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

Publicity tips/A Publicity Miracle Dec 9, 2008

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #428 Dec. 9, 2008
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)

Circulation: 50,513

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

"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.

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

Announcements:

--Publicity Hounds have chosen Patricia Reszetylo the winner of
the $50 Amazon.com gift certificate for her idea of promoting an
ebook by hosting teleseminars that tie into the topic of the
book. You can see all the ideas at http://tinyurl.com/64jkzq
Thanks to everyone who voted.


--If you're new to the publicity game, here's a must-attend
teleseminar, join Steve Harrison for a free teleseminar on
Thursday, December 11, on "Practical Ways To Get More F~ree
Publicity In Top Magazines, Newspapers And On Radio/TV Shows," at
2 or 7 p.m. Eastern. He isn't recording it so if you can't
attend, recruit someone to listen and take notes for you. The
teleseminar includes a handout that will be available on
Thursday. Sign up at http://tinyurl.com/6cfrsn

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

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

1. A Publicity Miracle

2. Be the Expert in a Niche

3. Oprah Does it Again

4. PR Tips for Nonprofits

5. How to Promote Medical Guides

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. And at My Blog...


=====================================
1. A Publicity Miracle
=====================================

One of the best ways to generate publicity is to be willing to
discuss your business problems and ways you are trying to solve
them, even if the solutions are so bizarre that people think
you're nuts.

For years, the real estate industry has known about the practice
of burying a St. Joseph statue upside down in your yard if
you want to sell your house.

In the mid-90s, my husband and I were so desperate to sell our
four-bedroom Colonial in Pennsylvania that had been on the market
for 14 months that we, too, buried a statue. Several weeks later,
we received three offers in one day and sold the house. I wrote
about it this week in my blog at http://tinyurl.com/6rkm75

I'm not alone.

The St. Joseph practice is so widespread that an entire industry
has been built around this superstition. Do a search for "St.
Joseph statue" and you'll find Phil Cates' website at
http://tinyurl.com/5lhyrg at the top of the list.

Phil, who has been in the real estate industry for 22 years, now
works full time selling a "St. Joseph Statue Home Sale Kit" that
includes a complementary online listing of the house you're
trying to sell. His website includes more than $2.7 billion in
real estate listings--all from people who have bought his home
sale kits.

"We've polled people who have bought our statues and 50 percent
of the real estate agents don't even tell their sellers that
they're burying it," Phil says. "And 50 percent of the sellers
don't tell their real estate agents they're burying the statues."

That means two St. Joseph statues, not one, are buried in
thousands of yards throughout the world.

This year alone, Phil has racked up publicity for his company in
more than 44 media outlets, blogs and social networking sites,
including the Wall Street Journal, National Public Radio, the
Dallas Morning News and Consumer Reports.

If you're a real estate agent or a home-seller willing to discuss
your experiences with the St. Joseph statue, publicity is almost
yours for the asking, particularly since the housing market is so
dismal. If you're pitching this fun story to TV stations, be sure
to have your own St. Joseph statue as a prop. You can get just
the statue or the entire kit at http://tinyurl.com/5lhyrg

Real estate agents, I know dozens of other ways to generate
publicity, and I shared them all during the interview I did with
real estate coach Jim Gillespie, available as a CD.

Read more about how to stop relying exclusively on expensive
newspaper classified ads at http://tinyurl.com/56waoa


=========================================
2. Be the Expert in a Niche
=========================================

A super way to promote your expertise within a niche and generate
publicity is to write a content-rich report that walks people
through the steps of how to solve a problem.

You can give it away if you wish and offer it to journalists who
write about topics within that niche.

Or sell the report for a low price. I sell 52 special reports on
all aspects of free publicity for only $10 each at
http://tinyurl.com/6uz9g

But what if you don't have a website, a shopping cart, or email
addresses from people who have given you permission to market to
them? What if you don't want the hassle of creating a website,
processing the payments or delivering the product?

Problem solved.

Lynn Terry, who I met in Stompernet, the membership site for
Internet marketers, has figured out a way for anyone to sell
practically any product without email subscribers, without a
website and without a shopping cart--even in super-competitive
niches.

You only need two things: an email address and a PayPal account.

It's an easy seven-step process that she explains thoroughly in
her 13-page report called "Easy 7-Step Fast C*ash Strategy."
You'll also learn how to sell the product quietly before you
launch it, so you can get feedback and testimonials from happy
customers in time for the official launch.

It's perfect for:

--Consultants who want to promote their expertise within a niche.

--Authors who want to create a quick product that upsells people
to their printed book or ebook. Or create it as a spin-off
product for people who buy the book.

--Speakers who want speaking engagements in a particular
industry.

--Small-business owners who can explain a problem, and the
solution, that relates to a product or service they sell. The
report can generate leads that turn into paying customers.

--Publicists and PR agency owners who want more clients. Show how
much you know by concentrating on one aspect of PR. You can sell
the report from your blog and on the social networking sites, or
simply use Lynn's seven-step formula.

In some cases, you can create the report and start selling it in
well under a week. And if you have questions, go over to Lynne's
discussion forum where she'll be happy to help you.

The report is a steal at only $10, and she's offering it
exclusively to Publicity Hounds. Read more about it at
http://www.fastcashstrategy.com/PHprivateoffer.htm


========================================
3. Oprah Does it Again
========================================

If your Christmas list includes a Kindle, that nifty hand-held,
wireless portable reading device that has access to more than
200,000 books, sorry.

You'll have to wait until February to get one because they've
sold out. Blame Oprah Winfrey for the delay.

Amazon was confident that it had enough Kindles in stock for the
2009 holidays, but then along comes Oprah in late October,
christening the Kindle as her "favorite new gadget" on her TV
show, and then gushing about it at her blog at
http://tinyurl.com/5p9hlx

Now, the shelves are bare.

That's what happens when the most powerful woman celebrity
endorses your product. Just ask the numerous authors whose books
have catapulted to the top of the New York Times Best Seller list
after Oprah chose them for her book club.

And that's why authors, speakers, experts, nonprofits and
millions of others are hankering to get onto her show.

Did you know, however, that one of the best ways to get the
attention of Oprah's producers is to first get mentioned in O,
the Oprah Magazine? If you can get into the magazine, it's almost
as though you've already passed inspection, and her TV producers
will be more inclined to take a second look when they get your
pitch.

Or they might hand-pick you for the show, based on the story they
read in the magazine.

That's what happened to Genevieve Piturro. She's the founder of
The Pajama Program, a charity that gives new pajamas to needy
children.

Genevieve first appeared in O Magazine, and then on the TV show
two years ago. That one segment resulted in more than 32,000
pairs of pajamas being raised for charity. Producers at Oprah &
Friends XM radio booked Piturro for an interview on the radio
show--so it was a triple whammy in Oprah Land.

Sometimes it works the other way around. You can get onto the TV
show first, and then appear in the magazine. But because
competition for the TV show is so intense, it's often better to
try to get into the magazine first.

Read about the 12 topics the editors love at
http://tinyurl.com/6c6nsc

Then grab Susan Harrow's ebook "Get into O Magazine" at $100 off
the regular price, now through Dec. 18. But you must use this
coupon code: oprah

Susan explains how at http://tinyurl.com/fuxmn


=========================================
4. PR Tips for Nonprofits
=========================================

Publicity Hound Bob Crawshaw from Australia has come up with a
creative way to market his business, help his community and give
a special holiday gift to the nonprofit world:

"We deal a lot with community groups and to help them out, we're
compiling a list of practical PR tips for challenging times. We
intend to circulate this f~ree to community groups in the next
couple of weeks.

"We've started out with some ideas in our latest post. You're
invited to add to this list. And in return, we'll share the
gathered ideas with you (or groups you nominate) before
Christmas."

Publicity Hounds can contribute ideas for low-cost PR tools and
tactics at http://tinyurl.com/6y56jz


If you don't want to wait to see what will be added to his list,
Paul Hartunian has dozens of tips on how nonprofits can generate
publicity, even on a shoestring budget. He shared them during the
teleseminar on "Failproof Publicity Tips for Your Nonprofit."
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/29dba


==========================================
5. How to Promote Medical Guides
==========================================

This week, four Publicity Hounds have tips for Winthrop Morgan of
Bethesda, Maryland, on how to raise awareness of a government
agency's comparative effectiveness summary guides for clinicians.


From Karen Cook:

"I have been creating a ton of podcasts and downloadable books
and seminars, even yoga classes for this generation of web-savvy
clients. We have found that it creates a buzz passed on by email
and Twitter/Facebook type applications. After the initial cost of
digitizing it, it's free advertising. You can attach these links
to every piece of correspondence."


From Bruce Jones:

"I would say produce some quick video guides and place them on
the popular web video hosting sites with links back to the
government sites. Promote that people can download them as PDF
files. You don't even have to use a camera. You can create four
or five slide presentations in PowerPoint and save them as a
movie, add a little music or see if you can read the copy into
your computer. Make sure you use keywords in the description and
title and add a link back to your website."

"Do an email blast to as many health sites as you can, offering
free publications that they can place on their site. Everyone is
looking for content.

"Set up a website with the copy of each book on a page, plus the
PDF download. Google loves good relevant copy."


From Paulette Ensign:

"Start by giving those PDFs and MP3s to every relevant
professional association for the association to provide to its
members. This is viral marketing at its finest, and costs zip!
The associations will be delighted, too, since they are always
looking for more member benefits to provide, as inexpensively as
possible. It doesn't get more inexpensive than free.

"The same is true for every relevant publication and website, for
each of them to use as bonuses to bring more traffic. "Visit our
site and get a free..."


The Publicity Hound says:

Winthrop, you should be reaching out to bloggers who write about
medical issues. They would love to know about your resources. See
"How to Pitch the Best Bloggers & Create a Publicity Explosion"
at http://tinyurl.com/m7ymr


Read all the responses to this week’s “Help This Hound question
http://tinyurl.com/65dltt


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


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

Publicity Hound Erin Portman of Austin, Texas writes:

"I am a freelancer and have a ton of media contacts. My New
Year's resolution this year was to find a better way to track and
capture information about the media I work with. Excel
spreadsheets are getting old. Also, I should note that I use a
Mac, which may be limiting in some instances.

"I’d be interested to hear about how other Publicity Hounds keep
track of their media contacts."


The Publicity Hound says:

This is a great question because a media contact list is an
important part of any media plan. Hounds with tips for Erin can
post them to my blog at http://tinyurl.com/5vf9pq


Time's a wastin' if you haven't created your media plan for 2009.
Wait until next year and you might miss opportunities to get into
the spring issues of national magazines. My training program "How
to Create a Media Plan" comes with a half-hour of telephone
consulting. Let me critique your media kit, your online press
room or your press releases, or give you creative ideas to work
into the plan. Read more about how to create a plan that keeps
you on track, month by month:
http://www.publicityhound.com/mediaplan.htm


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

"If I have any beliefs about immortality, it is that certain dogs
I have known will go to heaven, and very, very few persons."

--James Thurber


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

Can't sell your house? Bury St. Joseph for an offer & publicity
http://tinyurl.com/6rkm75


How to persuade newspaper editorial boards
http://tinyurl.com/5keakz


How to get Google juice from your LinkedIn profile
http://tinyurl.com/5wxnz9


When radio/TV talk show guests cancel, hosts need fill-ins
http://tinyurl.com/6cfpch



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

WHERE TO SEE AND HEAR THE PUBLICITY HOUND:

Wednesday, Jan. 21--Teleseminar

Join me for the third annual smARTist telesummit where
photographers, jewelers, potters, painters, metalworkers,
woodworkers and other artists will learn all the secrets for
growing their art business. I'm presenting a session on how to
use social networking, from 2 to 2:45 Eastern Time on Wednesday,
Jan. 21. Register for the Virtual Opening Day Reception from 7
to 8 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, Dec. 4. It's a free
teleseminar leading up to the telesummit, in which all the
speakers offer a few of their best tips. Register for Thursday's
free call at http://tinyurl.com/5haqs5 or for the telesummit at
http://tinyurl.com/5axy3x

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/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/Don't Discuss Social Media, Do It July 15, 2008

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #407 July 15, 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.

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

LinkedIn Teleseminars Sold Out:

The two teleseminars on "How to Use LinkedIn to Promote
Anything--Ethically & Powerfully" on Wednesday and Thursday of
this week are sold out.

Even though you cannot attend the live calls, you can still sign
up anyway and I'll send you the MP3 audios within 24 hours after
Thursday's call. I'll send you the edited electronic transcripts
in about two weeks.

