The Publicity Hound’s
Tips of the Week
Issue #570 Aug. 30, 2011
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.com
http://www.publicityHound.mobi
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. Surprising Source of Traffic

2. Write Razor-Sharp on Facebook

3. Pitch a “Follow Up”

4. Don’t Share Photo Albums

5. Sell My Products & Services

6. Hound Joke of the Week

7. And at My Blog & Mobile Site…

=====================================
1. Surprising Source of Traffic
=====================================

Which website is the biggest referrer of traffic on the Internet?

You get three guesses.

Nope, it’s not Twitter. It’s not Facebook either. And it’s not
LinkedIn.

If you guessed Google, that’s wrong, too. Google is a search
engine, not a website.

The one site that drives more traffic than any other is
StumpleUpon.com, a social bookmarking site.

I was shocked when I saw that statistic recently. But when you
stop to think about it, it makes perfect sense. Social
bookmarking sites exist to share links to interesting content on
the Web. Sites like Facebook exist to keep you on Facebook,
interacting with your friends.

Why is StumbleUpon important for Publicity Hounds?

Because if you create a StumbleUpon account and share terrific
content, other “Stumblers” will view you as a reputable source.
You can then–very infrequently and very carefully–share your
own content, even though it’s better to have someone else share
it for you.

Colin Martin, a social bookmarking expert, says sites like
StumbleUpon also help you become a recognized expert within your
field. He explained how to use that site and Delicious, Digg and
Reddit, the three other major sites, during a teleseminar called
“How to do Social Bookmarking to Promote Your Expertise, Attract
Followers & Pull Massive Amounts of Traffic.” The audio replay or
electronic transcript comes with four short videos that show you
how to create your accounts at bookmarking sites, bookmark
content, make friends and join groups, and find everyday uses for
this powerful marketing tool.

Read more about what you’ll learn to do at
http://www.publicityhound.com/publicity-products/marketing-
tapes/social_bookmarking.htm

=====================================
2. Write Razor-Sharp on Facebook
=====================================

If you’re searching for a compelling topic to write about in your
next Facebook Status Update, and you’re in a hurry, consult this
infographic that lists eight clever ideas:

http://www.allfacebook.com/infographic-8-ways-to-conquer-
facebook-statuses-2011-08

Here’s one of them. Write a fill-in-the-blank sentence, like
this: “___________ always makes me smile.”

I used to think status updates like that were nonsense. But
people love responding to them. And as the infographic I linked
to above explains, the more Likes and Comments your content
receives, the higher your Edgerank score. And the higher your
score, the more your content will appear in your friends’ and
fans’ news feeds.

Of course, the fill-in-the-blank tactic can be used on your Pages
as well. One of the most frequent questions I receive is, “How
can I get more people to Like my pages?”

I hosted Mari Smith, the world’s Number One Facebook expert,
during a webinar recently on “33 Ways to Attract Facebook Fans,
Provide Sterling Content & Keep Them Coming Back for More.” The
webinar replay comes with a handy cheat sheet that lists all 33
tips. Follow one tip each day, and watch the number of “Likes” on
your Page skyrocket.

Read more about how to access the replay and the cheat sheet at
http://www.publicityhound.com/facebookpages.htm

======================================
3. Pitch a “Follow Up”
======================================

One of the easiest ways to generate publicity is by pitching a
story that’s a “follow up” to a story about you that a media
outlet already has covered.

Let’s say you’re a nonprofit that received publicity a year ago
for several new partnerships you formed with local businesses to
place people with disabilities in jobs at those companies.

Don’t let the publicity end there. Return to the same media
outlets and let them know the rest of the story. How are the
employees doing?
Do they have good attendance records? Have any of them been
promoted? Have you placed additional people with disabilities in
jobs?

These stories are easy to place because the media already have
covered you. “Follow up” is media lingo, so use that phrase when
you pitch.

Publicity Hound Mary Castillo of Orange County, Calif., used the
other pitching tips I shared during a webinar earlier this month
and, within 15 minutes of pitching, received two confirmations
from reporters who agreed to run her story. A radio show that
she’s been trying to get her client onto for a year also
expressed interest.

Read more about what I taught Publicity Hounds how to do, and
access the video replay and handouts that include pitches that
received media attention:
http://www.publicityhound.com/publicity-products/marketing-
tapes/pitchingformula.htm

=====================================
4. Don’t Share Photo Albums
=====================================

If a family member or employee who is very famous in your
community dies, and the local newspaper or TV station asks you
for photos, don’t hand over your entire photo album when they ask
for it.

This is an old reporter’s trick, and the media will sometimes try
to pull this off so competing media can’t get access to your
photos.

Offer a few photos, but save several for other media. One way
around this problem, of course, is to offer digital photos.

This tip comes from my ebook, “How to Use Photos & Graphics in
Your Publicity Campaign” at
http://www.publicityhound.com/publicityphotos.htm

If you’re only pitching stories, you’re missing half your chances
for publicity.

=====================================
5. Sell My Products & Services
=====================================

If you love my products and services and want to recommend them
to your own followers, and earn a hefty commission for every
sale, sign up for my affiliate program at
http://www.publicityhound.com/affiliateinstructions.htm

And stay tuned for a webinar I’ll be hosting next month, filled
with helpful tips that will explain the best ways to promote, all
within guidelines from the Federal Trade Commission.

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

The Publicity Hound asks:

When dog food is “new and improved” and better tasting, who tests
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/

======================================
7. And at My Blog & Mobile Site…
======================================

Promoting fiction: Should authors fake a memoir?
http://publicityhound.net/?p=9252

Prepare your PR company for hurricanes, earthquakes
http://publicityhound.net/?p=9233

——————————————-

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

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

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 or you told me you want to subscribe.

Privacy Statement:

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

=======================================
Joan Stewart
The Publicity Hound

The Publicity Hound’s
Tips of the Week
Issue #553 May 3, 2011
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.com
http://www.publicityHound.mobi
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. Twice as Many Facebook Fans

2. Energize Your Boring Bio

3. Sample PR/Marketing Contracts

4. Your Sneaky LinkedIn Profile

5. Help This Hound

6. Hound Video of the Week

7. And at My Blog & Mobile Site…

=====================================
1. Twice as Many Facebook Fans
=====================================

Convince twice the number of people who land on your Facebook
page to click the “Like” button. Create a Welcome page.

Research shows that Welcome pages convert twice as many visitors
into fans compared to pages where visitors land on the Wall.

I hired CustomFanPageDesigns.com to create a Welcome page. I also
did something else I should have done long ago.

I created a new Facebook page to reflect “The Publicity Hound”
brand. The old page, called “Publicity and public relations tips,
ideas and strategies,” doesn’t include my brand because I was
going after keywords, instead. I realized my mistake too late.
Facebook doesn’t let you change the name of a page.

Now, I’m trying to convince my more than 3,200 fans to Like my
new page. I want you to, too. And here’s what I’m offering.

I posted a really helpful tip this morning about a creative item
you can add to your online media room or press kit. It will
encourage journalists and bloggers to write about you. It will
give them lots of fodder and fun facts for articles and blog
posts. PR people, your clients will LOVE this idea. Like my new
page, look for the photo of chef Emeril Lagasse, read all about
it, and leave a comment:

http://www.facebook.com/publicityhound

======================================
2. Energize Your Boring Bio
======================================

When you’re adding the cool item I mentioned above to your
publicity materials, how about sprucing up the boring bio in your
press kit, the much shorter author resource box at the end of
your articles and guest blog posts, and even your Twitter bio?

Here are three examples of bios I like:

At the end of a guest blog written by Allison Boyer:

“When Allison’s not blogging for the BlogWorld blog (say that
three times fast), she runs After Graduation, a career advice and
motivation site.”

Pia Mara Finkell’s bio on Twitter (notice all the keywords):

“Work and play in wine and food, but randomly become obsessed
with beer, bourbon, pie, dogs, the Yanks, running, lacrosse and
anything that makes me laugh.”

Paragraph at the end of the bio for Gabe Benveniste, founder of
SonicLiving, a concert tracking tool and social network:

“Gabe competed in the 2003 World Beard and Mustache Championship,
where his prodigious chops propelled him to sixth place (out of
six) in the first-ever sideburn contest. His work has been
featured in Playboy, MTV and Wired.”

You’ll find lots more examples in my “Special Report #46: Tips
for Rewriting Your Boring Bio,” a steal at only $10:
http://publicityhound.com/publicity-
products/reports.html#SpecialReport46

=====================================
3. Sample PR/Marketing Contracts
=====================================

If you’re setting up shop as a PR or marketing consultant, and
you’ve got your first client, one of the most perplexing problems
is obtaining sample contracts, or writing a contract from
scratch.

But what if you don’t have the start-up money to consult with a
lawyer? Problem solved.

