Publicity tips/Wal-Mart, Starbucks & Other Goliaths October 3, 2006

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #313 - Oct. 3, 2006
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.net (Blog)
The Publicity Hound®

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In This Issue
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1. Wal-Mart, Starbucks & Other Goliaths

2. Halloween Stories

3. Promote Your PR Practice

4. Catch Bloggers' Attention

5. Promoting Music for Babies

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Quote of the Week


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1. Wal-Mart, Starbucks & Other Goliaths
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You can hardly open a newspaper or turn on the TV these days without noticing somebody crabbing about Wal-Mart.

Now they're going after Starbucks.

Penny Stafford, owner of the Seattle-based Belvi Coffee and Tea Exchange Inc., charges in a federal lawsuit that the coffee giant uses anti-competitive tactics to rid itself of competition. The suit, which seeks class-action status, says Starbucks used methods such as having employees offer free drink samples in front of her store to lure away customers, which she says ultimately forced her to close her store.

Starbucks, the suit said, also offered to pay leases that exceeded market value if a building owner would refuse to allow competitors from occupying their buildings.

That got me thinking.

If I were a David who competed against the Goliaths like Wal-Mart, Target, Starbucks, Lowe's or Home Depot, I'd pitch business reporters with a story on what I offer that the giants can't.

--A mom and pop hardware store in Wisconsin sends hand-written "Congratulations" notes to people in their town who are promoted, receive awards or get straight As, along with a special discount coupon that must be redeemed by a certain date. The owners read the local newspaper each week to find out who's doing what.

--Is your corner coffee shop the place where everybody knows your name? And you know theirs? Do you have a playroom in the corner for kids whose parents just want to relax over a cuppa joe?

--Do you offer "personal shoppers?" Some food stores invite customers who are shopping for a party or hard-to-find items to call ahead, then have an employee waiting for them when the customer arrives at the store.

--Do you send holiday greeting cards to your most loyal customers?

--A small hardware store sends "Happy Birthday" cards--not to its customers, but to its customers' lawn mowers and other equipment. The cards include a reminder that it might be time to have the equipment cleaned or brought in for regular maintenance. The store has the warranty cards on file and knows exactly when the customers bought the merchandise.

I'll bet many of you who compete against the Goliaths do other cool things that business reporters would love to know about. Why not round up several other Davids in your town and jointly approach the small-business reporter at your local newspaper, business journal or TV station? In your pitch, mention the David & Goliath angle.

Business journals would love this story, and they're some of the easiest newspapers to get into, but only if you know the inside tricks like how to get you or your boss in front of the top business journal staff members, or the most popular special sections that are waiting for your ideas.

I interviewed Paul Furiga, a former business journal editor, who spilled the beans on exactly how to get the attention of busy editors and reporters. We recorded it, and it's available as a CD or electronic transcript that you can download as soon as you rorder has been approved. Read more about what you'll learn at http://tinyurl.com/q4rf7


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2. Halloween Stories
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October is bursting with ideas about the second largest retail holiday of the year that you can pitch to newspapers, magazines and TV stations. Here are some that TV reporter Shawne Duperon and I came up with:

--That pretty pumpkin looks great now, but how can you extend its porch life so that it isn't shriveled by Halloween? Garden centers and horticulture experts can offer tips.

--What are the best second-hand stores in your town where people can shop for clothing and other items to make Halloween costumes?

--Dental offices should create a list of the worst trick-or-treat candy and other Halloween snacks, like caramel apples, for people who wear braces.

--Will trick-or-treaters be dressing up like certain celebrities this year? See "Special Report #50: How to Piggyback onto Celebrity News to Promote Your Product, Service, Cause or Issue" at http://tinyurl.com/l9bw6

--Sponsor a pumpkin-carving contest and invite the local TVstation to bring their cameras. Contestants, of course, carve the station's call letters in the pumpkin.

--What safety tips can pumpkin carvers follow to keep fingers and other body parts out of harm's way?

Shawne and I came up with 103 story ideas for the second half of the year that will make reporters love you. They're all on a CD that comes with a 7-page handout listing all 103 ideas. You can download it and be reading it while you're waiting for your CD to arrive. And we even tell you which ideas are best for print and which are best for TV coverage. Read more about what you'll learn at http://tinyurl.com/54y6f

If you're pitching national magazines, remember that many editors are working on issues that will be published after the first of the year. Add the CD "116 WOW! Story Ideas from January through June" to your publicity toolbox. It comes with an 8-page handout listing all 116 ideas that we encourage you to steal. You can download it as soon as your order as been approved. Read more about it at http://tinyurl.com/6k7zk


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3. Promote Your PR Practice
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Get an article in your local newspaper instead of buying an ad, and it's almost as though the paper is giving you its stamp ofapproval.

Land a gig as a regular columnist and it's akin to being anointed by the publishing company.

That's what happened to PR practitioner Nancy Juetten who's writing a new monthly column called "Media-Savvy-to-Go" for the Snohomish County Business Journal in Everett, Washington.

She'll be writing about my favorite topic: how small businesses can get free publicity.

"Her practical insights into how to publicize a company’s products, services and achievements in the news media convinced us that she had valuable views that could benefit the readers, "says John Wolcotte, her editor.

If Nancy's experience is similar to that of other freelance newspaper columnists, I'm guessing that she'll have more business for her PR practice than she can handle. What a great way to attract clients.

