help You
===================================

–”Media Star Power: How To Become a Celebrity and a Media
Darling All at the Same Time,” with Tom Antion and Judy Jernudd.
Judy is a former Los Angeles talk show host who has interviewed
presidents, Oprah Winfrey, Tom Selleck, Tom Cruise, Regis
Philbin, Larry King, Barbara Walters and hundreds of other
superstars. At 9 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, March 5. This is a
paid teleseminar. Register at http://tinyurl.com/ako5×7

–”Best-seller Blueprint–How To Make Your Book An Almost Instant
Best-seller and Sell Tons of Copies Even if You’re A Marketing
Novice,” with Steve Harrison, Randy Gilbert and Peggy McColl. At
2 or 7 Eastern on Thursday, March 5. Register for this
complimentary call at http://tinyurl.com/ccdbb7

–”How to Create Your own Strong Economy This Year with Online
Information Marketing,” with Alexandria Brown, The Ezine Queen,
on Thursday, March 5. Learn 5 ways to recession-proof your
business. Register for this complimentary call at
http://tinyurl.com/bnh627

=====================================
4. The Advantage of Freelancers
=====================================

How many freelance writers have you built relationships with this
past year?

How many freelancers are you trying to court this year?

Publicity Hound Pam Lontos of PR/PR at http://www.prpr.net says
getting to know freelancers has paid off big.

Her company pitched one if its clients, Dr. Kenneth Christian, a
psychologist and author of “Your Own Worst Enemy,” to a writer at
Self Magazine a few years ago.

The writer, a freelancer, was going to interview Dr. Christian,
but the magazine decided to kill the story. The writer also wrote
for Parade magazine and decided to write the whole story for
Parade around Dr. Christian’s new book. In fact, she needed more
sources so she ended up using another one of PR/PR’s clients, Dr.
Pamela Brill, author of “The Winner’s Way.” The story skyrocketed
the ranking for both authors’ books on Amazon.

Dr. Christian’s new book jumped from 35,000 to 35. Dr. Brill’s
book, which was available pre-sale, jumped to 300 before it was
even released.”

Be helpful and give the media more story ideas and resources
than they ask for,” Pam says. “You never know which small town
newspaper writer also writes for a major media outlet.”

“Special Report #40:42 Publicity Tips for Authors and Small
Publishers” shows you how to target niche markets, position
yourself as an expert and pull the media and others to your
website. Only $10, and you can download it as soon as your order
has been approved. Read more about it at http://tinyurl.com/6uz9g

====================================
5. Ugly Patio Furniture
====================================

This week, four Publicity Hounds have tips for Jill Cranford of
Livermore, Colo., on how to publicize her “Ugly Patio Furniture”competition at http://tinyurl.com/auhj8e

From Tonya:

“I am a huge fan of design, especially green design and I have a
Google reader full of design blogs. I would recommend that Jill
put together a little blurb about the competition along with some
photos of her products, and submit them to different design
blogs. I have a bunch of them in a list if she’d like to email
me, but she can go to Google and type in ‘design blog’ and she
will find a ton of them.”

From Hendry Lee:

“These competitions are all over the place within Twitter. Zappos
has done it successfully, as well as solopreneurs.

“Nothing allows you to interact with your target market more
directly than Twitter. With the power of retweets, your info
can go viral. Not to mention that it makes a good case study for
many bloggers to write about, increasing your publicity even
more.”

The Publicity Hound says:

I love those ideas. Twitter expert Warren Whitlock shows you “How
to Use Twitter to Amass an Army of Followers, Customers &
Valuable Contacts–and Promote.” My teleseminar series with him
is available as a CD or an electronic transcript that you can
download and be reading as soon as your order has been approved.

Read more about all the ways you can use Twitter at
http://tinyurl.com/3lbcaw

Read all the responses to this week’s Help This Hound question
http://tinyurl.com/apbzws

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

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

Colleen Schmid of Heathrow, Fla. writes:

“I’ve recently started a new business teaching families how to
start going green in their homes. I go through their homes and,
room by room, show them what things they can be doing to save on
power and water bills as well as removing toxins. I will also
begin showing small businesses how to do the same.