Kellye Crane, of Solor PR Pro, and Jenny Schmitt of Cloudspark,
wrote the free, 30-page ebook called Get It In Writing, The
Communication Consultant’s Guide to Contracts. They’re not even
asking for your email address.

This is the most comprehensive free book I’ve seen on this topic,
and consultants who work in any area of communications will save
themselves weeks of research. The authors advise that you
eventually talk to an attorney when using a contract, but if
you’re short on cash, this book will at least get you started.

I also recommend this ebook for anyone who needs a publicist or
PR agency, and wants to see what sample contracts look like. Find
out how to access the book in the post at my blog at
http://publicityhound.net/?p=8326

=====================================
4. Your Sneaky LinkedIn Profile
=====================================

Certain LinkedIn “gurus” have been teaching a sneaky little trick
on how to capture first-place listings on LinkedIn when somebody
is searching for a business person with your expertise.

They tell you to stuff keywords and keyword phrases into your
profile, to the point where it’s obnoxious.

When LinkedIn finally wakes up and realizes what’s happening, it
might slap down the offenders in the rankings, much like Google
does when it finds people trying to game the system. Or it might
simply disable the account. If you have one of these sneaky
profiles, don’t let this happen to you.

Even worse, these profiles look disingenuous and unethical.
LinkedIn expert Wayne Breitbarth says visitors who read your
keyword-stuffed profile will know in an instant what you’re
trying to do and they might wonder, “If this person is trying to
trick LinkedIn, who else are they trying to trick?”

Publicity Hounds flooded Wayne and me with compliments after the
webinar I hosted with him in March. They asked me to bring him
back for another webinar on how-to tips for LinkedIn profiles,
Groups and advanced search.

Mark your calendars for 3 to 4:15 Eastern Time on Thursday, May
19, and register for the webinar when you get this newsletter
next week. If you can’t attend live, you can download the video
replay.

what else do you want Wayne to teach about LinkedIn. Hit “reply”
and tell me what else we should include.

If you missed the first webinar with him, it’s not too late to
start applying what he taught. Access the video replay and the
killer handouts for “Your LinkedIn Power Formula: How to Make
Killer Contacts, Pull Crowds to Events, be a Star in Your
Industry & Track Down Leads Like a Bloodhound” at
http://www.publicityhound.com/publicity-products/marketing-
tapes/linkedinpowerformula.htm

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

Don Luepnitz of Norwalk, CA, writes:

“I am with the Norwalk, CA, Moose Lodge, and we can sure use some
help getting the word out and trying to get new people to come
down and or join.

“We offer dinners, breakfast, bingo, darts, full bar, a kids
room, and have fundraisers for ourselves and other charities. We
also sponsor kids’ sports teams, and we have a Facebook Fan Page
at
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Norwalk-CA-Moose-Family-
Center-1739/219549031389577

“How can we use traditional and social media to attract more
members and visitors?”

The website is at http://www.norwalkmoose.org

The Publicity Hound says:

Put a Facebook button that leads to your fan page on your
website. Also, start submitting items about your events to
Patch.com, the uber-local website. There’s a Patch for
Cerritos/Artesia and that might be close enough to you for them
to accept your news items. Also see “12 More Ways to Avoid Missed
Opportunities with the New & Improved Facebook” at
http://www.publicityhound.com/publicity-products/marketing-
tapes/facebook12ways.htm

Hounds, what ideas do you have for Don? Post them to my blog at
http://publicityhound.net/?p=8351

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

Here’s a silly YouTube video of Romeo the Pug playing piano:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFAy84Pesb0

======================================
7. And at My Blog & Mobile Site…
======================================

Sample PR contracts included in free ebook
http://publicityhound.net/?p=8326

——————————————-

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

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

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 or you told me you want to subscribe.

Privacy Statement:

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

================================================
Joan Stewart
a.k.a. The Publicity Hound
P.O. Box 437
Port Washington, WI 53074-0437
U.S.A.
Phone: 262-284-7451

The Publicity Hound’s
Tips of the Week
Issue #494 March 2, 2010
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.com/
http://www.publicityHound.net/ (Blog)
http://www.publicityarticles.net/ (Ezine Archives)

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

“Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity”

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

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

1. Five Places to Meet Journalists

2. Google Eyes Facebook Updates

3. Media Lead

4. Marketing Sspeeches on anti-Semitism

5. Help This Hound

6. Hound Joke of the Week

7. And at My Blogs…

======================================
1. Five Places to Meet Journalists
======================================

Meeting journalists and broadcasters in person is easy if you
know where to look.

In most cases, you should start to build the relationship first,
and pitch later. Here are five places to find them:

–At your local press club events. These are great opportunities
to meet them in casual settings.

–At the many public events hosted by local business journals.
Reporters and editors often attend.

–At events where journalists are speaking. Groups hosting awards
dinners and fund-raisers frequently invite TV anchors to deliver
the keynote address.

–In the media room at conventions and trade shows. You might not
be allowed inside without a media pass, but you can hang around
near the exit. Don’t hesitate to invite a journalist for coffee,
and pitch.

–At the National Publicity Summit in New York City, April 28-May
3, where you can meet editors, reporters, freelancers and guest
bookers for TV and radio talk shows, and pitch them. You must
apply, and only 100 people will be chosen to attend. Learn more
at http://www.nationalpublicitysummit.com/?10011 I’ve been
recommending the publicity summit to Publicity Hounds who have
great story ideas but need help refining their pitches and
meeting the right journalists.

======================================
2. Google Eyes Fan Page Updates
======================================

Last week, I listed several reasons why Facebook Fan Pages are
such a powerful tool in a publicity and marketing campaign.

Here’s one more. Google is now indexing status updates on Fan
Pages.

Those simple one- and two-sentence updates that answer the
question, “What’s on your mind?” take just a few seconds to write
and now show up in Google’s results when somebody types the same
keywords into the search engines that are in your updates. What
could be easier?

Have you created your Fan Page yet? Lots of people are confused
by Facebook Fan Pages vs. Profiles, Fan Pages vs. Groups, and the
type of content that’s appropriate for a Fan Page.

Christine Buffaloe sorts it all out and gives you step-by-
directions on how to create a Page, what to include on it and how
to promote it in “11 Ways to Avoid Missed Opportunities on
Facebook.” It’s a recording of a teleseminar I hosted last
summer. Over the weekend, I emailed updated handouts to everyone
who registered, or bought the CD, MP3 or electronic transcript.

Don’t miss this one. Fan Pages are great for branding and
building a huge following. Learn more at
http://budurl.com/facebookwithchris

=====================================
3. Media Lead
=====================================

Attention motivational speakers, authors and consultants:

If you or your PR client can motivate entrepreneurs and upper
management in corporations, you might be a perfect candidate for
Motivated magazine. The editor welcomes your pitches.

Details at my blog at http://ow.ly/1dhOi

======================================
4. Marketing Speeches on anti-Semitism
======================================

This week, nine Publicity Hounds have tips for Judith Bron of
Spring Valley, N.Y. on how to market herself as a paid speaker on
the topic of anti-Semitism.

From J. Guevara:

“First, I would open with your credentials, to establish
credibility. They don’t have to be academic, especially with the
subject of racism. Personal experience throws a lot of weight.
You need to put a bizz plan together with marketing as the main
project. Presenting a message in a lecture or a novel is the easy
part. Once you get into promoting it you’ll find that’s not even
the half of it.”

From Dale Hutchings:

“Find states and communities that have a heavy Jewish population.
This will help to narrow the focus of your search. Another thing
you need to research is finding Holocaust museums throughout the
U.S…This might be one marketing segment that would be open to
having you come and speak.”

From Gail Sideman:

“In this difficult speaker’s climate, you want to highlight your
credentials for this topic almost as diligently as your ability
to capture an audience. Are you a Holocaust Survivor, or a
college professor who?s knowledgeable and has spoken about World
War II and anti-Semitism?”

The Publicity Hound says:

Read all the responses to this week?s “Help This Hound” question
at http://tinyurl.com/antisemitismspeaker and then check out my
ebook, “How to be a Kick-butt Publicity Hound,” chock full of
publicity tips for professional speakers, small business owners,
nonprofits, and anyone promoting a cause or issue. The updated
edition includes eight new chapters on social media. Learn more
at http://publicityhound.com/publicity/publicityhound.htm

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

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

Patti Chavet of Frisco, Texas writes:

“I’m a sales consultant and I want to brand myself as an expert
in active adult lifestyle living in Texas.

“My target market is Baby Boomers, age 55 and older, who want to
downsize to a maintenance-free home so they’re free to explore
personal hobbies, interests, public service, education, travel,
etc., all in the company of others who share the same lifestyle.

