Publicity tips/Citizen journalists & Virginia Tech April 17, 2007

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #342 - April 17, 2007
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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In This Issue
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1. Citizen Journalists & Virginia Tech

2. What Successful Authors Do Differently

3. Apply for the Torch Award

4. Origami Dollar Bills

5. Promoting Ergonomics Training

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. And at My Blog...


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1. Citizen Journalists & Virginia Tech
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When news broke yesterday morning about the massacre at Virginia Tech, people throughout the world turned on their TVs to learn more.

Some of the first video they saw came directly from citizen journalists--students who recorded the events on their cell phone cameras.

Jamal Albarghouti, a Virginia Tech graduate student from the West Bank, took cell phone pictures of police charging Norris Hall as shots rang out. CNN broadcast the video over and over again.

What made it unique and valuable was the sound track: Gunshotscould be heard coming from one of the buildings. People viewed it more than 900,000 times on CNN.com.

By early evening, CNN showed Jamal standing on campus, microphone in hand, reporting from the scene as he talked with anchorman Wolf Blitzer, who was in the cable channel's Washington newsroom.

A story in today's Baltimore Sun quotes Nancy Lane, CNN's vice president of domestic news, on the value of user-generated content: "Let's face it, right now, his material is still the best of the day in terms of capturing on video what took place there."

You can read the entire story at http://tinyurl.com/2xakzq

MSNBC and other news outlets solicited video from anyone who was on campus. They also immediately started monitoring social networking sites like Facebook.com and MySpace.com to see how students reacted to the shooting, and to learn whatever details they could about who survived and who didn't.

In the months ahead, we'll be hearing more about how citizen-generated journalism and social networking sites are changing the media landscape.

Said CNN's Nancy Lane: "What you saw today with the cell phones and the I-Reporters is the future - and the future is now."


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2. What Successful Authors Do Differently
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Most of the authors I've worked with over the years--hundreds of them--tell me the same thing.

They never imagined how much time, money or energy they'd have to spend writing and selling a book. Some of them run out of steam by the time they have to start promoting it.

Steve Harrison, who has worked with more than 19,000 authors during almost two decades, says he has concluded that the top 3 percent of authors simply do seven key things differently than the rest. Those seven things don't include writing a stellar book or having a catchy title.

To learn what the most successful authors know, Steve is hosting a free 75-minute telephone seminar on Thursday, April 19. Choose from two time slots: 2 PM Eastern (11 AM Pacific) or 7 PM Eastern (4 PM Pacific).

He'll talk about the "unfair advantage" top authors use to win the publishing game--99.9 percent of all authors, he says, don't know this.

Steve will also discuss the single biggest thing authors need to attract a publisher and one thing authors should do to dramatically increase the profit they make from every book. I'm curious, so I'll be on the call, too.

You can reserve your spot at http://snipurl.com/AuthorSecrets


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3. Apply for the Torch Award
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Winning a prestigious award can skyrocket your company's profile, bring more traffic to your website, put you heads above your competitors, and give you the kind of credibility and publicity you couldn't possibly get on your own.

That's why I can't understand why the Better Business Bureau has to practically beg people to apply for its annual Torch Award for business ethics and integrity.

Last week, I attended a workshop at the Milwaukee office of the BBB to learn how I can apply for the award and win it. Even though I have my own team of subcontractors, I'm a company of one. That means I'm eligible to apply in Category One, for companies with one to 10 employees.

The contest has five categories in all, including one for charities. You don't have to be a member of the BBB to apply.

Last year in Wisconsin, only about 100 companies were in the running. Some years, they don't have enough good entries in a particular category to even choose a winner.

If your company prides itself on ethical business practices, gives outstanding customer service, subscribes to truth in advertising, and helps foster ethics and integrity within your industry and community, you're a perfect candidate for this award. What a great way generate fabulous publicity, and separate yourself from the Enrons of the world.

During the next few months, in communities all over the U.S. and Canada, the BBB will host workshops designed to show you how to apply. In Wisconsin, the deadline for applications is Friday, August 17. Winners will be announced at a huge awards banquet in November.

The application process can be tedious and time-consuming. But based on what past winners have said, it's worth it.

Thomas Bentley III, CEO of the Bentley Company, a Wisconsin construction company, said news of their first-place award in 2003 made it all the way to the boardroom of one of their client companies.

"A Fortune 500 company was so proud that one of their vendors got this that they took it to their board of directors and actually made a showcase out of it," he said.

Today, he said, his company promotes the Torch Award at its website and in its marketing materials, and puts it out in front of all its sales efforts.

In a few months, when I start creating my own application, I'll be telling you about ways you can help me win. Until then, I hope you check into how you can apply in your own state or province. Call your local BBB office for details.

Awards are only one of hundreds of ways to generate publicity. "How to be a Kick-butt Publicity Hound," my most popular ebook, explains them all. The book, updated last year, includes an entire chapter on blogging. Learn more about the book at http://www.publicityhound.com/publicity/publicityhound.htm


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4. Origami Dollar Bills
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Publicity Hound Brian Foley read last week's item in which I complained about those uncreative ribbon-cutting and check-passing ceremonies that seem to be everywhere.

