Publicity Tips/Like Rats on a Sinking Ship Apr 7, 2009

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #445 April 7, 2009
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)

Circulation: 41,324

==========================================

"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"

Receive this seine direct to your desktop
http://www.publicityhound.com/tipsoftheweek/

==========================================

You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The
Publicity Hound website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you
told me that you want to subscribe. If you didn't subscribe, you
can unsubscribe by clicking the link at the bottom of the
newsletter.

Please forward this ezine to anyone you know who needs free
publicity to establish their credibility, enhance their
reputation, position themselves as employers of choice, sell more
products and services, or promote a favorite cause or issue.


*******************************************

Social Media Teleseminar Tomorrow, April 8:


Puzzled about the return on investment you'll get by
participating in social media?

David Mathison, once an unknown author, has one success story
after another to share about what has happened to him as a result
of joining the conversation at sites like Twitter, Facebook and
LinkedIn.

While writing his book "Be the Media: How to Create and
Accelerate Your Message...Your Way," he spent time on those sites
and others and has one success story after another to share with
you.

David will join me for a complimentary teleseminar from 3 to 4
p.m. Eastern Time tomorrow and explain how to use social media to
create a huge following and sell more books, products or
services. Only 200 people will be able to participate. Register
at http://www.Publicityhound.com/teleseminardavemathison.htm

********************************************
================================
In This Issue
================================

1. Like Rats on a Sinking Ship

2. Google Measures Your Influence

3. Let 'em Know You Twitter

4. Before You Write a Nonfiction Book...

5. Advice for Twitter 'Unfollowers'

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. And at My Blog...


=================================
1. Like Rats on a Sinking Ship
=================================

Those newspaper and magazine journalists you're pitching are
grumpier than ever.

You'd be grumpy, too, if you had an ax hanging over your head.

The 2009 PRWeek/PR Newswire Media Survey shows that half of the
2,174 journalists surveyed this year are considering careers
outside of journalism.

Doug Elfman, entertainment columnist at the Las Vegas Review-
Journal describes the situation like this:

"I know several people who have changed careers or have
considered changing their careers because they don't want to feel
like rats on a sinking ship anymore."

That confirms what I'm hearing from my friends in the newspaper
business.

PRWeek's survey results also show:

--70 percent of journalists are working harder this year than
last.

--They're taking on more work on the Web, where publishers
feel they have the best chance of recouping lost revenues.

--At magazines like Teen Vogue, journalists produce numerous
daily online-only items and blog posts to tide over readers
between issues.

--The number of journalists who have a social networking profile
has increased from 54 percent last year to 77 percent this year.
Many of them say they look for story ideas, sources and other
information on sites like Facebook and Twitter.


What this means to you:

--Pay attention to a newspaper's or magazine's website, not only
the printed edition. You might find many more opportunities for
publicity online than offline.

--The emphasis on the Web means journalists are no longer "print
journalists" or "broadcast journalists." They are all "multi-
media journalists." So think "multi-media" when you pitch by
offering a video clip for a newspaper's or TV station's website.

--If you're obsessed with generating publicity in traditional
media, you need to have a presence on the social networking
sites, where many journalists hunt for stories.

--Position yourself as a helpful source who's willing to go the
extra distance. Many journalists are still confused about how to
use sites like Facebook and Twitter. If you can help them by
showing them, in step-by-step detail, how to do something like
search Twitter by topic, you could score points.


If you're creating video for, let's say, your local newspaper,
you can recycle it in other ways for additional publicity.
Videographer John Easton does it all the time in Charlotte, North
Carolina, and the local chamber of commerce and TV stations love
him. During a teleseminar I hosted, he explained how you can do
what he does without fancy equipment or much techie know-how. "9
Clever Ways to Use Video to Become a Publicity Darling in Your
Industry or Community" is available as a CD, MP3 or electronic
transcript that you can download as soon as your order has been
approved.

Read more about how to use the power of video for publicity at
http://tinyurl.com/5pbgzn


=================================
2. Google Measures Your Influence
=================================

If you're one of the many people who thinks Twitter is a waste of
time and you refuse to participate, please reconsider.

Rumors have been circulating that Google is interested in buying
Twitter, the micro-blogging site that lets users send messages of
no more than 140 characters to everyone who follows them.

For now, it's nothing more than gossip. But if there's a nugget
of truth to the rumor, here's how it could affect you.

Google, the granddaddy of search engines, already measures your
influence.

Let's say you sell dog toys and somebody types "dog toys" into
the Google search box. Google will rank your site on the left
side of the screen according to several factors. One of the
biggest is whether your site includes those keywords in the title
bar, description, meta tags and copy on your website.

Another factor is how many other influential websites link to
yours.

It gives high ranking to videos, too. When Google bought YouTube
for $1.65 billion in October 2006, that was the company's way of
screaming "We think videos are important."

Same with Twitter.

If Google buys Twitter, chances are good that one of the factors
it will use to measure your influence is your Twitter presence,
how often you tweet and how often you join the conversation.

If your competitors are on Twitter but you're not, what kind of
message do you think that will send to Google?

At Stompernet's Internet marketing seminar in Atlanta last month,
several speakers predicted that the search engines will place a
greater emphasis on your influence in the social networking
world.

Already, you can measure your influence on Twitter with a variety
of tools and applications. One of them is Twitalyzer at
http://twitalyzer.com/twitalyzer/index.asp

Type in your Twitter name, and it will grade your impact and
success in social media according to several factors: relative
influence, signal-to-noise ratio, generosity, velocity and clout.

Compare your score to the scores of your competitors.

If you ranked really low, you can boost your score by
understanding all the ways you can join in the conversation and
be helpful to the people who follow you. Warren Whitlock
explained how to do this, and he gave dozens of tips when he was
my guest during a teleseminar on "How to Use Twitter to Amass an
Army of Followers, Customers & Valuable Contacts--and Promote."

We recorded it and it's available as a package of electronic
transcripts and your choice of CDs or MP3s that you can download
immediately. Read more about what you'll learn at
http://tinyurl.com/3lbcaw


=========================================
3. Let 'em Know You Twitter
=========================================

Hardly a day goes by when the mainstream media isn't reporting on
Twitter. It's obvious many journalists and broadcasters are still
confused about the value of this site.

If you Twitter, particularly for business, and you're seeing a
return on your investment, offer yourself as a source for this
story. Explain what has happened to you since you started
Twittering, how many followers you have, how much time you spend,
how many valuable contacts you've made, and how many clients or
customers you've generated.

Consider pitching this story to your local business journal,
daily and weekly newspapers, TV stations and even your trade
journals.

How about offering a short list of three or four Twitter tools or
apps you use that save you time and help keep you organized? I
blogged about a cool directory that separates all these tools by
category. You can find it at http://tinyurl.com/cwcnwq


===========================================
4. Before You Write a Nonfiction Book...
===========================================

Don't write one word until you've made a long list of all the
ways you can use that book as a springboard to other products and
services.

Too many authors view the book as the end product. Then, if the
book doesn't sell, they're stuck.

Smart authors use their books as calling cards. The book
"upsells" readers to a variety of other products and services.

After working with more than 9,000 authors over the last 20
years, Steve Harrison has learned that the most successful
authors simply do seven key things differently than poor authors.

Some of them are very famous bestsellers, like the creators of
the Chicken Soup for the Soul series and Rich Dad Poor Dad.

Others are happily not-so-famous but quietly raking in high six-
figure and even seven-figure annual incomes without ever being on
Oprah or hitting any bestseller list.

To learn what wildly successful authors know that poor authors
don't, join him for a free 75-minute telephone seminar at 7 p.m.
Eastern Time tonight, April 7. There's no cost to participate in
the call (except for your normal long distance charges) so go
here now and sign up:

http://www.freepublicity.com/RichAuthorSecrets/?10011


========================================
5. Advice for Twitter 'Unfollowers'
========================================

This week, eight Publicity Hounds have tips for Dan Janal of
Shorewood, Minn., owner of PRLeads.com. He subscribes to
Qwitter.com at http://UseQwitter.com and wants advice on what to
do when the service notifies him that one of his Twitter
followers has "unfollowed" him.


From David Kadavy:

"For me, it's not about reciprocity, it's about genuine
relationships and useful information. Follow that principle and
you'll know when it's right to unfollow someone."


From Gail Sideman:

"I have a small follower base compared to many of those with whom
I have Twitter relationships, but can say that all I choose to
follow are valuable minds in their industries or are lots of fun.
If they unfollow me, I'm not going to analyze why. You can't
please everybody, especially in a base as broad as social media."


From Meryl Evans:

"I signed up for Qwitter a long time ago and forgot about it.
Suddenly, it hit me with a bunch of unfollowers. Obviously, the
service was flaky. Nonetheless, I unsubscribed to the service
after that. It's just not worth getting hurt or emotional about
those who stop following you."


Read all the responses to this week's Help This Hound question
http://tinyurl.com/cnb3b2

I'm running low on HTH questions. Send your own Help this Hound
question to:
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com?subject=HelpThisHound and include your city and state.


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

Karen Nardella of Conway, N.H. writes:

"I am a sole proprietor who owns the Emporium Consignment Outlet
and Home Staging Center, a consignment shop for high-end
furniture in Conway, N.H.

"I sell gently-used, high-quality, brand-name furniture such as
Ethan Allan, and I pay the owner 55 percent of the sale. All the
furniture is no more than 10 years old.

"With the sagging economy, what's the best way on a very tight
budget to spread the word about what I'm doing? I need to attract
the attention of people who have furniture to sell as well as
people who can't afford new furniture. What tips can your Hounds
share with me, either through traditional marketing channels or
by generating publicity?"


The Publicity Hound says:

The bad economy presents all kinds of great tie-ins to your
pitches. Let's see how many ideas my Hounds can suggest. If you
have a great idea for Karen, post it to my blog at
http://tinyurl.com/dyscmt


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

Dogs have owners. Cats have staff.


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/


================================
8. And at My Blog...
================================

Massive Twitter directory lists tools, apps galore
http://tinyurl.com/cnnz6n


-------------------------------------

Where to See & Hear The Publicity Hound:


April 8, 2009

Teleseminar with David Mathison on how to use social media to
sell books and other products. 3 to 4 p.m. Eastern.
http://www.Publicityhound.com/teleseminardavemathison.htm


Follow me on Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/PublicityHound


Friend me on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/people/Joan_Stewart/541605146


Connect with me on LinkedIn:
http://www.linkedin.com/in/publicityhound


Permission to Reprint:

You may reprint any items from "The Publicity Hound's Tips of the
Week" in your print or electronic newsletter. But please include
the following paragraph:

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 cheat sheet "89 Reasons to Send a News Release."

If you like these tips please pass them on to your friends,
clients and colleagues.

You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The
Publicity Hound® website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you
told me you want to subscribe.

Privacy Statement:

The Publicity Hound® respects your privacy and has a strict anti-
spam policy. Read my privacy policy at
http://www.publicityhound.com/privacypolicy.htm

=======================================================
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

Publicity Tips/Nonprofits, Speak Up Mar 31, 2009

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #444 March 31, 2009
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)

Circulation: 41,571

==========================================

"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"

Receive this seine direct to your desktop
http://www.publicityhound.com/tipsoftheweek/

==========================================

You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The
Publicity Hound web site at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you
told me that you want to subscribe. If you didn't subscribe, you
can unsubscribe by clicking the link at the bottom of the
newsletter.

Please forward this ezine to anyone you know who needs free
publicity to establish their credibility, enhance their
reputation, position themselves as employers of choice, sell more
products and services, or promote a favorite cause or issue.


================================
In This Issue
================================

1. Nonprofits, Speak Up

2. Journalists' Blogs a Gold Mine

3. Social Media Sells Books, Products

4. Take a Survey at Your Blog

5. How to Promote E-courses

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. And at My Blog...


=================================
1. Nonprofits, Speak Up
=================================

Many Publicity Hounds who completed my Customer Profile Survey
this month said they wanted more tips for nonprofits. Here's a
timely one.

Explain how you would be affected by President Barack Obama's
proposal to change the rules on deductions for charitable
contributions.

If passed by Congress, the budget would reduce the deductibility
of charitable contributions from 35 percent to 28 percent on
households that earn more than $250,000 a year. It also calls for
a return of the 39.6 percent tax bracket, which could affect
charitable giving.

A friend told me yesterday that an annual fund-raiser at her
church has raised only $75,000 this year, compared to the
$150,000 it had raised at the same time last year.

That's probably due to the bad economy. But how much smaller
would the revenue be if Congress changed the rules that govern
charitable giving?

The issue is being debated right now. The Center on Philanthropy
at Indiana University acknowledged that the reduced deduction
would "increase the challenges nonprofits have," but said it
would only have a moderate impact.

Even so, nonprofits are sweating.

Here are ways to piggyback onto the issue and attract attention,
whether you're for or against the proposal.

--Are your board and executives discussing the impact? What would
it mean to your nonprofit and the people you serve? Let the media
know.

--Create a short video arguing for or against Obama's plan and
upload it to the video-sharing sites.

--Write op-ed pieces for your local daily and weekly newspapers.

--Pitch bloggers who cover your topic.

--Discuss it at Twitter and link to videos, blog posts and
opinion pieces at your blog or website.

--Create a group on Facebook and keep your followers updated on
what happens with this proposal as well as other issues that
affect your nonprofit.

--If you have a good visual to offer, pitch the story to your
local TV stations.

If you're smart, you'll weave into the story information about
things like your events, fund-raisers and volunteers and explain
how they would be affected.


=================================
2. Journalists' Blogs a Gold Mine
=================================

Dying to pitch a certain journalist at a top-tier media outlet
but confused about how to make your pitch stand out among all the
others?

Keep reading for the inside secret.

I've never met Deborah Kotz, a woman's health columnist for U.S.
News & World Report.

We've never emailed each other or talked on the phone. I've never
pitched her.

Yet I know intimate details about her, including the type of
birth control she has used and whether her two sons are
circumcised.

You'll never find those kinds of details in the pricey media
databases you're buying.

But in some cases, you CAN find them buried within the bog posts
of journalists you want to pitch. Most PR people, unfortunately,
are too busy or too lazy to search for them.

To make your job easier, I've explained in step-by-step detail
how to find out if a journalist blogs and how to navigate the
blog to find all the juicy tidbits you need to customize your
pitch.

Read the blog post I wrote at http://budurl.com/l634

If you think my tips are valuable, please share that link with
your Twitter followers, Facebook friends and LinkedIn
connections.


=========================================
3. Social Media Sells Books, Products
=========================================

Puzzled about the return on investment you'll get by
participating in social media?

David Mathison, an unknown author, has one success story after
another to share about what has happened to him as a result of
joining the conversation at sites like Twitter, Facebook and
LinkedIn.

While writing his book "Be the Media: How to Create and
Accelerate Your Message...Your Way," he spent time on those sites
and others. As a result:

--He pre-sold 5,004 books in just 11 days through one Twitter
connection.

--He used Twitter to get invited to a prestigious university
symposium--and was invited back a second time.

--He collected thousands of email addresses and now markets to
those people.

--He used Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn to create an unbeatable,
lead-qualifying machine.

--He made friends with more than 3,500 Facebook users and
enlisted them to help sell his book.


Not bad, and that's just for starters. David will join me for a
complimentary teleseminar from 3 to 4 p.m. Eastern Time on
Wednesday, April 8, and explain how to use social media to create
a huge following and sell more books, products or services. Only
200 people will be able to participate. Register at
http://www.Publicityhound.com/teleseminardavemathison.htm


=======================================
4. Take a Survey at Your Blog
=======================================

If you're a blogger who wants more traffic, comments and sales
from your blog, here's a simple, inexpensive idea.

Take a survey--not like the lengthy Customer Profile Survey that
many of you completed for me recently, but a short, fun or
controversial survey you can tweet about on Twitter and refer to
on Facebook. It will help pull traffic to your blog like a
magnet.

Jeanne Hurlbert, the consultant who helped me design my survey,
is creating a video at her blog that explains how to do this. But
first, she wants to see questions you have about short blog
surveys.

She promises to answer every question and then use your questions
to guide her as she creates a video that explains how to survey
your readers.

Authors might want to know how a survey can sell more books.
Speakers might be curious about what kind of survey can help book
more speaking gigs. Other Hounds might want to share blog survey
success stories. Who knows? You might end up in her video.

You can post your question to her blog at
http://tinyurl.com/d5acwm

I'll let you know as soon as she has created the video.


P.S. Jill Cranford, who owns Stone2Furniture, a company that
makes furniture out of stone, has won the Kindle 2. Her name was
chosen from all respondents who completed my Customer Profile
Survey. I blogged about it at http://tinyurl.com/cldmec


========================================
5. How to Promote E-courses
========================================

This week, six Publicity Hounds have tips for Linda Foirmichelli
of Concord, NH and Jennifer Lawler of Lawrence, KS, both well-
established writers who offer e-courses on how writers can break
into magazines and how to write a book proposal.


From Janet Roots:

"Try connecting with people who are in touch with the same market
as you are, but offering different skills, like writers' coaches.
I'm a writer's coach and I would love to be able to refer my
clients to a trustworthy e-class on these subjects, since my
focus is writing fiction."


From Viveca Stone-Berry:

"Since you are both well-established, that means you have friends
and colleagues who are also well-established and they have
friends and colleagues.

"What about offering a 'community' discount to your contacts?
Make it at least 20 percent off. One way to do this is to post it
on ClickBank which is an affiliate program. I currently list my
fatigue recovery guide there and am putting up a duplicate page
to offer a 'community discount.'"


From Sheryl Kurland:

"You can submit course information for free to an e-newsletter
called Scribbles for writers and wanna-be writers at
http://www.sunscribbles.com. Your information should actually be
emailed to mailto:darlyn@sunscribbles.com You should also
immediately subscribe to this e-newsletter because it may contain
information on other places/opportunities to connect with to
publicize your course information.

"Be sure to include a gentle request for readers to blog about
your courses or send out your information in their respective e-
newsletters. Writers are usually always willing to help other
writers."


The Publicity Hound says:

Lots of freelancers read this newsletter and I'd love a list of
tips on how they can break into magazines. I'd share them at my
blog and then link to your course. So pitch bloggers like me.
"How to Pitch the Best Bloggers and Create a Media Explosion," a
teleseminar I did with Denise Wakeman and Patsi Krakoff, aka The
Blog Squad, explains how. Learn more at http://tinyurl.com/m7ymr


Read all the responses to this week's "Help This Hound" question
at http://tinyurl.com/dnlkd4

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


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

Dan Janal of Shorewood, MN, owner of PRLeads, writes:

"I subscribe to UseQwitter.com which tells me when people stop
following me on Twitter.

"I recently became very active on Twitter and many people started
following me--more than 400 in a week. However, UseQwitter now
tells me that 20 people have stopped following me.

"Was this a scam by them to get me to follow them? Should I
'unfollow' them in return? Were they really interested in hearing
from me, or were they trying to boost their own numbers?

"What do your readers do when they find out they are no longer
being followed? I feel so used!"


The Publicity Hound says:

I don't really care about who unfollows me. If they don't like my
posts, they probably aren't good leads for me, anyway. And I
don't waste my time unfollowing. But I'll be curious to hear from
Hounds who 'unfollow.'

Share your tips for Dan at my blog at http://tinyurl.com/cnb3b2


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

Kenny, a city boy, moved to the country and bought a hound dog
from an old farmer for $100. The farmer agreed to deliver the
dog the next day.

The next day the farmer drove up and said, "Sorry son, but I have
some bad news. The hound died."

"Well then, just give me my money back," Kenny said.

"Can't do that," the farmer said. "I went and spent it already."

"OK then, just unload the hound dog," Kenny suggested.

"What ya gonna do with him?" The farmer asked.

"I'm going to raffle him off," Kenny said.

"You can't raffle off a dead dog!" The farmer replied,
astonished.

"Sure I can," Kenny said. "Watch me. I just won't tell anybody
he's dead."

A month later, the farmer met up with Kenny and asked, "What
happened with that dead hound?"

"I raffled him off," Kenny said. "I sold 500 tickets at two
dollars apiece and made a profit of $898."

"Didn't anyone complain?" The farmer asked.

"Just the guy who won," Kenny said. "So I gave him his two
dollars back."

Kenny grew up and eventually became the chairman of Enron.


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/


==================================
8. And at My Blog...
==================================

Jill Cranford wins Kindle2 in Publicity Hound survey drawing
http://tinyurl.com/cldmec


Social networking ROI: A testimonial more valuable than an ad
http://tinyurl.com/daolec


Hip hop magazine wants to feature women deejays with clout
http://tinyurl.com/dep49l


Writers, pitch your idea to TV producer, agents Tuesday
http://tinyurl.com/cj97on


-------------------------------------

Where to See & Hear The Publicity Hound:


April 19, 2009

Teleseminar with David Mathison on how to use social media to
sell books and other products. 3 to 4 p.m. Eastern.
http://www.Publicityhound.com/teleseminardavemathison.htm


Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/PublicityHound


Friend me on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/people/Joan_Stewart/541605146


Connect with me on LinkedIn:
http://www.linkedin.com/in/publicityhound


Permission to Reprint:

You may reprint any items from "The Publicity Hound's Tips of the
Week" in your print or electronic newsletter. But please include
the following paragraph:

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 cheat sheet "89 Reasons to Send a News Release."

If you like these tips please pass them on to your friends,
clients and colleagues.

You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The
Publicity Hound® website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you
told me you want to subscribe.

Privacy Statement:

The Publicity Hound® respects your privacy and has a strict anti-
spam policy. Read my privacy policy at
http://www.publicityhound.com/privacypolicy.htm

=======================================================
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

---

Publicity tips/Vanishing PR Clients Feb 3, 2009

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #436 Feb. 3, 2009
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)

Circulation: 43,345

==========================================

"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"

Receive this ezine direct to your desktop
http://www.publicityhound.com/tipsoftheweek/

==========================================

You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The
Publicity Hound website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you
told me that you want to subscribe. If you didn't subscribe, you
can unsubscribe by clicking the link at the bottom of the
newsletter.

Please forward this ezine to anyone you know who needs free
publicity to establish their credibility, enhance their
reputation, position themselves as employers of choice, sell more
products and services, or promote a favorite cause or issue.

******************************************

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I recently changed servers at the list management company that
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You can find back issue you have missed in the archives at
http://www.publicityhound.com/tipsoftheweek/


*****************************************

================================
In This Issue
================================

1. Vanishing PR Clients

2. Grade Your Facebook Profile

3. Get Out of the Pile

4. Beware of the Shock Jocks

5. Formula Five Sweetens the Deal

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. And at My Blog...


===================================
1. Vanishing PR Clients
===================================

On the message boards, PR pros and publicists are lamenting the
fact that the lousy economy has forced companies to slash their
budgets for PR like never before.

In some cases, their client base has dried up completely.
Projects they were counting on this year have been canceled. And
they have no fresh leads coming into the funnel.

If you want to avoid that happening to you, here are four tips on
how to pull in PR prospects and convert them to clients:

--Hit the public speaking circuit and talk about how companies
can use traditional and social media to promote when lots of
other companies, paralyzed with fear, are doing nothing to market
themselves. Explain the value of the publicity and what happened
as a result of that front-page story you got for your client in
the local business journal, or that two-minute interview with the
local TV station.

--If you're looking for local clients, and you're a member of the
Chamber of Commerce, start shooting video of chamber events all
over town, and offer it to the chamber for use on their website.
The chamber will let its members know, and turn you into a star.
Also submit the video to local newspapers and TV stations, for
their websites. Guess who the chamber will recommend when a
company calls asking for a referral to a good PR person?

--Create a presence on the social networking sites. Use the
question-and-answer feature on LinkedIn to promote your expertise
and answer questions about PR. Create a group of fans on Facebook
and share PR tips with them regularly. On Twitter, refer your
followers to interesting articles and tips about PR and
publicity.

--Form alliances with local delivery services and ask them to
drop off your brochure with each package they deliver. If you
must, bribe the driver with a $20 bill. You never know who might

be looking for a PR person.


That last tip is courtesy of Illinois publicist Robert Smith, who
built his PR business from scratch in 1998, in part, by forming
alliances with a local shipping company and actually paying the
drivers to drop off his brochures. He has resorted to lots of
other off-the-wall tactics, like buying and selling leads, to
acquire clients.

He explained them all when he was my guest during a teleseminar
last summer on "How to Make an Extra $100,000 a Year as a
Publicist--Even in a Bad Economy." We recorded it, and it's
available as a CD, MP3 or an electronic transcript that you can
download and be reading as soon as your order has been approved.

Read more about Robert's ideas (some of them really wacky but
effective) at http://tinyurl.com/PRclients


=======================================
2. Grade Your Facebook Profile
=======================================

If you're on Facebook, find out how well your profile stacks up
against the profiles of the millions of other Facebook users.

Go to http://facebook.grader.com

It's a fun little application that will instantly calculate your
"grade" based on things like how many friends you have, the power
and reach of those friends, how many groups you have joined, how
many wall posts you've written, and whether the information is
complete.

There's one problem with the grader, however.

It doesn't accurately reflect the appeal of the thumbnail bio
that appears under your photo. An app like this one can't
possibly determine whether or not you sound interesting. That's
up to the reader to decide.

After you've graded yourself, go back and review your thumbnail
bio. Does it encourage your target audience to connect with you?
Does it convey a little about your personality? Does it encourage
visitors to friend you and stay to read more?

What about your bio on LinkedIn? I can't count the number of bios
I see on that site that are as potent as sleeping pills, even
though LinkedIn users can use as much space as they need to
describe themselves.

As for Twitter, few profiles I see actually make me smile or
visit the person's website.

Join social networking expert Nancy Marmolejo and me on
Wednesday, Feb. 11, during a 70-minute teleseminar called "Can
Your Social Networking Bio Pass the 10-Second Test?" We'll
explain the key elements of your profiles on the major sites like
Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter and explain the three traffic-
killing mistakes that even the professionals are making.

Nancy will make over the bio of one lucky participant. Read more
about what you'll learn and register for the session at
http://tinyurl.com/blvdby

While you're there, check out Publicity Hound Judy Lederman's
incredibly clever Twitter bio.


========================================
3. Get Out of the Pile
========================================

It's the Number One Secret of Publicity Hounds who want big-time
publicity.

And it starts with getting out of the pile.

"The pile" refers to the mountain of boring press releases,
bulging media kits, books with chintzy covers that scream "self
published!", product samples in hard-to-open packages, folders,
catalogs, brochures, videos and other unsolicited junk that
people send to newspaper editors and TV show guest bookers.

Journalists HATE digging into the pile each day because so much
of what's there is awful.

So how do you get out of the pile?

One of the very best ways is to meet journalists face to face at
an event they're attending with one purpose in mind--to find
interesting people to write about in their newspapers and
magazines or feature on their radio and TV programs. A face-to-
face meeting lets them hear the enthusiasm in your voice and see
the sparkle in your eye as you're delivering your 15-second
pitch.

Steve Harrison's National Publicity Summit has been introducing
journalists at top-tier media to Publicity Hounds who have
interesting stories to tell. As a result:

--Ron & Lisa Beres were booked on the "Today" show.

--Steve Shapiro was the subject of a big story in
"O the Oprah Magazine" after meeting the writer
at the summit.

--Lauri Loewenberg appeared on ABC's "The View" and
"Good Morning America."

--Jim Vonmier got on the "CBS Evening News" and "The Early Show"
as a result of the training and contacts he got at the summit.

--Kelly McCloskey used what she learned to get booked
on "Oprah."

--Barry Spilchuk was interviewed on Fox News Channel within
just five hours of meeting the producer at the summit.

--Sandy Clemmons was written-up in Health Magazine, Money
Magazine and TV Guide--all from meeting journalists
face-to-face at the summit.

Only 100 attendees will be admitted and the early-bird
registration deal goes away after Wednesday,
February 11. If you're interested in joining, go here now:
http://www.thebigsecrettogettingpublicity.com/?10011

If you're not interested in attending, watch Steve's video anyway
and learn about two other great ways to meet journalists face to
face.


=======================================
4. Beware of the Shock Jocks
=======================================

Before pitching a radio show, research the show and know what
you're getting into.

Publicity Hound Kristie Tamsevicius, a work-at-home expert, is
downright proud of the mountains of favorable publicity she
generates each year in the week leading up to "Doing Business in
Your Bathrobe Day" on Feb. 9.

Until yesterday.

A guest booker for WKLS-FM in Atlanta called Kristie and invited
her to be a guest on the morning drive-time show to talk about
her special holiday.

"When I called in and heard heavy metal music, I wondered what I
was in for," she said.

She soon found out when "Giant Brian," the host, welcomed her and
asked the standard questions. Then he took a call from "Bruce"
who threw Kristie a curve and started talking about some yucky
topics she would rather have not discussed. Kristie details the
whole ugly episode at her blog at http://tinyurl.com/dzzsqt

"I should have done more homework about the station before the
interview," she writes. "I asked about the audience and
demographics...should have insisted on getting info about the
host and their website to research."

Lesson learned.

If this ever happens to you, and you need information quickly on
a particular radio show or media outlet, ask your Twitter
followers. I'm astounded at how quickly my own followers answer
questions I throw out, or retweet the questions to their
followers. You can follow me on Twitter at
http://www.twitter.com/PublicityHound

Kristie, by the way, encourages work-at-home Hounds to piggyback
onto "Do Business in Your Bathrobe Day." Red Deer College in
Canada is using her holiday to promote its classes for
entrepreneurs. Two professors are even sponsoring a contest in
which work-at-homers can submit YouTube videos of themselves in
their bathrobes. Is that fun or what?


Despite Kristie's bad experience, big radio shows can be a gold
mine for Publicity Hounds. Alex Carroll has done more than 1,264
radio interviews, grabbed more than $4.5 million worth of free
radio airtime and raked in $1.2 million in direct sales in the
process. He was my guest expert during a teleseminar called "Get
Booked on Big Radio Shows in the Top 20 Markets" and he revealed
the step-by-step process involved in identifying the biggest
shows, pitching them, and then being the kind of guest who hosts
invite back.

It's available as a CD. Read more about how to get onto the
biggest and best shows at http://tinyurl.com/asgyx


==========================================
5. Formula Five Sweetens the Deal
==========================================

If you've been on the fence about Stompernet's Formula Five, the
business-building program I've been raving about, and price was a
factor, you'll want to know about several new enticements that
really sweeten the deal and make it well within the budget of
almost any business.

People said they love the idea behind the program but can't
commit to paying for it all up front.

Here's how Stompernet responded:

--They've lowered the price.

--They're offering a new payment plan that spreads payments over
12 months.

--They're adding a sixth module on how to create products,
regardless of whether you're a chiropractor, window cleaning
company, Internet marketer or a publicist.

You can read more about it here:
http://tinyurl.com/PaulLembergFormulaFive


Formula Five will be available for just a few more days, and then
the shopping cart closes down, so grab yours now. I've reviewed
the entire product and give it my highest recommendation.

P.S. If you've already purchased FormulaFive, Stompernet
is going to be rewarding you with some really sweet extras that
you're going to love.


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

Yikes! I accidentally wiped out my entire blog last week,
including the Help This Hound question from Michele Lessirard of
Vero Beach, Fla.

But my webmaster, Jason Saeler, backs up my blog weekly and had
the entire thing back online within minutes.

I'm using last week's question again this week in case you wanted
to contribute an idea but couldn't find the post--or the blog.

Michele writes:

"I have been blogging for more than seven years at New Moon
Journal http://www.newmoonjournal.com and my blog
http://newmoonjournal.blogs.com

"Now, there's a high-profile Harry Potter-type author named
Stephanie Myer who's written a series of vampire novels. One
best-seller is New Moon. Of course, I am competing now for search
engine optimization with her New Moon book and soon-to-be movie.
The New Moon Journal is an astrology blog dedicated to creativity
and personal growth using the lunar cycles for power, healing and
problem solving.

"How can I use this name recognition and ride on the coattails of
her book. Is it possible?"


The Publicity Hound says:

It sure is. The many authors, publishers and book publicity
experts who read this newsletter can post their best ideas to my
blog at http://tinyurl.com/dmzml4


Here's my idea. Go over to Amazon.com and review Stephanie's
books, which will let you link back to your blogs. You can also
create "best of" lists dealing with your topic and all kinds of
other content to attract the attention of her readers.

Randy Gilbert and Don Mitchell are all over that website and pull
in tons of traffic to their own sites as a result. They were my
guests during a teleseminar on "How to Make Amazon a River of
Gold (for Authors, Speakers & Experts)."

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 how to piggyback off the popularity of other
best-selling authors or products at http://tinyurl.com/7u76e


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

Who needs cats?

Dogs will look at you intensely and try to understand every word
you utter. Cats will ignore you and go to sleep.

When you come home from work, your dog will be pleased and lick
your hand. Cats will still be cross at you for going out to begin
with.

Dogs will give you unconditional love until the day they pass on.
Cats will make you pay for every mistake you've made since the
day they arrived at your home.