“I work for Del Webb, whose communities traditionally have
targeted retirees looking to downsize. I’m new to marketing, and
I’d like ideas and advice on how to use traditional and social
media to become the go-to person in Texas who can help Baby
Boomers move from big houses to easy-to-manage single-family
homes in Del Webb communities.

“Where should I begin? I’ve been in this niche market for more
than 20 years, so I’m already an expert. My challenge is to now
spread the word throughout Texas. I’d love to hear suggestions
from your Publicity Hounds.”

The Publicity Hound says:

There are so many opportunities for you, Patti, that I don’t know
where to begin. But I’ll bet my Hounds do. If you have ideas for
Patti, post them to my blog at http://ow.ly/1die7

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

Thanks to Leo & Dorothy Keeler of Anchorage, Ala. for this one:
“If dogs could talk, it would take a lot of the fun out of owning
one.” — 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/

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

Consider retweeting these blog posts:

12 tips for proofreading press releases, blogs & other copy
http://ow.ly/1dcK1

Editor of Motivated magazine welcomes pitches
http://ow.ly/1dhOi
————————————

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 #467 Sept. 1, 2009
            Publisher: Joan Stewart
       mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
          http://www.PublicityHound.com
       http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)
 http://www.PublicityArticles.net (Ezine Archives)

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

“Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity”

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

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

1. Texting in the Dentist’s Chair

2. Pull Traffic to Your Blog

3. The Gift List is Back

4. Marketing a Beef Ranch

5. Help This Hound

6. Hound Joke of the Week

7. And at My Blog…

=====================================
1. Texting in the Dentist’s Chair
=====================================

Text messaging has become so pervasive that in a recent study,
four out of five dentists said patients send or receive text
messages while in the dentist’s chair.

When the Chicago Dental Society took the survey, Dr. Alice
Boghosian, a dentist from Niles, Ill., reported that one of
her patients, a young boy, told her to stop what she was doing
when he heard his phone beep. You can read more about the survey
results at http://budurl.com/wtww

Compulsive texting, and how your company or organization is
dealing with it, is a great story to pitch to journalists and
bloggers.

–What’s the texting policy in the classroom? Pitch this as part
of back-to-school coverage.

–Are people texting during worship services? If so, is anybody
doing anything to stop it?

–What’s the policy regarding texting among doctors, nurses and
other health care providers while on duty?

–Can compulsive text messaging lead to carpal tunnel syndrome?
Doctors and chiropractors, are texters complaining about wrist
and hand pain?

–Speakers and sales trainers, do you admonish those who text
during your presentations? Does shaming them do any good?

If you can think of other story ideas that tie into texting,
pitch!

You can still participate in social media without letting it
consume you. Blogger BL Ochman, an active social networker,
explains “How to do Social Networking, Run a Business and Still
Have a Life.” See http://budurl.com/7gck

=======================================
2. Pull Traffic to Your Blog
=======================================

Dismayed by the skimpy traffic visiting your blog or website?

Colin Martin has a fairly easy solution.

Several months ago, he wrote a blog post about celebrity gossip.
Then he went to Digg.com, the giant social bookmarking site, and
bookmarked it.

After that, the post got three more Diggs from other users. A
blogger who he doesn’t know, went to the Digg site, found Colin’s
blog post, and wrote about it at his own blog. It included a link
to Colin’s post.

“That person’s blog was so incredibly popular that my blog post
got 185 views that day,” Colin says. “My Friends on Digg didn’t
generate the Diggs and views, but because I bookmarked it there,
and made the content available, this blogger who I don’t even
know was able to go in, find it, and put it on his own blog and
link back to me.”

By checking his web traffic statistics, Colin was able to tell
that 185 people came to his blog as a result of his bookmark on
Digg.

You, too, can let other people  do all the hard work. You can do
the easy part and spend five or 10 minutes a week bookmarking
interesting content, including your own.

But you must follow several important rules. Colin explained the
formula he uses for bookmarking his own content vs. content from
other people during the teleseminar I hosted on “How to do Social
Bookmarking to Promote Your Expertise, Attract Followers & Pull
Massive Amounts of Traffic.” Learn more about it at
http://budurl.com/mdn5

========================================
3. The Gift List is Back
========================================

If you have a subscription to The Gift List but have been unable
to reach their staff, it’s because they evacuated their offices
near Los Angeles for several days due to the wild fires.

“We are back in the office and will be unpacked shortly,” said
Amy Bates Stumpf. “The winds have changed and the smoke isn’t an
issue for us. However the fire is still a very serious threat to
the area.

“We apologize for the intermittent brief outages on the
Gift List Media site and expect them to be resolved very shortly.

Contact information for both the Print & Broadcast and Web & Blog
lists should be fully loaded by Tuesday morning, Sept. 1.

Research on The Gift List databases is continuing, and the staff
will let subscribers know about new pitching opportunities for
media that are planning special coverage of holiday gift-giving.
This is a great opportunity to get a photo and press release
about your product or service in front of your target audience.
Test drive The Gift List at http://snipurl.com/GiftListMedia

=================================
4. Marketing a Beef Ranch
=================================

This week, four Publicity Hounds have tips for Jeff Clear, of
Monument, Colo., who does Internet marketing for Lasater
Grassland Beef, a grass-fed beef ranch. He is searching for more
ways to reach his target market online.

From Wendy Edsall-Kerwin:

“Try to find blogs aimed at foodies or health-conscious moms, and
see if you can guest post or submit recipes calling for your
grass-fed beef.”

From Christine Roen:

“Check out the blog attached to Foodnetwork.com and the
‘community’ at EatingWell.com. Start a blog of your own or a
newsletter. Finally, how about participating in the Forum
section on the Whole Foods site?”

From Laura Mackenzie:

“You might want to create some press releases or articles that
tell people why your food is a good choice instead of all these
tainted foods, and then explain, point by point, why your beef is
so healthy.”

The Publicity Hound says:

Read all the responses to this week’s Help This Hound question at
http://budurl.com/ejze and then check out “Publicity Tips for
Restaurants, Chefs & Foodies” at http://budurl.com/hyv8

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

Maria Antonia, of New York, N.Y., writes:

“I volunteer for a small independent film company based in New
York, NY. We recently completed filming for a feature film
called ‘Under Jakob’s Ladder’. Set in the Soviet Union in 1941,
it’s based on a true story about a man who was thrown into prison
for praying at a funeral.

“We’re still editing the movie and it’s almost ready to be
screened. How can we spread the word that this movie is coming
soon?

“Any ideas for unique and intriguing ways that we can use our
blog, website, and our Facebook page to get people interested?
What would make YOU want to go see an independent feature film
that doesn’t have oodles of money for advertisements? Remember,
we’re not studio backed. Right now, we’re looking at releasing
this movie ourselves and booking our own theaters.”

The Publicity Hound says:

You have a great blog at http://amoonbrothersfilm.blogspot.com/
that keeps fans updated while you’re making the movie. Let’s see
how many ideas my Hounds can suggest for other ways to attract
the attention of people who don’t yet know about the movie.

Hounds with creative ideas for Maria can post them at my blog at
http://budurl.com/d42w

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

I couldn’t help but smile when I read this profile story of
Chanel, the world’s oldest dog:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30596398/  The dachshund mix from
Long Island, N.Y., died Friday at age 21.

Chanel, by the way, wore “doggles” for her cataracts and lived to
a ripe old age despite downing an entire bag of peanut butter
cups.

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…
================================

Sept. 11 deadline for O Magazine pitches
http://budurl.com/3bvj

————————————

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 #465 Aug. 18, 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. Feedback, Please

2. Huge Payoff for 15 Minutes a Week

3. Pitch Holiday Gift Guides Now

4. Promoting Intranet Software

5. Help This Hound

6. Hound Joke of the Week

7. And at My Blog…

=====================================
1. Feedback, Please
=====================================

This is the first issue of my newsletter that’s being sent from
AWeber, the list management company I’m using.

I’m also offering you the choice of whether you want to read it
in HTML or plain text.

If you prefer HTML, please understand that using a lot of photos,
different colors and fancy formatting drastically increases the
chances that the newsletter might not arrive in your inbox.
Elaborate designs are more vulnerable to spam filters.

I’ll be making minor design changes in the weeks ahead. But I’m
curious to hear your feedback–good, bad or otherwise. We have
three concerns:

–Whether you’re getting the newsletter

–How it looks on your monitor

–If you’re receiving it in the format you’ve requested (text vs.
HTML)

All comments welcome. Email to
JStewart@PublicityHound.com?subject=Feedback

=====================================
2. Huge Payoff for 15 Minutes a Week
=====================================

If you want to boost the ranking of your blog or website on
Google by getting more authoritative sites to link to you, you
only have to spend five minutes a day, three times a week, on
social bookmarking.

