Publicity Tips/Lighten Your Load April 14, 2009

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #446 April 14, 2009
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)

Circulation: 41,324

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

"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"

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

==========================================
********************************************

Authors, Don't Miss this One:

Jack Canfield of "Chicken Soup for the Soul" fame, learned early
how to handle rejection--and overcome it. He and Mark Victor
Hansen went on to sell more than 100 million 'Chicken Soup" books
despite the army of people who said it couldn't be done. Learn
his inside secrets during a f*ree teleseminar with Steve Harrison
on Thursday, April 16, at your choice of two times. Register at
http://budurl.com/sv7g

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

1. Lighten Your Load

2. Where to Find Speaking Gigs

3. Tea Party Publicity

4. Use a Gravatar

5. Promote a Consignment Shop

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. And at My Blog...


=================================
1. Lighten Your Load
=================================

One of the biggest misconceptions of social networking is that
you must produce mountains of content--and still keep your day
job.

Yes, you need content galore for your blog, articles, Facebook
page, press releases, Squidoo lenses, HubPages and video-sharing
sites.

But here's a little secret.

You don't have to produce all of it yourself, or even most of it.
Outsource, outsource, outsource.

Thousands of competent people, many of them unemployed, would
love to work with you right now, at prices you can afford.

And smart Publicity Hounds who realize that a bad economy is the
very best time to outsource are casting their nets for the best
writers, photographers and video producers. Those include a glut
of newspaper journalists who have joined the already crowded
market for freelance writers.

Here are five tips to get started:

--Social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter can help you
find freelancers fairly quickly. Just let people know what you're
looking for and they'll spread the word.

--If you want a wide range of candidates from which to choose,
post your project to sites like Elance.com, Guru.com or
RentaCoder.com. They will put the fee in escrow and release it
only after you've signed off on the project, thus eliminating a
lot of squabbles. I've used Elance and RentaCoder many times with
good results.

--Hire fast, and fire faster. Never let freelancers learn on your
nickel.

--Reward outstanding work.

--Require freelancers who bid on writing projects to speak
English as a first language. I made the mistake of hiring someone
offshore and was disappointed.


Leili McKinley, one of my business coaches, says there are other
traps to avoid when working with freelancers. She explained them
all and offered dozens of helpful tips on how to keep the best
freelancers working for you when she was my guest during a
teleseminar I hosted on "Outsourcing Secrets: How to Get the Best
Quality, Price & Teamwork from Freelancers." Read more about how
to get started and how to order the CD or electronic transcript
at http://budurl.com/uw5j

Still not convinced you need to outsource? Publicity Hound Debra
Condren explains why trying to do it all yourself can actually
cost you money. Read her article at http://budurl.com/gpy4


=================================
2. Where to Find Speaking Gigs
=================================

Speakers, if you're spending hours searching for events where you
can speak for a fee, or no fee, here's a handy tool that will
make your job easier.

SpeakerLeads.com at http://www.SpeakerLeads.com is a wiki that
lets meeting planners everywhere provide information on events
that need speakers. It includes other helpful details like the
deadline for speakers to apply, the major market in case you want
to search by city, and the website where you can find more
information about the event.

You can search the database, the wiki or you can opt-in and they
will send you updates--all f*ree.

Already, the wiki has about 1,000 events, as far as three years
away, that need all types of speakers for keynotes, panels and
break-out sessions. In some cases, meeting planners want only
speakers who are already planning to attend the event. But that's
OK. Speakers who need experience on the circuit will gladly take
these gigs.

Meeting planners, add this website to the list of places where
you can promote your event.

It's brought to you by the Yearbook of Experts, the service that
provides expert sources and contact information for journalists,
as well as press release distribution services for experts.

I've subscribed to this service for several years and have
received many phone calls from reporters seeking my commentary on
publicity topics. If you're an expert, this service is for you.

Mitchell Davis and his staff answer their own phones at
202-333-5000 and can get you set up. Before you call, check out
their website at http://www.expertclick.com/ and tell them I sent
you. They'll knock $100 off the price of your subscription.


=================================
3. Tea Party Publicity
=================================

Thousands of anti-tax protesters will attend tea parties in more
than 300 cities throughout the United States tomorrow.

If you're one of them, or not, here are ways to promote your
cause:

--Provide updates throughout the day on Twitter and Facebook. Use
the hashtag "#teaparty" in your tweets. Learn more about hashtags
at http://budurl.com/b8x9

--Shoot video and offer it to your local TV stations and
newspapers. Even if you're traveling hundreds of miles to
participate, you're still the local angle to this national story.

--Provide video comments to videos that generate a lot of traffic
on sites like YouTube. David Mathison offered this tip during the
teleseminar I hosted with him last week on how to use social
media to help you "be the media." Listen to the replay at
http://budurl.com/a7p5

--Take photos and upload them to photo-sharing sites like
Photobucket and Flickr. Some tea parties are encouraging
participants to bring food for food pantries. Shoot photos and
videos when you're delivering it.

--Blog about the experience.

--Offer to be a correspondent for a media outlet or website
that's interested in covering the event. The Huffington Post is
looking for local correspondents. Sign up at
http://budurl.com/jcuz

--Call your U.S. congressmen and let them know how you feel.

--Call your local TV stations and see if they're sending
reporters. If so, offer to do an on-camera interview or be their
mini-correspondent. For inside secrets on how to contact the TV
newsroom's "Queen Bee" who decides what they will and won't
cover, read about the teleseminar I hosted with Shawne Duperon on
"How to Get on the Local TV News Tomorrow" at
http://budurl.com/y5ty


If you're on the other side and want to protest the protests,
you can use many of these tactics.


=================================
4. Use a Gravatar
=================================

Why is it that when you leave a comment at someone's blog, your
photo doesn't show up next to your comment, but photos of the
other Publicity Hounds who comment are everywhere?

Could be you don't have a gravatar.

A gravatar is a globally recognized avatar, an image that follows
you from site to site and appears beside your name when you
participate. It's a powerful tool because your smiling face might
be the first thing that catches a reader's attention.

To create your own gravatar in a few minutes, go to
http://budurl.com/ahzh

Once you've done that, it's time to set up gravatars on your blog
or forum. Plug-ins are available for leading blog software and
content management systems. Watch the tutorials at the link above
for more information.

Publicity Hound David Leonhardt wrote a great blog post on "10
Ways to Make Your Gravatar Sell" at http://budurl.com/cdet and
included my gravatar and several others as examples of those he
loves.

I prefer a gravatar of someone smiling rather than a cartoon-
character depiction, or a company logo, or an inane illustration
that has nothing to do with the person behind the curtain. Social
media is all about transparency and forming relationships with
people.


At social networking sites, people can decide within a few
seconds whether to follow you when they see your gravatar and
read your profile. Almost every profile I read can be improved.
Social networking expert Nancy Marmolejo explained what the ideal
profiles include, with step-by-step instructions on how to dress
up yours during the teleseminar I recorded with her. It's called
"Can Your Social Networking Profile Pass the 10-Second Test?" and
you can read more about it at http://budurl.com/ru5e


==================================
5. Promote a Consignment Shop
==================================

This week, nine Publicity Hounds have tips for Karen Nardella of
Conway, N.H. She owns a consignment outlet and home staging
center for high-end furniture and needs to know how to spread the
word, on a very tight budget, about what she's doing.


From Howard Pierpont:

"With your location, I would look for local coverage in the
tourist media. There is a high traffic count from the Boston and
North Shore markets. They're looking for a quality and price that
beats their neighborhood locals."


From Alan McBride:

"What about a massive upper-scale garage sale? Maybe get the
local newspaper to host it. Let them think it's their idea too.
They could hire a hall or other area, sell stalls (yours is
free), and advertising is theirs."


From Cheryl Kurland:

"Go back through your previous sales receipts and make a customer
list. Create a letter and mail it to each previous customer
offering a 10 percent discount on anything purchased between
[date] and [date]. Include two business cards--one for them, one
to pass along to a friend who might be in need of your products.


Read all the responses to this Help This Hound question at
http://tinyurl.com/dyscmt


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


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

Karen Kalisek of Escondido, Calif. writes:

"WomensMedia.com is a seven-year-old website that has undergone a
major overhaul and is in the process of relaunching.

"We pride ourselves in offering expert advice for working
women. Currently, we have 30,000 unique website followers each
month (20 percent of those are overseas), 10,000 follow the blog,
Women's Lunch Talk, and 1,000 listen to our podcast, Working in
Heels.

"We don't male bash, but do offer realistic advice concerning
working women. We also have a library with over 200 articles
written by people such as Madeline Albright, Suze Orman, and many
other notables. We also are proud of our Google ranking of 5.

"We have done all this with no advertising or sponsorship. With
the new 'look' we want to increase our followers, create revenue
channels, offer classes, provide speakers and build
relationships. Where do we start getting the word out that we
exist? Any suggestions for a media kit, PR kit, etc. would be
greatly appreciated. We have no money, but we have a great
message with a proven history."


The Publicity Hound says:

With millions of women participating in social networking sites
and just waiting to spread the word for you, you don't need a
huge budget, or any budget for that matter, to make a splash. How
about it Hounds? How can Karen use social media as well as
traditional media to promote the site? Post your best comments to
my blog at http://budurl.com/chzf


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

Sign inside my hair salon: Unattended children will be given an
espresso and a f*ree puppy.


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

Hate Twitter? Claim your username to protect your brand
http://budurl.com/8a8n


Social media tips for getting email addresses & selling products
http://budurl.com/a7p5


Financial advisers, use WSJ section to market yourselves
http://budurl.com/qafa


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

Where to See & Hear The Publicity Hound:


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


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


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


Permission to Reprint:

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

Reprinted from "The Publicity Hound's Tips of the Week," an ezine
featuring tips, tricks and tools for generating free publicity.
Subscribe at http://www.publicityhound.com/ and receive by email
the handy cheat sheet "89 Reasons to Send a News Release."

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

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

Privacy Statement:

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

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

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

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

Circulation: 41,324

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

"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"

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

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

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

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


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

Social Media Teleseminar Tomorrow, April 8:


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

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

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

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

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

1. Like Rats on a Sinking Ship

2. Google Measures Your Influence

3. Let 'em Know You Twitter

4. Before You Write a Nonfiction Book...

5. Advice for Twitter 'Unfollowers'

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. And at My Blog...


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

PRWeek's survey results also show:

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

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

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

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


What this means to you:

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

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

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

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


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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Same with Twitter.

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

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

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

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

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

Compare your score to the scores of your competitors.

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

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


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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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


From David Kadavy:

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


From Gail Sideman:

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


From Meryl Evans:

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


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

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


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

Karen Nardella of Conway, N.H. writes:

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

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

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


The Publicity Hound says:

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


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

Dogs have owners. Cats have staff.


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

BONUS: Buy the ebook and you also get a compilation of the 50
best websites for dog humor.

http://www.publicityhound.com/dogjokebook/


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

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


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

Where to See & Hear The Publicity Hound:


April 8, 2009

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


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


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


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


Permission to Reprint:

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

Reprinted from "The Publicity Hound's Tips of the Week," an ezine
featuring tips, tricks and tools for generating free publicity.
Subscribe at http://www.publicityhound.com/ and receive by email
the handy cheat sheet "89 Reasons to Send a News Release."

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

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

Privacy Statement:

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

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

Publicity Tips/Nonprofits, Speak Up Mar 31, 2009

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

Circulation: 41,571

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

"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"

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

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

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

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


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

1. Nonprofits, Speak Up

2. Journalists' Blogs a Gold Mine

3. Social Media Sells Books, Products

4. Take a Survey at Your Blog

5. How to Promote E-courses

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. And at My Blog...


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Even so, nonprofits are sweating.

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

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

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

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

--Pitch bloggers who cover your topic.

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

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

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

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


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

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

Keep reading for the inside secret.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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


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

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


From Janet Roots:

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


From Viveca Stone-Berry:

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

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


From Sheryl Kurland:

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

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


The Publicity Hound says:

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


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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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


The Publicity Hound says:

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kenny grew up and eventually became the chairman of Enron.


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

BONUS: Buy the ebook and you also get a compilation of the 50
best websites for dog humor.

http://www.publicityhound.com/dogjokebook/


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

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


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


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


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


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

Where to See & Hear The Publicity Hound:


April 19, 2009

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


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


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


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


Permission to Reprint:

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

Reprinted from "The Publicity Hound's Tips of the Week," an ezine
featuring tips, tricks and tools for generating free publicity.
Subscribe at http://www.publicityhound.com/ and receive by email
the handy cheat sheet "89 Reasons to Send a News Release."

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

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

Privacy Statement:

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

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

---

Publicity Tips/No Bio? No Thanks Mar 24, 2009

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #443 March 24, 2009
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.net/ Blog)

Circulation: 41,708

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

"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.

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

It's Tuesday, and I'm Here to Stay:

Eight out of 10 Publicity Hounds who took my customer profile
survey want this newsletter to stay just as it is--delivered
every Tuesday instead of a sliced and diced version with tips
scattered throughout the week, like I was considering doing.

So Tuesday it is.

I've been publishing for eight and a half years and still going
strong--thanks to the helpful Hounds who share their success
stories, questions, publicity tips and, of course, dog jokes.

Next week, I'll announce the lucky winner of the Kindle 2.

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

1. No Bio? No Thanks

2. Meet Mr. Tweet

3. 10 Dead or Dying PR Tactics

4. Top Search Term: Craigslist

5. Where to Find Pro Bono PR Interns

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. And at My Blog...


=================================
1. No Bio? No Thanks
=================================

Almost two-thirds of the people who use Twitter don't have a bio
or a link listed on their profile, the 160-character description
just under their avatar.

So what's the big deal?

Does having a bio and website link in your Twitter profile really
make a difference in the number of followers you have?

Absolutely.

The Hubspot Internet Marketing Blog has crunched the numbers and
says that users with a bio have over eight times more followers,
on average, than users without a bio. Users with a link have over
7.5 times as many followers as users without.

Power users (Twitter users with high Twitter grades) are even
less likely to follow you if you don't have a bio and link.
Users with a bio have over 15.5 times more power followers than
those without a bio. Users with a link have over 22 times more
power followers than without.

You can check out all the findings at http://budurl.com/f52e

I didn't see anything about the quality of the profiles, but I'm
betting that the typical Twitter user who reads somebody else's
bio and sees nothing remotely interesting is gone in a flash
without ever clicking "Follow."

What a shame. Another potential follower--maybe even a customer--
lost forever. It doesn't have to be that way.

Social networking expert Nancy Marmolejo says your bio should
communicate immediately what you do, who your target audience is,
and how you can help people. Mix in some fun and people will
practically be begging to be part of your tribe.

During a teleseminar last month, Nancy gave tips galore on how to
customize your bios for different social networking sites so you
turn visitors into clicks and clicks into customers. "Can Your
Social Networking Profile Pass the 10-Second Test?" is available
as a CD, MP3 or electronic transcript that you can read as soon
as your order is approved.

Read more about how to get started writing a sizzling bio that
really pulls 'em in and makes 'em want to stay at
http://budurl.com/xcqh


=================================
2. Meet Mr.Tweet
=================================

Here's a way to build followers quickly on Twitter without
resorting to those obnoxious black-hat tricks that some of the
slimy Internet marketers are using--and even selling.

Meet Mr. Tweet, your new best friend, at http://mrtweet.net/

He's your personal networking agent who helps you expand your
network. To do that, he helps you regularly:

--Find relevant followers by recommending you to them.

--Discover great people relevant to your current needs.

--Improve your Twitter usage via useful statistics.

Just go to the website and click on the blue bar that says
"Follow Mr. Tweet." Since I started using him last week, I've
gained several hundred followers.

Now then, if you want to know the tactics that underhanded
Twitterers are using to add thousands of followers every day,
read blogger Chris Cree's step-by-step instructions--and his
warning--at http://budurl.com/gametwitter

I wouldn't stoop that low and prefer, instead, the five steps of
Twitter success: Follow. Reply. Retweet. Share. Repeat.


Warren Whitlock says that retweeting other people's tweets is
one of the best ways to encourage them to retweet yours--
especially if you're planning to introduce a new product or
service or you're launching a book, and you want the world to
know.

The power of retweeting was one of dozens of tips he shared
during the teleseminar on "How to Use Twitter to Amass an Army of
Followers, Customers & Valuable Contacts--and Promote." It's
available as electronic transcripts and your choice of CDs or
MP3s.

Read more about other ways to build your Twitter tribe and win
their loyalty at http://budurl.com/la38


===========================================
3. 10 Dead or Dying PR Tactics
===========================================

If you work in PR, you might be discouraged to learn that you're
spending the better part of your day on what Steve Mullen
identifies as "10 Dead or Dying PR Tactics."

He's a social media PR blogger who stirred up a controversy
recently with his list:

--Newspaper-based media relations strategy

--Deskside reporter meetings

--Media packets

--Video news releases

--Audio news releases

--Media Map

--Blast faxing

--Mailed newsletters

--Bacon's Media Guides

--Mailed reporter pitches

You can read his reasons, at http://budurl.com/mn5s

I agree with most of his choices except for mailed newsletters.
With postage skyrocketing, fewer businesses are using them.

That means top-quality newsletters packed with helpful content
can really attract attention.

My vote for the one PR tactic I wish would make the list but it
refuses to go away: those ubiquitous ground-breaking, ribbon-
cutting, check-passing photos. Will somebody please slay these
ugly dinosaurs?

No self-respecting Publicity Hound would even THINK of resorting
to them, particularly those who hear PR guy Dan Collins' ideas
for cool media events and clever publicity stunts that attract
far more attention the cliche photos.

"Fun Alternatives to Boring Ground-breakings, Ribbon-cuttings &
Check-passings" is available as a CD or electronic transcript
that you can be reading as soon as your order is approved. Read
more about your clever options at http://budurl.com/9pyj


=======================================
4. Top Search Term: Craigslist
=======================================

For the first time in three years, searches for "Craigslist," the
world's largest classified ad bulletin board, surpassed
"MySpace."

Hitwise Intelligence says "Craigslist" searches increased 105
percent for the week ending March 14, compared with the same week
last year.

The economic downturn, it says, is responsible.

That's easy to understand. People are hunting for jobs, used
cars, gently used furniture and who knows what else.

All those extra eyeballs means this is the ideal time to use
Craigslist as part of your publicity campaign.

The Community category is my favorite for publicity. Its sub-
categories include activities, artists, groups, pets, events,
musicians, local news, politics, volunteers and classes.

The Services category includes "Small Biz Ads" and "Gigs" which
are idea for people looking for clients and customers.

But remember, you can only post to the Craigslist closest to
where you live. And you can't post the same message to more than
one category, or Craig can throw you off the list.

Nancy Mills, an expert on how to use Craigslist in all sorts of
clever and creative ways, says the writing style of a Craigslist
post should be very different than the standard press release.
She explained why when she was my guest during a teleseminar on
"How to Use Craigslist as a Global Publicity Tool."

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 started using Craigslist as one of
your most valuable publicity tools at
http://budurl.com/craigslistnumberone


========================================
5. Where to Find Pro Bono PR Interns
========================================

This week, three Publicity Hounds have tips for Mitchell
Teplitsky of New York, NY, who is distributing a documentary film
himself. He is looking for suggestions on where he can find
interns or PR firms that do pro bono work.

