Publicity tips/Can't clone yourself? Outsource May 27, 2008

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #400 May 27, 2008
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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Save the Dates:


June 11: Teleseminar

PR whiz Robert Smith explains "
Year as a Publicist, Even in a Bad Economy." 3-4 p.m. Eastern
Time. Register at http://www.publicityhound.com/teleseminar.htm


June 18: Teleseminar

Business coach Leili McKinley shares "Outsourcing Secrets: Your
Guide to Getting the Best Quality, Price & Teamwork from
Freelancers." 3-4 p.m. Eastern
Time. Register at http://www.publicityhound.com/teleseminar.htm

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In This Issue
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1. Can't Clone Yourself? Outsource

2. Debunk Urban Legends

3. Enjoy the Summer--Hire a Virtual Assistant

4. Make Your Assistant Media-savvy

5. Promoting a Book on Fiscal/Physical Fitness

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Quote of the Week

8. At My Blog...


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1. Can't Clone Yourself? Outsource
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About five weeks ago, when I decided to sell a special report on
how to use Twitter for business, I knew I wouldn't have time to
research and write it.

So I posted the project at Elance.com, an outsourcing site where
freelancers bid on your projects.

Luckily, one of few bids I received was from a writer who
actually uses Twitter for business and is crazy about the
microblogging service. She attached several impressive writing
samples to her bid. After reading them, I hired her immediately.

When I get a great idea for a product, outsourcing has allowed me
to take the product to market quickly, sometimes in only a few
weeks. That saves me months of back-breaking research, writing
and editing. Depending on how well it sells, I can sometimes
recoup the cost in just a week or two.

I've outsourced special reports, ebooks, ebook covers, graphics,
press releases, proofreading, transcription, editing, teleseminar
production and bookkeeping. I struck gold a few years ago when I
outsourced my ebook "How to Use Photos & Graphics in Your
Publicity Campaign" to a former newspaper editor whose hobby is
photography.

But I've also had my share of outsourcing failures:

--I awarded a bid on an article to a freelancer, who obviously
speaks English as a second language, and I never realized that
until I saw what he submitted.

--I've spent hours poring over writing samples from freelancers
who barely know how to string together a noun and a verb.

--I foolishly signed off on a writing project too early and paid
the freelancer, before I had time to read the article carefully.
Then I kicked myself when it needed revisions. By then, it was
too late.

If you don't have enough hours in the day to devote to your
publicity campaign, Internet marketing, product development, book
campaign, or any other part of your business, outsourcing is the
next best thing to cloning yourself.

Leili McKinley, one of my business coaches and a fellow member of
Stompernet, the membership organization for Internet marketers,
says outsourcing is one of the major reasons why many
solopreneurs and small business owners have grown as big as they
have, as fast as they have.

Outsourcing, she says, is the key to accelerating not only your
publicity campaign but your entire business.

But only if you do it right.

Do it wrong, and you could get ripped off. You could be sued for
plagiarism if the freelancer steals somebody else's work--or
parts of it--and sells it to you as their own. Even worse, you
could become embroiled in ugly legal disputes that eat up weeks
of your time and cost you a fortune to resolve.

Those are only a few of the land mines that await you if you want
to farm out work to others but don't know what you're doing.

Leili, who has worked with dozens of independent contractors with
great results, will be my guest during a teleseminar at 3 p.m.
Eastern Time on Wednesday, June 18.

"Outsourcing Secrets: Your Guide to Getting the Best Quality,
Price and Teamwork from Freelancers" is for anyone who can't
do it all and needs help growing their business.

Register and watch the video to find out how to get five free
outsourcing tips from Leili:
http://www.PublicityHound.com/teleseminar.htm


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2. Debunk Urban Legends
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Several Publicity Hounds, including Jim McDonald, a former
firefighter and an expert in flammable liquids, emailed me last
week and said my tips on how to save money on gasoline, like
filling your tank early in the morning, are urban legends.