That’s it. Just 15 minutes total. You can even delegate this task
to an assistant.

Colin Martin, who was my guest during last week’s teleseminar on
“How to do Social Bookmarking to Promote Your Expertise, Attract
Followers & Pull Massive Amounts of Traffic,” said that’s how
much time he spends to help get many of his sites in the Top 10
positions on Google.

That’s practically nothing, compared to all the time you spend
tweeting, retweeting, joining the conversation on Facebook and
checking your direct mail on all the social networking sites.

By sharing content, including your own, with other bookmarkers,
you’re making it easy for people to find you and connect.

There’s one other way to encourage people to bookmark your blog
posts, articles at your website, your videos, photos and other
content. (I delegated this to my assistant, and you can, too.)

You’ll learn what it is and how to do it when you listen to the
recording or read the electronic transcript from last week’s
call. CDs will be ready in a few days. The transcript will be
available this weekend. MP3s can be downloaded right now.

Read more about how to use bookmarking to enhance the power of
everything you do online at http://budurl.com/mdn5

=====================================
3. Pitch Holiday Gift Guides Now
=====================================

There’s still time to pitch more than 400 magazines, including
certain editors at Better Homes & Gardens, if you’re trying to be
included in their end-of-year holiday gift coverage.

Most editors are facing late deadlines, lean staffs, and
last-minute special sections that publishers hope will lure
advertisers.

“While this may put many editors in a quandary of pulling their
publications together quickly, it allows you to take advantage
of a unique opportunity to secure editorial coverage at later
dates,” says Amy Bates Stump, whose company, Gift List Media,
provides contact information and pitching tips for hundreds of
media outlets looking for products and services that will make
great gifts.

Long leads for large circulation magazines, however, will be
wrapped up within the next few weeks.

The list of media that are planning gift guides will grow
considerably over the next month as Amy and her staff discuss
holiday editorial plans with editors at newspapers,
syndicates, and broadcasters who traditionally don’t start
planning their editorial calendars until after Labor Day.

Don’t make the mistake of waiting until late autumn to start
thinking about pitching these media. Jump on board now and
test-drive her service at http://snipurl.com/GiftListMedia

=========================================
4. Promoting Intranet Software
=========================================

This week, nine Publicity Hounds have suggestions on how Martin
Amm of Boston, Mass., can market his company, adenin
Technologies, Inc. which provides intranet software for
businesses.

From Mellanie True Hills:

“I found features and pricing at your website, but where the heck
are the benefits for me, if I were still a corporate executive or
IT executive? Don’t waste my time on a demo. Just give me a
concise list of benefits. And if you can apply them to my
industry, so much the better.”

From Gin:

“I would suggest trying the regular and alternative schools and
colleges. Businesses that tend to have groups of people and this
area would be large in the metro areas and available across a
nation though it is just one niche. Maybe youth centres through
children services and small business trade shows and their trade
journals.”

From Reece Franklin:

“Use social media with a different ‘group,’ like on Facebook,
that you create for different types of prospects. Same with
publicity, as Joan taught me. One size does not fit all.”

The Publicity Hound says:

Read all the responses to this week’s Help This Hound question
http://budurl.com/hux6

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

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

Jennifer Louden of Bainbridge Island, Wa. writes:

“I’m a best-selling author and my last book, The Life Organizer:
A Womans Guide to a Mindful Year, got a call back from an Oprah
producer in March 2007. They called us saying, ‘We love the book
but don’t know how to use it. We will be in touch.’

“Nothing since, even though we have repitched.

“The book is for women who juggle conflicting roles and
schedules. It shows them how to slay the ‘time monsters’ that
keep them from following their dreams. It has 13 planning
sections with four weeks of theme-based questions and includes
true stories of other women who have used the program to improve
their lives and discover their soul’s purpose.

“I want to repitch again with a new angle but am so close to the
material, I’m clueless. My wonderful publisher, New World
Library, will do the pitching, but they are out of ideas as well.

“Anybody have a good hook?”

The Publicity Hound says:

Back-to-school seems like the perfect tie-in. But I’m betting my
Hounds will post lots of other terrific ideas at my blog at
http://budurl.com/yldr

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

The Publicity Hound asks:

When dog food is “new and improved” and better tasting, who tests
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/

=================================
7. And at my Blog…
=================================

National Publicity Summit expected to sell out soon
http://budurl.com/jbt8

Measure your PR, publicity success these 3 ways
http://budurl.com/paqf

————————————-

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 #463 Aug. 11, 2009
        Publisher: Joan Stewart
  mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
    http://www.PublicityHound.com
 http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)
 http://www.PublicityArticles.net (Ezine Archives)

           Circulation: 38,964

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

“Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity”

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

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

Important: Mark Your Calendar

I’m doing one more test before I send this newsletter from a new
server next week.

Please mark your calendar for Tuesday, Aug. 18, and remind
yourself to make sure you receive it. If you already opted in and
got the confirmation email, you’re good to go.

If you’ve been away on vacation or haven’t opted in, you can do
so at http://www.PublicityHound.com/aweber/optin.htm

Then check your email for a message with the subject
line: “Response Required: Confirm Your Publicity Hound
Subscription.”

If you somehow get dropped from the list, email me and we’ll do
everything possible to get you back on.
*****************************************

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

1. ‘I See Your Name Everywhere’

2. Share Your Best Food Nuggets

3. Use Receipts as Marketing Tools

4. Inflight Mags Want Your Events

5. Promoting Skirts for Chairs

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Video of the Week

8. And at My Blog…

=====================================
1. ‘I See Your Name Everywhere’
=====================================

When people search for a product or service you sell by typing it
into the search engines, you want your website to appear on the
first page of Google.

But these days, that isn’t good enough.

Prospects often visit several sites, and then decide what they
want to buy–and from whom. That’s why it’s important for people
to find your website numerous times on that first page.

If you have only one website, or one blog, how can you capture
several of those top slots?

Paul Colligan, a faculty member for Stompernet, the membership
site for Internet marketers, said it’s much easier than you
think. In the latest issue of The Net Effect, Stompernet’s
subscription magazine, he has identified 10 websites that let you
create an account or page. All 10 tend to do very well in the
search engines for a specific term or phrase.

“Find enough of them and you’ll end up with a great batch of Top
10 listings where you can control the messaging,” he writes.

He calls it the “I’ve seen you out there” effect. I call it the
“I see your name everywhere” effect. Those phrases should be
music to every Publicity Hound’s ears.

Not surprisingly, those sites include Facebook, Twitter and
YouTube. They also include one you might not have thought of–
Digg.com, the most popular social bookmarking site.

“Update your profile for your message and ‘Digg’ a few articles
that help make your point,” Paul says. “This shows you’re a
serious player in this space–geek and non-geek alike. Those who
think Digg is important will be thrilled to find you there. Those
who don’t care will find you on yet another page.”

I’ve gotten so many requests for information on social
bookmarking that I’m hosting a teleseminar at 8 p.m. Eastern Time
on Thursday, Aug. 13, on “How to do Social Bookmarking to Promote
Your Expertise, Attract Followers & Pull Massive Amounts of
Traffic.”

Colin Martin, my guest expert, has created four videos that show
how to create your accounts at these sites, how to bookmark
content, how to make friends and join groups, and everyday uses
and results of this powerful marketing tool. Everyone who
registers will receive a link to the videos. We suggest you watch
them before the call.

If the time is inconvenient, sign up anyway and receive the MP3
download.

Hint: If you want major publicity in top-tier media, remember
that journalists and big bloggers frequently visit social
bookmarking sites to find out what people are talking about.

Read more about the teleseminar and register at
http://www.snipurl.com/social_bookmarking_teleseminar

=====================================
2. Share Your Best Food Nuggets
=====================================

On Twitter, do you get tired of reading about what people ate for
lunch?

I do. But Internet marketer Sherman Hu says his Twitter followers
react most favorably to tweets about unusual food he has eaten,
or links to photos of spectacular restaurant meals he has
enjoyed.

Here are food-related ideas to discuss in social media without
boring your friends and followers. If you can somehow tie this
information to what you do, that’s even better.

–Yummy recipes for seasonal foods.

–The best and worst restaurant food you’ve eaten recently.

–Fun foods you’ve tasted at summer fairs and festivals. I wrote
about eating a pickle on a stick, rather than a fattening cream
puff, at the Wisconsin State Fair and got lots of comments
from my Twitter and Facebook friends.

–What are you doing with all those veggies in your garden? My
recipe for Tomato Pie at http://budurl.com/5gl6 gets fabulous
feedback from my followers.

–Your favorite mixed drinks and summer beverages.

–Fast and healthy back-to-school lunches for kids.