From Kathy Magrino:

"Contact NY/NJ colleges and universities to promote and advertise
the internship opportunity."

From Bruce Jones:

"I don't know much about PR internships but I would make a
comment on the existing promotional videos. They don't say 'buy
me.' People need to be told what to do.

"YouTube can be a very effective way to promote your products. At
the end of the video, which maybe is a little too long, it should
tell people that to purchase or for more info, they should go to
http://www.soyandina.com

"The same thing on the other clips. Just having a web address
isn't enough. I have also found that different video hosting
platforms get very different results and audiences. Once the
video is done, put it up on 10 or more."


The Publicity Hound says:

Bruce is right. But posting on more than just a few of these
video sites can eat up your life because uploading takes such a
long time. Shave hundreds of hours off the task with Traffic
Geyser. With just one click, it uploads to dozens of sites. Learn
more about it at http://budurl.com/lpxg


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


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


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

Linda Foirmichelli of Concord, NH and Jennifer Lawler of
Lawrence, KS write:

"We're both well-established writers who offer e-courses in our
areas of specialty. Linda offers a class for magazine writers on
how to break into magazines, starting April 13,and Jennifer
offers one for book authors on how to write a book proposal,
starting May 4.

"We both have been offering our e-courses for a few years and
have happy customers who can give testimonials and describe how
our courses offer results. However, we're finding it tougher and
tougher to get the word out about our e-courses.

"We both blog (Linda’s blog has more followers than Jennifer’s,
which she just started a few weeks ago). We both belong to
writers' groups and contribute to their online forums, but of
course if we're too sales-y in our approach, our posts get
deleted. We're on LinkedIn and Facebook. What are we missing?"


The Publicity Hound says:

You can pretty much kiss traditional media good-bye because both
classes are starting soon, and you'll miss many of the deadlines.
That leaves online publicity.

Hounds with quick tips for Jennifer and Susan can post them to my
blog at http://budurl.com/avpt

Here's my idea:

If you aren't Twittering yet, start today and link to tips at
your blogs or websites that tie into your courses. From the tips,
link to the registration pages. Use the search box at
http://search.twitter.com to search for freelancers, writers,
authors and anyone else who's an ideal candidate for the courses.
Follow them, retweet their tweets, and then send them a direct
message asking that they retweet one of your tweets that promotes
the tips.

Courses like these are ideal to promote on LinkedIn, too, but you
need a long lead time so you can plant the seed, so to speak, by
asking a question about a topic that ties into your course, and
then letting everyone who answers the question know about what
you're offering.

This has to be done very carefully, however. Scott Allen, one of
the foremost experts on LinkedIn, laid out an entire campaign he
designed for a friend on how she could promote something she was
sponsoring. His ideas started drawing immediate response within
48 hours.

He outlines the entire campaign in step-by-step detail and gives
you your own timeline on exactly what to do on LinkedIn, and
when, if you want to promote something. Read more about "How to
Use LinkedIn to Promote Anything--Ethically & Powerfully" at
http://budurl.com/fft3


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

Cat's motto: "No matter what you've done wrong, always try to
make it look like the dog did it." -- Unknown


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

4 ways I censor myself in social media circles
http://budurl.com/rxmk


Pitching Hispanic radio? Tie your pitch to the geographic area
http://budurl.com/ntns


Want your own radio show? Discover how on Thursday
http://budurl.com/cxkw


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

Where to See & Hear The Publicity Hound:


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

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

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


Permission to Reprint:

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

Reprinted from "The Publicity Hound's Tips of the Week," an ezine
featuring tips, tricks and tools for generating free publicity.
Subscribe at http://www.publicityhound.com/ and receive by email
the handy cheat sheet "89 Reasons to Send a News Release."

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

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

Privacy Statement:

The Publicity Hound® respects your privacy and has a strict
Privacy Policy which you an read 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/Newspaper Closings? Ho-Hum Mar 17, 2009

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #442 March 17, 2009
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)

Circulation: 41,750

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

"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.

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

Speakers: Hit the Continuing Education Market

Many of my friends who are professional speakers says it's harder
than ever to get paying gigs because companies are trimming their
training budgets, and meeting planners are bringing in industry
experts who are often willing to waive their fees.

It's time to tap into the lucrative market of continuing
education. Tom Antion is hosting a paid teleseminar called "CEU
Secrets Revealed: How to Sell Your Knowledge for Big Bucks in the
Continuing Education Market" at 9 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, March
19. His guest is Doug Bench, a former judge who retired from law
and started teaching continuing education classes for Florida
homebuilders. He's bringing in over 7 figures in revenue each
year, and he'll share all the ins and outs of selling your
knowledge as CEU credits both online and off.

If the time is inconvenient, sign up anyway because the first 200
registrants will get a copy of the CD.

Learn more at http://tinyurl.com/ako5x7

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

1. Newspaper Closings? Ho-Hum

2. Thanks for Taking My Survey

3. A Handy Twitter Formula

4. Backgrounders Educate Reporters

5. 'Window Shopping' for a Retirement Home

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. And at My Blog...


========================================
1. Newspaper Closings? Ho-Hum
========================================

Fewer than half of Americans surveyed by the Pew Research Center
say that losing their local newspaper would hurt civic life in
their community "a lot."

Even fewer, one in three people, say they would personally miss
reading the local newspaper a lot if it were no longer available.

Those are among findings of the latest weekly News Interest
Index, conducted March 6-9 by the Pew Research Center for the
People & the Press.

The survey also shows that more people say they get local news
from local television stations than any other source. About two-
thirds (68 percent) say they regularly get local news from
television reports or television station websites, 48 percent say
they regularly get news from local newspapers in print or online,
34 percent say they get local news regularly from radio, and 31
percent say they get their local news, more generally, from the
Internet.

You can read more about the survey and see all the results at
http://tinyurl.com/agy3h3

Close on the heels of the survey results was yesterday's
announcement by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer that it's stopping
the presses and experimenting with a web-only edition of the
paper. The 118,000-circulation daily is keeping only 20 of its
journalists to work on the online edition, and laying off 145
others.

An article in the Wall Street Journal says the smaller digital
edition will no longer be a catch-all of local and national news
and features. Instead, it will cover local events and publish
blogs and columns from staff, readers and prominent local
citizens. It also plans to link liberally to other news sources
in the Seattle area.

What does this mean for Publicity Hounds in Seattle? (If you live
elsewhere, pay attention. The same thing might happen to your
local daily newspaper.)

--Newspapers like the Post-Intelligence will be hungry for
content, including letters, opinion columns and even video.

--They might even start calling on "citizen journalists,"
including local bloggers, to report on news and events. No longer
will you have to genuflect before the media gatekeepers. Anyone
with a computer or a camera can report the news.

--Hounds no longer will be able to rely on their local
metropolitan paper for major publicity. Consider pitching your
local business journal, which is probably on more solid footing
than your local daily. And, of course, continue to pitch local TV
stations.

--If you're not on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or other social
networking sites where your target audience is gathering for much
of their news, start right now.


BL Ochman, a prolific blogger who creates social networking
campaigns for her corporate clients, says "the social media train
has left the station." She was my guest during a recent
teleseminar on "How to do Social Networking, Run a Business &
Still Have a Life."

It's available as a CD, MP3 or an electronic transcript that you
can download and be reading as soon as your order has been
approved. Read more about how to chase after the train and hop
aboard at http://tinyurl.com/6kswbc


======================================
2. Thanks for Taking My Survey
======================================

If you want to know what your customers think of your products or
services, don't sit around and guess. Ask them.

That's what I did when I emailed the link to my Customer Profile
Survey to more than 50,000 Hounds this month.

The response was fabulous, and I learned that many of you who
took the survey are more patient that I'll ever be.

We chose the vendor for this survey after a lot of research. But
the company dropped the ball and threw so many technology
roadblocks in your way that many of you bailed out before
completing it. Some of you were "frozen" on a particular page and
couldn't move. Others couldn't make it onto the thank-you page to
get the code for $40 off their choice of products.

Scott Buffaloe, one of my customer service managers from Serenity
VA Services, and Jeanne Hurlbert, my wonderful consultant who
helped me write the survey, personally contacted dozens of Hounds
who emailed and called for help. We think we've resolved all the
problems but we want to be 100 percent sure. Please email Scott
at mailto:scott@serenityva.com if you had trouble using the
coupon, or Jeanne at mailto:hurlbert@optinetresources.com if you
have questions about the survey.

Just when we thought all the glitches were solved, the vendor's
entire system crashed one day last week. Miraculously, we have
retrieved all the survey results, and we're in the process of
analyzing them.

Why am I telling you this? Because 94 percent of the people who
took the survey ranked my customer service 8, 9 or 10 on a scale
of 1 to 10.

Part of good customer service, I believe, is to explain problems
that occurred, why they occurred, and what I'll do to make sure
they never happen again.

From time to time, I'll be asking you to take much shorter
surveys but I promise you I will not use the same vendor. Survey
Monkey, another popular survey service, doesn't quite fit our
needs. I'm curious about companies you recommend. If you survey
your customers regularly and you've found a great vendor, drop me
a line at mailto:jstewart@PublicityHound.com and let me know.


I'll be sharing some of the survey results through press
releases. If you take surveys, or you're thinking of taking them,
recycle the publicity over and over again. My ebook "How to be a
Kick-butt Publicity Hound" gives you hundreds of ideas on how to
generate buzz for whatever you're promoting and gives you an
excellent bird's-eye view of all your opportunities. The 2009
update includes seven new chapters on how to use social
media to promote.

Learn more about the book at
http://www.publicityhound.com/publicity/publicityhound.htm


===========================================
3. A Handy Twitter Formula
===========================================

Confused about what to tweet about on Twitter?

Do you hate those "what I ate for lunch" tweets and vow you'll
never write them, but you can't think of much else to say that
your followers would find interesting?

Here's a helpful tip from Perry Belcher, who accumulated more
than 52,000 Twitter followers in only 128 days. At the Live7
event hosted by Stompernet, the Internet marketing membership
group earlier this month, Perry shared his formula for the
content of his tweets:

--30 percent: Tips that help make people's lives better

--10 percent: Information that keeps them informed

--30 percent: Anything that makes people laugh (He says
http://www.Fark.com is a great site for humorous content)

--25 percent: Compliments and praise

--5 percent: What you're doing

Have you been writing most of your tweets about what you're
doing? If so, try this formula and see how much more quickly
people start following you.

Granted, this takes a little more time and discipline. But I'm
sure it's the reason Perry has been able to attract such a huge
following so quickly. You can follow him on Twitter at
http://Twitter.com/perrybelcher and you can follow me at
http://twitter.com/PublicityHound


Yes, you can use Twitter to promote. But you have to do it much
more subtly than the way you promote in other venues. Twitter
expert Warren Whitlock gives you the step-by-step process on "How
to Use Twitter to Amass an Army of Followers, Customers &
Valuable Contacts--and Promote." It's available as an electronic
transcript and your choice of CDs or MP3s. Publicity Hounds raved
about the two teleseminars I hosted with him several months ago
because his advice helped shorten their Twitter learning curve.

Read more about how to use Twitter to promote at
http://tinyurl.com/3lbcaw


=======================================
4. Backgrounders Educate Reporters
=======================================

If a complicated story is about to break within your industry,
consider hosting a backgrounder, a one-on-one meeting with a
journalist and others who might cover it.

The March 16 issue of PRWeek magazine says backgrounders are
particularly helpful in the health industry, where stories about
new drugs, diseases and devices can be difficult for journalists
to understand. Backgrounders help educate reporters who aren't
under the pressure of deadlines.

Radi Medical Systems, for example, invited a reporter from the
Wall Street Journal who wanted information about cardiology
procedures, to a hospital to watch a procedure and speak with
cardiologists.

AstraZeneca has been hosting media briefings on various cancer
topics the last few years.

Briefings also let companies control which reporters they speak
with and which spokespeople they provide.


You can also use briefings to educate the editorial boards of
newspapers because they're the ones who decide the positions that
the newspaper will take on certain issues. Sometimes an hour-long
briefing with a group of editors can help you gain their support
for a cause or issue you're promoting.

Afraid of meeting with a group of journalists? Don't be.

During a teleseminar I hosted, I explained exactly how to contact
them, ask for a meeting of the editorial board, what to take with
you and what to say. "How to Use Newspaper & Magazine Editorial
Boards" 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 editorial boards and backgrounders at
http://tinyurl.com/5wh45


========================================
5. Window Shopping for a Retirement Home
========================================

This week, 10 Publicity Hounds have tips for Keri Gerlach, the
marketing director of Clement Manor, a retirement community in
Greenfield, WI. She's looking for ways to encourage families to
"window shop" now for long-term care for their aging parents.


From Barry Lebow:

"Look up http://www.seniorsrealestate.com which is the Senior
Real Estate Specialist website. It identifies Realtors who are
dedicated to working with Baby Boomers and their parents. Get a
list of members within, say, 50 miles of your location and invite
them for a special tour of your facilities. Work with the
Realtors who are in the field, create a program for them and
welcome their referrals. Make it easy for them to recommend you
by sponsoring a lunch, have a speaker on a subject relating to
seniors and real estate (will and trusts?). Keep them in the loop
and on your mailing list."


From Patricia C. Vener:

"Keri, have you heard of Eons? It?s an online social media group
for people over, I think, 50 or so. You'd be surprised at how
many early Baby Boomers are pretty computer-savvy.

"You might also look into those health fairs that are often
sponsored by newspapers, Chambers of Commerce, and other health-
oriented businesses.

Finally, offer an open house affair with a dinner (or coffee and
dessert) and a presentation, kind of like what the vacation
share companies do."


From Alan McBride:

"I worked for a radio station with a 55+ audience and we put on a
Seniors Expo. This involved all the retirement villages but it
would be just as easy to hold the event at yours. Invite funeral
parlous, local tour operators--in fact, anyone who provides a
service. Each person buys time on the radio over eight weeks and
gets a stall. Radio stations love you, providers love you. Even
invite Scouts and guides to generate goodwill to the elderly."


The Publicity Hound says:

Keri, how about using the Milwaukee Craigslist regularly to
attract the attention of Baby Boomers and others? You can share
tips on how to choose a retirement community, create short videos
and offer the links on Craigslist, and even do video interviews
with some of your residents. Nancy Mills, an expert on how to use
Craigslist, was my guest during a teleseminar and she shared all
of her time-saving tips on how to take advantage of the world's
giant classified ad bulletin board.

"How to Use Craigslist as a Global Publicity Tool" 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 get started on Craigslist at http://tinyurl.com/geog2


The Publicity Hound says:

Read all the responses to this week's "Help This Hound" question
http://tinyurl.com/bgep5b


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


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

Mitchell Teplitsky of New York, NY writes:

"I am self-distributing a documentary to the home video and
institutional markets.

"I do my own PR, but as one-man band, it's too much. I'm thinking
of trying to find an intern or PR firm pro bono. The benefit:
They'll get to work with and learn how to independently market a
film (few can do it well).

"The movie tells the story of two women raised in different
worlds--an immigrant folk dancer from the Andes, and a modern
dancer from Queens, NY--who return to Peru to reconnect with
roots and an astonishing world of traditional dance and
celebration. You can learn more about it at
http://www.soyandina.com/

"Do your Hounds have any suggestions on where I might look? Are
there any sources you can recommend to find people?"


The Publicity Hound says:

Many companies and nonprofits are looking for PR interns this
time of year, so you'll be up against some stiff competition to
lure the right person.

My Hounds who have used interns will be able to offer some great
shortcuts. Hounds with tips for Mitchell can post them to my blog
at http://tinyurl.com/cecogs


But don't just hire an intern then send them off on their own.
They need guidance, training and mentoring. I can help. My
teleseminar series on "How to Help Your Boss or Client with a
Publicity Campaign" is an in-depth course on how to do
publicity--perfect for summer interns, virtual assistants, or
anybody who works in a PR capacity and needs help understanding
fairly quickly the best ways to promote any product, service,
cause or issue.

It's available as CDs, MP3s or electronic transcripts--all with
handouts. Read more about how to train your assistant at
http://www.Publicityhound.com/PHU_AssistantsCourse.htm


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

Dear God:

Why are there cars named after the jaguar, the cougar, the
mustang, the colt, the stingray, and the rabbit, but not ONE
named for a dog? How often do you see a cougar riding around?

We do love a nice ride! Would it be so hard to rename the
"Chrysler Eagle" the "Chrysler Beagle"?


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

Gardeners, USA Weekend wants photos of giant fruits, veggies
http://tinyurl.com/crkgkb


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


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/Rate Cards are for Dummies Mar 10, 2009

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #441 March 10, 2009
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)

Circulation: 42,004

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

"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.

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

If You Missed Taking My Survey:

If you took my customer profile survey, a thousand thank-yous. So
many of you are using your $40 coupons to order products that
it's gotten to the point where the post office clerks hate to see
my customer service people walk through the door.

If you tried to take the survey but the screen froze up or you
bailed out because of other technical glitches, you can try again
using this link. We've fixed the glitches and the survey will let
you pick up where you left off:
http://www.PublicityHound.com/customerprofilesurvey.htm

If you took it but still haven't used your $40 coupon, you have
until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Friday, March 13, to do so.

Problem taking the survey? Email Scott, my customer service
manager, at mailto:scott@serenityva.com

In the next few weeks, I'll be digging into the data and your
comments to see what you like, what you don't like, what you
want, and where I can improve.

Your support, suggestions, ideas and loyalty make my job the best
in the world. And for that, I'm grateful--and one doggone happy
Hound.

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

1. Rate Cards are for Dummies

2. Use Twitter Hash Tags for Publicity

3. Promote Social Networking Sites Offline

4. Another Oversized Check--Ugh!

5. How to Promote 'Going Green'

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. And at My Blog...


========================================
1. Rate Cards are for Dummies
========================================

As newspapers march toward the graveyard, smart Publicity Hounds
see the parade as a golden opportunity to buy advertising at
dirt-cheap prices.

At Stompernet's Internet marketing conference in Atlanta over
the weekend, publicity expert Don Crowther reminded us that rate
cards are for dummies. Never, ever pay the full ad rate listed on
the card.

"Always negotiate," Don says.

Desperate newspapers will sometimes accept a rate far below
what's on the card. Or they'll make you pay the full rate but
give you two ads for the price of one.

Another way to save, Don says, is to buy remnant ads.

When newspapers or magazines have extra ad space at the last
minute because another advertiser has pulled out, they might let
you have it at bargain-basement prices. Don says he has bought
remnant ads in the New York Times for 10 percent the price on the
rate card.

If you're buying a remnant ad, you'll be expected to provide the
copy for it almost immediately, and you'll also have no control
over where the ad is placed.

Don's rate card tips work equally well for college newspapers
which, by the way, have a very loyal readership among an audience
that doesn't read daily and weekly papers. Since the start of the
current school year, daily newspapers at several major colleges
have cut back their publication schedule to one edition a week--
usually on Friday--because of weak advertising.

Everybody wants publicity you don't have to pay for. But when you
have to buy an ad in the traditional media, check out "Special
Report #48: Smart Tips for F~ree, Cheap and More Effective Ads."
It give you lots of value advice for only $10. Read more about it
at http://tinyurl.com/dhe7r4


======================================
2. Use Twitter Hash Tags for Publicity
======================================

If you're planning a special event like an industry convention or
a speaking engagement, even a teleseminar, invite the Twitter
community to buzz about it.