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/


===================================
8. And at My Blog...
===================================

Publish an ezine? Submit it to BestEzines.com
http://tinyurl.com/bl9pzg


PR, marketing, comms article writers: Submit to Cision ezine
http://tinyurl.com/cg7g7a


--------------------------------------

WHERE TO SEE AND HEAR THE PUBLICITY HOUND:


Monday, Jan. 26--Teleseminar Replay

Listen to the replay of "Boost Your Biz with a Blog," the
teleseminar I hosted on Jan. 26 with Denise Wakeman and Patsi
Krakoff, aka The Blog Squad. They explained how to draw more
traffic and boost more sales from a blog. You can hear the replay
at http://blogsquad.audioacrobat.com/download/bizblog_012609.mp3


Wednesday, Feb. 11--Teleseminar

"Can Your Social Networking Profile Pass the 10-Second Test?"
with Nancy Marmolejo. From 4 to 5:10 p.m. on the telephone. All
participants will receive the electronic transcript, the MP3
recording and a one-hour webinar on the same topic that goes into
even greater depth on how to write social networking bios.
Register at http://tinyurl.com/blvdby


March 6-8--Atlanta, Ga.

I'll be at the Stompernet's Live 7 event. If you're going, let's
meet for coffee.



PERMISSION TO REPRINT:

You may reprint any items from "The Publicity Hound's Tips of the
Week" in your print or electronic newsletter. But please include
the following paragraph:

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 cheat sheet "89 Reasons to Send a News Release."

If you like these tips please pass them on to your friends,
clients and colleagues.

You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The
Publicity Hound® website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you
told me you want to subscribe.

PRIVACY STATEMENT:

The Publicity Hound® respects your privacy and has a strict anti-
spam policy. Read my privacy policy at
http://www.publicityhound.com/privacypolicy.htm

=======================================================
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

Publicity tips/When Oprah Calls on Sunday Jan 27, 2009

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #435 Jan. 27, 2009
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)

Circulation: 43,505

==========================================

"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"

Receive this ezine direct to your desktop
http://www.publicityhound.com/tipsoftheweek/

==========================================

You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The
Publicity Hound website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you
told me that you want to subscribe. If you didn't subscribe, you
can unsubscribe by clicking the link at the bottom of the
newsletter.

Please forward this ezine to anyone you know who needs free
publicity to establish their credibility, enhance their
reputation, position themselves as employers of choice, sell more
products and services, or promote a favorite cause or issue.

******************************************

New Teleseminar:

Can Your Social Networking Profile Pass the 10-Second Test?

Next time you're surfing around Facebook or LinkedIn, pay
attention to how much time you spend on other people's profiles
before you click away.

Then, be honest. How boring is your own? Online decisions are
made with clicks, and if your profile isn't creating clicks TO
you instead of clicks AWAY from you, then chances are you have a
social networking profile that spells B-O-R-I-N-G.

Join Nancy Marmolejo and me for a paid teleseminar on Wednesday,
Feb. 11, when we ask the question "Can Your Social Networking
Profile Pass the 10-Second Test?"

Read about what you'll learn, register for the session, and tell
us why Nancy should remake YOUR profile during the call. All the
details are at my blog at http://tinyurl.com/blvdby

*****************************************

================================
In This Issue
================================

1. When Oprah Calls on Sunday

2. 5 Big Blogging Boo-boos

3. Pitch Spring Gifts Now

4. I Don't Want You to Disappear

5. Promoting Abstract Art

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. And at My Blog...


===================================
1. When Oprah Calls on Sunday
===================================

So there you are on a Sunday afternoon, watching TV with the
kids.

The phone rings. It's one of Oprah's producers, following up on a
pitch you sent several months ago.

Panic time! You can't remember the details. You can't even
remember the pitch!

That's what happens when you send a story idea to Oprah or one of
the big TV talk shows and mistakenly assume that if they don't
bite within a month or two, they're not interested.

Big mistake.

Oprah's producers work insane hours, including Sunday afternoons.
That's why you must be ready at a moment's notice to discuss your
story succinctly and with passion, even when the kids are
screaming and the dog is barking in the background.

But before you receive that phone call, your pitch has to catch
the producer's attention. It's one of the most difficult feats to
accomplish because it must be compelling enough to pique their
curiosity, but not so long that it's rambling.

Michele Anton, a former guest booker for "Oprah," has accepted
and rejected hundreds of pitches. She knows what works and what
doesn't, and she'll share her tips during a complimentary
teleseminar that my friend, Steve Harrison, is hosting on
Thursday, Jan. 29, at your choice of two times.

Michele will explain what NOT to send to producers, what NOT to
pitch to guest bookers, and mistakes you should never make, or
the decision-makers will blackball you forever.

Then, she'll explain the three big secrets for doing it the right
way. You'll also hear from other veteran TV producers and
surprise guests.

Register at http://tinyurl.com/Oprahcall

Then, read about my Number One tip for getting onto Oprah and the
other big TV talk shows. It's at my blog at
http://tinyurl.com/ab9lkh


=======================================
2. 5 Big Blogging Boo-boos
=======================================

Working too hard on your blog and seeing little traffic, hardly
any comments and zero sales?

If so, Denise Wakeman and Patsi Krakoff, aka the Blog Squad, say
it might be because you're making one of these five frequent
mistakes:

--You're not blogging often enough, usually because you don't
have time. Here's my solution. Each week, I'm trying to reduce by
at least one hour the time I spend answering email (unproductive)
and using it instead to write on my blog.

--Your blog isn't focused on a topic, or a series of related
topics. If your content is all over the landscape, you can't get
the Google juice necessary to pull in traffic for specific
keywords.

--Your readers don't know who you are because your name, or your
photo, or both, are missing from your blog. If they don't know
who you are, how in the world can they eventually like and trust
you?

--There's no way for your readers to subscribe to your blog
updates. Either you aren't offering an RSS feed, or you're not
letting readers subscribe to automatic email alerts each time you
post.

--You aren't engaging your readers and making them part of the
conversation. Instead, you're writing only about topics you like.
Offer quizzes, write about controversial topics and ask for their
opinions, find out what topics they what to read about, or
challenge them to do something that will improve their lives.
Keep them engaged, and they'll keep coming back.


Those are only five little morsels from the dozens of tips The
Blog Squad shared during yesterday's teleseminar on how to "Build
Your Biz with a Blog: It's Not an Option Anymore!--How to Build a
Professional Blog that Turns Prospects into Clients."

You can listen to the replay at
http://blogsquad.audioacrobat.com/download/bizblog_012609.mp3

Important Note: Wednesday night, Jan. 28, at midnight is the
deadline for The Blog Squad's special offer for Publicity Hounds
who want to take 20 percent off the price of any of their three
levels of coaching. That means that if you want them to do
everything for you, including setting up your blog so you don't
have to bother with all that techie stuff, you can save $400.

Go to http://www.theblogsquad.net/joan and at check-out, use the
code js20 so you don't have to pay full price.

Grab it now, or kick yourself later.


========================================
3. Pitch Spring Gifts Now
========================================

With all the shake-ups in the newspaper, magazine, TV and radio
industries the last few months, you can't afford to rely on
outdated reference materials.

If you sell a consumer product, including a book, that would make
a great gift for Mother's Day, Father's Day, Graduation Day, a
prom, a wedding, or any other event taking place in April, May or
June, you must know about the Gift List. It's a subscription
service that provides contact information and leads for more than
1,000 media outlets.

It profiles new product editors from a range of national
magazines, regional publications, news wires and syndicates,
national broadcast television, syndicated television, national
radio, and the top daily newspapers.

The Gift List interviews them and profiles their interests from
fashion, beauty, tech, home, fitness and more. This is the time
to kick your spring publicity campaign into high gear because
deadlines are now for major national magazines.

Nobody produces a more extensive list of consumer product media
interests, submission guidelines, contact preferences, deadlines
and more.

Learn more about the service and take a test drive at
http://tinyurl.com/9es8y


=======================================
4. I Don't Want You to Disappear
=======================================

I recently changed servers at the list management company that
distributes this newsletter, and I don't want you to drop off my
list.

Please add galaxy.sparklist.com to your Friends list or Whitelist
and contact me immediately if you suddenly stop receiving the
newsletter so we can find out what went wrong.

You can find back issue you have missed in the archives at
http://www.publicityhound.com/tipsoftheweek/

Thanks for your loyalty, Hounds, and for your great ideas,
publicity success stories and other content for this newsletter.

Making sure readers continue receiving your newsletters is a
major problem, but the rewards are worth it. You will increase
your chances of generating publicity if you have both a blog and
an ezine, and cross-promote from each.

I interviewed online marketing expert Don Crowther, who is a
stickler for testing, on all the ways to cross-promote. He
explained the results of his tests during our teleseminar on "How
to Use a Blog and an Ezine Together to Grow Your Business." 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/79383q


Coming soon: My survey, asking you about what you want to read
here, how I can serve you better, and what products and services
you need that I don't offer. And you'll love the way I'll say
"thanks" to everyone who completes it.


==========================================
5. Promoting Abstract Art
==========================================

This week, three Publicity Hounds have tips for Beth Stafford of
Concord, N.C., an abstract artist who is looking for a few quick,
simple ways to promote her website at
http://www.bethstafford.com/ and her blog at
http://www.airedale-art.blogspot.com/


From Michele Bailey-Lessirard:

"Your art and website are beautiful. My first reaction is why not
blog more. The last post was back in October. It's about UFOs
which was very interesting and leaves me wanting to know more
about you--and then there is nothing...Join Facebook. Start
twittering in your dog Cassie's voice, from Cassie's perspective.
Play up the PiCassieO angle. It's original and fun."


From Shelli Johannes-Wells:

"Market to dog organizations, hotels that allow dogs, pet stores,
veterinarians, etc..."


From The Publicity Hound:

Dive into social networking right now, or leave a lot of money on
the table. Here are three of my best tips:

--Create a profile on Facebook and build one or more fan pages.
This is the place to display and promote your artwork. Fans do
not have to be followers. That's why these pages are so valuable.

--Also, start uploading photos of your artwork to Flickr, the
photo-sharing site.

--Create videos, or an entire series of short videos (about 2
min, 30 seconds each) of you, dog Cassie and your artwork, and
upload to YouTube and the other video-sharing sites. These will
bring tons of traffic to your website.

If you're new to social networking, find a teen-ager to walk you
through how to do all of the above. For many more tips, check out
"How Artists Can Sell More Artwork through Online & Offline
Publicity," a recording of a teleseminar I did with art marketing
expert Ariane Goodwin, at http://tinyurl.com/yvewm8


Read all the responses to this week's Help This Hound question
http://tinyurl.com/7jqucq


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


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

Michele Lessirard of Vero Beach, Fla. writes:

"I have been blogging for more than seven years at New Moon
Journal http://www.newmoonjournal.com and my blog
http://newmoonjournal.blogs.com

"Now, there's a high-profile Harry Potter-type author named
Stephanie Myer who's written a series of vampire novels. One
best-seller is New Moon. Of course, I am competing now for search
engine optimization with her New Moon book and soon-to-be movie.
The New Moon Journal is an astrology blog dedicated to creativity
and personal growth using the lunar cycles for power, healing and
problem solving.

"How can I use this name recognition and ride on the coattails of
her book. Is it possible?"


The Publicity Hound says:

It sure is. The many authors, publishers and book publicity
experts who read this newsletter can post their best ideas to my
blog at http://tinyurl.com/dnju3x

Here's my idea. Go over to Amazon.com and review Stephanie's
books, which will let you link back to your blogs. You can also
create "best of" lists dealing with your topic and all kinds of
other content to attract the attention of her readers.

Randy Gilbert and Don Mitchell are all over that website and pull
in tons of traffic to their own sites as a result. They were my
guests during a teleseminar on "How to Make Amazon a River of
Gold (for Authors, Speakers & Experts)."

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 how to piggyback onto the popularity of other
best-selling authors or products at http://tinyurl.com/7u76e


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

Thanks to Elaine Grassbaugh of Columbus, Ohio for this one, which
I ran by the censorship police. They said go for it.


Yesterday I was buying a two large bags of Purina Dog Chow at
Wal-Mart for my dogs Dexter, Gypsy, Sky, & Blade. I was about to
check out when a woman behind me asked if I had a dog. (What did
she think, that I had an elephant?)

Since I had little else to do, on impulse I told her that no, I
didn't have a dog, and that I was starting the Purina eating plan
again, although I probably shouldn't because I ended up in the
hospital last time. On the bright side, though, I'd shaved off 50
p~ounds before I awakened in an intensive care ward with tubes
coming out of every hole in my body and IVs in both arms.

I told her that the way it works is to load your pockets with
Purina nuggets and simply eat one or two every time you feel
hungry, and that the food is nutritionally complete so I was
going to try it again. (I have to mention here that practically
everyone in the line was enthralled with my story by now.)

Horrified, she asked if I ended up in intensive care because the
dog food had poisoned me. I told her no--a car hit me after I had
stopped in the middle of the parking lot to lick my butt.

I thought the guy behind her was going to have a heart attack, he
was laughing so hard! Wal-Mart won't let me shop there anymore.


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/


===================================
8. And at My Blog...
===================================

Show both sides of your life at social networking sites
http://tinyurl.com/cygctz


Here's another keyword density tool for press releases
http://tinyurl.com/ca7haw


My #1 tip for getting onto 'Oprah' and other big TV shows
http://tinyurl.com/ab9lkh


Can your social networking profile pass the 10-second test?
http://tinyurl.com/blvdby


--------------------------------------

WHERE TO SEE AND HEAR THE PUBLICITY HOUND:


Monday, Jan. 26--Teleseminar Replay

During yesterday's "Boost Your Biz with a Blog" teleseminar,
Denise Wakeman and Patsi Krakoff, aka The Blog Squad,
explained how to draw more traffic and boost more sales from a
blog. Listen to the replay at
http://blogsquad.audioacrobat.com/download/bizblog_012609.mp3


March 6-8--Atlanta, Ga.

I'll be at the Stompernet's Live7 event. If you're going, let's
meet for coffee.



PERMISSION TO REPRINT:

You may reprint any items from "The Publicity Hound's Tips of the
Week" in your print or electronic newsletter. But please include
the following paragraph:

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 cheat sheet "89 Reasons to Send a News Release."

If you like these tips please pass them on to your friends,
clients and colleagues.

You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The
Publicity Hound® website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you
told me you want to subscribe.

PRIVACY STATEMENT:

The Publicity Hound® respects your privacy and has a strict anti-
spam policy. Read my privacy policy at
http://www.publicityhound.com/privacypolicy.htm

=======================================================
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

Publicity tips/Turbo-charge Your LinkedIn Profile Nov. 11, 2008

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #424 Nov. 11, 2008
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)

Circulation: 50,931

==========================================

"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"

Receive this ezine direct to your desktop
http://www.publicityhound.com/tipsoftheweek/

==========================================

You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The
Publicity Hound website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you
told me that you want to subscribe. If you didn't subscribe, you
can unsubscribe by clicking the link at the bottom of the
newsletter.

Please forward this ezine to anyone you know who needs free
publicity to establish their credibility, enhance their
reputation, position themselves as employers of choice, sell more
products and services, or promote a favorite cause or issue.

**********************************************

Teleseminars: The Next Best Thing to Being There

If you're sick of traveling like I am, you can still sell tons of
books, speak as much as you want, teach to your heart's content,
and do it all in the comfort of your home or office--thanks to
telephone seminars.

Alex Mandossian sold 3,023 books in a single teleseminar. During
a separate call, he made $13,000 from the delivery room at Mt.
Sinai Hospital when his son was born. Learn how he did it, and
find out about the eight models for teleseminars during--what
else?--a teleseminar this Thursday, Nov. 13, when Steve Harrison
interviews Alex. Sign up here: http://tinyurl.com/5pvnvx

**********************************************
================================
In This Issue
================================

1. Turbo-charge Your LinkedIn Profile

2. Dominate Page 1 of Google

3. Video Camera Buyer's Guide

4. Retailers Turning to Facebook

5. Promoting a Temper Tantrum Book

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. And at My Blog...


========================================
1. Turbo-charge Your LinkedIn Profile
========================================

If you have a profile on LinkedIn, like every smart Publicity
Hound should, you can really impress visitors by taking advantage
of several new applications.

I haven't had time to experiment with them all, but I wanted to
let you know about six that are particularly powerful for anyone
who wants to promote their expertise or anything else on
LinkedIn:

--With just a few clicks, you can synch your Wordpress blog to
your profile, great for pulling in traffic to your blog and
letting visitors know which issues you think are important. Blog
Link, a separate application, lets you synch blogs that are
created on Typepad and other platforms.

--SlideShare lets you upload and display your own presentations,
check out presentations from your colleagues, and find experts
within your network. What a great way for consultants to share
their expertise!

--With a similar application called Google Presentation, you can
upload your PowerPoint presentation. Or use Google's online
application to embed a presentation on your profile.

--My Travel allows you to see where your LinkedIn network is
traveling and when you will be in the same city as your
colleagues. Share your upcoming trips, current location and
travel stats with your network. This is a super way for speakers
to pick up one or two more speaking engagements, or perhaps even
a consulting assignment, in a city where they're already booked.

--The Reading List from Amazon lets you share the books you're
reading with other LinkedIn members--a handy way to find out what
you should be reading by following updates from your connections
or people in your field.

Try a few of the apps that appeal to you, then start
incorporating them into your publicity campaign. Scott Allen, an
expert on LinkedIn, explained step-by-step directions on how to
use this site to promote any product, service, cause or issue. He
was my guest during two teleseminars in June called "How to Use
LinkedIn to Promote Anything--Ethically & Powerfully." The
classes sold out quickly, but they're available as handy
electronic transcripts and your choice of MP3 files or CDs.

Read more about how to promote the right way--and encourage your
LinkedIn connections to promote for you--at
http://tinyurl.com/5zvzyd

Thanks to Publicity hound Paul Furiga of WordWrite
Communications, LLC in Pittsburgh for letting us know about the
LinkedIn apps.


=========================================
2. Dominate Page 1 of Google
=========================================

How easy is it for people to find you if they're looking for
somebody with your expertise?

Go ahead. Try it yourself and see what happens.

Go to http://www.Google.com and search for "home schooling
expert" or "self-publishing expert" or whatever your expertise
happens to be, and see where Google places you on the list.
Expert, by the way, is the word most journalists use when they're
searching for sources to interview.

Now, do a search for "publicity expert." That's what I did just
now, and I dominate the first three positions for that keyword
phrase on Google's list--not by accident either.

The first two positions link to my website at
http://www.PublicityHound.com and the third links to my profile
at Expertclick: the Online Yearbook of Experts.

Mitch Davis of Expertclick encourages his clients who are experts
to use the word "expert" in their profile for that reason--so you
can beat your competitors on the all-important organic search
list of Google and other search engines.

Unlike pay-per-click ads, you don't pay for these coveted spots.
And for that reason, they can be far more valuable than paid ads
because Google is giving you its stamp of approval.

That's just one of the many benefits of an Expertclick
subscription. I've had mine for several years and it's paid off
handsomely by bringing traffic to my website and leading
journalists to me for interviews. You can also post up to 52
press releases per year at no additional per-release charge.

They're compiling the 2009 Yearbook right now, and you can save
$100 if you join by Friday, November 14, and another $100 if you
use this link:

https://www.expertclick.com/discount/publicity_hound


========================================
3. Video Camera Buyer's Guide
========================================

Another powerful way to pull traffic to your website is to create
videos for video-sharing sites like YouTube.

The search engines love video so much that they often reward your
videos with a high ranking on the organic search results when
people search for the same keywords you've used to tag your
videos.

But many Publicity Hounds don't know the first thing about video
equipment, and they're scared they'll end up spending way too
much on fancy equipment they don't need.

Don't ask me for recommendations because I'm not a techie. I use
the $150 Flip Video camera which works just fine for me. But you
might want something a bit more sophisticated. Check out Mike
Koenigs' cool video called "The Video Camera Buyer's Guide: What
to Buy and Where to Get It."

He takes you on a half-hour tour of many types of cameras, from
the Flip Video, all the way up to the HD "prosumer" models. He
even shows you which microphones to use and explains the must-
have accessories. And you can download the buyer's guide, a PDF
document you can take with you when you go shopping.

This is great stuff, whether you're trying to crank out a few
quick videos about your business for YouTube, or you're looking
to start a video business.

http://tinyurl.com/6qxa72


=========================================
4. Retailers Turning to Facebook
=========================================

About one in four U.S. retailers who are trying to ramp up online
holiday sales plans to create pages through Facebook to promote
their sites.

The survey by Shop.org, a unit of the National Retail Federation,
showed that of the retailers who responded, 43 percent are adding
videos of products and 33 percent are posting customer reviews.

That's a great idea, but you have to be careful about how you
promote on Facebook or you can annoy your friends who can report
you to the Facebook police. And the next thing you know, your
account is closed down. I know somebody who experienced that
nightmare a few weeks ago, and it took her days to convince
Facebook to reinstate her account.

The only place Facebook wants you to promote products is on your
Pages. You can include sales copy and photos and recruit "fans."

Do lots of people break the rules. Yep.

Do all of them get caught? Nope.

Is the chance worth taking? Not if you're smart.

In the new update of my ebook "How to be a Kick-Butt Publicity
Hound," which I co-wrote with Tom Antion, we included seven new
chapters on social networking, including a chapter on Facebook.
In it, we detail what happened to our friend whose account was
temporarily suspended, and what Facebook said she had to do to
play by the rules.

One of those new chapters also includes the transcript of a
teleseminar Tom conducted on everything you need to know about
how to use online video. Our proofreader just completed the book
a few days ago, and we haven't even had time to update the sales
page to show you all the new content. This is one of my most
popular products--sort of a one-stop-shop for anyone who needs
publicity. Claim it now at
http://publicityhound.com/publicity/publicityhound.htm


==========================================
5. Promoting a Temper Tantrum Book
==========================================

This week, four Publicity Hounds have tips on how Judy Colbert of
Crofton, Maryland, can promote her book, The Temper Tantrum
Handbook, to target audiences like day care providers and flight
attendants.


From Bruce Jones:

"This kind of subject makes for great 'how to' information for
parents. I would do some quick tips videos and post them on
YouTube and other video hosting sites. Put keyword text with
links to either your website or to Amazon in the description and
you will do very well. I have been using 'how to' videos on my
products, and customers love them."


From Cheryl Pickett:

"Sending a press release is literally the tip of the iceberg for
you. This sounds like a useful book and you certainly have lots
of options for groups to promote to, including ones you already
mentioned.

"For example, search for national associations of day care
providers, see what conferences they attend, and see if you can
speak or have a booth."


From Gail Sideman:

"Don't forget the power of social networking. Create a fan option
for Facebook members, and connect with moms on the variety of
social networks targeted to that group.

"Register for a Twitter account and link to moms, daycare
providers, babysitters and Mr. Moms. As you establish a following
of your own, post tips on how to deal with tantrums. You may post
links back to a page with more information about how to purchase
your book in those tweets."


The Publicity Hound says:

In-flight magazines might be interested in these same tips which
would be very helpful for moms dealing with their kids' temper
tantrums aboard airplanes. I just updated "Special Report 29: Fly
High with Publicity in the In-flight Magazines." It includes
contact information for 49 magazines, plus pitching tips and case
studies of Publicity Hounds who have gotten into these magazines.
Order the report at
http://www.publicityhound.com/publicity-products/reports.html


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


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

Nancy Cavanaugh of Milwaukee, Wisconsin asks:

"I am a web designer at Cavanaugh Interactive who receives the
majority of my business via word of mouth. I've been a freelance
designer for more than 26 years, and in all that time I've never
seen the economic situation deteriorate so quickly. Because of
this, cash flow is poor and business is slow. Is there anything I
can do to get attention for my business quickly and cost
effectively?"


The Publicity Hound says:

As soon as I visited your website, Nancy, I noticed a problem,
and my suggestion should help you attract more business. I've
posted it in the comments section. Let's see what other ideas my
Hounds have. Offer your best tips for Nancy at my blog at
http://tinyurl.com/6lzg8e


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

You know you're a dog person when you like people who like your
dog and despise people who don't.


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/


====================================
8. And at My Blog...
====================================

Twitterers, bloggers, ezine publishers: Your readers can compete
to win a $50 Amazon gift certificate:

Promote an ebook 26 ways--add to this list and you could win $50
http://tinyurl.com/64jkzq


Mac or PC--Which is better for creating videos?
http://tinyurl.com/5hxans


How to find social networking sites devoted to niche topics
http://tinyurl.com/5cwrsr


Writers association also for speakers, experts, entrepreneurs
http://tinyurl.com/59xung



WHERE TO SEE AND HEAR THE PUBLICITY HOUND:


Wednesday, Nov. 19--Teleseminar

"Write Like a Journalist: Media Wordsmiths Share Proven
Copywriting Secrets for Earning More Ink," 1 to 2:30 p.m.,
sponsored by Bulldog Reporter. Join me and three other panelists
for our best writing tips. Register at http://tinyurl.com/5cs6p7


Thursday, Nov. 20--Teleseminar

"How to Use Publicity To Become an Expert and Grow Your
Business," part of the Business Owner Super Conference. It's
already started, but you can still get in on the action at
http://tinyurl.com/633m83 A terrific training session for
business owners everywhere, with a line-up of top speakers.


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 2:45 to 4:30 p.m. Registration
details pending.


PERMISSION TO REPRINT: You may reprint any items from "The
Publicity Hound's Tips of the Week" in your print or electronic
newsletter. But please include the following paragraph:

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."

If you like these tips please pass them on to your friends,
clients and colleagues.

You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The
Publicity Hound® website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you
told me you want to subscribe.

PRIVACY STATEMENT: The Publicity Hound® respects your privacy and
has a strict anti-spam policy. Read my privacy policy at
http://www.publicityhound.com/privacypolicy.htm

=======================================================
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

Publicity tips/The Beauty of Inflight Publicity Oct 28, 2008

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #422 Oct. 28, 2008
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)

Circulation: 50,888

==========================================

"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"

Receive this ezine direct to your desktop
http://www.publicityhound.com/tipsoftheweek/

==========================================

You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The
Publicity Hound website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you
told me that you want to subscribe. If you didn't subscribe, you
can unsubscribe by clicking the link at the bottom of the
newsletter.

Please forward this ezine to anyone you know who needs free
publicity to establish their credibility, enhance their
reputation, position themselves as employers of choice, sell more
products and services, or promote a favorite cause or issue.

**********************************************

How to do Social Networking, Run a Business & Still Have a Life:

This is the teleseminar many of you have been begging me to
offer.

If you didn't know any better, you'd think that BL Ochman, one of
the most prolific and well-respected bloggers and social
networkers, does social networking 24/7, but she doesn't. Join
us on November 6 for a 70-minute teleseminar and hear her explain
how she rations her time, uses a variety of social networking
tools, and still manages to set aside a huge chunk of her
schedule each day for client projects. She'll also explain how
she'll use social networking to launch a new business---tips many
of you can use to promote your existing businesses.

Register at http://tinyurl.com/6kswbc

See Item #2 below.

**********************************************
================================
In This Issue
================================

1. The Beauty of Inflight Publicity

2. Two More Social Networking Tasks

3. Newspaper Circulation Plummeting

4. For Authors Only & a Correction

5. Promoting a 10th Anniversary

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. And at My Blog...


========================================
1. The Beauty of Inflight Publicity
========================================

Fasten your seat belts and make sure your tray tables are in
their full, upright and locked positions. It's time to fly into
the hemisphere of inflight publicity.

"I never really considered in-flight magazines until your
suggestion prompted me to contact one of the major airlines and
pitch our product, a pair of compact binoculars," says Jason
Claybrook, a public relations specialist with Carl Zeiss Sports
Optics. "It was very well-received by the editors and we ended up
in Delta Sky's 'Splurge of the Month' section."

Jason's company received such tremendous feedback from travelers
throughout the world that it allowed them to tap into a market
where they needed more exposure. His success story is one of
dozens I hear each year from happy Hounds who find their way into
the inflight magazines.

The most recent is from Publicity Hound Nancy Juetten, a
publicist who scored a major hit for her client, Zook Hooks, a
company that makes inexpensive but fashionable hooks you can hang
on the end of a table and use to keep your purse or bag off germ-
laden floors.

Zook Hooks are featured in the holiday gift section inside the
November issue of Alaska Airlines magazine. You can read the
entire story of how Nancy pitched the editors--and spiced up the
pitch with great photos and persistent follow-up that closed the
deal--at my blog at http://tinyurl.com/3l8k7q

When we updated our database this year, we found major changes
such as new publishing companies, contact information, websites,
and new locations for online media kits for 22 magazines. Three
magazines have ceased publication, one changed its name, and we
found eight additional inflight magazines we didn't know existed.
Last year's report featured 43 magazines. This year, you'll find
50.

And this time around, we added 10 more examples of how Publicity
Hounds found their way into these magazines, or new pitches you
can consider using.

Why has so much information changed in 12 months? Mostly because
the magazine and airline industries are in a huge state of flux.
Don't work off an old report and send your information to the
wrong editor. Get our updated report for only $47.

Order at http://tinyurl.com/n3pk4


============================================
2. Two More Social Networking Tasks
============================================

If your head is about to explode with all the information I'm
feeding you on social networking, try to cram two more nuggets of
information into your brain.

The first is about social bookmarking sites. The second is about
photo-sharing sites. Smart Publicity Hounds use both.

Bookmarking sites like http://digg.com/ let you record, or vote
for, your favorite websites, blogs and articles. The more votes a
particular article receives, the higher it rises to the top of
the list at those websites. You can see other people's
favorites, and they can see yours.

Social bookmarking has several advantages:

--It helps promote your expertise because when people see your
recommendation, they will be curious about what other sites
you've recommended.

--It gives you a link back to your own site. If they're
impressed with the content, they might visit your website to see
what other information you have there.

--Social bookmarking sites pull huge amounts of traffic so you
have the potential to get in front of a lot of people.

--It lets you join the conversation online.

--It's great in Google's eyes. If Google recognizes a large
number of incoming links to a particular article or blog post,
Google thinks that if a lot of people are voting for it, it must
be good. Backlinks, or sites that link to your site, are
important. Through bookmarking, you could prompt a large number
of bloggers to link to your content if the headline and content
are intriguing, controversial or funny enough.

Photo-sharing sites like Flickr at http://www.Flickr.com have
numerous advantages:

--They let you publish a collection of digital photos online.

--You can also organize and share photos, tag them with relevant
keywords, and use them to attract the attention of people who are
going to these sites and searching for specific types of photos.
If someone is searching for photos of walking shoes, for
instance, and you sell walking shoes, they'll find your photos
and maybe even click through to your website and buy a pair.

--Even though photos at these sites generally don't rank very
high in the search engines, they get huge amounts of traffic.
You never know who is going to be looking for photos associated
with your company.

--Bummed because the local newspaper won't print photos from your
event? Post the photos at these sites, where there may be far
more people looking for photos than there are reading your local
paper.


BL Ochman, one of my favorite bloggers and social media experts,
will explain how to add these two tasks to your work week without
driving yourself crazy. She'll be my guest during a teleseminar
Nov. 6 on "How to do Social Networking, Run a Business & Still
Have a Life." Only 100 seats are available, and I'm anticipating
another sell-out.

If you have another commitment, that's OK. You'll receive the MP3
recording. Register at http://tinyurl.com/6kswbc


=============================================
3. Newspaper Circulation Plummeting
=============================================

Newspapers' paid circulation continues to plummet.

Statistics released this week by the Audit Bureau of Circulations
shows that the largest newspapers in the industry continued to
lose readers. Only USA Today, the biggest weekday paper in the
U.S., and The Wall Street Journal, holding the No. 2 slot,
reported increases--and each grew only 0.01 percent.

The New York Times and the remainder of the top 25 weekday papers
all sank. Paid weekday circulation fell 3.6 percent at The Times,
5.2 percent at the Los Angeles Times, 7.2 percent at the Daily
News in New York, 6.3 percent at the New York Post, 1.9 percent
at the Washington Post, 7.8 percent at the Chicago Tribune and
11.7 percent at the Houston Chronicle.

Readers aren't the only ones leaving newspapers in droves.
Advertisers are too, taking their ad dollars online, or turning
to Craigslist.

How much time are you spending trying to chase down newspaper
reporters and editors at big papers like these, versus focusing
your efforts in the social networking communities like LinkedIn,
Facebook and Twitter where many former newspaper readers can be
found? Reporters and editors at those big papers, by the way,
often search for expert sources at these three sites. If you
aren't there, you lose.

Three teleseminars I conducted the past few months provide
everything you need to get started right now learning the ins and
outs of these sites--and knowing how to promote the right way.