He loved my idea of a bank hiring a magician to perform magic tricks with dollar bills at its grand opening. Brian, a professional magician who does exactly that, offered another tip that's worth sharing.

"Banks can also have origami displays of animals made out of bills," Brian wrote. "I've seen displays like this in banks in Europe, in glass cases in the middle of the bank floor. They always get great responses, and you can keep them on display for weeks. I think they'd result in good publicity for any bank."

Use the origami display idea not only for grand openings, but to celebrate anniversaries and during other special events.

Since it's tax deadline time, how about a local tax preparer's office finding local students to make origami animals from all the unused tax forms, then displaying them?

If you teach origami, do a joint promotion with a local print shop. Your students can use over-runs or leftovers and turn them into animals, flowers and other colorful pieces of paper art.

An office supply store can sponsor a local contest inviting people to submit the most creative piece of origami artwork. Those are just a few ideas to get you started.

If you're an artist who creates origami or works in any other medium, learn dozens of ways to promote it. "How Artists Can Sell More Artwork Through Online and Offline Publicity" is available as a CD or electronic transcript that you can read as soon as your order is approved.

Read more about what you'll learn at http://tinyurl.com/yvewm8


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5. Promoting Ergonomics Training
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This week, seven Publicity Hounds have tips for Kay Richardson of Miami, Florida. She asked for help promoting an ergonomic consulting/training company.


Candace Moody Says:

"Consider teaming up with a massage therapist to offer chair massage at a company. You could generate a contest of some sort and provide the chair massage as the winning prize. Massage therapy corrects many of the aches and pains created by poor ergonomics; while at the business, you can offer tips and a follow-son assessment. Massage therapists and chiropractors would make great partners in a referral network, as well."


From Shel Horowitz, Ethical Marketing Expert:

"Since journalists are frequently nursing computer- and telephone-induced ergonomic issues, offer a free one-time workshop just for local journalists. Don’t charge, but be sure to provide a handout that not only gives them stuff they can remember and practice but also describes your public offerings--maybe some no-cost stuff on your website, a list of resources--something they will promote without necessarily needing to directly promote you, and useful for their readers. Of course, some of them may do a feature on you, but even if they don’t, they’re likely to mention your freebie."


From Eric Gruber at ArticleMarketingExperts.com:

"Write an article and submit it to sites such as www.HR.com. Article topics include 'How to Reduce Working Pains & Improve Your Productivity' or '5 Ways to Identify & Eliminate Employee Injuries at Work.'"


The Publicity Hound says: Articles like the ones Eric suggested can pull lots of traffic back to your website. But what if you just don't have time to write? Or you don't know how to write? I have a handy template for a how-to article. It comes with the CD or electronic transcript called "How to Write How-to Articles for Newspapers, Magazines & Trade Journals."

Read more about what you'll learn at http://tinyurl.com/dnxhb


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6. Help This Hound
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Roger Pozeznik of Kalamazoo, Michigan writes:

"I run All-Star Driver Education in Ann Arbor. Two other big driving schools in town seem to have a monopoly and have gotten lazy with there teaching skills. It's frustrating to see that they have full classes.

"The school I work for is very well-known on the east side of the state and they are in about 20 schools. We have done the basics: targeted mailing lists, PA announcements, and we're putting raffle boxes around town to win a free class and collect names/leads to follow up on. The other schools have such a hold on the locals because they never really had any competition, and they have been around for years.

"What can we do to promote the school?" The website is at http://www.allstardrivereducation.com/


The Publicity Hound says: I know my Publicity Hounds will take the wheel and steer all kinds of great ideas your way, Roger. Hounds with suggestions can post them to my blog at http://tinyurl.com/2sg7ad


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7. Hound Joke of the Week
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Thanks to Debbie Schenk of Boulder, Colorado for sending this personal ad that was spotted in a newspaper in southern Florida.


SBF SEEKS MALE COMPANIONSHIP

I love long walks in the woods. Riding in your pickup truck.
Hunting.
Camping.
Fishing trips.
Cozy winter nights spent lying by the fire.
Candlelight dinners will have me eating out of your hand. Rub me the right way and I will respond with tender caresses. I'll be at the front door when you get home from work, wearing only what nature gave me. Kiss me and I'm yours. I'm a svelte, good looking girl who loves to play. Call 555-2121 and ask for Daisy.

The phone number was the SPCA, and Daisy was an eight-week-old black Labrador Retriever.


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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8. And at My Blog...
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The changing media landscape: How to keep up with it
http://tinyurl.com/3xfbgv

USA Today reporters' list also offers their articles
http://tinyurl.com/34ewov


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Where to Meet or Hear The Publicity Hound®


April 27, 2007: Webinar

Women Business Owners Virtual Growth Summit Webinar. I'm presenting a session at 1 PM Eastern Time on how to become an expert in your topic, then generate online and offline publicity. Register at http://www.businesswomensgrowthsummit.com/


May 12, 2007: Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Florida Speakers Association: "The New Rules of Press Releases: How to Write Them for Consumers, Not Only for Journalists." 9a.m. to noon. "Sleeping with the Competition: How to Collaborate with Other Speakers to Create Profitable Products." 2 to 4 p.m. For more information, call 561-630-7766 or visit http://www.florida-speakers.org


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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 list "89 Reasons to Send a News Release."

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