Publicity tips/What Tim Russert Taught Us June 17, 2008

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week Issue
#403 June 17, 2008
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.net/(Blog)
The Publicity Hound®

Circulation: 47,359


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Save the Date:

June 18: Teleseminar

Business coach Leili McKinley shows you "Outsourcing Secrets: How
to Get the Best Quality, Price and Teamwork from Freelancers."
3-4:10 p.m. Eastern Time. Register at
http://www.publicityhound.com/teleseminar.htm See Item #4 below.


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In This Issue
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1. What Tim Russert Taught Us

2. Facebook and The Life Changing Box

3. Tie Story Ideas to the Weather

4. Get Rid of Work You Hate to Do

5. Promoting Nursing Homes

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Quote of the Week

8. And at My Blog...


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1. What Tim Russert Taught Us
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After almost five days of non-stop tributes to Tim Russert, none
was as fascinating as the five-year-old article I found last
night titled "How to Beat Tim Russert" at
http://www.slate.com/id/2085153/

Jack Shafer, who writes the press column for the online magazine
Slate, dissected in step-by-step detail the strategy that any
guest can use to disarm Russert, the toughest interviewer in
broadcast journalism.

The article explains how David Duke, one-time grand wizard of the
Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, threw Russert off guard when he
appeared on the show in March 1999 during his Louisiana campaign
for a seat in the House of Representatives.

"Unable to stick it to Duke with his time-proven techniques,
Russert sputtered, steamed, and almost boiled over," Shafer
wrote.

But few other politicians have come even close to rattling him.
Here's what Tim Russert taught Publicity Hounds about
interviewing:

- -Know your interviewer inside and out. If you agree to an
interview and you have time, research clippings and past shows so
you know what to expect. I suggest you even call other people
who have been the subject of interviews by that reporter and ask
questions like "What was the worst thing about the interview?"
And "What was the biggest surprise?"

- -Anticipate all the tough questions. Shafer's suggestion to
have somebody on your staff prepare a mock interview and compose
answers for the most challenging questions you can imagine is the
same advice every good crisis counselor recommends.

- -Know what has been written about you and what hasn't,
particularly sensitive information in public records like nasty
divorce proceedings, lawsuits, or arrests for things like driving
while under the influence. Be ready to concede those issues if
you must, and then move on.

- -Put reporters on the defensive. Russert seldom fell for this
trick, but your run-of-the-mill beat reporter for your daily
newspaper certainly might. If reporters ask questions that
include inaccurate facts or unfair assertions, call them on it
and challenge them. Reporters aren't the only ones who are
allowed to ask questions. You can, too. But only if you
understand how the game is played.

- -If the interviewer asks you a question you don't understand,
feel free to interrupt. And don't answer until you understand it
completely. "Too many of Russert's guests allow him to fling
enormous, mattress-sized paragraphs at them that are far too
complicated to answer on television," Shafer writes. "Interrupt
him when a question needs clarification. Interrupt him when he's
startled you with something fresh. Interrupt him back when he
interrupts you. Interrupt him for the hell of it. It drives him
crazy, and when he's crazy, he loses his place in the script, his
face goes a tad red, and he loses his momentum."

I'm guessing that crisis counselor Jonathan Bernstein would
describe Tim Russert as a "media wolf." Jonathan knows media
wolves very well and makes a living helping his clients confront
them, or stay out of trouble so they don't see the wolves at
their doorsteps.

"How to Keep the Media Wolves at Bay," a recording of a one- hour
interview I did with Jonathan, explains the tricks of his trade
and what to do and say when you're confronted by a media wolf.
It's available as a CD or an electronic transcript that you can
download and be reading as soon as your order has been approved.

Find out how to disarm the media wolves at
http://tinyurl.com/b8wcy


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2. Facebook and the Life Changing Box
=====================================

Here's an unusual promotion and an interesting way to use a
Facebook application to build the buzz about, presumably, a new
product.

The Life Changing Box is possibly the first big-ticket,
promotional Facebook app. You have a chance to win 20 prizes
with values ranging from $400 to $14,000, including a 52-inch
super- big flat screen TV, home theaters, tickets to exclusive
baseball games, domestic and international trips, and more.