If you’re using Twitter for business, learn how to promote
without beating people over the head with an obnoxious sales
pitch. See “How to Use Twitter to Amass an Army of Followers,
Customers & Valuable Contacts–and Promote” at
http://budurl.com/bupu

=====================================
3. Use Receipts as Marketing Tools
=====================================

Here’s a great tip courtesy of Jaime Oikle, of
RestaurantReport.com, who hosted a teleseminar last week on how
restaurants can use social media. (I was a guest expert.)

Let your customers and clients know where they can find you on
the social media sites by printing your Twitter name and Facebook
URL on the front of your receipts.

Go a step further and add that information to your invoices, paid
ads, paper and plastic bags, product wrappers and business cards.
And don’t forget your website.

Did you know that Facebook lets you create an attractive “badge”
for your website or blog? When visitors click on the badge, it
takes them to your Facebook profile.

Christine Buffaloe of Serenity Virtual Assistant Services, my VA
who manages many of my social media accounts, explained in step-
by-step detail how to create the badge during the teleseminar “11
Ways to Avoid Missed Opportunities on Facebook.” The recording or
transcript comes with 28 pages of illustrated handouts that show
you how to get the great return on your investment of time on
Facebook.

Read more about the 11 opportunities that many Facebook users
miss at http://budurl.com/jfgw

=========================================
4. Inflight Mags Want Your Events
=========================================

Sponsoring an event that tourists as well as locals will love?

Don’t forget to submit a press release and photos to the inflight
magazines published by airlines that serve the city where your
event will be held.

On a recent trip, I found the following events listed in Midwest
Airline’s inflight magazine:

–The EAA AirVenture, the annual aviation event, in Oshkosh, Wis.

–Concerts at The Wolf Trap’s Filene Center in Washington, D.C.

–The Music City’s Brewer’s Festival in Nashville, Tenn.

–The National Derby Rallies’ soapbox derby championships in Des
Moines, Iowa.

–The BDO Women’s Junior World Cup, a field hockey event, at
Harvard University.

–The quirky Bumbershoot Festival, featuring music and
entertainment, in Seattle, Wash.

These magazines, by the way, absolutely love promoting things
like art exhibits and cultural programs.

It can take you several days to track down the correct contact
information for the inflight magazines where you want publicity.
Save time and aggravation with my “Special Report #29: Fly High
with Publicity in the Inflight Magazines.” It gives you contact
information and pitching tips for 49 magazines published by
domestic and international airlines. Buy the report today and
you’ll also get the October 2009 update in two months.

Read more about it at http://budurl.com/6kyz

========================================
5. Promoting Skirts for Chairs
========================================

This week, 11 Publicity Hounds have tips for Suzanne Fox Sevel,
of Melbourne, Fla., on how her client can promote Scurtz. They’re
stylish, decorative skirts for chairs.

From Lori Green LeRoy:

“Try contacting some of the HGTV, TLC, DIY renovation
shows and give them some of the Scurtz to use on the shows.”

From Sonia Singh:

“Try something around event planning. It’s a little late for
the wedding season but may be a good start for holiday parties.
Or partner with an event planner or venue to be one of their
vendors.”

From Maria:

“Create YouTube videos about ‘How to Decorate for a
Mother/Daughter Tea Party’ or ‘Create a Fairy Tale Birthday Table
for your Daughter.’”

The Publicity Hound says:

Take Maria’s idea one step further and pitch those ideas to mommy
bloggers. That niche is huge, and often ignored. See my article
“Let Bloggers Create Publicity for You” at http://budurl.com/8w45

Read all the responses to this week’s Help This Hound question
http://budurl.com/e4u2

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

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

Martin Amm of Boston, Mass., writes:

“Our company, Adenin Technologies, Inc., provides a complete
intranet suite for businesses. We also offer software that turns
your existing intranet into web 2.0, including blogs, a Twitter-
like app and more.

“Employees communicate and interact with each other better using
the intranet software. It’s a simpler and more user-friendly
intranet than Sharepoint.

“We’ve been using social media to build relationships with the
intranet industry and prospects. We’ve also contacted specific
publications with story ideas rather than pitching them. We’ve
made great connections, but haven’t seen many results in terms of
publicity and sales. What can we do to help our little company
gain more attention?”

The Publicity Hound says:

For starters, pitch a story about your business to the Boston
Business Journal. It’s one of 40 newspapers published by American
City Business Journals. Appearing in that publication will make
you more credible in the eyes of other journalists, bloggers and
web visitors.

Hounds with suggestions for Martin can post them to my blog at
http://budurl.com/hux6

Paul Furiga, a former business journal editor, says there’s a
great way to rub elbows with the top editors and reporters at
these newspapers and start building the relationship long
before you start pitching them. He explained the strategy when I
interviewed him on “How to Use Business Journals to Tell Your
Story.” Read more about what we discussed at
http://budurl.com/lhrt

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

This video titled “Stealing Animals” includes four dogs, so it
qualifies as a Hound Video of the Week. My favorite thief is the
Dalmatian that pilfers from the toaster oven.

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

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…
=================================

Wanted: Testers for my publicity tips newsletter
http://budurl.com/hdwx

Authors, do these 2 things before writing a book
http://budurl.com/cwfj

————————————-

Where to See & Hear The Publicity Hound:

August 13 — Social Bookmarking Teleseminar

“How to do Social Bookmarking to Promote Your Expertise, Attract
Followers & Pull Massive Amounts of Traffic,” with Colin Martin.
Register and receive a link where you can watch four videos that
explain how to create your accounts at these sites, how to
bookmark content, how to make friends and join groups, and
everyday uses and results of this powerful marketing tool. All
registrants will also receive the MP3 audio of the call. Register
at http://www.snipurl.com/social_bookmarking_teleseminar

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

Friend me on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/joanstewart

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 #462 Aug. 4, 2009
        Publisher: Joan Stewart
  mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
    http://www.PublicityHound.com
 http://www.publicityhound.net/  (Blog)
 http://www.PublicityArticles.net   (Ezine Archives)

           Circulation: 38,964

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

“Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity”

Receive this ezine direct to your desktop
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=========================================
          In This Issue
=========================================

1. No Junk for Granny

2. How to Make Page 1 on Google

3. Pitch Back-to-School Stories

4. Promote Your Food, Wine Events & Blogs

5. I’m Moving, Come with Me

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. And at My Blog…

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1. No Junk for Granny
=====================================

The world is filled with grandmothers and great grandmothers who
seldom venture outside their homes.

Yet their families buy them perfume, jewelry and other useless
junk that ends up in the trash.

Jacqueline Whitmore, the gift-giving expert for Sam’s Club,
can suggest dozens of better ideas for gifts that granny would
cherish.

Buying a gift for the boss?

Best not to give booze. As the gift-buying expert for Office
Depot, Jacqueline has better ideas for tasteful gifts that aren’t
too personal and won’t get you into trouble at work.

Buying cell phones for your kids? Why not teach them cell phone
etiquette?

You can get tips galore from, who else, but Jacqueline Whitmore,
the national spokesperson for Sprint. She shares them on Twitter
at http://twitter.com/EtiquetteExpert and on Facebook at
http://budurl.com/467b

Her photo and tips are usually plastered all over newspapers and
magazines during National Cell Phone Courtesy Month in July.

You’ll also find her promoting Clarisonic, a company that sells
skin care products, as well as Hologic, which sells imaging
equipment for the health care industry.

Jacqueline has been covered by The Wall Street Journal, The New
York Times, USA Today, Glamour, Time, Fortune, Us Weekly, and O
magazine. She has been interviewed by CNN, FOX News, and ABC’s
20/20. That’s the short list, by the way.

“When you’re aligned with a corporation, especially a Fortune 500
company or one that has a reputable name, you’re perceived as
more credible because that corporation has chosen you as its
spokesperson,” she told me this morning.

She said that Brendon Burchard, an expert on how to partner with
large companies, presented a program on that topic last month at
the National Speakers Association convention in Phoenix. The
crowd loved him.

“He was one of the highest-rated speakers at the convention,” she
said.

Brendon will share his secrets during a free teleseminar this
Thursday, Aug. 6, with Steve Harrison. Discover how you can use
his methods to promote your own book, product or business, just
like Jacqueline does, and get PR firms to pay all your expenses.

The call will be presented twice–at 2 and 7 p.m. Eastern. If you
can’t make it, please recruit someone to listen and take notes
for you. Register at
http://www.SponsorshipTrainingTeleseminar.com/?10011

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2. How to Make Page 1 on Google
=====================================

The next time President Barack Obama does something inspiring,
infuriating, heroic or stupid–and millions of people type his
name into Google to learn more about it–will your blog or
website appear near the top of the list?

It very well could, says Colin Martin, even if you work in an
industry that’s a little dull.

“Your industry isn’t as boring as you think,” says Colin, a
social media expert who knows how you can spin a presidential
news item, or any news item for that matter, into a top spot on
Google.