At the opening session, announce from the stage that audience
members who tweet about the event should use a hash tag, and then
tell them what it is.

A hash tag is the character # followed by a short word that
describes the event, or a particular topic, on Twitter.

For example, at the Stompernet Internet marketing event I
attended over the weekend, audience members were asked to mark
their tweets by typing "#Stompernet" within each one.

That makes it easy for other attendees, and even people who
didn't attend the event, to go to Twitter's search box at
http://search.Twitter.com and type in "#Stompernet" and find all
the tweets about the event.

You might be asking: Why would Stompernet want the rest of the
world to take advantage of information at an event that only
members and their guests can attend?

Here's why:

--It creates interest in their membership site. I guarantee that
if you search for all the "#Stompernet" tweets and read them, you
will find at least three tips you can start using today to
increase your bottom line. Membership is currently closed, but if
you go to http://tinyurl.com/a6j4pw and give them your email
address, they'll notify you when it opens.

--Of the 500+ people who attended the Stompernet event, many
tweeted about it. Each of those people has an army of followers.
Some of those followers might think the tips are so valuable that
they're worth "retweeting," thereby exposing millions more people
to Stompernet.

--No more whining that "The Daily Tattler didn't cover our event,
boo-hoo." By using hashtags, you turn your entire audience into
journalists and let THEM report on the event for you. Often,
their reach on Twitter will be far greater than the reach of many
top-tier media outlets like CNN and the New York Times. Plus,
those tweets live online forever, just waiting for the search
engines to find them.


There are lots more ways to use hash tags for publicity. Tell us
how you use them by adding comments to my blog post at
http://tinyurl.com/cjr3ot


===========================================
3. Promote Social Networking Sites Offline
===========================================

Don't get so caught up tweeting on Twitter, uploading videos to
YouTube and finding friends on Facebook that you forget to let
the offline world know where they can find you at these sites.

The next time I order business cards, I'm adding this to the back
of the card:


Follow me on Twitter at http://Twitter.com/PublicityHound

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

Be my friend on Facebook at
http://www.facebook.com/people/Joan_Stewart/541605146


You can also add your "how to find me" social networking
information to printed brochures, paper and plastic bags,
receipts, invoices, catalogs, calendars, books, print
newsletters, stationery, postcards, handouts, product packaging,
annual reports, print media kit, CD and DVD labels, notepads and
print advertising.

I'm also adding those phrases to the bottom center of every page
at my website, along with all my other contact information.


Social networking leaving you overwhelmed? Join the crowd. Learn
time-saving tricks and tools on "How to do Social Networking, Run
a Business & Still Have a Life." BL Ochman, a giant in social
networking circles, explained how during the teleseminar I hosted
with her a few months ago.

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 her tips at http://tinyurl.com/6kswbc


===================================
4. Another Oversized Check---Ugh!
===================================

If I see one more oversized cardboard check in a local newspaper
or on TV or at somebody's website...I'll...I'll...

I'm not sure what I'll do, but it won't be pretty.

Please stop planning those schmaltzy check-passing ceremonies,
shooting photos of oversized checks and then offering the photos
to the media.

And while you're at it, no more boring ribbon-cutting events with
those giant cardboard scissors. You can do better.

As for ground-breaking ceremonies, nobody is breaking much ground
these days for new construction projects. But if you do, please
don't subject your audience to the equally monotonous
groundbreaking ceremony. You know the kind---a dozen suits in
hard hats, all lined up from left to right, each one posing with
a foot on the spade.

Need I say more?


Dan Collins has created dozens of fun, exciting events that
really generate buzz for Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore, Md.
He explains how you can take his own ideas and apply them to
whatever you're promoting. "Fun Alternatives to Boring Ground-
breakings, Ribbon-cuttings and Check-passings" is available as a
CD or electronic transcript.

Read more about how to banish these cliche events forever, even
if your boss insists that you "do what you're told," at
http://tinyurl.com/7cl6z


====================================
5. How to Promote 'Going Green'
====================================

This week, six Publicity Hounds have tips for Colleen Schmid of
Heathrow, Fla. on how she can promote her consulting business
that shows homeowners and companies how to "go green." She asked
for ideas on how she can tie in to Earth Day on April 22.


From Joel Prunty:

"Being green is a popular story line already. How about twisting
it into a St. Patrick's Day story? That way, you don't have to
compete with all the other green Earth Day stuff."


From Jeff Rutherford:

"Many politicians from the right and the left are seeing the
wisdom in going green. Why not try to coordinate with a local
politician--you'll go through their home, accompanied by a
reporter from a local TV station or newspaper, of course, and
discuss all the ways that they could improve their homes to go
green.

"If you get turned down by local politicians, what about other
local community leaders?"


From Meryl K. Evans:

"How about using Twitter to provide one green tip per day,
building up to the big reveal on Earth Day? After all, one tip
per day is doable for families and doesn't overwhelm them. With
each tip, they'll think, 'Oh, is that all it takes? I can do
that.'

"Then put all the tips in one blog post or article to distribute
in its entirety on Earth Day."


The Publicity Hound says:

Colleen, how about pitching your story on March 20, the first day
of spring? Demonstrate how people can go green while doing their
spring cleaning. Many local TV stations have those morning
news/feature shows that would welcome this story. Check out TV
producer Shawne Duperon's tips on "How to Get on the Local TV
News Tomorrow." It's 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/4zpuz

Read all the answers to last week's Help This Hound question at
http://tinyurl.com/besbzg


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


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

Keri Gerlach of Greenfield, WI writes:

"I'm the marketing director for Clement Manor, a retirement
community at http://www.ClementManor.com

"My biggest challenge is a limited budget and limited resources
targeting long-term care and assisted living. Not many folks are
out there touring facilities until they have to, and given the
economy, most are waiting even longer to sell their homes.

"More specifically, I'd like ideas on how to encourage families
to ‘window shop’ now so that when the time comes for their
parents, they've done their homework and have an idea about what
facility they might choose. The sons and daughters we are seeing
are in their mid-60s."


The Publicity Hound says:

OK, so where do people in their mid-60s hang out? How about it,
Hounds? How should Keri be directing her marketing efforts? Any
niche social networking sites for over-50 people in Wisconsin?
Share your best ideas at my blog at http://tinyurl.com/bgep5b


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

Buy a dog a toy and it will play with it forever. Buy a cat a
present and it will play with the wrapper for 10 minutes.


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

How to use Twitter hash tags for promotion, publicity
http://tinyurl.com/cjr3ot

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

WHERE TO SEE AND HEAR THE PUBLICITY HOUND:



March 16--Teleseminar on Internet Marketing

I'll be Marilee Tolen's guest from 8 to 9 p.m. Eastern Time for
her teleseminar series "Introduction to Internet Marketing" for
nurses, healers, coaches and holistic professional solopreneurs.
If this is your niche, and you're tired of running after the next
client, this is the training session for you. It starts Feb. 23.
Learn more at http://tinyurl.com/dl3xhm


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/How About a Little Good News? Mar 3, 2009

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #440
March 3, 2009
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)

Circulation: 42,341

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

"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.

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

My Survey is Being Emailed Now:

During the next several days, you'll receive my Customer Profile
Survey. Complete it, and you'll get $40 off of any products or
services I sell, by March 13. Your name will also be entered in a
drawing for a Kindle 2, the new wireless reading device that
Amazon sells for $359. If the winner doesn't want the Kindle,
I'll send an Amazon gift certificate for that amount.

We're already tabulating responses, and the results are
illuminating. I'll share them with you in a few weeks once all
the surveys are tabulated.

If you've already completed yours, thank you! Your honest
feedback will help me improve this newsletter and every other
aspect of doing business with me.

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

1. How About a Little Good News?

2. It's Square Root Day

3. 3 Teleseminars to Help You

4. The Advantage of Freelancers

5. Ugly Patio Furniture

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. And at My Blog...


====================================
1. How About a Little Good News?
====================================

You and I aren't the only ones sick of bad news.

TV news producers are sick of it too. That's what my friend, TV
producer Shawne Duperon, told me a few days ago. We were talking
about the demise of the Rocky Mountain News, one of Colorado's
two biggest daily newspapers.

"Are things as bad in the TV industry as they are at newspapers?
"I asked her.

"It's not even the same conversation," she said. "Everything is
fine. But TV people are sick of all the gloom and doom.

"What does that mean to Publicity Hounds?

Pitch good news stories:

--My local newspaper had a story on Page 1 yesterday about how a
little small-town bank, where the bosses commute to work on foot,
is doing just fine, thank you, while bigger financial
institutions are grabbing bail-outs right and left. That bank
might never have received front-page publicity in a boom economy.
But today, it's the exception to the rule.

--Has your family found creative ways to skirt high grocery
bills? Are you and the kids cooking more instead of eating out
and, in the process, learning more about each other? If so, pitch
lifestyle reporters, bloggers, and explain your own story at your
blog.

--My friend opened The Chocolate Chisel, a gourmet chocolate shop
in my town of Port Washington, Wisconsin a few weeks ago. When I
asked her if she had second thoughts about opening in this
economy, she said no. While creating her business plan with her
partner, they researched the history of chocolate and learned
that it's one product that does well during bad times. People
might not be able to afford a $300 day at the spa, but a $10
sample pack of gourmet chocolates makes the world right again. I
told her that's a terrific angle she ought to pitch.

--Moore Oil Company in Milwaukee has its own economic stimulus
plan. President Scott Haag is offering employees $2,000 if they
buy a new car, or $1,000 for a used car. "It's just a gift.
There's no there's no payback," he said. "It's tough out there,
and a little positive news today goes a long way.

"Indeed. That story made it onto the local ABC station's news last
night.What good news story can you pitch? If you're having trouble
identifying it, you can learn all their inside secrets about what
TV stations want. Shawne Duperon was my guest during a
teleseminar on "How to Get on the Local TV News Tomorrow." We
recorded it and 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 story onto TV at
http://tinyurl.com/4zpuz

Learn three more ideas on how to piggyback your story idea onto
the economy by joining my "Friends of The Publicity Hound"
Facebook group at http://tinyurl.com/bawp2z

In the next day or two, I'll email the group with more ideas on
how to piggyback your story ideas onto the economy.


====================================
2. It's Square Root Day
====================================

Today is Square Root Day, a holiday celebrated on dates where the
day and the month are both the square root of the last two digits
in the current year.

For example, the last square root day was March 3, 2009 (3-3-09),
and the next square root day will be April 4, 2016 (4-4-16). The
final square root day of the century will occur on September 9,
2081 (9-9-81). Square root days fall on the same nine dates each
century.

Ron Gordon, a Redwood City, California high school teacher, first
created the day for 9-9-81. He's the official PR person and sends
press releases to media outlets around the world.

There's even a Facebook group devoted to Square Root Day at
http://tinyurl.com/d7gz39 and it has more than 2,600 members.
Many of them have written wall posts that explain how they're
celebrating.

For all you foodies, one suggested way of celebrating the holiday
is by eating square radishes, or other root vegetables cut into
shapes with square cross sections.

If you think this is silly, check out the mountains of publicity
Square Root Day has received throughout the world:
http://tinyurl.com/ak4hjs

Now quite smirking. Go over to Chase's Calendar of Events at
http://www.Chases.com and create your own holiday, or your own
day, week or month of the year by clicking on "Submit an Entry"
on the left side of the screen. You have until April 15 to submit
an entry for the 2010 printed edition.

Once you've created your day, use it as a springboard to pitch to
the media. When Dan Janal interviewed me about how to pitch, I
explained all the ways sources caught my attention with their
pitches when I worked as a newspaper editor. I shared them all in
the recording "Secrets of Perfect Pitching."

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 pitch the right way at
http://tinyurl.com/s3tyx


===================================
3. 3 Teleseminars to Help You
===================================

--"Media Star Power: How To Become a Celebrity and a Media
Darling All at the Same Time," with Tom Antion and Judy Jernudd.
Judy is a former Los Angeles talk show host who has interviewed
presidents, Oprah Winfrey, Tom Selleck, Tom Cruise, Regis
Philbin, Larry King, Barbara Walters and hundreds of other
superstars. At 9 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, March 5. This is a
paid teleseminar. Register at http://tinyurl.com/ako5x7


--"Best-seller Blueprint--How To Make Your Book An Almost Instant
Best-seller and Sell Tons of Copies Even if You're A Marketing
Novice," with Steve Harrison, Randy Gilbert and Peggy McColl. At
2 or 7 Eastern on Thursday, March 5. Register for this
complimentary call at http://tinyurl.com/ccdbb7


--"How to Create Your own Strong Economy This Year with Online
Information Marketing," with Alexandria Brown, The Ezine Queen,
on Thursday, March 5. Learn 5 ways to recession-proof your
business. Register for this complimentary call at
http://tinyurl.com/bnh627


=====================================
4. The Advantage of Freelancers
=====================================

How many freelance writers have you built relationships with this
past year?

How many freelancers are you trying to court this year?

Publicity Hound Pam Lontos of PR/PR at http://www.prpr.net says
getting to know freelancers has paid off big.

Her company pitched one if its clients, Dr. Kenneth Christian, a
psychologist and author of "Your Own Worst Enemy," to a writer at
Self Magazine a few years ago.

The writer, a freelancer, was going to interview Dr. Christian,
but the magazine decided to kill the story. The writer also wrote
for Parade magazine and decided to write the whole story for
Parade around Dr. Christian's new book. In fact, she needed more
sources so she ended up using another one of PR/PR's clients, Dr.
Pamela Brill, author of "The Winner's Way." The story skyrocketed
the ranking for both authors' books on Amazon.

Dr. Christian's new book jumped from 35,000 to 35. Dr. Brill's
book, which was available pre-sale, jumped to 300 before it was
even released."

Be helpful and give the media more story ideas and resources
than they ask for," Pam says. "You never know which small town
newspaper writer also writes for a major media outlet."

"Special Report #40:42 Publicity Tips for Authors and Small
Publishers" shows you how to target niche markets, position
yourself as an expert and pull the media and others to your
website. Only $10, and you can download it as soon as your order
has been approved. Read more about it at http://tinyurl.com/6uz9g


====================================
5. Ugly Patio Furniture
====================================

This week, four Publicity Hounds have tips for Jill Cranford of
Livermore, Colo., on how to publicize her "Ugly Patio Furniture"competition at http://tinyurl.com/auhj8e


From Tonya:

"I am a huge fan of design, especially green design and I have a
Google reader full of design blogs. I would recommend that Jill
put together a little blurb about the competition along with some
photos of her products, and submit them to different design
blogs. I have a bunch of them in a list if she'd like to email
me, but she can go to Google and type in 'design blog' and she
will find a ton of them."


From Hendry Lee:

"These competitions are all over the place within Twitter. Zappos
has done it successfully, as well as solopreneurs.

"Nothing allows you to interact with your target market more
directly than Twitter. With the power of retweets, your info
can go viral. Not to mention that it makes a good case study for
many bloggers to write about, increasing your publicity even
more."


The Publicity Hound says:

I love those ideas. Twitter expert Warren Whitlock shows you "How
to Use Twitter to Amass an Army of Followers, Customers &
Valuable Contacts--and Promote." My teleseminar series with him
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 all the ways you can use Twitter at
http://tinyurl.com/3lbcaw


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

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


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

Colleen Schmid of Heathrow, Fla. writes:

"I've recently started a new business teaching families how to
start going green in their homes. I go through their homes and,
room by room, show them what things they can be doing to save on
power and water bills as well as removing toxins. I will also
begin showing small businesses how to do the same.

"Earth Day is on April 22, and I'm trying to come up with a big
idea to get media attention for my business. It's so critical
that we all become aware of what we're are doing to harm our
environment, waste precious resources and pollute. It's also
important to show people how living green saves them money and
takes care of our Earth.

"Can your Hounds thing of some powerful ways for me to tie my
business into Earth Day for some publicity?" Her website is at
http://green-colleen.com


The Publicity Hound says:

Some media people say they're suspicious about green pitches
which seem to be everywhere. So my Hounds need to come up with
some really clever angles for you, Colleen. Hounds with tips for
Colleen can post them to my blog at http://tinyurl.com/besbzg


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

The average dog is a nicer person than the average person.- Andy Rooney.


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

Hiring a VA to book speaking gigs sends a bad message
http://tinyurl.com/akmxfv


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

WHERE TO SEE AND HEAR THE PUBLICITY HOUND:

March 6-8--Atlanta, Ga.
I'll be at the Stompernet Live 7 event. If you're going, let's
meet for coffee.


March 16--Teleseminar on Internet Marketing

I'll be Marilee Tolen's guest from 8 to 9 p.m. Eastern Time for
her teleseminar series "Introduction to Internet Marketing" for
nurses, healers, coaches and holistic professional solopreneurs.
If this is your niche, and you're tired of running after the next
client, this is the training session for you. It starts Feb. 23.
Learn more at http://tinyurl.com/dl3xhm


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/Grand Slam Giveaway Feb 17, 2009

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #438 Feb. 17, 2009
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)

Circulation: 42,573

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

"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.

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

Complete My Survey, Get a $30 Coupon & Chance to Win a
Kindle:

I'll be sending 500 readers of this newsletter, chosen randomly,
my customer satisfaction survey as soon as it's ready later this
week. If you complete it, you'll get a $30 coupon good for any
products or services I sell, and your name will be entered in a
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The first batch of 500 surveys will help me identify any glitches
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*****************************************
================================
In This Issue
================================

1. Grand Slam Giveaway

2. Don't Ask to Review an Article

3. How to Recycle Publicity

4. 2 Events for Hounds

5. Promoting a Farmer's Market

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. And at My Blog...


========================================
1. Grand Slam Giveaway
========================================

Call it what you want--a handout, a sample, a giveaway.

When the economy is tanking, consumers want a good deal. That's
exactly what Denny's restaurant delivered two days after the
Super Bowl when it gave away 2 million of its signature Grand
Slam Breakfasts.

Denny's reported that its $3 million commercial drew that many
people to its 1,600 outlets in North America and Puerto Rico. The
company spent $5 million for the promotion that generated $50
million in news coverage.

"A lot of people have forgotten what Denny's is, or they think
they know, while we've come out with a whole lot of new products.
We felt like we needed to jump start the brand," said Mark
Chmiel, Denny's chief marketing and innovation officer.

Mitchell Davis, who owns Expertclick.com and
NewsReleaseWire.com, loved the Denny's promotion.
If it could work for people who needto eat breakfast,
why can't it work for Publicity Hounds who need to
write press releases, he reasoned.

Mitch wants you to "taste his service" and send news releases
this week without cost or obligation.

"I got the idea after seeing Denny's give out 2 million Grand
Slam breakfasts and thought more people should see how good our
News Release Wire service works--and understand our
commitment to customer service," he said.

So here's the deal. For one week, you can test-drive his service
by sending press releases and creating a Press Room Page about
your business. Watch his video about how it all works at
http://www.ExpertClick.com/brochure

I subscribe to the service, which helps me claim the first three
spots on Google for the keyword phrase "publicity expert" and
drives my competitors crazy.

Don't expect those kinds of results within one week, however,
because Google probably won't index your pages that quickly. But
if you call Mitch at 202-333-5000 and ask him for The Publicity
Hound special, he'll set it up for you so you can see how the
service works--with no commitments to subscribe. I love the fact
that they answer their own phones and jump through hoops for
their customers--like the time I spotted a heinous typo after I
posted my release. I called them, and they corrected it within
minutes.