“Earth Day is on April 22, and I’m trying to come up with a big
idea to get media attention for my business. It’s so critical
that we all become aware of what we’re are doing to harm our
environment, waste precious resources and pollute. It’s also
important to show people how living green saves them money and
takes care of our Earth.

“Can your Hounds thing of some powerful ways for me to tie my
business into Earth Day for some publicity?” Her website is at
http://green-colleen.com

The Publicity Hound says:

Some media people say they’re suspicious about green pitches
which seem to be everywhere. So my Hounds need to come up with
some really clever angles for you, Colleen. Hounds with tips for
Colleen can post them to my blog at http://tinyurl.com/besbzg

==================================
7. Hound Quote of the Week
==================================

The average dog is a nicer person than the average person.- Andy Rooney.

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…
===================================

Hiring a VA to book speaking gigs sends a bad message
http://tinyurl.com/akmxfv

—————————————

WHERE TO SEE AND HEAR THE PUBLICITY HOUND:

March 6-8–Atlanta, Ga.
I’ll be at the Stompernet Live 7 event. If you’re going, let’s
meet for coffee.

March 16–Teleseminar on Internet Marketing

I’ll be Marilee Tolen’s guest from 8 to 9 p.m. Eastern Time for
her teleseminar series “Introduction to Internet Marketing” for
nurses, healers, coaches and holistic professional solopreneurs.
If this is your niche, and you’re tired of running after the next
client, this is the training session for you. It starts Feb. 23.
Learn more at http://tinyurl.com/dl3xhm

PERMISSION TO REPRINT:

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

Reprinted from “The Publicity Hound’s Tips of the Week,” an ezine
featuring tips, tricks and tools for generating free publicity.
Subscribe at http://www.publicityhound.com/ and receive by email
the handy cheat sheet “89 Reasons to Send a News Release.”

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

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

PRIVACY STATEMENT:

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

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

The Publicity Hound’s
Tips of the Week
Issue #438 Feb. 17, 2009
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)

Circulation: 42,573

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

“Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity”

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

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

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

Please forward this ezine to anyone you know who needs free
publicity to establish their credibility, enhance their
reputation, position themselves as employers of choice, sell more
products and services, or promote a favorite cause or issue.

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

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

1. Grand Slam Giveaway

2. Don’t Ask to Review an Article

3. How to Recycle Publicity

4. 2 Events for Hounds

5. Promoting a Farmer’s Market

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. And at My Blog…

========================================
1. Grand Slam Giveaway
========================================

Call it what you want–a handout, a sample, a giveaway.

When the economy is tanking, consumers want a good deal. That’s
exactly what Denny’s restaurant delivered two days after the
Super Bowl when it gave away 2 million of its signature Grand
Slam Breakfasts.

Denny’s reported that its $3 million commercial drew that many
people to its 1,600 outlets in North America and Puerto Rico. The
company spent $5 million for the promotion that generated $50
million in news coverage.

“A lot of people have forgotten what Denny’s is, or they think
they know, while we’ve come out with a whole lot of new products.
We felt like we needed to jump start the brand,” said Mark
Chmiel, Denny’s chief marketing and innovation officer.

Mitchell Davis, who owns Expertclick.com and
NewsReleaseWire.com, loved the Denny’s promotion.
If it could work for people who needto eat breakfast,
why can’t it work for Publicity Hounds who need to
write press releases, he reasoned.

Mitch wants you to “taste his service” and send news releases
this week without cost or obligation.

“I got the idea after seeing Denny’s give out 2 million Grand
Slam breakfasts and thought more people should see how good our
News Release Wire service works–and understand our
commitment to customer service,” he said.