Most of you are already on LinkedIn, but how many of you know how
to use it to promote? Let Scott Allen show you how. He was my
guest expert during a teleseminar series on "How to Use LinkedIn
to Promote Anything--Ethically & Powerfully." It's available as
electronic transcripts and your choice of CDs or MP3s. Read more
about how to persuade your LinkedIn connections to help you
promote whatever you're selling at http://tinyurl.com/5zvzyd


=========================================
4. For Authors Only & a Correction
=========================================

If you're writing a book, far better to know BEFORE you start
writing all the ways you can promote your book. Knowing that
beforehand will help you write the type of book that's easier to
promote.

But most authors have it backwards. They write the book first,
and then learn later that few media outlets or readers care about
what they've written because the content doesn't lend itself
to a good hook or angle.

Steve Harrison wants to give you several tips on how to do it
right. He's offering a free telephone seminar at 7 p.m. Eastern
Time tonight, that includes other strategies you can use to
promote almost any book, product or service.

To reserve your spot on this free 75-minute teleseminar, register
at http://tinyurl.com/6m93g5

You'll also learn:

--Why conventional press releases are usually not the best way to
contact journalists and what to send instead.

--What a "Good Morning America" producer told Steve is the
absolute best way to pitch his show--something very few
publicity-seekers do but dramatically increases your chances of
getting booked.

--The surprisingly simple strategy a former Oprah guest booker
says everyone should use when pitching the show.

--Five proven ways to create a compelling publicity "hook" or
angle.

You'll even learn what to never wear on TV. Sign up at
http://tinyurl.com/6m93g5


Several sharp Publicity Hounds caught my big mistake last week
when I said Mark Victor Hansen & Jack Canfield self-published
their popular "Chicken Soup" series. Shelley Lieber points outs
out: "Their publisher from the beginning to until very recently
was Health Communications, Inc. (HCI), a small publisher in
Deerfield Beach, FL. This is not the first reference I've seen to
them being self-published, so it may be that you received
inaccurate information."

No, I just didn't double-check and I should have. Thanks for the
heads-up, Hounds.


==========================================
5. Promoting a 10th Anniversary
==========================================

This week, four Publicity Hounds have tips for Jeff Elliot of
Cedar Rapids, Iowa, manager at PlanetX, a family entertainment
center. He is looking for ideas on how they can celebrate their
10th anniversary. The website is http://www.planetxfuncenter.com


From Maria Marsala, Chief Business Collaborator:

"How about rolling back the prices to what they were 10 years
ago?"


From Suzanne Sokolov:

"We have four components to suggest:

--A blowout party. One whole day, reserved for all 10 year olds.

--Public recognition. Apply for recognition from Cedar Rapids for
an official proclamation naming the day "Planet X Day"

--A fun educational element. Sponsor jugglers to go into the
schools to teach juggling--this elicits better hand-eye
coordination. Perhaps with give-away balls emblazoned with
the Planet X logo. Use the visit as a means of overlaying a
physics lesson of gravity and planetary motion.

--A charitable element. Free admission or such for adults who
sign up to be a Big Brother or Big Sister."


From Messianic Media:

"The fact that you will be offering 10th anniversary prices means
that price should be a large part of your marketing mix. Try
giving percentage off coupons for specific quarters of the year,
like 15 percent off for the first three months. And advertise
with all local stores."


The Publicity Hound says:

Read all the responses to this week's Help This Hound question
http://tinyurl.com/6okmne

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


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

This week, I received two Help this Hound questions from the
owners of businesses that sell T-shirts--Andrea Ayers of Boulder,
Colorado and Michelle Pratt-Lienhart of Webster, New Hampshire.
I'm including both of them here because their problem is
similar--how to attract attention and generate publicity and
interest for their shirts.

One company, Tees For Change, sells a line of eco-friendly
apparel that inspires positive thinking. They're available at
their website and in about 200 yoga studios, boutiques and green
stores, including Whole Foods. The company plants a tree for each
tee it sells.

The other company, Just Be, is built around an online
community/blog for people to share how they can Just Be (just be
punk, just be green, just be a breast cancer survivor). It has a
presence on several social networking sites and targets teens,
tweens and twenty-somethings.

You can read both questions and offer your best ideas at my blog
at http://tinyurl.com/6l4oy5


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

This isn't a joke, but it's a story with a happy ending--and
during fire safety month, too. Read about Leo, a terrier cross in
Australia, that was hailed as a hero on Sunday after it risked
its life to save a litter of newborn kittens from a house fire.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27381659/?GT1=43001


====================================
8. And at My Blog...
====================================

Top 75 PR blogs: Is Your Favorite on This List?
http://tinyurl.com/6f38ch

Artists, Don't Let the Bad Economy Paralyze You
http://tinyurl.com/5oqe3l



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/



WHERE TO SEE AND HEAR THE PUBLICITY HOUND:


Oct. 30--Teleseminar


"Using Online PR to Grow Your New Business." Join me and Brian
Soltis, creator of the social media press release, as we share
lots of tips with business owners on how to generate massive
publicity. We'll be taking your questions for a half hour, too.
Register for free at http://tinyurl.com/57smp6


Nov. 6--Teleseminar

"How to Use Publicity To Become an Expert and Grow Your
Business," part of the Business Owner Super Conference. It's
already started, but you can still get in on the action at
http://tinyurl.com/633m83 A terrific training session for
business owners everywhere, with a line-up of top speakers.



PERMISSION TO REPRINT: You may reprint any items from "The
Publicity Hound's Tips of the Week" in your print or electronic
newsletter. But please include the following paragraph:

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."

If you like these tips please pass them on to your friends,
clients and colleagues.

You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The
Publicity Hound® website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you
told me you want to subscribe.

PRIVACY STATEMENT: The Publicity Hound® respects your privacy and
has a strict anti-spam policy. Read my privacy policy at
http://www.publicityhound.com/privacypolicy.htm

=======================================================
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

Publicity tips/Back Door to The Wall Street Journal Oct 13, 2008

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #420 Oct. 14, 2008
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)

Circulation: 50,851

==========================================

"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"

Receive this ezine direct to your desktop
http://www.publicityhound.com/tipsoftheweek/

==========================================

You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The
Publicity Hound website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you
told me that you want to subscribe. If you didn't subscribe, you
can unsubscribe by clicking the link at the bottom of the
newsletter.

Please forward this ezine to anyone you know who needs free
publicity to establish their credibility, enhance their
reputation, position themselves as employers of choice, sell more
products and services, or promote a favorite cause or issue.

**********************************************

Not Too Late to Learn the Best Twitter Techniques

Yesterday's teleseminar on "How to Use Twitter to Amass an Army
of Followers, Customers & Valuable Contacts--and Promote" was so
packed with content that I emailed an 11-point summary of the
highlights to everyone who attended. There's still time to get in
on today's call at 3 p.m. Eastern Time, devoted to specific
strategies you can use to promote.

Register at http://tinyurl.com/3lbcaw and you'll get the MP3
downloads and electronic transcripts so you can listen to what
you've missed. You'll also receive the 11-point summary form
yesterday.

**********************************************
================================
In This Issue
================================

1. Back Door to The Wall Street Journal

2. Annoying Facebook Invitations

3. Pompous Press Release = Public Humiliation

4. Media Lead

5. Promoting Do-it-yourself Divorce

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. And at My Blog...


=========================================
1. Back Door to the Wall Street Journal
=========================================

If you want publicity about your business in the Wall Street
Journal, you don't necessarily have to pitch.

You don't even have to know anyone at the paper.

All it took for the Rev. Thomas Harrison to get a story about his
business in the Wall Street Journal last week was forming a
strong relationship with the religion editor at his local paper,
the Tulsa World, one of the largest dailies in Oklahoma.

Rev. Harrison, who does publicity for churches, also is a secret
church shopper.

In the retail industry, secret shoppers report on whether the
stores they visit are clean and the employees friendly.

Pastors hire Rev. Harrison to report on what he finds during his
undercover visits. Did someone greet him when he arrived? Were
the restrooms clean? Was parking adequate? And what about the
sermons?

Churches, competing for more members during a time when nearly
half of American adults switch religion affiliations, are turning
to corporate marketing strategies such as focus groups, customer-
satisfaction surveys and product giveaways.

The story was a natural for the Tulsa newspaper. A reporter
interviewed him last year, wrote a front-page story, then sent
that story to the Associated Press, the giant wire service. AP,
in turn, distributed the story to its member papers. It has been
appearing all over the Internet ever since.

A Wall Street Journal reporter saw it and called Rev. Harrison
for an interview. The story appeared in Friday's Life & Style
section and online at
http://www.wsj.com/article/SB122358815744820497.html

"I got it the old-fashioned way of building relationships and
letting the folks at the local paper know what I'm doing," he
said. "I knew the religion editor and had been working with him
on other stories for my clients. I told him about the secret
shopper business and one day he called and said, 'We'll be there
in an hour for an interview.'"

The Wall Street Journal story has led to two TV appearances, two
radio interviews, another interview by a daily newspaper in
Oklahoma, and an article in the online version of USA Today on
Friday.

Opportunities like this one for getting into the Journal are a
long shot. But the lesson can't be repeated often enough: form
strong relationships with journalists, the "new media" like
bloggers and ezine editors, and anyone else who publishes
content.

Rev. Harrison, by the way, found his way into this ezine thanks
to a simple email he sent me last week telling me about the Wall
Street Journal article. Now THAT'S a Publicity Hound.

You'll find more tips in "Special Report #49: 17 Ways to Build
Valuable Relationships with Media People." Only $10. Order at
http://tinyurl.com/6uz9g

============================================
2. Annoying Facebook Invitations
============================================

Are you sick of seeing all those invitations from your Facebook
friends who are promoting teleseminars, book-signings, Internet
radio programs and who knows what else?

I am.

Are you vowing to never pester your Facebook friends again with
those invitations? If so, big mistake.

Creating events on Facebook and letting your friends know about
them is one of the most powerful strategies you can use in your
publicity campaign, and it can make the cash register ring.

Last week, I created an event for the teleseminar series "How to
Use Twitter to Amass an Army of Followers, Customers & Valuable
Contacts--and Promote." My assistant spent more than an hour
emailing the invitation to my 1,500 Facebook friends.

As soon as she did, I got 12 registrations at $77 each, for a
cool $924 just from that one promotion technique.

Here's another powerful feature on Facebook. Thousands of people
who are not your friends can see the invitation on the walls of
your mutual friends.

And if your friend responds to the RSVP, even more people can see
it, click through to the page where you're promoting your event,
and sign up. That's what happened to me last week. I described it
in step-by-step detail, complete with screen shots, at my blog at
http://tinyurl.com/4reos4

If you aren't on Facebook yet, what are you waiting for? Jason
Alba explained dozens of tips on how to use this wildly popular
social networking site during two teleseminars earlier this
summer on "How to Use Facebook to Promote Your Business Or
Nonprofit."

The training is available as electronic transcripts and your
choice of CDs or MP3s. Get started on Facebook today at
http://tinyurl.com/3zfdum


=============================================
3. Pompous Press Release = Public Humiliation
=============================================

Thanks to Publicity Hound Kerry Nesbit of Winston-Salem, N.C. for
tipping us off to this column in the New York Times in which tech
columnist David Pogue publicly humiliated Gunnar Optiks, a
company that sent him a pompous press release touting its "high
performance eye wear."

You can read the column at http://tinyurl.com/4oqndr

The column, by the way, opens with the writer's comments about a
previous column he wrote on technology tips. I encourage
Publicity Hounds everywhere to read those tips. They will save
you hundreds of hours of time.

Then read about the pompous press release. Can you imagine being
castigated like that? The next time you send a press release,
will the same thing happen to you?

Make sure it doesn't. Take my free 12-week email tutorial on "89
Ways to Write Powerful Press Releases at
http://www.PublicityHound.com/pressreleasetips/art.htm

If you don't have 12 weeks to learn, you can get the entire
course in an ebook for only $27 at
http://www.publicityhound.com/pressreleasetips/ebook.htm


=========================================
4. Media Lead
=========================================

Money Magazine is looking for families willing to discuss the
dollars-and-cents expenses involved in practicing their faith--
the cost of everything from religious schools and dietary
restrictions to tithing and faith-based investment limitations.
If interested, please email your name, contact information and
family photo, along with a brief summary of your salary, savings
and religion-related expenses, to
mailto:gmannes@moneymail.com?subject=ExpensePracticingFaith


When you respond to queries like these, or you send a press
release or story pitch, do you follow up? Journalists tell you
they never want you follow up. Truth is, they never want you to
follow up if you don't know what you're doing, and most people
don't.

Publicity expert Jill Lublin has specific step-by-step
instructions that will put you in good graces with journalists.
Read more about the teleseminar she conducted with me on
"Failproof Ways to Follow Up," available as a CD or electronic
transcript you can be reading as soon as your order has been
approved. Start following up the right way at
http://tinyurl.com/bmyn7


==========================================
5. Promoting Do-it-yourself Divorces
==========================================

This week, four Publicity Hounds have tips for Jackie Stanley of
Greensboro, N.C., an attorney who needs help promoting a new
website at http://www.ncdivorceschool.com/ It offers training
for North Carolina residents who want to handle their own simple
divorces.


From Carol Stevens:

"I would promote Divorce in an Economic Downturn. Feeling like
you have to put everything off until the economy turns around? If
you were thinking of getting a divorce, save on attorney fees and
learn how to go about it yourself."


From Rekaya Gibson:

"Do research on cities that have the highest divorce rates.
Target your efforts there first. You may want to consider
marketing on sites that provide wedding information. make sure
you get a MySpace page."


From Jay Hamilton-Roth:

"When someone is considering a divorce, finances become a big
issue. Having accountants able to refer your website (further
saving them money) is a big benefit to their clients."


The Publicity Hound says:

How about creating your own TV show on do-it-yourself divorces
and have it broadcast only in North Carolina? PR pro Robert Smith
explained "How to Get Your Own National TV Show for Less Than
$400 a Month" during a Teleseminar I conducted with him. You can
probably get your own statewide show for far less than $400 a
month."

Read more about how to create your own show at
http://tinyurl.com/y4by43


Read all the responses to this week's Help This Hound question
http://tinyurl.com/4uqrs6


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


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

Lisa Hoang of Honolulu, Hawaii writes:

"I am a professional child and family photographer. I own a
boutique, on location portrait studio that caters to high-end
clientele. I want my business to be talked about among the elite,
with my clients beginning a relationship with me from the time
their babies are born, or just before with maternity portraits.

"Being an ordinary Jane myself, what are some classy ways I can
become more established in this niche? My websites are Windward
Skies at http://www.windwardskies.com and Tiny Moments
Photography at http://www.tinymomentsphotography.com "


The Publicity Hound says:

Hounds, how about giving Lisa some terrific ideas for promoting
to an upscale clientele? Post your best ideas to my blog at
http://tinyurl.com/4a4yjv


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

"[My dog] can bark like a congressman, fetch like an aide, beg
like a press secretary and play dead like a receptionist when the
phone rings."

--Former U.S. Congressman Gerald Solomon

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/


===================================
8. And at My Blog...
===================================

Sending Facebook event invitations, RSVPs is time well spent
http://tinyurl.com/4reos4


Hypertarget your message with MyAds on MySpace
http://tinyurl.com/3ljozx


PERMISSION TO REPRINT: You may reprint any items from "The
Publicity Hound's Tips of the Week" in your print or electronic
newsletter. But please include the following paragraph:

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."

If you like these tips please pass them on to your friends,
clients and colleagues.

You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The
Publicity Hound® website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you
told me you want to subscribe.

PRIVACY STATEMENT: The Publicity Hound® respects your privacy and
has a strict anti-spam policy. Read my privacy policy at
http://www.publicityhound.com/privacypolicy.htm

=======================================================
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

Publicity tips/CEOs Who Twitter Oct. 7, 2008

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #419 Oct. 7, 2008
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)
The Publicity Hound

Circulation: 50,851

==========================================

"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"

Receive this ezine direct to your desktop
http://www.publicityhound.com/tipsoftheweek/

==========================================

You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The
Publicity Hound website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or
you told me that you want to subscribe. If you didn't subscribe,
you can unsubscribe by clicking the link at the bottom of the
newsletter.

Please forward this ezine to anyone you know who needs free
publicity to establish their credibility, enhance their
reputation, position themselves as employers of choice, sell more
products and services, or promote a favorite cause or issue.

**********************************************

New Teleseminar: Stop Wasting Time on Twitter

Too many Twitterers are wasting way to much time tweeting about
way too many things they're doing that are way too boring. Learn
how to keep your followers engaged, enlightened and entertained
so they pay close attention when you want to promote something.
Join Twitter expert Warren Whitlock and me for two 70-minute
teleseminars on how to use Twitter to promote. They're from 3 to
4:10 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday, Oct. 13, and Tuesday, Oct. 14.
You can sign up at http://tinyurl.com/3lbcaw

See Item #1 below.

**********************************************
================================
In This Issue
================================

1. CEOs Who Twitter

2. A Cover Story in Kiplinger's

3. Why Many Authors Just Don't Get It

4. Media Leads

5. Promoting Organic Dog Shampoo

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. And at My Log...


=========================================
1. CEOs Who Twitter
=========================================

Add these four CEOs to the millions of smart business people who
Twitter:

--Jonathan Schwartz, chief executive of Sun Microsystems. He uses
Twitter to announce quarterly earnings. Last week, he linked to
his bog post in which he shared a note he sent to Sun's leaders,
explaining how he wants them to focus their efforts during the
stock market's plunge.

--Michael Hyatt, chief executive of Thomas Nelson, the Christian
book publishers. He says Twitter helps him humanize his company
and connect with his employees, customers and authors.

--Christine Perkett of PerkettPR in Massachusetts. Twitter helps
her firm connect with reporters who often tweet about what their
stories are going to be before anyone else knows about them.

--Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com, the world's largest online shoe
company. He has almost 14,000 followers on Twitter, many of whom
are loyal customers.

You can read about the other 14 CEOs who Twitter in
BusinessWeek's article titled "Tweets from the Chiefs" at
http://tinyurl.com/566rsp

Now, it's your turn. If you're already Twittering, you're in good
company.

But are you using the site to write memorable tweets that
delight, humor and help your followers? And do you understand how
to use Twitter to promote your product, service, cause or issue
without aggravating them? Do you know the best ways to really
engage your followers so that they actually end up promoting you
to THEIR followers?

I see so many Twitterers who waste time on this site because they
don't understand that you must first give more than you get.
Then, and only then, can you promote. Do it correctly, and you
can turn "tweet tweet" into "ka-ching ka-ching."

Twitter expert Warren Whitlock is one of the savviest Twitterers
I know. That's why I invited him to be my guest expert during two
teleseminars next week on "How to Use Twitter to Amass an Army of
Followers, Customers & Valuable Contacts--and Promote."

On Monday, Oct. 13, we'll deal with the basics of the site. On
Tuesday, Warren will show you how to create a timeline for an
actual promotion and encourage your followers to promote you to
THEIR followers.

This teleseminar series promises to sell out, like the calls I
hosted recently on how to use LinkedIn and Facebook.
Registration is limited to the first 100 Publicity Hounds.

If you can't make it live, sign up anyway. You'll get the MP3
audios and the electronic transcripts to review later, at your
leisure.

Claim your seat now at http://tinyurl.com/3lbcaw


============================================
2. A Cover Story in Kiplinger's
============================================

It's a pretty good day when Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine
mentions you in a cover story.

But it's time to really celebrate when one of your clients ends
up on the cover of the same issue--thanks to you.

That's what happened to Eli Davidson, a member of The Publicity
Hound Mentor Program. During yesterday's private teleseminar with
my proteges, I asked Eli--an author, motivational coach and
speaker--to explain how she scored the huge media hit for herself
and her client, TV producer Nicole Dunn, in this month's issue.

The cover story is "What $1,000 Can Do--37 Fresh Ways to Invest
in Stocks, Funds, Your Home and Yourself." A few years ago,
Nicole's TV career had been struggling, so she decided to spend
$1,000 on one month's worth of group coaching with Eli.

"It was the best $1,000 that I ever spent," Nicole told
Kiplinger's.

Within a few months, she had landed a job with a new show as a
supervising producer, several levels above her previous position,
and nearly tripled her salary, to $3,000 a week. She credited Eli
with helping her visualize her goals, and achieve them.

Eli, who has been in my mentor program for four years, pays close
attention to everything I teach. A year ago, an editor from
Kiplinger's called her and asked for a comment for an article.

"I stayed in touch with her and kept her updated and offered her
tips," Eli said. "This year, when they were planning a story on
what $1,000 could buy, they looked at personal coaching as one
possibility."

Because Eli was already on the editor's radar screen, the editor
called her, asked to interview one of her clients and asked her
to provide tips on how to hire a coach. (Is that great or what?)
The article included Eli's web site at http://EliDavidson.com

In the short time the magazine has been on news stands, the
article has already resulted in four new coaching clients for
Eli. The Kiplinger's publicity comes just four months after she
followed one small tip I gave her on how to get onto big TV
shows. In June, she appeared on a segment on the "Today" show.

Eli is a perfect fit for The Publicity Hound Mentor Program. Are
you? Find out the kinds of people I want to work with at
http://www.publicityhound.com/mentorprogram/intro.html


=========================================
3. Why Many Authors Just Don't Get It
=========================================

My voicemail and email are filled with one sad story after
another from authors who invested their life's savings and
several years of precious time writing a book.

Broke and exhausted, the typical non-fiction author can't figure
out why she has taken such a huge financial hit on what should
have been, according to her calculations, a best-seller.

But every now and then, along comes an author who really gets it.
She's not famous, but she's raking in a six-figure annual income
without ever getting onto Oprah or hitting the best-seller
list.

Her background, tenacity and writing skills aren't much different
than those of the poor authors. But she does seven not-so-obvious
things that they don't do.

Steve Harrison, who has worked with more than 9,300 authors over
the last two decades, is hosting a free 75-minute telephone
seminar this Thursday, Oct. 9, at your choice of two times:
2 p.m. Eastern or 7 p.m. Eastern.

I know what those seven things are that rich authors do, and they
could be the most valuable tips you get in your publishing
career.

If you're a non-fiction author, or you're thinking of writing a
non-fiction book, don't miss this call. Sign up now at
http://tinyurl.com/2onv6b and mark it on your calendar.


=========================================
4. Media Leads
=========================================

--CNNMoney.com wants to know how small businesses are affected by
the economy. Is your small business struggling because the bank
won't give you credit? What are you planning to do? Have you
found other ways to get financing, or is your business in
jeopardy? Is the financial downturn affecting your sales, or have
you found a way to thrive? Send your photos and videos, and you
could be included in an upcoming story. Learn more at
http://www.ireport.com/ir-topic-stories.jspa?topicId=78304
where you'll have to create an account first.


--October 25 is the annual "Make a Difference Day" sponsored by
USA Weekend magazine. If the newspaper in your community is part
of the Gannett chain, and you're participating in this national
day of good deeds, pitch a story to the editors who will be
looking for the local angle. If you have good visuals, your local
TV stations might interested, too. Learn more about the event and
read their list of publicity tips at
http://www.usaweekend.com/diffday/tools/getpublicity.html


--The Food Network is holding auditions in six U.S. cities this
month for "The Next Food Network Star" reality show. You can find
the audition schedule at http://tinyurl.com/4n2g39 If you can't
make the auditions, complete an application and send it along
with a video to the network no later than Oct. 31.


OK, so you're not quite good enough for The Food Network. You can
still get great publicity in your own community. "Publicity Tips
for Restaurants, Chefs & Foodies" features my 51 best ideas for
food publicity. 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 how to generate delicious publicity at
http://tinyurl.com/clr26


==========================================
5. Promoting Organic Dog Shampoo
==========================================

This week, nine Publicity Hounds have tips for Dr. Shawn
Messonnier, a veterinarian and award-winning author from Plano,
Texas who needs help promoting his new line of organic pet
shampoos. So far, they are only available on line at
http://www.drshawnspetorganics.com


From Dena Harris:

"Dogster.com and Catster.com have huge followings. Try sending
samples to their bloggers and see if they'll write an entry on
your product."


From Joan Schramm:

"My hairdresser, a big dog fan, has a Golden Retriever. He
recently recently started carrying a line of dog grooming
products in his salon, right up front at the check-in counter,
and they're doing very well. With everyone going green and
organic, both for people and pets, it seems like this would be a
natural for a pet-friendly salon owner.

"Also, you might contact some local rescue groups to see if they
would promote your products on their website or newsletter. In
fact, if you contact me, I'll put something in our next
newsletter for Great Dane Rescue at http://www.magdrl.org "


From Maria Marsala:

"Many of the holistic magazines are owned by the same company.
Most have product review sections....why not send samples?"


Read all the responses to this week's Help This Hound question
http://tinyurl.com/47ldtf

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


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

Jackie Stanley of Greensboro, N.C. writes:

"I'm an attorney and recently launched a website at
http://www.NCDivorceSchool.com which offers online courses
that teach people how to handle their own simple divorce cases in
North Carolina.

"It teaches people who want to save time, money and hassle how to
handle their own simple divorce actions. There are lots of places
to go online to get divorce papers. But we teach you to prepare
the forms and walk you step-by-step through filing them and
getting your divorced finalized.

"We customize our courses to each of the 100 counties in the
state. I'm hoping your Hounds could share some creative ways to
promote the website."


The Publicity Hound says:

Hounds with great ideas for Jackie can post them to my blog at
http://tinyurl.com/4uqrs6

Why not pitch this story to the local newspapers as one more way
to save money when the economy is going south? If newspapers
won't bite, try pitching the story to your local TV stations.
This will be difficult. But if you can find a client who's
willing to be part of the story, that would make it more
enticing.

TV producer Shawne Duperon offers terrific tips on how to track
down "The Queen Bee," the person in every local TV newsroom who
assigns stories. Shawne explains how to pitch your story and how
to make it irresistible to the Queen. The teleseminar I conducted
with her called "How to Get on the Local TV News Tomorrow" is
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/yjrktx


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

I went to a movie theater the other day and saw an old man and
his dog in the front row.

It was a sad/funny kind of film. During the sad parts, the dog
cried his eyes out, and during the funny parts, the dog laughed
his head off. This happened all the way through the movie.

When it ended, I walked up to the man and said, "That's the most
amazing thing I've ever seen. Your dog really seemed to enjoy the
film."

The man turned to me and said, "Yeah, it is. He hated the book."


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/


================================
8. And at My Blog...
================================

Offer advice on how businesses can cope in a bad economy
http://tinyurl.com/4he8ce


Find a freelancer with SPJ freelancer directory
http://tinyurl.com/4o4c49


Presidential politics in the workplace: A great story idea
http://tinyurl.com/4fu46u


PERMISSION TO REPRINT: You may reprint any items from "The
Publicity Hound's Tips of the Week" in your print or electronic
newsletter. But please include the following paragraph:

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."

If you like these tips please pass them on to your friends,
clients and colleagues.

You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The
Publicity Hound® website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you
told me you want to subscribe.

PRIVACY STATEMENT: The Publicity Hound® respects your privacy and
has a strict anti-spam policy. Read my privacy policy at
http://www.publicityhound.com/privacypolicy.htm

=======================================================
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

Publicity tips/The Twitter Handbook Sept 16, 2008

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #416 Sept. 16, 2008
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)
The Publicity Hound®

Circulation: 51,005


==========================================

"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"

Receive this ezine direct to your desktop
http://www.publicityhound.com/tipsoftheweek/

==========================================

You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The
Publicity Hound® website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you
told me that you want to subscribe. If you didn't subscribe, you
can unsubscribe by clicking the link at the bottom of the
newsletter.

Please forward this ezine to anyone you know who needs free
publicity to establish their credibility, enhance their
reputation, position themselves as employers of choice, sell more
products and services, or promote a favorite cause or issue.

**********************************************

Don't Miss These 3 Events and Downloads:

- -Learn why the college speaking circuit is one of the most
lucrative places for speakers, particularly if you speak on one
of about a dozen topics that are in demand. I'm hosting a free
teleseminar with James Malinchak, king of the college speaking
circuit, from 3 to 4 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, Sept. 17.
Register at http://tinyurl.com/6dpaud

- -Tom Antion teaches you his (and my) three-part strategy--
public speaking, Internet marketing and success principles--to
position yourself as an expert and grow your business, including
the three biggest website mistakes. Download our interview at
http://tinyurl.com/4rpwer

- -Authors, learn how to create a membership site for your
readers. An author who makes $34,000 a month from his members
will show you how during a free teleseminar sponsored by Steve
Harrison on Thursday, Sept. 18. Register at
http://www.freepublicity.com/Mr_PI/?10011 and see item #4 below.

**********************************************
================================
In This Issue
================================

1. The Twitter Handbook

2. Lipstick & More Lipstick

3. Promote Your Social Networking Pages

4. Authors, Start a Membership Site

5. How to Promote a Puppy Journal

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Story of the Week

8. And at My Blog...


=========================================
1. The Twitter Handbook
=========================================

Three bad reasons people refuse to Twitter:

- -"I don't have time."

- -"It's frivolous and silly. I don't see the point."

- -"Who cares what I ate for lunch?"

Truth is, most people probably DON'T care what you ate for lunch.
But your loyal followers do. They're also curious about whether
you cooked it yourself. And what magazine you were reading while
eating.

They want to know about your pets, your kids, what you do on the
weekends, what movies you rent from Blockbuster, your favorite TV
shows, and what keeps you up at 3 a.m.

They want to know when your printer breaks, what you're doing
during your work day, and what the weather is like in your corner
of the world. And, yes, they also want to know about new
products and services you're offering, or causes or issues you're
promoting.

With Twitter, you can tell them.

It's a free microblogging tool at http://www.Twitter.com that
lets you post as many messages, or tweets, as you want, per day.
Each must not exceed 140 characters. You can then "follow," or
read the tweets, of anyone you choose. And anyone can follow
you.

When I posted a tweet asking how to get ink stains out of a
carpet because our dog, Bogie, chewed a ball-point pen on the
living room floor, six people responded with tips. When I
offered my recipe for Tomato Pie last week, almost a dozen people
asked for it. You can get it, too, at http://tinyurl.com/5sr4vz

When I announced teleseminars I hosted earlier this summer on how
to use LinkedIn and Facebook as part of a publicity campaign,
many of my followers tweeted about it. Their followers in turn
tweeted, and both series sold out.

The one big problem with Twitter, however, is that the more you
become addicted to it, and the more you try to understand all the
ways you can use it, the more complicated it becomes. Twitter
has its own etiquette and vocabulary, in addition to hundreds of
websites, widgets and tools you can use to enhance the Twitter
experience.

That's why you'll love the Twitter Handbook, written by Deborah
Micek and Warren Whitlock. I reviewed the book at my blog at
http://tinyurl.com/6elfqv and explained how to claim your free
copy. Deb tells me that everyone who gives the authors a name
and email address will receive the handbook within a week.

This book is a must-read for every Publicity Hound and is as
helpful for veteran Tweeple (people who use Twitter) as it is for
newbies.

If you missed the Facebook and LinkedIn teleseminars, don't
despair. We recorded them and they're available as MP3s and
electronic transcripts. Both include timelines that explain
exactly what you should do, and when, during your publicity
campaign.

Get started using LinkedIn to promote yourself and your business:
http://tinyurl.com/5zvzyd

Then make Facebook a powerful publicity tool. Learn how:
http://tinyurl.com/5fyv5y


=========================================
2. Lipstick & More Lipstick
=========================================

The "lipstick on a pig" controversy is already old news, but I'm
betting that comments about lipstick stay front and center on the
campaign trail---right up to Election Day, and possibly beyond.

Even Newsweek is jumping on this one. Its Sept. 22 issue
features a tube of lipstick on the cover with the big headline
"What Women Want."

Smart Publicity Hounds, whether they love or hate Sarah Palin,
should use the lipstick controversy as a springboard for story
ideas and pitches. Here are six ideas:

- -Consumer groups worried about the chemical composition of
lipstick should restate their warnings. (Is it true that
lipstick includes fish scales???)

- -Cosmetic companies, which are the most popular lipstick colors
for fall? See how Revlon used the controversy as a springboard
last week at http://tinyurl.com/6d37pr

- --Image consultants, how about creating a video demonstrating
the proper way to apply lipstick? Or offering a list of tips on
the "5 ways women misuse lipstick."

- --If you're promoting a cause or issue, name the top 10
"lipstick on a pig" issues that tie into your topic. For
example, a taxpayers' rights group could list the top 10
"lipstick on a pig" projects that were the biggest waste of
money.

- -Social service agencies, ask women to buy lipstick, make-up
and toiletries and donate them to homeless shelters and women's
shelters.

- -Parenting experts, what's the correct age when girls can start
wearing lipstick?

Or how about creating a quiz related to lipstick? "Briefs,
Fillers & Quizzes" offers lots of ideas on how to create quizzes
and pitch them to the media. It's available as a CD or an
electronic transcript that you can be reading as soon as your
order is approved.

Get started creating quizzes on any topic at
http://tinyurl.com/d74h7


=========================================
3. Promote Your Social Networking Pages
=========================================

Publicity Hound Holly Miller of Chesapeake, Virginia emailed me
this morning and asked if it's proper to include a Twitter
address within a press release.