Sign up to receive both at
http://www.publicityhound.com/teleseminar/linkedin.htm

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

1. Don't Discuss Social Media, Do It

2. Jesse, the Mic is ALWAYS on

3. Will You be Ready if Oprah Calls?

4. Journalists' Green Fatigue

5. Promoting a Staffing Service

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. And at My Blog...

=======================================
1. Don't Discuss Social Media, Do It
=======================================

Response to the two teleseminars I'm hosting this week on how to
use LinkedIn to promote has been overwhelming.

All 100 seats have been sold and I closed registration this
morning. You can still sign up to receive the MP3 audio and
electronic transcripts, however, at
http://www.publicityhound.com/teleseminar/linkedin.htm

Anybody who has a LinkedIn profile must know how to squeeze every
last drop of networking out of every single connection. Or, as
many people on LinkedIn have sadly discovered, that long list of
names you've collected is...well...nothing more than a long list
of names.

Many of the 100 people who will be on tomorrow's call own a
business or work for PR firms. For them, LinkedIn is a no-
brainer.

Social networking is a much harder sell, however, in large
companies, based on some of these comments I've heard:

"Our boss wants total control over our image."

(Tell the boss there is no such thing as total control over your
image. Just ask Dell computers, Wal-Mart or any other company
that's been skewered by bloggers and in online discussion
groups.)

"We'd rather spend our efforts getting stories in The New York
Times and USA Today."

(Guess where many of those reporters search for sources? On
social networking sites like Facebook and LinkedIn, and at
blogs.)

"We've decided that this isn't where we want to spend our time."

(Too bad. Your clients, vendors, shareholders, competitors and
hundreds of potential customers spend lots of time using social
media and Web 2.0 to connect with their key audiences, often with
great results.)

Popular blogger and internal communications expert Steve
Crescenzo says that two years ago, everybody was talking about
Web 2.0 and social media. Today, the smart companies have
stopped talking about it and they're DOING it.

"I talk to hundreds of communicators every year in my seminars
and consulting work, and go into dozens of companies. And I can
tell you this: The time for big talk and theories about social
media is over," Steve says. "The time to actually use these
tools to dramatically improve how you communicate is now."

Steve is conference organizer for 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 and
it was fabulous--sort of an unstructured, free-flowing day in
which so many tips and ideas were bouncing around that I couldn't
type my notes fast enough.

This year's Social Media Summit will include example after
example of how companies are using podcasts, message boards,
social networking sites, video, widgets and other Web 2.0
applications to get closer to their key audiences. You'll even
get a peek at Web 3.0.

The conference includes one track for internal communications and
a separate track for external and marketing communications.

I'll be there and I hope you'll be, too.

I worked out a special arrangement with Ragan. Publicity Hounds
save $100 on the price of registration, plus an additional $100
if you register by Friday using this special link:
http://www.ragan.com/publicityhound

See you in Chicago!


=======================================
2. Jesse, the Mic is ALWAYS on
=======================================

How could the Rev. Jesse Jackson, a master at playing the media
like a fiddle, not know the mic was on last week when he made
that repulsive comment about castrating Barack Obama?

One of the very first things you learn in Media Training 101 is
that if you're mic'd, always assume it's on and never say
anything you wouldn't say off the air.

I heard at least two radio talk show hosts say they're convinced
that Jackson knew darn well the mic was on and that his comments
would be picked up and aired.

How about it, Hounds? Did Jackson know the mic was on? Post
your comment to my blog at http://tinyurl.com/6fo7ff


=======================================
3. Will You be Ready if Oprah Calls?
=======================================

If Oprah called this afternoon, or Larry King, or the "Today"
Show, and wanted to book you for an appearance later this week,
would you be scurrying around at the last minute trying to find a
media trainer?

What about that New York Times reporter you've been pitching for
two years? If he called to interview you tomorrow, would you be
ready?

If Oprah called, would you be practicing your sound bites between
making travel arrangements to Chicago and shopping for something
to wear on the big day?

Here's a quick tip from Jess Todtfeld, president of Media
Training Worldwide, who worked as a producer on "FOX & Friends"
for seven years:

One way to craft great sound bites is to use rhetorical
questions. Reporters like rhetorical questions because they
break up the structure of their stories. And during broadcast
interviews, they make viewers really think.

Examples:

"Are you better off today than you were four years ago?"

"Are we going to face a possible bankruptcy next year?"

"Why has the governor betrayed the faith of the voters?"

The one thing all of these questions have in common, Jess says,
is that they aren't real questions. They aren't expressions
uttered by someone seeking new information. They're rhetorical
questions, meaning they're simply a way of making a point in the
form of asking a question. The question doesn't have to be
answered in order for the point to be made.

Jess knows at least a dozen other ways to create compelling sound
bites. He'll arm you with all of them and give you valuable on-
camera experience and a critique during PR Leads' daylong media
training on Friday, Aug. 1, in New York City. This session is
perfect for speakers attending the National Speakers Association
convention that weekend in New York and for anybody else who will
be in the area.

I spoke at an event with Jess two years ago and I watched him
work his on-stage magic with members of the audience. This
promises to be a fun, information-packed session with practical
experience in front of a camera. But only 20 people can attend.

Sign up for "Media Training for Experts and Authorities
Workshop--From Sound Bites to Messages That Make The Media Take
Notice" at http://www.mediatrainingforexperts.com/publicityhound/


P. S. Dan Janal, president of PR Leads, the sponsoring company,
is attending the media training as a student. He's publishing a
book soon on how to negotiate, and he says he needs to learn
sound bites for his many upcoming media interviews.


=====================================
4. Journalists' Green Fatigue
=====================================

When Bulldog Reporter invited me to be a guest panelist on the
July 24 teleseminar designed to help Publicity Hounds create news
when there is no news, I jumped at the chance.

I wrote three pages of notes and reviewed them yesterday with the
three other guest experts who will be on the panel with me.
During the call, I learned something fascinating.

Always-cynical journalists are becoming increasingly suspicious
of story ideas tied to the green movement. That could be because
PR people are bombarding the media with them.

"Everybody wants to be the next Al Gore," said one panelist, a
corporate PR person who says she's been meeting increasing
resistance from journalists when pitching green stories.

If you're pitching them, too, you'd better know what you're
talking about, have facts to back up your claim, and make the
angle unusual enough.

We'll discuss this topic in more depth next week. We'll also
explain how to get into the news, front and center, when there's
absolutely nothing happening at your business that's remotely
exciting.

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.

Sign up for "Evergreen Magic for PR: Media Masters Show How to
Make News When There's No News" at
http://www.kickstartcart.com/app/?Clk=2488570


========================================
5. Promoting an Admin Staffing Service
========================================

This week, three Publicity Hound have tips on how Michelle Suter
of Frisco, Texas can promote her HR company, Administaff, a
professional employer organization that serves as a full-time
human resources department for small and medium-sized businesses.


From Meryl K. Evans:

"Sign up for a NeighborsGo.com account, if you haven't already
and post events, blog entries, and stories on it. If they find
your story compelling, they will publish it in the Dallas Morning
News local edition. Plus, you reach other people from the DFW
area."


From Stephanie of JJ Keller:

"Our company has a great number of HR products and our biggest
success have come via the SHRM Annual Conference as well as the
state/local chapter conferences that are held annually throughout
the company. Perhaps attending some of these smaller events will
allow you to localize your message in different areas. It's less
overwhelming than the large SHRM show and you're reaching
organizations more within your target (7-50 employees) because
these organizations can afford to travel to conferences within
their state versus halfway across the country."


From The Publicity Hound:

Outsourcing is a hot topic these days. So pitch different angles
to different business reporters in your area. Because of the bad
economy, companies are laying off full-time employees and
outsourcing their work. What trends are you noticing among your
clients? What kinds of tasks are most frequently outsourced?
What about unusual tasks that many companies feel should remain
in-house? Can you do those, too? Be ready to talk about
problems your company has experienced and how you have overcome
them.

"How to Use Business Journals to Tell Your Story," a recording of
a teleseminar I hosted with Paul Furiga, former editor of the
Pittsburgh Business Times, is packed with ideas on how to form
strong relationships with business reporters who need the kind of
news you can offer. 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 get your news into prestigious business
journals at http://tinyurl.com/q4rf7.


Read all the responses to this week's "Help This Hound" question
at http://tinyurl.com/6jb7z5


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


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

Marcus Simmons, president of the Motown Automotive Professionals,
asks:

"I want to broaden my presence in the digital world and need to
enroll in various online courses.

"Since I'm blind, I can't write down the characters in the image
on the registration page, because my screen-reader can't decipher
images. Do your Hounds have any suggestions around this
problem?"


The Publicity Hound says: This is a tough one. I remember
reading something about this several months ago but I can't
remember the solution. Hounds, any ideas for Marcus? If so,
post them to my blog at http://tinyurl.com/62trrn


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

Why it's great to be a dog:

1. No one expects you to take a bath every day.

2. If it itches, you can scratch it.

3. There's no such thing as bad food.

4. A rawhide bone can entertain you for hours.

5. You can lie around all day without worrying about being fired.

6. You don't get in trouble for putting your head in a stranger's
lap.

7. You're always excited to see the same people.

8. Having big feet is considered an asset.

9. Puppy love can last!


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

Social networking tips and success stories
http://tinyurl.com/596qr9


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/Think Christmas in June June 24 , 2008

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #404 June 24, 2008
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)
The Publicity Hound®

Circulation: 47,857

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

"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.

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

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

1. Think Christmas in June

2. A Big Payoff of Social Networking

3. What You Can Learn from a Dog's Obituary

4. Get 'em to Mention Your URL

5. Promoting Books on Christmas, Cooking

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Quote of the Week

8. And at My Blog...


=====================================
1. Think Christmas in June
=====================================

Now is the time to start pitching if you're hoping to convince journalists to feature your consumer product or service in holiday gift guides.

Gift guides appear in many forms:

- -As special sections in newspapers, like holiday gift guides printed by USA Today and the Wall Street Journal.

- -As special holiday features in magazines like Redbook, Allure, Wired, Stereophile, Fast Company, Organic Gardening, Cooking Light, Shape, Atlanta Magazine, Cottage Living and Elite Traveler.

- -As special segments on TV such as Oprah's "Favorite Things" show each year in which she lists her favorite holiday gifts.

- -As special radio promotions.

- -As columns, reviews or special holiday features in online magazines.

- -Even bloggers feature their favorite things to give as holiday gifts.

If your consumer product or service would make the perfect gift, getting a placement in some of these media is easy--but only if you know where to look, whom to pitch, when to contact them, and if they want photos.

The Gift List can make your job easy. Its staff contacts the top 250 daily 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.

It doesn't bother with media outlets that won't mention products by name or those with circulations under 25,000. Broadcast outlets must reach a national or significant regional audience.

Already, The Gift List has compiled a whopping 400 leads for this year's features. You can buy a subscription to either The Gift List for Holiday 2008 Print & Broadcast, or The Gift List for Holiday 2008 Web & Blog, or both.

What if "Oprah" or USA Today changes its feature focus the week before a deadline? Not to worry. The Gift List will notify subscribers who sign up for their ezine and email alerts. You won't miss a beat. And you'll be miles ahead of the competition.

Take a test drive today at http://tinyurl.com/9es8y


=====================================
2. A Big Payoff of Social Networking
=====================================

When the media are searching for interview subjects, or guests for a TV show, they often search profiles of people who participate at social networking sites.

That's how producers for a TV series found Publicity Hound Dorothy Neddermeyer of Phoenix, Arizona. She's a board-certified regression therapist who will be featured in the series "Psychic Kids: Children of the Paranormal" that's being aired right now on the A&E channel.

"My role in the documentary was doing a past life regression with an 8-year-old boy who had memories of his life in Egypt," she said. "The regression was revealing, and I was amazed at the outcome."

The production company, Four Seasons International, chronicles the lives and experiences of kids with psychic abilities.

The producers found her on Ziggs, a social networking site at http://www.Ziggs.com that is devoted to "organizing and connecting people in a professional way." You can join groups and make contacts through your Ziggs account to increase your company's presence online and further your own personal career.

"It shocked me because I had only recently added my profile there," Dorothy said. "It was just my lucky day. Of course, I don't believe in luck. I, no doubt, was prompted to start posting on social networking sites."

Internet marketing expert Don Crowther says everyone should have a presence on seven social media sites. If you're pitching only traditional media, you're missing a huge opportunity to use online tools like social networking sites to promote. Learn about the seven 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. What You Can Learn from a Dog's Obituary ===========================================

When Publicity Hound Michelle Tennant emailed me last week to let me know that her beloved pet, Lex, a strawberry blonde Siberian husky, had died, the obituary she wrote for him made me smile.