One way to do it is by creating fun, quirky or controversial
content tied to Obama and submitting it to a major bookmarking
site like Digg.com.

Within minutes, you can have thousands of eyeballs reading your
blog post or an article at your website, or watching a video
you’ve created.

The content can even turn into what Colin calls a “server
burner.” That’s a website that gets thousands of hits in one day,
or just a few hours. That big burst of traffic can also give you
top search engine positioning.

I asked Colin to produce four videos for the teleseminar I’m
hosting next week on social bookmarking. In one video, he
demonstrates how interesting content on one of the major
bookmarking sites got 2,820 hits in just several hours.

“How to do Social Bookmarking to Promote Your Expertise, Attract
Followers & Pull Massive Amounts of Traffic” will be presented at
8 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, Aug. 13. If the time is inconvenient,
sign up anyway and receive the MP3 download.

Tomorrow, everyone who registers for the call will receive a link
to the four videos Colin has created. They show in step-by-step
detail how to create your accounts at these sites, how to
bookmark content, how to make friends and join groups, and
everyday uses and results of this powerful marking tool. I
suggest you watch the videos before the call, if you have time.

Hint: If you want major publicity in top-tier media, remember
that journalists and big bloggers frequently refer to social
bookmarking sites to find out what people are talking about.

Read more about the teleseminar and register at
http://www.snipurl.com/social_bookmarking_teleseminar

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3. Pitch Back-to-School Stories
=====================================

It’s almost time for students to return to school, and that means
publicity opportunities galore in the traditional and social
media. Pitch stories and offer advice on:

–Decorating college dorm rooms.

–How to make and pack healthy lunches.

–Resources for parents and students.

–Schoolyard bullying.

–Cell phones in the classroom.

–Technology in the classroom.

–How to beat the high cost of college.

–Fashion trends.

–Studying for the SAT tests.

–The trendiest school supplies.

–Parents returning to school.

–How to know if your kid needs a tutor.

–Cheating.

–Good study habits.

–The benefits of sleep.

If none of these ideas work for you, I have lots more that will.
I teamed up with TV producer Shawne Duperon to brainstorm “103
Sizzling Story Ideas from July through December.” You can
download all the ideas immediately when you buy the recording or
transcript of this teleseminar I hosted with Shawne. Read more
about the kinds of tips you’ll find at http://budurl.com/v84e

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4. Promote Your Food, Wine Events & Blogs
=========================================

Thanks to Publicity Hound Lee Romano Sequeira for sharing this
helpful website for anyone who needs to promote a wine event like
a wine tasting, festival, class or party.

It’s at http://www.LocalWineEvents.com and it even invites
Publicity Hounds to submit and link to their blogs devoted to
wine, food, beer, spirits or etiquette. It has a Google Page Rank
of 6, which means more Google juice for you.

Lee, by the way, is my Facebook Friend, and that’s where I
learned about this website.

Facebook has become a valuable resource for me. Because I share a
lot of helpful information at that site, and have my own Fan
page, I get a lot of feedback from Friends and Fans. Hence, more
content for this newsletter.

For me, that’s a huge return on investment.

You can become my Fan at http://budurl.com/k48y

Learn how to create your own Fan Pages, find more top-quality
Fans, and use Facebook nine other ways to connect with people.
See “11 Ways to Avoid Missed Opportunities on Facebook” at
http://budurl.com/jfgw

========================================
5. I’m Moving, Come with Me
========================================

Starting next week, this newsletter will be coming to you from a
new server.

To stay with me, you must do two things:

First, resubscribe by going to
http://www.PublicityHound.com/aweber/optin.htm and entering your
name and email address into the form.

Second, check your email inbox for a message with the subject
line: “Response Required: Confirm Your Publicity Hound
Subscription.”

If you somehow get lost, email me and I’ll put you back onto the
list. But if you follow these two steps, you should be fine.

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

Suzanne Fox Sevel of Melbourne, Fla., writes:

“I have a client in Atlanta, Ga. who just launched a new product
called Scurtz: stylish, decorative skirts for chairs. They’re
very upscale, and some people see them as an alternative to
tablecloths or place settings as a unique way of decorating for
guests.

“They’re $49-$69 a pair and come in luxurious or traditional
fabrics such as velvet and tulle. Since they are so new, there
are not very many customers. The sales numbers are not
impressive enough for the local business press to even write a
story about it.

“Also, local newspapers and magazines are showing little interest
in writing a feature story about these fabulous home accessories
or the two entrepreneurial moms who invented them.

“They will be available to a major retailer very soon, but my job
is to create some initial buzz and excitement about them first so
that when they hit the stores, there will be a line of people
waiting for them. Do your Hounds have any ideas for low-cost,
high-impact PR? The owner is not on Facebook or Twitter and has
no interest in social networking as a means of promotion.”

The website is at http://www.Scurtz.com

The Publicity Hound says:

No interest in social networking as a means of promotion? You’re
breaking my heart!

There are so many opportunities to share their information on the
social networking sites, including the hundreds of mom
entrepreneur sites, that I don’t even know where to begin.

Let’s see how many clever publicity and marketing ideas other
Hounds can suggest. Think holidays, home decorating, mom
entrepreneurs, chairs inside businesses, types of chairs, etc.

You can watch a video demonstration of how to tie a Scurtz, and
post your best ideas for Suzanne, at my blog at
http://budurl.com/e4u2

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

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

Thanks to Twitter follower @NathanBryce for this one:

A dog gave birth on the side of the road and was cited for…
littering. (OK, Hounds, I’ll make to you next week with a
really funny video. Promise.)

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…
=================================

Social media time-saver: Turn a LinkedIn Q&A into a video
http://budurl.com/jhvb

Lemon-Ginger String Beans: Quick & healthy
http://budurl.com/aeyt

How to pitch small business tips, stories to BusinessWeek.com
http://budurl.com/kzfj

Subscribe to my publicity tips? I don’t want to lose you
http://budurl.com/my7z

How to land a corporate sponsor, even in a bad economy
http://budurl.com/4dvk

————————————-

Where to See & Hear The Publicity Hound:

Aug. 5 — Teleseminar for Restaurants

“How Restaurants Can Use Social Media to Create a Loyal Following
and Keep Customers Coming Back–Even in a Rotten Economy.”  3
p.m. Eastern. Host: Jaime Oikle of RestaurantReport.com. Register
at http://budurl.com/m6tl

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

Friend me on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/joanstewart

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 #461 July 28, 2009
        Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
     http://www.PublicityHound.com
  http://www.publicityhound.net/  (Blog)
http://www.PublicityArticles.net  (Ezine Archives)

       Circulation: 38,964

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

“Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity”

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

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

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

1. It’s All About Relationships

2. Social Bookmarking How-to

3. TV Interviews from Hell

4. Growing Hunger for Food News

5. Promoting a Website for Black Doctors

6. Have You Signed Up for My Newsletter?

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. And at My Blog…

=====================================
1. It’s All About Relationships
=====================================

When Publicity Hound Gail Sideman met freelancer Alyson McNutt
English at a writers’ conference more than a year ago, she
pitched a story about her client, a Wisconsin jeweler who makes
diamond encrusted jewelry and other blingy rings, necklaces and
baubles for professional athletes.

Soon after the interview, Alyson wrote the story for ESPN the
Magazine. But with the economy headed south, Gail said, “I
figured it was a dead story. The last thing people want to read
about is athletes buying expensive jewelry.”

Gail kept the relationship with Alyson alive. They followed each
other on Twitter, connected on LinkedIn, and stayed in even
closer contact on Facebook.

Then it happened.

A few weeks ago, Gail learned that her client, jeweler Harry
Glinberg, is shown in a huge photo on Page 2 of the July 27 issue
of the ESPN magazine, holding up a fistful of flashy necklaces
and diamond-studded brooches. It accompanies a feature titled “6
Things About Dealing Athlete Ice.”

Read it, and check out the great quotes, at
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?id=4344204

The story caught the attention of Charlie Villanueva, who plays
for the Detroit Pistons and is one of Harry’s clients.

“Charlie’s active on Facebook and Twitter and asked on those
sites how his jeweler got into ESPN’s magazine,” said Gail, a
sports publicist.

Traditional and social media publicity, she says, can work hand
in hand.

“A traditional pitch to a freelance reporter who writes for a
magazine turned into publicity on the social media sites. As a
publicist, that’s what I’m aiming for.”

While face-to-face communication with journalists isn’t always
possible, Gail says it can cement the relationship. Alyson has
since invited Gail to join her Fantasy Football League.

As you know if you’ve been reading this newsletter,
relationships with freelancers can prove incredibly lucrative. A
freelancer who writes for several publications might come back to
you again and again.