You can see the discussion at Snopes.com, the website devoted to
urban legends, at http://message.snopes.com/showthread.php?t=7371
and http://message.snopes.com/showthread.php?t=14874

That got me thinking. There are so many of these urban legends
floating around, that smart Publicity Hounds can piggyback onto
them to promote.

Any time you see an urban legend that deals with your area of
expertise, respond immediately:

--Post a comment to a blog or online forum that includes
information about the urban legend. Link back to an article at
your website that includes accurate information.

--Create a video debunking the myth and post it to video-sharing
sites. I'll bet lots of people type keywords related to urban
legends, like "saving on gasoline" into the search engines and at
video-sharing sites. That means your video could become viral.

--Write a letter to the editor of a newspaper that wrote about it
and correct the record.


Smart Publicity Hounds know how to subtly promote a product,
service, cause or issue when writing letters to the editor
without making the letter look like a free ad. I explain how in
"Special Report #4: How to Write Crisp, Compelling Letters to the
Editor that Promote Your Product, Service or Favorite Cause."
Only $10 Order at
http://www.publicityhound.com/publicity-products/reports.html


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3. Enjoy the Summer--Hire a Virtual Assistant
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Chris Buffaloe, my virtual assistant who has been as valuable as
my right arm for the last three years, packs up her truck today.

Tomorrow, she's moving from her home 15 miles away from me to San
Diego. I went to see her on Saturday where we cried in each
other's arms and said good-bye--sort of.

On Monday, June 2, after she settles into her new office, it will
be business as usual.

Chris will help compile information for the June 3 issue of this
newsletter. She'll give me the heads-up on bloggers who have
written about topics that deserve my comments. She'll proofread
my articles, make personal phone calls for me, and attend to
dozens of other tasks.

That's the beauty of virtual assistants. They can be thousands of
miles away and be just as effective as if they worked next to you
in your office.

If you don't have a virtual assistant yet, this summer is the
perfect time to hire one. Perhaps all you can afford is an hour
or two a week. That's OK. VAs work as little or as much as you
need them. And that's two or three hours you can spend enjoying
the summer or thinking of ways to bring in more business.

Cindy Greenway and Diana Ennen, both very successful virtual
assistants, explained the nuances of "How to Find a Virtual
Assistant to Help with Your Publicity Campaign" during a
teleseminar I conducted with them last year.

They explained where to find a VA, how VAs charge for their
services, why some VAs are so much more expensive than others,
and how to make the relationship smooth sailing. The recording is
available as a CD or an electronic transcript that you can
download and be reading as soon as your order has been approved.

Unload tasks you hate and start enjoying the summer. Go to
http://tinyurl.com/2e5875


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4. Make Your Assistant Media-savvy
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If you're hiring a virtual assistant or summer intern, they can
do a lot of the grunt work involved in a publicity campaign.

These tasks are ideal for an assistant:

--Update your press kit.

--Arrange for reprints of articles you've written.

--Help you stay on top of your social networking pages at sites
like Facebook and LinkedIn. They can friend others, update your
profile and accept invitations.

--Write and post press releases.

--Create Google Alerts for topics you want to follow.

--Write and submit articles to online directories.

--Research podcasts and blogs.

--Help book speaking engagements and prepare handouts.

--Find ways to recycle publicity.

--Look for book reviewers and submit your books.

--Find content for your ezine and blog.


My week-long teleseminar series "How to Help Your Boss or Client
with a Publicity Campaign" trains assistants on everything they
need to know about publicity, including researching media
outlets, blogs and other places where you want a presence.

It's available as a series of CDs, MP3 audios, or electronic
transcripts that you can download as soon as your order has been
approved. Take the hassle out of training your assistant by
letting me do the heavy lifting for you. Go to
http://www.publicityhound.com/PHU_AssistantsCourse.htm

This course was very popular among virtual assistants. Some of my
VA students have added PR to their services and raised their
fees.


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5. Promoting a Book on Fiscal/Physical Fitness
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This week, four Publicity Hounds have tips on how Mary Ammons of
Nashville, Tennessee can get publicity for the book Fiscal
Fitness: 8 Steps to Wealth and Health from America’s Leaders of
Fitness and Finance, written by Jack LaLanne and Matthew J.
Rettick, in the print media.