While reading it, I couldn't help but think that Lex's obituary is more interesting than the personal bios of many humans I know. As you read what Michelle wrote, notice the fun little details-- something that's sorely missing from so many human bios.

"Lexington (Lex) passed yesterday at 3:50 p.m. Eastern at our vet's with my husband Shannon and myself at his side holding his paws. He was the most gentle, loving dog one could know and love. He had complications from a lung condition, pancreatitis and diabetes. He is survived by Lou Lou, the black and white husky in the photos attached.

"In 1998, I rescued Lex from a Cincinnati kill shelter when he was six months and he's lived a fabulous, adventurous life traveling throughout Ohio, West Virginia and the Smoky Mountains (and other great places whitewater rivers run).

"His life's work: children.

"He attended children's birthday parties with me while I was living in Cincinnati and working on the weekends as a children's entertainer. He was my 'pirate' sidekick teaching children manners at the dinner table because he knew how to 'wait' until others were served before eating. (He would even WAIT with a small White Castle hamburger placed on his paw. Now that's a good dog.)

"He earned his 'good canine citizen award' in 1999. (This is like a Ph.D for dogs!)

"His favorite past-time--chewing/catching tennis balls, digging holes, and cooling off in a baby pool.

"Please have a moment of reflection today to celebrate this very special soul. And then hug a pet or person you love and remind everyone wanting a pet to adopt from shelters first. They are so appreciative of second chances."

We can learn two things from this:

- -Use details, details and more details.

- -Writing about the relationship with our pets in our professional bios can teach readers more about us than a monotonous list of academic degrees and other trivia we think are important.

Some of you might argue that details about your pets don't belong in a professional profile or bio. What do you think? Would you consider including information about your pet in your bio? If so, tell us something about your pet that lets us know more about you. Or link to a bio at your website that has information about your pet.

Post your comments at my blog at http://tinyurl.com/5b2nlu

"Special Report #46: Tips for Rewriting Your Boring Bio," gives you lots of examples of fun, compelling, witty bios and tips on how rework your bio--or start from scratch. Only $10. Order at http://www.publicityhound.com/publicity-products/reports.html


=====================================
4. Get 'em to Mention Your URL
=====================================

A common frustration with media interviews results when the reporter, for whatever reason, never mentions your website.

Here's a way to solve that problem.

The next time somebody interviews you, and the reporter asks for the name of your company, use your website URL, not the actual company name.

Instead of me being the owner of "The Publicity Hound," my company is simply PublicityHound.com.

That little trick won't work every time, but it should work with telephone interviews, and especially when the reporter is rushed.

OK, but what happens if you can't even persuade reporters to call? You pitch a story and it goes nowhere. Then what?

Have you followed up your pitch at least seven times?

If you haven't, no wonder they're not calling you. Don't believe journalists when they tell you they hate follow-ups. They hate LOUSY follow-ups.

Jill Lublin, author of "Guerrilla Publicity," says following up your pitches is critical to catching the attention of hassled reporters and editors who sometimes let things fall through the cracks. I interviewed her about "Failproof Ways to Follow Up with Reporters."

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. Start following up today and getting the media stories you deserve by going to http://tinyurl.com/bmyn7


========================================
5. Promoting Books on Christmas, Cooking
========================================

This week, 10 Publicity Hounds have tips on how Tracy Arceo of Pelican Publishing of Gretna, LA can generate interest in two separate series of books on Christmas and Southern cooking.


From Julia Hillegass:

"It shouldn't be difficult to promote these great southern cities. Try doing a tasting event with area restaurants creating the recipes for people to nosh on--like a progressive cocktail party in a ballroom or at a major landmark in that town. You could create the great southern Taste Series of events: "A Taste of Charleston," "A Taste of New Orleans" perhaps in Jackson Square or the French Market, "A Taste of Savannah" maybe at Forsyth Park. Price of admission could be donated to your local food bank, so party goers get to do good too."


From Rachelle Matherne:

"Numerous discussion groups online trade free recipes. Upload a recipe from the book to these sites and include the source information. Video of the author reading from the kids' book is always fun, and can include some of the illustrations as well."


From Stacey Kannenberg:

"Find regional 'all Christmas' stores and coordinate with them to be involved in a Christmas in July Party. I did a Google search and found a few of these stores: Traditions Year-Round Holiday Store in Canoga Park, CA and Kristmas Kringle Shoppe in Fond du Lac, WI.

"Since the recipes are classics, see if you can partner with Rachael Ray, the Food Network, Martha Stewart, or online places like Recipes.com to share some of the local flavor behind these classic recipes."


The Publicity Hound says:

I know I sound like a broken record. But reach out to bloggers. Those who write about children and parenting issues might want to hear about the Christmas books. Bloggers who write about food might appreciate some recipes and tips about southern cooking. "How to Pitch the Best Bloggers & Create a Publicity Explosion" shows you how to find the bloggers who need what you have, and convince them to write about you.

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 start pitching them at http://publicityhound.net/cdpitchbestbloggers/


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

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


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

Patricia "Trish" Gallagher of Worcester, Pa. Writes:

"My husband, John, and I are doing a print on demand book and need help to publicize it and book paid speaking engagements.

"The book is 'Don't Jump! Out of the Shadows about Depression and Suicide.' It's about how John tried to commit suicide by jumping from a building onto a cement slab. The attempt failed, and he was seriously injured.

"For nine years, he stood behind a wall of silence, hiding the truth of his resulting injuries, and sabotaging his relationships. In January this year, after reading about a teenage boy who tried suicide but was unsuccessful, John knew it was time to end the silence.

"His message will help anyone who is personally dealing with a crisis or tragedy, and will inspire caregivers, people struggling with addictions, and anyone who wants to learn how to help others during times of despair.

"We have a possible 700 Club interview, a local NPR affiliate interview, and we did a Philadelphia Inquirer story you can read at http://tinyurl.com/3vfcd2 No luck with any paid speaking or major interviews that have helped with expenses. So we're putting out the white flag."


The Publicity Hound says:

Unless I'm missing something, Patricia, I don't see a website or even a single page at your site at http://www.teamofangels.com devoted solely to the book. I even Googled the title and couldn't find anything. That could be the main reason why the book isn't selling as well as you had hoped.

Let's see what other ideas my Hounds have on how to promote the book and get speaking engagements. Hounds with tips for Patricia can post them to my blog at http://tinyurl.com/44vt26

Authors who are frustrated by their own books' slow sales can check out "Special Report #40: 42 Publicity Tips for Authors and Small Publishers" and get back on track quickly. See http://www.publicityhound.com/publicity-products/reports.html


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

Thanks to Publicity Hound Kerry Hargraves of Oakland, California, for this one:


"Little Harold was practicing the violin in the living room while his father was trying to read in the den.

"The family dog was lying in the den, and as the screeching sounds of little Harold's violin reached his ears, he began to howl loudly. The father listened to the dog and the violin as long as he could. Then he jumped up, slammed his paper to the floor and yelled above the noise, "For Pete's sake, can't you play something the dog doesn't know?"


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

If a journalist uses humor in a query, use it in your pitch
http://tinyurl.com/3eme9u


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/Why Most Authors Fail April 15, 2008

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week Issue
#394 April 15, 2008
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)
The Publicity Hound®

Circulation: 44,401

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

"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.

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

Attention Wisconsin Hounds:

Meet me next week, April 22, at my day-long workshop in Shorewood (Milwaukee). In the morning, learn about online and offline publicity and video. In the afternoon, learn how to write and post direct-to-consumer press releases. We're almost filled to capacity, so sign up today before you're closed out: http://www.publicityhound.com/teleseminar.htm

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

1. Why Most Authors Fail

2. Don't Make the Video Mistake I Made

3. Connect with Top-Tier Journalists

4. Answers to Your Craigslist Questions

5. Promoting a Gift Service for Kids

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Quote of the Week

8. At My Blog...


===================================
1. Why Most Authors Fail
===================================

Yes, I said most. As in more than 90 percent.

Some weeks, based on the calls I receive from frustrated authors who can't sell their books, I conclude that 9 out of 10 of the authors who wrote the more than 170,000 titles last year should never have written their books in the first place.

When the phone rings and it's a desperate author begging for advice on how to generate free publicity, the first question I ask is, "Who's your target audience?"

Silence.

"That's what I'm hoping you'll help me decide," the authors sometimes reply.

By then, it's way too late. I've spoken with authors who have spent up to five years of their lives writing, editing and publishing their books. Some have applied for bank loans. Others have sold books, but they can barely cover the cost of self-publishing.

Sadly, most authors' success doesn't come anywhere close to their fantasies of selling thousands of books and attracting a huge following.

It kills me to see authors make dumb mistakes, and then struggle to move piles of books nobody wants to read.

Other authors, like the creators of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series and Rich Dad Poor Dad, 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 those wildly successful authors know that poor authors don't, sign up for a free 75-minute telephone seminar this Thursday, April 17, at your choice of two times: either 2 p.m. Eastern or 7 p.m. Eastern. It will be hosted by Steve Harrison, who will explain the seven key differences between r^ch authors and poor authors and why they aren't obvious things like getting publicity or having a good title, although those things are important.

You'll also learn how the top 0.1 percent of authors overcome the many problems and frequent obstacles of the bookstore distribution system, and the "unfair advantage" r^ch authors use to win the publishing game which 99.9 percent of the other authors don't know anything about.

There's no cost to participate on the call (except for your normal long distance charges). So if you're writing your next nonfiction book, or planning to write one, don't miss this call. Go to http://publicityhound.net/RichAuthorSecrets to learn how to participate.


=========================================
2. Don't Make the Video Mistake I Made
=========================================

Speaking of dumb mistakes, here's one of mine.

When I wanted to start creating video, I foolishly bought an Aiptek HD camcorder, thinking the quality would be far superior to much simpler-to-use cameras.

For five days, I struggled.

The instruction manual has print so small that I held a magnifying glass in one hand trying to read the directions, and the camera in the other, trying to fiddle with the controls. Not only that, but the joystick on the back of the camcorder was difficult to move up and down and back and forth.

Three days later, when I finally figured out how to record, I watched my first video on my computer screen. But I could barely hear the audio and I couldn't figure out what I did wrong.

Then I met Mike Stewart, who told me one of the biggest mistakes people make when entering the world of video is buying equipment with too many bells and whistles, and then spending days like I did figuring out how to use it.

That's valuable time that can be spent cranking out videos and posting them to a website or video blog to pull in tons of traffic. Google, it's worth remembering, bought YouTube for $1.65 billion--proof that the granddaddy of search engines gives high priority to video and will reward you handsomely if you use it.

Mike recommends two brands of camcorders. One is the Flip Video. I immediately went to Best Buy to exchange the Aiptek for a Flip. I had it out of the box, on the tripod and recording in less than half an hour, by myself! He then showed me how to use a video editing software program that's so easy and cool, I felt like a big-shot Hollywood producer.

I'm hosting a free teleseminar with Mike from 3 to 4 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, April 17, for the first 300 Publicity Hounds who sign up. As of this morning, I only had 26 seats remaining, and it will certainly be filled to capacity before long. Mike will teach you how to create videos for YouTube, for one-page sales letters, and for your own video blog or website.

Learn how to participate in "How to Create Videos for Your Website to Pull Traffic, Impress Visitors, Make the Phone Ring and Close the Sale" at http://www.PublicityHound.com/mikestewartvideo.htm


=========================================
3. Connect with Top-Tier Journalists
=========================================

Here are three more reasons why I'm wild about Publicity Hounds getting a subscription to Expertclick: The Online Yearbook of Experts. Speakers and authors, pay attention.

- -Mitch Davis of Expertclick is speaking at the International Association of Speaker Bureaus' annual convention in Chicago on April 24. Many Expertclick clients are speakers and authors who greatly benefit from his networking. He's giving away copies of the Yearbook of Experts to help his clients promote themselves to speakers bureaus.

- -Mitch rubs elbows with more top-tier journalists and broadcasters than almost anybody I know. Over the weekend, he passed out yearbooks at the 37th Annual American Society of Journalists, Authors and Writers Conference in New York. He's also passing them out at Talkers Magazine's 11th Annual New Media Seminar, and at the Society of Professional Journalists National Convention.

