Publicity Tips/Lighten Your Load April 14, 2009

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #446 April 14, 2009
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)

Circulation: 41,324

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

"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"

Receive this seine direct to your desktop
http://www.publicityhound.com/tipsoftheweek/

==========================================
********************************************

Authors, Don't Miss this One:

Jack Canfield of "Chicken Soup for the Soul" fame, learned early
how to handle rejection--and overcome it. He and Mark Victor
Hansen went on to sell more than 100 million 'Chicken Soup" books
despite the army of people who said it couldn't be done. Learn
his inside secrets during a f*ree teleseminar with Steve Harrison
on Thursday, April 16, at your choice of two times. Register at
http://budurl.com/sv7g

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

1. Lighten Your Load

2. Where to Find Speaking Gigs

3. Tea Party Publicity

4. Use a Gravatar

5. Promote a Consignment Shop

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. And at My Blog...


=================================
1. Lighten Your Load
=================================

One of the biggest misconceptions of social networking is that
you must produce mountains of content--and still keep your day
job.

Yes, you need content galore for your blog, articles, Facebook
page, press releases, Squidoo lenses, HubPages and video-sharing
sites.

But here's a little secret.

You don't have to produce all of it yourself, or even most of it.
Outsource, outsource, outsource.

Thousands of competent people, many of them unemployed, would
love to work with you right now, at prices you can afford.

And smart Publicity Hounds who realize that a bad economy is the
very best time to outsource are casting their nets for the best
writers, photographers and video producers. Those include a glut
of newspaper journalists who have joined the already crowded
market for freelance writers.

Here are five tips to get started:

--Social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter can help you
find freelancers fairly quickly. Just let people know what you're
looking for and they'll spread the word.

--If you want a wide range of candidates from which to choose,
post your project to sites like Elance.com, Guru.com or
RentaCoder.com. They will put the fee in escrow and release it
only after you've signed off on the project, thus eliminating a
lot of squabbles. I've used Elance and RentaCoder many times with
good results.

--Hire fast, and fire faster. Never let freelancers learn on your
nickel.

--Reward outstanding work.

--Require freelancers who bid on writing projects to speak
English as a first language. I made the mistake of hiring someone
offshore and was disappointed.


Leili McKinley, one of my business coaches, says there are other
traps to avoid when working with freelancers. She explained them
all and offered dozens of helpful tips on how to keep the best
freelancers working for you when she was my guest during a
teleseminar I hosted on "Outsourcing Secrets: How to Get the Best
Quality, Price & Teamwork from Freelancers." Read more about how
to get started and how to order the CD or electronic transcript
at http://budurl.com/uw5j

Still not convinced you need to outsource? Publicity Hound Debra
Condren explains why trying to do it all yourself can actually
cost you money. Read her article at http://budurl.com/gpy4


=================================
2. Where to Find Speaking Gigs
=================================

Speakers, if you're spending hours searching for events where you
can speak for a fee, or no fee, here's a handy tool that will
make your job easier.

SpeakerLeads.com at http://www.SpeakerLeads.com is a wiki that
lets meeting planners everywhere provide information on events
that need speakers. It includes other helpful details like the
deadline for speakers to apply, the major market in case you want
to search by city, and the website where you can find more
information about the event.

You can search the database, the wiki or you can opt-in and they
will send you updates--all f*ree.

Already, the wiki has about 1,000 events, as far as three years
away, that need all types of speakers for keynotes, panels and
break-out sessions. In some cases, meeting planners want only
speakers who are already planning to attend the event. But that's
OK. Speakers who need experience on the circuit will gladly take
these gigs.

Meeting planners, add this website to the list of places where
you can promote your event.

It's brought to you by the Yearbook of Experts, the service that
provides expert sources and contact information for journalists,
as well as press release distribution services for experts.

I've subscribed to this service for several years and have
received many phone calls from reporters seeking my commentary on
publicity topics. If you're an expert, this service is for you.

Mitchell Davis and his staff answer their own phones at
202-333-5000 and can get you set up. Before you call, check out
their website at http://www.expertclick.com/ and tell them I sent
you. They'll knock $100 off the price of your subscription.


=================================
3. Tea Party Publicity
=================================

Thousands of anti-tax protesters will attend tea parties in more
than 300 cities throughout the United States tomorrow.