It's a great idea, and it got me thinking about other ways to let
people know where they can find you online.

- --If you're on MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, do you
include links to your profile pages in press releases? What
about other social networking sites your followers might want to
know about?

- --Do you cross-promote from every social networking site? For
example, can people find your Twitter address on your LinkedIn
profile?

- --Does the home page of your website include links to your
social networking profiles?

- --What about your email signature?

- --What special applications do you use at social networking
sites that let you cross-promote?

Let's see how many ideas Publicity Hounds can suggest. Post them
to my blog at http://tinyurl.com/6f59nn

Holly's question is a timely reminder that we aren't writing
press releases only for the media. "The New Rules of Press
Releases: How to Write Them for Buyers, Not Only for Journalists"
is a one-hour interview with David Meerman Scott, who explains
why the new rules present a powerful advantage to Publicity
Hounds.

It's available as a CD or electronic transcript that you can
download as soon as your order is approved. Read more about the
new rules and how you can benefit at http://tinyurl.com/ndwfo


=========================================
4. Authors, Start a Membership Site
=========================================

A first-time author has come up with a novel way of turning his
book into a membership site that brings in $34,000 a month.

In fact, last fall this former physical education teacher used
his unique model to launch a new book and promptly over sold more
than 5,000 copies, pretty impressive in itself.

Almost a year later, he's still got more than 1,700 of the buyers
paying him $19.95 each month for ongoing access to a membership
website that offers additional content based on his book.

That's more than $34,000 a month in passive recurring revenue
with practically no work.

He's come up with an ingenious yet simple model which many non-
fiction authors can use to make more from their books.

He has agreed to share his methods during a free telephone
seminar Steve Harrison is offering twice on Thursday, Sept. 18.
You can register at http://www.freepublicity.com/Mr_PI/?10011

Listen as the author describes the nitty-gritty secrets of how
you can use his strategies to create autopilot revenue from your
own book. You'll also learn:

- -Four easy-to-implement models for creating recurring income
from your own book, several of which you can implement in less
than a day.

- -Ingenious ways to re-purpose the information from your book
into other formats your readers want.

- -Key vendors and resources you need to know about. They'll
make your life a lot easier.

- -The email that took him less than 30 minutes to write but
which still makes him more than $1,000.00 a month.

If your topic is perfect for a membership site, don't miss this
call. Register at http://tinyurl.com/5kwkw4


==========================================
5. How to Promote a Puppy Journal
==========================================

This week, nine Publicity Hounds have tips for Rik Feeney of
Orlando, Florida, on how to best promote his new books, the Puppy
Lover's Journal and the Kitten Lover's Journal.


From Dena Harris:

"Look at joining the Cat Writers Association and Dog Writers of
America which will lend credibility to your work. Look at
marketing your books to pet sitters. The journals would make a
great gift for them to give to clients for the holidays. There
are national dog/cat/love your pet days. Shoot out press
releases near those events. Market to breeders who might give
the book as a gift to people who adopt their dogs."


From Gail Sideman:

"Seek out blogs and columnists that target their messages for
single people, childless or empty-nest married couples. These
demographics treat their pets like their children and would be
likely to journal about them. Now they can keep a puppy book
much like they kept, or their friends keep, baby journals."


From Joy:

"I just Googled Puppy Lovers Journal, and I see that it's been
donated as a prize to rescue organizations, which is a great
idea. What about donating it as a door prize at dog-related
events?"


The Publicity Hound says:

Don't forget about all those dog- and cat-related groups that are
worth joining at social networking sites like Facebook and
MySpace.

Read all the responses to this week's Help This Hound question at
http://tinyurl.com/6g6wx5


Send your own Help this Hound question to:
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com and put Help This Hound in the
subject line. Include your city and state.


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

Mike Michaud of Fannin County, Texas writes:

"I would like to get some ideas on how to promote a site that is
all about pooling our financial contributions to fund alternative
energy research, development and production. There are many
promising technologies that are languishing due to government
ineptness, red tape, corporate greed, banking failure and
investor panic.

"We as a nation of individuals need to go around this roadblock
and fund our own future energy development.

"I'm setting up a website to provide more information and accept
donations. I'm just looking for ideas on how to promote this in
a non-partisan way. This cuts across all lines."


The Publicity Hound says:

The heated presidential election seems like the perfect tie-in,
and I think you can use that hook and still remain non-partisan.
Hounds, what ideas do you have for Mike? Post them to my blog at
http://tinyurl.com/622sud


"Special Report #17: Powerful Ways to Promote Your Website to
Draw Traffic and Boost Sales" will give you dozens of ideas of
how to pull traffic online and offline. Only $10. Order at
http://tinyurl.com/3sa3j


==================================
7. Hound Story of the Week
==================================

No joke this week.

Instead, let's hear it for Buddy, the trained German Shepherd in
Scottsdale, Arizona that dialed 911 when his owner began having
seizures, and saved his life:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,422341,00.html


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/


================================
8. And at My Blog...
================================

Twitter handbook: The bible for newbie, veteran Tweeple
http://tinyurl.com/6elfqv


Think far beyond traditional media and target niches
http://tinyurl.com/6ygm7d


3 website mistakes that derail your publicity efforts
http://tinyurl.com/4rpwer


Twitter and text-speak are poisoning the English language
http://tinyurl.com/4aubuc

Revlon ties contest to 'Lipstick on a pig' controversy
http://tinyurl.com/6d37pr


How do you promote your social networking profiles?
Http://tinyurl.com/6f59nn


PERMISSION TO REPRINT: You may reprint any items from "The
Publicity Hound's Tips of the Week" in your print or electronic
newsletter. But please include the following paragraph:

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."

If you like these tips please pass them on to your friends,
clients and colleagues.


You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The
Publicity Hound® website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you
told me you want to subscribe.

PRIVACY STATEMENT: The Publicity Hound® respects your privacy and
has a strict anti-spam policy. Read my privacy policy at
http://www.publicityhound.com/privacypolicy.htm

=======================================================
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

Publicity tips/The Perils of Friending Journalists Sept 9, 2008

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #415 Sept. 9, 2008
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)
The Publicity Hound®

Circulation: 50,542

==========================================

"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"

Receive this ezine direct to your desktop
http://www.publicityhound.com/tipsoftheweek/

==========================================

You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The
Publicity Hound® website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you
told me that you want to subscribe. If you didn't subscribe, you
can unsubscribe by clicking the link at the bottom of the
newsletter.

Please forward this ezine to anyone you know who needs free
publicity to establish their credibility, enhance their
reputation, position themselves as employers of choice, sell more
products and services, or promote a favorite cause or issue.

**********************************************

Don't Miss These 5 Deadlines & Events:

- -Publicity Hounds can still get $200 off the $1,195
registration fee for Ragan Communications' Social Media Summit
Sept. 10-12 in Chicago. Let me know if you're going so I can
meet you over coffee on Thursday or Friday. Register at
http://www.ragan.com/publicityhound

- -Learn why the college speaking circuit is one of the most
lucrative places for speakers, particularly if you speak on one
of about a dozen topics that are in demand. I'm hosting a free
teleseminar with James Malinchak, king of the college speaking
circuit, from 3 to 4 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, Sept. 17.
See item #2 below.

- -Tom Antion will teach you his (and my) three-part strategy--
public speaking, Internet marketing and success principles--to
position yourself as an expert and grow your business. From 9 to
10 p.m. Eastern tonight, Sept. 9. See Item #3 below.

- -Steve Harrison repeats his teleseminar on Thursday, Sept. 11,
on how to get onto major TV and radio shows. Learn more at
http://tinyurl.com/5ah6ah

- -Stompernet received such overwhelming response last week to
its free offer of a set of DVDs called "Stomping the Search
Engines 2" and the premiere issue of "The Net Effect," its
journal on Internet marketing, that too much traffic crashed the
system. Not great PR for a company that teaches Internet
marketing, but proof that an irresistible offer can blow the roof
off anybody's best laid plans. You can still claim your DVDs and
journal at http://tinyurl.com/5au4lo

**********************************************
================================
In This Issue
================================

1. The Perils of Friending Journalists

2. Why College Speakers Aren't Worried

3. What Experts Do

4. Media Leads

5. How to Promote a Keepsake CD

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. And at My Blog...


=========================================
1. The Perils of Friending Journalists
=========================================

Journalists have always hated being identified publicly as the
"friend" of a source.

"I'm not your friend," many insist. "I'm just trying to do my
job."

But that was 10 years ago, long before social networking sites
came onto the scene.

These days, if you're trying to get in front of a reporter at The
Washington Post, for example, and you know he has a Facebook
page, asking him to be your friend is as easy as a few mouse
clicks.

Easy and dangerous.

- -He can identify you as a spammer.

- -If he thinks your invitation is improper, and he's in a lousy
mood, he can put you on his blacklist and "out" you to other
journalists.

- -He can post a nasty comment about you. Or worse.

Journalists create Facebook pages as one way of taking advantage
of Web 2.0 tools. Facebook is a great place to look for sources.
They can friend other journalists. They can listen to and
participate in the online conversation. They also use Facebook
as a secondary distribution system for their work and link to
their articles, op-ed pieces, blogs and videos.

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation has directed its
journalists to avoid adding sources or contacts as Facebook
friends.

"It may compromise your work by letting friends see other friends
on your network," the policy document says. "It may also not be
in your interest to identify yourself as a 'friend' of a source
on their network."

You can read the entire policy at
http://www.insidethecbc.com/facebookpolicy

So what should you do if so see a journalist on a social
networking site and you want to connect? Here are three ways to
start building the relationship:

- -Publicity Hound Harry Hoover has compiled a list of
"Journalists Who Twitter" at
http://www.my-creativeteam.com/blog/?p=694
He suggests that if the journalist is on the list, you can follow
him or her and reply to their tweets when appropriate.
At some point, you can email them from Twitter and ask if
it's OK to invite them to be your friend on Facebook, and
connect with you on LinkedIn.

- -If the journalist has a page on LinkedIn, check to see if any
of their connections are also your connections. If so, you can
ask the connection to introduce you. If you are introduced, do
not pitch. Instead, offer yourself as a source who can provide
background, commentary, story ideas and anything else the
journalist needs. See "How to Promote Anything on LinkedIn,
Ethically & Powerfully," a series of two teleseminars I hosted
with LinkedIn expert Scott Allen, at http://tinyurl.com/5zvzyd

- -Can't find your favorite journalist at any of the social
networking sites? Google their name and see if they blog. If
so, read the blog and comment.

Let's see what other Publicity Hounds have to say about this
topic. Journalists, what's your policy of accepting friending
invitations from people you don't know?

Sources, have you made valuable contacts with journalists on
these social networking sites, or others? If so, how?

Post your comments to my blog at http://tinyurl.com/5769nf

If you're new to Facebook, or you've had a page for awhile but
you don't know all the insider tricks on how to use it to
promote, Jason Alba can help. He explained them all, including
an entire timeline on what to do on Facebook, and when, if you
have something to promote.

The two teleseminars are available as electronic transcripts plus
MP3s which you can download as soon as your order is approved.
Learn how to start using Facebook the right way at
http://www.publicityhound.com/teleseminar/facebook.htm


=========================================
2. Why College Speakers Aren't Worried
=========================================

Every time the economy takes a dive, professional speakers feel
the pinch.

Companies and nonprofits have less money to pay speakers, and
they invite experts who are often willing to speak at seminars
and conventions for free.

But the college speaking circuit is almost immune from that kind
of ripple effect. That's because colleges and universities pay
their speakers from sources like student activity fees, which
aren't affected by a bad economy.

James Malinchak, king of the college speaking circuit, says
Publicity Hounds who are experts on a wide variety of topics--
leadership, dating and relationships, and drug and alcohol abuse,
to name just a few--have a fabulous opportunity to expand their
business by adding colleges to their target market.

If you're hired to speak at a college, it also increases your
chances for publicity. Fraternity and sorority newsletters,
college newspapers and radio stations, even MySpace and Facebook
pages and groups, can multiply your exposure and spread the word
about your expertise.

James will be my guest during a free one-hour teleseminar at 3
p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, Sept. 17. He'll give you a peek
at the kind of material he'll be presenting at his College
Speaking Success Boot Camp Dec. 4-7 in Los Angeles. If you have
no interest in attending the boot camp, join us for the
teleseminar. You'll come away with several valuable lists that
will help you get started that day booking speaking engagements
at colleges.

You'll learn, for instance, what topics are most in demand and
why, which departments have the budgets to book you, who are the
people you must contact to get booked as a college speaker, and
why creating traditional marketing materials for colleges is a
huge waste of time and money.

Register for the teleseminar at http://tinyurl.com/6dpaud


=========================================
3. What Experts Do
=========================================

If you want to be an expert in your topic, or more of an expert
than you already are, read the free 12-page White Paper titled
"The Expertise Imperative" at
http://www.PublicityHound.com/expertise.pdf

The National Speakers Association published it several years ago,
and I refer Publicity Hounds to it often, regardless of their
occupation. Speakers, remember, come from a wide variety of
backgrounds. The White Paper is an excellent starting point for
anybody who wants to be an expert.

Expertise, it explains, isn't only about how much you know. It's
also about how much you do.

What, exactly, do experts do?

Coach and mentor. Create products. Write articles. Write
commercially-published books. Blog. Do media interviews.
Provide commentary for the media. Take leadership positions in
trade associations.

Speak for free or for fee. Accept invitations to lecture on
other people's teleseminars. Accept new clients every year.
Research new topics to stay at the forefront of their field.
Create a huge presence for themselves online.

The White Paper says experts also demonstrate their own ethics
and character by admitting mistakes and correcting errors
promptly, sharing credit and acknowledging others in the field,
and exhibiting the highest standard of behavior.

Unfortunately, the White Paper doesn't explain how to do much of
what it says you should do. That's where I relied on Tom Antion
to teach me. I was a member of his mentor program for several
years and learned his three-pronged strategy for growing a
business--public speaking, Internet marketing and success
principles he learned from his father.

He has graciously agreed to do a complimentary teleseminar with
me from 9 to 10 p.m. Eastern Time tonight, Sept. 9, to explain
various aspects of that same business model.

The call will introduce Publicity Hounds to the type of content
he will present at this live event called "Fusion," Oct. 17-19,
in Los Angeles. Tom will do what he preaches on tonight's call:
under promise and over deliver. If you can't attend the live
event, you'll still come away with pages of notes you can start
implementing immediately.

Sign up for tonight's teleseminar at
http://www.PublicityHound.com/teleseminar/fusion.htm

Learn more about the conference at http://tinyurl.com/5cefjt


=========================================
4. Media Leads
=========================================

- -Susan Reynolds of Literary Cottage needs stories from anyone
who attended Woodstock in 1969 for Woodstock Revisited, an
anthology to be published by Adams Media next spring. Adams
Media pays $100 and one copy of the book. "We are seeking 50
true stories (850-1100 words) written by people who attended the
1969 Woodstock Festival. This anthology will document the event
itself, but will also provide a portrait of America as that
tumultuous decade came to a close. Stories should be historical
within the context of 1969 and yet unique to your experience.
Stories must be TRUE, vivid, and substantive. You can write an
'as told to' story if you have friends or family who attended.
If you are not a writer, send me a narrative of your experience,
and I will help you craft your story. Please carefully review
the details and sample story provided on the 'Woodstock '69
Guidelines' page at http://www.literarycottage.com/woodstock.html
Deadline is Sunday, Sept. 14." Please email Susan immediately if
you'll be sending a story. Mailto:sreynolds@literarycottage.com


- -Kathy Gerschutz, an intern at WIMA-AM radio in Lima, Ohio, a
Clear Channel station, says the Mike Miller Morning Show is
looking for interview subjects, including showbiz updates, home
improvement guests, health experts, TV critics, child care
experts, pet experts, travel experts, odd news, personal finance
experts, book reviewers, management experts, someone who can
explain how stuff works, consumer experts, collectable experts,
food experts, economists, video game experts, music reviewers,
dating experts, and more. Pre-recorded interviews are three
minutes. "We'd prefer a weekly guest, though we would definitely
consider bi-weekly guests, and in some cases, one-time guests."
The target audience is men 35 to 40. The show broadcasts from 6
to 9 a.m. weekdays. Contact Kathy at
mailto:kathygerschutz@yahoo.com


Smaller shows like that one are great places to get experience
before you hit the big-time. But the competition for the big
shows is incredibly tough. Alex Carroll, who has done more than
1,000 radio interviews, was my guest during a teleseminar and
showed Publicity Hounds how to "Get Booked on Big Radio Shows in
the Top 20 Markets."

It's available as a CD. You can read more about how to get your
foot in the door at the mega-shows at http://tinyurl.com/asgyx


==========================================
5. How to Promote a Keepsake CD
==========================================

This week, three Publicity Hound have tips for Alaa el Ghatit of
Libertyville, Illinois, on how to promote LifeOnRecord, a service
that lets people capture and preserve their memories from any
phone. The recordings are available on a keepsake CD, and can
also be managed and played via his website, or downloaded into
iTunes.


From Linda Swisher:

"I'm a genealogist. Family historians are a natural target
market. You might also branch out into family and military
reunions, where members of a certain military unit can record
their recollections from wherever they are. How about high
school reunions? Print media include Reunions magazine,
Ancestry, Family Tree Magazine, etc."


From Cheryl Pickett:

"Since one use for your product is a wedding gift, do you do
cross-promotions with other professionals? Certainly wedding
planners should top your list, but also Djs, photographers,
florists. See if you can get on the recommended vendor or
networking lists where these people are. If you aren't doing it
already, pitch wedding bloggers, websites and magazines.

You could also promote general event planners as well. The great
thing is you aren't limited by location so the sky is virtually
the limit for you as to who you can contact in just these two
groups alone."


From The Publicity Hound:

"The Gift List--a service that provides contact information for
national and regional magazines, the top 250 daily newspapers,
news wires and syndicates, national television, and national
radio, as well as a list for web and blog outlets--is perfect for
product publicity for this CD.

"These media are HUNGRY for press releases and photos about
consumer products that make great gifts for Christmas, Mother's
Day, Father's Day, Valentine's Day and Graduation Day. Learn
more about how to get into these gift guides at
http://tinyurl.com/9es8y


Read all the responses to this week's Help This Hound question at
http://tinyurl.com/64tgx7

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


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

Rik Feeney of Orlando, Florida writes:

"I need help from fellow Hounds on how to best promote my new
book, the Puppy Lover's Journal.

"It's made up of 104 lined journal pages with pictures of cute
little puppies of several different breeds on the bottom outside
corner of each page. Since it's a journal, you can write fond
memories of your puppy, personal notes about your life, shopping
lists for the grocery, or maybe even the next great romance
novel. I am also publishing a similar book titled the Kitten
Lover's Journal.

"My problem is cash flow, so I need ideas that use more sweat-
equity than cash from my wallet."

The Publicity Hound says: My Hounds don't discriminate, Rik, and
will give you great ideas for your kitten journal as well as your
puppy journal. Have a great idea for Rik? Post it to my blog at
http://tinyurl.com/6g6wx5


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

Thanks to Publicity Hound Barry Lebow of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
for this one:

A dog went to a telegram office, took out a blank form and wrote:
"Woof. Woof. Woof. Woof. Woof. Woof. Woof. Woof. Woof."

The clerk examined the paper and politely told the dog: "There
are only nine words here. You could send another ‘Woof’ for the
same price."

The dog replied, "But that would make no sense at all."


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/


================================
8. And at My Blog...
================================

Authors, pitch issues & shows, not your books
http://tinyurl.com/5d7kvl


Why is 'the mic is always on' so difficult to understand?
Http://tinyurl.com/55bpa9


If you missed Oprah's guest booker, join her Thursday
http://tinyurl.com/5ah6ah


PERMISSION TO REPRINT: You may reprint any items from "The
Publicity Hound's Tips of the Week" in your print or electronic
newsletter. But please include the following paragraph:

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."

If you like these tips please pass them on to your friends,
clients and colleagues.


You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The
Publicity Hound® website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you
told me you want to subscribe.

PRIVACY STATEMENT: The Publicity Hound® respects your privacy and
has a strict anti-spam policy. Read my privacy policy at
http://www.publicityhound.com/privacypolicy.htm

=======================================================
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

Publicity tips/Grade John Edwards' Interview Aug 12, 2008

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #411 Aug. 12, 2008
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.net/(Blog)
The Publicity Hound®

Circulation: 50,329

==========================================

"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"

Receive this ezine direct to your desktop
http://www.publicityhound.com/tipsoftheweek/

==========================================

You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The
Publicity Hound® website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you
told me that you want to subscribe. If you didn't subscribe, you
can unsubscribe by clicking the link at the bottom of the
newsletter.

Please forward this ezine to anyone you know who needs free
publicity to establish their credibility, enhance their
reputation, position themselves as employers of choice, sell more
products and services, or promote a favorite cause or issue.

**********************************************

Facebook Teleseminars Sold Out:

The teleseminar series on "How to Use Facebook to Promote Your
Business or Nonprofit," which starts tomorrow, sold out this
morning. But sign up anyway. Even though you won't be able to
attend the event live, you'll still get copies of the MP3 files
and the electronic transcripts.

Learn more about how to get started using Facebook to promote at
http://www.PublicityHound.com/teleseminar/facebook.htm


**********************************************
================================
In This Issue
================================

1. Grade John Edwards' Interview

2. Airlines Keeping Inflight Magazines

3. Time Running Out for Gift Guides

4. Publicity Summit Deadline Tomorrow

5. Promoting a Website for Musicians

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. And at My Blog...

=======================================
1. Grade John Edwards' Interview
=======================================

Put politics aside for a minute.

If you saw the interview that ABC's "Nightline" did with former
Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards on Friday night,
tell us how you think he did from a PR standpoint.

I don't care if you think "he's only human" or that cheating on
his wife was "despicable."

Was the interview convincing? Will it put an end to this story?
Did his answers come across as honest? Was he justified in not
answering certain questions? ("Did you ever tell her that you
loved her?")

I'm asking because opinions from crisis counselors and other PR
pros seem to be all over the map. Crisis counselor Jonathan
Bernstein says on his blog:

"I think John Edwards did one heck of a job of 'packaging' his
confession of infidelity in a manner that will quickly put the
issue behind him--as long as there are no other skeletons in the
closet..."

PR guy Jerry Brown says he thinks Edwards blew it.

"He left at least two big loose ends that promise to keep the
story alive awhile longer:

"He offered to take a paternity test to prove Hunter's child
isn't his, but the test hasn't taken place and the mother says
there won't be one. That will keep the story alive awhile longer
and, without a paternity test, there will always be lingering
doubts. Out of Edwards' control? Perhaps. But he's had several
months to work on this issue.

"Hunter reportedly has received payments for some period of time,
up to $15,000 a month according to one report that claims the
payments were hush money to keep her quiet. Edwards says he
didn't make any payments to Hunter and that any payments that
were made were without his knowledge. If she was paid, who made
the payments, and why, promises to keep the story alive. If any
laws were broken, the story could become decidedly worse."

Hounds, what do you think? Weigh in at my blog at
http://tinyurl.com/58xg9x

P. S. Notice when the story broke: on a Friday. That's the best
day to break a bad news story. Did it work in Edwards' favor
that it also was the same day as opening ceremonies at the
Olympics?

Jonathan Bernstein, quoted above, knows every trick in the book
on how to deal with the media when the news is bad. And he
described his favorites during a teleseminar I hosted on "How to
Keep the Media Wolves at Bay." We recorded it, and it's
available as a CD or electronic transcript that you can be
reading as soon as your order is approved.

Learn how to keep the media wolves at bay at
http://tinyurl.com/b8wcy


============================================
2. Airlines Keeping Inflight Magazines
============================================

With additional fees for everything from extra luggage to
blankets and pillows, you'd think those glossy in-flight
magazines would be one of the first things to go as the airlines
cut expenses.

Not so, say major carriers.

The magazines provide much-needed advertising revenue. That's
good news for Publicity Hounds who are trying to target higher-
income, higher-educated audiences with their pitches.

Thanks to Publicity Hound Gail Sideman of Milwaukee, Wisconsin
for tipping us off to this article in USA Today, which discusses
all the reasons the magazines will remain, at least in the near
future: http://tinyurl.com/5puvbx

Do you know the kinds of products and services these magazines
love to feature? Do you know which magazines feature books and
which don't? Do you know how to deliver your pitches, and to
whom? Are you aware of the many smaller magazines on smaller
airlines that are just as open to your pitches as the bigger
publications?

If not, "Special Report #29: Fly High with Publicity in the
Inflight Magazines" will tell you. It includes pitching tips,
plus contact information for more than 40 inflight magazines.
Buy the report, only $37, today and you'll get our October 2008
update at no additional charge.

Learn more about how to start reaching these airline passengers
with a high disposable income today at http://tinyurl.com/6uz9g


=========================================
3. Time Running Out for Gift Guides
=========================================

If your consumer product would make a terrific holiday gift, pay
attention to a looming deadline.

At many magazines, which have long lead times for their holiday
gift guides, you must have your product in the hands of editors
by Labor Day weekend. That's because within the next few weeks,
many editors will decide which products they'll feature in those
sections.

Elizabeth Woodson, associate editor at Travel + Leisure, told
Bulldog Reporter that they're already planning their holiday gift
guide. "The point is to get stuff to us early. That means now,"
she said.

Also, if you want to get into gift guides, don't use the same
strategy you use for getting into other sections of newspapers or
magazines. Usually, journalists don't want to be inundated with
unsolicited products and accompanying press releases and photos.
They want you to pitch first. Then, and only then, will they
decide if they're interested. If they are, they'll contact you
and ask for a product sample.

Gift guide editors, however, need products early so they can
decide which ones they'll include in the sections. In most
cases, you can send products unsolicited.

Read more pitching tips in this Bulldog Reporter article:
http://tinyurl.com/5js8hp

Then read more about The Gift List, a subscription service that
provides contact information, story themes, product features,
deadlines, submission preferences, photo requirements and tips
from the editors at more than 250 top daily newspapers, news
wires and syndicates, national television, and national radio, as
well as a list for web and blog outlets.

Get started pitching gift guides BEFORE their deadline at
http://tinyurl.com/9es8y


=======================================
4. Publicity Summit Deadline Tomorrow
=======================================

Whenever readers see me discussing the National Publicity Summit
in New York City, a few Hounds email me and ask if I can point to
any success stories about people who have gotten great publicity
hits as a result of meeting face-to-face with journalists.

Yep.

- -Ron & Lisa Beres were booked on the "Today" show.

- -Steve Shapiro was the subject of a big story in "O the Oprah
Magazine" after meeting the writer who attended the Summit.

- -Lauri Loewenberg appeared on ABC's "The View" and "Good
Morning America."

- -Jim Vonmier got on the "CBS Evening News" and "The Early Show"
as a result of the training and contacts he got at the Summit.

- -Kelly McCloskey used what she learned to get booked on
"Oprah."

- -Barry Spilchuk was interviewed on Fox News Channel within just
five hours of meeting the producer at the Summit.

- -Sandy Clemmons got written up in Health Magazine, Money
magazine and TV Guide--all from meeting journalists face-to-face.
Even better, she says that since attending, her royalty checks
have increased over 700 percent.

Only 100 attendees will be admitted to this year's summit Oct.
22-25. Tomorrow is the last day to take advantage of the early-
bird pricing. Go here now to sign up for a free info packet that
tells you more about what you'll see, hear and learn--and who
you'll meet--at the National Publicity Summit:

http://www.NationalPublicitySummit.com/?10011


========================================
5. Promoting a Website for Musicians
========================================

This week, 10 Publicity Hound have tips on how Kevin Gardiner of
Tolland, Connecticut can raise awareness of his website at
http://www.TuneRooms.com to musicians ages 13 and up.


From Jonathan Bernstein:

"Write articles in your field of expertise and then 'place' them
on some of the scores of websites which catalog such articles for
use by other sites. That has been invaluable to my SEO effort."


From Christine Buffaloe:

"I work with a client who is a musician and author. She has a
wonderful page on MySpace.com and has created a following there.
These are the people you should be targeting. Start a MySpace
page. There's a place there just for bands and musicians."


From Jennifer Lizak:

"Reach out to your local music industry professionals, introduce
them to the concept, and hold an event or showcase.

"Hit up the music blogs--Pitchfork, Tiny Mix Tapes, Oh My
Rockness.

"Reach out to college freshmen. Did their high school band break
up when they went to different colleges? Perhaps your service
will allow them to keep the band together!"


The Publicity Hound says:

Kevin, start your own Facebook group for songwriters and
musicians. My teleseminar series this week on "How to Use
Facebook to Promote Your Business or Nonprofit" sounds perfect
for you. It's sold out, but sign up anyway. Even though you
can't attend the live event, I'll send you the MP3 audio links
and the electronic transcripts. Register at
http://www.PublicityHound.com/teleseminar/facebook.htm


Read all the responses to this week's Help This Hound question at
http://tinyurl.com/6fgxc9


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


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

Larry Richards of Raleigh, North Carolina asks:

"Where can an author get accurate information about the many book
clubs and book discussion groups that exist in the U.S.?

"My book is titled The Blind Prophet, one of six books in my
Invisible War series, and it's a story about angels and demons.
It should be published the first of the year."

"Somebody suggested offering a free review book to the person
from these groups who selects the novels. But I can't find a
list anywhere. Can your Publicity Hounds help me?

The Publicity Hound says:

They sure can, Larry. Many authors and publishers read this
newsletter, and I know they'll be able to offer lots of
suggestions. OK, Hounds. Let's hear it. Where can Larry find a
list of book clubs, reading groups and other groups that might
want a free copy of his book? (Other publicity ideas will be
gladly accepted, too.)

Post them to my blog at http://tinyurl.com/68xzx6


Send your own Help This Hound question to
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com?=HelpThisHound


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

Thanks to Publicity Hound Burgundy Olivier of Rayne, Louisiana
for this one:

What does a man do standing up...and a woman do sitting
down...and a dog do on three legs?

Shake hands.


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/


================================
8. And at My Blog...
================================

Pompous elevator pitches turn off reporters and others
http://tinyurl.com/6dft25


Newspaper food sections shrinking, so pitch wisely
http://tinyurl.com/6mdq9q


PERMISSION TO REPRINT: You may reprint any items from "The
Publicity Hound's Tips of the Week" in your print or electronic
newsletter. But please include the following paragraph:

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."

If you like these tips please pass them on to your friends,
clients and colleagues.

You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The
Publicity Hound® website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you
told me you want to subscribe.


PRIVACY STATEMENT: The Publicity Hound® respects your privacy and
has a strict anti-spam policy. Read my privacy policy at
http://www.publicityhound.com/privacypolicy.htm


=======================================================
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

Publicity tips/This Drives TV Producers Crazy August 5, 2008

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #410 Aug. 5, 2008
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)
The Publicity Hound®

Circulation: 50,043

==========================================

"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"

Receive this ezine direct to your desktop
http://www.publicityhound.com/tipsoftheweek/

==========================================

You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The Publicity Hound® website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you told me that you want to subscribe. If you didn't subscribe, you can unsubscribe by clicking the link at the bottom of the newsletter.

Please forward this ezine to anyone you know who needs free publicity to establish their credibility, enhance their reputation, position themselves as employers of choice, sell more products and services, or promote a favorite cause or issue.

**********************************************

Facebook Teleseminar Will be Sold Out

With more than a week to go before next week's teleseminar series on "How to Use LinkedIn to Promote," more than half the seats have been sold. And I expect this teleseminar series to be sold out. If you have a previous commitment and can't attend, sign up anyway at http://www.PublicityHound.com/teleseminar/facebook.htm You'll receive the MP3 audio and the electronic transcripts.

If you think Facebook is just for kids, see Item #2 below.

********************************************** ================================
In This Issue
================================

1. This Drives TV Producers Crazy

2. Facebook Group Coolest of the Cool

3. 12 Ways to Sell Social Media to Your Boss

4. Party Publicity Perfect for the Web

5. Promoting Natural Hair Care Products

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. And at My Blog...

=======================================
1. This Drives TV Producers Crazy
=======================================

It's one of the biggest mistakes self-promoters make when they try to get onto a local or national TV talk show. And it drives producers and guest bookers crazy.

People send press kits, copies of their books, samples of their products, galley proofs, photos, Cds and DVDs.

They send obnoxious tchotchkies, invitations that include handfuls of glitter or confetti, and press releases inside big boxes that are wrapped to resemble gifts, or inside cardboard tubes that are impossible to open.

They even send food that turns stale by the time it reaches the intended recipient.

What do you suppose goes on in the minds of the producers when they receive it? And what do you suppose happens to all that stuff?

My friend, Steve Harrison, created a neat little video that will help you see what life is like through a producer's eyes. It will also tell you the Number One secret about how to get national publicity for a book, product or service.