- -When Mitch attends a trade show or convention, he invites Expertclick clients to a client appreciation networking program. He also invites local journalists, who have a table full of sources right at their fingertips. He'll be hosting these events April 25 in Chicago at the International Association of Speakers Bureau event, the National Association of Government Communicators event April 28 in Albuquerque, the National Speakers Association's branding lab on May 2 in Boston, NSA's Speakers Academy May 9 in Atlanta, and the giant Book Expo May 29 in Los Angeles.

I'm an Expertclick subscriber, and several journalists have called me for stories or commentary after searching the Expertclick database. Tell Expertclick you're a Publicity Hound reader and they'll knock $100 off your subscription price. Learn more about this great service at http://PublicityHound.net/expertclick


========================================
4. Answers to Your Craigslist Questions
========================================

I'm still amazed at the number of people who don't use Craigslist as part of their publicity campaigns.

I don't care what you're selling. You should be posting regularly to the Craigslist nearest to where you live, even if you're in Podunk Junction.

In a question-and-answer feature about Craigslist in The New York Times last year, Jim Buckmaster, the CEO of Craigslist, said postings on the smaller Craigslists can be just as valuable as postings on lists for big cities like New York City, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

"Surprisingly, postings to smaller markets like Des Moines often get more page views than ones in large cities where there are more postings competing for attention," he said.

You can read the entire feature at
http://publicityhound.net/craigslistquestions

But before you start posting, take advantage of the dozens of tips that Nancy Mills shares on how to make the most of this worldwide bulletin board. She was my guest during a teleseminar on "How to Use Craigslist as a Global Publicity Tool" and passed along fabulous tips on how to save time, pull Craigslist visitors to your website and make this service one of your most powerful publicity tools.

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/cdcraigslist


============================================
5. Promoting a Gift Service for Kids
============================================

This week, 10 Publicity Hounds have tips on how Steve Mock of Henderson, Nevada can promote his company, Giftventure, that gives children a personalized week-long treasure hunt.


From Susan Gingerich:

"Where are kids found? At the library during story hour, at the playground, and kids events. Work with promoters of these venues to stage a hidden treasure that is found with, none other than, your clues.

"Most activities sponsored by parks and recreation centers and libraries and have media coverage. You can tag onto their press as a sponsor and pass information onto parents at the events in a secret letter for parents."


From John Easton:

"I would consider running a contest for a video of the most entertaining reaction to your product. Have your customers upload videos to one of the online services (YouTube, Blip.tv, Revver, or other) and select the best one. I am partial to Brightcove and Splashcast which allow your customers to upload videos to your account directly (Brightcove enables you to filter the videos) and display the uploaded videos in a multi-channel player.

"I am willing to bet you would get some submissions that would rival America's Funniest Home Videos, and these could spread the word about you like wild fire."


From Carol White:

"Contact all the major sites where moms and grandparents hang out and offer a story about gift giving, a contest, etc. Here are a few ideas: MomsMinivan.com, Eons.com, Grandparents.com, 2young2retire.com, Boomerwomenspeak.com. At each site, look at their list of links for more ideas of sites to contact."


The Publicity Hound says:

Steve, your service is perfect for the many gift guides published by newspapers and magazines. The Gift List sells a database that tells you exactly which media are planning special sections and other features highlighting gifts. For example, gift guides in parents magazines would be a perfect place to pitch a story about your business. Learn more about the Gift List at http://publicityhound.net/giftlist


Read all the responses to this week's Help This Hound question at http://publicityhound.net/giftventure


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


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

Alex Foo of Christmas Island, Australia writes:

"I resigned from a prestigious job three years ago when I discovered that I could help people start Speaking Chinese in 58 minutes with no pen, no paper.

"My dream is to help 957,000 people around the world start speaking some basic Chinese before the Beijing Olympic Games held in August this year. Equally important, a portion of the proceeds from my DVDs and Cds will go to help 6 million men, women and children help themselves so that they no longer have to worry where the next meal is going to come from.

"What's the best way for me to spread the word about what I'm doing? My website is at http://www.ChinaSpeak.com.au (turn down your speakers)."


The Publicity Hound says:

Alex, the Beijing Olympics are the perfect tie-in! Let's see what specific ideas or pitching angles my Hounds can suggest. Hounds with tips for Alex can post them to my blog at http://publicityhound.net/speakchinese

Here's my idea. How about trying to get onto one of the many shows on National Public Radio that deal with topics like travel and culture, and give listeners a few basic lessons on how to speak Chinese quickly? I visited your website and saw from one of your videos that your mom teaches Chinese and your dad does Chinese calligraphy. I'm sure you have some great stories to share with NPR audiences. See "How to Get Booked on National Public Radio" at http://PublicityHound.net/cdnpr for helpful tips on how to get onto the shows, give great interviews and be invited back.


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

Alert Publicity Hounds emailed me after they read last week's item here about Loews Hotels' "learning vacations" for four- legged hounds and asked about the other two services that I read about in Midwest Airlines' inflight magazine. Here they are:

- -At Su'ruff Camp at Lowes Coronado Bay Resort, about 45 minutes from Tampa, Florida, dogs get surfing lessons with Coronado Surfing Academy at Coronado's Dog Beach.

- -At Outward Hound at Loews Denver Hotel--which features a two- hour on-and-off leash guided hike with a personal trainer--dogs get fresh-baked healthy treats, limo pick-up and drop-off, and a personalized Web photo gallery documenting their adventure.


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

National mag wants Wisconsin expert in small biz retailing http://publicityhound.net/smallbizretailing


How to promote your 'best of' honor for more publicity
http://publicityhound.net/bestofhonor


American Airlines' canceled flights a publicity op
http://publicityhound.net/canceledflights


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

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. Only 26 seats left as of today so register now: 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/The Worst TV Talk Show Guest Ever April 1, 2008

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #392 April 1, 2008
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)
The Publicity Hound®

Circulation: 44,041

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

"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.

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

Hiring a VA or a Summer Intern?

Smart PR agencies and publicists are interviewing right now for summer interns to help with clients' publicity campaigns. These assistants can do everything from writing press releases and updating press kits to doing online research and tracking down bloggers.

If you're hiring an intern or a virtual assistant to help with any aspect of publicity, don't spend weeks training them before they start producing results. Let me train them for you.

"How to Help Your Boss or Client with a Publicity Campaign" is a graduate-level course for assistants, virtual assistants and interns. It gives them dozens of tools and resources that many professional PR people don't know about. And it walks them step-by-step through more complicated tasks that most people would never think of turning over to an assistant. Things like article writing and search engine optimization.

Read more about what I can teach your assistant at http://www.publicityhound.com/PHU_AssistantsCourse.htm

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

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

1. The Worst TV Talk Show Guest Ever

2. When 'Oprah' Features Your Competitor

3. Book Waiver Forms

4. 'The Office' Returns

5. Promoting Garage Sale Signs

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Quote of the Week

8. At My Blog...

===================================
1. The Worst TV Talk Show Guest Ever
===================================

When Madonna appeared on "The Late Show with David Letterman" on March 31, 1994, her coarse language made the episode the most censored in American network television talk-show history.

It also resulted in some of the highest ratings of Letterman's late-night career.

Three year's later, when Farrah Fawcett appeared on Letterman's show, either drunk or stoned or both, Letterman made the most of the interview, interjecting comments like "time to get into a 12-step program" into the conversation, without her even realizing he was making fun of her.

Then there's Adam Green, a singer/songwriter and member of the now-defunct band Moldy Peaches, who appeared on "Total tv," a late-night German TV talk show, recently.

After host Stefan Raab introduced him, Green sauntered onto the stage, beer bottle in hand, then jumped onto the couch next to Raab's desk and almost landed on his head. Swigging from the bottle periodically, he gave one of the oddest interviews I've ever seen.

At one point, he joked about serving in Iraq. He sat on the host's lap and kissed him. Then he threw the beer bottle at a member of the production crew. He missed, and the bottle shattered on stage. Green ranks right up there as one of the worst TV talk show guests ever.

Judge for yourself by watching the video: http://youtube.com/watch?v=XfBIz-NyQFY

Celebrity guests can often get away with disobeying one of the commandments that no other guest can break on a TV talk show: Never, ever embarrass the host.

Embarrassing the host also means:

- -Holding up your book on camera and pitching it

- -Hogging the spotlight and not letting the host control the conversation

- -Continuing to talk when it's time for a commercial break

If you're trying to get onto TV talk shows, know what's expected of you before, during and after the show. Know the 6 traits every talk show host is looking for. Know how to avoid the "freeze and squeeze" mistake that can make you sound like you're 10 years old. And the nine other commandments you must follow during taped interviews.

TV personality Connie Dieken explained them all during an interview she did with me. 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 be a TV Talk Show Host's Dream Date" at http://publicityhound.net/cdtvtalkshowdreamdate


=========================================
2. When 'Oprah' Features Your Competitor
=========================================

If you're dying to get onto "Oprah," one of the worst things that can happen to you is having Oprah pass you over in favor of one of your competitors.

Unless you're Santosh Krinskey of Lotus Brands, a company in Twin Lakes, Wisconsin that sells neti pots. A neti pot is a miniature watering can that resembles an Aladdin's lamp. People like me, who are susceptible to sinus infections, use neti pots regularly to keep sinus passages clean.

Fill the pot with a homemade mixture of salt water. Hang your head over a sink. Shove the pot's long spout up one nostril. Turn your head to one side and let the water flow through your sinus cavity and drip out the other nostril. It sounds gross and uncomfortable, but it works.

Last April, Santosh didn't see the "Oprah" segment on nasal irrigation, in which she featured a neti pot from one of his competitors. But within hours after the show was broadcast, he was deluged with orders.

He air-freighted 300,000 pots immediately. Two months later, he started ordering 220,000 pots a month for the rest of the year from his Chinese supplier.

But it didn't end there. The neti pot show was aired again in November and December last year, resulting in another tidal wave of sales. Santosh estimates he sold 750,000 neti pots as a result or his competitor's publicity.

That's probably because many people still aren't familiar with neti pots. So when they saw the Oprah segment, they didn't go shopping for a particular brand.

If your competitor ends up on "Oprah" and is hawking a certain book or another product that appears, you probably won't be as lucky as Santosh. Susan Harrow shows you how to tilt the odds of being on the show in your favor. My interview with her called "How to Get Booked on Oprah" includes advice on how to tap into Oprah's hot-button topics. Susan explains what producers are listening for when they hear your pitch and the little "extras" that will make Oprah's producers more interested in you.

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 what you'll learn at http://publicityhound.net/cdoprah


======================================
3. Book Waiver Forms
======================================

If an author asks to interview you and write about your business for a new book, don't be a pain in the neck.

Give a great interview. When the author sends you a waiver form that explains who gets rights to the information and how the publisher can use it, read it. Unless there's a major problem with what the publisher wants, sign the form without a lot of fanfare or complaining.

Some people raise such a huge stink over these forms that the "negotiations" last for weeks. The interview subject assumes the role of editor and even asks for a rewrite. In some cases, the deadline lapses, and the frustrated author is forced to leave the complainer out of the book.

Publicity Hound Shelley Hunter, who helped research and write the new book "The Million-Dollar Idea in Everyone" by Mike Collins, tipped me off to this problem. Wiley published the book, but it was her job to obtain the author waiver forms from business people mentioned in it.

"While most professionals faxed back signed waivers immediately with a note of thanks, a few made the process very difficult--asking for changes to the standard waiver, insisting on seeing the completed manuscript before signature, withholding permission unless we'd change non-essential words, and so forth.

"Some delayed so long that we had no choice but to scramble and replace their stories. One woman even withdrew permission because she didn't want to contribute to a book authored by a man (I'm not kidding!)"

Ironically, Shelley says, the people who created the most fuss were those whose businesses are relatively new. The more experienced entrepreneurs returned their waivers without issue.

Getting into books is part of building a publicity platform. The more books you're in, the more TV and radio shows you're on, the more newspapers and magazines you're in, the bigger your platform. And the bigger your platform, the greater the chance that a major publishing house will publish your book. But don't even think of seeking a publisher unless you already have a huge platform.

"How to Create a Publicity Platform That Leads to a Six-Figure Book Advance" walks you step-by-step through the process of building platform so you have an edge over the thousands of other authors who are courting publishers.

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/cdbookadvance


====================================
4. 'The Office' Returns
====================================

Attention product placement watchers.

NBC's hit series "The Office" returns at 9 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, April 10.

The show is known for, among other things, its liberal use of branded products on the set. Some companies--like Staples, Sandals Resorts, Hewlett-Packard, Gateway and Cisco, for instance--pay big bucks to get their brands in front of viewers.