If you're one of them, or not, here are ways to promote your
cause:

--Provide updates throughout the day on Twitter and Facebook. Use
the hashtag "#teaparty" in your tweets. Learn more about hashtags
at http://budurl.com/b8x9

--Shoot video and offer it to your local TV stations and
newspapers. Even if you're traveling hundreds of miles to
participate, you're still the local angle to this national story.

--Provide video comments to videos that generate a lot of traffic
on sites like YouTube. David Mathison offered this tip during the
teleseminar I hosted with him last week on how to use social
media to help you "be the media." Listen to the replay at
http://budurl.com/a7p5

--Take photos and upload them to photo-sharing sites like
Photobucket and Flickr. Some tea parties are encouraging
participants to bring food for food pantries. Shoot photos and
videos when you're delivering it.

--Blog about the experience.

--Offer to be a correspondent for a media outlet or website
that's interested in covering the event. The Huffington Post is
looking for local correspondents. Sign up at
http://budurl.com/jcuz

--Call your U.S. congressmen and let them know how you feel.

--Call your local TV stations and see if they're sending
reporters. If so, offer to do an on-camera interview or be their
mini-correspondent. For inside secrets on how to contact the TV
newsroom's "Queen Bee" who decides what they will and won't
cover, read about the teleseminar I hosted with Shawne Duperon on
"How to Get on the Local TV News Tomorrow" at
http://budurl.com/y5ty


If you're on the other side and want to protest the protests,
you can use many of these tactics.


=================================
4. Use a Gravatar
=================================

Why is it that when you leave a comment at someone's blog, your
photo doesn't show up next to your comment, but photos of the
other Publicity Hounds who comment are everywhere?

Could be you don't have a gravatar.

A gravatar is a globally recognized avatar, an image that follows
you from site to site and appears beside your name when you
participate. It's a powerful tool because your smiling face might
be the first thing that catches a reader's attention.

To create your own gravatar in a few minutes, go to
http://budurl.com/ahzh

Once you've done that, it's time to set up gravatars on your blog
or forum. Plug-ins are available for leading blog software and
content management systems. Watch the tutorials at the link above
for more information.

Publicity Hound David Leonhardt wrote a great blog post on "10
Ways to Make Your Gravatar Sell" at http://budurl.com/cdet and
included my gravatar and several others as examples of those he
loves.

I prefer a gravatar of someone smiling rather than a cartoon-
character depiction, or a company logo, or an inane illustration
that has nothing to do with the person behind the curtain. Social
media is all about transparency and forming relationships with
people.


At social networking sites, people can decide within a few
seconds whether to follow you when they see your gravatar and
read your profile. Almost every profile I read can be improved.
Social networking expert Nancy Marmolejo explained what the ideal
profiles include, with step-by-step instructions on how to dress
up yours during the teleseminar I recorded with her. It's called
"Can Your Social Networking Profile Pass the 10-Second Test?" and
you can read more about it at http://budurl.com/ru5e


==================================
5. Promote a Consignment Shop
==================================

This week, nine Publicity Hounds have tips for Karen Nardella of
Conway, N.H. She owns a consignment outlet and home staging
center for high-end furniture and needs to know how to spread the
word, on a very tight budget, about what she's doing.


From Howard Pierpont:

"With your location, I would look for local coverage in the
tourist media. There is a high traffic count from the Boston and
North Shore markets. They're looking for a quality and price that
beats their neighborhood locals."


From Alan McBride:

"What about a massive upper-scale garage sale? Maybe get the
local newspaper to host it. Let them think it's their idea too.
They could hire a hall or other area, sell stalls (yours is
free), and advertising is theirs."


From Cheryl Kurland:

"Go back through your previous sales receipts and make a customer
list. Create a letter and mail it to each previous customer
offering a 10 percent discount on anything purchased between
[date] and [date]. Include two business cards--one for them, one
to pass along to a friend who might be in need of your products.


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


I'm running low on HTH questions. Send yours to
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com?subject=HelpThisHound and include your city and state.


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

Karen Kalisek of Escondido, Calif. writes:

"WomensMedia.com is a seven-year-old website that has undergone a
major overhaul and is in the process of relaunching.

"We pride ourselves in offering expert advice for working
women. Currently, we have 30,000 unique website followers each
month (20 percent of those are overseas), 10,000 follow the blog,
Women's Lunch Talk, and 1,000 listen to our podcast, Working in
Heels.