Publicity Hounds can meet writers, editors, freelancers and
broadcasters face to face at the National Publicity Summit Oct.
21-24 in New York City. Only 100 people will be chosen for this
event. Learn more about how to attend at
http://www.NationalPublicitySummit.com/?10011

=====================================
2. Social Bookmarking How-to
=====================================

I know what you’re thinking. One more social media task to worry
about.

That’s right. It’s called social bookmarking, and it can increase
the power of everything you do in social media.

Unlike your blog, or Facebook pages, you don’t have to create
massive amounts of content. Instead, you simply need to find it
elsewhere online, and then bookmark it for others to enjoy. And,
yes, you can also bookmark your own content, with care.

Here’s the best part. Once you get the hang of social
bookmarking, you can turn over much of this to an assistant who
can do most of the nitty-gritty work for you.

The results of my Customer Profile Survey show many of you want
more how-to information on this topic. So I’m hosting a
teleseminar on “How to do Social Bookmarking to Promote Your
Expertise, Attract Followers & Pull Massive Amounts of Traffic”
at 8 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, Aug. 13. If the time is
inconvenient, sign up anyway and receive the MP3 download.

My guest is Colin Martin, a social media expert and avid
bookmarker who will share his best tips on how to use bookmarking
to build valuable relationships online.

About a week before the call, everyone who registers will receive
a link to four videos Colin is creating. They show in step-by-
step detail how to create your accounts at these sites, how to
bookmark content, how to make friends and join groups, and
everyday uses and results of this powerful marking tool.

Read more about the teleseminar and register at
http://www.snipurl.com/social_bookmarking_teleseminar

=====================================
3. TV Interviews from Hell
=====================================

Don’t feel bad if you make mistakes when you appear as a guest on
TV news or talk shows. It’s part of the learning curve.

Being boring, overtly promoting your book, talking too much, and
failing to deliver pithy sound bites pale in comparison to the
mistakes two authors have made on shows where they appeared.

Watch both videos, which I’ve posted at my blog, and then comment
on which of the two you think is the worst. Promise me you’ll
watch both of them to the bitter end.

I can’t wait to see your comments.

Go to http://budurl.com/c764

=====================================
4. Growing Hunger for Food News
=====================================

You can say what you want about the bad economy. Foodies haven’t
cut back on their intake of food and beverage news.

I know. I’m a foodie from way back. And I’m still devouring the
Food Network, new recipes I find in magazines, and food feature
stories in local and national newspapers.

If you’re trying to pitch a food or beverage story idea, tying it
to the economy, or an emerging trend, or a celebrity, can be the
best way to grab a journalist’s attention.

But what if the newspaper you want to get into has laid off the
food editor? With so many journalists losing their jobs these
days, a good story idea just isn’t enough. You need to know how
to contact them and keep them on your radar screen.

Bulldog Reporter’s PR University will host an audio conference at
1 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, July 30, on “Maximizing Food and
Beverage Media Coverage in the New Economy: Epicurean Journalists
Field Live Pitches, Reveal Best PR Practices and Top Food Media
Trends.”

Learn how to tap into a growing hunger for food and beverage
news–and get your culinary offering on the menu at top
media today. Panelists include Hugh Garvey of Bon Appetit, Regina
Ragone of Family Circle, Megan Steintrager of Epicurious.com and
Nancy Hopkins of Better Homes & Gardens will explain how.

Learn more and register at http://snipurl.com/foodpublicity

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5. Promoting a Website for Black Doctors
========================================

This week, six Publicity Hounds have ideas on how Cynthia Barnes
of Fort Wayne, Ind., can market her website,
http://www.BlackHealthCareProviders.org  It’s a nationwide free
referral service that helps consumers find African-American
health care providers in their own neighborhoods.

From Sonia Singh:

“Get involved with your local Black Chamber of Commerce.”

From Jen Fitzgerald:

“Create a competition nominating your favourite African-American
doctor. Also, there could be an African-American doctors’
association you could target.

From Jeff Rutherford:

“I would be willing to bet that there are online listservs or
LinkedIn groups for African-American doctors and medical
professionals to network. Start making personal, one-on-one
connections with five to 10 African-American doctors. Once you’ve
built a rapport, explained your site, and ask them to alert their
colleagues.”

The Publicity Hound says:

Read all the responses to this week’s Help This Hound question
at http://budurl.com/e7xr

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

=========================================
6. Have You Signed Up for My Newsletter?
=========================================

Help This Hound takes a vacation this week, a great opportunity
for me to remind you to be sure to sign up for the new version of
this newsletter, or risk being dropped.

I’m changing email marketing companies and don’t want to lose
you. To stay with me, you must do two things:

First, subscribe to the new version of the newsletter by going to
http://www.PublicityHound.com/aweber/optin.htm and entering your
name and email address into the form.

Second, check your email inbox for a message with the subject
line: “Response Required: Confirm Your Publicity Hound
Subscription.” Click on the link inside the email. If you miss
this step, you’ll miss receiving the weekly tips and you’ll be
like a lost puppy wandering the streets, looking for its mama.

Questions? Email me at mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com  If you
ever suddenly stop receiving the newsletter, let me know and
we’ll get you back onto the list.

P.S. I need Help This Hound questions. Send them to
JStewart@PublicityHound.com?=HelpThisHound   Be sure to mention
where you live.

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

You’ll love this “Bailey Plays Dead” clip from a segment of David
Letterman’s stupid pet tricks:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DalB-CvO7Qc

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 and you also get a compilation of the 50
best websites for dog humor.

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

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

Which of these author TV-interviews-from-hell is the worst?
http://budurl.com/c764

Meeting a journalist? 9 magic phrases the media love
http://budurl.com/vsjv

Blog content in short supply? 9 ideas for bloggers
http://budurl.com/5uab

————————————

Where to See & Hear The Publicity Hound:

Aug. 5 — Teleseminar for Restaurants

“How Restaurants Can Use Social Media to Create a Loyal Following
and Keep Customers Coming Back–Even in a Rotten Economy.” 3 p.m.
Eastern. Host: Jaime Oikle of RestaurantReport.com. Register at
http://budurl.com/m6tl

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

Friend me on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/joanstewart

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 #439 Feb. 24, 2009
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)

Circulation: 42,491

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

“Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity”

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

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

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Please forward this ezine to anyone you know who needs free
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================================
In This Issue
================================

1. Enhance Your Pitch with Video

2. Target College Blogs

3. Blogrolls: Publicity Gold

4. Meet Journalists Face to Face

5. Promoting Home & Garden Shows

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. And at My Blog…

========================================
1. Enhance Your Pitch with Video
========================================

Too many Publicity Hounds are obsessed with generating coverage
in the printed versions of newspapers and magazines.

They forget that newspaper circulation is plummeting and that
things aren’t exactly rosy in the magazine industry, either.

If you can make it into your local daily newspaper,
congratulations. But what about the thousands of people who have
stopped subscribing because they can read much of the content
online and not have to pay?

If your story shows up in the printed newspaper, but not at the
paper’s website, you’re missing the chance to be in front of all
those people who read it online.

Entice editors to publish your story in the printed and online
editions by offering them video at their website. For example:

–Let’s say you’re a fashion consultant. You can pitch a story
about how Casual Friday has resulted in slobs in the workplace,
and then offer a short video that shows the Top 10 Casual Friday
Fashion Mistakes. Editors will be happy to put the video at their
website and refer to it from the story in the printed edition.

–An author publicizing a recipe book for children can offer the
food editor a video that shows a child making a peanut butter and
jelly roll-up, with help from mom or dad.

–A manufacturer who’s pitching a business story can offer video
that shows a product in various stages of completion, sort of a
mini version of the popular show “How it’s Made” on the Science
Channel.

Print journalists love video because they’re under immense
pressure to provide multi-media at their websites. Multi-media
draws visitors, and that means more people reading paid ads. So
be sure to mention video in your pitch. Lots of other Publicity
Hounds aren’t using video. If you do, you’ll set yourself apart
from the crowd.

Publicity Hound John Easton, a videographer, has turned into a
media darling in his own community of Charlotte, North Carolina
by cranking out videos whenever he can–for use at newspaper
websites and the local Chamber of Commerce websites, among
others.

He says you don’t have to be a video professional like he is to
endear the media. With an inexpensive Flip Video camera and a few
tricks up your sleeve, you can generate mountains of publicity
far and above what every else is getting.

John explained all his tricks during a teleseminar last year on
“9 Clever Ways to Use Video to Become a Publicity Darling in Your
Industry or Community.” We recorded it, and it’s available as a
CD, MP3 or electronic transcript that you can download as soon as
your order has been approved. Read more about what you’ll learn
at http://tinyurl.com/5pbgzn

==============================================
2. Target College Blogs
==============================================

If you’re publicizing something that appeals to a college
audience, the school’s newspaper and campus TV and radio stations
should be on your targeted media list.