If you have a consumer product that you want to get onto a popular TV show or onto the set of a movie, you don't necessarily have to negotiate expensive product placement agreements like those companies have. Often, production coordinators will accept all kinds of products, from bottled water to artsy jewelry, and place them on the set for free.

Amy Bates Stumpf and Rebecca Lightsey, both experts at product placement, explained during an interview I conducted with them "How to Get Your Consumer Products onto the Sets of Movies & TV Shows" that the hard part is getting through to the right person.

They explained how the magic of technology can place your product onto sitcoms that have been in syndication for several years, how to build relationships with set designers, the types of products that are most in demand on the sets of TV shows and movies, and how to track down and pitch the correct people who have the power to get your products on the screen.

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 what you'll learn at http://publicityhound.net/cdproductplacement


========================================
5. Promoting Garage Sale Signs
========================================

This week, 10 Publicity Hounds have tips on how Nycole Pederson of Eden Prairie, Minnesota can promote her company's chic, funky, sassy garage/yard sale signs.


From Lisa Romeo:

"Find all the mom/parent bloggers in a group of targeted cities/suburban regions, as well as those whose topics touch on real estate, moving, home renovation, etc. and give away signs to those folks."


From Julie Parvis:

"Have you considered placing a classified ad on eBay? There are several categories that accept ads where you might fit in. Under specialty services, there are sub-categories such as printing & personalization, artistic services or graphic & logo design.

"Or under business & industrial, there's a sub-category called office printing & shipping. There are ads there for banners, etc. Look through the ads and see where you think you might fit. Not all categories are allowing classified ads yet."


From Kathleen Lisson:

"I suggest holding an online contest to select a design for your newest garage sale sign. Have contestants submit digital photos of their signs and post the finalists on your site with a readers’ poll that will determine the winner.

"Send details of the contest to garage sale/home organization/life coach bloggers and also send localized releases to the media markets of each of your finalists, complete with a digital picture of the local finalist’s sign.

"I watch a show on cable called Clean House. It’s all about garage sales and home organization. Could you donate a few signs to their efforts?"


The Publicity Hound says:

How about creating short videos that show you creating the signs, and posting them to video-sharing sites like YouTube? The search engines give high ranking to videos, and they'll pull traffic into your website. Start creating videos today, with help from the 2-CD set "How to Make a Fortune using Video, Even if You Don't Have a Computer." Learn more at http://tinyurl.com/y3b6wj


Read all the responses at http://publicityhound.net/helpthishound/garagesalesigns


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


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

Natasha Henry of Laurel, Maryland writes:

"I'm a communications writer for a federal credit union in Maryland. Earlier this year, we launched a year-long savings campaign in which members who make monthly deposits into their accounts get a chance to win several thousand dollars in cash prizes through monthly and quarterly drawings. When members continue making deposits every month, they have a chance to win a $20,000 cash prize in December of this year.

"I'm interested in learning what type of affordable publicity ideas your Hounds would have for a campaign of this type. I'd like to present some low-cost promotional ideas and pitches to see if any of them can be done.

"Our level of media coverage is typically within local newspapers, national trade journals and local TV news station coverage. However, we have been mentioned in one national paper to my knowledge, which was the Wall Street Journal, on the topic of employee wellness programs. "

The Publicity Hound says:

Tying children into your campaign--specifically, how to teach children to save money, would be one angle. Let's see how many more ideas my Hounds can come up with. Hounds with great ideas for Natasha can post them to my blog at http://publicityhound.net/blogcreditunion


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

Cat's motto:

No matter what you've done wrong, always try to make it look like the cat did 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...
=================================

Publicity plan should target blogs and ezines
http://publicityhound.net/blogezines


Promote your expertise with these five tips http://publicityhound.net/blogpromoteyourexpertise


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

Where to See or Hear The Publicity Hound


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/What? No Media Plan? Dec 5, 2007

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #375 Dec. 5, 2007
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.com/
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)
The Publicity Hound®

Circulation: 36,778

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

"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 Dates:


December 13: Product Placement Teleseminar

If you sell a consumer product, from something as simple as bottled water to something as lavish as diamond-studded jewelry--don't miss the one-hour telephone seminar I'm conducting at 3 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, December 13, with product placement experts Amy Bates Stumpf and Rebecca Lightsey.They'll share all the secrets of how to get your consumer product onto the sets of TV shows and movies. Register for the teleseminar at http://www.PublicityHound.com/teleseminar.htm


January 8: Artists, Don't Miss This One

Learn how to sell more artwork without wasting tons of time on dry business stuff and the wrong marketing strategies. Join Ariane Goodwin for a one-hour teleseminar at 7 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday, Jan. 8. Three experts will give away their best marketing advice on how to succeed without sacrificing your artistic voice or wasting tons of time on dry business stuff. It's a preview to her 2008 smARTist telesummit on artist marketing, and I'm a guest presenter who will talk about press releases. Register for the entire telesummit at http://tinyurl.com/3x35vr. Or, to sign up for the Jan. 8 preview call, click on that link, then click on "Register" at the top of the page.

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

1. What? No Media Plan?

2. Can't Write? "Talk" Your Book

3. Dust Off Your Crystal Ball

4. Media Leads

5. Promoting a Michigan Nature Park

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. And at My Blog...


======================================
1. What? No Media Plan?
======================================

Let's see a quick show of hands.

How many of you have high hopes for publicity for next year, whether it's finally landing a story about your PR client in USA Today, or--at long last--lolling around the set at Harpo Productions, chatting and laughing with Oprah?

That's what I thought. OK, put down your hands.

Now, how many of you have a media plan in place for next year that will make it happen?

That's what I thought. Don't worry. I'm not sending you to the dog house without your dinner.

Instead, I want to share with you some of the best nuggets from my recent teleseminar series on "How to Create a Media Plan."

--Don Crowther, who presented a full hour on how to use social media, says that during August this year, one out of every three people in the world who went online visited MySpace.

--MySpace is one of seven social networking sites, Don says, where where everyone--regardless of age or occupation--should have a presence.

--Don also says that if you're incorporating social media into your plan, you must take the opposite approach when pitching the media. With social media, it isn't about crafting a message. It's about joining the conversation. People who like what you have to say will want to find out what else you know that might help them. Then, and only then, you can promote.

--TV producer Shawne Duperon told us that at many local TVstations, as many as 8 out of 10 stories on the evening news get there because somebody called to pitch an idea. (Amazing.)

--Wayne Kelly, co-host of the radio talk show "The Wayne and Jayne Show" on KBS Radio in British Columbia, Canada, marvels at a publicity tactic used by a new restaurant owner whose business was flat. The restaurant delivered breakfasts to Wayne and Jayne and the staff with a greeting that read: "Hey, love the show. We just wanted to send you guys breakfast." The bribe worked. "We talked about it on the air because they were nice to us," Wayne said. "They got a ton of promotion which resulted in people coming through their doors."

Those are only five of the hundreds of tips, tactics and strategies that I and my team of guest experts presented during the eight-teleseminar series "How to Create a Media Plan." After Publicity Hound Cynthia D'Amour of Ann Arbor, Michigan took the course, she applied several strategies she learned and got two big media hits in just one day.

You can read testimonials from other happy students and learn about how you can get the course either as electronic transcripts, CDs, or MP3s on a CD. Each includes thorough handouts and a template for a 12-month plan, sort of a "fill in the blanks" checklist that will keep you focused and on track.

Read more about the fabulous bonuses that come with the package at http://www.PublicityHound.com/mediaplan.htm


========================================
2. Can't Write? "Talk" Your Book
========================================

No more excuses for not writing a book.

Adam Witty says that if you can't string a noun and a verb together on paper, but you can talk up a storm, and you're an expert on a particular topic, there's no reason you can't "talk" your book.

His company, Advantage Media, works with authors who love to write as well as those who either don't write, or simply cannot but want their own fiction or non-fiction book.

How does he prod authors to get what's in their brains onto the pages of a book? An interviewer sits with the author, sometimes for several hours, and conducts an interview. From there, ghostwriters and editors handle the project, and the author emerges with a book--and quite possibly a best-seller.

The big advantage?

An author who struggles with writing no longer has to tie up from three to five years learning how to write, then write the book and rewrite it.

On Monday night, during our 90-minute teleseminar, Adam explained how to "talk" the basics of your book in less than a week. He stayed on the line for 20 minutes longer than he promised and answered many questions from listeners.

That's one of the reasons Karen Hannon of SpotlightRichmond.com emailed us afterward to say: "I've have been on several calls lately and most have been an hour-long sales pitch. I thought your call was different--so much better. Adam, you sold yourself by being yourself and giving a lot of good information."

If you missed it, that's OK. We recorded it for you. Listen to Adam teach you "How to Write and Publish a Book Quicker and Easier Than You Ever Imagined" at http://www.advantageteleclasses.com/joan

Bloggers and newsletter editors, do your readers a favor and share this link with them.


=========================================
3. Dust Off Your Crystal Ball
=========================================

Thanks to Marcia Yudkin, one of the savviest Publicity Hounds I know, for reminding us in her excellent ezine that it's time for Hounds everywhere to drag out the crystal ball, make predictions for 2008, and then pitch them to the media.

Marcia writes:

"From mid-December through mid-January, the media like to do stories about predictions. This publicity window is all the more promising because traditional news usually becomes sparse this time of year.

"Issue a press release about just one provocative prediction for your industry--or a round number of them, like 10.

"Can't think up serious predictions? Then create some tongue-in-cheek ones.

"Can't see the future clearly? Then dig up predictions from 5, 10 or 50 years ago and discuss why they got it wrong or right."

Read about another terrific idea she suggests here: http://www.yudkin.com/marksynd.htm

Then follow her advice and start writing your press release or briefs.

What's a brief? It's a short nugget of information that fits nicely into a small hole on a newspaper or magazine page. Or share it with a blogger. I explain the nine types of briefs in"Briefs, Fillers & Quizzes: How to Write Them and 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


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

Thanks to Publicity Hound Nancy Juetten of MainStreetMediaSavvy at http://www.mainstreetmediasavvy.com/ for calling my attention to the first one.


--The Wall Street Journal's "Small Business Link" section is doing a story on how small businesses can get the best--and most--PR exposure for the least money and effort. It will be printed Dec. 17, so email your idea immediately to mailto:sblink@wsj.com

--Rachel Bondi is writing an article for Aware Magazine at http://www.awaremagazine.net/ about philanthropy and nonprofits, and she wants to hear from nonprofits large and small about ideas that tie into that topic. The audience is primarily Baby Boomers who are retiring and increasingly interested in giving back. mailto:kizlerim@yahoo.com

--Kimberly Elliott, an author and certified rape/aggression/defense counselor, is writing a book and wants to hear from women who have been molested when they were children or teens. "We are looking for stories we can print (first name and last initial only unless you state otherwise). We'd like to know just a small portion of what happened, age, your feelings at the time, how it affected you, who you told at the time or years later, if you had to go to court and face your perpetrator, and did others believe you when you told your story. Then we want to know the good stuff...how you are thriving today." mailto:kelliott@execdeftech.com


Tip: When you contact any journalists or authors whose leads you see here, ask this question: "In what other ways can I help you?" It's all part of building the relationship. That one little question can lead to even more publicity hits. For other tips, see my "Special Report #49: 17 Ways to Build Valuable Relationships with Media People" at http://tinyurl.com/6uz9g


============================================
5. Promoting a Michigan Nature Park
============================================

This week, 12 Publicity Hounds have dozens of tips for Walt Shiel of Lake Linden, Michigan. He wants to know how his publishing company and other volunteers can help promote a nature park in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.


From Lisa Braithwaite:

"We have several areas like this in Santa Barbara, and they’re very popular for outdoor weddings. Perhaps you can promote the natural beauty of the park as a perfect place for weddings or other celebrations."


From Marcia Yudkin:

"Go to http://www.geocaching.com/, plug in your zip code and see what’s already hidden in your area and who the most active local geocachers seem to be. Then ask them for help. Don’t try to hide the caches yourself if you haven’t already tried to find some.

"For those who haven’t heard of this fast-growing hobby, geocaching is a high-tech treasure hunt using a GPS (global positioning system).

"It’s a wonderful way to enjoy the outdoors, find neat places in the woods that only other locals generally know about and experience a three-dimensional challenge, since some of the caches are rather hard to find even when you get to the GPS coordinates."