From Polly M. Kent:

"I started doing exercise with Jack LaLanne after each of my
babies was born during the 60s.

"I would use something that puts Jack LaLanne in the past and
Matthew in the immediate now. Such as 'Jack LaLanne has taught
you how to get here in good physical shape. Now let Matt teach
you what you need to know about fiscal fitness. Jack LaLanne has
proven himself as a physical fitness guru. Now allow fiscal
fitness guru Matt Rettick to teach you how to add money to the
muscle you have acquired.'"


From Kim Duke, The Sales Diva:

"The cover is a killer--it really speaks to men and not women.

"However, I think many women would love the info, and as the
largest target client for almost every business, you should be
focused on reaching them.

"I would recommend using some 'sass' in your media
pitches...focusing on women who are 'cashing out' as Faith
Popcorn talks about, i.e. women who are sick of putting their
bodies and bank accounts on diets.


From The Publicity Hound:

"Have Matt offer a free calculator that lets people calculate
their ability to retire at age 63, or 70, or whatever, with
enough money to survive, with or without Social Security. My
financial advisor gave me a little cardboard wheel that shows
people how much they'll have in the bank by age 70 if they save
only $5 a week." (See "Special Report #51: 55 Free Things You Can
Offer to Generate Publicity or Capture People's Email Addresses"
at http://tinyurl.com/63avbr


Read all the responses to this week's Help This Hound question at
http://tinyurl.com/545r96

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


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

Lynne Scheible of Big Rapids, Michigan writes:


"Leadership Mecosta, our community leadership program, is
sponsoring a community art project.

"Area businesses and organizations are sponsoring fiberglass
statues of more than 30 bulldogs, 3 by 4 feet. We chose a bulldog
because it's the mascot of Ferris State University, our local
college.

"Our job now is to promote the heck out of this so that people
will come to Big Rapids and the surrounding area to see these
dogs artistically designed by local artists. Our web page is at
http://www.yearofthedawg.com/

"Other communities have done similar projects. Chicago did cows.
South Haven, Michigan did bears. And Midland, Michigan did
Trolls.

"Can your Hounds come up with some promotion ideas to pull
tourists to Big Rapids to see these dawgs?"


The Publicity Hound says:

This is a fun one. My idea is to shoot videos of the bulldogs and
post them on video sharing sites like YouTube. The teleseminar I
did last week with videographer John Easton got rave reviews.

John passed along lots of tips on the most inexpensive video
equipment to buy, where to find dirt-cheap videographers in your
own community if you don't want to get your hands dirty, and how
to persuade local media, chambers of commerce and other industry
groups to use your video to promote you and smother the
competition.

You can buy the CD, electronic transcript or MP3 audio next week.
More details in the next newsletter.

Hounds, what do you think? Post your best ideas for Lynne at my
blog at http://tinyurl.com/6m9hmc


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

Why is it that when you blow in a dog's face, it gets annoyed?
But when you take it for a ride in the car, it sticks its head
out the window?


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8. At My Blog...
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7 resources make it easy for journalists to find you
http://tinyurl.com/5bs3av


More tips, ideas on how to use Twitter
http://tinyurl.com/5gnj5k


Use spam checkers for ezine content and pitches
http://tinyurl.com/3uta79


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Where to See or Hear The Publicity Hound


June 11: Teleseminar for Publicists

PR whiz Robert Smith explains "How to Earn An Extra $100,000 This
Year as a Publicist, Even in a Bad Economy." 3-4 p.m. Eastern
Time. Register at http://www.publicityhound.com/teleseminar.htm


June 18: Teleseminar on Outsourcing

Business coach Leili McKinley shares "Outsourcing Secrets: Your
Guide to Getting the Best Quality, Price & Teamwork from
Freelancers." 3-4 p.m. Eastern Time. Register at
http://www.PublicityHound.com/teleseminar.htm


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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