Don’t forget about the blogs associated with those media.

I picked up a copy of The Marquette Tribune, the campus paper
published by Marquette University in Milwaukee. Inside, I found
four URLs leading to the newspapers blogs. They are devoted to
student government, music and entertainment, Greek life, and club
sports. Most of them accept comments.

I’m guessing that some college students who don’t read
traditional newspapers also don’t read their college paper but,
instead, search for information online, including these blogs.

Including college newspapers in your publicity campaign is one of
the thousands of tips featured in the 2009 update of my ebook
“How to be a Kick-butt Publicity Hound.” When co-author Tom
Antion and I updated it late last year, we added six new chapters
on social media.

This is one of my most popular learning tools because it gives
Hounds an overall view of hundreds of publicity tools and
resources, and gives specific strategies on how to use them. Our
eight new chapters include tips and strategies for using video,
MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, photo-sharing sites, and
social bookmarking. If you’re late getting started with social
media, this ebook explains in easy-to-understand terms how to
incorporate these sites into a publicity campaign.

Read more about what you’ll learn at http://tinyurl.com/2a3dp9

========================================
3. Blogrolls: Publicity Gold
========================================

Authors, if you want more reviews for your books, pay attention
to this tip.

Publicity Hounds everywhere, if you’re trying to generate
publicity among the blogging community, and you blog, this tip
applies to you, too.

It’s courtesy of Rebecca Morgan, who publishes the excellent
SpeakerNetNews ezine for speakers at
http://www.SpeakerNetNews.com

Rebecca says that since so many newspapers are discontinuing
their book review sections, Hounds need to think creatively about
ways to publicize their books.

She suggests that you hunt down bloggers who mention your blog in
their blogroll. The blogroll is the list, usually in the right or
left margin, that links to all the blogs they find interesting.

I’ve seen my blog listed on dozens, maybe even hundreds, of
blogrolls that deal with marketing, publicity, books and
promotion.

Rebecca suggests that you ask bloggers who list you in their
blogroll to review your book.

“You already know they are your fans. Send them an advance copy.
When they review it, put a link on your site to the review and
tell your readers to check it out.”

She also suggests:

–Add a quote from their review on your book description page
with a link to the full review.

–Ask other bloggers or sites that focus on your book’s topic for
a review, even if your site isn’t on their blogroll.

–Offer five f~ree books to their site to use as awards for a
contest they may want to run. Thus your book’s title stays in
front of key buyers.

–Provide bloggers with a jpg of the book cover to post with the
review.

–If you have an affiliate program, invite them to join so they
earn commissions from orders coming from their readers. Many of
these folks will also invite you to appear as a guest on their
podcasts or Internet radio shows.

Her ideas could work for many other products, not just books. To
find blogrolls that mention your blog, you can use
http://blogsearch.google.com or http://www.Technorati.com

P.S. If you list me in your blogroll and want to review the 2009
edition of “How to be a Kick-butt Publicity Hound,” or if you’re
a blogger or ezine editor who wants to review the book, let
Christine Buffaloe, my customer service manager, know.
Mailto:Chris@serenityva.com

Authors, if your book sales have fallen flat, do NOT give up and
start writing your next book. That’s a big mistake. Instead,
start applying the same strategies that book publicist Lissa
Warren uses when her clients’ book sales hit the skids. She
details them all during the teleseminar we conducted on “How to
Revive a Dying Book Marketing Campaign.” It’s available as a CD
or electronic transcript that you can read as soon as your order
has been approved.

Read more about how to jump-start dying book campaigns at
http://tinyurl.com/67bhu

==========================================
4. Meet Journalists Face to Face
==========================================

More than 100 journalists from media outlets large and small will
meet Publicity Hounds face to face at the National Publicity
Summit April 22-25 in New York.

The journalists will sit across from authors, speakers,
consultants, experts and others who will be pitching their ideas
to get onto shows like “48 Hours,” ABC’s “The View,” Fox News and
the “Today” show.

Hounds will be delivering succinct, 10- or 15-second pitches and
including all the enticing little “extras” that encourage a media
person to say “tell me more.”

Each year, only 100 people are accepted at the summit so that
each can have enough face time with journalists.

In years past, the summit has produced dozens of success stories
that include:

–Ron & Lisa Beres’s appearance on the “Today” show.

–Steve Shapiro’s big write-up in “O the Oprah Magazine” after
meeting the writer at the publicity summit.

–Barry Spilchuk’s interview on the Fox News Channel within just
five hours of meeting the producer at the summit!

–Sandy Clemmons’s stories in Health Magazine, Money Magazine and
TV Guide, all from meeting journalists face to face at this
event.

You’ll have to complete an application before you’re accepted.
Visit http://www.NationalPublicitySummit.com/?10011 for all the
details.

==========================================
5. Promoting Home & Garden Shows
==========================================

This week, eight Publicity Hounds have tips on how Lori Feldman
of St. Louis, Mo. can promote home & garden shows in four cities
throughout the United States.

From Jeff Rutherford:

“There has been so much media coverage of the impact of the
economy on people’s day-to-day lives, why not pitch reporters on
the idea that more people will be gardening this year? It’s
relatively low-cost fun, and some of those people may very well
be growing their own food. You could offer spokespeople from the
show as experts on the power of gardening–to help feed people
and promote family bonding.”

From Holly Miller:

“Get in touch with your local Master Gardeners, Cooperative
Extension Office, and any regional government groups that promote
water conservation, beautification, or storm water management
through rain gardens. For examples, see http://www.hrwet.org,
http://www.hrclean.org, and http://www.hrstorm.org.

“Additionally, check http://www.meetup.com for environmental or
gardening groups in your target area. You’ll be amazed at how
many resources there are for finding your target audience. And,
a give-away targeting a specific green initiative wouldn’t hurt.
Think about free rain barrels or installation of a rain garden.”

From Catherine McVicker:

“Get a garden center to contribute the creation of a pint-size
victory garden for four people as a prize. They get publicity at
the show, get to put a sign at the street like painters do, and,
hopefully, get word of mouth exposure as the family of four eats
its way through the garden produce during the summer.”

The Publicity Hound says:

These ideas are fabulous. The first one, about promoting
gardening during a bad economy, is perfect for TV because there
will be so many great visuals at the show. I’d pitch it to local
TV stations a day or two before the show opens in each city. If
you can find local people who preserve their garden vegetables,
that would be a great local tie-in.

TV producer Shawne Duperon gave step-by-step directions on how to
contact local TV newsrooms and pitch ideas when she was a guest
on my teleseminar “How to Get on the Local TV News Tomorrow.”

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 what you’ll learn at http://tinyurl.com/yjrktx

Read all the responses to this week’s Help This Hound question at
http://tinyurl.com/atm843

Send your own Help This Hound question to
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com

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

Jill Cranford of Livermore, Colo. writes:

“My company, Stone2Furniture, which makes outdoor furniture from
stone, is having an Ugly Patio Furniture Contest at
http://www.stone2furniture.com/contest.htm and we’ll be giving
away a set of our stone furniture valued at $4,100.

“So here I am with the rules drawn up, and it’s live on our
website and in the Media Room. I sent out 130 snail-mail flyers
and emails to editors.

“My next step is getting it to the local news channels. But I am
wondering if I am missing a step? I haven’t heard from any
editors. I know this will be fun but I’m just not sure how to
launch it.”

The Publicity Hound says:

I love these “ugliest” contests and other journalists do, too!
Sometimes a photo can tell a story far better than a press
release or a brochure. You already have two photos of entries at
the link above. The photo that shows the ugly patio table made
out of two rubber storage containers will really attract a lot of
attention when you’re pitching this story.

I’m leaving it up to my Hounds to offer suggestions on how to use
that photo, and any other ideas they have on how to promote your
contest. Hounds, you can post your ideas to my blog at
http://tinyurl.com/apbzws

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

Today is Mardi Gras Day.

To celebrate, Jeanne Hurlbert of Baton Rouge, La., shares this
video of the Mardi Gras Dog Parade, an annual event where she and
her family “throw beads and dog treats and have a great time.”
(If the video won’t load, come back in an hour or so because too
many people might be trying to watch it.)

http://tinyurl.com/d2am2b

Jeanne is the survey consultant I hired to help me create the
survey that you’ll be getting from me soon.

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…
===================================

Increase your web sales: 27 ways to get ‘em to buy
http://tinyurl.com/bmdfo7

More publicity for Dallas hardware store after Bush visits
http://tinyurl.com/blaz7p

Real estate magazine needs expert articles
http://tinyurl.com/cz8vpu

A journalist’s tips for pitching story ideas about your business
http://tinyurl.com/agzdkf

—————————————

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,
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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