So here’s the deal. For one week, you can test-drive his service
by sending press releases and creating a Press Room Page about
your business. Watch his video about how it all works at
http://www.ExpertClick.com/brochure

I subscribe to the service, which helps me claim the first three
spots on Google for the keyword phrase “publicity expert” and
drives my competitors crazy.

Don’t expect those kinds of results within one week, however,
because Google probably won’t index your pages that quickly. But
if you call Mitch at 202-333-5000 and ask him for The Publicity
Hound special, he’ll set it up for you so you can see how the
service works–with no commitments to subscribe. I love the fact
that they answer their own phones and jump through hoops for
their customers–like the time I spotted a heinous typo after I
posted my release. I called them, and they corrected it within
minutes.

If you don’t want to call Mitch, you can create the test-drive
yourself at https://www.ExpertClick.com/create

Choose the Gold Level at $995. Then scroll down and complete
the “Participant” information (who the account will be about)
and the “Subscriber” info (for the person in charge of the
account).

Check the credit card box but don’t enter your number because you
aren’t paying for this.

In the “Special Offer” box enter:”F*ree Week from Publicity
Hound.” Then click on “Create Your Press Room Page” and you’ll
be able to edit instantly. Once they approve your account, you’ll
be able to start sending press releases instantly. Their standard
editorial policies at http://www.TermsandConditions.com apply, so
be sure to read them.

Try it for a week and let me know how you like it.

==============================================
2. Don’t Ask to Review an Article
==============================================

Publicity Hound Gail Sideman saw a Twitter post that caught her
attention recently.

It was from someone who said that Inc. magazine was doing a
feature on him until he asked the magazine to let him review the
article for his final approval.

“Was I wrong to ask? Yes or no?”

She replied and told the guy he was wrong. That led to a spirited
debate on Twitter. So she emailed me and several others in the
journalism world and asked our opinions.

Here’s what I told her:

–You were right. He was wrong. By asking that question, he
showed he wasn’t media-savvy, and it sounds as though it cost him
publicity in Inc. magazine.

–He certainly could have asked the writer, “Would you be willing
to run by me any direct quotes you are attributing to me?” Some
journalists will say yes, some will say no. It never hurts to ask
because some journalists will want to make sure their quotes are
accurate. But the deal is, if you hear the quote and you know you
said it, but you don’t like the sound of it, you can’t ask the
writer to change it. That’s one of the ground rules they never
teach you.

–He could also have asked if the magazine will fact-check the
story. Inc. most likely has its own fact-check department and
would do this anyway. But again, it never hurts to ask.

Bottom line: Never ask a journalist to show you a story before
it’s printed so you can “approve” it. For sensitive interviews,
you can negotiate the terms of the interview, but little else.

I devoted an entire chapter of my ebook “How to be a Kick-butt
Publicity Hound” to what you should do before, during and after
an interview. These are the ground rules the media never tell you
about and hope you never learn. The ebook is the most
comprehensive product I offer on all aspects of generating free
publicity. The 2009 update includes six new chapters on social
media.

Read more about what you’ll learn at
http://www.publicityhound.com/publicity/publicityhound.htm

========================================
3. How to Recycle Publicity
========================================

When you generate a publicity hit in a newspaper or magazine, on
a TV or radio station, or in the social media, don’t be
satisfied.

Try to recycle that hit into multiple hits, or multiple
promotions.

I’m one of three experts featured in the January/February issue
of SUCCESS magazine, offering my advice on how to promote
online.
You can read more about it at my blog at
http://tinyurl.com/bg33ml

Here are six ways I’ve already recycled that publicity:

–I tweeted about it at Twitter.

–I included some of the tips that didn’t make it into the
magazine in the “What’s New” section of my Facebook group
called Friends of The Publicity Hound. If you already have a Facebook
profile, join the group by logging into Facebook, then pasting
this link into your browser and join: http://tinyurl.com/d2h8gk
I’ll be sharing more tips over there and I might not always
remember to share them here.