"We don't male bash, but do offer realistic advice concerning
working women. We also have a library with over 200 articles
written by people such as Madeline Albright, Suze Orman, and many
other notables. We also are proud of our Google ranking of 5.

"We have done all this with no advertising or sponsorship. With
the new 'look' we want to increase our followers, create revenue
channels, offer classes, provide speakers and build
relationships. Where do we start getting the word out that we
exist? Any suggestions for a media kit, PR kit, etc. would be
greatly appreciated. We have no money, but we have a great
message with a proven history."


The Publicity Hound says:

With millions of women participating in social networking sites
and just waiting to spread the word for you, you don't need a
huge budget, or any budget for that matter, to make a splash. How
about it Hounds? How can Karen use social media as well as
traditional media to promote the site? Post your best comments to
my blog at http://budurl.com/chzf


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

Sign inside my hair salon: Unattended children will be given an
espresso and a f*ree puppy.


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...
================================

Hate Twitter? Claim your username to protect your brand
http://budurl.com/8a8n


Social media tips for getting email addresses & selling products
http://budurl.com/a7p5


Financial advisers, use WSJ section to market yourselves
http://budurl.com/qafa


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

Where to See & Hear The Publicity Hound:


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


Friend me on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/people/Joan_Stewart/541605146


Connect with me on LinkedIn:
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 News Release."

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

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

Privacy Statement:

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

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

Publicity Tips/Like Rats on a Sinking Ship Apr 7, 2009

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #445 April 7, 2009
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)

Circulation: 41,324

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

"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"

Receive this seine direct to your desktop
http://www.publicityhound.com/tipsoftheweek/

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

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

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


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

Social Media Teleseminar Tomorrow, April 8:


Puzzled about the return on investment you'll get by
participating in social media?

David Mathison, once an unknown author, has one success story
after another to share about what has happened to him as a result
of joining the conversation at sites like Twitter, Facebook and
LinkedIn.

While writing his book "Be the Media: How to Create and
Accelerate Your Message...Your Way," he spent time on those sites
and others and has one success story after another to share with
you.

David will join me for a complimentary teleseminar from 3 to 4
p.m. Eastern Time tomorrow and explain how to use social media to
create a huge following and sell more books, products or
services. Only 200 people will be able to participate. Register
at http://www.Publicityhound.com/teleseminardavemathison.htm

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

1. Like Rats on a Sinking Ship

2. Google Measures Your Influence

3. Let 'em Know You Twitter

4. Before You Write a Nonfiction Book...

5. Advice for Twitter 'Unfollowers'

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. And at My Blog...


=================================
1. Like Rats on a Sinking Ship
=================================

Those newspaper and magazine journalists you're pitching are
grumpier than ever.

You'd be grumpy, too, if you had an ax hanging over your head.

The 2009 PRWeek/PR Newswire Media Survey shows that half of the
2,174 journalists surveyed this year are considering careers
outside of journalism.

Doug Elfman, entertainment columnist at the Las Vegas Review-
Journal describes the situation like this:

"I know several people who have changed careers or have
considered changing their careers because they don't want to feel
like rats on a sinking ship anymore."

That confirms what I'm hearing from my friends in the newspaper
business.

PRWeek's survey results also show:

--70 percent of journalists are working harder this year than
last.

--They're taking on more work on the Web, where publishers
feel they have the best chance of recouping lost revenues.

--At magazines like Teen Vogue, journalists produce numerous
daily online-only items and blog posts to tide over readers
between issues.

--The number of journalists who have a social networking profile
has increased from 54 percent last year to 77 percent this year.
Many of them say they look for story ideas, sources and other
information on sites like Facebook and Twitter.


What this means to you:

--Pay attention to a newspaper's or magazine's website, not only
the printed edition. You might find many more opportunities for
publicity online than offline.

--The emphasis on the Web means journalists are no longer "print
journalists" or "broadcast journalists." They are all "multi-
media journalists." So think "multi-media" when you pitch by
offering a video clip for a newspaper's or TV station's website.

--If you're obsessed with generating publicity in traditional
media, you need to have a presence on the social networking
sites, where many journalists hunt for stories.

--Position yourself as a helpful source who's willing to go the
extra distance. Many journalists are still confused about how to
use sites like Facebook and Twitter. If you can help them by
showing them, in step-by-step detail, how to do something like
search Twitter by topic, you could score points.