From Edward Vielmetti:

"There are a bunch of Michigan blogs that get good traffic. Absolute Michigan at http://www.absolutemichigan.com/ has regular reviews, and I know that they drive serious traffic to sites (one mention I had when the Sleeper Lake fire was going in Newberry generated hits week after week).

"Right in your back yard, Pasty Central at http://pasty.com/ has a daily photo and lots and lots of people who used to live in the area regularly commenting and linking and telling stories.

Read all the responses at http://tinyurl.com/2nqmxs


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

Wayne Loder of Milford, Michigan writes:

"I'm the Public Awareness Coordinator for The Compassionate Friends/USA. a national self-help bereavement organization with a mission to assist families toward the positive resolution of grief following the death of a child of any age and to provide information to help others be supportive.

"The second week in September of 2008 has been designated as the first "Compassionate Friends Month." I want to give each of our 600 chapters in the United States, a CD or packet of materials they can use for PR. I have promised that I would also arrange national publicity. I want to give them a press release template to send to their local newspapers; a template poster to place at libraries, churches, grocery stores, etc.; Public Service Announcements for local radio and newspapers; and a template proclamation for local governmental bodies.

"On the national level, I plan to distribute a press release, and will also provide information to the major nursing magazines and funeral director publications, the two major bereavement magazines, and will contact state funeral director associations in all 50 states. I haven't, as yet, checked out what national magazines might have some type of calendar or announcement area where a notice could be placed.

Would you or your Publicity Hounds out there have additional suggestions on what other backup materials I could provide chapters, and where I could try for additional national coverage?


The Publicity Hound says:

Wayne, you've got so many bases covered already. But let's see what my Hounds can add to your already long list. I have a great idea I'll share next week. In the meantime, Hounds with tips for Wayne can post them to my blog at http://tinyurl.com/3adgay


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

Dogs come when they're called. Cats take a message and get back to you later.


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

Left-leaning PR flacks, spin doctors host media training
http://tinyurl.com/2sfogx


Press release faux pas of the day, and my blogging boo-boo
http://tinyurl.com/2rqsao


Celebrity sports gala wants items for gift bags, auction
http://tinyurl.com/397r9u


Why magazines are losing readers: No page numbers
http://tinyurl.com/3d8veg


How to sell 15,000 CDs in 18 months
http://tinyurl.com/2nhwdu



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

Where to See or Hear The Publicity Hound:

Dec. 13: Write Like a Journalist Teleseminar:

I'll be one of four guest experts on Bulldog Reporter's 90-minute teleconference "Write Like a Journalist: Newsroom Vets and PR Wordsmiths Reveal How to Write Compelling, Credible Copy That Sells." Come with your questions. Register at http://tinyurl.com/2vuku4


December 13: Product Placement Teleseminar

"How to Get Your Product onto the Sets of Movies & TV Shows," 1 to 2 p.m. Eastern Time. Product placement experts Amy Bates Stumpf and Rebecca Lightsey will share the secrets of product placement. Register, or order the transcripts or recordings at http://www.PublicityHound.com/teleseminar.htm


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 If you want a taste of what you'll be learning, you can register for a one-hour teleseminar at 7 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday, Jan. 8. Three experts will give away their best marketing advice on how to succeed without sacrificing your artistic voice or wasting tons of time on dry business stuff. To register for that call, click on the link above, then "Register" at the top of the page.


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/Oprah's Scandal Nov 6, 2007

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #371 Nov. 6, 2007
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)
The Publicity Hound®

Circulation: 35,452

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

"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.

*******************************************************
Spiders, Cheeseheads & Those Funny Plastic Thingamajigs:
Everybody receives a plastic spider ring. And a chance to win a big Wisconsin Cheesehead hat. And an odd-looking plastic thingamajig that got worldwide publicity on CNN. That's just the fun part.

Spend the day with me on Thursday in Gurnee, Illinois and you'll know how to create a blog in 10 minutes or less. My daylong workshops on publicity will also teach nonprofits how to use free publicity to pull in volunteers and donors. Businesses will learn how to use publicity to boost holiday sales this year. Everyone will learn how to build strong relationships with journalists and use social networking sites to call attention online to your product, service, cause or issue. Read more about what I'll be teaching and how you can join the fun at http://www.PublicityHound.com/gurnee.htm

See Item #3 below.

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

1. Oprah's Scandal

2. Rosie's Book Signing Hot Seat

3. Spider Rings & Press Releases

4. How Are You Using YouTube?

5. Promoting a Guitarist & Songwriter

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week


======================================
1. Oprah's Scandal
======================================

Maybe Oprah had the best crisis counselors money can buy.

Or maybe she has already dealt with so many crises that she knew exactly how to handle the latest one: charges of s~exual allegations at the Oprah Winfrey Academy in South Africa.

CEOs and Publicity Hounds everywhere can learn several lessons from the way she responded when she learned of reports that girls had been abused at her school, which has been open less than a year.

--In October, when she first heard the news, she immediately hired her own independent investigative team, headed by a former detective and commander of the Child Exploitation Unit of the Cook County Sheriff's Office in Chicago, to investigate.

--Tempted to talk to the press, she kept quiet, on the advice of investigators who told her not to say anything until they made an arrest. You can read the transcript of yesterday's entire press conference and watch the video at http://tinyurl.com/ywyrue

--She traveled to the school to personally talk with students and their parents and to encourage the girls to come forward with whatever other details they could provide. Several did.

--Oprah "cleaned house from top to bottom." She fired the head mistress who was later charged, and she removed all the remaining dorm matrons and replaced them with faculty members. She also admitted that the process of background checks was inadequate.

--She accepted full responsibility, stressing "the buck stops with me."

--She spoke with heartfelt honesty about what happened, calling it "one of the most, if not THE most devastating experience of my life." She talked about how, when she first heard the news, she cried for a half hour while walking from room to room in her house, in shock.

--Oprah is in the process of buying cell phones for all the girls so they can contact her personally if other problems arise.

Many of the steps she took are those recommended by crisis counselor Jonathan Bernstein, who was my guest during a teleseminar on "How to Keep the Media Wolves at Bay." Jonathan discusses the most important things anyone can do when faced with bad news of any kind. He explained the top 5 mistakes people make when they find themselves knee-deep in a crisis.

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.
Click here to continue reading more about how to deal with the media wolves: http://tinyurl.com/b8wcy


========================================
2. Rosie's Book Signing Hot Seat
========================================

Attention, authors.

I doubt you'll be ambushed by a TV reporter at your next book signing, but it happened to Rosie O'Donnell over the weekend. If you or your topic are controversial--the stuff that radio and TV talk show hosts love--it can also happen to you.

A staff member from Bill O'Reilly's "No Spin Zone" on FOX approached Rosie with a camera crew on Saturday afternoon as she was signing copies of her book "Celebrity Detox" at a Long Island bookstore.

He invited her to appear on O'Reilly's show to discuss comments she has made about how 9-11 was an "inside job."

Rosie, who is bitter enemies with O'Reilly, kept calm and used one of the strategies that crisis counselor Jonathan Bernstein recommends (see Item #1 above). She asked the crew to turn off the camera.

They refused and were eventually escorted out of the bookstore. You can watch the video at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21535945/

Knowing the little tricks TV reporters use to encourage you to talk are very different than the tricks used by print reporters. Radio reporters have their own quirks, too. So do reporters for the wire services.

Former reporter Al Guyant explains them all on "The Dangerous Hidden Secrets of Print & Broadcast Reporters," a CD that comes with a chapter from his book in which he outlines the advantages and disadvantages of working with each type of reporter. You can download it as soon as your order has been approved.

Click here to read more about what you must know when dealing with each type of reporter: http://tinyurl.com/g54jk


=========================================
3. Spider Rings & Press Releases
=========================================

Everyone who attends one of my workshops on how to write press releases gets a black plastic spider ring to take home with them.

Wear it on your finger. Or hang it on a string so it dangles in front of you while you're at your computer writing press releases.

It's my way of reminding Publicity Hounds to write press releases for the spiders--the search engine spiders, that is.

After all, the key reason you write press releases isn't to get the great big stories we all love. (You get those by delivering a customized pitch.) Instead, we write them primarily to pull traffic to our websites.

Before you write, you must know the keywords or keyword phrases that people type into the search engines to find the kind of information that's in your release. Using those keywords in your release, over and over again, will flag the spiders and pull traffic to your site.

Writing and posting press releases online also means that even if the traditional media ignore our releases and our stories, we can still pull people into our sales funnel.

At Thursday afternoon's workshop in Gurnee, Illinois, I'll explain how to write press releases for the search engines. I'll also discuss the 6 key elements in every press release and emphasize the one element that most people overlook. Without it, it's impossible to measure the success of your press release or pull anyone to your website.

Everybody also gets a fun little tchotchke to take home with them. It's long, it's plastic, and it was the subject of a worldwide feature story on CNN. You'll also get $500 in coupons to be used at stores at Gurnee Mills Mall, where I'm speaking.

Read more about what you'll learn at Thursday's two workshops in Gurnee, Illinois at http://www.PublicityHound.com/gurnee.htm


=========================================
4. How are You Using YouTube?
=========================================

Smart Publicity Hounds are using YouTube in creative ways to self-promote, and I want to start featuring some of the more clever videos and strategies.

If yours is one of them, drop me a line at mailto:jstewart@PublicityHound.com?subject=YouTubeVideo and explain how you use it and, more importantly, what kind of feedback you've gotten. And please provide a link to the video.

If you feel like you're living in the Dark Ages because you aren't using video yet in your publicity campaign, don't despair. Tom Antion has been raking in the bucks using video for several years, and he shows you how to get very smart about video very quickly.

His two-CD set explains how to:

--Shoot simple video clips and get them up on your website all by yourself. This costs hundreds or even thousands of dollars to hire out.

--How to get broadcast quality productions on the tightest budget possible.

--How you can get someone to provide financing for the production.

--How you can get paid to air your promotional production on TV. You'll learn exactly how to do this to make yourself a celebrity.

Continue reading more about all the cool stuff you'll learn about video at http://tinyurl.com/y3b6wj


==========================================
5. Promoting a Guitarist & Songwriter
==========================================

This week, six Publicity Hounds have tips for Tamra Engle of Oakland, California. She's a guitarist and songwriter who needs ideas on how to market herself to music supervisors and film producers who can give her projects.


From Jennifer:

"Don’t forget to network through 'official' organizations like ASCAP, BMI and NARAS--they can all put you in touch with other people who can help."


From Jason Feinberg:

"I run a music industry online marketing company at http://www.otmg.net and the key is niches. Find the hundreds (or more) of websites that cater to niches you fit into. This includes music, lifestyle, social networks, and more. It isn’t always easy to make an enormous instant splash, but a lot of coverage across many niche sites can add up to something big."


From Bill Georgi:

"Work with a political campaign that will be producing its own TV commercials."


The Publicity Hound says:

Music publicity expert Bob Baker knows every trick in the book for promoting, whether you're a big band or a musician on your own. He explained them all, including some of the best websites for music publicity, on the CD or electronic transcript "Do-it-Yourself PR Tips for Songwriters, Musicians and Bands on a Budget."

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.

Click here to continue reading more about what you'll learn: http://tinyurl.com/mqsug


Read all the responses to last week's Help This Hound question at http://tinyurl.com/36zm3l


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

Publicity Hound Janice Bittner of northern Virginia writes:

"Our company, Dryer Vent Wizard, cleans, fixes and installs dryer vents in an effort to help prevent dryer fires. I've sent at least three media kits to 10+ newspapers in our area over the last year that covered fire safety. I even gave out free dryer vent check kits to provide helpful tips and warning signs to readers.

"We live in a highly populated area with several weekly newspapers, all of which have extremely expensive advertising rates and not much editorial and news space. I haven't been able to get a story printed in any of them, even after speaking to a reporter whose paper covers the area where a family recently experienced a dryer fire due to a clogged dryer vent (I even secured permission from the family to be interviewed).

"Any help from your Hounds on how to get publicity in a news environment that doesn't have room for filler-type articles would be greatly appreciated!"


The Publicity Hound says:

That's an admirable goal, Janice. But why target only traditional media? I'll bet my Hounds will suggest lots of tips on how to break through that brick wall at your local newspapers AND use social networking sites and other online tools to generate publicity. Hounds, let's hear your best ideas. You can post them to my blog at http://tinyurl.com/37t4jb


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

"Do you know the present value of your husband's policy?" the life insurance salesman asked his client.

"What do you mean?" countered the woman.

"If you should lose your husband, what would you get?" asked the salesman.

The woman thought a minute, then brightened up and said, "Probably a poodle."