–I went to the blog of Joel Comm, who was featured along with me
in the article. I posted a comment to an unrelated blog post and
then mentioned in a “P.S.” how interesting it was to read his
advice alongside mine in SUCCESS.

–Ditto for Scott Fox, the other Internet marketer featured in
the article.

–I added a line to my email signature that lets people know I
was in the magazine, and I linked to the article.

–I’m writing about it here.

That’s only six ways! And I know you Hounds can think of many
others. Add them to my blog at http://tinyurl.com/bg33ml

Recycling publicity is an important part of a media plan because
you must follow up, follow up and follow up. I explain in step-
by-step detail how to create a yearlong plan, follow up, and take
advantage of every publicity opportunity in front of you. The
teleseminar series “How to Create a Media Plan” is available as
CDs, MP3s and electronic transcripts. Read more about why you
need a plan and how to create one at
http://www.publicityhound.com/mediaplan.htm

==========================================
4. 2 Events for Hounds
==========================================

Event #1: Teleseminar on how to start a coaching program

Do you offer coaching services? If not, consider it.

Coaching is one of the quickest ways almost any non-fiction
author or anyone with expertise can make more while also helping
a lot of people. For example, I have three types of coaching
programs: one-on-one coaching over the phone, my group mentor
program at
http://www.publicityhound.com/mentorprogram/intro.html
and teleseminar series devoted to specific topics.

You’ll be surprised how much others will gladly pay for what you
know, even though you take it for granted.

To discover how to get started offering coaching services, you’re
invited to a free telephone seminar on Thursday, February 19.
Hear Steve Harrison interview Tim Paulson, an author, speaker and
coaching expert who’s helped many people start thriving coaching
practices. You’ll learn how to get others to pay you from $100 to
$1,000 an hour, or more, for your expertise.

Register for the call at
http://www.CoachingTrainingTeleseminar.com/?10011

If you have another commitment, register anyway and recruit
somebody to take notes for you. Steve doesn’t record most of
these teleseminars and if you miss it, it’s gone.

Event #2: Media event for products tied to celebrities or good
causes.

If you have a consumer product that’s tied to a celebrity or a
good cause, consider displaying it at the annual Celebrity
Connections Media Event and the Good Causes Media Event, to be
held April 1 in New York City.

Journalists are always looking for a great angle when it comes to
covering new products, and many journalists are looking for
products with either a celebrity connection or products that help
worthy causes. The events draw an impressive list of top-tier
media.

Read more about them at my blog at http://tinyurl.com/awdwlx

==========================================
5. Promoting a Farmer’s Market
==========================================

This week, 12 Publicity Hounds have tips for Rose Strong of
Springtown, Pa. on how to publicize a local farmer’s market.

From LisaMarie Dias:

“Send an online newsletter through a company like Constant
Contact. You could profile the vendors, post a calendar and
include recipes. If you send the newsletter out monthly, you
could do weekly reminders in a smaller form–with links back to
your website. You could have prizes and giveaways to gather email
addresses.”

From Michael Carr:

“Invite local chefs to create an ongoing set of promotional
opportunities. Book your chefs in advance and publicize their
participation. Your chefs can shop the market to select fresh
produce to use in their demonstrations. Customers will appreciate
sampling what the chef has made as well as learning about using
fresh seasonal ingredients at home.”

From Tara Bright:

“Kick off your season with a Raw Food Uncook-off. Host a Green
Foodie Contest. Join forces or initiate a “Buy Local, Live
Sustainable” group. Host weekly potlucks on a day you are closed.

“Why not set aside a space where children can start seeds while
their parents shop? They will need to come back every week to
check the progress and water their little sprouts. Also, do a
comparison shopping trip at a local chain grocer. If your cart
ends up costing less at the farmer’s market, publicize it.”

The Publicity Hound says:

Team up with local artists, musicians and other entertainers. One
week, feature an art show and let the artists manage it. The
next week, how about a bluegrass band? The following week,
feature arts and crafts vendors. All would provide one more
reason to shop the farmer’s market.