If you're creating video for, let's say, your local newspaper,
you can recycle it in other ways for additional publicity.
Videographer John Easton does it all the time in Charlotte, North
Carolina, and the local chamber of commerce and TV stations love
him. During a teleseminar I hosted, he explained how you can do
what he does without fancy equipment or much techie know-how. "9
Clever Ways to Use Video to Become a Publicity Darling in Your
Industry or Community" is available as a CD, MP3 or electronic
transcript that you can download as soon as your order has been
approved.

Read more about how to use the power of video for publicity at
http://tinyurl.com/5pbgzn


=================================
2. Google Measures Your Influence
=================================

If you're one of the many people who thinks Twitter is a waste of
time and you refuse to participate, please reconsider.

Rumors have been circulating that Google is interested in buying
Twitter, the micro-blogging site that lets users send messages of
no more than 140 characters to everyone who follows them.

For now, it's nothing more than gossip. But if there's a nugget
of truth to the rumor, here's how it could affect you.

Google, the granddaddy of search engines, already measures your
influence.

Let's say you sell dog toys and somebody types "dog toys" into
the Google search box. Google will rank your site on the left
side of the screen according to several factors. One of the
biggest is whether your site includes those keywords in the title
bar, description, meta tags and copy on your website.

Another factor is how many other influential websites link to
yours.

It gives high ranking to videos, too. When Google bought YouTube
for $1.65 billion in October 2006, that was the company's way of
screaming "We think videos are important."

Same with Twitter.

If Google buys Twitter, chances are good that one of the factors
it will use to measure your influence is your Twitter presence,
how often you tweet and how often you join the conversation.

If your competitors are on Twitter but you're not, what kind of
message do you think that will send to Google?

At Stompernet's Internet marketing seminar in Atlanta last month,
several speakers predicted that the search engines will place a
greater emphasis on your influence in the social networking
world.

Already, you can measure your influence on Twitter with a variety
of tools and applications. One of them is Twitalyzer at
http://twitalyzer.com/twitalyzer/index.asp

Type in your Twitter name, and it will grade your impact and
success in social media according to several factors: relative
influence, signal-to-noise ratio, generosity, velocity and clout.

Compare your score to the scores of your competitors.

If you ranked really low, you can boost your score by
understanding all the ways you can join in the conversation and
be helpful to the people who follow you. Warren Whitlock
explained how to do this, and he gave dozens of tips when he was
my guest during a teleseminar on "How to Use Twitter to Amass an
Army of Followers, Customers & Valuable Contacts--and Promote."

We recorded it and it's available as a package of electronic
transcripts and your choice of CDs or MP3s that you can download
immediately. Read more about what you'll learn at
http://tinyurl.com/3lbcaw


=========================================
3. Let 'em Know You Twitter
=========================================

Hardly a day goes by when the mainstream media isn't reporting on
Twitter. It's obvious many journalists and broadcasters are still
confused about the value of this site.

If you Twitter, particularly for business, and you're seeing a
return on your investment, offer yourself as a source for this
story. Explain what has happened to you since you started
Twittering, how many followers you have, how much time you spend,
how many valuable contacts you've made, and how many clients or
customers you've generated.

Consider pitching this story to your local business journal,
daily and weekly newspapers, TV stations and even your trade
journals.

How about offering a short list of three or four Twitter tools or
apps you use that save you time and help keep you organized? I
blogged about a cool directory that separates all these tools by
category. You can find it at http://tinyurl.com/cwcnwq


===========================================
4. Before You Write a Nonfiction Book...
===========================================

Don't write one word until you've made a long list of all the
ways you can use that book as a springboard to other products and
services.

Too many authors view the book as the end product. Then, if the
book doesn't sell, they're stuck.

Smart authors use their books as calling cards. The book
"upsells" readers to a variety of other products and services.

After working with more than 9,000 authors over the last 20
years, Steve Harrison has learned that the most successful
authors simply do seven key things differently than poor authors.

Some of them are very famous bestsellers, like the creators of
the Chicken Soup for the Soul series and Rich Dad Poor Dad.

Others are happily not-so-famous but quietly raking in high six-
figure and even seven-figure annual incomes without ever being on
Oprah or hitting any bestseller list.