If you don't want to call Mitch, you can create the test-drive
yourself at https://www.ExpertClick.com/create

Choose the Gold Level at $995. Then scroll down and complete
the "Participant" information (who the account will be about)
and the "Subscriber" info (for the person in charge of the
account).

Check the credit card box but don't enter your number because you
aren't paying for this.

In the "Special Offer" box enter:"F*ree Week from Publicity
Hound." Then click on "Create Your Press Room Page" and you'll
be able to edit instantly. Once they approve your account, you'll
be able to start sending press releases instantly. Their standard
editorial policies at http://www.TermsandConditions.com apply, so
be sure to read them.

Try it for a week and let me know how you like it.


==============================================
2. Don't Ask to Review an Article
==============================================

Publicity Hound Gail Sideman saw a Twitter post that caught her
attention recently.

It was from someone who said that Inc. magazine was doing a
feature on him until he asked the magazine to let him review the
article for his final approval.

"Was I wrong to ask? Yes or no?"

She replied and told the guy he was wrong. That led to a spirited
debate on Twitter. So she emailed me and several others in the
journalism world and asked our opinions.

Here's what I told her:

--You were right. He was wrong. By asking that question, he
showed he wasn't media-savvy, and it sounds as though it cost him
publicity in Inc. magazine.

--He certainly could have asked the writer, "Would you be willing
to run by me any direct quotes you are attributing to me?" Some
journalists will say yes, some will say no. It never hurts to ask
because some journalists will want to make sure their quotes are
accurate. But the deal is, if you hear the quote and you know you
said it, but you don't like the sound of it, you can't ask the
writer to change it. That's one of the ground rules they never
teach you.

--He could also have asked if the magazine will fact-check the
story. Inc. most likely has its own fact-check department and
would do this anyway. But again, it never hurts to ask.


Bottom line: Never ask a journalist to show you a story before
it's printed so you can "approve" it. For sensitive interviews,
you can negotiate the terms of the interview, but little else.

I devoted an entire chapter of my ebook "How to be a Kick-butt
Publicity Hound" to what you should do before, during and after
an interview. These are the ground rules the media never tell you
about and hope you never learn. The ebook is the most
comprehensive product I offer on all aspects of generating free
publicity. The 2009 update includes six new chapters on social
media.

Read more about what you'll learn at
http://www.publicityhound.com/publicity/publicityhound.htm


========================================
3. How to Recycle Publicity
========================================

When you generate a publicity hit in a newspaper or magazine, on
a TV or radio station, or in the social media, don't be
satisfied.

Try to recycle that hit into multiple hits, or multiple
promotions.

I'm one of three experts featured in the January/February issue
of SUCCESS magazine, offering my advice on how to promote
online.
You can read more about it at my blog at
http://tinyurl.com/bg33ml

Here are six ways I've already recycled that publicity:

--I tweeted about it at Twitter.

--I included some of the tips that didn't make it into the
magazine in the "What's New" section of my Facebook group
called Friends of The Publicity Hound. If you already have a Facebook
profile, join the group by logging into Facebook, then pasting
this link into your browser and join: http://tinyurl.com/d2h8gk
I'll be sharing more tips over there and I might not always
remember to share them here.

--I went to the blog of Joel Comm, who was featured along with me
in the article. I posted a comment to an unrelated blog post and
then mentioned in a "P.S." how interesting it was to read his
advice alongside mine in SUCCESS.

--Ditto for Scott Fox, the other Internet marketer featured in
the article.

--I added a line to my email signature that lets people know I
was in the magazine, and I linked to the article.

--I'm writing about it here.

That's only six ways! And I know you Hounds can think of many
others. Add them to my blog at http://tinyurl.com/bg33ml

Recycling publicity is an important part of a media plan because
you must follow up, follow up and follow up. I explain in step-
by-step detail how to create a yearlong plan, follow up, and take
advantage of every publicity opportunity in front of you. The
teleseminar series "How to Create a Media Plan" is available as
CDs, MP3s and electronic transcripts. Read more about why you
need a plan and how to create one at
http://www.publicityhound.com/mediaplan.htm


==========================================
4. 2 Events for Hounds
==========================================

Event #1: Teleseminar on how to start a coaching program

Do you offer coaching services? If not, consider it.

Coaching is one of the quickest ways almost any non-fiction
author or anyone with expertise can make more while also helping
a lot of people. For example, I have three types of coaching
programs: one-on-one coaching over the phone, my group mentor
program at
http://www.publicityhound.com/mentorprogram/intro.html
and teleseminar series devoted to specific topics.

You'll be surprised how much others will gladly pay for what you
know, even though you take it for granted.

To discover how to get started offering coaching services, you're
invited to a free telephone seminar on Thursday, February 19.
Hear Steve Harrison interview Tim Paulson, an author, speaker and
coaching expert who's helped many people start thriving coaching
practices. You'll learn how to get others to pay you from $100 to
$1,000 an hour, or more, for your expertise.

Register for the call at
http://www.CoachingTrainingTeleseminar.com/?10011

If you have another commitment, register anyway and recruit
somebody to take notes for you. Steve doesn't record most of
these teleseminars and if you miss it, it's gone.


Event #2: Media event for products tied to celebrities or good
causes.

If you have a consumer product that's tied to a celebrity or a
good cause, consider displaying it at the annual Celebrity
Connections Media Event and the Good Causes Media Event, to be
held April 1 in New York City.

Journalists are always looking for a great angle when it comes to
covering new products, and many journalists are looking for
products with either a celebrity connection or products that help
worthy causes. The events draw an impressive list of top-tier
media.

Read more about them at my blog at http://tinyurl.com/awdwlx


==========================================
5. Promoting a Farmer's Market
==========================================

This week, 12 Publicity Hounds have tips for Rose Strong of
Springtown, Pa. on how to publicize a local farmer's market.


From LisaMarie Dias:

"Send an online newsletter through a company like Constant
Contact. You could profile the vendors, post a calendar and
include recipes. If you send the newsletter out monthly, you
could do weekly reminders in a smaller form--with links back to
your website. You could have prizes and giveaways to gather email
addresses."


From Michael Carr:

"Invite local chefs to create an ongoing set of promotional
opportunities. Book your chefs in advance and publicize their
participation. Your chefs can shop the market to select fresh
produce to use in their demonstrations. Customers will appreciate
sampling what the chef has made as well as learning about using
fresh seasonal ingredients at home."


From Tara Bright:

"Kick off your season with a Raw Food Uncook-off. Host a Green
Foodie Contest. Join forces or initiate a "Buy Local, Live
Sustainable" group. Host weekly potlucks on a day you are closed.

"Why not set aside a space where children can start seeds while
their parents shop? They will need to come back every week to
check the progress and water their little sprouts. Also, do a
comparison shopping trip at a local chain grocer. If your cart
ends up costing less at the farmer's market, publicize it."


The Publicity Hound says:

Team up with local artists, musicians and other entertainers. One
week, feature an art show and let the artists manage it. The
next week, how about a bluegrass band? The following week,
feature arts and crafts vendors. All would provide one more
reason to shop the farmer's market.

The teleseminar I hosted on "Publicity Tips for Restaurants,
Chefs & Foodies" offers 51 ideas you can use for almost any food-
related story. The recording is available as a CD or electronic
transcript that you can download as soon as your order has been
approved. Each includes a downloadable list of all 51 ideas.

Read more about how to generate food publicity at
http://tinyurl.com/clr26


Read all the responses to this week's Help This Hound question at
http://tinyurl.com/bayg2c

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


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

Lori Feldman of St. Louis, Mo. writes:

"My client is a home and garden show that's produced in four
cities--Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Indianapolis and Portland from
late February through early March.

"We're launching a social media plan for this company that has
done nothing but traditional advertising for the last 50 years!
Last year was the first time they even attempted to collect email
addresses from attendees, so we have a list of 20,000 we can use.

"As you can imagine, ad costs significantly increase each year
with significantly declining ROI. So the challenge was to find
alternative media to combat the ineffectiveness of old media.
They also face these hurdles: Home starts and real estate are way
down. Young people have not supported these live shows (but this
could be due to a lack of an online presence). All marketing is
local--you're not going to jump on a plane to attend.

"Because time is short, I'd like to get as many suggestions from
your readers as possible to consider every option to increase
traffic. The pre-show promotions site is
http://www.ImproveYourHomeAndGarden.com We'll be press
releasing, tweeting, and social networking between now and show day.
I can do a shopping spree contest winner. Thoughts?"


The Publicity Hound says:

You--and my Hounds--are up against a tough deadline. But that's
when my Hounds are most creative! I know a lot of them publicize
events, so they'll post their best ideas to my blog at
http://tinyurl.com/atm843

Don't have time to wait to hear their ideas? "How to Plan &
Promote Sizzling Special Events" will give you hundreds of ideas.
Read more about what you'll learn at
http://publicityhound.com/publicity/promote.html


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

Thanks to Publicity Hound Kerry Hargraves of Oakland, Calif. 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 the dog's ears, it 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...
===================================

Online promotion tips in Jan/Feb issue of SUCCESS magazine
http://tinyurl.com/bg33ml


The Number One mistake of online press releases
http://tinyurl.com/d86hxx


Media event to feature products tied to celebs, good causes
http://tinyurl.com/awdwlx


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

WHERE TO SEE AND HEAR THE PUBLICITY HOUND:


March 6-8--Atlanta, Ga.

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


March 16--Teleseminar on Internet Marketing

I'll be Marilee Tolen's guest from 8 to 9 p.m. Eastern Time for
her teleseminar series "Introduction to Internet Marketing" for
nurses, healers, coaches and holistic professional solopreneurs.
If this is your niche, and you're tired of running after the next
client, this is the training session for you. It starts Feb. 23.
Learn more at http://tinyurl.com/dl3xhm


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/Don't Make Yourself Sound So Boring Feb 10, 2009

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #437 Feb. 10, 2009
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)

Circulation: 42,567

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

"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"

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

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

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

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

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

Last Call for the National Publicity Summit:

Thursday, Feb. 12, is the last day for the early-bird
registration for Steve Harrison's National Publicity Summit in
New York April 22-25. This is the event where you can meet
journalists from top-tier publications and TV and radio shows
face to face and pitch them. Steve will even provide coaching on
how to deliver your pitch so you make a great first impression.

You can learn more about the event here:
http://www.NationalPublicitySummit.com/?10011

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

1. Don't Make Yourself Sound So Boring

2. Cool Tool for Hounds & Journalists

3. 5 Tips for Hiring Interns

4. Bloggers Gush About Cleaning Products

5. How to Piggyback onto Book Publicity

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. And at My Blog...


========================================
1. Don't Make Yourself Sound So Boring
========================================

I'm not mentioning any names.

But when I read the social networking profiles of some of my
friends and business associates, I think to myself: "You're
really interesting. And you're lots of fun. You even have unusual
hobbies. So why are you making yourself sound so boring?"

Yes, that little snippet of information just below your photo on
your Twitter or Facebook profiles can determine whether a visitor
follows you, friends you, or decides that you have nothing to
offer and leaves in search of somebody else who does.

On LinkedIn, that much longer profile will determine whether
somebody wants to connect with you, or forget you.

I can't begin to count the number of Twitter replies and direct
messages from my followers who comment on my love for the Food
Network and motorcycles, which I've mentioned in my profile at
http://Twitter.com/PublicityHound

What does that have to do with publicity?

Absolutely nothing. But if a fellow Food Network junkie follows
me, and then one day hopes to generate publicity, she might look
to me for advice, my products, or my mentor program.

Consider adding these topics to your social networking profiles,
depending on the type of people you're hoping to attract:

--Your hobbies

--Your pets

--Your favorite TV shows

--Your favorite movies and music

--The most unusual thing you've ever done

--Your biggest business accomplishment

--Your most unusual personal accomplishment

--What makes you an expert

--Humor!


A word of caution: Don't treat all your profiles the same.

Social networking expert Nancy Marmolejo will be my guest during
a 70-minute teleseminar at 4 p.m. Eastern Time tomorrow. It's
called "Can Your Social Networking Profile Pass the 10-Second
Test?" In addition to tips galore on how to write your profiles,
you can listen as Nancy remakes the profile of one lucky
participant. If the time is inconvenient for you, sign up anyway
because I'll send you the link for the MP3 recording and the link
for a webinar Nancy hosted that goes into even greater detail.

Learn more about the topic at my blog and register at
http://tinyurl.com/blvdby


============================================
2. Cool Tool for Hounds & Journalists
============================================

I just discovered a new service that costs you nothing and helps
connect Publicity Hounds with journalists who are looking for
specific types of sources.

It's called PitchRate.com and here's how it works.

--Journalists write a query explaining the types of sources
they're seeking. If they're from a top-tier media outlet, they
have the option of cloaking their query and not revealing exactly
where they work. When you sign up for the service, you can see
all the journalist queries and decide which ones you want to
respond to.

--The technology behind the platform automatically rates your
pitch on a five-star scale. It then delivers all the pitches from
a particular query to that journalist, who can then sort them
according to how many stars each receives.

--Journalists will open the five- and four-star pitches first
and, most likely, disregard all the others. This saves them
valuable time.

--If they contact you for an interview, they can then rate your
interview on your PitchRate.com profile so other journalists can
tell instantly if you're helpful and worth contacting.

Is that cool or what?

I've already signed up as both an expert and a journalist.
Bloggers and newsletter editors, I suggest you sign up as a
journalist, too. This is a terrific place to find sources.

Drew Gerber, who owns the site, tells me it's in its infancy but
that response from journalists has been so overwhelming that the
site doesn't have enough experts to respond to all the queries.
So sign up NOW while there's less competition among experts.


Go to http://www.pitchrate.com/publicityhound


========================================
3. 5 Tips for Hiring Interns
========================================

If you're laying off employees at your PR agency or in your
corporate PR department, why not rely on a few interns to pick up
the slack?

The current issue of My Midwest inflight magazine offers several
suggestions for making the most of your interns:

--Determine beforehand exactly what you want them to do for you,
and then choose the best candidate according to their skills that
dovetail with your goals.

--Consider paying them. This widens your pool of applicants
simply because many young people can't afford to work for
nothing.

--Don't waste talent by using them to bring you coffee or pick up
your dry cleaning. They won't learn much and you won't benefit.
(The Publicity Hound's idea: How about using them to research
media outlets whose audiences are a perfect match with your
pitch? This one task will help you save time because you won't be
pitching media that have no interest in your topic. And that
means you'll have time to customize those pitches.)

--Help them make connections at your company and at other
companies, and introduce them to possible mentors. Long after
they're gone, they might return the favor and refer job
candidates who would be a perfect fit.


Once you've chosen an intern, let me provide a large part of the
training. My teleseminar series "How to Help Your Boss or Client
with a Publicity Campaign" is perfect for any company or
nonprofit that hires interns or assistants. It's also ideal
for virtual assistants who want to add PR skills to their
services.

It's available as CDs, MP3 recordings and electronic transcripts
that you can download as soon as your order has been approved.
Read more about how to shorten the learning curve of your
assistants or interns at
http://www.publicityhound.com/PHU_AssistantsCourse.htm


==========================================
4. Bloggers Gush About Cleaning Products
==========================================

Household cleaning products don't seem to be the kinds of things
that would get the blogging community all excited, especially
during the holidays, right?

But if bloggers happen to be stay-at-home moms who spend a good
part of the day cleaning up after their toddlers, or bloggers who
care about environmentally friendly products, offering a product
sample to them can bring hundreds more moms to your website.

That's what happened just before the Christmas holidays when
Sweeney public relations launched a publicity campaign for Weiman
Products, a cleaning products manufacturer.

Publicity Hound Jennifer Manocchio, a Sweeney VP, said the
campaign invited bloggers to review products that help keep the
home clean. Sweeney offered each participating blogger
samples of products such as stainless steel wipes that can be
used to make kitchen faucets shiny, and Weiman E-tronic Wipes
that can be used to remove fingerprints from computer screens.

The campaign resulted in a whopping 44 positive reviews from
bloggers, like this one from the My Trendy Tykes blog:

"Weiman Stainless Steel Wipes shine, polish and protect all
stainless steel surfaces. They leave NO streaks, and the strong
odor?? Well, it's not there. It's actually a pleasant smell for
my nose. Oh, and get this...It actually repels fingerprints,
water marks and dirt. Now that's what I'm talking about!"

Blogger Rockin' Mama gushed about how the floor polish made her
laminate floors super-shiny. And at the Chocolate Fingerprints
blog, Andrea McMann said she could tell the e-tronic wipes are "a
high-quality product" and my screens still aren't dusty or
smudgy."

The campaign also resulted in 172 clips, 196 direct links to the
Weiman website, and 772 website visitors who stayed an average of
two minutes and five seconds.

When you launch a publicity campaign, are you targeting bloggers
who reach your ideal customers? If not, you're leaving money on
the table. Denise Wakeman and Patsi Krakoff can show you in step-
by-step detail how to identify bloggers who reach your target
audience, pitch them, interest them, and encourage them to
review your product or service. They were my guests during a
teleseminar on "How to Pitch the Best Bloggers & Create a
Publicity Explosion."

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
how to entice bloggers at http://tinyurl.com/m7ymr


==========================================
5. How to Piggyback onto Book Publicity
==========================================

This week, three Publicity Hounds have tips for astrology blogger
Michele Lessirard of Vero Beach, Fla. who wants to know how to
ride on the coattails of author Stephanie Myers' popular series
of vampire novels and the upcoming movie.


From Dal Jeanis:

"Be very careful of attempting to ride the coattails of a popular
hit, especially without knowing what it's really about...Before
doing anything else, find out what it is that you are attempting
to leverage off of. See the first movie, at the very least.

"From understanding the phenomenon, you can then move to figuring
out what products or services you can provide to that
demographic. Next, you can research to create a list of the
keywords in the Meyers books, obviously including vampire,
sparkle, romance, and so on, and figure out to what degree you
can use those keywords in your own astrology posts to increase
accidental traffic to your site.

"You could do mock-horoscopes for the characters just for fun,
although that's a lot of work and might not get you anything in
return. The key to doing that well would be to get copies of the
books and read them, picking incidents to warn about."


From Christine Buffaloe:

"Create Google Alerts for keywords that relate to both Stephanie
Myers' topics and yours. You can do this at
http://www.Google.com/alerts

"Tell Google you want to receive the alerts once a day. Then
follow them and see what Google delivers to you in the way of
news stories, videos, blog posts, etc. In some cases, if a
blogger is discussing Myers’ books, you can post a comment and
you'll get a link back to your website or blog."


From The Publicity Hound:

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

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

It's available as a CD or an electronic transcript that you can
download and be reading as soon as your order has been approved.

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

And then read the complete responses to this week's Help This
Hound question, or add your own, at http://tinyurl.com/dmzml4


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

Rose Strong of Springtown, Pa. writes:

"I am a volunteer for the Springtown Farmers Market and I'm
looking for some marketing and publicity ideas.

"We started off with a bang last year but for some reason we lost
our shoppers, and our vendors sort of dwindled down a bit. One
week there'd be lots of customers, but not too many vendors, the
next week it was a good vendor attendance and a lack of shoppers.

"This year, we were fortunate to receive a $10,000 donation from
a local resident as well as applying for a Dept. of Agriculture
grant. So we are planning a website, major advertising in a
local weekly newspaper and rack cards for local businesses to
have on their counters and hand out.