Take a look: http://www.TheBigSecretToGettingPublicity.com/?10011


============================================
2. Facebook Group 'Coolest of the Cool' ============================================

They're known simply as "The Bill Sobel Breakfasts" and if you live or work near New York City, they're a cool way to network with cool people.

So says Bill, who refers to himself as the "chief connections officer." He's a master networker and a consultant who connects people who market products, technologies and services for media and entertainment.

A former TV executive, he hosts the breakfasts in Midtown Manhattan about once a month, primarily for those in the media and entertainment industries. But anybody can come.

Each breakfast is a two-and-a-half-hour schmoozefest with big- name speakers like:

- -Bob Pittman, "the father of MTV."

- -Bill Rassmussen, the founder of ESPN.

- -Jeff Price, president of Sports Illustrated digital media.

- -Fred Seibert, former president of Hanna Barbera

- -David Poltrack, executive vice president and chief research officer of CBS Inc.

(Hounds, are you paying attention?)

If you're a member of Bill's breakfast bunch and buy a ticket for $30, or you're a non-member who pays $50, and you want him to introduce you to one of the big wigs, "I'll do it in a heartbeat."

He started hosting the breakfasts in June 2006 as a place where executives in the media and entertainment industries could meet with peers, share ideas and develop friendships with the goal of assisting each other in reaching the next level or their personal goals. To keep track of his followers, Bill started a Yahoo group. When he heard about Facebook last year, he created a Facebook group called "New York Media Information Exchange Group."

Here's what happened when he started posting information about upcoming breakfast speakers to his Facebook page:

"The floodgates opened. It was as if I had a faucet that hadn't been turned on in years," he said. "The email addresses I had accumulated suddenly went from a few hundred to a few thousand."

And as a result, attendance at the breakfasts jumped.

Learn how you, too, can promote your events, books, speaking engagements, or any other service or product on Facebook. Jason Alba will be my guest expert during two teleseminars Aug. 13 and 14 on "How to Use Facebook to Promote Your Business or Nonprofit." I expect this series to be sold out. Register at http://www.PublicityHound.com/teleseminar/facebook.htm


============================================
3. 12 Ways to Sell Social Media to the Boss ============================================

Some people still don't get it.

They think social media sites like LinkedIn and Twitter are a colossal waste of time.

They want to maintain "total control" over what people are saying about their brand online. (Psssst: There is no such thing as total control online.)

They still think it's far more effective to use traditional media like newspapers, magazines, TV and radio for publicity. But they fail to understand that all four industries are seeing lower advertising revenues due in large part to competition from the Internet. And they're cutting staff like never before.

Unfortunately, many of the people who don't understand social media marketing are bosses. Please don't give up on trying to convince your boss.

Check out Chris Brogan's list of "Twelve Ways to Sell Social Media to Your Boss" at http://tinyurl.com/5ujkgw

Then plan to meet me at Ragan Communications' Social Media Summit Sept. 10-12 in Chicago. I worked out a special arrangement with Ragan. Publicity Hounds get $100 off the price of registration, plus another $100 off for early-bird registration if you use this link: http://www.ragan.com/publicityhound

See you in Chicago! Be sure to let me know if you're going and we'll make plans to have coffee.


=======================================
4. Party Publicity Perfect for the Web
=======================================

Black-tie charity fund-raisers. Employee picnics. Corporate holiday celebrations. Anniversary parties for your business.

Regardless of what you're celebrating, shoot video and offer it to your local weekly or daily newspapers. They're under tremendous pressure to produce video for the web and, truth be told, they usually despise covering these kinds of events. I know I did when I worked as a newspaper reporter.

Thanks to videographer John Easton of Charlotte, North Carolina, for tipping us off to this interview he did with Dave Enna, the senior producer of the Charlotte Observer's Web partner, Charlotte.com.

It gives you a good idea of kinds of videos that make perfect content for the web. Read the entire interview at http://www.customerflypaper.com/?p=53

Then learn how to create videos, without spending a fortune on high-fangled equipment you don't know how to use. John was my guest during a teleseminar on "9 Clever Ways to Use Video to Become a Media Darling in Your Industry or Community." We recorded it, and it's available as a CD, or as an electronic transcript or MP3 that you can download as soon as your order has been approved.

Learn how to become a media darling right now at http://tinyurl.com/5pbgzn


========================================
5. Promoting Natural Hair Care Products ========================================

This week, seven Publicity Hounds have tips on how Dalia Wallach of New York, New York, can get more consumers to experiment with her line of specialty hair care products called Get Glow.


From Yvette Stanton:

"How about offering free samples to some of the best salons in your local area, to get started?...Also, have you considered the angle of travelers' toiletries? With the new liquids and gels regulations on airlines, if you have a small enough bottle, you could corner the market in travelers' needs. If, as you say, you'll have to wash your hair less, a mini bottle could potentially last a whole 2- to 3-week vacation, and certainly a short business trip. To promote these sizes, get your product into hotels and airline magazines." (See Special Report #29: Fly High with Publicity in the Inflight Magazines at http://www.publicityhound.com/publicity-products/reports.html)


From Yves Marie Danie Baptiste:

"Develop a profile on sites like Ryze, Facebook and LinkedIn. You can share your expertise there." (See "How to Use LinkedIn to Promote Anything--Ethically & Powerfully" at http://www.PublicityHound.com/teleseminar/linkedin.htm )


From Candy Taylor Tutt:

"Both men and women whose hair gets exposed to chlorine will benefit from your product. Contact health clubs/gyms that have swimming pools. If your shampoos come in a small size they might stock them for their clients!"


Read all the responses to this week's Help This Hound question at http://tinyurl.com/6obj9l


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


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

Kevin Gardiner of Tolland, Connecticut writes:

"I am the president of Tune Rooms at http://www.tunerooms.com which is a social network for musicians that lets users to collaborate in virtual song-writing sessions.

"Since we launched our site, we've received overwhelmingly positive feedback. But the main gripe is that we don't have enough users. I need to figure out how to grow the community base.

"Can your Hounds suggest some ways that we can raise awareness of our site to musicians ages 13 and up, at all skill levels, so they can visit the site and collaborate? I believe in our product, but the size of the community is what will make Tune Rooms most useful for musicians."


The Publicity Hound says:

What a fun idea! I'll bet being a musician can get pretty lonely, especially when you have writer's block. Hounds with great ideas can post them to my blog at http://tinyurl.com/6fgxc9


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

Thanks to Jurek Leon from Willetton, Western Australia for this one:

Two drunks were about to board the train at 10 p.m. when they saw the sign "Dogs must be carried."

"Hold it," one of them said. "Where are we gonna get a dog at this time of night?"


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/


================================
8. And at My Blog...
================================

McDonald's iced coffee showing up on TV news desks
http://tinyurl.com/5nf9hl


PERMISSION TO REPRINT: You may reprint any items from "The Publicity Hound's Tips of the Week" in your print or electronic newsletter. But please include the following paragraph:

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."

If you like these tips please pass them on to your friends, clients and colleagues.


You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The Publicity Hound® website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you told me you want to subscribe.

PRIVACY STATEMENT: The Publicity Hound® respects your privacy and has a strict anti-spam policy. Read my privacy policy at http://www.publicityhound.com/privacypolicy.htm

=======================================================
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

Publicity tips/Facebook's Twilight Zone July 29, 2008

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #409 July 29, 2008
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)
The Publicity Hound®

Circulation: 49,355

==========================================

"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"

Receive this ezine direct to your desktop
http://www.publicityhound.com/tipsoftheweek/

==========================================

You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The Publicity Hound® website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you told me that you want to subscribe. If you didn't subscribe, you can unsubscribe by clicking the link at the bottom of the newsletter.

Please forward this ezine to anyone you know who needs free publicity to establish their credibility, enhance their reputation, position themselves as employers of choice, sell more products and services, or promote a favorite cause or issue.

**********************************************

Facebook Training: You Asked for It, You Got It

Many of the more than 155 people who signed up for the teleseminar on "How to Use LinkedIn to Promote" or bought the products have asked for a similar teleseminar series on how to use Facebook.

I've lined up a fabulous guest expert, so mark your calendars for Aug. 13 & 14. See Item #1 below.

********************************************** ================================
In This Issue
================================

1. Facebook's Twilight Zone

2. When Doctors Shill for Pharmas

3. Why is Oprah Obsessed with This Topic?

4. Start Pitching Gift Guides

5. Promoting Natural Hair Care Products

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. And at My Blog...


=======================================
1. Facebook's Twilight Zone
=======================================

When you use Facebook, do you ever feel like you've entered the Twilight Zone, or some strange planet from which there's no escape?

Ever feel like you're suffocating from information overload? I sure do.

But I don't get nearly as upset as Stacie Krajchir does. Facebook leaves her feeling so overwhelmed that she wrote "5 Reasons Why I want to Kick Facebook's A--" recently at the Huffington Post blog at http://tinyurl.com/6k4ofd. (An amusing column.)

Stacie can probably just abandon Facebook and it's no big deal.

But what about the rest of us who need to incorporate social networking sites like this one into our publicity campaigns, or publicity for our PR clients? After all, many of the friends we've accumulated on Facebook actually look forward to our messages. They love it when we write on their walls. They wait to see who has poked them, or who has sent them a virtual drink.

Help is on the way, Hounds.

Many of you have asked for a training session on Facebook, similar to the series I did last month with Scott Allen. I asked Scott if he could recommend a guest expert who can help us learn about Facebook.

Scott, it turns out, served as editor for the book "I'm on Facebook -- Now What??" Written two years ago by Jason Alba and Jesse Stay. Scott recommended Jason, and Jason agreed.

A lot has changed on Facebook since he wrote the book. Millions more people now have profiles--more than 60 million total, in fact--and techies have created hundreds of applications to use at the site.

Join me for a 70-minute teleseminar on Wednesday, Aug. 13, and Thursday, Aug. 14, on "How to Use Facebook to Promote Your Business or Nonprofit."

The first day, we'll present an overview of he site and the most important things you need to know. The second day will be devoted to actually promoting. If you don't have a profile yet at Facebook, we suggest you visit the site at http://www.Facebook.com, create one, take a look around and try to become familiar with the site. You'll be in a better position to ask questions during the teleseminars.

We could devote an entire week to Facebook. Because many of you are at various levels with Facebook--from not having a profile to feeling very comfortable on the site and using it to promote-- I've structured these sessions so we cover some of the basics for beginners, and lots of advanced content for more seasoned Hounds.

This is not a webinar. All you need is a telephone. But it would be very helpful if you can be in front of your computer and logged into the site during the calls so you can actually see what we're discussing.

Register for the teleseminars, which includes a copy of the MP3 audios and the edited electronic transcripts, at http://www.publicityhound.com/teleseminar/facebook.htm

The LinkedIn teleseminars sold out, and I expect these to sell out, too. Even if you can't attend, you can sign up any and listen to the recordings or read the transcripts when it's most convenient.


=======================================
2. When Doctors Shill for Pharmas
=======================================

Leigh Ann Hubbard, managing editor of MyFamilyDoctorMag.com, writes:

"Periodically, in response to a request, I'll get a quote from a doctor (via a publicist) that mentions a specific product. Inevitably, I Google the doctor and he or she has been or is on the payroll for the folks who make the product.

"There's no mention of conflict of interest in these emails, so it makes me mad, and I assume the publicists are trying to pull the wool over my eyes.

"Recently, that happened again. In email correspondence about it, in which I expressed my anger, the publicist actually defended the practice:

'Dr. [____] consults from time to time with the company as do many medical professionals for the pharma and OTC markets... As you know, Leigh Ann, many reputable practicing physicians consult with manufacturers from time to time to help them develop better products so people can be well.'

"I responded, 'Yes, I know that. And as you may know, it is then inappropriate for them to promote the companies they 'consult.'"

"Much to my amazement, she responded, 'I was not aware of that, to be honest with you, and not sure whose policy you are referring to--or perhaps some code of ethics I am not aware of. However, you see it all the time in the medical journals where researchers are in the pockets of pharmaceutical companies (disclosed of course) and surprise! The research makes the pharma drugs look good.'

"Have I really been getting these conflict-of-interest pitches simply because publicists don't know any better?

"Anyway, whatever the reason, this practice makes me never want to use the publicist--or any of his or her clients--again because I can't trust the person.

"It would be wonderful if you could address this. I know you have a large audience, and maybe there are publicists who truly don't know that this is absolutely unacceptable and insulting."

What do you say, publicists? Do these doctors need to hire new PR people? Or is what Leigh Ann experienced common PR practice within the medical community? If so, does it work? You can weigh in at my blog at http://tinyurl.com/5ofxom

Learn how to be the type of source journalists not only trust-- but treasure. "Special Report #49: 17 Ways to Build Valuable Relationships with Media People" tells you what to do and say if you want to stand heads above all the other PR people and self- promoters. The 17 things I teach you in this report are the same 17 things I valued in sources when I worked as a newspaper editor and reporter. Only $10. Order at http://tinyurl.com/6uz9g


=======================================
3. Why is Oprah Obsessed with This Topic? =======================================

"Does my butt look big in these jeans?"

Maybe the reason Oprah loves that topic is because women love it.

Think I'm kidding? Go to the Oprah website at http://www.Oprah.com and type the word "jeans" into the search box and see how many show segments fall into the butt-in-jeans category.

So, what if you want to get onto Oprah but your story pitch doesn't have anything to do with butts or jeans? How can you hope to compete with all the other wanna-be guests who are pitching stories in the beauty/makeover category?

Michelle Anton knows. She worked as a guest booker on Oprah and accepted and rejected hundreds of pitches from publicists and self-promoters. She'll be a guest on Steve Harrison's free 90- minute teleseminar on Thursday, July 31, at your choice of two times.

"The Three Big Secrets for Getting Booked as a Guest on Top National TV Shows" will feature Steve interviewing Michelle and other surprise guests who will teach you things unknown to 95 percent of all publicity-seekers.

On the call, you'll learn things like:

- -How to increase your odds of getting on Oprah, Fox News, CNN, Today Show and other top shows.

- -Understanding the mindset of national TV producers and what gets them to book you as a guest.

- -What you should send TV producers (and what you shouldn't).

- -An important lesson from one author who got on Oprah and saw sales soar as a result.

- -The most important question you must be able to answer to land a TV appearance.

- -The biggest mistakes to avoid when pitching TV producers (including ones that could get you black-balled forever!).

Once registered, you'll receive all the details back within five minutes.

Note: Steve usually doesn't offer replays of these calls. But sign up anyway just in case he changes his mind. If he does, he'll send you the link.

You can register for the call, which is free except for your normal long distance charges, at http://www.TVPublicityTeleseminar.com/?10011


=====================================
4. Start Pitching Holiday Gift Guides
=====================================

If you subscribe to leads services like ProfNet, PR Leads, or Help a Reporter Out, keep your eyes open for the many opportunities to get news about your consumer products into holiday gift guides.

Getting into these special sections is often a lot easier than getting into the regular news and feature sections of newspapers because gift guide editors are specifically looking for press releases and photos of products that make great gifts. In most cases, you don't need a clever hook or angle.

Just submit the information and--voila!--it ends up in a gift section that millions of newspaper or magazine readers might see.

The tough part is knowing exactly which publications are planning special gift sections. That's why I recommend the Gift List, a subscription service that provides contact information, story themes, product features, deadlines, submission preferences, photography requirements, cross-references and more for more than 250 top newspapers, all the major wire services, and television shows like Filter, The Look for Less, and, of course, MTV, "Ellen," "The View" and hundreds more.

You can even take a test drive to see how this service works: http://tinyurl.com/9es8y


========================================
5. Promoting a Design/Build Firm
========================================

This week, seven Publicity Hound have tips on how Teresa Berger of North Wales, Pennsylvania, the marketing director of Creative Contracting, Inc., can get more exposure in the community as a "premier design/build" firm in the Philadelphia area.


From Tanya Epstein:

"As marketing director for one of L.A.'s top architecture firms, I feel your pain, Teresa! I would lead with one of Joan's famous lists of ten: "Ten Ways Design-Build Can Save Construction Costs" using your boss' byline and contact info. Local trade and business journals can use those for sidebars in recession- conscious times, and they confer instant 'expert' status. Then develop a standard presentation and offer your (or his!) Services as a speaker to local organizations like Rotary Club, business breakfast clubs, and developer and real estate professional organizations."


From Harry Menta:

"Some of the easiest places to get an audience are at local chambers of commerce, trade associations and Rotary Clubs. It costs next to nothing to develop a nice 10- to 15-minute Power Point Presentation...If your company has an expertise like using green products or in design or doing restoration work on historical buildings, these are ways that you could get your boss some publicity."


From Jonathan Bernstein:

"You might want to consider investing in search engine optimization (SEO) work that would get you on the first page of a search for 'design firms Philadelphia.' Right now, even your home page's keywords are not geographically specific, hence they compete against every design firm in the country."


The Publicity Hound says:

How about suggesting that the boss create his own TV show or a series of shows to air only in the Philadelphia market? Robert Smith explains how he does it during the interview I conducted with him called "How to Get Your Own National TV Show for Less Than $400 a Month." (Your boss's show would cost far less than that.)

The interview is 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 how to create your own TV show at http://tinyurl.com/y4by43


Read all the comments for last week's Help this Hound question at http://tinyurl.com/6brzyb


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

Dalia Wallach of New York, New York writes:

"My company has a line of specialty hair care products. Our Get Glow products nourish your hair with formulas that include vitamins, minerals and plant extracts.

"As your hair gets healthier, it starts to look better and you don't have to wash it as often which is better for your hair's health. Our products have wonderful scents and really make caring for your hair a more pleasurable experience.

"All we need is for more people to find out about us and experiment with our products. Our website is at http://www.GetGlow.com and we've gotten quite a bit of publicity in national magazines and the trades. What ideas do your Hounds have for spreading the word?"

The Publicity Hound says: How about it Hounds? What can Dalia do at the social networking sites? And what other online and offline publicity ideas can you suggest? Post them to my blog at http://tinyurl.com/6obj9l


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

Thanks to Deb Schmidt of Milwaukee, Wisconsin for this recycled oldie but goodie from one of the old Hollywood Squares shows:

Peter Marshall: "When you pat a dog on the head he usually wags his tail. What will a goose do?"

Paul Lynde: "Make him bark."

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/


================================
8. And at My Blog...
================================

8 interview mistakes you don't want to make
http://tinyurl.com/6k5y8z


Hungry reporter gets a gourmet burger thanks to Twitter
http://tinyurl.com/6cuaam


PERMISSION TO REPRINT: You may reprint any items from "The Publicity Hound's Tips of the Week" in your print or electronic newsletter. But please include the following paragraph:

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."

If you like these tips please pass them on to your friends, clients and colleagues.

You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The Publicity Hound® website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you told me you want to subscribe.

PRIVACY STATEMENT: The Publicity Hound® respects your privacy and has a strict anti-spam policy. Read my privacy policy at http://www.publicityhound.com/privacypolicy.htm

=======================================================
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

Publicity tips/Facebook Makes the Cash Register Ring July 22, 2008

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #408 July 22, 2008
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.net/(Blog)
The Publicity Hound®

Circulation: 48,851

==========================================

"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"

Receive this ezine direct to your desktop
http://www.publicityhound.com/tipsoftheweek/

==========================================

You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The
Publicity Hound® website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you
told me that you want to subscribe. If you didn't subscribe, you
can unsubscribe by clicking the link at the bottom of the
newsletter.

Please forward this ezine to anyone you know who needs free
publicity to establish their credibility, enhance their
reputation, position themselves as employers of choice, sell more
products and services, or promote a favorite cause or issue.

**********************************************

Sell Books by the Truckload:

If you're an author, and you're selling most of your books
through book stores, you're doing it the hard way.

If your title is a good fit, and you know what you're doing, you
can sell 5,000, 10,000 books or more to corporate buyers--many of
whom give away books as special premiums along with other
products and services they're selling.

Sign up for a free teleseminar to learn how you can unload
thousands of books.

See Item #3 below.

*********************************************
================================
In This Issue
================================

1. Facebook Makes the Cash Register Ring

2. LinkedIn Also Makes the Cash Register Ring

3. Sell 120,000 Books with One Phone Call

4. How to Make News When There's No News

5. Internet Help for the Blind

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. And at My Blog...


=========================================
1. Facebook Makes the Cash Register Ring
=========================================

This is for the Publicity Hound who aren't convinced that social
networking can be profitable.

I promoted last week's teleseminar series "How to Use LinkedIn to
Promote Anything--Ethically & Powerfully" by creating an event on
my Facebook page. My assistant then invited my 1,028 friends. At
$77, I wasn't sure how many Facebook friends would attend, but it
was definitely worth it.

Fifty-four people RSVP'd to tell me that they were attending, or
had already signed up. That's $4,158 in registration fees just
from Facebook! Something else started to happen. My Facebook
event started to grow legs.

Warren Whitlock, one of my Facebook friends, wrote on my wall:

"I found out about this from the Kim Beasley day celebration at
Twitter. http://www.Twitter.com/kbeasley

"I'm sharing the event with my LinkedIn subscribers and many
authors that have been asking about LinkedIn.com when I teach
publicity at http://BookMarketingStrategy.com.

"I'll be sharing this event for sure."

You can see what this wall post looks like here:
http://tinyurl.com/6qcrv4

Kim Beasley, The Blog Queen, who Warren referred to, has more
than 400 followers on Twitter, and I have no idea how many of
those people signed up after reading her tweet.

If I still haven't convinced you that sites like Facebook make
the cash register ring, you can listen to social media success
stories galore at The Social Media Summit Sept. 10-12 in Chicago,
sponsored by Ragan Communications. I attended Ragan's
"Unconference" on social media last year in Chicago. I made great
contacts, came back with hundreds of tips to share with you,
blogged about it while there, and learned about how to
incorporate social media into my own marketing campaigns.

At this year's summit, you'll learn about Web 2.0 strategies such
as podcasts, message boards, video and wikis. The conference
includes one track for internal communications and a separate
track for external and marketing communications. Curious about
what Web 3.0 might look like? You'll get a sneak preview.

I hope to see you there. This conference is so important that I
worked out a special arrangement with Ragan. Publicity Hounds
save $100 on the $1,195 registration, plus an additional $100 if
you take advantage of the early-bird registration, which has been
extended to this Friday. To get $200 off and pay only $995, you
must use this link: http://www.ragan.com/publicityhound

Let me know if you're going to the conference. Maybe we can have
a cup of coffee between sessions.


============================================
2. LinkedIn Also Makes the Cash Register Ring
=============================================

If you want to use LinkedIn to promote, here's step Number One.

This sounds like a no-brainer, but you must have a profile at the
website--preferably a darn good one.

Do nothing more than that and the cash register can start
ringing. It did for my friend, crisis counselor Jonathan
Bernstein.

"I landed one of my best clients--Craigslist--because the person
searching for a firm like mine looked at LinkedIn first," he
says.

If a multi-million-dollar company needs the kinds of products or
services you provide, and searches at LinkedIn, will it find you
there right now?

Once that you've created your profile, it's time to start making
connections with other LinkedIn users. This is an ongoing
process, but not to be taken lightly. Social networking expert
Scott Allen cautions that if you're asking somebody to connect
with you, they'd better know you, or could be digging a hole for
yourself.

"If you send out invitations to connect with people and five
people say they don't know you, your account is going to be
suspended and you're going to get a letter from LinkedIn
explaining their connection policy and asking you to adhere to it
and warning you that if you get more in the future, you'll have
your account locked," he said last week, during the first of two
teleseminars on "How to Use LinkedIn to Promote Anything--
Ethically & Powerfully."

His other tips on how to promote include:

--Give at least as much as you take. Instead of always asking
questions on LinkedIn or asking for connections, take the time to
answer questions that other LinkedIn users ask. Offer lots of
helpful advice.

--85 quality connections that include people who already know,
like and trust you are much better than 585 connections
consisting mostly of people who barely know you.

--Let's say you're hosting a live event and you want to use
LinkedIn to help fill seats. But many people would have to travel
by plane. You should be using the question-and-answer feature at
LinkedIn and asking a question that ties into the topic of the
event months before the event. This plants a seed in your
readers' minds that you care about this topic, that they can find
helpful advice related to the question or problem, and that
you're the go-to person who can help solve this particular
problem.

During the second teleseminar on Thursday, Scott created an
entire timeline that explains what you should be doing on
LinkedIn, and when, to promote. As of today, more than 150 people
have signed up for the teleseminar series, or to get the MP3
audios and electronic transcripts, a steal at only $77.

Read more about what it includes at
http://www.publicityhound.com/teleseminar.htm

You'll receive the MP3 audio download links immediately. The
electronic transcripts should be ready in about 10 days.


==========================================
3. Sell 120,000 Books with One Phone Call
==========================================

Dr. Neil Baum, author of the book Marketing Your Clinical
Practice, tried lots of different ways to promote and distribute
the book--but most of them didn't work and he ended up
frustrated.

Then he thought that perhaps a big pharmaceutical company might
want to buy his book in mass quantity and give it away to doctors
as a gift. Pharmaceutical companies have very strict regulations
on what they're allowed to give to doctors. But giving them
educational products wasn't problem.

So Dr. Baum contacted the Bayer company and asked if they'd like
to give his book away to their customer doctors as a way of
showing appreciation for their patronage. Within a week, Bayer
bought more than 120,000 copies of his book and sent it to
doctors throughout the U.S. Today, his book is on the shelf of
virtually every medical clinic in the U.S.

And it all happened from just one phone call.

These kinds of deals happen all the time. But few authors
understand the step-by-step process of how to make that happen.

Matthew Bennett, a self-published author who's relatively unknown
to the general public, has had even greater success than Dr.
Baum. He has sold more than 5 million books in quantity to
Fortune 500 corporations including Disney, Reebok, NBC, Abbott
Labs, Pfizer, US Healthplans, Subway and many others.

Want to learn how he does it--and how you too can get started
selling your books by the truckload to big companies?

You're invited to a free telephone seminar tomorrow--Wednesday,
July 23--to hear my friend, Steve Harrison, interview Matthew
about his methods for the proven system for selling tons of
books. Register here:
http://www.freepublicity.com/mattbennett/?10011


========================================
4. How to Make News When There's No News
========================================

Here's a quick trick for creating news when there's absolutely
nothing new to pitch.

Be willing to talk about your business problems and how you
solved them.

Pick up any business journal and you'll see company after company
mentioned, usually because they've figured out ways to solve a
problem, whether it's delivering the product faster to customers,
or finding and keeping great employees, or how to enter a new
market that's already crowded with competitors.

But these stories don't only play well in business journals.
They're great for general interest magazines, daily and weekly
newspapers, and television, particularly if you have enticing
visuals.

This tip is one of more than a dozen I'll be sharing Thursday
during Bulldog Reporter's teleseminar on "Evergreen Magic for PR:
Media Masters Show How to Make News When There's No News."


We'll talk, for example, about editorial hot buttons: pegging
your story to rumors, future trends, features, divisive issues,
dramatic hooks and other sure-fire ways to supercharge your hit
ratio, even when you're not breaking news.

Four other panelists will join me, and moderator Brian Pittman
will make sure we move things along quickly so we can squeeze in
everybody's tips. Don't miss this one! Sign up at
http://www.kickstartcart.com/app/?Clk=2488570


========================================
5. Internet Help for the Blind
========================================

This week, 10 Publicity Hound have tips on how Marcus Simmons,
president of the Motown Automotive Professionals, can get around
the image registration on websites. He's blind and his screen-
reader can't decipher images.


From Carol E. Dunsworth:

"I am including a link to a report describing the work of Prof.
Jonathan Lazar of Towson University, his Towson University
student Jonathan Holman and their two collaborators from the
University of Notre Dame: http://tinyurl.com/5e896x

"Abstract \CAPTCHAS are widely used by websites for security and
privacy purposes. However, traditional text-based CAPTCHAS are
not suitable for individuals with visual impairments. We proposed
and developed a new form of CAPTCHA that combines both visual and
audio information to allow easy access by users with visual
impairments."


From Linda Swisher:

"The people who brought you CAPTCHAS recommend reCAPTCHA for
those with visual disabilities.
http://recaptcha.net/whyrecaptcha.html"


From Barbara:

"I, too, am blind. I've used Internet courses offered by
YahooGroups and some on Google. I use the JAWS screen reader. If
the site has a moderator, contact them via email. They can
register you. Sometimes they have an alternative audio sign-in.
But, these have a lot of static and you may have to braille the
numbers as they come in as they run to 7 or 8 characters. Your
best bet, if no moderator is noted, would be to contact the
organization putting on or sponsoring the course and tell them
you need assistance to register for the course. All of the
courses I've taken have been willing to aid me in signing up for
their course."


Read all the responses to this week's Help This Hound question at
http://tinyurl.com/62trrn


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


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

Teresa Berger of North Wales, Pennsylvania writes:

"As marketing director for Creative Contracting, Inc., a
Philadelphia-area design/build remodeling firm, it's my
responsibility to get the company and its ownership more exposure
in the community. The owner wants me to get him in front of more
people, and find outlets for giving seminars and speeches to
consumers, business networking organizations and others.

"With a tight marketing budget and limited resources, how can I
work toward positioning the organization and owner as the premier
design/build firm in the area? Any innovative, cutting edge
suggestions from Hounds?"


The Publicity Hound says:

Here's my tip about how to get speaking engagements before
business groups. Get a copy of the Philadelphia Business Journal
and look in the back of the newspaper, where the calendar of
events is listed. Look for groups that are featuring speakers.
Call the number listed and ask for contact information for the
program chairman who books speakers. This is how I got dozens of
speaking engagements when I started my business.

You should also try to get your boss mentioned in The Business
Journal. Paul Furiga, former editor of the Pittsburgh business
Times, shares dozens of ideas on how to get in front of editors
and reporters who have the power to give you thousands of dollars
in publicity.

I interviewed him, and it's available as a CD or electronic
transcript that you can be reading as soon as your order is
approved. Read more about "How to Use Business Journals to Tell
Your Story" at http://tinyurl.com/q4rf7


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

"You may have a dog that won't sit up, roll over or even cook
breakfast, not because she's too stupid to learn how but because
she's too smart to bother."

--Rick Horowitz, Chicago Tribune

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/


================================
8. And at My Blog...
================================

Campaign fun: Put yourself in this election video
http://tinyurl.com/6qt8zj


PERMISSION TO REPRINT: You may reprint any items from "The
Publicity Hound's Tips of the Week" in your print or electronic
newsletter. But please include the following paragraph:

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."

If you like these tips please pass them on to your friends,
clients and colleagues.

You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The
Publicity Hound® website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you
told me you want to subscribe.

PRIVACY STATEMENT: The Publicity Hound® respects your privacy and
has a strict anti-spam policy. Read my privacy policy at
http://www.publicityhound.com/privacypolicy.htm

=======================================================
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

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


==========================================

"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"

Receive this ezine direct to your desktop
http://www.publicityhound.com/tipsoftheweek/

==========================================

You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The
Publicity Hound® website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you told me that you want to subscribe. If you didn't subscribe, you
can unsubscribe by clicking the link at the bottom of the
newsletter.

Please forward this ezine to anyone you know who needs free
publicity to establish their credibility, enhance their
reputation, position themselves as employers of choice, sell more
products and services, or promote a favorite cause or issue.

**********************************************

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.


***********************************************

================================
In This Issue
================================

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...


=====================================
1. What Tim Russert Taught Us
=====================================

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


=====================================
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


=====================================
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


=====================================
4. Get Rid of Work You Hate to Do
=====================================

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


=====================================
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/


================================
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


------------------------------------------------------------

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


PERMISSION TO REPRINT: You may reprint any items from "The
Publicity Hound's Tips of the Week" in your print or electronic
newsletter. But please include the following paragraph:

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."

If you like these tips please pass them on to your friends,
clients and colleagues.

You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The
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told me you want to subscribe.

PRIVACY STATEMENT: The Publicity Hound® respects your privacy and
has a strict anti-spam policy. Read my privacy policy at
http://www.publicityhound.com/privacypolicy.htm

=======================================================
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

Publicity tips/Pan for Gold Using Web Video April 8, 2008

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #393 April 8, 2008
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.net/(Blog)
The Publicity Hound®

Circulation: 44,189

=====================================

"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"

Receive this ezine direct to your desktop
http://www.publicityhound.com/tipsoftheweek/

=====================================

You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The Publicity Hound® website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you told me that you want to subscribe. If you didn't subscribe, you can unsubscribe by clicking the link at the bottom of the newsletter.

Please forward this ezine to anyone you know who needs free publicity to establish their credibility, enhance their reputation, position themselves as employers of choice, sell more products and services, or promote a favorite cause or issue.

********************************************

USA Today Says Web Video is Marketing Gold

The story on the front page of the Business section in Friday's USA Today says it better than I ever could.

"You don't need a pan and a stream in California to join the next video gold rush. A video camera, computer and high-speed Internet connection will do."