To learn what wildly successful authors know that poor authors
don't, join him for a free 75-minute telephone seminar at 7 p.m.
Eastern Time tonight, April 7. There's no cost to participate in
the call (except for your normal long distance charges) so go
here now and sign up:

http://www.freepublicity.com/RichAuthorSecrets/?10011


========================================
5. Advice for Twitter 'Unfollowers'
========================================

This week, eight Publicity Hounds have tips for Dan Janal of
Shorewood, Minn., owner of PRLeads.com. He subscribes to
Qwitter.com at http://UseQwitter.com and wants advice on what to
do when the service notifies him that one of his Twitter
followers has "unfollowed" him.


From David Kadavy:

"For me, it's not about reciprocity, it's about genuine
relationships and useful information. Follow that principle and
you'll know when it's right to unfollow someone."


From Gail Sideman:

"I have a small follower base compared to many of those with whom
I have Twitter relationships, but can say that all I choose to
follow are valuable minds in their industries or are lots of fun.
If they unfollow me, I'm not going to analyze why. You can't
please everybody, especially in a base as broad as social media."


From Meryl Evans:

"I signed up for Qwitter a long time ago and forgot about it.
Suddenly, it hit me with a bunch of unfollowers. Obviously, the
service was flaky. Nonetheless, I unsubscribed to the service
after that. It's just not worth getting hurt or emotional about
those who stop following you."


Read all the responses to this week's Help This Hound question
http://tinyurl.com/cnb3b2

I'm running low on HTH questions. Send your own Help this Hound
question to:
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com?subject=HelpThisHound and include your city and state.


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

Karen Nardella of Conway, N.H. writes:

"I am a sole proprietor who owns the Emporium Consignment Outlet
and Home Staging Center, a consignment shop for high-end
furniture in Conway, N.H.

"I sell gently-used, high-quality, brand-name furniture such as
Ethan Allan, and I pay the owner 55 percent of the sale. All the
furniture is no more than 10 years old.

"With the sagging economy, what's the best way on a very tight
budget to spread the word about what I'm doing? I need to attract
the attention of people who have furniture to sell as well as
people who can't afford new furniture. What tips can your Hounds
share with me, either through traditional marketing channels or
by generating publicity?"


The Publicity Hound says:

The bad economy presents all kinds of great tie-ins to your
pitches. Let's see how many ideas my Hounds can suggest. If you
have a great idea for Karen, post it to my blog at
http://tinyurl.com/dyscmt


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

Dogs have owners. Cats have staff.


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...
================================

Massive Twitter directory lists tools, apps galore
http://tinyurl.com/cnnz6n


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

Where to See & Hear The Publicity Hound:


April 8, 2009

Teleseminar with David Mathison on how to use social media to
sell books and other products. 3 to 4 p.m. Eastern.
http://www.Publicityhound.com/teleseminardavemathison.htm


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


Friend me on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/people/Joan_Stewart/541605146


Connect with me on LinkedIn:
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 News Release."

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

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

Privacy Statement:

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

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

Publicity Tips/Nonprofits, Speak Up Mar 31, 2009

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #444 March 31, 2009
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)

Circulation: 41,571

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

"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"

Receive this seine direct to your desktop
http://www.publicityhound.com/tipsoftheweek/

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

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

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


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

1. Nonprofits, Speak Up

2. Journalists' Blogs a Gold Mine

3. Social Media Sells Books, Products

4. Take a Survey at Your Blog

5. How to Promote E-courses

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. And at My Blog...


=================================
1. Nonprofits, Speak Up
=================================

Many Publicity Hounds who completed my Customer Profile Survey
this month said they wanted more tips for nonprofits. Here's a
timely one.

Explain how you would be affected by President Barack Obama's
proposal to change the rules on deductions for charitable
contributions.

If passed by Congress, the budget would reduce the deductibility
of charitable contributions from 35 percent to 28 percent on
households that earn more than $250,000 a year. It also calls for
a return of the 39.6 percent tax bracket, which could affect
charitable giving.

A friend told me yesterday that an annual fund-raiser at her
church has raised only $75,000 this year, compared to the
$150,000 it had raised at the same time last year.

That's probably due to the bad economy. But how much smaller
would the revenue be if Congress changed the rules that govern
charitable giving?

The issue is being debated right now. The Center on Philanthropy
at Indiana University acknowledged that the reduced deduction
would "increase the challenges nonprofits have," but said it
would only have a moderate impact.