"What other inexpensive, creative ideas can your Hounds suggest
to help us promote this year’s market from May 20 to Oct 28?"


The Publicity Hound says:

The bad economy should certainly be a springboard from which you
can pitch all kinds of interesting story ideas to your local
media. Let's see what other ideas my Hounds can suggest. Hounds
with suggestions for Rose can post them to my blog at
http://tinyurl.com/bayg2c


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

A client brought a litter of Golden Retriever puppies to the
local veterinary clinic for inoculations and worming. As the
look-alike pups squirmed over and under one another in their box,
the vet realized it would be difficult to tell the treated ones
from the rest. So he turned on the water faucet, wet his fingers,
and moistened each dog's head when he had finished treating them.

After the fourth puppy, the vet noticed the hitherto talkative
client had grown silent. As he sprinkled the last pup's head, the
woman leaned forward and whispered, "I didn't know they had to be
baptized."


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

Workplace columnist needs sources in South Florida
http://tinyurl.com/cq8tct

Speakers, use local stories in towns where you speak
http://tinyurl.com/apmdgu

How a Dallas hardware store generated national publicity
http://tinyurl.com/am8bbm


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

WHERE TO SEE AND HEAR THE PUBLICITY HOUND:


"Boost Your Biz with a Blog Teleseminar Replay"

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


Wednesday, Feb. 11--Teleseminar

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


March 6-8--Atlanta, Ga.

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


PERMISSION TO REPRINT:

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

Reprinted from "The Publicity Hound's Tips of the Week," an ezine
featuring tips, tricks and tools for generating free publicity.
Subscribe at http://www.publicityhound.com/ and receive by email
the handy cheat sheet "89 Reasons to Send a News Release."

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

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


PRIVACY STATEMENT:

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

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

Publicity tips/Vanishing PR Clients Feb 3, 2009

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

Circulation: 43,345

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

"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"

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

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

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

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

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

I Don't Want to Lose You:

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/


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

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

1. Vanishing PR Clients

2. Grade Your Facebook Profile

3. Get Out of the Pile

4. Beware of the Shock Jocks

5. Formula Five Sweetens the Deal

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. And at My Blog...


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

be looking for a PR person.


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

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

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


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

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

Go to http://facebook.grader.com

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

There's one problem with the grader, however.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

And it starts with getting out of the pile.

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

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

So how do you get out of the pile?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

Until yesterday.

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

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

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

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

Lesson learned.

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

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


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

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


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

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

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

Here's how Stompernet responded:

--They've lowered the price.

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

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

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


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

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


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

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

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

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

Michele writes:

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

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

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


The Publicity Hound says:

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


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

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

It's available as a CD or an electronic transcript that you can
download and be reading as soon as your order has been approved.

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


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

Who needs cats?

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

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

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


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

BONUS: Buy the ebook and you also get a compilation of the 50
best websites for dog humor.

http://www.publicityhound.com/dogjokebook/


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

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


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


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

WHERE TO SEE AND HEAR THE PUBLICITY HOUND:


Monday, Jan. 26--Teleseminar Replay

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


Wednesday, Feb. 11--Teleseminar

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


March 6-8--Atlanta, Ga.

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



PERMISSION TO REPRINT:

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

Reprinted from "The Publicity Hound's Tips of the Week," an ezine
featuring tips, tricks and tools for generating free publicity.
Subscribe at http://www.publicityhound.com/ and receive by email
the handy cheat sheet "89 Reasons to Send a News Release."

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

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

PRIVACY STATEMENT:

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

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

Publicity tips/Put Your Pet in the White House Jan 20, 2009

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #434 Jan. 20, 2009
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)

Circulation: 43,628

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

"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. Put Your Pet in the White House

2. The Real Power of Your Press Release

3. Formula Five is Live

4. Still Not Blogging?

5. Promoting Sensitivity Training

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Video of the Week

8. And at My Blog...


===================================
1. Put Your Pet in the White House
===================================

When the party's over tonight, you just know that Malia and Sasha
will start pestering mom and dad for that puppy.

How about giving the First Family a taste of what the White House
will look like if they choose a pet just like yours? Heck, let's
make your pet the Official Obama Pet--right now!

Head over to Pawfun.com, a new custom photo T-shirt site for pet
lovers and participate in the Obama spoof that lets you super-
impose a photo of your pet, and then send it as an e-card.

That's what I did this morning. You can see Bogie, my German
Shorthaired Pointer, peeking out from under the president's
outstretched arm, to the left of the photo, at
http://www.pawfun.com/ecards/?c=210

While you're at the site, how about ordering a T-shirt that shows
your pet with its new owners?

Talk about perfect timing. Social media expert BL Ochman and her
partner, Caimin Jones, launched the site late Saturday night.
Since then, eager pet lovers have sent the e-cards more than
4,500 times.

Create your own card at http://www.pawfun.com/promo/

"While there's no shortage of T-shirt sites, our goal is to make
ours more fun than the rest," BL said. "And we've picked a niche
we'll go deep into instead of trying to be all things to all
people. That's because the Internet, and increasingly the world,
is a niche-or-be-niched place these days."

She and her partner will be using all the social media tools on
Pawfun.com that they're always trying to get their Fortune 500
clients to try--but now they're the client.

What an incredibly clever tie-in to today's world event. BL
always keeps me posted on what she's doing, and I'll share her
success stories with social networking, and anybody else's, here.
(Hint: Send me your success stories.)

BL, by the way, presented a content-rich teleseminar a few months
ago on "How to do Social Networking, Run a Business & Still Have
a Life." If you follow her on Twitter at @whatsnext, you'd swear
she spends all her waking hours tweeting. But launching a
business eats up hours upon hours, so BL has had to create
shortcuts for keeping Twitter and the other social networking
sites in which she participates within her control--so they don't
control her.

You can order the electronic transcript or MP3 audio of our
teleseminar and download them as soon as your order has been
approved, or you can choose the CD. Read more about how to save
time and your sanity during social networking at
http://tinyurl.com/a6guxq


=======================================
2. The Real Power of Your Press Release
=======================================

How much power do you really have to promote your product,
service, cause or issue with the lowly press release?


If you're hoping to generate a major story in the traditional
media, not much. That's because journalists despise them and
delete nine out of 10 press releases. A big story usually
requires a customized pitch, not a one-size-fits-all press
release.

If you're hoping to catch the attention of bloggers, consumers
and those on the social media landscape, quite a bit. But only if
you throw most of the old press release writing rules out the
window.

For example, in the old days, we absolutely could NOT write a
press release that smacked of promotion or it would repel
journalists. Today, however, smart Publicity Hounds use the press
release to give away information and tips, and then link to what
they're promoting at their websites--not with just one link high
in the release but with several links throughout.

That tactic means you can completely bypass traditional media and
go straight to the decision-makers who will find your release, if
you've written it correctly, when Googling.

If you're new to releases, or you've been writing them for years,
sign up for my free email tutorial "89 Ways to Write Powerful
Press Releases." It's an intensive 12-week course delivered by
email. Stick with it right to end and it will be like you've
earned a master's degree in writing and distributing releases.
You'll know more about the topic than most professional PR
people.

I'm honored that the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary under the
Department of Homeland Security is using the course to train its
communications officers at the grassroots level through an online
training site. Deputy Chief Tom Nunes of the Public Affairs
Department says they're even creating quizzes for students as
part of the course. Cool!

Haven't taken the tutorial yet? Sign up at
http://tinyurl.com/pressreleasetutorial or buy the entire course
in a handy ebook for only $27. You can read the long, long list
of glowing testimonials from happy Hounds who loved it and are
already generating fabulous publicity as a result.


========================================
3. Formula Five is Live
========================================

For the last several weeks, I've been raving about "Formula
Five," the business building program that's perfect for any
business, regardless of what you're selling.

Now, the wait is over.

The shopping cart opened yesterday for "Formula Five." It was
created by Paul Lemberg, who shared dozens of take-away tips
during the teleseminar with him that I hosted for several hundred
Publicity Hounds on Jan. 8.

You can pick up your copy of Formula Five here:
http://tinyurl.com/PaulLembergFormulaFive

Because the package includes ongoing support, there are limited
spots in the program.

Business owners just like you have already earned tens of
thousands of dollars only using 1/20th of Formula Five. Today,
you can be one of the first to get the whole enchilada so you
can start doubling your business this year.

Even if Formula Five isn't within your budget right now, at
least check out the package of videos on the page, take good
notes and start tweaking your business to make more money
starting today.


P.S. This is a no-brainer. Just hope your competitors haven't
heard about it.


=======================================
4. Still Not Blogging?
=======================================

Attention bloggers, or those who are just creating a blog.

Learn proven tips on how to drive thousands more visitors to your
blog, sell your products and services there, and write compelling
posts that build a loyal customer following and position you as
an expert.

Here's the best part. You don't have to be a techie.

Join me as I interview Denise Wakeman and Patsi Krakoff, aka The
Blog Squad, during a free teleseminar called "Boost Your Biz with
a Blog" from 4 to 5 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday, Jan. 26.
Register at http://www.blogsquadteleseminars.com/joan/


==========================================
5. Promoting Sensitivity Training
==========================================

This week, five Publicity Hounds have tips for Pegine Echevarria
of Jacksonville, FL, who is launching a licensed training program
called "White Guys Are Diverse Too!" She is looking for ideas to
capture the interest of corporate and government chief diversity
officers.


From Candy Tutt:

"In all honesty, I would recommend changing the title of the
project. While it is catchy, it will be perceived as separatist
and off-putting to many people. Our society still tends to tip
the scales in favor of "white guys" and the program title
perpetuates a feeling of cultural superiority.

"If, in your experience white guys tend to walk out of D&I
programs thinking they are excluded and not valued for the unique
individualized impact that they bring, perhaps the D&I sessions
are not geared to reaching the very people at whom they are
aimed."


From Kevin Gaydosh:

"Constant portrayals by the news media and popular culture as
Walter Kowalskis or Archie Bunkers displays a prejudice--yes,
prejudice--that is perhaps the biggest fear/largest turn-off that
the target audience has with much diversity training.

"Also, I'm not in HR, but an earlier Hound might be correct in
suggesting a name change. While an arresting, attention-getting
and (to some) a cute/funny title, it's doubtful that many Fortune
500 companies are going to post that seminar up on their Intranet
or in the employee break rooms precisely because of the title.

"Perhaps it would be best if you pitched your program under a new
(PC) moniker but touted it as being better than the competition
because you do pay particular attention to this often
'overlooked, under appreciated' group."


From Dal Jeanis:

"You might want to contact companies, especially minority-owned
companies, that do diversity (or cultural sensitivity) training.
Provide each company with two f~ree copies of your book. If they
add your book in as, say, one-third of a course, then you're
golden.

"One current events hook you can use to promote your mix is the
following: With Obama's success, pre-existing diversity programs
are going to need major retooling. Are they needed at all?
Diversity trainers say yes, some pundits say no, and Pegine
Echevarria says no, but they need to address all the
consistencies of diversity."


The Publicity Hound says:

Pegine, how about going over to LinkedIn and using the question
and answer feature to generate some additional feedback and
exposure for your training? I wouldn't post the identical
question you asked in Help This Hound, but there are lots of
other things you could ask about.

Scott Allen, a LinkedIn expert, says the Q&A feature is a
fabulous way collect information and let the world know what
you're doing. But you have to use it correctly. He explained how
during the teleseminar I hosted with him on "How to Use LinkedIn
to Promote Anything--Ethically & Powerfully."

It's available as electronic transcripts and your choice of MP3
audios or CDs. Read more about what you'll learn at
http://tinyurl.com/5zvzyd


Read all the responses to this week's Help This Hound question
at http://tinyurl.com/829jv3

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


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

Beth Stafford of Concord, N.C. writes:

"I am an artist working in collaboration with my dog to produce
some of the wildest, most colorful and joyous abstract art
around.

"Our label is 'PiCassieO,' combining her name (Cassie) with an
artist name (obviously) who represents the human half of the team
(me). We have a store at CafePress which opened in July. It is
so far non-profit, even though the merchandise is really great!

"I have been attempting to promote it on my own website and
through our blog, but am spending too much time on nonproductive
promotion and not enough on the art. I need a few quick, simple
tips to get the ball rolling.

"Warning: My budget is 'thread' instead of 'shoestring,' and I'm
a disaster at social networking on the web. Help!"


The Publicity Hound says:

To quote BL Ochman, mentioned in item Number One above, the
social networking train has already left the station. If you're
not onboard now, you'll get eaten alive by your competitors who
are. I highly suggest you read the transcript or listen to the
audio recording of the teleseminar I conducted with BL on "How to
do Social Networking, Run a Business & Still Have a Life" at
http://tinyurl.com/a6guxq

But that's not all you can do. Hounds with great ideas for Beth
can post them to my blog at http://tinyurl.com/7jqucq


==================================
7. Hound Video of the Week
==================================

Save this video to watch on one of those Days from Hell when you
need a pick-me-up or something to make you smile.

It's a CBS report from a few weeks ago on the Animal Odd Couple--
an 8,700-pound elephant named Tarra and her best friend, Bella
the dog.

http://tinyurl.com/8v2bza

Thanks to Publicity Hound Kim Condrin for sending 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. And at My Blog...
===================================

Let's meet at Stompernet event March 5-8 in Atlanta
http://tinyurl.com/94vmvn


How Twitter can help you fix your toilet
http://tinyurl.com/8lcjvt


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

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. Sorry, but registration is closed. You'll have to wait
until Ariane Goodwin offers the training as a product.


Monday, Jan. 26--Teleseminar

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


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/Don't Let Blog Content Confuse You Jan 6, 2009

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #432 Jan. 6, 2008
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)

Circulation: 43,872

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

"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.

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

Still Time to Download 'Best of 2008' Ebook

More than 3,000 Publicity Hounds have claimed their copy of "The
Best of The Publicity Hound's Tips of the Week of 2008," the free
ebook that's my holiday gift to you. Lots of Hounds have tweeted
about it on Twitter, shared it on Facebook, and encouraged their
followers to claim their copy. It isn't too late to regift it.

Please use this link when sharing the book with your own readers,
followers and connections: http://tinyurl.com/Bestof2008Tips And if
you'd like to download the "Best of" books from previous years, you
can do so at http://tinyurl.com/bestofebooks

Thanks to all of my loyal Publicity Hounds for your continued
support. You make my job the best in the world.

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

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

1. Don't Let Blog Content Confuse You

2. How About a Little Good News?

3. How Could I be So Dumb?

4. Beware of this Twitter Scam

5. Promoting a Christmas Tree Accessory

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. And at My Blog...


=====================================
1. Don't Let Blog Content Confuse You
=====================================

If you're an expert, you'd better be cranking out lots of content in
these formats:

Blogs. Ezines. Twitter posts. Facebook notes. Articles at article
directory sites. Articles at your own website.

Yet some Publicity Hounds are easily confused about what kinds of
topics to write in which types of formats, particularly when writing
for their blogs.

Over the weekend, Publicity Hound Michele Nightengale, who
teaches bricks-and-mortar businesses how to market online, told
me she's going to start blogging. But she's confused about the
difference between content for her blog and content for articles at
her website.

"I can't seem to differentiate them in my mind," she said. "The
ideas for my articles page and my blog are identical. I can only
think to post my articles on my blog. How do you treat them
separately and without too much duplicate content?"

She's right. There's a lot of overlap. Here's how I differentiate the
two:

Articles posted at article directory sites like
http://www.EzineArticles.com generally focus on helping people solve
a particular problem. The structure of these articles can follow various
formats. But in general, they offer solutions to a problem. And
they're about 500-700 words. Examples:

--TV Publicity: 6 ways to find your way onto the local evening news

--Inflight magazines: 8 topics editors love to write about

--Hiring a publicist? Know the 4 ways they charge for their services

--Public service announcements have these 6 elements

Almost everything else, I told her, is fodder for a blog. Think of
blogging as journaling, or keeping a business diary. It usually
includes much more opinion than how-to articles do. And the
writing can be a little more personal and informal. You can use a
blog to:

--State an opinion on a topic.

--Comment on somebody else's blog post or article and link to it.

--Comment on something happening in the news.

--Offer a quiz for a reader.

--Present a question from a reader and then offer the answer.

--Present a case study.

--Disagree with somebody else's position on a topic, and explain
why.

--Discuss something in your personal life that relates to something
in your professional life.

--Review a book, home study course or other product you've
bought.

--Comment on a service you have used.

The ideas for blog content are endless. If you're still short on ideas,
create several Google Alerts at http://www.Google.com/alerts for
topics you want to blog about.

Google will then email you as often as you wish and let you know
what articles, videos, news stories and other content about those
topics appear online.

I'll address the topic of avoiding duplicate content in an upcoming
issue of this newsletter. But in general, you don't want to use
identical content at your website, blog and article directory sites.

If you're new to blogging, or if your current blog isn't generating the
traffic or sales you had hoped, you'll learn some quick tips from
Denise Wakeman and Patsi Krakoff, aka The Blog Squad, during a
f~ree teleseminar from 4 to 5 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 26. It's called
"Boost Your Biz with a Blog" and Denise and Patsi will explain how
they differentiate blog content from all the other kinds of content
they produce. You'll also learn about the biggest mistakes bloggers
make and how beginning bloggers can sabotage their own
success.

Register at http://www.blogsquadteleseminars.com/joan/


===================================
2. How About a Little Good News?
===================================

All those bad news stories about the economy that the media love
will soon turn into old news. And when the economy worsens this
year, as predicted, that old news will be downright depressing.

It's time to start thinking about a few good news ideas to pitch.
TV producer Shawne Duperon offers these ideas:

--Credit unions in four Midwestern states are generating fabulous
publicity in top-tier media outlets like USA Today by pledging $10
billion in loans to car buyers and teaming with General Motors to
offer special deals to boost car sales. You can read the USA Today
story at http://tinyurl.com/9lyes7

--How are retailers using tough times as an asset to sell products?
Some car companies launched new campaigns that guarantee if
you buy a car and lose your job within the year, you can return the
car. How effective will strategies like this be?

--How are you making the most of the economic downturn in your
business? Are you investing more in marketing? If so, let the media
know.

--Are you in an industry or niche that, so far, has been unaffected?
Many Internet marketers, for example, particularly those who sell
training on how to build a business, are reporting increased sales,
and have the shopping cart statistics to prove it.


If you have little good news to report but you still want to pitch, let
Shawne and me help you. We brainstormed "116 WOW!
Story Ideas from January through June" when we teamed up for a
teleseminar for Publicity Hounds. We recorded it, and it's available
as a CD complete with a handout of all 116 ideas. You can
download the handout as soon as your order has been approved.

There's something for everybody, and you can borrow all of our
ideas, starting today, by going to http://tinyurl.com/6k7zk


========================================
3. How Could I be So Dumb?
========================================

If you've already made a list of the top five or six goals you want to
achieve this year in your business, make sure they're the types of
goals in which you can measure their success.

I have five goals for this year. Each one, if achieved, will help me
build my business by at least 15 percent. If I succeed at them all,
I'll double my business.

All five are recommended by Paul Lemberg, a business coach who
created the Formula 5 system, a package of videos, checklists,
worksheets and mastermind coaching groups that provide ongoing
support. I've been devouring all of it the last several weeks, and I
already have the wheels in motion to survey Publicity Hounds in the
next few weeks about what they want and need--a technique that
will shorten my learning curve even more.