If you're a Publicity Hound who's willing to spend a little time learning how to use video to promote your product, service, cause or issue, you'll pull traffic to your web site, gain attention from traditional media, and make your phone ring by attracting dozens and maybe even hundreds of new customers.

Read the USA Today story here: http://publicityhound.net/usatodaywebvideo

Or skip to item #1 below.

********************************************

================================
In This Issue
================================

1. Pan for Gold Using Web Video

2. Will Journalists Find You on LinkedIn?

3. How to Hire a Virtual Assistant

4. Going Ape over Bananas

5. Promoting a Credit Union

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Quote of the Week

8. At My Blog...


===================================
1. Pan for Gold Using Web Video
===================================

Tired of relying on newspapers, magazines, TV and radio stations to decide whether your story is worth telling?

Tell it yourself by creating a two-minute video and posting it at your website. Watch the traffic flow to your site, listen for the ringing telephone, and figure out a way to handle all those additional sales.

Entomologist Hal Coleman in Alpharetta, Georgia, for instance, has been using video for a little more than a year to sell his exterminating services. Watch the 90-second video at http://www.northfultonexterminating.com

And then, head over to his video blog at http://www.YuckyNastyBugFacts.com and give him your name and email address.

You'll be treated to a series of informative and sometimes hysterical videos about yucky, nasty little critters that are having fun right now, as you're reading this, in the bottom of your toaster, inside your gas grill and maybe even on your toothbrush. (Warning: Don't watch this video immediately before or after a meal.)

I saw Hal's videos over the weekend at the Stompernet conference in Atlanta, where more than 400 Internet marketers learned how to promote anything using video and lots of other cutting-edge strategies.

Hal owes his video expertise to my good friend Mike Stewart (no relation), who teaches business owners, experts and Publicity Hounds everywhere how to promote a product, service, cause or issue using short online videos.

During Mike's presentation on Saturday, he demonstrated how you can create video quickly and easily with a $150 camera, a $12 miniature tripod, a piece of paper with notes scribbled in felt-tip pen (it doubles as a dirt-cheap teleprompter), video editing software, and a laptop computer.

It took him less than 30 minutes to create a short video of himself, edit it, post it to his Wordpress blog and play the video live on the Internet.

I got so excited about the possibilities for Publicity Hounds that I invited Mike to do a free teleseminar with me on how to create video clips that you can use at your website, in your publicity campaign, at a video blog, or anyplace else.

It will be from 3 to 4 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, April 17. The call is limited to the first 300 people, and I'm expecting registration to be closed within a week. So sign up here right now: http://www.PublicityHound.com/mikestewartvideo.htm


=========================================
2. Will Journalists Find You on LinkedIn?
=========================================

Journalists are turning to social networking sites such as LinkedIn, MySpace and Facebook to supplement their news coverage or find sources to interview.

That was one of the findings of the 2008 PRWeek/PRNewswire Media Survey.

Of 1,231 media members surveyed, one out of four say they have a profile on MySpace. About one-third have a profile on Facebook, and one-third are on LinkedIn.

More than 57 percent of those surveyed report using blogs to measure sentiment. About half of the respondents use blogs to find what other mainstream publications are writing about. Almost one-third use blogs to find industry experts.

Here's what the survey results mean for Publicity Hounds:

- -If you aren't blogging, start today. You can have a blog up and running in less than 10 minutes at Blogger.com. Or use a more stable, flexible platform like WordPress, Typepad or MovableType.

- -Post comments at blogs that your target audience reads. Comments give you a backlink to your own blog or website and positions you as an expert.

- -Pitch bloggers, but don't just send press releases. Most bloggers want a customized pitch, and they want to know you read their blogs. See "How to Pitch the Best Bloggers & Create a Publicity Explosion" at http://www.PublicityHound.net/cdpitchbestbloggers

- -Create a profile on MySpace, Facebook and LinkedIn and use relevant tags, or keywords, so journalists can find you easily when searching these social networking sites.

If you're intimidated by social networking sites, don't be. Don Crowther peels away the mystery and gives you lots of solid tips you can start using today to build a huge presence online and reach many people who have abandoned traditional media. He was one of my guest experts when I presented the teleseminar series "How to Create a Media Plan" last year. The entire course, including a template for a 12-month plan, is available in audio format, or as electronic transcript that you can download as soon as your order has been approved.

Find out how you can start creating your publicity plan today, and learn about the social media sites where you must have a presence. Go to http://www.PublicityHound.com/mediaplan.htm


======================================
3. How to Hire a Virtual Assistant
======================================

I'm in love with Jennie-O fresh turkey sausage links and eat them most mornings for breakfast.

When my local supermarket stopped carrying them, I had to start calling the meat department every few months and order them by the case. But making calls like that chips away at time I should be spending teaching Publicity Hounds how to promote.

So I started assigning calls like this one to Christine Buffaloe, my virtual assistant. Yesterday, she hunted for the cheapest 16- foot USB cord she could find online and ordered it. She orders my books from Amazon.com. She even researched where I can get reasonably-priced printer cartridges for my ink jet printer (there is no such thing as reasonably priced cartridges for an ink jet printer).

This afternoon, she's calling the sewing machine repair shop to see if my sewing machine is ready to be picked up. When that's done, she'll make a doctor's appointment for me.

I can't tell you the number of hours she's saved me, not only doing business tasks, but making personal phone calls that eat up my precious time.

Isn't it time you found a virtual assistant to free you from annoying chores so you can concentrate on the important stuff that brings in the bucks?

"How to Find a Virtual Assistant to Help with Your Publicity Campaign," a 70-minute interview I conducted with two top-notch VAs, explains everything you need to know about virtual assistants. You'll learn where to find them, how to interview them, tasks you can give them, how to work within your budget, and how to make the relationship smooth sailing all the way.

It's available as a CD or an electronic transcript you can be reading as soon as your order is approved. Start down the road to outsourcing and find out more at http://publicityhound.net/virtualassistant


=================================
4. Going Ape Over Bananas
====================================

When Tom Holubowicz wanted publicity for his custard stand in Grafton, Wisconsin, he donned an ape costume and visited the local Pick 'n Save supermarket to buy bananas for Monkey Pox, his "flavor of the day."

The recipe calls for bananas, custard and chocolate-covered peanuts.

Before he left, he called The News Graphic, his local weekly newspaper and told them it would make a great photo op.

The result? Two black and white photos on page 3 of last week's issue, one showing a big hairy ape reaching for a bunch of bananas and another showing the ape at the check-out counter.

The 6-by-9 inch package of photos cost him nothing. Even better, he sold out of Monkey Pox a few days later, as a result of the publicity. If he had bought an ad the same size, he would have paid $627.48 for it.

Which of the two do you think readers would remember--the photos or a paid ad?

Are you pitching photo ideas to your local newspapers and magazines? If not, you're letting lots of publicity opportunities slip through your fingers. The next time a creative idea strikes, call the photo department of your local newspaper and pitch it.

This also works particularly well if you call an editor or reporter and pitch an idea for a story, and they say no. Photo desks love it when readers call with ideas for photos because photographers are under immense pressure to produce great stand- alone photos.

You'll find hundreds more ideas in my ebook "How to Use Photos & Graphics in Your Publicity Campaign." It's chock full of tips on what kinds of photo equipment to buy on a budget, how to take your own great photos and submit them to the media, and how to sweeten your story pitch with your own graphics, or ideas for graphics that the publication can produce on their own.

Learn how to start using powerful photos and graphics today at http://www.publicityhound.com/publicityphotos.htm

If you live in the Milwaukee area, join me April 22 for a daylong workshop where I'll share hundreds of tips like this one, and teach you how to write and distribute press releases online. I'm speaking to the Shorewood Business Improvement District. For details, see "Where to See and Hear The Publicity Hound" below.


========================================
5. Promoting a Credit Union Contest
========================================

This week, eight Publicity Hounds have tips on how Natasha Henry of Laurel, Maryland can promote a savings contest for a credit union.


From Carol Rademan:

"How fitting that Joan mentioned a possible angle of tying into teaching money habits to children, especially since National Credit Union Youth Week is celebrated April 20-26 by credit unions around the country. I think that’s a great angle!"


From Kathleen Lisson:

"Since you are so close to Washington D.C., crafting a partisan pitch might be effective. Local media might enjoy reporting on a story where members of Congress and their staffs actually tried to SAVE money instead of spend it!

"Which party will be better at saving, Democrats or Republicans? See if you can round up a credit union member from both parties and have them available for interviews, promoting their party as the party of saving money."


From Paulette Ensign:

"Natasha, how about sending a tip of the month? You also have a salable product there by putting those tips into autoresponders and licensing that series to a credit union. Joan created her 89- autoresponder series about press releases. You can do a tip of the month (or week) autoresponder series to license out rather than give it out."


The Publicity Hound says:

How about sponsoring a local contest in which kids in your community submit short videos of how to save money? Lots of kids know how to quickly shoot video on their cell phones and upload it to YouTube. The producer of the best video wins a cool prize. The videos will live online forever. Don't forget to notify your local TV stations and make the video available. Tell your members to sign up for the Mike Stewart teleseminar on how to create videos at http://www.PublicityHound.com/mikestewartvideo.htm


Read all the responses to this week's Help This Hound question at http://publicityhound.net/blogcreditunion

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


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

Steve Mock of Henderson, Nevada writes:

"I am an uncle who was trying to impress my nieces with making my gift-giving to them an adventure.

"As a result, I've created my own company, Giftventure, at http://www.GiftVenture.com It gives children a personalized week-long treasure hunt that comes in the mail.

"At our website, the parents enter a location in their house where they will hide a gift, such as in the closet. We take that information and print out and mail a series of personalized letters from a mythical character such as a dragon, pirate, fairy, Santa Claus, etc.

"The child reads the letters and solves the puzzle which leads him or her to the hidden location and the gift.

"It takes five minutes for the parents to order, the adventure lasts a week, and the experience for the child lasts a lifetime. They are excited to get mail, amazed it's from a mythical character, and even more amazed to have everything come true when they find the actual gift.

"How can we spread the word about our service and get some media attention?"

The Publicity Hound says: Your question makes me wish I were a kid again, Steve. And I know my Hounds are going to have a blast answering this one. Hounds with ideas for Steve can post them to my blog at http://publicityhound.net/giftventure


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

This isn't a joke, but it'll make you smile. It's from the April issue of My Midwest, the inflight magazine of Midwest Airlines.

To make it easy for people to travel with their dogs, Loews Hotels has introduced "learning vacations" for your favorite pooch at three of its hotels.

At "The Hound of Music" at Loews Vanderbilt Hotel in Nashville, your dog can head into the recording studio with a voice coach for a professional recording session where it will howl along with a musician or bark to its favorite karaoke beat.

If you're targeting your publicity at an upscale, well-educated audience, in-flight magazines might be the perfect vehicle for your story. "Special Report #27: Fly High with Publicity in the Inflight Magazines" saves you hours of research with pitching tips galore and contact information for 43 inflight magazines. Read more about the report at http://publicityhound.com/publicity-products/reports.html

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/


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

Spanish-language newspapers buck industry's dismal trend http://publicityhound.net/spanish-languagenewspapers


------------------------------------------------------------

Where to See or Hear The Publicity Hound


April 17: Teleseminar

Mike Stewart demystifies the process of creating video for your website; 3 to 4 p.m. Eastern Time. Registration is free. Http://www.PublicityHound.com/mikestewartvideo.htm


April 22: Shorewood, Wisconsin

"Savvy Media Relations: How to Get FREE Online & Offline Publicity," 8:30 to noon, and "The New Rules of Press Releases: How to Write Them for Consumers, Not Only for Journalists," 1 to 3:30 p.m.; North Star, 4515 W. Oakland Ave., sponsored by the Shorewood Business Improvement District. Tickets are $75 each or $65 for two or more persons. To register, contact Barb Caprile at barb@shorewood.com or 414-962-7002.


April 30: Teleseminar

"How to Create a Media Plan," part of the teleseminar series "Intro to Internet Marketing" for health professionals. Perfect for doctors, nurses, spa owners, holistic health counselors, massage therapists, etc. Register at http://publicityhound.net/introinternetmarketing


PERMISSION TO REPRINT: You may reprint any items from "The Publicity Hound's Tips of the Week" in your print or electronic newsletter. But please include the following paragraph:

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."

If you like these tips please pass them on to your friends, clients and colleagues.

You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The Publicity Hound® website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you told me you want to subscribe.

PRIVACY STATEMENT: The Publicity Hound® respects your privacy and has a strict anti-spam policy. Read my privacy policy at http://www.publicityhound.com/privacypolicy.htm

=======================================================
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

Publicity tips/Crash Through TV Gatekeepers March 25, 2008

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #392 March 25, 2008
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)

The Publicity Hound®

Circulation: 43,857

=====================================

"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"

Receive this ezine direct to your desktop http://www.publicityhound.com/tipsoftheweek/

=====================================

You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The Publicity Hound® website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you told me that you want to subscribe. If you didn't subscribe, you can unsubscribe by clicking the link at the bottom of the newsletter.

Please forward this ezine to anyone you know who needs free publicity to establish their credibility, enhance their reputation, position themselves as employers of choice, sell more products and services, or promote a favorite cause or issue.

********************************************

How to Find a Lost Dog:

Thanks to the dozens of Publicity Hounds who wrote with helpful tips on how to find a lost dog, and how to keep dogs safe while walking them. You inundated me with responses, and I'm grateful. Read them all at my blog at http://tinyurl.com/2n5l9j

*******************************************

================================
In This Issue
================================

1. Crash Through TV Gatekeepers

2. The Power of Facebook

3. Speak at Colleges

4. New Inflight Magazine

5. Promoting Twin Authors

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Quote of the Week

8. At My Blog...

===================================
1. Crash Through TV Gatekeepers
===================================

Most large TV talk shows--the ones authors and experts want to get onto--have their own gatekeepers, designed to keep pests away from busy producers who are working like mad to create the next segment.

That's because almost daily, boring guests, clueless publicists and people who refused to take no for an answer inundate anyone with the word "producer" in their title with emails and phone calls. It's gotten so bad that some TV talk shows have removed the producers' names from the rolling credits at the end of each episode.

Some shows, however, now assign one guest producer to sort through the entire mess, pick out the little gems, and forward them onto segment producers who might truly be interested in your story idea.

"The Rachael Ray Show," for example, funnels pitches through a booking producer who sifts through them and passes them along to his co-workers. But if you don't have his name or email address, who knows where your pitch might end up.

Knowing whom to contact still isn't enough. You also must know what a certain show wants.

One way is to watch, for two full weeks, a particular show you want to get onto, take notes, and look for a pattern of topics that starts to emerge.

Or you can consult a media directory that has all this information for you. Steve Harrison just finished updating his directory/database of top shows, and the ink is barely dry. "Harrison's Guide to the Top National TV Talk & Interviews Shows" gives you key contacts and "how to get booked" info for 259 top shows including Oprah, Good Morning America, Today, CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, Larry King Live, Bloomberg TV and many more.

You can grab your copy at http://www.appearontoptvshows.com/special/?10011 The price is being reduced from $347 to $297 for a single-copy and $697 to $497 for a one-year subscription, including monthly updates.

In addition to the printed directory and database, you'll also get great bonuses including a special report "Getting On Oprah," plus a one-on-one, private telephone consultation with a former NBC producer to help craft your own strategy for getting booked on top national TV shows.

Also at that web page, you can get four free sample listings from Steve's directory, including those for ABC World News Now, Dateline NBC, Larry King Live and The Rachael Ray Show. Learn which Rachael Ray producer sifts through all those pitches and how to contact him.

This offer is good only until 6 p.m. Eastern Time on Friday, March 28. Take advantage of it now at http://www.appearontoptvshows.com/special/?10011


====================================
2. The Power of Facebook
====================================

Here's another success story about Facebook, one of the top three social networking sites. Publicity Hounds who want to get in front of the right journalists will love it!

Three months ago, Peter Shankman of The Geek Factory, a New York boutique PR firm, started a Facebook group called "If I Can Help a Reporter Out, I Will." Its purpose was to link reporters who are researching stories with the right sources. Sort of like a mini ProfNet. Peter has many friends who are journalists, and they send him requests when they need certain kinds of sources to interview. He then emails his Facebook group.

Once the group reaches 1,200 members, Facebook won’t allow him to send mass messages. So he's launching the Help A Reporter website with the same mission. He's recommending that Publicity Hounds already in the Facebook group switch over to the website.

"It takes me a few minutes each day to do this, and the good Karma is immeasurable," Peter says. "So I'm not charging. If you really feel like sending me a donation or something, why not just send a few bucks to an animal hospital or animal rescue society somewhere. Some good places are Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, or The National Search Dog Foundation. That'll keep the good Karma flowing."

If you join the list, Peter wants you to promise that you'll ask yourself these questions before responding to a query: "Is this response really on target? Is this response really going to help the journalist, or is this just a BS way for me to get my client in front of the reporter?"

If you have to think for more than three seconds, he says, chances are, you shouldn't send the response.

To join Peter's list, go to http://www.helpareporter.com/

Facebook and sites like it are about more than just asking people to be your friend. Once you have a group of friends, you can do amazing things, like Peter is doing. The one-hour interview I conducted with social media marketing expert Don Crowther called "Extend Your Reach with Social Media" is part of the 8-part series on "How to Create a Media Plan."

If you don't have a plan in front of you, you're in danger of veering off track, targeting media too broadly and forgetting what you're supposed to do from one month to the next.

Everyone who orders the "How to Create a Media Plan" package gets a half-hour of consulting with me, to use when you need it. Read more about what you'll learn at http://www.PublicityHound.com/mediaplan.htm


======================================
3. Speak at Colleges
======================================

If you're a professional speaker, author, trainer, coach or consultant, or an expert with a topic that college students, faculty or staff would find appealing, market yourself as a speaker to colleges and universities.

The best topics include anything dealing with leadership, being successful in and out of school, relationships and dating, overcoming challenges, alcohol awareness and drug prevention.

If you book a gig at a college, you can get publicity:

--In college newspapers.

--On the college radio and TV stations.

--In the newspapers and radio and TV stations in communities where the college is located.

--In blogs and ezines read by students, faculty and staff.

--In alumni magazines for your college or the colleges where you speak.

Not only that, but if they like your program, they'll probably refer you to people at other colleges and universities who hire speakers.

James Malinchak, "The King of the College Speaking Market," says many colleges have up to 17 types of key people who book speakers for events. Those events include student leadership gatherings, student government events, lectures sponsored by fraternities and sororities, career and job fairs, commencements and graduations, student conferences and summer programs. Add to the list academic, athletic and club events, and other meetings where an "outside" expert is needed.

James also says there are enough colleges and universities to keep a speaker busy for the remainder of their speaking career. But you have to know how to get in front of the decision-makers who do the hiring.

Colleges have large budgets for booking speakers, authors, trainers, coaches and consultants. The trick is knowing who the people are who have the money.

Starting this Thursday, March 27, you can listen to a call with James, who will host his College Speaking Success Bootcamp May 1-4 in Las Vegas, and learn:

--Why there's BIG money in the college market.

--Which topics are most in demand and why?

--Which departments have the budgets to book you?

--Who are the people you must contact to get booked as a college speaker?

--How to create marketing materials that will get you noticed and booked.

And much more.

If you can’t attend the live calls, register anyway, and afterward James will send you a link to a recorded audio--you’ll be able to listen online or download it to your MP3 player.

Go now to: http://www.collegespeakingsuccess.com/stewart


====================================
4. New Inflight Magazine
====================================

EOS CLASS is the new in-flight magazine for Eos Airlines, which travels between London and New York City. In May, the airline will add Newark, New Jersey.

Topics cover lifestyle, business, and personal interests including travel, shopping, food and the arts.

The quarterly magazine is published by Elite Traveler. It is distributed onboard, in the Eos lounges and at selected businesses in the destination cities.

Are you using inflight magazines in your publicity campaign? If your target audience includes consumers who are upscale, well- educated and frequent travelers, these magazines could be powerful publicity tools for you.

Each year, my researcher contacts editors of more than 40 inflight magazines for updated pitching tips and contact information. I use this information annually to update "Special Report #27: Fly High with Publicity in the Inflight Magazines." You can order the report now for only $37 at http://www.publicityhound.com/publicity-products/reports.html


========================================
5. Promoting Twin Authors
========================================

This week, six Publicity Hounds have tips on how Sharon Dotson of Houston, Texas can promote identical twins Anabel Stenzel and Isabel Stenzel Byrnes, 35, of Redwood City, CA, who between them have survived three lung transplants.


From Stephanie Trahd:

"Sometimes it’s just a matter of building momentum. National TV shows often want to know that your topic was of interest to local markets first. Get booked on a few local TV news and talk shows (it’s a lot easier than national). You got some small mentions in a few periodicals--go for feature stories. If you can’t get them yourself, pitch some popular freelance writers. It will be a lot easier to get on national TV shows when you have a portfolio of published and television credits."


From Cheryle Gagnon:

"Who are the nonprofits that are widely known and respected for raising awareness and money for Cystic Fibrosis in New York City? Tell them you will do a FREE advertisement for their organization. And you will attend their annual fundraiser to help raise money for other kids who might die before their high school prom."


From Garth Gibson:

"If you haven’t already, remember to pitch Dr. Gupta, religious shows from Pat Robertson to Joel Olsteen, and local talk shows. Pitch ideas: Twins Who Made A Deadly Disease Come Alive; Why Miracles Happen In Twos; and Three Transplants, Two Hearts Of Gold, One Amazing Story


The Publicity Hound says:

Sharon, as you probably know, National Public Radio has numerous radio shows that invite guests to speak on health-related topics. Go to the NPR website at http://www.npr.org and use the search box at the top to search for shows.

Book publicist Lissa Warren has booked dozens of her own clients on NPR using that method and lots of other tricks. She outlines them all on the CD or electronic transcript titled "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'll learn at http://publicityhound.net/cdnpr


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


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

Nycole Pederson of Eden Prairie, Minnesota writes:

"My sister and I love to have garage sales and have always made our own fun, creative, bright signs to attract shoppers.

"We had so many people asking us where we bought our signs that we realized there really was a huge need for chic, funky, sassy garage/yard sale signs. We started doing some research and found there was nothing on the market other than the boring black/white, red/white garage sale signs.

"With a lot of hard work, we started Sassy Signs and are currently selling them at retail outlets such as Lowe’s, and independent hardware, scrapbook and party stores. We have also been selling online at http://www.sassysigns.com/ since we started the company two years ago.

"We would really like to increase our online sales and we’re hoping for advice on how to do this. We’re already paying for Adwords with Google and Yahoo, among other advertisers. We are also trying to get the word out with the bloggers of America. Do you have any other ideas?"


The Publicity Hound says:

The signs look like a lot of fun. Hounds with ideas for Nycole and her sister can post them to my blog at http://publicityhound.net/helpthishound/garagesalesigns


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

Thanks to Llewellyn Security, the Canadian canine security company, for this one:

One of the questions we're constantly asked is, "My Doberman is two years old. Is it true that they turn on their masters when they turn three?"

Or, "I heard that Shepherds turn on their masters when they are six years old."

Then there's, "How old are Rotts when they turn on their masters?"

My answer is: "We have had hundreds of dogs. The reason they don't turn on us, is because we never tell them how old they are."


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/


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

High schools musical contest sponsored by USA Weekend http://publicityhound.net/cdhighschoolmusicals


Goodie bag, promo opps listed at ProfNet blog
http://publicityhound.net/bloggoodiebag


Associated Press hires 21 writers to cover celebrities http://publicityhound.net/blogapcelebrities


------------------------------------------------------------

Where to See or Hear The Publicity Hound


March 27: Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin

"Red Hot Tips to Set Your Publicity Campaign on Fire," Menomonee Falls, Sussex and Germantown Business to Business Networking Breakfast; networking and breakfast from 7:30 to 8, presentation from 8 to 8:45 a.m. Tickets are $15. Guests welcome. For reservations, call Diane Henning at the Menomonee Falls Chamber at 262-251-2430.


April 22: Shorewood, Wisconsin

"Savvy Media Relations: How to Get FREE Online & Offline Publicity," 8:30 to noon, and "The New Rules of Press Releases: How to Write Them for Consumers, Not Only for Journalists," 1 to 3:30 p.m.; North Star, 4515 W. Oakland Ave., sponsored by the Shorewood Business Improvement District. Tickets are $75 each or $65 for two or more persons. To register, contact Barb Caprile at barb@shorewood.com or 414-962-7008.


April 30: Teleseminar

"How to Create a Media Plan," part of the teleseminar series "Intro to Internet Marketing" for health professionals. Perfect for doctors, nurses, spa owners, holistic health counselors, massage therapists, etc. Register at http://publicityhound.net/introinternetmarketing


PERMISSION TO REPRINT: You may reprint any items from "The Publicity Hound's Tips of the Week" in your print or electronic newsletter. But please include the following paragraph:

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."

If you like these tips please pass them on to your friends, clients and colleagues.

You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The Publicity Hound® website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you told me you want to subscribe.

PRIVACY STATEMENT: The Publicity Hound® respects your privacy and has a strict anti-spam policy. Read my privacy policy at http://www.publicityhound.com/privacypolicy.htm

=======================================================

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

Publicity tips/TV Talk Show Stunts Feb 26, 2008

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #387 Feb. 26, 2008
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.com/
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)
The Publicity Hound®

Circulation: 42,789

=====================================
"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"

Receive this ezine direct to your desktop
http://www.publicityhound.com/tipsoftheweek/

=====================================

You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The Publicity Hound® website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you told me that you want to subscribe. If you didn't subscribe, you can unsubscribe by clicking the link at the bottom of the newsletter.

Please forward this ezine to anyone you know who needs free publicity to establish their credibility, enhance their reputation, position themselves as employers of choice, sell more products and services, or promote a favorite cause or issue.

*******************************************

Last Call for National Publicity Summit:

Steve Harrison's National Publicity Summit still has a few openings for Publicity Hounds who want to pitch top-tier journalists face-to-face. It's March 26-29 in New York City.

You'll meet with journalists and producers from top national TV shows like ABC's The View, CBS' 48 Hours, MSNBC, CNN, Fox News Channel, Montel, Fox & Friends and Live with Regis & Kelly.

You'll also personally meet writers who do stories for big-time print media like People magazine, Woman's Day, Alternative Medicine, Good Housekeeping, New York Times, Parents, Family Circle, INC., Time magazine and many other top publications.

In this newsletter, I've written many success stories about Publicity Hounds who have attended the summit, gotten huge media hits, sold tons of books as a result, and have raved about the event. If you're on the fence, at least read about what you'll learn at http://www.nationalpublicitysummit.com/?10011

*******************************************
================================
In This Issue
================================

1. TV Talk Show Stunts

2. The Mayo Clinic & Facebook

3. Create a Hall of Fame

4. Google Will Reward You for Video

5. How to Promote a College 'Care Package'

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. At My Blog...

9. At My Squidoo Lens...


======================================
1. TV Talk Show Stunts
======================================

In the old days, if you wanted to get onto one of the morning TV talk shows, you had to pitch a compelling idea that had the three magic elements that TV loves: people, color and motion.

These days, however, your chances improve drastically if your pitch includes a publicity stunt. Don't worry. You don't have to round up a stunt man. Instead, suggest the stunt be performed by one of the talk show hosts, anchors or reporters.

Like "Today" show news anchor Ann Curry bungee-jumping off a bridge in England.

Or her cohort, Meredith Vieira, jumping into frigid Lake Champlain in Vermont in February to promote the annual Penguin Plunge to benefit the Special Olympics.

Or Chris Cuomo, ABC's "Good Morning America" newsman, sky-diving off the roof of the Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City last week.

Why the stunts?

Simple. It helps the audience to connect to the personalities they see every day, said Jim Murphy, "Good Morning America" executive producer who was quoted in an Associated Press story.

Cancer patient Robin Roberts, co-host of "Good Morning America," even doffed her wig in public. Viewers flooded her and other personalities with email, saying they loved the stunts.

The next time you're looking for TV coverage, think of ways TV personalities can become directly involved in your story. See "Special Report #42: Tips for Letting Reporters Experience Your Story, Not Just Write About It" at http://www.publicityhound.com/publicity-products/reports.html

Can't think of a stunt? That's OK. There are many more ways to get onto the "Today" show, "Good Morning America" and "Fox & Friends." Lissa Warren explains them all on "How to Get Booked on the Morning TV Talk Shows." 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://publicityhound.net/cdmorningtvtalkshows


=====================================
2. The Mayo Clinic & Facebook
=====================================

Thanks to Publicity Hound Tom Ribar of Grafton, Wisconsin for alerting us to this article that explains why even the world- renowned Mayo Clinic has its own Facebook page: http://www.1to1media.com/Xfactor.aspx?DocID=30670&m=n

The clinic uses Facebook to post information about itself and link to its three websites for patients, consumers, and research and education. It also displays "wall post" messages and photos, offers video and audio podcasts, provides updates on news and events, and connects with its Facebook friends.

The clinic encourages patients to tell their own stories and describe what their experience was like at the clinic.

Tom Ribar and I are learning more about Facebook because we're among the hundreds of students in the SMARTS social media coaching program. If you missed signing up for the program, you can still get a taste of what we're learning by watching the 50- minute video and downloading the special report. Dozens of Publicity Hounds have thanked me for alerting them to these content-rich resources.

Watch the video and sign up for the free report at http://www.stompernet.net/jvp/aw.aspx?B=25&A=332

Then create your own Facebook page and ask me to be your friend. But please let me know that you subscribe to this newsletter. You can find my page at http://www.PublicityHound.net/facebookprofile

Facebook is one of seven sites where social media expert Don Crowther, our SMARTS coach, says you must have a presence. He explained more about Facebook and the other six sites during a one-hour teleseminar earlier this year as part of my training series "How to Create a Media Plan."

If you need help building a 12-month plan that will really reach your target audience, pull traffic to your website, and have journalists calling for interviews, take a look at what you'll learn: http://www.PublicityHound.com/mediaplan.htm

The training program includes a list of more than 200 story ideas, several for every month of the year. You can incorporate them into your own plan.


=======================================
3. Create a Hall of Fame
=======================================

When Publicity Hound Karla Kinstler of the Houston Nature Center in Houston, Minnesota read one of my tips about creating a Hall of Fame, she knew the idea was a perfect fit with the annual "Festival of Owls."

"We now recognize one owl and one human each year who have done extraordinary things to make the world a better place for owls," says Karla, who submitted a Help This Hound question several months ago.

The first year, the Oregon Associated Press picked up the story when Fat Broad, an owl in Oregon, was inducted into the hall of fame.

Last year, the nature center widened its search and made it the "World Owl Hall of Fame."

"Coverage of our hall of fame wound up in the Canberra Times in Australia, and was linked to from the New Zealand Journal of Birds website," she adds.

This year, the nature center has nominations from seven countries on four continents. It has added a "Special Achievement" award category since there were so many nominations.

"Now we call our festival the International Festival of Owls and have folks attending from the U.S., Canada, Jamaica and The Netherlands this year. I just wanted to let you know that starting a Hall of Fame is, in itself, an award-winning idea."

You can read more about the contest at http://www.festivalofowls.com/World%20Owl%20Hall%20of%20Fame.htm

The next step, Karla says, is to grow the Houston Nature Center into a North American Owl Center with its own room for the World Owl Hall of Fame.

Why not follow Karla's lead and create your own hall of fame that ties into your own product, service, cause or issue? Promote it by writing and posting online press releases, pitching bloggers who write about your topic, pitching journalists on your media hit list, using social media sites, and creating videos about inductees.

See "The New Rules of Press Releases" at http://publicityhound.net/cdnewrules


======================================
4. Google Will Reward You for Video
======================================

Are you tired of lousy Google rankings for your website or blog?

Are you wasting hundreds of dollars on Google pay-per-click advertising that isn't making anybody except the Google advertising people happy?

I hear from dozens of Publicity Hounds each week who are doing just that. That's why I tell them to start cranking out short videos as fast as they can. Google and the other search engines place a high premium on video, even low-cost videos made by amateurs.

Why? Because web surfers love watching video. Take a look at the statistics:

- -More than 141 million Americans viewed online video in December of last year alone.

- -YouTube is almost double the size of Google, the granddaddy of search engines, in the number of page views.

- -More than half of all videos online are being watched on other websites, not just on YouTube. That means that if you upload your video to YouTube, bloggers, website owners and anyone else can embed your video link at their blog or website, thus giving your video even more exposure and your website more traffic. And you don't pay them a cent for doing it.

- -Video can reward you with more traffic, a higher conversion rate on your sales pages and maybe even a call from a journalist who watches one of your videos and wants to interview you.

On Thursday night, I'll be on the phone taking notes furiously on Tom Antion's teleseminar on "How to Get Instant High Rankings on Google Using Short Videos." Then I'll be converting some of the videos I use in my live workshops for the web.