Even so, nonprofits are sweating.

Here are ways to piggyback onto the issue and attract attention,
whether you're for or against the proposal.

--Are your board and executives discussing the impact? What would
it mean to your nonprofit and the people you serve? Let the media
know.

--Create a short video arguing for or against Obama's plan and
upload it to the video-sharing sites.

--Write op-ed pieces for your local daily and weekly newspapers.

--Pitch bloggers who cover your topic.

--Discuss it at Twitter and link to videos, blog posts and
opinion pieces at your blog or website.

--Create a group on Facebook and keep your followers updated on
what happens with this proposal as well as other issues that
affect your nonprofit.

--If you have a good visual to offer, pitch the story to your
local TV stations.

If you're smart, you'll weave into the story information about
things like your events, fund-raisers and volunteers and explain
how they would be affected.


=================================
2. Journalists' Blogs a Gold Mine
=================================

Dying to pitch a certain journalist at a top-tier media outlet
but confused about how to make your pitch stand out among all the
others?

Keep reading for the inside secret.

I've never met Deborah Kotz, a woman's health columnist for U.S.
News & World Report.

We've never emailed each other or talked on the phone. I've never
pitched her.

Yet I know intimate details about her, including the type of
birth control she has used and whether her two sons are
circumcised.

You'll never find those kinds of details in the pricey media
databases you're buying.

But in some cases, you CAN find them buried within the bog posts
of journalists you want to pitch. Most PR people, unfortunately,
are too busy or too lazy to search for them.

To make your job easier, I've explained in step-by-step detail
how to find out if a journalist blogs and how to navigate the
blog to find all the juicy tidbits you need to customize your
pitch.

Read the blog post I wrote at http://budurl.com/l634

If you think my tips are valuable, please share that link with
your Twitter followers, Facebook friends and LinkedIn
connections.


=========================================
3. Social Media Sells Books, Products
=========================================

Puzzled about the return on investment you'll get by
participating in social media?

David Mathison, an unknown author, has one success story after
another to share about what has happened to him as a result of
joining the conversation at sites like Twitter, Facebook and
LinkedIn.

While writing his book "Be the Media: How to Create and
Accelerate Your Message...Your Way," he spent time on those sites
and others. As a result:

--He pre-sold 5,004 books in just 11 days through one Twitter
connection.

--He used Twitter to get invited to a prestigious university
symposium--and was invited back a second time.

--He collected thousands of email addresses and now markets to
those people.

--He used Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn to create an unbeatable,
lead-qualifying machine.

--He made friends with more than 3,500 Facebook users and
enlisted them to help sell his book.


Not bad, and that's just for starters. David will join me for a
complimentary teleseminar from 3 to 4 p.m. Eastern Time on
Wednesday, April 8, and explain how to use social media to create
a huge following and sell more books, products or services. Only
200 people will be able to participate. Register at
http://www.Publicityhound.com/teleseminardavemathison.htm


=======================================
4. Take a Survey at Your Blog
=======================================

If you're a blogger who wants more traffic, comments and sales
from your blog, here's a simple, inexpensive idea.

Take a survey--not like the lengthy Customer Profile Survey that
many of you completed for me recently, but a short, fun or
controversial survey you can tweet about on Twitter and refer to
on Facebook. It will help pull traffic to your blog like a
magnet.

Jeanne Hurlbert, the consultant who helped me design my survey,
is creating a video at her blog that explains how to do this. But
first, she wants to see questions you have about short blog
surveys.

She promises to answer every question and then use your questions
to guide her as she creates a video that explains how to survey
your readers.

Authors might want to know how a survey can sell more books.
Speakers might be curious about what kind of survey can help book
more speaking gigs. Other Hounds might want to share blog survey
success stories. Who knows? You might end up in her video.

You can post your question to her blog at
http://tinyurl.com/d5acwm

I'll let you know as soon as she has created the video.


P.S. Jill Cranford, who owns Stone2Furniture, a company that
makes furniture out of stone, has won the Kindle 2. Her name was
chosen from all respondents who completed my Customer Profile
Survey. I blogged about it at http://tinyurl.com/cldmec


========================================
5. How to Promote E-courses
========================================

This week, six Publicity Hounds have tips for Linda Foirmichelli
of Concord, NH and Jennifer Lawler of Lawrence, KS, both well-
established writers who offer e-courses on how writers can break
into magazines and how to write a book proposal.