Nancy, by the way, did something else to bring in more business. She published two tips booklets called "97 Powerful Ways to Profit from Free Publicity" and "50 Powerful Publicity Resources to Build Your Business." Her ideas are fabulous, and I wish I had written these. They're $5 each for the electronic download or $6 each for the printed booklets. You can learn more about them at http://tinyurl.com/o3n2r

If you're a PR practitioner who needs more clients, publicity expert Marcia Yudkin and I can help. We recorded a one-hour teleseminar called "24 Ways to Attract Clients to Your PR Practice," and it includes something for everybody, whether you're a sole proprietor or a big PR agency. It's available as aCD or electronic transcript, and both include a complete list of all 24 ideas you can start using today. Read more about what you'll learn at http://tinyurl.com/8txj8


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4. Catch Bloggers' Attention
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If you're trying to get your product, service, cause or issue in front of influential bloggers, or even those who don't have a big following, there's one excellent way to get their attention.

Blog.

That's the very best way to tell them: "I get it. I understand what you do. I'm passionate about a topic, just like you are. And I invest the time, just like you do, to tell the world about it."

That's the advice from Patsi Krakoff, who with Denise Wakeman comprises The Blog Squad. Patsi and Denise joined me two weeks ago for a teleseminar called "How to Pitch the Best Bloggers and Create a Publicity Explosion."

What if you don't blog?

That's OK. There are still lots of ways you can convince bloggers to spread the word about you. And a critical step before you even approach a blogger is to do your research and hang out at their blog for at least a week or two reading their posts, and also reading the comments so you have a feel for what the blogger likes and dislikes and whether the blogger likes pitches. Post your own comments--several times, preferably.

Then when you've gotten their attention, you can deliver your pitch. But don't make your pitch part of your comments, or you're toast. We explained exactly how to do it on the CD or electronic transcript called "How to Pitch the Best Bloggers and Create a PublicityExplosion." Order at http://tinyurl.com/m7ymr


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5. Promoting Music for Babies
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This week, nine Publicity Hounds have ideas for Adam Adelman of Fairfax, California who wants to know how to promote classical music on CDs for babies. He and his wife sell the CDs at http://www.JunoBaby.com


From Paul Holley:

"One word: Radio!

"Get in front of promotional directors and radio hosts (from highbrow on down). Offer music samples to be played on air; offer yourselves as interview topics. Public radio will love this, but so will other formats." (See "How to Get Booked on NationalPublic Radio" at http://tinyurl.com/ayms6 and learn which shows are best for your topic.)


From John Easton:

"Send copies of your products to reporters, editors, show hosts, etc. who have children. The quality of your work is outstanding and, I'm sure that as parents, these media personalities will see your offering in a much different light than the standard media pitch."


From Renee Wikstrom:

"Contact your local symphony. Many have educational programs for young people. Help them find a sponsor to perform your music in a concert filled with young kids and their parents. I'm the Development/Marketing Director of The Long Bay Symphony in MyrtleBeach and I find that companies are easier to sell if kids are involved. Our symphony plays a concert each year for the county’s 5th graders, the year before kids begin in Band. And we have sponsors for it. Your local symphony might be able to reach many people for you."

Read all the responses at http://tinyurl.com/qlj94


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6. Help This Hound
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Publicity Hound Jean Logan of Alexandria, Virginia writes:

"I work for a very small nonprofit called the Blue Frontier Campaign. We are building a grassroots movement for ocean and coastal health (we call it the Seaweed Rebellion). We try to teach people that the actions they take in their everyday lives affect ocean health, from the food you eat to the fertilizer you use.

"We have a new book called 50 Ways to Save the Ocean. It's written by journalist David Helvarg, has a foreword by Philippe Cousteau, and is illustrated by Jim Toomey, creator of the Sherman’s Lagoon cartoon strip. It has a great cover and is a very easy read, crammed with lots of specific tips that people can use.

"We have been working very hard to get national media, but have found that the current interest in global warming is freezing us out since the media seems to have a problem addressing more than one issue at a time. We are also trying to figure out a way to make educators aware of the book--it would fit very well into an ocean science curriculum for kids.

"Obviously we’d like to sell books because the profits come back to Blue Frontier so that we can continue our grassroots work. More importantly, we think this book can really make a difference for our oceans, if we can get enough people to read it and think about the choices they make.

"Can your Hounds help us figure out 50 ways to get more publicity for 50 Ways to Save the Ocean?"


The Publicity Hound says: I can't promise 50 ideas, but I'm sure that after my Hounds weigh in, you'll be busy for months adopting the ones they do suggest. Hounds can post ideas to my blog at http://tinyurl.com/qrwus


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7. Hound Joke of the Week
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"Cats are smarter than dogs. You can't get eight cats to pull asled through snow."
--Jeff Valdez


DOG JOKES & QUOTES EBOOK: 170+ G-rated dog jokes and quotes, perfect for a dog-lover, your favorite vet, or just for a fewgood 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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Where to Meet or Hear The Publicity Hound®

October 31, 2006: West Bend, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin, part of the "Adding to Your Organization's Toolbox--Media and Public Relations" series, sponsored by the University of Wisconsin-Washington County, UW-Extension, Volunteer Center of Washington County and The United Way of Washington County. I'll present "Savvy Media Relations: How to Get FREE Print, Broadcast & Online Publicity" for nonprofits from 8 to 9:30 a.m., followed by a media panel. Over lunch, from 11:30 until 1, I'll present "How to Write Powerful Press Releases." Registration is $35 for the first session and $8 for the luncheon session on press releases. To register, and to submit a press release that you'd like me to rewrite for the second class, contact Dan Anhalt at mailto:dan.anhalt@uwc.edu or(262) 335-5218.


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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Joan Stewart
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