Publicity tips/It's Not About You Jan 14, 2009

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #433 Jan. 14, 2009
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)

Circulation: 43,767

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"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"

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In This Issue
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1. It's Not About You

2. The Power of Surveys

3. Sell Books by the Truckload

4. Create Your Own Holiday

5. Promoting a Book on Marriage

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Quote of the Week

8. And at My Blog...


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1. It's Not About You
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Trusting the wrong doctor almost killed motivational speaker
Edward Leigh of Cleveland, Ohio.

In 1997, at age 39, Edward started having abdominal pains. His
doctor prescribed Pepto-Bismol. The doctor then performed a
sigmoidoscopy, which came back normal.

During the next two and a half years, his condition worsened and
included nausea, dizziness and rectal bleeding. His doctor
recommended that Edward continue with over-the-counter
medication.

When his symptoms became so severe that he collapsed on the
bathroom floor, he sought help from another doctor who ordered a
colonoscopy. The diagnosis: Stage III Colon Cancer.

The initial test he had, a sigmoidoscopy, is a partial colon exam
that views only the left portion of the colon. The complete colon
exam, the colonoscopy, found his right-sided tumor.

After his surgery and chemotherapy, Edward joined the Colon
Cancer Alliance and later joined a colon cancer listserv via the
Association of Cancer Online Resources.

In March 2000, when "Today" show host Katie Couric was creating
her series called "Confronting Colon Cancer" following the death of
her husband from that disease, Katie's producer contacted the
Colon Cancer Alliance seeking people who had been diagnosed
and survived.

Edward stepped forward.

"The producer interviewed me, checked back with Katie who was
the decision maker, and she said 'Bring him to New York.' A week
later, we did the taping and I was part of Katie's week-long series
that won a Peabody Award."

From there, the publicity snowballed to include:

--An appearance on "Mystery Diagnosis" on the Discovery Health
Channel which is now being repeated on the Learning Channel.

--An interview with Montel Williams in March last year. You can see
it at http://tinyurl.com/9xsvy3

--Numerous requests for speaking engagements and consulting for
the health care industry. Today, Edward teaches doctors how to
communicate better with their patients. He also helps patients
become their own health care advocates.

He said he uses many of the tips he reads in this newsletter to
pitch media large and small. Even though he has a compelling
story to tell, he follows his own advice when pitching.

"Don't be focused on your own agenda. You have to be focused on
your topic and the media outlet's audience when you're talking to a
producer. It's not all about you. If you make it all about you, that's a
death sentence as far as the media is concerned."

Ditto when the cameras are rolling. TV talk show host Connie
Dieken, who also hails from Cleveland, says that if you're bombing
on the air, producers will cut the interview short and hustle you out
of the studio--pronto--before you can do any more damage.

But why take that chance?

Know exactly how to endear yourself to the host and the producers
and get invited back. Connie explained how when she was my
guest during a teleseminar on "How to be a TV Talk Show Host's
Dream Date." 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.

Read more about what you'll learn at http://tinyurl.com/3z7ut

Edward, by the way, says he'll be glad to answer colon questions
from Publicity Hounds if you contact him at
mailto:Edward@EdwardLeigh.com


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2. The Power of Surveys
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If knowledge is power, then surveys are like a giant jackhammer in
your marketing toolbox.

You can take a fun, controversial or timely survey and report results
to the media and to consumers.

Or, you can do what I'm doing and survey your customers to see
what else they need from you that you're not currently providing.
That survey should be ready for you in a few weeks, and I'll even
reward you with some cool stuff to encourage you to complete it.

Business consultant Paul Lemberg says too many business
owners are obsessed with chasing down new leads when they
should be spending some of that time also figuring out how to sell
more products and services to their existing customers. That's one
of his five formulas for any business that wants to double its
business this year: sell more stuff to the same people.

During last week's teleseminar on "5 Ways to Double Your
Business in 2009," Paul explained that you don't need an elaborate
survey like the one I'm creating. Instead, one phone call to just one
customer can result in valuable information that can lead to new
products and services.

In fact, he suggests just one short question and he tells you
exactly how to word it. About 200 people joined us on last week's
call and heard Paul's other valuable advice on how to raise prices in
a meltdown economy, one task to do at the beginning of every day
that will make your business soar, and a really clever way to reward
your customers for bringing you new leads, without breaking the
bank.