The game resembles Hot Potato in reverse. But the potato is a
box, and inside each box is a prize. The goal is to be in
possession of the box when it opens, thus winning the prize.

There are 10 boxes total and the game lasts four weeks. To gain
possession of a box, participants use a currency called a
"Touch." All players get 24 touches per day. Each Touch enters
the player into a round.

Part of the fun of Facebook is the option to invite your friends
to install an application you enjoy. If someone you invited into
the game wins a prize, you win the exact same prize.

But you must be extremely patient to understand out how this
works. And you'll have to endure the headache-inducing white
print on a black background on the social media press release
that explains the game at http://lifechangingbox.smnr.us. (If you
can't figure it out, please don't ask me to explain it).

You can start playing the game by visiting my Facebook page at
http://tinyurl.com/4cwjbu. Then tell your friends about it. By
the way, the Facebook site has been down several hours today. If
you can't get to my page, try again later today.

Internet marketing expert Don Crowther says Facebook is one of
seven social media marketing sites where everyone should have a
presence. If you're pitching only traditional media, you're
missing a huge opportunity to use online tools like Facebook to
promote. Learn about the other six websites Don recommends. His
interview is included in the eight-part series "How to Create a
Media Plan," available as a series of Cds, MP3 audios on a CD, or
electronic transcripts. Each comes with handouts that include a
fill-in-the-blanks template for a media plan.

Read more about how you can take the pain out of creating a media
plan at http://www.publicityhound.com/mediaplan.htm


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3. Tie Story Ideas to the Weather
=====================================

Flooding in the Midwest. Wild fires in California. Snow in the
Northwest. Scorching heat on the East Coast.

And it’s still only spring.

This is the time to pitch weather stories. If you sell or give
away a product or service to help people cope with the weather,
let the media know. They’re hungry for any tie-in.

Several years ago, after terrible flooding in the Midwest, the
president of a Minnesota company that sells dehumidifiers called
a local drive-time radio show on a popular Milwaukee station. It
was during a week when homeowners had bought every small engine
and generator in the state, which they used to remove water from
basements. On that afternoon, there wasn’t a generator to be
found anywhere in Wisconsin.

For at least 10 minutes, the host interviewed the company
president who explained how his machine works. The host even
repeated the company’s toll-free phone number several times. I
remember thinking, "Now THAT’S smart!"

What story idea can you pitch to help people cope? My "Special
Report #37: How to Tie Your Product, Service, Cause or Issue to
the Weather" offers lots of ideas for piggybacking onto weather
news, explains how to pitch these story ideas to the media and
shares tips on the little "extras" you can offer the media to
convince them to cover you. Only $10.

Get started today pitching great weather stories by going to
http://tinyurl.com/yna28c


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4. Get Rid of Work You Hate to Do
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I hate balancing my checkbook every month, so I outsource it to a
small business consultant who also prepares quarterly reports for
my accountant.

I would never think of spending my precious time transcribing a
teleseminar so I can sell it as an electronic transcript. So I
hire a freelancer to do it for me, and another freelancer to edit
it.

Customer service can eat up hours of time, yet I'm fanatic about
customer service. So that's one of the tasks my virtual
assistant manages.

And when it's time to create a new product, I'll sometimes farm
out the work to a freelance writer. I've even outsourced press
releases and articles that carry my byline.

Identify successful businesses and chances are good the owners
outsource work they hate doing, don't have time to do, or lack
the talent and skills to do.

If you're not outsourcing, you're missing a powerful strategy
that's the next best thing to cloning yourself. But outsourcing
is filled with land mines.

How do you know a writer you've hired hasn't plagiarized somebody
else's work? How do you know whether freelancers are any good
before you hire them? How do you avoid a lawsuit from a
freelancer who claims that you owe him a percentage of all sales
from the ebook he wrote for you?

Leili McKinley, an expert at outsourcing, has made mistakes just
like I have. She'll be my guest on a teleseminar at 3 p.m.
Eastern Time tomorrow, June 18, called "Outsourcing Secrets: How
to Get the Best Quality, Price and Teamwork from Freelancers."
If you can't make the live call, sign up anyway because you'll
get a copy of the MP3 audio to listen to at your convenience.

