Publicity tips/Google a media mutt August 22, 2006
The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #307 - August 22, 2006
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.net (Blog)
The Publicity Hound®
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"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"
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THANKS, HOUNDS, FOR BLOG HELP:
My Hounds are the best! Lots of you emailed me with ideas on how to solve the problem at my blog.
Publicity Hounds Pete Quily, Paul Harris and Sherman Hu helped me track down two problems and fix them. Now anybody can comment at my blog. And you no longer have to register before commenting, although I must approve your comment before it shows up in theblog.
Thanks Pete, Paul, Sherman and everybody who responded.
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In This Issue
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1. Google a Media Mutt
2. Shopping for Lettuce & Love
3. Is Your VP This Media-Savvy?
4. Wanted: Canadian SOHOs
5. Help This Hound
6. Hound Joke of the Week
7. And at my Blog...
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1. Google a Media Mutt
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If you've been reading this newsletter for awhile, you probably know what I'm referring to when you see the phrase Media Mutt.
An MM is somebody who doesn't belong in the same league as a Publicity Hound. MMs do silly things like call reporters and ask, "Can you tell me if you got my news release?"
MMs order TV reporters and camera people to "get out of my lobby immediately or I'll have you thrown out." This usually happens when the TV station has caught the MM doing something like selling tainted hamburger, and the reporter wants the MM's side of the story for tonight's newscast.
Then there's this week's newest MM: Google. The search engine giant has fired off a series of legal letters to the media, warning them against using the word "google" as a verb.
Are they nuts or what? Nobody, not even Google, has enough money to buy that kind of publicity.
What do you suppose Dogpile--the metasearch engine that "fetches" information from places like About.com, Ask.com, MSN and Google--would do if people suddenly started saying, "If you're looking for information on the benchmark index, just dogpile and see what you find."
I doubt they'd go running to their legal department. I don't care what the trademark attorneys say. Telling somebody to "just google the phrase and see what you can find" is the very best kind of PR imaginable.
If my competitors told their followers "Now be a good publicity hound and take a reporter to lunch," I'd do back flips.
The worst part of this whole mess is the bad publicity that's already resulted. The bloggers are yucking it up with each other at the very thought that Google will threaten them--or sue them.
Miriam-Webster, by the way, has added the verb "google," with a small g, to its dictionary. So it will be interesting to see how this ends.
Former award-winning investigative reporter Clarence Jones says 9 out of 10 times, an attorney will tell a client company not to comment during a bad-news event like this one. Doing exactly that might help you win in a court of law. But by the time the case, like a big lawsuit, winds its way through the legal system, you could lose in the court of public opinion and see your stock price tumble, your CEO booted out, your customers scrambling to do business with your competitors, and your reputation in ruins.
I interviewed Clarence on what companies should do if they're caught in the middle of a crisis and they need legal advice. He presents a convincing case why the CEO--not the attorney--must make the ultimate decision. "In a Media Crisis, Your Lawyer Will be Wrong" is available as a CD. Read more about what it includes at http://tinyurl.com/zu7td
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2. Shopping for Lettuce & Love
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Here's a clever publicity idea many of you can steal.
But brace yourselves because the crowds, not to mention the print reporters and TV cameras, will be knocking down your doors.
The Metro Market in Milwaukee sponsored its first singles night over the weekend--a chance for 500 unattached guys and gals ages 19 to 90 to peruse the produce, and shop for a little love and lettuce at the same time.
The story in the daily Milwaukee Journal Sentinel caught my eye when I saw the accompanying photo of a cute guy who was participating in the bowling competition in the freezer section of the store. But instead of a bowling bowl, he threw a frozen cornish hen down a makeshift alley, hoping to knock down 10 rolls of paper towels that were set up like bowling pins.
Participants sent text messages on a computer screen to the object of their desire. They stacked Oreo cookies as high as they could for a chance to win a gift card. They played Twister. And at an auction, they bid on a lunch date with a Milwaukee firefighter. The $600 raised from the auction went to the fire department's burn camp.
Just think of all the great ways you could promote an event like that. Invite those good-looking, unattached TV people in town. Pitch the local drive-time deejays. And, of course, post the event to Craigslist, which has a category for singles.
How about a singles night for your customers? Or just for the over-50 crowd? Or for skiers who buy their gear at your sporting goods store? Or for all the local volleyball teams? Or singles night at the local library? Or for card clubs, Scrabble players, or computer geeks in your community?
If you want to pull a huge crowd, special events like this require a detailed planning calendar months before the big day. You have lots of bases to cover the day of the event, and plenty of follow-up tasks to keep people on your radar screen after it's over.
Deb Schmidt, one of the most creative event planners I know, teamed up with me to produce an entire series called "How to Plan & Promote Sizzling Special Events."
It's available as an ebook or a series of 7 audio CDs. Both formats include 15 can't-do-without checklists. Read more about what you'll learn and download several sample checklists at http://publicityhound.com/publicity/promote.html
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3. Is Your VP This Media-Savvy?
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Publicity Hound Patricia Luebke of New York City, a freelance writer for a retail magazine, shares this commentary about a recent experience she had contacting the vice president of a gift card company.
As you're reading this, ask yourself: Would our company VP be this savvy? And would a reporter even be able to get through to the veep?