You can read more about his tips and listen to the replay at my
blog at http://tinyurl.com/9fzrq9

Paul's Formula Five series of videos and checklists will be available
soon from Stompernet at http://tinyurl.com/a6j4pw where you'll find
an entire series of videos on this program, and dozens of take-away
tips you can start using today.


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3. Sell Books by the Truckload
========================================

Too many authors try to sell books the hard way. They look for
10,000 customers so they can sell 10,000 books.

It's sometimes a lot easier to sell all those books--or even 100,000
books--to only one customer.

How? By searching for companies that typically buy books in mass
quantity and give them away as free "premium incentives" to
encourage people to buy their products. Many of these same
companies:

--Give away the books as thank-you gifts to people who buy other
products and services.

--Use the book to thank members or subscribers who renew.

--Rely on the book to help train their employees.

Matthew Bennett has used this simple strategy as an unknown,
self-published author to sell more than 5 million books.

He has written books on health, pets, fitness and inspiration and
then sold them in quantity to companies like Disney, Reebok,
NBC, Abbot Labs, Pfizer, US Healthplans and Subway.

Steve Harrison is hosting a free one-hour teleseminar with Matthew
on Thursday, Jan. 15, at your choice of two times. If you cannot
make either call, find someone who can listen and take notes for
you.

Matthew will share his tips on how he sold more than 80,000
copies of an inspirational book in just one phone conversation.
He'll also explain how you can tie in with major charities like the
March of Dimes and the American Heart Association to sell
truckloads of books and raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for
charity. You'll also learn the three things you absolutely must arm
yourself with before ever pitching your book.

Like most free teleseminars, Steve is hoping that after you listen to
the call, you'll buy their consulting services to learn how to do this
in detail. So just sit back, relax and listen.

Click here to continue reading about what you'll learn and to sign
up: http://www.freepublicity.com/mattbennett/?10011


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4. Create Your Own Holiday
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If you haven't created your own holiday, or your own day, week or
month of the year, you're missing out on the chance to generate
tons of print, broadcast and online publicity.

Take a look at some of the cool holidays that members of the
National Speakers Association have created. I found this list in the
current issue of NSA's Speaker magazine:

--Steve Hughes created "Be Kind to Lawyers Day" the second
Tuesday in April.

--Laura Stack created "National Leave the Office Earlier Day" on
June 2 to promote her book, Leave the Office Earlier. It coincides
with her birthday. Problem is, so many media outlets want to
interview her that she ends up working 12 hours on her birthday just
to accommodate them all.

--Publicity Hound Michelle Nichols created a wildly successful
nationwide campaign to promote National Hug Your Kids Day, the
third Monday in July. She convinced Clear Channel Outdoor to
donate 135 digital billboards, eight Gannett newspapers to run
"Citymoms.com" contests, and three Major League baseball teams
to announce it on their Jumbotrons.

--Publicity Hound Carol Copeland has christened June as Student
Safety Month.

--Marilee Driscoll has designated October Long-Term Care Planning
Month.


What are you waiting for? Now, it's your turn.

If you're on LinkedIn, you can use that popular social networking
site to actually promote your holiday, just like Michelle Nichols did.
Scott Allen, an expert on LinkedIn, critiqued Michelle's LinkedIn
campaign and made several suggestions which she used.
They resulted in instant feedback from the LinkedIn community
within only 48 hours.

Scott explained her campaign when he was my guest during a
teleseminar on "How to Use LinkedIn to Promote Anything--
Ethically & Powerfully." It's available as electronic transcripts and
your choice of MP3s or CDs. Read more about how to launch a
publicity campaign on the world's largest business networking site
at http://tinyurl.com/5zvzyd


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5. Promoting a Book on Marriage
==========================================

This week, 11 Publicity Hounds have tips for Sheryl P. Kurland of
Orlando, FL, author of Everlasting Matrimony: Pearls of Wisdom
from Couples Married 50 Years or More. She needs new ideas to
stimulate sales of the book in time for Valentine's Day.


From Lisa Lockwood:

"Announce your book in a press release on PR Web. I'm self-
published and landed a spot on The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch
just by announcing that I was launching my book tour."