Don't miss this call, and his special bonus to the first 200 people who sign up. Read more about what you'll learn at http://www.PublicityHound.net/antionvideo


=========================================
5. How to Promote a College 'Care Package'
=========================================

This week, 13 Publicity Hounds have tips for Patricia Hudak of Jersey City, New Jersey. She's creating an informational care package for college seniors and is looking for corporate sponsors who want to reach this niche audience.


From Paulette Ensign:

"Look at who else is already marketing to that population, such as big financial planning companies, gasoline companies, recruiting firms, and cruise lines. Contact their marketing departments with your proposal. Be prepared to modify your package if they are interested in parts of it. In fact, it may serve the sponsors better to pull apart your package and provide pieces of it spread out over time to keep them in front of that audience longer."


From Ann Wondra:

"While new college grads are often very savvy in technology and more globally aware, employers are dismayed at their lack of work ethic, top salary expectations with little or no experience to back it, attitudes of 'entitlement,' and weak written and verbal professional communication skills (text messaging doesn't fly well in most corporate business settings). If those kinds of skills are included in your Career module, those would be attractive selling points to businesses that are recruiting from the college of students you are targeting."


From A. Moore:

"Create a place online where you can interact with and share your ideas with college grads and young career enthusiasts. Offer portions of your programs as downloads. Spend the time to build a following for yourself and you'll be better positioned to engage sponsors. You'll probably even attract media and become a valuable resource, or you may get a book deal out of it or a radio show."


The Publicity Hound says:

Contact bloggers who write about corporate marketing and let them know what you're doing. They have a ready-made audience that would be perfect for you. See "How to Pitch the Best Bloggers & Create a Publicity Explosion" at http://www.PublicityHound.net/cdpitchbestbloggers


Read all the great responses to this Help This Hound question at http://tinyurl.com/yumrqh


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

Lori Feldman of St. Louis, Missouri writes:

"I am an ACT! Software consultant and I belong to The CRM (Customer Relationship Management) Alliance, a consortium of the top ACT! Consultants across the U.S.

"We have pooled resources to offer a $6,500 grand prize for a complete CRM/Email Marketing/Internet Marketing package for one winner, with other winners getting second- and third-place prizes. Your Hounds can read more about it at http://www.actsoftwarepromotion.com/

"Were launching the promotion next week and it will run through April 30. We're promoting it through our alliance members' lists, our vendor partners' lists and through two lists we just purchased. We're also using press releases before and after the event.

"Total value of the prizes is $17,000. That's pretty hefty for our little group, and I'd love to do as much as I can to get the word out. Help from you and your Hounds would be greatly appreciated."


The Publicity Hound says:

Maybe it's just because I've immersed myself in the SMARTS social media marketing program the last five weeks. But I can think of all kinds of great ways to use the social media sites to drum up interest in this. Let's see if my Hounds are thinking along the same lines. Hounds with ideas for online and offline promotion can post them to my blog at http://tinyurl.com/2wcw9g


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

My dog chewed the tongue on one of my new, very expensive running shoes. I hoped to save my investment, so I took the shoes to a shoe repair shop.

I placed them on the counter and told the man, "My dog got hold of this."

The repairman picked up the shoe, looked it over, and placed it back down on the counter.

"Well, what do you recommend?" I asked.

He looked at me and replied, "Give your dog the other shoe."


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/


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

Best blogs for writers
http://publicityhound.net/index.php/best-blogs-for-writers/


LinkedIn can provide comments from experts
http://tinyurl.com/3c4aph


Top 10 tips for free publicity--in Italian
http://tinyurl.com/34zg3r


Hannah Montana--buckle your seatbelt!
Http://tinyurl.com/2j3dx2


=================================
9. At at My Squidoo Lens...
=================================

- -March and April Story Ideas


- -How Reporters Loosen Your Lips


http://www.squidoo.com/howtogetfree_publicity

- -----------------------------------------------------------

Where to See or Hear The Publicity Hound


March 5: Teleseminar on "How to Turn Your Content into Cash"

Join me for a free teleseminar at 3 p.m. Eastern Time with Cathy Stucker. This one-hour call is perfect for authors, speakers and experts who have handouts in their file cabinets and on their bookshelves and hard drives. Cathy will show you how to take your content and spin, retool or tweak it to create information products and lots more. She promises a teleseminar packed with content, and she'll take your questions, too. This call is limited to the first 250 people. You don't have to sign up. Simply call 1-218-486-1300. The access code is 1-8-2-2-2-2#.


March 27: Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin

"Red Hot Tips to Set Your Publicity Campaign on Fire," Menomonee Falls, Sussex and Germantown Business to Business Networking Breakfast; networking and breakfast from 7:30 to 8, presentation from 8 to 8:45 a.m. Tickets are $15. Guests welcome. For reservations, call Diane Henning at the Menomonee Falls Chamber at 262-251-2430.


PERMISSION TO REPRINT: You may reprint any items from "The Publicity Hound's Tips of the Week" in your print or electronic newsletter. But please include the following paragraph:

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."

If you like these tips please pass them on to your friends, clients and colleagues.

You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The Publicity Hound® website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you told me you want to subscribe.

PRIVACY STATEMENT: The Publicity Hound® respects your privacy and has a strict anti-spam policy. Read my privacy policy at http://www.publicityhound.com/privacypolicy.htm

=======================================================
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

Publicity tips/The Press Release Police Feb 19, 2007

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #386 Feb. 19, 2008
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com/
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)
The Publicity Hound®

Circulation: 41,356

=====================================

"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"

Receive this ezine direct to your desktop http://www.publicityhound.com/tipsoftheweek/

=====================================

You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The Publicity Hound® website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you told me that you want to subscribe. If you didn't subscribe, you can unsubscribe by clicking the link at the bottom of the newsletter.

Please forward this ezine to anyone you know who needs free publicity to establish their credibility, enhance their reputation, position themselves as employers of choice, sell more products and services, or promote a favorite cause or issue.

*******************************************

SAVE THE DATE:

3 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, March 5; free teleseminar with Cathy Stucker on "How to Turn Your Content into Cash While Promoting Your Expertise."

This teleseminar is perfect for authors, speakers and experts who have handouts in their file cabinets and on their bookshelves and hard drives. Cathy will show you how to take your content and spin, retool or tweak it to create information products and lots more.

She promises a teleseminar packed with content, and she'll take your questions, too. This call is limited to the first 250 people. You don't have to sign up. Simply call 1-218-486-1300.
The access code is 1-8-2-2-2-2.

See you there!

*******************************************
================================
In This Issue
================================

1. The Press Release Police

2. Facebook's Sticky Problem

3. Don't Trade Links Haphazardly

4. The Pitch that Landed with a Thud

5. How to Promote a Book for Christians

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. At My Blog...


======================================
1. The Press Release Police
======================================

You write a brilliant press release that uses just the right touch of humor to grab the reader.

You call the folks at PRWeb, pay the 80 bucks to have your release distributed, and then email it to them.

What happens next is sort of like what happens when you're in your car, glance in your rear-view mirror, see red lights flashing and hear that obnoxious siren.

Don't be alarmed. It's only PRWeb's Press Release Police.

That's what I started calling them when I learned last week that PRWeb is "flagging" releases for objectionable content.

And what, exactly, does it consider objectionable? You won't believe this when I tell you.

BL Ochman, who wrote a very clever press release about where to buy last-minute Valentine's Day gifts so you don't get in trouble with your sweetie, was told she used "your" and "our" in her copy. In other words, it wasn't written entirely in the third person.

Sharon Dotson, an award-winning publicist, has had her releases flagged, too--for, imagine this, using humor! I've been offering Sharon's releases as great examples in my press release workshops and in my free email tutorial "89 Ways to Write Powerful Press Releases."

You can read about the ugly hole that PRWeb has dug itself into, including comments from other disgruntled customers, at BL's blog at http://tinyurl.com/37wkdg

I wrote about it too at http://tinyurl.com/2vfveu and I'm inviting Hounds to comment at the blog and share your experiences. Did you bow to PRWeb's demands? Or did you try to negotiate like BL did? Or did you take your business elsewhere?


More than 6,000 people have signed up for my free email tutorial
"89 Ways to Write Powerful Press Releases." You can, too, at http://www.PublicityHound.net/89Ways


=====================================
2. Facebook's Sticky Problem
=====================================

Every week, more than 1 million people join Facebook, the social networking site.

But last week, many of them were worried when they read the Feb.
11 New York Times article headlined "How sticky is Facebook? Just try breaking free." The article explained that it's nearly impossible for users to remove themselves entirely from Facebook.

The article ignited worries among Facebook users about how the popular site is using personal data.

Users have the option of deactivating their accounts, but its servers keep copies of the information in those accounts indefinitely. Many users who have contacted Facebook to request that their accounts be deleted, the article said, haven't been able to erase their records from the network.

Concerned users turned to unofficial guides like the Facebook users group "How to permanently delete your Facebook account."

When the Times article appeared, about 3,000 Facebook users already had joined that group. By Tuesday evening, Feb. 12, that number swelled to 7,000.

The next day, Facebook announced that it was working to solve the privacy problem and trying to make it easier for people to delete their accounts permanently.

What does all this mean for Publicity Hounds?

Have a presence on Facebook. But when writing your profile and pages, be cautious about including sensitive information that could embarrass you 10 or 20 years from now.


Facebook is one of seven sites where social media expert Don Crowther says you must have a presence. He explained more about Facebook and the other six sites during a one-hour teleseminar earlier this year as part of my training series "How to Create a Media Plan."

If you need help building a 12-month plan that will really reach your target audience and pull traffic to your website, take a look at what you'll learn:
http://www.PublicityHound.com/mediaplan.htm

The training program includes a list of more than 200 story ideas, several for every month of the year. You can incorporate them into your own plan.


=========================================
3. Don't Trade Links Haphazardly
=========================================

Do you receive those annoying emails from companies asking you to trade links?

I get about a dozen each week, and I ignore them.

That's because trading links with companies whose products and services are unrelated to your own is not only ineffective, but dangerous. The search engines will actually penalize you if your site includes lots of links to unrelated websites.

I'm mentioning this because many of you are using social media to promote your expertise. If you're on Facebook, for instance, you should certainly be asking other Facebook users to be your friend. But don't ask them to trade links with you unless your websites are compatible.

And for heaven's sake, don't spam by sending email requests to companies that haven't given you permission to do so.

There are so many more effective ways to please the search engines. I've added dozens of them to the 2008 update of "Special Report #17: Powerful Ways to Promote Your Website to Draw Traffic and Boost Sales." I included so much new information that the five-page report has swelled to 13 pages, but the price is still the same. Only $10.

The report includes a long list of social media and social bookmarking sites, as well as tools for researching your keywords.

You can order the report at
http://www.publicityhound.com/publicity-products/reports.html


======================================
4. The Pitch That Landed with a Thud
======================================

I've started conducting telephone training sessions for PR firms that want a refresher course on things like press releases and pitching, as well as a look at many of the opportunities in the world of social media.

They don't have to pay my regular speaker fee. I don't have to hassle with airports. And everybody's happy.

Last week, a PR firm asked me to critique several of its pitches, including one about a ground-breaking for a new upscale retirement community.

"To round out the ceremony, a mayoral proclamation will be read, honoring (name of retirement community)," the pitch read.

No wonder it landed with a thud.

The media despise staged media events like ground-breakings, ribbon-cuttings and check-passings.

And they're especially unimpressed with politicians who attend these events. Remember, reporters who cover city hall see politicians several times a week. The last thing they want to do is see them again--at a ground-breaking, no less.

I showed the PR firm how to rewrite the pitch by offering a tantalizing story idea that's a lot of fun and eliminates the need for a tired ground-breaking ceremony. When I worked as a reporter, I told them, I would have jumped on a story like this one.

PR pro Dan Collins is a master at coming up with great ideas, including publicity stunts. He explained them all during a teleseminar called "Fun Alternatives to Boring Ground-breakings, Check-passings and Ribbon-cuttings." We recorded it, and it's available as a CD or an electronic transcript that you can download as soon as you order has been approved.

Read more about what you'll learn at
http://publicityhound.net/cdgroundbreaking


======================================
5. How to Promote a Book for Christians
======================================

This week, Publicity Hounds offered a long list of cool ideas on how Catherine Painter of Raleigh, can promote her Bible study book "So, You're a Christian! Now What?"


From Karina Fabian:

"Even better than MySpace or Facebook for your target audience is Shoulife at http://shoulife.com/. It's like MySpace for Christians."


From Terry Whalin:

"Your book has been out since January 2006 and you have ONE reader comment on Amazon with a five-star review. You are not making use of the free tools on the largest online bookstore on the planet (Amazon.com). Learn about them in the 6th edition of John Kremer’s excellent book '1001 Ways to Market Your Book' where he has a full chapter on Amazon."


From Cheryl Pickett:

"Approach mission/outreach/evangelism groups of all kinds. They would be candidates for individual and bulk purchases too because they need resources to use while they’re in the field, and to leave behind with newly trained leaders."


The Publicity Hound says:

Catherine, your topic is a natural for National Public Radio. See "How to Get Booked on NPR" at http://publicityhound.net/cd_get_booked_on_national_public_radio


Read all the great responses to this Help This Hound question at http://tinyurl.com/35dmgw


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

Patricia Hudak of Jersey City, New Jersey writes:

"I am a young entrepreneur and recent college graduate. I started my company, Real World 101, to help graduating college seniors transition from college to the real world.

"I've created an informational care package for college seniors that covers all of the topics they will face, such as personal finances, career, apartment living, social life, health & fitness, travel & entertainment, and success after college. The package contains seven booklets (one for each topic), a multi- media CD, and materials from colleges and corporate sponsors.

"My plan is to give the care package away for free to graduating college seniors and have it sponsored by companies that want to reach these students. However, that task is proving more difficult than I had anticipated. Do your Hounds have any suggestions on how I can gain corporate sponsorship for a new product that's targeted to an untapped market?"


The Publicity Hound says:

This is a tough one, Patricia. But my Hounds are up to the task.
Hounds with great ideas can post them to my blog at http://tinyurl.com/yumrqh


I need more Help this Hound questions. Email them to me at mailto:JStewart@publicityhound.com?subject=HelpThisHound and include your city and state.


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

Thanks to Publicity Hound Don Miller of Mansfield, Ohio for more fun crossbreeds:


Newfoundland + Basset Hound = Asset Hound, a dog for financial advisors

Terrier + Bulldog = Terribull, a dog that makes awful mistakes

Bloodhound + Labrador = Blabador, a dog that barks incessantly

Malamute + Pointer = Moot Point, owned by...oh well, it doesn't matter anyway

Deerhound + Terrier = Derriere, a dog that's true to the end

Bull Terrier + ShihTzu = Oh, never mind....


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/

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

Reality TV shows: How to sell your idea to Hollywood
http://tinyurl.com/yo6px3


PRWeb: Disband your press release police
http://tinyurl.com/2vfveu


------------------------------------------------------------

Where to See or Hear The Publicity Hound


March 27: Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin

"Red Hot Tips to Set Your Publicity Campaign on Fire,"
Menomonee Falls, Sussex and Germantown Business to Business Networking Breakfast; networking and breakfast from 7:30 to 8, presentation from 8 to 8:45 a.m. Tickets are $15. Guests welcome. For reservations, call Diane Henning at the Menomonee Falls Chamber at 262-251-2430.


PERMISSION TO REPRINT: You may reprint any items from "The Publicity Hound's Tips of the Week" in your print or electronic newsletter. But please include the following paragraph:

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."

If you like these tips please pass them on to your friends, clients and colleagues.

You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The Publicity Hound® website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you told me you want to subscribe.

PRIVACY STATEMENT: The Publicity Hound® respects your privacy and has a strict anti-spam policy. Read my privacy policy at http://www.publicityhound.com/privacypolicy.htm

=======================================================
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

Publicity tips/Dark Days at Newspapers Feb 12, 2008

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #385 Feb. 12, 2008
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)
The Publicity Hound®

Circulation: 40,808

=====================================

"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"

Receive this ezine direct to your desktop
http://www.publicityhound.com/tipsoftheweek/

=====================================

You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The Publicity Hound® website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you told me that you want to subscribe. If you didn't subscribe, you can unsubscribe by clicking the link at the bottom of the newsletter.

Please forward this ezine to anyone you know who needs free publicity to establish their credibility, enhance their reputation, position themselves as employers of choice, sell more products and services, or promote a favorite cause or issue.

*******************************************

SAVE THE DATE:

3 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, March 5; free teleseminar with Cathy Stucker on "How to Turn Your Content into Cash Whle Promoting Your Expertise."

This teleseminar is perfect for authors, speakers and experts who have content and handouts in their file cabinets, on their bookshelvs and hard drives. Cathy will show you how to take your content and spin, retool or tweak it to create information products and lots more.

She promises a teleseminar packed with content, and she'll take your questions, too. This call is limited to the first 250 people. You don't have to sign up. Simply call 1-218-486-1300. The access code is 1-8-2-2-2-2.

See you there!

*******************************************
================================
In This Issue
================================

1. Dark Days at Newspapers

2. Do You Squidoo? I Do

3. Pitch the Wire Services

4. Media Leads

5. How to Promote The Crapper Digest

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. At My Blog...


======================================
1. Dark Days at Newspapers
======================================

"An Industry Imperiled by Falling Profits and Shrinking Ads, a story in last week's New York Times, is a must-read for Publicity Hounds everywhere.

It paints a grim picture of a once-vibrant industry that's now seeing stumbling stock prices, declining ad revenues, layoffs and numerous properties for sale.

"The talk of newspapers' demise is older than some of the reporters who write about it, but what is happening now is something new, something more serious than anyone has experienced in generations," the Times article stated.

You can read the entire article at http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/07/business/media/07paper.html
The once-mighty Sun-Times Media Group, suffering deep losses, announced recently that it's closing several weekly papers and will try to sell any assets it could, including its flagship paper, The Chicago Sun-Times.

Here in Wisconsin, The Capital-Times newspaper in Madison told readers last week that it's making a "major shift" to the Internet, ceasing six-day publication and shifting to publishing a tabloid-sized edition only twice per week.

If these changes don't affect you, wait. You'll hear similar announcements soon from a newspaper near you.

Last month, I made several suggestions about how newspaper layoffs and closings affect Publicity Hounds. You can read them at http://tinyurl.com/ys737d

Here's another tip, inspired by a quote from bank robber Willie Horton. When asked, "Why do you rob banks?," he replied, "Because that's where the money is!"

Using that logic, Publicity Hounds should spend less time pitching traditional media and more time promoting your expertise online where the real traffic is. Read the next item to learn about one website where most of you should have a presence.


=====================================
2. Do You Squidoo? I Do
=====================================

Squidoo, a content-sharing site, lets you flaunt your expertise by setting up a single page, known as a lens, on a topic you know a lot about.

It's f~ree, but that's not the biggest advantage:

--The search engines love this site, and Google gives it a page rank of 7/10. So you can get more Google juice to your site and drive lots of traffic by including links within your Squidoo content.

--You can make money from your content through Google AdSense.Keep it, or donate it to your favorite charity.

--This site helps promote you as an expert.

As the lensmaster, you can share your point of view and recommendations. Lenses can be about anything, such as ideas, people or places, hobbies and sports, pets or products, philosophy and politics. Lenses aren't primarily intended to hold content. Rather, the emphasis is placed on recommending and then pointing to content on the web.

For example, a single lens could point to Flickr photos, Google maps, blogs, eBay auctions, YouTube videos, and other links.You're encouraged to promote personal agendas, causes, products and opinions.

Squidoo says building a lens "is fast, f*ree and super-easy."I'm a member of the SMARTS social media coaching program, which gave me in-depth step-by-step videos on how to build a lens and really make this site work for me. Still, it took me four and a half hours to build my lens two weeks ago. Now, I spend about a half hour several days a week updating it.

You can see my lens at http://www.squidoo.com/howtogetfree_publicity

Check out the fun items I posted on how a PR guy got an interesting product onto "The Rachael Ray Show" with just a few minutes of effort. I also wrote about how you can score some last-minute publicity that ties into Valentine's Day, even if your product or service has nothing to do with love.

Build a Squidoo lens and update it frequently. But please don't email me questions about Squidoo. I don't have time to answer them. Instead, spend some time at the learning center known as SquidU at http://www.squidu.com/

Items that work well at Squidoo are short lists, questions and answers, or round-ups of other websites you're recommending.These are called "briefs." A teleseminar I conducted several years ago called "Briefs, Fillers & Quizzes" explains the nine types of briefs, how to write them and how to use them online and offline to promote what you're selling.

Read more about what you'll learn at http://tinyurl.com/d74h7


=========================================
3. Pitch the Wire Services
=========================================

One of the best ways to get your story into dozens, perhaps even hundreds of newspapers across the U.S.--all at the same time--is to pitch one of the wire services.

The Associated Press, the world's largest news agency, is a great place to start. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations. The media outlets contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staffers.

I'm betting that AP reporters are among the most overlooked journalists.

They love getting scoops, too. And because AP has its own state bureaus as well as a national bureau, offering a scoop could mean that the AP covers your story and sends it to all media in your state, or throughout the U.S.

Authors, if you want to learn an incredibly simple strategy for scoring an Associated Press story about you, don't miss Steve Harrison's teleseminar, "Seven Things You Absolutely Must Know to Get Publicity in Major Magazines and Newspapers," tomorrow, February 13.

On this 90-minute call, you'll hear from writers and editors who do stories for top magazines, including Woman's Day, Woman's World and Inc. Magazine, as well as authors who will share how they got coverage in major publications.

Register for the free call at http://www.getmajorpress.com/call10011


====================================
4. Media Leads
====================================

--If you have an incredible mom in your family, or as a client, enter her in the search for "America's Favorite Mom." The top 25 moms will be featured on NBC's "Today" show the week leading up to Mother's Day. The audiences will vote, and the top five winners will be the focus of a prime time special airing the evening of Mother's Day, May 11. To enter, turn down your speakers if you're at work and go to http://americasfavoritemom.com/ Thanks to Publicity Hound Erin Portman for this one.


--Mildred Culp, who writes the WorkWise syndicated column, needs sources to discuss whether good music in the workplace actually improves morale and productivity. Email her at mailto:Workwise@Comcast.net


--Publicity Hound Jeanette Simpson is looking for sources for an ebook she's writing on how to go from being an intern to an employee. She needs tips from those who hire. "Tell me what you look for, as well as what you don't want in an intern or entry-level employee. Send me tips, problems, and do's and don'ts. Explain what keeps interns from being hired." If you're willing to complete her 10-question survey, email her at mailto:jsimpson@kidspaceinteriors.com


When you respond to media leads like these, start building relationships with these journalists, broadcasters and authors so the next time they need sources, you're one of the first ones they call. "Special Report #49: 17 Ways to Build Valuable Relationships with Media People" explains how. Only $10. Order at http://tinyurl.com/6uz9g


==================================================
5. How to Promote The Crapper Digest
==================================================

This week, eight Publicity Hounds have tips on how author Dave Kessler of Richmond, Indiana can promote his ebook, "The Crapper Digest." It's a collection of the humor, doggerel and vulgar verse that he's collected from restroom walls all over America for the last six decades.


From Shonika Proctor:

"Sign up for a Google alert at http://www.google.com/alerts to get notified of topics/keywords that are related to potty, toilet, poo poo or whatever. Whenever a website post, blog entry or article goes up with that related term, you will be notified in your email and can see where it posted. Then you can go to that site and either make a post/comment yourself that is related to that post and include a link to your book in your signature line, or you can contact the journalist and try to get featured in their publication."


From Kathy Lisson:
"This ebook seems like an excellent candidate for a Digg campaign. Share 'The 10 Funniest Notes Found on Bathroom Stalls,' and include information on how to buy the book on Amazon. Link to the post on Digg and related sites."


From Dan Janal:

"Send a copy to the writers at Leno and Letterman. They could eat this up, and then you'd have broad word of mouth publicity."


The Publicity Hound says:

This will take a lot of effort, but the payback could be huge. Find a way to shoot video of some of the best stalls. Incorporate the clips into one short video and post it to YouTube to pull tons of traffic to your website.

Learn more about how to make a fortune using videos even if you don't have a computer at http://tinyurl.com/y3b6wj

Read all the responses to this Help this Hound question at http://tinyurl.com/2jn6g9


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

Catherine Painter of Raleigh, North Carolina writes:

"My Bible study book, 'So, You're a Christian! Now What?' is a 12-week study for small groups in churches, or for individuals who will work through it alone.

"The book is in bookstores now and the publisher, Hensley Publishing, also sells them at their website.

"I sell books as well, dozens at the time, at book signings, especially when I'm invited to speak to religious groups.

"The book is targeted to new Christians who profess Christ as adults. However, many adults more mature in their faith, buy the book and actually recognize the quality and substance in the book more than the baby Christians do.

"Can your readers share ideas on what else I can do to promote the book? My website is at http://www.catherinepainterministries.com"


The Publicity Hound says:

Catherine, learn all you can about social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook. Millions of Christians, young and old, hang out on those two sites and are just waiting for somebody like you to ask, "Will you be my friend?"

Search online for articles on how to use those two sites. Or just about any kid can explain it to you. You can reach out to a very targeted niche audience fairly quickly. My friend, Don Crowther, created a wonderful 50-minute video and a special report that explains the power of doing what I've just explained, including how to use Squidoo. Turn down your speakers if you're at work, and watch it, then download the free report at http://www.stompernet.net/jvp/aw.aspx?B=25&A=332

Hounds with other ideas for Catherine can post them to my blog at http://tinyurl.com/35dmgw.


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

Thanks to Publicity Hound Don Miller of Mansfield, Ohio for these fun crossbreeds:

Collie + Lhasa Apso = Collapso, a dog that folds up for easy transport

Spitz + Chow Chow = Spitz-Chow, a dog that throws up a lot

Pointer + Setter = Poinsetter, a traditional Christmas pet

Great Pyrenees + Dachshund = Pyradachs, a puzzling breed

Pekingese + Lhasa Apso = Peekasso, an abstract dog

Irish Water Spaniel + English Springer = Spaniel Irish Springer, a dog fresh and clean as a whistle

Labrador Retriever + Curly Coated Retriever = Lab Coat Retriever, the choice of research scientists

(More next week)


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/


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

PR types don't understand how consumers use media
http://tinyurl.com/35rrsy


Newseum, the news industry museum, to open April 11
http://tinyurl.com/2p87zv


Top 10 ways authors can make radio interviews pay
http://tinyurl.com/2uwt9l


Freelancers, journalists can connect on Reporterist.com
http://tinyurl.com/2r7typ


------------------------------------------------------------

Where to See or Hear The Publicity Hound


March 27: Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin

"Red Hot Tips to Set Your Publicity Campaign on Fire, "Menomonee Falls, Sussex and Germantown Business to Business Networking Breakfast; networking and breakfast from 7:30 to 8, presentation from 8 to 8:45 a.m. Tickets are $15. Guests welcome. For reservations, call Diane Henning at the Menomonee Falls Chamber at 262-251-2430.


PERMISSION TO REPRINT: You may reprint any items from "The Publicity Hound's Tips of the Week" in your print or electronic newsletter. But please include the following paragraph:

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."

If you like these tips please pass them on to your friends, clients and colleagues.

You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The Publicity Hound® website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you told me you want to subscribe.

PRIVACY STATEMENT: The Publicity Hound® respects your privacy and has a strict anti-spam policy. Read my privacy policy at http://www.publicityhound.com/privacypolicy.htm

=======================================================
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

Publicity tips/The Bucket List Jan 22, 2008

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #382 Jan. 22, 2008
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.com/
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)
The Publicity Hound®

Circulation: 39,927

=====================================

"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"

Receive this ezine direct to your desktop
http://www.publicityhound.com/tipsoftheweek/

=====================================

You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The Publicity Hound® website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you told me that you want to subscribe. If you didn't subscribe, you can unsubscribe by clicking the link at the bottom of the newsletter.

Please forward this ezine to anyone you know who needs free publicity to establish their credibility, enhance their reputation, position themselves as employers of choice, sell more products and services, or promote a favorite cause or issue.

================================
In This Issue
================================

1. The Bucket List

2. Don't Make Deals Like This One

3. If You Hate Your Job, Read This

4. Media Lead

5. How to Work with Impatient PR Clients

6. "Speakers Cruise Free" Replay

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. And at My Blog...


======================================
1. The Bucket List
======================================

The opening of the movie The Bucket List shows aging car mechanic Carter Chambers, played by Morgan Freeman, extinguishing his cigarette in an old Chock Full o' Nuts coffee can.

Later, Jack Nicholson as his dying geezer buddy Edward Cole, sings the familiar ditty we've all heard in those Chock Full o'Nuts commercials. It goes like this:

Chock Full o' Nuts is that heavenly coffee, Heavenly coffee, heavenly coffee, Chock Full o' Nuts is that heavenly coffee, Better coffee a millionaire's money can't buy.

That's called product placement. And when Jack sings about your product, well, it doesn't get much better than that.

Whether you're selling jewelry or purses, cars or coffee, product placement opportunities on the sets of TV shows and movies await Publicity Hounds who are smart enough to go after them.

While the Chock Full o' Nuts placement, no doubt, required deep pockets, many others don't.

If you supply cases of your company's bottled water for the stars to drink while they're shooting, a bottle just might show up in the final version of a movie or TV show.

After your product shows up on the screen, there are lots more opportunities. For example, InStyle magazine has a "Where Can I Find" column each month. It might feature a huge photo of an actress wearing a necklace on the set of a movie. It gives you the brand name and price, and the website where you can buy it.
That kind of publicity is free and powerful.

Product placement experts Amy Bates Stumpf and Rebecca Lightsey joined me in December for the teleseminar "How to Get Your Consumer Products onto the Sets of Movies & TV Shows." We recorded it, and it's available as a CD or an electronic transcript that you can be reading as soon as your order is approved. Only $39.95.

Order the CD at http://tinyurl.com/39bnqb

Order the electronic transcript at http://tinyurl.com/3y38hj

I loved The Bucket List, by the way, even though it got lousy reviews.


========================================
2. Don't Make Deals Like This One
========================================

Twenty years ago, I would have been horrified to hear about a deal like this one between a hospital and a daily newspaper.

But today, the line between editorial and advertising is so blurred that it's of little surprise.

WEAU TV-13 in Eau Claire, Wisconsin tried to negotiate a deal with the local Sacred Heart Hospital in which the station would air medical stories featuring personnel only from that hospital and its affiliates, but not employees of other Chippewa Valley hospitals or clinics.

TV news director Glen Mabie was so outraged that he resigned. He said he was unsure whether the hospital would pay TV-13 as part of the agreement but that the exclusive deal posed an obvious conflict of interest.

The company decided not to proceed with the agreement, but the local newspaper got wind of it. You can read the entire story at http://tinyurl.com/322s88

I ran this by my friend, TV producer Shawne Duperon, for her comments:

"Yikes! Kudos to Glen Mabie for taking an ethical stand. Coming from a health reporter background, this would be a nightmare as a journalist! WEAU was completely crossing every ethical boundary that literally holds the newsroom together.

"In news, everything is about finding many sources (angles) to help you tell stories for the community. It would be like only talking to the NAACP for all civil rights issues.

"Creating a deal would also alienate all the other medical resources, organizations and clinics in the community. The deal could only fall flat on its face because it violates the very existence of journalistic news gathering processes."

My own take is that the stench from all that bad publicity is as harmful to the hospital as it is to the TV station. So if media outlets offer you a deal like this one, run the other way.

Besides, smart Publicity Hounds don't have to sleaze their way onto TV. Shawne says it's easy to get on the local news and that a well-delivered pitch to the newsroom in the morning can sometimes get you onto the news that night. She explains "How to Get onto the Local TV News Tomorrow," available as a CD or an electronic transcript you can read as soon as your order is approved.

Read more about what you'll learn at http://tinyurl.com/4zpuz


=========================================
3. If You Hate Your Job, Read This
=========================================

When you hear the phrase Internet marketer, you probably think of a geeky guy with thick glasses, hunched over his laptop all day buying Google pay-per-click ads and watching the orders roll in.

That's one description.

I'm an Internet marketer, too. And I've worked hard to build my business to the point where I don't have to travel anymore. No more sleeping in airports, living in germ-laden hotel rooms or eating lousy food on the road.

I do most of my work in my pajamas or jeans and a T-shirt. About 98 percent of my revenue is generated in front of my computer, where I can also promote myself to the hilt.

I leave my home office so seldom these days that I don't even use a weekly planner. All my appointments are on a large wall calendar.

Most afternoons, I take a quick nap in my own bed, with Bogie asleep next to me in her kennel.

During the summer, I take frequent mid-morning breaks to weed the garden or pick a bouquet of flowers. Then I make my own healthy lunch.

With the help of Christine Buffaloe, my part-time virtual assistant, I've cut back my work week drastically and created several new revenue streams that have boosted my income. I can take vacations and long weekends when I want, without reporting to anybody.

Oh, did I mention that I've got the best boss in the world? Me.

Much of what I've done to morph from consulting/speaking into almost all Internet marketing is the same as what Alexandria Brown, "The Ezine Queen," teaches in her workshops. We've presented at the same events, and she's the real deal.