The teleseminar I hosted on “Publicity Tips for Restaurants,
Chefs & Foodies” offers 51 ideas you can use for almost any food-
related story. The recording is available as a CD or electronic
transcript that you can download as soon as your order has been
approved. Each includes a downloadable list of all 51 ideas.

Read more about how to generate food publicity at
http://tinyurl.com/clr26

Read all the responses to this week’s Help This Hound question at
http://tinyurl.com/bayg2c

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

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

Lori Feldman of St. Louis, Mo. writes:

“My client is a home and garden show that’s produced in four
cities–Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Indianapolis and Portland from
late February through early March.

“We’re launching a social media plan for this company that has
done nothing but traditional advertising for the last 50 years!
Last year was the first time they even attempted to collect email
addresses from attendees, so we have a list of 20,000 we can use.

“As you can imagine, ad costs significantly increase each year
with significantly declining ROI. So the challenge was to find
alternative media to combat the ineffectiveness of old media.
They also face these hurdles: Home starts and real estate are way
down. Young people have not supported these live shows (but this
could be due to a lack of an online presence). All marketing is
local–you’re not going to jump on a plane to attend.

“Because time is short, I’d like to get as many suggestions from
your readers as possible to consider every option to increase
traffic. The pre-show promotions site is
http://www.ImproveYourHomeAndGarden.com We’ll be press
releasing, tweeting, and social networking between now and show day.
I can do a shopping spree contest winner. Thoughts?”

The Publicity Hound says:

You–and my Hounds–are up against a tough deadline. But that’s
when my Hounds are most creative! I know a lot of them publicize
events, so they’ll post their best ideas to my blog at
http://tinyurl.com/atm843

Don’t have time to wait to hear their ideas? “How to Plan &
Promote Sizzling Special Events” will give you hundreds of ideas.
Read more about what you’ll learn at
http://publicityhound.com/publicity/promote.html

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

Thanks to Publicity Hound Kerry Hargraves of Oakland, Calif. for
this one:

Little Harold was practicing the violin in the living room while
his father was trying to read in the den.

The family dog was lying in the den, and as the screeching sounds
of little Harold’s violin reached the dog’s ears, it began to
howl loudly. The father listened to the dog and the violin as
long as he could. Then he jumped up, slammed his paper to the
floor and yelled above the noise, “For Pete’s sake, can’t you
play something the dog doesn’t know?”

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…
===================================

Online promotion tips in Jan/Feb issue of SUCCESS magazine
http://tinyurl.com/bg33ml

The Number One mistake of online press releases
http://tinyurl.com/d86hxx

Media event to feature products tied to celebs, good causes
http://tinyurl.com/awdwlx

—————————————

WHERE TO SEE AND HEAR THE PUBLICITY HOUND:

March 6-8–Atlanta, Ga.

I’ll be at the Stompernet Live 7 event. If you’re going, let’s
meet for coffee.

March 16–Teleseminar on Internet Marketing

I’ll be Marilee Tolen’s guest from 8 to 9 p.m. Eastern Time for
her teleseminar series “Introduction to Internet Marketing” for
nurses, healers, coaches and holistic professional solopreneurs.
If this is your niche, and you’re tired of running after the next
client, this is the training session for you. It starts Feb. 23.
Learn more at http://tinyurl.com/dl3xhm

PERMISSION TO REPRINT:

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

Reprinted from “The Publicity Hound’s Tips of the Week,” an ezine
featuring tips, tricks and tools for generating free publicity.
Subscribe at http://www.publicityhound.com/ and receive by email
the handy cheat sheet “89 Reasons to Send a News Release.”

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

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

PRIVACY STATEMENT:

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

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

The Publicity Hound’s
Tips of the Week
Issue #434 Jan. 20, 2009
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)

Circulation: 43,628

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

“Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity”

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

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

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

Please forward this ezine to anyone you know who needs free
publicity to establish their credibility, enhance their
reputation, position themselves as employers of choice, sell more
products and services, or promote a favorite cause or issue.