P.S. Tomorrow night, Bogie and I stand before the entire class at puppy training school and the instructors will grade me (not Bogie) on how well I can get her to "sit," "stay," "come" and "down." Here's hoping for straight As. But don't count on 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/


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

Where to Meet or Hear The Publicity Hound®


Nov. 8: Gurnee, Illinois

"Savvy Media Relations: How to Generate Thousands of Dollars in Free Print, Broadcast and Online Publicity," 9 a.m. to noon. "The New Rules of Press Releases: How to Write Them for Consumers, Not Only for Journalists" from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Central Time. At the Rink Side Sports & Family Entertainment Center meeting room in the Gurnee Mills Mall. Register at http://www.PublicityHound.com/gurnee.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 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 KKPort Washington, WI 53074
U.S.A.
Phone: 262-284-7451 (Central) Fax: 262-284-1737

Publicity tips/Oprah Magazine Ranked #1 March 6, 2007

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #336 - March 6, 2007
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.com/

http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)
The Publicity Hound®

Circulation: 29,530

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

"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. Oprah Magazine Ranked #1

2. 32,000 Readers and a 2-Book Deal

3. Sponsor a Contest at YouTube

4. Piggyback onto 'The Secret'

5. How to Distribute PSAs

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Quote of the Week

8. And at My Blog...

==================================
1. Oprah Magazine Ranked #1
==================================

Good news for the gazillion Publicity Hounds who want to get into O, The Oprah Magazine.

It clinched the top spot on Adweek's Hot List of magazines, published yesterday. The list honors magazines with a track record of advertising and circulation growth.

Overall, O's circulation was flat, but the fact that it's as big as it is and still managed to grow nearly 10 percent in ad pages in a very competitive category was the reason for the honor.

Oprah's magazine dethroned "People" magazine, last year's Hot List champ, which this year didn't even make it into the top 10. This year, "Real Simple" was ranked Number 2. "Us Weekly" held steady in the Number 3 spot.

More, the magazine for middle-aged women, ranked fourth.

Condé Nast dominated the middle of the order, placing Teen Vogue, Glamour, Allure and Wired in Numbers 5 through 8.

So what does all of this mean to Publicity Hounds?

Lots of ads usually translate into a bigger magazine with more room for editorial copy. And bigger magazines mean more opportunities for pitching.

Successful pitching, on the other hand, requires an intimate knowledge of the kind of editorial content the magazine wants.You also must be patient, persistent and have story ideas that are customized for a particular magazine.

Susan Harrow's ebook "Get into O, the Oprah Magazine" offers in-depth case studies of publicists who have gotten their clients into the popular publication.

One of the secrets, Susan says, is that you must be willing to wait up to two years before the editors review your pitch and say yes. If you're willing to stay the course and keep in touch with the magazine, you'll have a big advantage over most other people who give up after two or three months.

The payoff can be huge.

Denise Loren, whose company makes DVDs for dogs and was featured in O Magazine, got her products into more than 100 retail outlets after the article appeared.

Even nonprofits can reap the benefits. Genevieve Piturro, who founded the pajama project, a charity to give new PJs to poor kids, went from five chapters to 30 and growing. She got 9,000 new PJs donated and a donation of $5,000 after appearing in O.

Read more about what you'll learn in Susan's ebook at
http://snipurl.com/OprahMagazine


====================================
2. 32,000 Readers and a 2-Book Deal
====================================

How did a new blogger go from a pathetic 10 readers a day to being featured in the New York Times and clinching a two-book deal with a major publisher in just two months?

As anyone who has started blogging knows, it's not easy to attract a lot of traffic. But Greg Pincus used a system of viral marketing to create buzz for his blog, which he launched on Feb.21 last year at http://gottabook.blogspot.com/

Greg--a screenwriter, children's book author, volunteer librarian and a dad--writes poems as a hobby. His blog encouraged readers to submit poems using a series of numbers known as the Fibonacci sequence.

Readers were intrigued. They passed the idea on to their friends, who wrote and submitted their poems. Greg's blog attracted the attention of Slashdot, a heavily trafficked blog that featured him on April 7 and brought more than 32,000 people to his blog.

Shortly afterward, the New York Times published an article about Greg. That resulted in calls from publishers, including Arthur A. Levine Books at Scholastic.

"Little did I know that a two-book deal would result after only two months," Greg said.

Blogging expert Denise Wakeman says Greg started blogging the smart way: "He knew he needed traffic to his blog to really leverage the power of online marketing, and he set out to recruit readers through use of a viral gimmick."

He'll explain how he did it, and how other bloggers can replicate a viral campaign for their own businesses and blogs, during a telephone seminar tonight called "32,000 Readers and a 2-Book Deal: How to Launch and Profit from a Viral Blogging Campaign."

Denise and her partner, Patsi Krakoff, who are also known as The Blog Squad, will host the telephone call at 8 PM Eastern Time. If you can't make it, that's OK. They'll send you the CD to listen to later.

Read more about what you'll learn and register at http://snipurl.com/ViralBlogging


==================================
3. Sponsor a Contest at YouTube
==================================

If you don't like the job your ad agency is doing, turn to the folks over at YouTube to help. And turn it into a contest.

That's what the nonprofit SmartPower has done. Its national non-profit marketing campaign which promotes the use of clean renewable energy from sources such as wind, solar and water, is sponsoring a contest at YouTube.com for the most creative 30-second public service announcement.

It has contacted film students, environmentalists and others committed to a cleaner future. So far, it has collected 11 videos on its YouTube page at http://tinyurl.com/3ysymy

A panel of judges will review the ads, and the winning entry will receive $10,000 and be included in SmartPower's national TVcampaign.

Deadline is April 22, Earth Day. Learn more about the contest at http://smartpower.org/contest/

If you've found a way to get YouTubers involved in your publicity, advertising or marketing campaign, let the media know. Stories like this are perfect for top-tier media outlets as well as for smaller papers like business journals and daily newspapers and even TV stations, simply because YouTube is so hot.

But that doesn't mean the media will jump on just anything related to YouTube. You must pitch quickly and convincingly. "How to Create the Perfect 30-Second Pitch" shows you how to attract the attention of busy media people, sometimes in as few as 5 or 10 seconds. Raleigh Pinskey, a master at enticing pitches, was my guest during a teleseminar, and we recorded it. It's available as a CD or an electronic transcript that you can download as soon as your order has been approved.

Read more about what you'll learn at http://tinyurl.com/6xghx


=================================
4. Piggyback onto 'The Secret'
=================================

Thanks to Publicity Hound Jim Labadie, who coaches personal trainers, for passing along this idea on how anybody can piggyback onto all the hype surrounding "The Secret."

The best-selling hardcover book and DVD tells people how to achieve what they want from their relationships, jobs, finances and future through positive thinking, gratitude for what they have, and envisioning what they want.

"The Secret" has been featured on "Oprah," "Larry King Live," "Ellen," the "Today" show, and in top-tier newspapers and magazines like Newsweek.

Jim suggests contacting the media and letting them know how you use "The Secret," or the law of attraction, in your business.

Just yesterday, I saw a story in my local newspaper featuring several business people and educators who commented on whether they're believers (most are) or non-believers. And some of them provided concrete examples of their success.

Things to consider:

--Round up several business people in your industry or town and offer yourselves as sources for your local newspapers. Pitch the story to the news departments at local TV stations on the days when national shows like "Oprah" or "Ellen" are featuring the topic. TV news crews love to offer "the local angle" on hot topics like this one.

--Survey your members, students, parishioners, or group on whether they believe, and let the media know.

--Pitch bloggers, and offer concrete examples of how "The Secret" has helped you in your personal or business life.

The possibilities for publicity are almost endless, including the big morning TV talk shows which love topics like this. "How to Get Booked on the Morning TV Talk Shows" walks you step-by-step through the entire process of how to get in front of--and convince--the powerful people who decide what they will feature on their programs each day. Publicist Lissa Warren has gotten more than 100 of her clients onto these shows, and she says you can get on, too.

Read more about what you'll learn from the CD or electronic transcript at http://tinyurl.com/ab86x


====================================
5. How to Distribute PSAs
====================================

This week, five Publicity Hounds have tips for Carrollyn Cox of Optimist International in Virginia Beach. She wants to know about inexpensive ways to distribute public service announcements througout North America.


From Paul Furiga of WordWrite Communications:

"Carrollyn, the key word here is 'leverage.' You need to find a large, companion nonprofit that might share your mission and which is willing to partner with you in distribution. For example, AARP, the nation’s largest nonprofit membership organization, has perhaps the best nonprofit broadcast center in the world with full studio and satellite capability inWashington, D.C.

"If your PSAs have a 'hook' that ties them with the mission of another nonprofit, whether it would be AARP or a medical mission or whatever, two nonprofits would be better than one."


From Robert Smith, The PR Doctor:

"One of my clients, Drive & Grow Rich, wanted to use PSAs so we thought about driving hazards, i.e., drunk driving, kids and car seats, etc. Well, MADD uses drunk driving PSAs.

"Also, none of these angles helped promote us to business people. So we created a PSA about using your cellphone while driving and we found statistics on the number of accidents.

"And at the end we say this PSA was brought to you by Drive & Grow Rich. Now imagine hearing that 400 times a day across the country. We also targeted the cities with the worst traffic.

"All you need to make this happen is a good PSA and email addresses or fax numbers of program directors. You can go to http://www.congress.org/congressorg/dbq/media/ and send emails to the media at no cost."


From Lennie Rose of Rise Public Relations LLC:

"At Rise, we don’t use a buck-shot approach. We get the names of Community Affairs directors. You can also research who to submit to by going online to TV & radio stations. Your hope is that your cause will be 'adopted' by the media who care about what you care about.

"If this is a nationwide event, I’d stick to the key cities where it can be seen and heard by the most people. Another thing to keep in mind is matching the demographic of the media audience with the cause. If the radio plays rock, it’s more apt to endorse a younger hip cause."


The really smart Publicity Hounds know of the more than two dozen other ways you can get your story onto radio or TV without paying for ads. I share them all in my most popular ebook, "How to be a Kick-butt Publicity Hound." Read more about what it includes at http://tinyurl.com/6uw4n

Read all the responses at http://tinyurl.com/3b744b


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

Joan Schramm of Annapolis, Maryland writes:

"I volunteer with the Mid-Atlantic Great Dane Rescue League and recently took over as the publicity coordinator for Maryland/D.C.

"I'd like some new ideas for getting the word out about our monthly Meet and Greet events where we set up at local pet stores and bring some of our dogs for people to meet and learn about Great Danes, and for our larger events, such as our annual Parade of Paws, Bull Roast, etc.

"I thought about trying to get some local news celebrity to kick it off, or do a live broadcast, or something, and I also thought about trying to get some local corporate sponsors."

"We have about 80 Danes looking for homes, and we're in desperate need of more people to foster Danes while they're looking for their forever home."


The Publicity Hound says: I just love questions about four-legged Hounds. And I know my two-legged Hounds will help. If you have a great idea for Joan, post it to my blog at http://tinyurl.com/2sr9wm


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

Thanks to Burgundy Olivier, The Spinach Lady, of Rayne, Louisiana for this one:

It's one of "Rules for Dogs and Cats" to be posted on your refrigerator door--at nose height:


Dear Dogs and Cats,

I cannot buy anything bigger than king-size bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort.

Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out, having tongues hanging out the other end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm.

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

L.A. Times to discontinue book review section
http://tinyurl.com/2khghg


Doing TV interviews? Don't overuse the reporter's name
http://tinyurl.com/248z8x


Flower magazine to debut March 15
http://tinyurl.com/2e2868


Wall Street Journal editor explains
how to get into the paper
http://tinyurl.com/yqgs7q


Writer of ghoulish Anna Nicole press release
responds to criticism
http://tinyurl.com/ytjwad

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

Where to Meet or Hear The Publicity Hound®

March 8, 2007: PR University's Bulldog Reporter Teleconference

"PR Writing--Top PR Wordsmiths Analyze Proven Press Releases to Reveal Best Practices for Writing Compelling Copy That Reaches Millions," 1 p.m. Eastern. Want to improve your press releases and boost media pick-up fast? I'm part of a panel of wordsmiths that will deconstruct some of the year’s best releases and personally hand you the keys to duplicating their successes. Register at http://tinyurl.com/2cf7aq


March 17, 2007: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

"Savvy Media Relations: How to Get Free Print, Broadcast and Online Publicity." 8 a.m. to noon. Register at http://www.nsapittsburgh.com/


May 12, 2007: Fort Lauderdale, Florida

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


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® will never distribute your address to anyone. Period.