Several times during the course, when Paul explained a great
strategy, I slapped my palm against my forehead and asked out
loud, "Why am I not doing this? How could I be so dumb????"

One of the most valuable tips I learned is that the onslaught of
emails I'm receiving from business people offering cut-rate prices on
their products and services is, for them, the quickest way to the
poor house. In fact, raising prices, even in a meltdown economy, is
one of the fastest ways to success.

Interested? If not, move onto the next item. If so, here are two ways
to learn more about each of the five Formula 5 elements:

--Watch the first of three Stompernet videos that explains more
about Formula 5 and offers startling results of what can happen
when you raise the price of an ebook by a paltry $7, from $47 to
$54: http://tinyurl.com/PaulLembergFormula5

--Get direct access to Paul during a f~ree teleseminar I'm hosting
with him from 3 to 4 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, January 8.
He'll explain the five elements of Formula 5 in more detail, and you
can even email questions to us during the call.
Sign up at
http://www.Publicityhound.com/teleseminar/formulafive.htm

Don't miss this one. And for heaven's sake, don't fall into the trap of
lowering your prices without understanding the consequences.


===================================
4. Beware of this Twitter Scam
===================================

Are you receiving strange email messages from people referring
you to photos and other posts about you at Twitter.com?

I am. The messages are a scam.

Here's how it works. This particular scam sends out emails
resembling those you might receive from Twitter if you get email
notifications of your Direct Messages. The email says something
like, "Hey! Check out this funny blog about you..." and provides a
link. That link redirects to a site masquerading as the Twitter front
page. Look closely at the URL field. If it's different than Twitter's
URL at http://Twitter.com, leave the site immediately.

Do not enter your username or password. If you do, the scam
artists can use that information to send out direct messages on
your behalf which could trick your followers. Read this post at
Twitter's blog to find out what else you should do if this happens to
you:
http://blog.twitter.com/2009/01/gone-phishing.html


Not Twittering yet because the site is too confusing? Join the
crowd. Most of us who Twitter felt the same way when we started.

But don't give up on what has become one of the most powerful
communication and promotion tools for business. Learn in step-by-
step detail how to navigate the site, and how to adopt smart
strategies that will save you hours of time.

Twitter expert Warren Whitlock explained "How to Use Twitter to
Amass an Army of Followers, Customers & Valuable Contacts--and
Promote." It's available as electronic transcripts and your choice of
MP3s or CDs. Read more about the power of Twitter at
http://tinyurl.com/3lbcaw


==========================================
5. Promoting a Christmas Tree Accessory
==========================================

This week, five Publicity Hounds have tips for Shannon Hein of Fort
Collins, Colorado, who needs ideas on how to promote "Branchies,"
a product that helps you hang heavy objects on your Christmas
tree.


From Shirley George Frazier:

"My suggestion is to 'branch out' to other reasons for people to buy
Branchies: Easter ornaments, gardening tools, every day uses, etc.

"If you only focus on Christmas buying reasons, you won't sell all
year long, and that's a disservice to a great product and customers
who'll benefit every day."


From Dale W. Hutchings:

"I think your target market for these giant ornaments is not the
typical homeowner, but the commercial market. These massive
ornaments would look so much better on the giant trees that are
put up every year in city parks, government offices, large bank
lobbies, and shopping malls, among other venues. I would
recommend that you target the commercial market through a
holiday decorative contest."


From Barbara:

"For Christmas next year: send some to major consumer magazine
editors in June or so. If they like them, they may feature them in
the Christmas issues of their magazines. There are always articles
about gift giving and how to decorate for the holidays."


The Publicity Hound says:

Send a press release and generic photo showing garden tools used
as ornaments to gardening magazines. Send a press release and
photo showing heavy sports-related ornaments like football helmets
to sports magazines. Just change the ornaments in each photo to
match the needs of various niche audiences. Your goal is to make
every magazine editor say "Aha! this is PERFECT for our readers."

And don't forget to create videos that demonstrate how to trim a
tree with Branchies. Videographer John Easton shows you dozens
of ways to use quick videos to promote what you're selling. He
explained them all during the teleseminar on "9 Clever Ways to Use
Video to Become a Publicity Darling in Your Industry or
Community." We recorded it and it's available as a CD, MP3, or
electronic transcript.


Read more about how to start using video at
http://tinyurl.com/5pbgzn


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


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

Publicity Hound Sheryl P. Kurland of Orlando, FL writes:

"With Valentine's Day just around the corner, which is a logical tie-
in to my product, I need some new, exciting, low-cost ideas prior to
the holiday to stimulate Valentine's Day book sales.

"I'm the author of the self-published Everlasting Matrimony:
Pearls Of Wisdom From Couples Married 50 Years Or More, an
elegant coffee-table book in which I interviewed 75 couples married
50+ years. The first run was published four years ago.
You can learn more about it at
http://www.everlastingmatrimony.com/. My background is
Marketing/PR, so I've done just about everything---all on my own
and on a shoestring budget.

"What can I do that I haven't already done to get big publicity a few
weeks before Valentine's Day, using Valentine's Day as the tie-in,
obviously, to significantly stimulate book sales? Shows like
"Today," "Good Morning America," etc., won't talk to me because
I'm self-published. Also, I am not interested in teleseminars,
teaching a course, or creating CDs to sell."


The Publicity Hound says:

I spoke with Sheryl and told her the long list her media successes
at my blog at http://tinyurl.com/832mpk is obviously missing social
networking.

She told me she's starting to Twitter. How about giving Sheryl some
quick tips on traditional media she might pursue, in addition to
some ideas on how to pull traffic from the social networking sites.
She doesn't yet have a Facebook profile but could create one fairly
quickly.

Also, we'd like to hear tips from self-published authors on how to
get onto the big morning TV talk shows. Eli Davidson, a member of
The Publicity Hound Mentor Program, is self-published, and she
appeared on the "Today" show, so I know it can be done.

Post your ideas to my blog at http://tinyurl.com/832mpk


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

"Dogs have no money. Isn't that amazing? They're broke their entire
lives. But they get through. You know why dogs have no money?
No pockets."

--Comedian Jerry Seinfeld


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

Write an unsolicited testimonial for additional publicity
http://tinyurl.com/7qlp2v


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

WHERE TO SEE AND HEAR THE PUBLICITY HOUND:


Thursday, Jan. 8--Teleseminar

"Formula Five: 5 Ways to Double Your Business in 2009" with my
guest expert Paul Lemberg. From 3 to 4 p.m. Eastern Time, he will
explain five ways every business person can double their business.
This is perfect for anyone who is frightened by all the gloom-and-
doom talk about the bad economy. This is a free teleseminar.
Register at
http://www.Publicityhound.com/teleseminar/formulafive.htm


Wednesday, Jan. 21--Teleseminar

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


Monday, Jan. 26--Teleseminar

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


March 6-10--Atlanta

I'll be at the Stompernet convention in Atlanta from Thursday until
Sunday. Let me know if you're attending and we'll have lunch.


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/Twitter Leads to TV Publicity Dec 30, 2008

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #431 Dec. 30, 2008
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)

Circulation: 44,446

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

"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.

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

Did You Download My Holiday Gift to You?

More than 2,500 Publicity Hounds have already downloaded my "Best of the Publicity Hound's Tips of the Week of 2008," the free ebook that's my holiday gift to you. Lots of Hounds are tweeting about it on Twitter and offering the book to their followers, too. Yes, I am encouraging you to regift it.

You can claim your copy here. Please use this link when sharing the book with your own readers, followers and connections: http://tinyurl.com/Bestof2008Tips And if you'd like to download the "Best of" books from previous years, you can do so at http://tinyurl.com/bestofebooks

Thanks to all of my loyal Publicity Hounds for your continued support. May you have a safe and happy New Year.

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

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

1. Twitter Leads to TV Publicity

2. 5 Formulas for Doubling Your Business

3. Wanted: Your Opinions & Ideas

4. How to Get Corporate Sponsors

5. How to Find a Ghostwriter

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. And at My Blog...


===================================
1. Twitter Leads to TV Publicity
===================================

This is for all you Twitter naysayers who think you're far too busy, or too important, or too disinterested to participate on Twitter, the red-hot social networking site.

Twitter, it turns out, is attracting the attention of many journalists and broadcasters who are actually using it to look for sources for their stories and guests for their shows. For patient Publicity Hounds on Twitter, that means big-time media hits in traditional media outlets if you're following these journalists and you can provide what they need. You can find a list of journalists who Twitter at http://tinyurl.com/a8xsqo

Rebecca Shapiro, an artist in Portland, Oregon, landed her own spot on a popular TV show in Portland as a result of Twitter.

It all started several weeks ago when one of Rebecca's Twitter buddies told her that "AM Northwest," the most widely watched morning TV show in Oregon, was looking for somebody to come to the studio and tape a segment demonstrating how children can make inexpensive holiday gifts. Rebecca, who teaches crafts in addition to working as an artist, responded immediately, and the producers said yes.

During the segment, she demonstrated how kids can make votive candle holders, gift tags, and a pinch pot made with Sharpie markers. The producers loved it.

"Now, they want me to submit ideas for a series of segments for 2009," Rebecca said.

Her second media hit as a result of Twitter occurred about six weeks ago when her 5-year-old daughter bundled up in a snowsuit to go out to play and got stuck crawling through the cat door. Rebecca tweeted about it. One of her followers is Stephanie Stricklen, a producer for "Live at 7," a TV show on Channel 8 in Portland. When Stephanie saw Rebecca's tweet, she replied and asked her to submit a photo of her daughter in the snowsuit so Stephanie could put it on "Live at 7."

But that's not all. Rebecca's biggest Twitter success has been building relationships with art galleries and submitting her artwork to the well-respected Tinku Gallery in Toronto, which has a huge presence on Twitter and elsewhere online.

"The gallery owner sent out a call for artists, and I never would have known about it had it not been for Twitter," Rebecca said.

If you've been reluctant to Twitter, it's finally time to join the millions of Twitterers who are making valuable connections, friends and joint venture partners on this site.

Warren Whitlock, one of the most well-respected Twitterers, was my guest during a series of teleseminars on "How to Use Twitter to Amass an Army of Followers, Customers & Valuable Contacts--and Promote."

The recording is available as electronic transcripts and your choice of Cds or MP3s. Learn more about how to start building a huge following on Twitter at http://tinyurl.com/3lbcaw

If you're an artist, you can hear my presentation on social networking, part of the 2009 smARTist teleseummit. Register at http://tinyurl.com/5axy3x and learn how to grow your art business.


========================================
2. 5 Formulas to Double Your Business
========================================

Have you noticed the gazillion emails from authors, Internet marketers, coaches, consultants, publicists and others who are lowering their prices so drastically that they're practically giving away the store?

Business coach Paul Lemberg says that if you're selling refrigerators, or other consumer durables, dropping your prices might make sense during tough economic times.

But if you're selling books, information products, consulting services or coaching programs--even publicity services like writing press releases or pitching the media on a client's behalf--lowering your prices is the quickest way to see your revenues plummet.

That's because a higher profit margin is critical to becoming more profitable. And you can increase profit margin only two ways. You can cut expenses. Or, you can take the counter- intuitive step of raising your prices, even in competitive markets and even in a bad economy.

Increasing profit margin is one of five formulas that Paul says are critical to growing your business during 2009.

In fact, by increasing business just 15 percent in each of the five areas, the "compounding effect" will double the size of your business in a short time. Formula Five, a 15-week coaching and study program with five distinct modules, will be released Jan. 15 through Stompernet, the membership site for Internet marketers.

Stompernet asked me to review the product, and even though I haven't completed all five modules, I've already started following a series of action steps to grow my own business. I'll explain some of what I'm doing during a free teleseminar from 3 to 4 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 8. But you'll mostly hear from Paul, who will explain all five formulas and how to integrate them into your business. You can sign up for the teleseminar at http://www.Publicityhound.com/teleseminar/formulafive.htm

In the meantime, you can see testimonials from a beta test group, and sign up for a series of three free Stompernet videos that explain more about how to use Formula Five to grow your business. The first video will arrive via email on Monday, Jan. 5. Go to http://tinyurl.com/PaulLembergFormula5 to sign up for the videos.

Formula Five is brilliant--so you and I don't have to be. Hope to see you on the call Jan. 8.


===================================
3. Wanted: Your Opinions & Ideas
===================================

One of my New Year's Resolutions is to keep in closer touch with all of you and regularly ask for your opinions and ideas (this is one action step recommended in the Formula Five strategy mentioned above).

I want to know about how satisfied you are with my products and services, improvements you'd like to see in this newsletter, what you need that I'm not providing, and other issues that will help me help you.

I'm putting a system in place to survey you regularly, and you'll even be rewarded for completing each survey. The first survey should be ready in a few weeks.

In the meantime, jot a few notes to yourself and be ready to share them with me when the first survey arrives.

Let's make 2009 our best year ever, and let's help each other to make it happen.

Surveys--not the customer surveys I'm referring to above, but surveys on fun, controversial or compelling topics--are a powerful publicity tool. One of my favorites was the survey the Iams pet food company took about eight years ago in which it asked its customers about their relationship with their pets. The survey showed that more than 93 percent of those surveyed admitted saying "I love you" to their pets. Results were publicized several weeks before Valentine's Day, a brilliant PR move.

The updated edition of my ebook "How to be a Kick-butt Publicity Hound," gives you lots of ideas on how to use surveys and other tools such as quizzes, briefs and contests to generate publicity for just about any product, service, cause or issue.

The 2008-2009 edition includes seven new chapters on social networking and social media marketing. Read all about the book at http://www.publicityhound.com/publicity/publicityhound.htm


===================================
4. How to Get Corporate Sponsors
===================================

This is a quick reminder that Steve Harrison is hosting today's teleseminar on "How to Get Major Companies And Nonprofits To Sponsor The Promotion of Your Book, Product or Service" at 7 p.m. Eastern Time.

If this time is inconvenient for you, ask someone to listen and take notes for you.

Even speakers, authors and experts who have very niched topics are in a perfect position to find corporate sponsors--if the people who are already in your target market want or need the products or services that company provides.

Brendon Burchard, an author and speaker, has figured out some really ingenious ways to land corporate and non-profit promotional sponsorships and use them to fund his marketing efforts, and he'll explain them on today's call.

To discover how you can use his methods to promote your own book, product or business, you can sign up for today's call at http://www.SponsorshipTrainingTeleseminar.com/?10011

Here's just some of what you'll learn:

* What to do step-by-step to get a major company to sponsor your national promotional tour and pay for everything!

* Why the current economic downturn means more big companies and non-profits sponsoring authors, speakers and entrepreneurs--even if they're not famous.

* A website you can use to find potential sponsors and promotional partners.

* The "secret phrase" which gets big nonprofit organizations to endorse your book and promote it to their members.

* The title of the BEST person to contact with your proposal and why you should never send one written in Microsoft Word.

* The Number One fatal mistake to avoid when trying to land a sponsorship deal with a Fortune 500 company.

* How to write a short proposal that gets huge companies to sponsor you--even if you're an unknown, self-published author (HINT: there are five elements and he'll reveal all five on the call.)

Again, to sign up for the call, go here now: http://www.SponsorshipTrainingTeleseminar.com/?10011


==========================================
5. How to Find a Ghostwriter
==========================================

This week, six Publicity Hounds have tips for Nancy Wurtzel of Thousand Oaks, California, whose client, a physician, needs a ghostwriter for a book on brain health for Baby Boomers.

From Dorothy Pedersen:

"Look for a writer who has (a) a successful track record with published books, (b) a good track record of meeting, or beating, deadlines, and (c) who has a personality that's a good match with yours, your client, and the physician."

From Linda Adams:

"Try contacting the American Independent Writers (formerly Washington Independent Writers). It's the largest regional writing organization in the United States and is primarily made up of freelancers. They have a job bank for writers at http://washwriter.org/ It's a little hard to find. Look in the right column."

From Madisen Harper:

"I know a number of people, including myself, who have had great success finding ghost writers on http://www.Elance.com.

"You can post a job, get writing examples and receive competitive quotes. I've been impressed at the quality of writing and range of expertise."

The Publicity Hound says:

Elance.com and some of the other freelance sites like it are great for outsourcing projects like ghostwriting. But make sure you understand how these sites work, and what to do to ensure you're getting the best freelancers available. A low bid often means you're getting what you pay for. Trust me. I've made this mistake.

Leili McKinley, one of my business coaches, is an expert at outsourcing work. She was my guest during a teleseminar on "Outsourcing Secrets: How to get the Best Quality, Price & Teamwork from Freelancers." It's available as a CD, or as an MP3 or electronic transcript that you can download as soon as your order has been approved.

Read more about how to hire freelancers at http://tinyurl.com/7r793b

Read all the responses to this week's Help This Hound question at http://tinyurl.com/994lwl

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


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

Shannon Hein of Fort Collins, Colorado writes:

"I am helping a friend promote Branchies, a product she invented that lets people hang heavy objects on their Christmas trees. It's at http://www.Branchies.com

"They attach easily to the trunk of your Christmas tree and support very heavy and bulky ornaments. They are a great way to transform your tree using themes you've never been able to create before. For example, you can decorate your tree with your favorite football helmets if you want!

"Of course, Christmas is over, but we want to get a jump on promoting this next year. What ideas do your Hounds have for promoting Branchies?"

The Publicity Hound says:

I'm using this question this week because many Christmas trees are still up, and they might help spark some great ideas from my Hounds. If you have a suggestion for Shannon, you can post it to my blog at http://tinyurl.com/8k25hc


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

A New York City yupette was shopping in an upscale pet center.

"I want a dog of which I can be proud," she told the salesman. "Does that one have a good pedigree?"

"Miss," declared the clerk, "if she could speak, she wouldn't talk to either one of us."

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

Obama inauguration donors: Pitch to your local media
http://tinyurl.com/6wnkd2


Artists, learn the 10 qualities of a marketing plan
http://tinyurl.com/6w3t2o

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

WHERE TO SEE AND HEAR THE PUBLICITY HOUND:

Thursday, Jan. 8--Teleseminar

"Formula Five: 5 Ways to Double Your Business in 2009" with my guest expert Paul Lemberg. From 3 to 4 p.m. Eastern Time, he will explain five ways every business person can double their business. This is perfect for anyone who is frightened by all the gloom-and-doom talk about the bad economy. This is a free teleseminar. Register at http://www.Publicityhound.com/teleseminar/formulafive.htm


Wednesday, Jan. 21--Teleseminar

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


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/My Gift to You Dec 17, 2008

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #429 Dec. 17, 2008
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)

Circulation: 44,601

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

"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. My Gift to You

2. 'I Blogged About You'

3. Choose the Right TV Show

4. Google Alerts for Twitter

5. How to Keep Track of Media Contacts

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. And at My Blog...


================================
1. My Gift to You
================================

This is the time of year when smart Publicity Hounds are creating
"Best of 2008" lists to squeeze a few more publicity hits into 2008.

As for me, it's time for my annual "Best of the Publicity Hound's Tips
of the Week" ebook, my gift to you at Christmas, Hanukkah and
New Year's. The ebook includes the best 24 tips from this past
year, or tips that generated a lot of response from readers.

I encourage you to regift it to your own blog readers, newsletter
subscribers, clients, customers, Twitter followers, and MySpace and
Facebook friends.