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

1. Put Your Pet in the White House

2. The Real Power of Your Press Release

3. Formula Five is Live

4. Still Not Blogging?

5. Promoting Sensitivity Training

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Video of the Week

8. And at My Blog…

===================================
1. Put Your Pet in the White House
===================================

When the party’s over tonight, you just know that Malia and Sasha
will start pestering mom and dad for that puppy.

How about giving the First Family a taste of what the White House
will look like if they choose a pet just like yours? Heck, let’s
make your pet the Official Obama Pet–right now!

Head over to Pawfun.com, a new custom photo T-shirt site for pet
lovers and participate in the Obama spoof that lets you super-
impose a photo of your pet, and then send it as an e-card.

That’s what I did this morning. You can see Bogie, my German
Shorthaired Pointer, peeking out from under the president’s
outstretched arm, to the left of the photo, at
http://www.pawfun.com/ecards/?c=210

While you’re at the site, how about ordering a T-shirt that shows
your pet with its new owners?

Talk about perfect timing. Social media expert BL Ochman and her
partner, Caimin Jones, launched the site late Saturday night.
Since then, eager pet lovers have sent the e-cards more than
4,500 times.

Create your own card at http://www.pawfun.com/promo/

“While there’s no shortage of T-shirt sites, our goal is to make
ours more fun than the rest,” BL said. “And we’ve picked a niche
we’ll go deep into instead of trying to be all things to all
people. That’s because the Internet, and increasingly the world,
is a niche-or-be-niched place these days.”

She and her partner will be using all the social media tools on
Pawfun.com that they’re always trying to get their Fortune 500
clients to try–but now they’re the client.

What an incredibly clever tie-in to today’s world event. BL
always keeps me posted on what she’s doing, and I’ll share her
success stories with social networking, and anybody else’s, here.
(Hint: Send me your success stories.)

BL, by the way, presented a content-rich teleseminar a few months
ago on “How to do Social Networking, Run a Business & Still Have
a Life.” If you follow her on Twitter at @whatsnext, you’d swear
she spends all her waking hours tweeting. But launching a
business eats up hours upon hours, so BL has had to create
shortcuts for keeping Twitter and the other social networking
sites in which she participates within her control–so they don’t
control her.

You can order the electronic transcript or MP3 audio of our
teleseminar and download them as soon as your order has been
approved, or you can choose the CD. Read more about how to save
time and your sanity during social networking at
http://tinyurl.com/a6guxq

=======================================
2. The Real Power of Your Press Release
=======================================

How much power do you really have to promote your product,
service, cause or issue with the lowly press release?

If you’re hoping to generate a major story in the traditional
media, not much. That’s because journalists despise them and
delete nine out of 10 press releases. A big story usually
requires a customized pitch, not a one-size-fits-all press
release.

If you’re hoping to catch the attention of bloggers, consumers
and those on the social media landscape, quite a bit. But only if
you throw most of the old press release writing rules out the
window.

For example, in the old days, we absolutely could NOT write a
press release that smacked of promotion or it would repel
journalists. Today, however, smart Publicity Hounds use the press
release to give away information and tips, and then link to what
they’re promoting at their websites–not with just one link high
in the release but with several links throughout.

That tactic means you can completely bypass traditional media and
go straight to the decision-makers who will find your release, if
you’ve written it correctly, when Googling.

If you’re new to releases, or you’ve been writing them for years,
sign up for my free email tutorial “89 Ways to Write Powerful
Press Releases.” It’s an intensive 12-week course delivered by
email. Stick with it right to end and it will be like you’ve
earned a master’s degree in writing and distributing releases.
You’ll know more about the topic than most professional PR
people.

I’m honored that the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary under the
Department of Homeland Security is using the course to train its
communications officers at the grassroots level through an online
training site. Deputy Chief Tom Nunes of the Public Affairs
Department says they’re even creating quizzes for students as
part of the course. Cool!