From Janet Roots:

"Try connecting with people who are in touch with the same market
as you are, but offering different skills, like writers' coaches.
I'm a writer's coach and I would love to be able to refer my
clients to a trustworthy e-class on these subjects, since my
focus is writing fiction."


From Viveca Stone-Berry:

"Since you are both well-established, that means you have friends
and colleagues who are also well-established and they have
friends and colleagues.

"What about offering a 'community' discount to your contacts?
Make it at least 20 percent off. One way to do this is to post it
on ClickBank which is an affiliate program. I currently list my
fatigue recovery guide there and am putting up a duplicate page
to offer a 'community discount.'"


From Sheryl Kurland:

"You can submit course information for free to an e-newsletter
called Scribbles for writers and wanna-be writers at
http://www.sunscribbles.com. Your information should actually be
emailed to mailto:darlyn@sunscribbles.com You should also
immediately subscribe to this e-newsletter because it may contain
information on other places/opportunities to connect with to
publicize your course information.

"Be sure to include a gentle request for readers to blog about
your courses or send out your information in their respective e-
newsletters. Writers are usually always willing to help other
writers."


The Publicity Hound says:

Lots of freelancers read this newsletter and I'd love a list of
tips on how they can break into magazines. I'd share them at my
blog and then link to your course. So pitch bloggers like me.
"How to Pitch the Best Bloggers and Create a Media Explosion," a
teleseminar I did with Denise Wakeman and Patsi Krakoff, aka The
Blog Squad, explains how. Learn more at http://tinyurl.com/m7ymr


Read all the responses to this week's "Help This Hound" question
at http://tinyurl.com/dnlkd4

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


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

Dan Janal of Shorewood, MN, owner of PRLeads, writes:

"I subscribe to UseQwitter.com which tells me when people stop
following me on Twitter.

"I recently became very active on Twitter and many people started
following me--more than 400 in a week. However, UseQwitter now
tells me that 20 people have stopped following me.

"Was this a scam by them to get me to follow them? Should I
'unfollow' them in return? Were they really interested in hearing
from me, or were they trying to boost their own numbers?

"What do your readers do when they find out they are no longer
being followed? I feel so used!"


The Publicity Hound says:

I don't really care about who unfollows me. If they don't like my
posts, they probably aren't good leads for me, anyway. And I
don't waste my time unfollowing. But I'll be curious to hear from
Hounds who 'unfollow.'

Share your tips for Dan at my blog at http://tinyurl.com/cnb3b2


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

Kenny, a city boy, moved to the country and bought a hound dog
from an old farmer for $100. The farmer agreed to deliver the
dog the next day.

The next day the farmer drove up and said, "Sorry son, but I have
some bad news. The hound died."

"Well then, just give me my money back," Kenny said.

"Can't do that," the farmer said. "I went and spent it already."

"OK then, just unload the hound dog," Kenny suggested.

"What ya gonna do with him?" The farmer asked.

"I'm going to raffle him off," Kenny said.

"You can't raffle off a dead dog!" The farmer replied,
astonished.

"Sure I can," Kenny said. "Watch me. I just won't tell anybody
he's dead."

A month later, the farmer met up with Kenny and asked, "What
happened with that dead hound?"

"I raffled him off," Kenny said. "I sold 500 tickets at two
dollars apiece and made a profit of $898."

"Didn't anyone complain?" The farmer asked.

"Just the guy who won," Kenny said. "So I gave him his two
dollars back."

Kenny grew up and eventually became the chairman of Enron.


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...
==================================

Jill Cranford wins Kindle2 in Publicity Hound survey drawing
http://tinyurl.com/cldmec


Social networking ROI: A testimonial more valuable than an ad
http://tinyurl.com/daolec


Hip hop magazine wants to feature women deejays with clout
http://tinyurl.com/dep49l


Writers, pitch your idea to TV producer, agents Tuesday
http://tinyurl.com/cj97on


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

Where to See & Hear The Publicity Hound:


April 19, 2009

Teleseminar with David Mathison on how to use social media to
sell books and other products. 3 to 4 p.m. Eastern.
http://www.Publicityhound.com/teleseminardavemathison.htm


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


Friend me on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/people/Joan_Stewart/541605146


Connect with me on LinkedIn:
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 News Release."

If you like these tips please pass them on to your friends,
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=======================================================
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

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