After hours of editing, polishing, and coddling, the brand new 2008 version of her "Online Success Blueprint-in-a-Box" is finally ready. It's perfect for anybody who hates their job, is already an expert in a certain topic, and wants to work on their own, at home, in front of their computer.

It's the home version of the exact same program she taught live a few months ago. You can see everything you get right now at http://tinyurl.com/ea6od (but turn down your speakers if you're at work).

She's selling only 147 copies of this version, so act now before you miss it. Read the success stories of her clients who have followed in her footsteps at http://tinyurl.com/ea6od


=========================================
4. Media Lead
=========================================

Mildred Culp, who writes the syndicated Workwise column, is looking for people who retired but have gone back to work for the same company or a different company. She has research indicating that this group needs to be managed by employers rather than left on their own. She wants to interview those who agree or disagree. Don't be shy if you have a relative to suggest. Source must be post-retirement, 65 or older. Send leads to mailto:workwise@comcast.net


============================================
5. How to Work with Impatient PR Clients
============================================

This week, four Publicity Hounds have advice for Gail Sideman of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She wants tips on how to work with impatient PR clients who expect immediate results.


From Lanada Chanel:

"I have begun keeping track of published articles, editorials, press announcements, TV appearances, etc. we have gotten (however big or small they are). I list them, attached to monthly invoices, along with the time spent making calls to try to get her speaking engagements and the community relations work we're doing for her just so the client can see how much time and relationship building goes into this whole process.

"I figure that when the clients see how that all adds up, they can choose to either handle it all themselves and run their business, which already keeps them overwhelmed, or let me do what I feel I do best."


Barbara Rozgony:

"Since we transitioned away from counting clips to more of an SEO/virtual PR visibility approach, we find that our clients appreciate their different, but more measurable and immediate results. Within 24-48 hours, many of our clients land on page one of Google news for the desired search terms.

"After a few web releases, many of them vault way ahead of their competition, both in terms of number of Google results and page rank. One client showed up at 4, 5 and 6 on page one for their keyword term for the first month or so after their release. Three months later, their news release shows up at 35/232,000 results-- while their own site is buried many, many pages back."


From The Publicity Hound:

"If clients are obsessed with immediate results, then give them immediate results. Not in the traditional media, but in the hundreds of social media sites like MySpace, Facebook, YouTube, and Squidoo. Choose just a few, create their profiles, and then teach them how to use the sites. If you do it right, they could see a boost in traffic---and possibly sales---in just 24 to 48 hours.

Read all the responses to this week's Help This Hound question at http://tinyurl.com/23kk33


================================
6. Speakers Cruise Free Replay
================================

"Speakers Cruise Free: Trade Your Talents for Free Luxury Cruises," a one-hour interview with Daniel Hall, shows you how to turn your hobby or expertise into a cool presentation you can offer to cruise ship lines that are looking for experts to entertain and educate their passengers. Listen for free at http://www.speakerscruisefree.com/houndcall

Help this Hound will return next week.


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

Thanks to self-publishing guru Dan Poynter of Santa Barbara, California for pointing out this:

The California town of Carmel-By-The-Sea has created the nation's first official doggie drinking fountain. It's called the "Fountain of Woof" and features a life-size dog's head spurting water from its mouth onto a step arrangement of rocky pools from which pooches can drink. Mayor Sue McCloud said the fountain was created "by pupular demand."


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/


================================
8. And at My Blog...
================================

Book promotion tip: 'Cool Book of the Day'
http://tinyurl.com/3b6gfw


Video pitching will become overused
http://tinyurl.com/3yk38g


PERMISSION TO REPRINT: You may reprint any items from "The Publicity Hound's Tips of the Week" in your print or electronic newsletter. But please include the following paragraph:

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."

If you like these tips please pass them on to your friends, clients and colleagues.


You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The Publicity Hound® website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you told me you want to subscribe.

PRIVACY STATEMENT: The Publicity Hound® respects your privacy and has a strict anti-spam policy. Read my privacy policy at http://www.publicityhound.com/privacypolicy.htm

=======================================================
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

Publicity tips/The Social Media Myth Jan 15, 2008

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #381 Jan. 15, 2008
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.com/
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)
The Publicity Hound®

Circulation: 39,213

=====================================

"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"

Receive this ezine direct to your desktop http://www.publicityhound.com/tipsoftheweek/

=====================================

You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The Publicity Hound® website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you told me that you want to subscribe. If you didn't subscribe, you can unsubscribe by clicking the link at the bottom of the newsletter.

Please forward this ezine to anyone you know who needs free publicity to establish their credibility, enhance their reputation, position themselves as employers of choice, sell more products and services, or promote a favorite cause or issue.

********************************************
Save the Dates:

Jan. 15 -- Publicity Hounds, this is your chance to learn about social media marketing and submit questions to one of the foremost experts. Join Don Crowther and me for a free one-hour telephone seminar on "Social Media Marketing: PR on Steroids" at4 p.m. Eastern Time today. See Item #1 below.

Jan. 16 -- Join Daniel Hall and me for a free one-hour telephone seminar from 3 to 4 p.m. Eastern Time. "Speakers Cruise Free:Trade Your Talents for Free Luxury Cruises" will explain how to turn your hobby or expertise into a cool presentation you can offer to cruise ship lines that are looking for experts to entertain and educate their passengers. Register at http://www.speakerscruisefree.com/hound See Item #3 below.

Jan. 17 -- Last day to register for the second annual smARTist Telesummit 2008, an art career conference that will teach artists how to turn their art passion into a successful business. I'm one of the presenters. Details and registration at http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/aftrack.asp?afid=642363

Jan. 17 -- Authors, listen to a free one-hour teleseminar as Steve Harrison interviews Matthew Bennett on how the self- published author sold 5 million books to one company--and how you can too. Stop selling them piecemeal and start selling them by the truckload. Register at http://www.freepublicity.com/mattbennett/?10011

********************************************
================================
In This Issue
================================

1. The Social Media Myth

2. A 4-Word Mention in Family Circle

3. Speak on Cruise Ships

4. Wanted: Videos of Women Authors

5. Promoting Fitness for Boomers

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. And at My Blog...

======================================
1. The Social Media Myth
======================================

I signed up for the social media coaching being offer by the guys at StomperNet, and I can hardly wait for the first teleseminar on Monday.

Many of you have emailed me to rave about the 50-minute video and the special report they're offering to whet your appetite and give you a taste of what we'll be learning. If you missed it, you can catch it here: http://www.stompernet.net/jvp/aw.aspx?B=25&A=332

Several of you, however, are still buying into the social media myth that sites like MySpace, Facebook and YouTube are only for kids with tattoos and tongue rings.

Wrong.

A Sept. 12 article in the New York Times explains that a new wave of capital is pouring into social media sites that target Boomers and offer news, commentary, photo-sharing and discussion forums on subjects like dating, fitness and health care. Most of the 78 million Baby Boomers (roughly three times the number of teen- agers), are Internet users with computer skills.

Sites like Eons, Rezoom, Multiply, Maya's Mom, Boomj and Boomertown are attracting a graying audience that has lots of disposable income. I'll bet many of these people have stopped subscribing to newspapers and even some magazines--the same publications you're targeting in your publicity campaign.

Unlike younger people who jump from one trendy site to the next, graying Internet users might be more likely to linger in one spot online--a potentially profitable characteristic that's catching the attention of investors.

Don Crowther of StomperNet, who created the video I'm recommending, knows more about social media marketing than anybody I know. I twisted his arm late yesterday and he agreed to do a free teleseminar with me from 4 to 5 p.m. Eastern Time today.

I know it's short notice, but if you can possibly join us, we'd love to have you. He'll talk about how to use social media sites to earn top great search engine rankings and pull tons of traffic to your website.

You can even post your question on the sign-up form here: http://instantTeleseminar.com/?eventid=1628391 .

========================================
2. A 4-Word Mention in Family Circle
========================================

This is for all you Hounds who are determined to get a cover story or another big feature in a national magazine.

Sometimes all it takes is just a four-word mention about your business to generate a rush of traffic to your website.

That's what I got--just four little words--in the January issue of Family Circle magazine. I wrote about it at my blog and suggested five more ways I can piggyback off this minuscule mention. You can read it here: http://tinyurl.com/23pdae

Many of the tips I suggested there are among the hundreds I shared when I hosted the teleseminar series "How to Create a Media Plan" back in October. We recorded it and it's available as CDs, MP3s or electronic transcripts. Read more about the stellar line-up of experts and what they shared at http://www.PublicityHound.com/mediaplan.htm


=========================================
3. Speak on Cruise Ships
=========================================

It was Fourth of July week and stage hypnotist Victor Maranto would leave in just four days on a nine-day vacation cruise.

Armed with a step-by-step list of instructions on how to get booked as a speaker on the cruise, he called the woman who works with speakers and ended up in her voicemail.

"I started singing to her on her voicemail," he said. "I kept chanting her name. Then I laughed and hung up. Fifteen minutes later, she calls back and says, 'What can I do for you?"'

He had no presentation planned but pitched seven ideas for programs. She told him he wouldn't be able to hypnotize any of the passengers but that she wanted to hire him to present on the last day. They settled on a program called "Take Action Now: How to Unlock Your Mind's Hidden Power."

It all happened so quickly that Victor actually had to create the presentation on-board. He used a friend's Power Point slides and substituted his own bullet points.

He had postcards about the presentation printed and took them with him. But he wouldn't know until he boarded the ship exactly when he would speak, so he left the time and date blank. Once he knew that information, he filled it in, then recruited his kids to distribute the postcards to passengers.

The day of the presentation, Victor taught one woman how to overcome her fear of crossing bridges. He instructed other passengers on how to muster enough confidence to perform Karaoke.He even videotaped the presentation and now has a video that he can show other cruise ships that need speakers.

Victor followed Daniel Hall's instructions to the letter because Daniel is the expert on how to cruise for free in exchange for presenting a program. You can too. Join us for a one-hour teleseminar from 3 to 4 p.m. Eastern Time tomorrow, January 16, called "Speakers Cruise Free: Trade Your Talents for Free Luxury Cruises." You don't even have to be a professional speaker.

If you have a hobby you're passionate about, you can turn it into a free vacation. Register for the teleseminar at http://www.speakerscruisefree.com/hound


=========================================
4. Wanted: Videos of Women Authors
=========================================

Starting Jan. 28, the Women for Hire website at http://www.womenforhire.com/ will feature a video interview with a nonfiction woman author on a topic of interest to women.

Topics can include workplace, lifestyle, health, etc. The video will appear on the homepage. They will feature an excerpt from the book as well as a link to Amazon.

They will shoot the video for authors in New York City, and the shoot will take no more than a half-hour. For authors outside Manhattan, they'll provide straightforward instructions on how to shoot your own video and submit it.

Send the title, a short synopsis, brief author bio, why women would buy your book, the target audience, publication date, and confirmation that the author is willing to do a video to Rachel Chase, Women for Hire. Mailto:Rachel@WomenforHire.com.

The WomenForHire.com website has 250,000 unique visitors each month as well as 300,000 professional women who subscribe to their newsletters. They are looking for authors who will provide valuable inspiration, information or advice.

If you want to shoot your own video, learn about the best equipment to buy, and video tips and tricks. See http://tinyurl.com/y3b6wj


============================================
5. Promoting Fitness for Boomers
============================================

This week, four Publicity Hounds have tips for Darcy Silvers of Bristol, Pennsylvania on how a friend near Philadelphia can promote a fitness business for Boomers. It focuses on aerobics and weight training.


From Gail Sideman:

"IHRSA (International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association), ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine), Club Fitness Industry and dozens of other organizations release statistics and case studies about fitness training for Boomers, which make up the industry’s fastest growing demographic. Use those stats and facts, along with clients’ success stories, to help pitch angles whether they’re for traditional or social media outlets."


From Garth Gibson:
"Develop an exercise program for the presidential candidates that helps them keep fit during their campaign. Then let the press know about it."


From Becky Williamson:

"Darcy's friend should offer to give talks in his areas of expertise to local Rotary Clubs, Lions Clubs and Kiwanis Clubs.Folks in his target market will be in these groups. These groups normally don't pay for speakers, but by giving public talks he'll begin carving his niche as a local expert. In addition, he may be able to collect email addresses."


The Publicity Hound says:

Post fitness tips to the Philadelphia Craigslist. I'll bet more people read Craigslist than the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Read all the responses to this Help This Hound question at http://tinyurl.com/3dxdoe


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

Gail Sideman of Milwaukee, Wisconsin writes:

"I'm what the business calls a veteran publicist and media relations professional who has landed quality hits, and believes she does a good job in explaining how a PR or publicity campaign works to those who have never been involved in one.

"I outline the fact that an online newsroom is necessary and why, and that a foundation and reputation must be built before reporters have enough trust to include or feature the client in a big story. I also explain the differences between public relations and advertising.

"Despite all of this and making sure potential clients know what they’re getting into before they sign on the dotted line, I have found that some people, two or three months into the effort, maybe while we're still trying to build a quality online press room, question why I have not been able to score that 'big story' for them.

"How do other media relations professionals deal with complaining clients after they’ve already explained the industry to them and they’re working diligently to do things in step?"


The Publicity Hound says:

I've experienced this same problem, and it will be interesting to hear how other publicists deal with it. Hounds with helpful tips for Gail can post them to my blog at http://tinyurl.com/3yprya
If you know how to handle impatient clients, but you have too few clients, I know of two dozen ways to bring more business through the door. Marcia Yudkin brainstormed the ideas with me, and we presented them during a teleseminar called "24 Ways to Attract Clients to Your PR Practice." It's available as a CD or electronic transcript that you can download a few minutes after your order has been approved.

Read more about what you'll learn about attracting PR clients at http://tinyurl.com/8txj8


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

Thanks to the dozens of Publicity Hounds who have sent me this one.

If we were only taught by dogs, we would learn stuff like:

--When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.

--Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.

--Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.

--When it's in your best interest -- practice obedience.

--Let others know when they've invaded your territory.

--Take naps and stretch before rising.

--Run, romp and play daily.

--Thrive on attention and let people touch you.

--Avoid biting, when a simple growl will do.

--On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.

--On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.

--When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.

--No matter how often you're scolded, don't buy into the guilt thing and pout...run right back
and make friends.

--Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.

--Eat with gusto and enthusiasm. Stop when you've had enough.

--Be loyal.

--Never pretend to be something you're not.

--If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.

--When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them gently.


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/


=================================
8. And at My Blog...
================================

Whole Foods magazine will feature only its own products
http://tinyurl.com/37k4mb


Family Circle blurb leads to huge traffic spike
http://tinyurl.com/23pdae

----------------------------------------------------------

Where to See or Hear The Publicity Hound:


January 15: "Social Media: PR on Steroids"

Join Don Crowther and me for a free one-hour telephone seminar from 4 to 5 p.m. Eastern Time on how to use social media sites like MySpace, Facebook and YouTube in your publicity campaign.Don't miss this one. Sign up at http://instantteleseminar.com/?eventid=1628391


January 16: "Speakers Cruise Free"

Join Daniel Hall and me for a free one-hour telephone seminar from 3 to 4 p.m. Eastern Time called "Speakers Cruise Free: Trade Your Talents for Free Luxury Cruises." He will explain how to turn your hobby or expertise into a cool presentation you can offer to cruise ship lines that are looking for experts to entertain and educate their passengers. You don't even have to be a professional speaker. If you teach arts and crafts, play bridge, or offer classes on how to use a computer, for example, you could be just the person they're looking for. Sign up for the teleseminar only if you want to participate live and be able to ask questions. If you can't make the call, I'll include the link in this newsletter so you can listen to it later. Sign up for the live call here: http://www.speakerscruisefree.com/hound


January 21: 2008 smARTist Telesummit

I will teach artists "The New Rules of Press Releases: How to Write Them for Art Buyers and Collectors, Not Only for Journalists" from 1 to 1:45 p.m. Eastern Time. Register for the entire telesummit at http://tinyurl.com/3x35vr


PERMISSION TO REPRINT: You may reprint any items from "The Publicity Hound's Tips of the Week" in your print or electronic newsletter. But please include the following paragraph:

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."

If you like these tips please pass them on to your friends, clients and colleagues.


You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The Publicity Hound® website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you told me you want to subscribe.

PRIVACY STATEMENT: The Publicity Hound® respects your privacy and has a strict anti-spam policy. Read my privacy policy at http://www.publicityhound.com/privacypolicy.htm

=======================================================
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

Publicity tips/Golden Black Friday Nov. 20, 2007

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #373 Nov. 20, 2007
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)

The Publicity Hound®

Circulation: 35,972

=====================================

"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"

Receive this ezine direct to your desktop
http://www.publicityhound.com/tipsoftheweek/


Need help with publicity?
See the resources list at
http://www.publicityhound.com/resources.htm


=====================================

You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The Publicity Hound® website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you told me that you want to subscribe. If you didn't subscribe, you can unsubscribe by clicking the link at the bottom of the newsletter.

Please forward this ezine to anyone you know who needs free publicity to establish their credibility, enhance their reputation, position themselves as employers of choice, sell more products and services, or promote a favorite cause or issue.


***********************************************************

Save the Date:

Learn "How To Write and Publish a Book, Quicker and Easier Than You Ever Imagined" during a free 90-minute teleseminar at 9 PM Eastern Time on Monday, December 3. Authors, don't miss this one. See Item #2 below.


**********************************************************
================================
In This Issue
================================

1. Golden Black Friday

2. Another Publishing Disaster

3. Create a Cyberbullying PSA

4. Media Lead

5. Promoting a WEbsite for Young Designers

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. And at My Blog...


======================================
1. Golden Black Friday
======================================

They call it Black Friday, and for good reason.

It's the day after Thanksgiving, aptly named as the day when retailers shift into profitability or move "into the black."

For Publicity Hounds, Black Friday can be like gold. First, the media are often working with skeleton staffs. Second, PR peopleand even some publicists, believe it or not, take the day off.

That means less competition for your pitches.

Here are some story ideas to consider:

--With credit card debt at an all-time high, experts can share tips on how to be a smart shopper this holiday season and stay within our means.

--Thieves will be preying on consumers who do much of their Christmas shopping online. If you’re an expert in Internet marketing, offer tips on how people who buy and sell online can avoid becoming victims.

--It's bad enough shopping by yourself. But if you have to haul your kids, it's even worse. How do parents say "no" to children who want everything they see?

--Don't forget bloggers. Many of them don't take time off during the holidays, and they're hungry for content.

--It's worth a call to your local newspaper to see which holiday gift guides they're planning during the next four weeks. Ask for the name of the person who is editing each section, then let them know about your products and services that would make terrific gifts.

--If you've already pitched TV and radio shows where you want to appear as a guest, contact them again and offer to fill in if another guest cancels.

--If you sell anything for children and it's made in the U.S., tie your story to the many recalls of toys made in China.

This time of year, the media particularly love tips lists like "6 ways to stay safe in mall parking lots." You can submit these simultaneously to multiple media outlets. Increase your chances for publicity by writing and submitting them correctly. I explain how on "Briefs, Fillers & Quizzes: How to Submit Them & Why Editors LOVE Them."

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/d74h7


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2. Another Publishing Disaster
========================================

I frequently discuss the many authors who can't park in their garages because of the towering boxes of books they can't unload.

Think I'm exaggerating?

Publicity Hound Paul Furiga tipped me off to a Wall Street Journal article about C. Ben Bosah, an environmental engineer from Ohio who was convinced that a non-fiction book about women's health, written by his wife, a gynecologist, would be a best-seller.

Unfamiliar with the publishing world, the couple self-published the book and did almost everything wrong:

--They failed to line up a distributor before publication.

--They chose a title for the book that limited potential readership. Many readers associated "Letters to My Sisters: Plain Truths and Straight forward Advice from a Gynecologist" solely with black women.

--They neglected to send galleys of the book several months before publication to the key magazines that do early reviews.

--The book was unavailable at local bookstores when the Columbus Dispatch reviewed it on Oct. 19 last year. People wanting to read the book had to borrow it from local libraries.

--The couple refused to go with a print-on-demand company and instead ordered 15,398 books. Today, 4½ pallets of books clutter the three-car garage at the Bosahs' home.

You can read the rest of the story at http://tinyurl.com/ynjgxa but do it today. The Wall Street Journal might remove the article from its website.

If you're thinking of writing a book, don't fall into the traps above. Join me for a complimentary 90-minute teleseminar at 9 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday, December 3.

My special guest is Adam Wittey, who will explain "How To Write and Publish a Book, Quicker and Easier Than You Ever Imagined." More than 500 Publicity Hounds listened in several weeks ago when Adam and Tom Antion delivered a content-rich teleseminar on how to sell books online. I was inundated with emails from happy Hounds who loved their tips. And this call will be equally valuable. Save the date. I'll give details on how to sign up in next week's newsletter.

In the meantime, authors who want to park in their garages can learn "How to Revive a Dying Book Marketing Campaign." Book publicist Lissa Warren has a bag of tricks designed to boost sales for even the most lethargic titles. They work for her and they can work for you too.

Continue reading more about what you'll learn from this CD or electronic transcript at http://tinyurl.com/67bhu


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3. Create a Cyberbullying PSA
=========================================

Here's a great project for videographers, schools, nonprofits or other groups.

Help end cyberbullying by creating a public service announcement on the issue. Sony Creative Software, the National Crime Prevention Council and the Ad Council want entries from independent producers and schools (K-12). The top submissions may be eligible for national broadcast, and their producer or sponsoring school will receive a complete multimedia editing suite valued at over $18,000.

All entries must be received by January 11, 2008 to be eligible.

Read more about it at http://tinyurl.com/274lu5

Unsure of how to create video? This two-CD set on how to produce videos tells you everything you need to know and more. It includes hundreds of tips on how to get broadcast quality productions on the tightest budget possible, even if you don't have a computer.

Read more about what you'll learn about creating video at http://tinyurl.com/y3b6wj


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4. Media Lead
=========================================

Leah Ingram’s blog, The Lean Green Family (formerly Suddenly Frugal), will soon be syndicated nationally through a third-party syndicator whose clients include the Associated Press, The New York Times, CNN, LexisNexis and other major media outlets. She is looking to the PR community to keep a steady stream of "lean and green" story ideas coming her way for inclusion in future blog postings.

When syndicated, they will link to other relevant news on the topic including stock tickers of companies in related industries. The heart of her blog is about how going green can save you green, but she'll write about tangential topics as well, including reusable shopping bags and green limos that the stars hire to take them to Hollywood events. She’d also like to cover affordable, green products (beauty, household, cleaning, fashion, home furnishings, etc.).

Please add her to your media list. Snail-mail samples to 77 Old Mill Rd., New Hope, PA 18938. Read previous postings from her blog at http://suddenlyfrugal.blogspot.com Emailed information is fine to start with. Please use mailto:leah.ingram@comcast.net and put "Lean Green Family Blog" in the subject line.

The Publicity Hound says: If you're pitching Leah, please stick to the topic. If you don't know how to pitch succinctly, with a killer message, Raleigh Pinskey will show you "How to Create the Perfect 30-Second Pitch." You'll see lots of examples of how Raleigh turned long, rambling pitches into 5- or 10-second attention-getters.

Her tips apply mostly to phone pitching, but you can use the same techniques when pitching via email. 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/6xghx


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5. Promoting a Website for Young Designers
==========================================

This week, 12 Publicity Hounds have tips on how Rebecca Witek of Buffalo Grove, Illinois can promote her website for young designers at http://www.youngdesignersguide.com


From Shonika Proctor:

"Spend some time on student design related forums and social networking sites like LinkedIn or Facebook."


From Shel Horowitz:

"A great service would be a portfolio section where young designers could post their best pieces and contact information.You could either charge for this or make it free, sort by type of project, and eventually become the destination site for people looking to hire young graphic artists. This should be worthy of significant press, especially in trade journals and student/alumni magazines."


From Meryl K. Evans:

"Hold a graphics design contest or something creative and email or post the info on sites, communities, and blogs like Digital-web.com, Web-graphics.com, Smashingmagazine.com, LissaExplains.com (targets kids--but they may not be far from college) and SitePoint.com. Perhaps you can find a sponsor for a cool prize."


The Publicity Hound says:

Start posting your articles at article directory sites where the search engines can find them. Use my handy template on how to write a how-to article. It comes with the CD or electronic transcript "How to Write How-to Articles for Newspapers, Magazines & Trade Journals." You can learn more about what it includes at http://tinyurl.com/dnxhb

Read all the responses for this week's Help This Hound question at http://tinyurl.com/353xdy


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

Harry Hoover of Charlotte, North Carolina writes:

"Since 2002, I have promoted a project each holiday season called Holiday For Charity. It encourages people to ask for charitable donations in their name in lieu of gifts. I’ve gotten solid local coverage of this program, but I’d like to take it up a notch. I’m hoping your readers can provide ideas to augment my plan.

"Here are my ideas:

--Local media relations with key media like Charlotte Observer, Business Journal, etc.

--PRWeb news release at http://tinyurl.com/2dzaz8

--Story in my ezine

--Continuing coverage on my blog

--Post an article on social media sites

"Thanks in advance for any assistance."


The Publicity Hound says:

What a nice gesture, Harry. Hounds who want to help make this the best year yet for donations can post ideas to my blog at http://tinyurl.com/ypmezl

Harry, how about contacting influential bloggers who write about the nonprofit sector? Or those who blog for specific charities? Let them know what you're doing and suggest they ask their readers to participate in your campaign and donate to that specific cause.

See "How to Pitch the Best Bloggers & Create a Publicity Explosion" at http://tinyurl.com/m7ymr


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

Cats are smarter than dogs. You can't get eight cats to pull a sled through snow.


=================================
8. And at My Blog...
=================================

Oprah crisis: Topic of my first blog for Huffington Post
http://tinyurl.com/27yrjd


How to publicize a solo law practice
http://tinyurl.com/yrpwks


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/


----------------------------------------------------------

PERMISSION TO REPRINT: You may reprint any items from "The Publicity Hound's Tips of the Week" in your print or electronic newsletter. But please include the following paragraph:

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."

If you like these tips please pass them on to your friends, clients and colleagues.


You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The Publicity Hound® website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you told me you want to subscribe.

PRIVACY STATEMENT: The Publicity Hound® respects your privacy and has a strict anti-spam policy. Read my privacy policy at http://www.publicityhound.com/privacypolicy.htm

=======================================================
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

Publicity tips/Get Your Product into Target Oct 30, 2007

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #370 Oct. 30, 2007
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.com/
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)
The Publicity Hound®

Circulation: 37,734


=====================================

"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"

Receive this ezine direct to your desktop
http://www.publicityhound.com/tipsoftheweek/

Need help with publicity?
See the resources list at
http://www.publicityhound.com/resources.htm

=====================================

You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The Publicity Hound® website at
http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you told me that you want to subscribe. If you didn't subscribe, you can unsubscribe by clicking the link at the bottom of the newsletter.

Please forward this ezine to anyone you know who needs free publicity to establish their credibility, enhance their reputation, position themselves as employers of choice, sell more products and services, or promote a favorite cause or issue.

*******************************************************

2 Deadlines on Wednesday, October 31:

--Wednesday, Oct. 31, is the deadline for the double-dip discount offered by Expertclick, the Online Yearbook of Experts that not only gets you into their experts database, but lets you post up to 52 press releases a year with no per-release charges. You get both their $100 Early Discount and a $100 Publicity Hound Discount when you join at http://tinyurl.com/253za3. Unlike most of the freebie press release distribution services, they have a customer service support line at 202-333-5000. You can call that number from 9 to 5 Eastern if you have questions about what your membership includes. I've been a member for several years. You can see my pressroom page and news releases at http://www.expertclick.com/19-2429

--Steve Harrison is accepting applications until 6 p.m. Eastern Time Wednesday, Oct. 31, for his Quantum Leap Marketing Coaching Program for authors, speakers and experts. Apply at http://www.YourQuantumLeap.com/apply/?10011 See Item #4 below.

*******************************************************
================================
In This Issue
================================

1. Get Your Product into Target

2. Tweak Your Pitch

3. Confusing Social Networking

4. When Writing a Book is a Bad Idea

5. Promoting a Dental Drill

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. And at My Blog...

======================================
1. Get Your Product into Target
======================================

If you sell a book or other product that's a good fit with customers who shop at Target, you have a lot of work to do.

For starters, you should be pitching a story to the Minneapolis Star Tribune that ties into what you're selling. That's because most buyers for Target live in Minneapolis, where the chain is headquartered, and most of them read the local daily newspaper.

Let's say the Star Tribune prints a story. The long, arduous job of winning coveted shelf space in Target is just beginning and could take a year or more.

It will require a formal presentation to a buyer. At that meeting, you must provide details for your advertising and publicity campaigns, as well as your plans for marketing, merchandising, in-store demos, point-of-sale displays, giveaways, promotion with credit cards, special events and more.

Unless you're a huge household name, Target is unlikely to include you in their circulars or advertising, so you will have to help sell your products at Target through your own efforts and use every trick up your Publicity Hound sleeve.

Margie Zable Fisher, president of Zable Fisher Public Relations in Boca Raton, Florida, may well be one of the foremost experts on getting your books and other products into Target stores.

When a potential client asked Margie for help getting her products into Target, Margie could barely find any information. She spent hours researching the topic and talked to current and former Target buyers, manufacturers and distributors, licensing companies, sales rep companies and more. Most of them asked her to use the information anonymously.

The result of her research is the special report "Skyrocket Your Sales by Getting Your Product in Target." It shows you, step-by-step, how to do it, even if you're a small business.

I love Target, and I found the report fascinating. The next time I shop there, I'll be looking at the merchandise a whole new way. She even teaches you how to search the shelves for valuable clues about the kinds of products Target loves.

Even Guy Kawasaki, Entrepreneur magazine's "Wise Guy" columnist, endorses the report.

It's only $49, a real deal considering that the initial order for Target stores is often 9,000 products or more. Click here to continue reading more about what you'll learn: http://www.profcs.com/app/?Clk=2137388

What? You say you'd rather sell to Wal-Mart? Click anyway and you'll get 7 tips on how to do just that.

By the way, if Target, Wal-Mart or any of the other big box stores accepts your product, that's a terrific story for your trade journals and business publications.

========================================
2. Tweak Your Pitch
========================================

When you pitch a story to a magazine editor and the editor declines, sometimes all it takes is a little tweaking to change the editor's mind.

That's what happened when Tina Lancy emailed the editor of Go, Airtran's inflight magazine, last November. She pitched a story about College Assistance Plus, the Rochester, New York-based consulting firm she works for that helps high school students find the right college at the right price.

He liked the story idea but said it wasn't a good fit with his audience because Rochester isn't on Airtran's route.

"I told him this isn't a Rochester story," she said. "This is a story that affects business travelers who have college-age kids and families everywhere because high school students everywhere are looking for colleges. I also told him we are selling franchises in many cities the airline serves."

The franchise angle caught his attention. In March this year, Go featured a story and photos about College Assistance Plus that took up three and a half pages. The feature generated a whopping 40 applications for franchises.

"Not everyone who applied bought," Tina said. "But our company is still working off those leads."

Tina didn't stop there. When she pitched the editor of Entrepreneur magazine, she included in her pitch information about the story in Go, a non-competing magazine. Mentioning other major hits in non-competing media often works in your favor and lets journalists know you're already media-savvy.

Entrepreneur wrote a short story about Tina's company in the November issue, which has been on newsstands for about a week. That story already has generated nine more applications for franchises.

Tina, by the way, considers herself a publicity puppy. She has no formal training in PR and is self-taught. If she can do it, so can you.

If you're targeting inflight magazines like she did, but you're working off an old media list, you might be pitching editors who are long gone. "Special Report #29: Fly High with Publicity in the Inflight Magazines" offers updated contact information and lots of pitching tips for 42 inflight magazines. Only $37. Order at http://tinyurl.com/6uz9g

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3. Confusing Social Networking
=========================================

I don't know about you. But when I read about all the opportunities to do social networking, I feel like a rat in a maze.

It's all I can do to keep up with the emails and invitations from my MySpace and LinkedIn friends.

Then there's Twitter. Gather. SmugMug. Wetpaint. StyleHive. ShoutWire. Furl. MeetUp. Frappr. Flickr. 43 Things. Ma.gnolia. WikiHow. Del.icio.us. Reddit. And Ning.

Some of them look like typos. Others I don't know how to pronounce. My eyes glaze over just reading the list.

Do yours?

If so, don't miss my teleseminar series on "How to Create a Media Plan for 2008" which starts today. It includes a presentation on Wednesday by Internet marketer Don Crowther, who will name the top 8 social networking sites or tools that we should work into next year's media plan.

Convinced social networking isn't for you? Don will change your mind by the end of the hour.

If you can't participate in all eight teleseminars, that's OK. I'm recording them all, and you'll get the audio downloads, including 30 days of free email support.

Click here to continue reading