Haven’t taken the tutorial yet? Sign up at
http://tinyurl.com/pressreleasetutorial or buy the entire course
in a handy ebook for only $27. You can read the long, long list
of glowing testimonials from happy Hounds who loved it and are
already generating fabulous publicity as a result.

========================================
3. Formula Five is Live
========================================

For the last several weeks, I’ve been raving about “Formula
Five,” the business building program that’s perfect for any
business, regardless of what you’re selling.

Now, the wait is over.

The shopping cart opened yesterday for “Formula Five.” It was
created by Paul Lemberg, who shared dozens of take-away tips
during the teleseminar with him that I hosted for several hundred
Publicity Hounds on Jan. 8.

You can pick up your copy of Formula Five here:
http://tinyurl.com/PaulLembergFormulaFive

Because the package includes ongoing support, there are limited
spots in the program.

Business owners just like you have already earned tens of
thousands of dollars only using 1/20th of Formula Five. Today,
you can be one of the first to get the whole enchilada so you
can start doubling your business this year.

Even if Formula Five isn’t within your budget right now, at
least check out the package of videos on the page, take good
notes and start tweaking your business to make more money
starting today.

P.S. This is a no-brainer. Just hope your competitors haven’t
heard about it.

=======================================
4. Still Not Blogging?
=======================================

Attention bloggers, or those who are just creating a blog.

Learn proven tips on how to drive thousands more visitors to your
blog, sell your products and services there, and write compelling
posts that build a loyal customer following and position you as
an expert.

Here’s the best part. You don’t have to be a techie.

Join me as I interview Denise Wakeman and Patsi Krakoff, aka The
Blog Squad, during a free teleseminar called “Boost Your Biz with
a Blog” from 4 to 5 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday, Jan. 26.
Register at http://www.blogsquadteleseminars.com/joan/

==========================================
5. Promoting Sensitivity Training
==========================================

This week, five Publicity Hounds have tips for Pegine Echevarria
of Jacksonville, FL, who is launching a licensed training program
called “White Guys Are Diverse Too!” She is looking for ideas to
capture the interest of corporate and government chief diversity
officers.

From Candy Tutt:

“In all honesty, I would recommend changing the title of the
project. While it is catchy, it will be perceived as separatist
and off-putting to many people. Our society still tends to tip
the scales in favor of “white guys” and the program title
perpetuates a feeling of cultural superiority.

“If, in your experience white guys tend to walk out of D&I
programs thinking they are excluded and not valued for the unique
individualized impact that they bring, perhaps the D&I sessions
are not geared to reaching the very people at whom they are
aimed.”

From Kevin Gaydosh:

“Constant portrayals by the news media and popular culture as
Walter Kowalskis or Archie Bunkers displays a prejudice–yes,
prejudice–that is perhaps the biggest fear/largest turn-off that
the target audience has with much diversity training.

“Also, I’m not in HR, but an earlier Hound might be correct in
suggesting a name change. While an arresting, attention-getting
and (to some) a cute/funny title, it’s doubtful that many Fortune
500 companies are going to post that seminar up on their Intranet
or in the employee break rooms precisely because of the title.

“Perhaps it would be best if you pitched your program under a new
(PC) moniker but touted it as being better than the competition
because you do pay particular attention to this often
‘overlooked, under appreciated’ group.”

From Dal Jeanis:

“You might want to contact companies, especially minority-owned
companies, that do diversity (or cultural sensitivity) training.
Provide each company with two f~ree copies of your book. If they
add your book in as, say, one-third of a course, then you’re
golden.

“One current events hook you can use to promote your mix is the
following: With Obama’s success, pre-existing diversity programs
are going to need major retooling. Are they needed at all?
Diversity trainers say yes, some pundits say no, and Pegine
Echevarria says no, but they need to address all the
consistencies of diversity.”

The Publicity Hound says:

Pegine, how about going over to LinkedIn and using the question
and answer feature to generate some additional feedback and
exposure for your training? I wouldn’t post the identical
question you asked in Help This Hound, but there are lots of
other things you could ask about.