Promise.

=======================================================
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 incredible shrinking newsroom January 9, 2007

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #328 - Jan. 9, 2007
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.net (Blog)
The Publicity Hound®

Circulation: 27,446
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"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"
Receive this ezine direct to your desktop
http://www.publicityhound.com/tipsoftheweek/
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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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Did You Open My Gift?

More than 2,000 people already have downloaded my new ebook "The Best of The Publicity Hound's Tips of the Week of 2006," a compilation of the top 24 tips that evoked the greatest response from readers last year.

It's my holiday gift to you, and there's still plenty of time to offer it to your own clients and customers, and mention it in your own ezine and blog.

Read more about it at http://tinyurl.com/yysrnk and find out how to download last year's "Best of 2005" ebook.
******************************************

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In This Issue
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1. The Incredible Shrinking Newsroom

2. Oprah's Magazine

3. The Heat Wave

4. So You Want to Write a Book?

5. How to Promote Embroidery Books

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Quote of the Week

8. And at My Blog...


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1. The Incredible Shrinking Newsroom
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You probably don't pay much attention to this, but many major newspaper companies are slashing staff like never before.

Declining circulation and ad revenues are forcing management to lay off editors, beat reporters, newsroom clerks, photographers and anyone else who they can do without.

During the telephone seminar I conducted yesterday for people in The Publicity Hound Mentor Program, I identified the incredible shrinking newsroom as one of 10 trends that will affect the way we manage our publicity campaigns this year.

Here's what newspaper layoffs mean to you:

--Don't be surprised if you pitch a story to a newspaper and an editor says, "I like the idea. Do you think you can write it yourself?" If that's what you hear, don't get huffy and think, "Why is she asking ME to do HER job?" Instead, get to work writing a balanced article that sounds much like an article a reporter at that publication would write. (If you're in my Mentor Program, I'll show you how, and I'll serve as your personal writing coach.)

--The physical newspaper is shrinking too. So don't forget online versions of newspapers and magazines. Some of these have their own editors, and you need to know who they are. If an article about you is posted online, it usually lives there forever. But the shelf life of a print newspaper totals about 24 hours.

--The phrase "How can I help you?" ranks right up there as perhaps the most important question you can ask a journalist, particularly one who must cover additional beats to make up for the staff shortage.

--Newspapers will rely on freelancers to replace staff writers. So find out which freelancers cover your industry, and get to work building relationships with them.

--Newspapers will be more inclined to accept good-quality photos that can accompany your story. Learn how to take them.

--Pitching succinctly and convincingly is more important than ever. Launch into a rambling pitch while talking to a reporter on the phone and you'll likely hear a "click" on the other end.


Raleigh Pinskey, the master at turning long, boring pitches into tempting 10-second pitches, explained how to do it a during a telephone seminar I conducted with her. "How to Create the Perfect 30-Second Pitch" is available as a CD or electronic transcript you can be reading as soon as your order is approved. Read more about what you'll learn at http://tinyurl.com/6xghx

On the fence about whether to join The Publicity Hound Mentor Program? Read about all the benefits at http://www.publicityhound.com/mentorprogram/intro.html I have two more openings in the program.


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2. Oprah's Magazine
==================================

Is it worth it to wait around for a year or two to get into O, The Oprah Magazine? Or is it smarter to pitch your story idea and, if the editors aren't interested, move on?

Just ask Stephen Shapiro, BJ Gallagher, Dr. Annabelle Volgman and Jeanine Fitzmaurice, all of whom have seen their profiles skyrocket since being in the magazine.

--Stephen Shapiro, author of "Goal-Free Living: How to Have the Life You Want NOW!," says his article in O magazine helped springboard him into Entrepreneur, Investors Business Daily and Family Circle. His speaker bookings increased dramatically. Tom Peters listed him as a "cool friend." And he's shooting a pilot for a TV show.

--BJ Gallagher, author of "Yes Lives in the Land of No," had been trying to attract the attention of a high-powered agent forever. She said: "Just last month, the agent signed me to an exclusive contract representing my next book. Did my O article make her more inclined to say 'yes' to my book proposal? Undoubtedly."

--The volume of patients in Dr. Annabelle Volgman's cardiology program at Rush University Medical Association expanded substantially after she was featured in Oprah's magazine. "O put the program on the map," says publicist Chris Rush.

--Jeanine Fitzmaurice of Design-her Gals, whose company also was featured, notes: "It's sort of like winning the Academy Award. It's definitely a distinction that validates your product like no other publication."

What do these people and their publicists know that you don't know? They know it takes a year, sometimes two, before an editor at the magazine decides to assign a writer to your story. So unless an editor tells "no," don't give up like most others do. This will give you a huge advantage over everyone else who's pitching.

Still, it takes a lot more than just waiting.

You must know exactly what kind of content the magazine publishes. You must know whom to pitch. And you must be sure your pitch is compelling. Then there are all the little extras that can accompany your pitch.

Susan Harrow's new ebook called "Get into O Magazine" includes in-depth interviews with prestigious publicists who regularly get their clients in O; case histories of authors, entrepreneurs and non-profits like you (yes, some just starting out); insidersecrets; hot tips; "off the record" comments; and simple strategies they've used.

Susan is offering the ebook along with other popular products and programs from more than 20 marketing and publicity experts, including me. Learn how to get publicity in every area, whether you're publicizing a speaking engagement or trying to make your next book a best-seller.

The pri*ce goes up Thursday and the event ends Friday, January12. Learn more here: http://tinyurl.com/y54x9y

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3. The Heat Wave
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If you live anywhere in the U.S. except Denver, you may be experiencing a winter with record warm temperatures and little snow.

The media are searching for every angle to this story--from an absence of snowmen to the many species of birds that are staying at home instead of migrating south.

Here are ways to piggyback your story onto the heat wave:

--Remember your TV weather people. They're always looking for fun, interesting "warm winter" news items for the weather segment of the nightly news.

--How does the warmer weather and lack of snow affect your business, particularly if you're a cold-weather business like a ski lodge? What are you doing differently to lure customers?

--I've seen people at the mall wearing shorts in January--a rare sight in Wisconsin. What are you seeing in your neck of the woods? Can you photograph it and offer the photo to your local newspaper?

--How have warm temperatures affected your utility bills? Call your local TV stations if you have last year's and this year's utility bills and can compare them.

--How has warmer weather affected the travel and tourism industry?

Just look around you for lots more ideas. TV reporter Shawne Duperon explains in step-by-step detail how to pitch stories like these to your local TV stations. The teleseminar I conducted with her called "How to Get on the Local TV News Tomorrow" tells you how to identify the "Queen Bee" in every newsroom--the person who decides what gets on the air and what doesn't. It's available as a CD or electronic transcript that you can download as soon as your order is approved. Read more about what you'll learn at http://tinyurl.com/yjrktx


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4. So You Want to Write a Book?
=================================

Self-publishing expert Dan Poynter says everybody has a book inside them just waiting to be written.

If the idea for a book lives inside you, here are several things you should write before you write your book:

--Articles for online article directories

--Reviews of other books for sale at Amazon.com

--A blog

--Comments at other people's blogs

--Letters to the editor of newspapers and magazines

--An electronic newsletter

--Opinion columns

Why? Because it's all part of building your publicity platform. If you want a major publisher to publish your book, or if you choose to self-publish and hope to sell lots of books, you'd better have a strong platform from which to launch it. That means attracting a huge audience of people who already know, like and trust you, and are more willing to buy your book than someone who doesn't already know you.

Susan Harrow, who wrote the O Magazine ebook mentioned above, also advises authors on exactly how to build platform. Major publishers, in particular, usually choose authors who already have platform simply because they have a ready-made audience.

She shares more great tips on "How to Build a Publicity Platform That Leads to a Six-Figure Book Advance," available as a CD or an electronic transcript that you can download and be reading as soon as your order is approved. Read more about what you'll learn at http://tinyurl.com/mplyp


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5. How to Promote Embroidery Books
==================================

This week, three Publicity Hounds have tips for Yvette Stanton of Sydney, Australia, who wants advice on how to market two embroidery books.


From Garth Gibson:

"Can you use the books to teach men how to embroider and maintain their manhood? Certain men may want to embroider to give their wives a special present she wouldn’t expect.

"Maybe you can use embroidery to teach kids with attention problems how to focus on one task at a time.

"Maybe there is a Ukraine population in Australia you could teach traditional Ukrainian embroidery to. I think these things might get you and your book in the news."


From Lois Carter Fay of MarketingIdeaShop.com:

"Create a viral marketing project. Offer one of your simpler projects (one chapter of your book) as a stand-alone, free product. Encourage people to download it and share it. Include a link to your website and possibly a special offer for the book within it."


From The Publicity Hound:

Women who would buy your embroidery books probably buy other books on embroidery. So one of the best ways to reach these buyers is to head over to Amazon.com and start reviewing embroidery books written by your competitors.

Not only can you post book reviews that link back to your website, you can also post lists, articles and other things that will really position you as an embroidery expert.

Don Mitchell and Randy Gilbert explain how to do this on the CD and transcript they produced with me called "How to TurnAmazon.com into a River of Gold." You can learn more about it at http://tinyurl.com/vroek

Read all the responses at http://tinyurl.com/yk5gaw


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6. Help This Hound
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Lisa Tomlinson of Oakland, California writes:

"I have a greeting card, stationery and gift items company that features fine art reproductions of extraordinarily unique mixed-media collage originals created by my brother, Jon Tomlinson. I don't have a bricks-and-mortar shop, but our office and warehouse operations are run out of a 4,000-square-foot facility.

"Our products are sold to retailers, museums and galleries for resale and on our website directly to consumers at http://www.gottagetup.net/main/index.html and our target audience is women ages 18 to 75.

"I would like to get some advice and suggestions from your members on how to promote my business more effectively."


The Publicity Hound says: Lisa and anyone else who sells any kind of artwork, from lawn furniture to jewelry to photographs, should listen to the f*ree teleseminar I'll be doing at 7 p.m. EasternTime this Thursday, January 11, with art marketing expert ArianeGoodwin. I'll be talking about how artists can create online and offline publicity for their artwork. It's a preview of the longer session I'll be doing as part of the smARTist TeleSummit 2007 later this month.
Sign up for Thursday's call at http://tinyurl.com/yxopuo or sign up for the entire telesummit at http://tinyurl.com/ymcvu8

In the meantime, Hounds with advice for Lisa should post it at my blog at http://tinyurl.com/y89ugk


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

Thanks to Dan Poynter of Santa Barbara, California for this one:

"If there are no dogs in heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went."

--Will Rogers


DOG JOKES & QUOTES EBOOK: 170+ G-rated dog jokes and quotes, perfect for a dog-lover, your favorite vet, or just for a fewgood laughs.

BONUS: Buy the ebook and you also get a compilation of the 50 best websites for dog humor.
http://www.publicityhound.com/dogjokebook/


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8. And at My Blog...
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EzineArticles.com adds 16 sports categories
http://tinyurl.com/yzj9s9


David Lawrence Show pitching tips
http://tinyurl.com/yjcofd

Press release from NASA:
8 thing you can learn
http://tinyurl.com/yzoxva


On my blog at http://www.publicityhound.net/, I've made it easy for you to find what you're looking for by dividing my posts into more than 20 categories. Look under the "Topics" arrow on the right side of the blog to find the category you need.

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Where to Meet or Hear The Publicity Hound®

January 22, 2007:

Attention Artists--Frustrated that your art "business" is nothing more than an expensive hobby? Wondering about how to become recognized, exhibited, and paid for your art? Feel like there's too much competition, too few buyers and not enough energy left at the end of the day to market like you need to?

You're not alone. That's why Ariane Goodwin will be hosting the global smARTist TeleSummit 2007, a week-long teleconference in January with a dozen art-career experts telling artists everything they need to know about marketing, from exactly when and how to sneak up on a museum for an exhibition, to which presentation materials mark you as a creative professional and which ones scream "amateur." I'm presenting from 2 to 2:45 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday, Jan. 22. For complete information on how you can participate, go to http://tinyurl.com/ymcvu8 Spaces are already filling up fast.


March 17, 2007: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

"Savvy Media Relations: How to Get Print, Broadcast and Online Publicity." 8 a.m. to noon. Details pending.

PERMISSION TO REPRINT: You may reprint any items from "ThePublicity 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 ThePublicity Hound® website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you told me you want to subscribe.

PRIVACY STATEMENT: The Publicity Hound® will never distribute your address to anyone. Period. Promise.

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