This year's book includes tips on:

--A fast, inexpensive way to catch the attention of journalists in
your community.

--A clever way to get onto the morning TV talk shows by
suggesting something out-of-the-ordinary.

--A place where you can connect daily with journalists who are
looking for sources. And it won't cost you a penny.

--What to do when you're tempted to strangle a reporter for
wasting your time interviewing you, and then leaving your name out
of the story.

--A news story that appears several times a year in almost every
community and is PERFECT for piggybacking onto.

--9 ways to use video to pull more traffic to your website, sell more
products, generate publicity, and build the buzz about your
product, service, cause or issue.

--11 ways to use a paid or unpaid assistant to help with publicity-
related tasks.

--How to make your local Chamber of Commerce one of your
biggest promoters.

--A f~ree tool that tell you whether your press release gets a
passing grade or falls flat on its face.

--How to use a popular social networking site to snoop on your
competitors

--What writers can learn from a beloved dog's obit.

--How to claim the Number 1 spot on Google.

--A publicity mistake that most companies make, and it kills their
chances of ever getting covered

You can get the ebook here, save it to your hard drive and then
share it on the social networking sites:
http://tinyurl.com/Bestof2008Tips


If you'd like to excerpt content from the ebook and then link to the
book, let me know and I'll send you the item as a Word document
so you can cut and paste.

Thanks to all of you for being loyal readers and to many of you for
being active participants in this newsletter. Each week, I receive
dozens of emails from Hounds who share publicity success stories,
contrarian viewpoints, helpful publicity tips, time- saving tools and
shortcuts and, of course, Hound jokes, quotes and hysterical
videos.

Thanks, too, for correcting me when I goof. I'm grateful that you're
part of my community, and it's because of you that I have the best
job in the world.

P.S. Regifting this ebook is entirely appropriate. Share this link:
http://tinyurl.com/Bestof2008Tips


====================================
2. 'I Blogged About You'
====================================

If you're following journalists or bloggers who are in an ideal position
to give you publicity, here's a great way to get their attention.

Set up a Google alert at http://www.Google.com/alerts for their
names. Every time you see that they've written a blog post or an
article that fits in with the content at your blog, comment on it at
your own blog and link to it.

Then send an email with the subject line "I blogged about you"
and provide the link. Every time I see subject lines like that one, I
open the email immediately, then I jump to the blog to see what
somebody said about me. I can almost guarantee they'll open your
email. And they might even reply.

You can keep the conversation going by:

--Inviting the blogger to write a guest post at your blog. don't
bother asking journalists who are too busy. You can, however, ask
permission to reprint a post from their blog on your own blog.

--Posting comments on the blogger's or journalist's blog. This is a
powerful way to get onto their radar screens BEFORE you pitch
them. In fact, comment several times over a few weeks and
chances are good they'll remember you when they see your pitch.

--Search for them on Twitter, follow them, and reply to their
tweets. Check out the Journalists Who Twitter wiki at
http://tinyurl.com/3erv9s

--Friend them on Facebook.

--Connect with them on LinkedIn. When extending an invitation, be
sure to mention you read their blog regularly. Some people, me
included, won't accept invitations from strangers who are trolling for
connections.

Now, for the hard part. None of this is much good if your blog
stinks.

My heart breaks when Publicity Hounds tell me they've stopped
blogging because they don't have time or can't think of anything to
write about. Or they've been blogging for two months and quit
because traffic is sparse and nobody bothers to comment.

Denise Wakeman and Patsi Krakoff, aka The Blog Squad, are
releasing their "Build a Better Blog" training system that helps you
create a blog from scratch, or shows you how to make over an
existing blog and pull traffic like a magnet. You can do most of the
work yourself using their step-by-step instructions, or let them build
the entire blog for you.

Read more about the three levels of training for "the best marketing
tool on the planet," offered by the two best blog teachers on the
planet, at http://tinyurl.com/ydew4w


===================================
3. Choose the Right TV Show
===================================

If you're angling to get onto TV, your pitch had better be a perfect
match with the content and tone of the show, its hosts and its
interviewers.

Take, for example, these five TV shows, all of which are very
different:

--ABC's "20/20"

--C-span's "Book TV"

--"The Ellen DeGeneres Show"

--"Hannity & Colmes" on Fox News

--"The Rachael Ray Show"

Ready for some tough questions? Then you might welcome a
chance to sit across from tough interviewers on "20/20."

Standing firm on the left or right of a political issue?
"Hannity & Colmes" (soon to be without Alan Colmes) might be
perfect for you.

Or do you prefer fun and games and an unpredictable host? If so,
you'll love Ellen, who features a mix of celebs, entertainers and
everyday people with extraordinary stories and talents.

If your product or service ties into food, there might be a spot for
you on the set of "Rachael Ray."

If you're an author, "Book TV" is one of the best media outlets
where you can feature your book and your expertise.

Even if you were only pitching two of those five shows, you must
customize your pitch, and then make sure it's delivered to the
correct person. Sometimes it's a guest booker, and sometimes it's
an assistant producer. Unless you have specific pitching
instructions and contact information, you can never know for sure.

Steve Harrison will give you exact pitching instructions for each of
those five shows, if you go to
http://www.freepublicity.com/freetvlistings/?10011

The listings are from "Harrison's Guide to the Top National TV Talk &
Interview Programs" database which gives you
1,122 key contacts at the top 323 national TV and cable shows
that interview guests.

If you like the samples and want the entire database, grab it before
6 p.m. Eastern Time on Friday, Dec. 19, and get up to $200 off,
depending on which option you choose. You'll also get the next
edition when it comes out in March.


===================================
4. Google Alerts for Twitter
===================================

Frustrated because you can't keep up with the waves of
information washing over you each day on Twitter? But you don't
want to miss who's talking about you and your products?

Welcome to TweetBeep, sort of a Google Alerts for Twitter.

It helps you keep track of conversations that mention you, your
products, your company or anything else you want to follow. You
can even keep track of who's tweeting your website or blog, even if
they use a Tiny URL.

This is a great service for reputation management, catching all
your replies, finding job/networking opportunities, and keeping up on
your favorite hobbies and TV programs.

Sign up for TweetBeep at http://TweetBeep.com


Then learn many more ways to use Twitter to promote whatever it
is you're selling, without being an obnoxious pest. Warren Whitlock,
one of the most well-respected Twitterers, walks you step by step
through the process of "How to Use Twitter to Amass an Army of
Followers, Customers & Valuable contacts--and Promote."

It's available as electronic transcripts and your choice of CDs or
MP3 downloads. Read more about how Twitter will make your
marketing and your life a lot easier at http://tinyurl.com/3lbcaw


==========================================
5. How to Keep Track of Media Contacts
==========================================

This week, nine Publicity Hounds have tips for Erin Portman of
Austin, Texas, a freelance writer, who is asking for ideas for a
better way to keep track of media contacts.


From Barbara Florio Graham:

"I use ClipMate at http://www.thornsoft.com to keep media contact
info on hand for insertion into email, letters, and my label program.
It allows you to store an unlimited amount of information, in an
assortment of categories, and I find it invaluable."


From Jeff "SKI" Kinsey:

"Please do not use MS Outlook on a Mac.

"For each person, there is a best solution. We don't know enough
about your needs to make recommendations. And wisely, you did
not ask for any.

"You simply asked what we use.

"Me? Apple Mac Mini and its Address Book and iCal plus my iPod
touch which syncs nicely, so I ALWAYS have all details with me at
all times. For those urgent interactions while enjoying a Frappuccino
at Starbucks, it offers free WiFi to card carrying fans, which allows
me to check (and send) emails from my iPod while on the road."


From Denise Dorman:

"I may be unique in my method because I have ADD, but for me,
once something is out of sight and touch, such as tucked away in
an Excel program or on an electronic hand held-device, I will never
think of it ever again. My system is tactile, visual, and cannot be
easily lost, flushed down a toilet or lost by electronics gone
haywire.

"I create old-fashioned, handwritten Rolodexes for each client's
media list. I also have an Excel sheet backup for email blasts, etc.,
and a Google shared document spreadsheet to share with my
cohorts, but I've found that for someone like me with ADD, I need
to see and touch those Rolodex cards to keep those journalists top
of mind."


The Publicity Hound says:

Because I'm not a publicist, I don't have a lot of use for a media
database. So I use ACT. My series of teleseminars on "How to
Create a Media Plan" includes a template for a 12-month plan, sort
of a "fill in the blanks" document that tells you exactly what kind of
information you need to keep on hand for every media outlet you
are target, regardless of which program you are using.

The package includes more than 200 story ideas for all 12 months
of the year. You'll also get a half-hour consultation with me to help
you get a running start.

Read more about the value of a plan and why you need one at
http://publicityhound.com/mediaplan.htm

Read all the responses to this week's Help This Hound question
http://tinyurl.com/5vf9pq

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


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

Kendra Hinzmann of Oshkosh, Wisconsin writes:

"I am the director for a fine art exhibit space within an upscale
retirement community. This new venture was mostly set in place as
life enrichment for the residents, but I really wanted to include the
community as well.

"I got on board with the local Gallery Walks (over 40 local
businesses) that occur monthly. That proved to be a good move
and attendance had been building with the last shows at 80 and
100 (including public) respectively. I was thrilled to have booked an
internationally known artist for November. He is very prestigious in
the art world and thought the community would be as ecstatic as
we were to have him. He generously donated his time for a great
presentation and an art piece for a silent auction that would benefit
our nonprofit.

"I feel like I used all the correct avenues--tying it to another
community event that pertained to the show’s holiday theme,
printed press releases, inviting pillars of the community, Chamber of
Commerce advertising that went out to 1,600 recipients, and on
and on. I was shocked at our lowest turnout yet!

"Do your readers have any ideas to salvage and re-promote this
show (without the artist present) that ends Jan. 15?"


The Publicity Hound says: My Hounds ALWAYS have a few last-
minute ideas up their sleeves and they'll post them to my blog at
http://tinyurl.com/6eafms

Speaking of art, artists won't want to miss the 2008 smARTist
Telesummit, a series of teleseminars that teach you how to turn an
art hobby into an art career. I'm presenting a segment on how to
use social networking on Jan. 21. Learn more at
http://tinyurl.com/5axy3x


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

Top 10 things heard at Fido's office Christmas party:


10. "Wow! Check out the hot poodle with Rover."

9. "So I says to him, throw in toilet bowl privileges, and you
got yourself a deal."

8. "Look, I gotta go chase a cab..."

7. "Hey you--cat! You work here?"

6. "Not the Macarena again! Somebody cut off the boss' bar
tab..."

5. "Did you see the neat photocopies of Bowser's rear end?"

4. "Hey, good lookin'. Wanna swing by the ol' doghouse later?"

3. "Who ordered the hot dog pizza with everything?"

2. "Dead Cats--We're Still for 'Em!"

1. "Gainesburgers? Who catered this disaster?"


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

NPR canceling 'Day to Day,' 'News & Notes'
http://tinyurl.com/6f968j


How to write a guest post for Copyblogger.com
http://tinyurl.com/5wgytc


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

WHERE TO SEE AND HEAR THE PUBLICITY HOUND:


Wednesday, Jan. 21--Teleseminar

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



PERMISSION TO REPRINT:

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

Reprinted from "The Publicity Hound's Tips of the Week," an ezine
featuring tips, tricks and tools for generating free publicity.
Subscribe at http://www.publicityhound.com/ and receive by email
the handy cheat sheet "89 Reasons to Send a News Release."

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

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

PRIVACY STATEMENT:

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

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

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

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

Circulation: 50,931

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

"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"

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

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

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

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

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

Teleseminars: The Next Best Thing to Being There

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

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

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

1. Turbo-charge Your LinkedIn Profile

2. Dominate Page 1 of Google

3. Video Camera Buyer's Guide

4. Retailers Turning to Facebook

5. Promoting a Temper Tantrum Book

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. And at My Blog...


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

Go ahead. Try it yourself and see what happens.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

http://tinyurl.com/6qxa72


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

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

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

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

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

Do lots of people break the rules. Yep.

Do all of them get caught? Nope.

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

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

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


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

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


From Bruce Jones:

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


From Cheryl Pickett:

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

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


From Gail Sideman:

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

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


The Publicity Hound says:

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


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


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

Nancy Cavanaugh of Milwaukee, Wisconsin asks:

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


The Publicity Hound says:

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


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

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


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

BONUS: Buy the ebook and you also get a compilation of the 50
best websites for dog humor.

http://www.publicityhound.com/dogjokebook/


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

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

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


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


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


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



WHERE TO SEE AND HEAR THE PUBLICITY HOUND:


Wednesday, Nov. 19--Teleseminar

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


Thursday, Nov. 20--Teleseminar

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


Wednesday, Jan. 21--Teleseminar

Join me for the third annual smARTist telesummit where
photographers, jewelers. potters, painters, metalworkers,
woodworkers and other artists will learn all the secrets for
growing their art business. I'm presenting a session on how to
use social networking, from 2:45 to 4:30 p.m. Registration
details pending.


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

Reprinted from "The Publicity Hound's Tips of the Week," an ezine
featuring tips, tricks and tools for generating free publicity.
Subscribe at http://www.publicityhound.com/ and receive by email
the handy list "89 Reasons to Send a News Release."

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

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

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

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

Publicity tips/When the Boss Wants a Pile of Clips Nov 4, 2008

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #423 Nov. 4, 2008
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)

Circulation: 50,904

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

"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

See Item #1 below.

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

1. When the Boss Wants a Pile of Clips

2. Election Follow-up Stories

3. Headline Lessons from Cosmo

4. Help for Writers

5. Promoting T-shirt Websites

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. And at My Blog...


========================================
1. When the Boss Wants a Pile of Clips
========================================

A new member of the Publicity Hound Mentor Program was lamenting
yesterday about what a difficult time she's going to have
convincing her bosses that she needs to spend her time on the
social networking sites.

She's in corporate PR, and the bosses feel more comfortable
measuring her success with a pile of clippings.

Sound familiar? If so, tell your boss about the Newspaper Death
Watch blog at http://www.NewspaperDeathWatch.com/

My friend, former business journal editor Paul Furiga of
Pittsburgh, told me about the blog last week. Newspaper junkie
and technical writer Paul Gillin created it and keeps track of
the layoffs, firings, downsizings, rightsizings and capsizings at
newspapers throughout the U.S.--in addition to the huge
circulation declines.

It isn't unusual to hear media watchers predict that newspapers,
as we know them, won't exist 10 years from now. Read Paul
Gillin's excellent summary at
http://www.newspaperdeathwatch.com/about/
why newspapers are in such big trouble.

Traditional journalism is being replaced by a whole new army of
people, he says, and "for the first time in history, ordinary
citizens have the means to publish to a global audience cheaply
and easily."

Part of that trend is called social networking, and smart
Publicity Hounds are already figuring out ways to incorporate it
into their publicity campaigns. The biggest impediment is time
and the utter confusion that results when you're trying to
determine which of the more than 200,000 social networking sites
are best for your business.

BL Ochman, one of my favorite bloggers and a social media expert,
will be my guest during a teleseminar at 4 p.m. Eastern Time on
Thursday, Nov. 6, called "How to do Social Networking, Run a
Business & Still Have a Life." Hear her explain how she rations
her time, uses a variety of social networking tools, and still
manages to set aside a huge chunk of her schedule each day for
client projects. She'll also explain how she'll use social
networking to launch her new business--a website that lets pet
owners upload photos of their pets, then customize them with
captions and doodles and have them printed on T-shirts.

If you have another commitment, that's OK. You'll receive the MP3
recording. This session is almost full and I'm expecting all 100
seats to be taken by Thursday afternoon. When they're gone,
they're gone.

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

If you want in-depth coaching on how to use these sites, see if
you're a good candidate for The Publicity Hound Mentor Program at
http://www.publicityhound.com/mentorprogram/intro.html


========================================
2. Election Follow-up Stories
========================================

Here are ideas to consider using tomorrow, the day after an
historic election:

--People love "Top 5" and "Top 10" lists. If you blog, create a
list like "The Top 10 Things the New President Should do Before
Inauguration Day." Post a tweet leading people from Twitter to
the blog.

--People who support the losing candidate, particularly in an
election this close and contentious, often feel anger, depression
and a loss of control. Therapists and psychologists, offer your
best tips on how to deal with those feelings.

--In families that are split apart by politics, what's the best
way to deal with a gloating spouse, or kids who say "I told you
so"?

--A host of tax issues, from school levies to proposed sales tax
increases, are on ballots throughout the U.S. If the one you're
supporting doesn't pass, what happens next?

--Remember that newspaper websites are hungry for video. Shoot
video of election eve parties or interviews showing reactions to
the election outcome.

--Nonprofits everywhere are really feeling the pinch of a bad
economy. Comment on how the election outcome affects your ability
to recruit volunteers, raise money and stay afloat.


If you can't find your way into a regular news story, how about
writing a letter to the editor? "Special Report #4: How to Write
Crisp, Compelling Letters to the Editor that Promote Your
Product, Service or Favorite Cause" gives you step-by-step
instructions on how to craft the best letters. Only $10. Order
at http://publicityhound.com/publicity-products/reports.html


=========================================
3. Headline Lessons from Cosmo
=========================================

Writing a headline can be a real struggle, particularly after
you've spent more than three hours writing an article and you
don't have a creative cell left in your brain.

Cosmopolitan magazine to the rescue.

Its incredibly naughty headlines are among the best on the
planet. They're all formula headlines, and the same formulas
appear over and over again in that magazine and thousands of
others.

Check out this short video I created that shows you how to adapt
Cosmo headlines---or headlines from any consumer magazine---for
your own articles, blog posts and website copy:
http://tinyurl.com/68t77a


If you find that writing articles is as difficult as writing the
headlines, you might be interested in the teleseminar I conducted
on "How to Write How-to Articles." It comes with a handout that
includes a template for a how-to article. You can use the
template over and over again, regardless of your topic.

Read more about how to start writing articles more quickly at
http://tinyurl.com/dnxhb


=========================================
4. Help for Writers
=========================================

Writing can be a pretty lonely occupation. Just ask any
freelancer or author.

Freelance writers work in a highly competitive market that's
getting more crowded by the hour, as newspapers and magazines
continue to lay off thousands of reporters, editors and
columnists.

In addition to cranking out content for their own blogs,
articles, websites and social networking sites, writers usually
have to struggle to find the next paying gig.

As for authors, many of them devote entire years to writing a
book--in between consulting assignments and speaking engagements.
And that's AFTER they've spent months crafting the perfect book
proposal and even more months shopping it around to publishers.

Help is on the way.

The International Association of Writers offers information and
support in the areas of literary agents and publishing contracts,
self-publishing and print-on-demand, ebooks, article syndication,
speaking, media, book promotion, freelance writing, blogging and
business, as well as a myriad of special offers on everything
from books to press releases to writing conferences.

It was created by Fern Reiss, the "Expertizing" expert who's an
excellent writer, one of the smartest business people I know, and
a savvy Publicity Hound. I'm on her contributors' panel, and
you'll see a variety of articles and audio lessons from me on
everything from traditional publicity to growing your writing
business through social media marketing.

Her site formally launches in a few weeks and if you register
now, for only $149 a year, you'll get two of my special reports
of your choosing. Just use promo code "JS" when you sign up at
http://www.associationofwriters.com/Benefits.php

Even if you're not a writer, this is an inexpensive way to
publicize almost any business.