Scott Allen, a LinkedIn expert, says the Q&A feature is a
fabulous way collect information and let the world know what
you’re doing. But you have to use it correctly. He explained how
during the teleseminar I hosted with him on “How to Use LinkedIn
to Promote Anything–Ethically & Powerfully.”

It’s available as electronic transcripts and your choice of MP3
audios or CDs. Read more about what you’ll learn at
http://tinyurl.com/5zvzyd

Read all the responses to this week’s Help This Hound question
at http://tinyurl.com/829jv3

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

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

Beth Stafford of Concord, N.C. writes:

“I am an artist working in collaboration with my dog to produce
some of the wildest, most colorful and joyous abstract art
around.

“Our label is ‘PiCassieO,’ combining her name (Cassie) with an
artist name (obviously) who represents the human half of the team
(me). We have a store at CafePress which opened in July. It is
so far non-profit, even though the merchandise is really great!

“I have been attempting to promote it on my own website and
through our blog, but am spending too much time on nonproductive
promotion and not enough on the art. I need a few quick, simple
tips to get the ball rolling.

“Warning: My budget is ‘thread’ instead of ’shoestring,’ and I’m
a disaster at social networking on the web. Help!”

The Publicity Hound says:

To quote BL Ochman, mentioned in item Number One above, the
social networking train has already left the station. If you’re
not onboard now, you’ll get eaten alive by your competitors who
are. I highly suggest you read the transcript or listen to the
audio recording of the teleseminar I conducted with BL on “How to
do Social Networking, Run a Business & Still Have a Life” at
http://tinyurl.com/a6guxq

But that’s not all you can do. Hounds with great ideas for Beth
can post them to my blog at http://tinyurl.com/7jqucq

==================================
7. Hound Video of the Week
==================================

Save this video to watch on one of those Days from Hell when you
need a pick-me-up or something to make you smile.

It’s a CBS report from a few weeks ago on the Animal Odd Couple–
an 8,700-pound elephant named Tarra and her best friend, Bella
the dog.

http://tinyurl.com/8v2bza

Thanks to Publicity Hound Kim Condrin for sending it.

DOG JOKES & QUOTES EBOOK: 170+ G-rated dog jokes and quotes,
perfect for a dog-lover, your favorite vet, or just for a few
good laughs.

BONUS: Buy the ebook and you also get a compilation of the 50
best websites for dog humor.

http://www.publicityhound.com/dogjokebook/

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

Let’s meet at Stompernet event March 5-8 in Atlanta
http://tinyurl.com/94vmvn

How Twitter can help you fix your toilet
http://tinyurl.com/8lcjvt

————————————–

WHERE TO SEE AND HEAR THE PUBLICITY HOUND:

Wednesday, Jan. 21–Teleseminar

Join me for the third annual smARTist telesummit where
photographers, jewelers, potters, painters, metalworkers,
woodworkers and other artists will learn all the secrets for
growing their art business. I’m presenting a session on how to
use social networking, from 2 to 2:45 Eastern Time on Wednesday,
Jan. 21. Sorry, but registration is closed. You’ll have to wait
until Ariane Goodwin offers the training as a product.

Monday, Jan. 26–Teleseminar

“Boost Your Biz with a Blog,” from 4 to 5 p.m. Eastern on Monday,
Jan. 26. Denise Wakeman and Patsi Krakoff, aka The Blog Squad,
will explain how to draw more traffic and boost more sales from a
blog. You’ll also learn about the biggest mistakes bloggers make
and how they sabotage their own success. Register at
http://www.blogsquadteleseminars.com/joan/

PERMISSION TO REPRINT:

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

Reprinted from “The Publicity Hound’s Tips of the Week,” an ezine
featuring tips, tricks and tools for generating free publicity.
Subscribe at http://www.publicityhound.com/ and receive by email
the handy cheat sheet “89 Reasons to Send a News Release.”

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

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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