Pat writes:
"Yesterday I was writing a piece for a retail magazine about getting ready for holiday shopping, and I was researching the topic of gift cards. I wanted to make the point that even small retailers can have a quality gift card program--you don't have to be Home Depot or Pier One.
"So I Googled 'gift card' and 'retailer' and found this company called Valutech. On their site, they had something called JumpStart(tm) for small retailers where you only have to buy 100 cards to start, and it's a whole package, including marketing materials.
"Sounded just like what I needed. So I called the company to find out the price. I got transferred from customer service to somewhere else. The next thing I know I'm talking to Al Duggan, the VP of Marketing.
"This man was so cheerful and so helpful and so useful that now Valutech and its JumpStart program are part of my article. When I hung up, I thought THIS is how it works for companies. So many companies can't talk, won't talk, are afraid to talk, or can't get their act together enough to set a time to talk. But this company was ready to go.
"At the end, he offered his direct phone and email, which I've kept in case I ever have a question about gift cards."
Is this experience typical for freelancers?
Pat says no. "In fact, it's so unusual that it's sad."
After hearing that, how would you grade your spokesperson? If it's anything less than an A+, you need to know "How to be an Expert Spokesperson the Media Love." This CD explains all the things the best spokespersons must do to build strong relationships with media people--particularly when the spokesperson has short notice. Read more about what you'll learn at http://tinyurl.com/rzcdd
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4. Wanted: Canadian SOHOs
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I’m thrilled to be a new columnist for SOHO Business Report, a quarterly magazine for Canadian small office/home office business owners.
My first column is due September 1, and I’m looking for publicity success stories from Canadian SOHOs.
Tell me:
--How you got publicity for a product, service, cause or issue.
--How you pitched a story idea that intrigued a journalist.
--A technique you used to form relationships with journalists and broadcasters.
--A clever tactic you’re using to create a buzz online.
Email me with details. Who knows? Your idea might generate even more publicity for you in SOHO Business Report.Mailto:JStewart@PublicityHoundcom?subject=SOHOs
Jeff Zbar, the 2001 Small Business Journalist of the Year, says there are lots of ways for small business people to catch the attention of journalists like him. No business is too small for publicity, Jeff says. If you pitch a great story idea with a clever angle, the reporter will do the rest.
I pumped him for his best tips during an interview we did called "The Fastest, Cheapest, Easiest Ways to Publicize Your Small Business." It's available as a CD or an 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/3tbbp
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5. Help This Hound
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I'm printing this question again because several of you who tried to post comments when my blog started going bonkers a few weeks ago either couldn't, or your comments never appeared. Please repost your best ideas for Kit Behling of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Kit will thank you, and so will I.
Kit writes:
"The writers of 'Single Married Widowed Divorced' need your help.
"We are a group of technologically challenged, over-35 women who have jumped on the podcasting bandwagon--uh, make that bandwidth. We have a website at http://tinyurl.com/hl5mc and a play and a weekly podcast in which we examine real women’s relationship stories.
"Each week, we poke around some theme (examples: sleeping arrangements, kegeling, guilty pleasures, romance). Regular show features include:
--Table Talk: Listen in while the writers chat about the week’s theme.
--Working Mom in Her Car: Patched in from a vehicle somewhere in suburban Chicago, Working Mom is funny and on edge and always has a comment--if not for us, then for the person who just cut her off.
--The Retired Therapist: Puts everything in a well-reasoned physiological or psychological context. And reassures us that no, we’re not crazy.
--Story Time: One of the writers gives us her take on the week’s theme.
"Our challenge: How do we publicize this podcast to our target demographic, women over 35, who will probably laugh & cry & ah-ha right along with us but may be scared off by the podcasting technology? Are your Publicity Hounds up to this challenge?"
The Publicity Hound says: You bet they are! Many of my Hounds already podcast, and I'll bet most of the podcasters know how to promote podcasts, too. Hounds with great ideas for Kit can post their comments to my blog at http://tinyurl.com/j5cy8
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6. Hound Joke of the Week
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Dear God,
Excuse me, but why are there cars named after the jaguar, the cougar, the mustang, the colt, the stingray, and the rabbit, but not one named for a dog? How often do you see a cougar riding around?
We dogs love a nice ride! I know every breed cannot have its own model, but it would be easy to rename the Chrysler Eagle the Chrysler Beagle!
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/
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7. And at My Blog...
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Business travel killing you?
Relax and work in your jammies
http://tinyurl.com/g5cyh
Northwest Airlines PR
nosedivesdue to tips booklets
http://tinyurl.com/zfvjw
Nag Oprah? Try it at your own risk
http://tinyurl.com/kl2kk
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Where to Meet or Hear The Publicity Hound®
March 17, 2007: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
"Savvy Media Relations: How to Get FREE Print, Broadcast and Online Publicity." 8 a.m. to noon. Details pending.
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Reprinted from "The Publicity Hound's Tips of the Week," a free ezine featuring tips, tricks and tools for generating free publicity. Subscribe at http://www.publicityhound.com/ and receive free the handy list "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.
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Joan Stewart
a.k.a. The Publicity Hound®
3434 County KK
Port Washington, WI 53074
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Phone: 262-284-7451 (Central) Fax: 262-284-1737
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