From Cheryl Pickett:

"I suggest you check out the book The Daughter-in-Law Rules at
http://www.thedilrules.com. Author Sally Shields lists some of the
publicity success she's had with her self-published book, and you
share a similar audience. I also know she'd be willing to share more
help if you contacted her."


From Bonnie Lowe:

"Can you jump on the 'bad economy' bandwagon? Are there any
stories in your book that might show readers how to be romantic
without spending much money? Could you do a press release on
'How to spend less on your Valentine without looking cheap' or
something like that, and tie it into your book?"


The Publicity Hound says:

Sheryl, if you could round up a few couples who would be willing to
be interviewed, this would make a great segment for National Public
Radio. Go to the NPR site at http://www.npr.org and use the search
box at the top of the screen to search for words like "marriage" and
"matrimony" and see what you find. You can listen to many of the
shows in the archives before you pitch the producers.

But before you do, follow Lissa Warren's tips on how to navigate the
NPR labyrinth because it can get confusing. Lissa, a book
publicist, has successfully pitched dozens of her clients to NPR,
and she shared all her secrets during a teleseminar I conducted
with her on "How to Get Booked on National Public Radio."

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.

Read more about what you need to get onto NPR at
http://tinyurl.com/ayms6

Read all the responses to this week's Help This Hound question
http://tinyurl.com/832mpk

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


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

Pegine Echevarria of Jacksonville, Fla. writes:

"I am launching a licensed training program called 'White Guys Are
Diverse Too!'

"I want to capture the interest of corporate and government chief
diversity offers, chief learning officers and senior leadership of large
corporations who can purchase this program to spread the word to
their employees.

"The topic is controversial. In large organizations, Diversity and
Inclusion (D&I) programs are part of everyone's training.
However, white guys tend to walk out of D&I programs thinking they
are excluded and not valued for the unique individualized impact
that they bring.

"'White Guys Are Diverse Too!' celebrates the diversity among white
guys, the value they bring to their organizations and teams along
with how managers can engage, motivate and inspire their white
male team members.

"I need ideas, help to get the word out that 'White Guys are Diverse
Too!' The website at http://www.WhiteGuysAreDiverse.com
offers a no-obligation special report. Can you give me some no
cost/low cost ideas?


P.S. I've spent my life savings on this product. It has to reach the
masses.


The Publicity Hound says:

See the fabulous movie "Gran Torino" in which Clint Eastwood
plays the racist Walt Kowalski, a tough, gruff, crotchety old man
who hates everybody who isn't white--or at least thinks he does.

Start writing press releases and articles and using the social
networking sites to write about "What Would Walt Kowalski Do?"
and then tie it into your training. Piggybacking off celebrities and
red-hot movies (this one is a contender for several Oscars) is a
fabulous way to pull in traffic from the search engines.

My "Special Report #50: How to Piggyback onto Celebrity News to
Promote Your Product, Service, Cause or Issue" gives you lots
more ideas. Only $10. Order at http://tinyurl.com/gy6bd


Hounds with other ideas for Pegine can post them to my blog at
http://tinyurl.com/829jv3


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

"I know that dogs are pack animals, but it is difficult to imagine a
pack of standard poodles...and if there was such a thing as a pack
of standard poodles, where would they rove to?
Bloomingdale's?

--Yvonne Clifford, American actress


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...
===================================

Why lowering your prices can ruin your business
http://tinyurl.com/9fzrq9


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WHERE TO SEE AND HEAR THE PUBLICITY HOUND:


Wednesday, Jan. 21--Teleseminar

Join me for the third annual smARTist telesummit where
photographers, jewelers, potters, painters, metalworkers,
woodworkers and other artists will learn all the secrets for growing
their art business. I'm presenting a session on how to use social
networking, from 2 to 2:45 Eastern Time on Wednesday, Jan. 21.
Register for the telesummit at http://tinyurl.com/5axy3x


Monday, Jan. 26--Teleseminar

"Boost Your Biz with a Blog," from 4 to 5 p.m. Eastern on Monday,
Jan. 26. Denise Wakeman and Patsi Krakoff, aka The Blog Squad,
will explain how to draw more traffic and boost more sales from a
blog. You'll also learn about the biggest mistakes bloggers make
and how they sabotage their own success. Register at
http://www.blogsquadteleseminars.com/joan/


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Joan Stewart
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Phone: 262-284-7451 (Central) Fax: 262-284-1737