Start benefiting from outsourcing right now by signing up for the
call and for Leili's five free outsourcing tips via email at
http://www.PublicityHound.com/teleseminar.htm


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5. Promoting Nursing Homes
=====================================

This week, three Publicity Hounds have story ideas for Lisa
Cupolo of Ballston Spa, New York. She wants to pitch her local
business journal but isn't sure what business-related ideas to
suggest.


From Scott Anthony:

"A story on how 'green' you are would be timely. Use angles like
ways you are energy-efficient while transporting patients, and
using more efficient light bulbs. Do you use biodegradable
plates and napkins and environmentally friendly detergents?"


From Kim Duke, The Sales Diva:

"What are the costs behind living wills and what are the steps
necessary to implement them?...Even hard core business reporters
will still spin other ideas. For example, are any of the doctors
or nurses involved in 'Doctors Without Borders' or other similar
non-profits?

"What are the upcoming trends in health? A great resource is
http://www.trendwatching.com"


The Publicity Hound says:

How do you find and keep good employees? Business journals
frequently write about recruitment and retention.

Attend events the newspaper is sponsoring. Get to know reporters
and editors and ask them "What do you see as the biggest issues
in health care this year?" If their answer fits in with a story
you can contribute to, let them know. Then share your thoughts
on emerging trends.

Paul Furiga, former editor of The Pittsburgh Business Times, says
attending business journal events is a powerful way to start
building relationships with reporters and editors. He was my
guest during a teleseminar on "How to Use Business Journals to
Tell Your Story."

It's available as a CD or an electronic transcript that you can
download and be reading as soon as your order has been approved.
Learn the easiest ways to land a coveted spot in a business
journal at http://tinyurl.com/q4rf7.


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


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

Tracy Arceo of Gretna, LA writes:

"I am a publicist for Pelican Publishing Company. The publicists
have been presented with a challenge and we're having trouble
coming up with ideas.

"Our company has two rather large series of books. One series is
based on the classic children’s poem "'Twas the Night Before
Christmas," each book with a spin specific to a genre, region or
occupation.

"The other series is based on the classic recipes and dishes of
some of the major cities in the South such as New Orleans,
Charleston and Savannah. We have been asked to come up with some
form of promotion for each of these series.

"Do your Publicity Hounds have any suggestions on what we can do
to generate interest in each of these groups of books?"


The Publicity Hound says:

OK, Hounds give this one your best shot. What would you do if
you were on Tracy's team? Remember that she needs to be pitching
Christmas ideas right now if she wants the Christmas books
mentioned in national magazines, which often have long lead
times.

As for the cookbook series, how about suggesting some really fun
ways to promote? How can she use videos to publicize these
books? How can she use social networking to build a buzz? How
about a contest? Post your best ideas to my blog at
http://tinyurl.com/4orekj

I think the cookbooks are ideal for the morning TV talk shows
like the "Today" show and "Good Morning, America." Can't you
just see the author teaching Diane Sawyer how to whip up a pan of
jambalaya?

Competition to get onto these shows is less intense if you know
what you're doing. I interviewed book publicist Lissa Warren,
who has placed dozens of her clients on these shows. "How to Get
Booked on the Morning TV Talk Shows" is available as a CD or an
electronic transcript that you can download and be reading as
soon as your order has been approved.

Learn how to get through to the producers whose audiences need
what you're offering at http://tinyurl.com/ab86x


================================
7. Hound Quote of the Week
================================

Thanks to Publicity Hound Sophie Wajsman for this one:

"The noblest dog is the hot dog because it feeds the hand that
bites it."


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. At My Blog...
================================

Unusual weather a chance to pitch weather stories
http://tinyurl.com/6avrs6


Dairy Queen joins Girl Scouts to create Thin Mint Blizzard
http://tinyurl.com/6hjmeu


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Where to See or Hear The Publicity Hound


June 18: Teleseminar on Outsourcing

Business coach Leili McKinley shows you "Outsourcing Secrets:
Your Guide to Getting the Best Quality, Price and Teamwork from
Freelancers." 3-4:10 p.m. Eastern Time. Register at
http://www.PublicityHound.com/teleseminar.htm


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Joan Stewart
a. k.a. The Publicity Hound®
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Phone: 262-284-7451 (Central) Fax: 262-284-1737