==========================================
5. Promoting T-shirt Websites
==========================================

This week, six Publicity Hounds have tips for Andrea Ayers
of Boulder, Colorado and Michelle Pratt-Lienhart of Webster, New
Hampshire on how to attract attention and generate publicity and
interest for their T-shirt companies.


From Meryl Evans:

"Contact bloggers who reach your audience and offer to send a
free T-shirt in exchange for a photo of them wearing it or
something creative (like a dog wearing it). Also, offer up the
shirts in online contests with the right sites."


From Sheridan Bushnell:

"I loved the simple but profound messages at the Tees for Change
site. How about adding a customized feature to expand your
consumer base i.e. 'Live Mindfully,' 'Laugh Often,' 'Choose
Happiness,' 'Play Golf' or 'Go Sailing.'

"You could then market to golf, sailing, skiing magazines and
resorts."


From Bruce Jones:

"My basic comment on the Just Be site is that it isn't clear that
the site is selling T-shirts. You have to get that info right on
the home page, real clear. Have some pictures of people wearing
the shirts there and also at the top of the blog."


The Publicity Hound says:

Read all the responses to this week's Help This Hound question
at http://tinyurl.com/6l4oy5

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


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

Judy Colbert of Crofton, Maryland writes:

"I'm launching my latest book, Temper Tantrum Common Sense
Handbook.

"It contains information gathered from experts and websites,
including suggestions on how to prevent tantrums, how to stop
them, and how to live with them.

"It will be great for parents, family members, baby sitters,
daycare operators, flight attendants, and others who love and
care for children in the tantrum age. It may surprise you to
learn that most daycare operators and workers receive maybe three
hours of instruction about tantrums. Teachers, flight attendants,
and others don't receive any!

"My first promotion will be distributing a release through
ExpertClick.com and a number of journalists and others who have
told me to let them know when the book is ready.

"I'd sure like suggestions from your Hounds on anything special I
should be doing after that. Is there a central operation for
providing instruction information for daycare center operators
and others who deal with children in this age range? Is there a
company (baby food, diapers) that might be interested in a gift-
with-purchase offer to parents who buy their products? Some
other mass market I'm missing?"


The Publicity Hound says:

You have a great topic and you can really target your requests
for joint ventures. Let's see what ideas my Hounds can suggest.
Hounds with ideas for promoting the temper tantrum handbook can
post them to my blog at http://tinyurl.com/5pstln


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

A minister called on a family that had just moved into a house in
his parish.

"Good afternoon and welcome to our parish," the minister said. "I
understand you are related to the Bradleys next door."

"Yes, that's right," the lady replied. "Our beagle is their
beagle's full brother."


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

BONUS: Buy the ebook and you also get a compilation of the 50
best websites for dog humor.

http://www.publicityhound.com/dogjokebook/


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

(Twitterers, can you tweet about this first one?)

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


Pitch an entire segment for the morning TV talk shows
http://tinyurl.com/62mgz3


Product publicity is easier if you can get into gift sections
http://tinyurl.com/64v9sl

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

WHERE TO SEE AND HEAR THE PUBLICITY HOUND:


Nov. 20--Teleseminar

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



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

Reprinted from "The Publicity Hound's Tips of the Week," an ezine
featuring tips, tricks and tools for generating free publicity.
Subscribe at http://www.publicityhound.com/ and receive by email
the handy list "89 Reasons to Send a News Release."

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

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

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

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

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

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

Circulation: 50,888

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

"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

See Item #2 below.

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

1. The Beauty of Inflight Publicity

2. Two More Social Networking Tasks

3. Newspaper Circulation Plummeting

4. For Authors Only & a Correction

5. Promoting a 10th Anniversary

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. And at My Blog...


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Order at http://tinyurl.com/n3pk4


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

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

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

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

Social bookmarking has several advantages:

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

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

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

--It lets you join the conversation online.

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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


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

Newspapers' paid circulation continues to plummet.

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

You'll also learn:

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

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

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

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

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


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

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


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

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


From Maria Marsala, Chief Business Collaborator:

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


From Suzanne Sokolov:

"We have four components to suggest:

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

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

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

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


From Messianic Media:

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


The Publicity Hound says:

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

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


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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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


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

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

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



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

BONUS: Buy the ebook and you also get a compilation of the 50
best websites for dog humor.

Http://www.publicityhound.com/dogjokebook/



WHERE TO SEE AND HEAR THE PUBLICITY HOUND:


Oct. 30--Teleseminar


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


Nov. 6--Teleseminar

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



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

Reprinted from "The Publicity Hound's Tips of the Week," an ezine
featuring tips, tricks and tools for generating free publicity.
Subscribe at http://www.publicityhound.com/ and receive by email
the handy list "89 Reasons to Send a News Release."

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

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

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

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

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

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

Circulation: 50,851

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

"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"

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

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

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

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

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

Not Too Late to Learn the Best Twitter Techniques

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

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

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

1. Back Door to The Wall Street Journal

2. Annoying Facebook Invitations

3. Pompous Press Release = Public Humiliation

4. Media Lead

5. Promoting Do-it-yourself Divorce

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. And at My Blog...


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I am.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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


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

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


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

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


From Carol Stevens:

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


From Rekaya Gibson:

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


From Jay Hamilton-Roth:

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


The Publicity Hound says:

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

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


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


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


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

Lisa Hoang of Honolulu, Hawaii writes:

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

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


The Publicity Hound says:

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


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

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

--Former U.S. Congressman Gerald Solomon

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

BONUS: Buy the ebook and you also get a compilation of the 50
best websites for dog humor.

http://www.publicityhound.com/dogjokebook/


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

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


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


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

Reprinted from "The Publicity Hound's Tips of the Week," an ezine
featuring tips, tricks and tools for generating free publicity.
Subscribe at http://www.publicityhound.com/ and receive by email
the handy list "89 Reasons to Send a News Release."

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

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

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

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

Publicity tips/CEOs Who Twitter Oct. 7, 2008

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

Circulation: 50,851

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

"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"

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

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

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

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

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

New Teleseminar: Stop Wasting Time on Twitter

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

See Item #1 below.

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

1. CEOs Who Twitter

2. A Cover Story in Kiplinger's

3. Why Many Authors Just Don't Get It

4. Media Leads

5. Promoting Organic Dog Shampoo

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. And at My Log...


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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


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


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


OK, so you're not quite good enough for The Food Network. You can
still get great publicity in your own community. "Publicity Tips
for Restaurants, Chefs & Foodies" features my 51 best ideas for
food publicity. It's available as a CD or an electronic
transcript that you can download and be reading as soon as your
order has been approved.

Read more about how to generate delicious publicity at
http://tinyurl.com/clr26


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

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


From Dena Harris:

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


From Joan Schramm:

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

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


From Maria Marsala:

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


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

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


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

Jackie Stanley of Greensboro, N.C. writes:

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

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

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


The Publicity Hound says:

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

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

TV producer Shawne Duperon offers terrific tips on how to track
down "The Queen Bee," the person in every local TV newsroom who
assigns stories. Shawne explains how to pitch your story and how
to make it irresistible to the Queen. The teleseminar I conducted
with her called "How to Get on the Local TV News Tomorrow" is
available as a CD or an electronic transcript that you can
download and be reading as soon as your order has been approved.

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


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

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

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

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

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


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

BONUS: Buy the ebook and you also get a compilation of the 50
best websites for dog humor.

http://www.publicityhound.com/dogjokebook/


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

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


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


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


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

Reprinted from "The Publicity Hound's Tips of the Week," an ezine
featuring tips, tricks and tools for generating free publicity.
Subscribe at http://www.publicityhound.com/ and receive by email
the handy list "89 Reasons to Send a News Release."

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

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

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

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

Publicity tips/Mad as Hell? Let 'em Know Sept 30, 2008

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #418 Sept. 30, 2008
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.net/(Blog)
The Publicity Hound®

Circulation: 50,829

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

"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"

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

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

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

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

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

Don't Miss Twitter Teleseminar and a Recording:

- -If you aren't Twittering yet, you're missing out on one of the
biggest publicity tools on the planet. Join me and Warren
Whitlock, co-author of The Twitter Handbook, for two 70-minute
teleseminars on how to use Twitter to promote. They're from 3 to
4:10 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday, Oct. 13, and Tuesday, Oct. 14.
You can sign up at http://tinyurl.com/44593x

- -Tom Antion teaches you his (and my) three-part strategy--
public speaking, Internet marketing and success principles--to
position yourself as an expert and grow your business, including
the three biggest website mistakes. Download our interview at
http://tinyurl.com/4rpwer and read about the 5 important things
he taught me.

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

1. Mad as Hell? Let 'em Know

2. Important Deadline Today

3. How to Build an Army on Twitter

4. Use LinkedIn to Get into Books

5. Promoting a Bargain Shopping Service

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. And at My Blog...


=========================================
1. Mad as Hell? Let 'em Know
=========================================

I had to turn off the TV at 8:15 last night for fear my head
would explode.

After only three hours watching the aftermath of the ugly mess in
Washington, I couldn't stand to hear the commentators and
politicians screaming at each and pointing fingers.

Never mind how much we all lost in the stock market in September.
I just wanted to lock myself in a room and never come out.

So what should helpless Hounds do during a time like this? At
first, looking for the hidden publicity opportunity seems tacky.

But there's nothing wrong with venting constructively, just to
relieve the stress. And if it results in a publicity op, so be
it.

Here are some of my ideas:

- -Answer online polls like the one at
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26870760 on MSNBC.

- -I was fascinated by the first-person accounts--with photos of
people sharing their fears that their homes, jobs and life
savings will vanish--at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26410130/ Why
couldn't a trade association, nonprofit or chamber of commerce
ask for feedback from its own members and post comments at its
website or blog?

- -Let off steam in a video. Financial planners, you can lead
viewers from the video to your website where they can find more
articles, tips, calculators or anything else that will help them
make intelligent decisions about what to do with what's left of
their investments. Parenting experts, how about leading viewers
to a list of tips on how to explain to your kids what's
happening, and how it will affect them?

- -Local and national newspapers will be swamped with letters to
the editor and opinion columns. I'm betting that editors will
open up space in the print edition. So start writing.

- -I've seen a fair amount of ranting on social networking sites
like Twitter but not a lot of constructive tips.

- -Take your own survey among your blog readers, ezine
subscribers or your customers. What do the results show?

Here's what not to do:

- -Please, no petitions, particularly the ones sent via email
with instructions to "send this to everyone in your address
book." They're always ineffective, and they clutter inboxes.

- -Instead, regardless of how you feel about the bail-out, call
your representatives in Congress and vent. Public opinion is
running 3 to 1 against the bail-out, and commentators have cited
phone calls, not emails, from angry constituents as the Number
One reason the bill failed.

- -Maybe it's just me, but I hate snarky, vicious blog comments
left by people too cowardly to sign their real names.

What else are you doing to vent? Post your ideas to my blog at
http://tinyurl.com/3narfb


=========================================
2. Important Deadline Today
=========================================

It's time to celebrate when you capture the #1 position on Google
for your keyword or keyword phrase.

But Debra Holtzman has little time for champagne. That's because
her phone is ringing constantly with calls from journalists and
bloggers who find her in the top spot on the organic list when
they search for "child safety expert."

Guess what else they find?

They find Debra in positions #2 and #3 for the same keyword
phrase. Talk about dominating Google! It's almost impossible
for her competitors to gain any traction.

For Debra, capturing the first three spots on Google is possible
thanks to Expertlick: The Online Yearbook of Experts.

She ranks in the top two spots for her own websites. The #3
position is for her profile at Expertclick, the giant database of
experts that journalists search when they need background and
commentary from experts.

Her Google rank is responsible for interviews she has done with
dozens of top-tier media including NBC's "Today" show, Dateline
NBC, CNBC Asia Market Watch, MSNBC, Associated Press Radio, and
Parenting Magazine, Newsweek, Child Magazine, Star Magazine, Us
Weekly Magazine, USA Weekend Magazine, Reader's Digest, First For
Women Magazine, Boston Globe, Washington Post and Family Circle
Magazine.

Publicity Hound Cynthia D'Amour, who has the #1 spot on Google
for "leadership strategist," renewed her subscription for another
year this morning. Check out her fun photo on her profile page
at http://www.expertclick.com/19-3232

Today is the deadline for Publicity Hounds to save $250 on the
price of an annual subscription to Expertclick, which is normally
$995. Mitchell Davis of Expertclick will let early birds save
$150 if they subscribe by the end of the day, and an additional
$100 if they mention The Publicity Hound or use this link:
https://www.ExpertClick.com/discount/Publicity_Hound

If you call Mitch and his staff at 202-333-5000, they'll take
your call personally and answer your questions. Don't miss out
and have to wait another year for an opportunity like this one.

If you get this newsletter late, call tomorrow morning and tell
him that. Mitch is a good guy and I'm sure he'll honor the
offer.


=========================================
3. How to Build an Army on Twitter
=========================================

Every day, messages flow into my email inbox that say "(Name) is
following you on Twitter!"

Usually, I have no idea who these people are. But they know me.
Or they want to know me.

After Twittering for less than a year, I have almost 1,000
followers--my own little tribe of Publicity Hounds who are
waiting to read about how I spent my weekend, or struggled with
the printer in my office, or found a way to solve somebody's
publicity problem.

Twittering has:

- -Sold many seats to teleseminars I've hosted.

- -Resulted in invitations to be included in people's books and
write articles for their websites.

- -Gotten me in front of people, and their own followers, who I
never could have reached on my own.

In many cases, Twittering is already far more important and
effective for some companies than sending press releases. If
you're not Twittering for whatever reason, you'll be choking on
your competitors' dust if you don't get on board quickly.

Join me as I interview Warren Whitlock, co-author of The Twitter
Handbook, for a two-part teleseminar series on Oct. 13 and 14 on
"How to Use Twitter to Amass an Army of Followers, Customers &
Friends."

Read more about what you'll learn and claim one of the 100 seats
at http://tinyurl.com/44593x

I'll be promoting this to my Twitter tribe, and I'm predicting a
sell-out, like the teleseminars I've hosted on Facebook and
LinkedIn.


=========================================
4. Use LinkedIn to Get into Books
=========================================

Smart Publicity Hounds look for every opportunity to get into
authors' books. I'm in almost 50 books about publicity,
marketing and small business, and I still get leads many years
after a book has been published.

Here's yet another way to get into a book: answer questions that
LinkedIn users ask at that site. Some of the questions are
posted by authors who are looking for people to interview for
their next book.

Last night, Publicity Hound Christine Louise Hohlbaum of Germany,
who is writing her next book, asked this on LinkedIn:

"For my chapter on expectation management for a book on our
relationship to time (St. Martin's Press), I am seeking detail-
rich anecdotes from people who have:

- -Successfully managed others' expectations or;

- -Unsuccessfully managed others' expectations and what you
learned from it

"How do you go about managing people's expectations? I'm not
just looking for the classic 'under promise and over deliver'
message, but more along the lines of how you effectively
communicate so as to avoid 'sticky situations' at the workplace,
in relationships, at home, with friends and family, etc. Thanks
so much in advance! I deeply appreciate your insights!"

If you'd like to answer her question, you can
mailto:christine@diaryofamother.com

Christine offers these instructions on how to ask your own
question and receive instant responses from a variety of experts:

- -Log into your LinkedIn.com account

- -Click on the drop-down box under the tab "Answers." Highlight
"Ask a Question."

- -Write your question in the top line. Add additional
information in the text box below.

- -Select the category to which your question pertains.
Reference whether it's for recruiting, promoting your services or
looking for a job.

- -Click "Ask Question" at the bottom.

- -Select the people in your network to whom the question should
go. At this point you can edit your email.

- -Send your question.

LinkedIn expert Scott Allen says the question-and-answer feature
is one of the most powerful ways to use LinkedIn. During the
teleseminars he conducted with me a few months ago, he explained
how he helped an author use the Q&A feature to generate immediate
support, within 48 hours, for a nationwide campaign she was
launching.

My LinkedIn teleseminars sold out, but we recorded them, and
they're available as electronic transcripts and your choice of
MP3s or Cds. Get started learning "How to Use LinkedIn to
Promote Anything--Ethically & Powerfully" at
http://tinyurl.com/5zvzyd


==========================================
5. Promoting a Bargain Shopping Service
==========================================

This week, 14 Publicity Hounds have tips for Jennifer Melnick
Carota, a gift expert from Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania. She needs
creative ideas for the types of information products she could
develop and sell at a women's expo, where she will be signing
copies of her book, Shop Smart, GIVE MORE."


From Burgundy L. Olivier:

"Look inside your own book. What tools do YOU use when you shop?
Shopping bags/totes? Retractable tape measures? Notebooks
filled with sizes, measurements, pattern names, colors, etc.?
Walkie-talkies? Calculators? Batteries in different sizes? A
spare light bulb? Pens on lanyards? Notepads? Magnifying
glass? Conversion charts? Digital cameras? Powdered drink
mixes in tiny packets?

"Draw from the 'tools required' in order to be a savvy shopper,
and focus on making these available to your shoppers. Sell
yourself, and the rest will follow."


From Margaret Vos:

"Why not introduce a side theme of giving to charities? This
could create a lot of goodwill and profile for you--and I'm sure
you already have a favorite charity you could link to, with
permission of course. Create a lot of positive associations and
potential sales by linking your 'giving' theme to the general
trade show, especially for women are trying to find gifts for
those family members or friends who have everything--and it would
truly be in the spirit of giving. Perhaps your local Breast
Cancer or Red Cross chapters would be a good start?"


From Stephanie Trahd:

"Why don't you collect email and physical addresses with the
promise that they will get something special in return--a
discount on your next product, a free tip sheet, first notice of
your next event/product, never before published guides, etc.

"All you need is an idea for the soon-to-be-released gift and a
sign-up sheet!"


The Publicity Hound says:

Read all the responses to this week's Help This Hound question
http://tinyurl.com/4zxue7

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


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

Dr. Shawn Messonnier, a veterinarian and award-winning author
from Plano, Texas, writes:

"I would love ideas from other Hounds on how to promote my new
line of certified organic pet shampoos.

"They're currently available online only at
http://www.drshawnspetorganics.com but should be available at
retail outlets sometime next year.

"I'd like to reach as many pet owners online to get a good jump
start. So far, I've promoted them on my radio show, in my
newsletter, by marketing to our current clients, and writing
articles and being interviewed for pet magazines.

"Hounds, can you help?"

The Publicity Hound says:

My two-legged Hounds love questions about the four-legged
variety, and I know they'll have lots of creative ideas to keep
pups and pooches smelling fresh and clean.


Let's see your best ideas at my blog at http://tinyurl.com/47ldtf


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

I pulled into a crowded parking lot and rolled down the car
windows to make sure my Labrador Retriever had fresh air. She
was stretched out on the back seat, and I wanted to impress upon
her that she must remain there. I walked to the curb backward,
pointing my finger at the car and saying emphatically, "Now you
stay. Do you hear me? Stay!"

The driver of a nearby car gave me a startled look.

"I don't know about you, lady," he said incredulously. "But I
usually just put my car in park."


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

How to choose your profile photo for social networking sites
http://tinyurl.com/4dpxc3


Can journalists and consumers find you on Google?
Http://tinyurl.com/4qkgsb


Writers, follow these 9 photography tips to sell your photos
http://tinyurl.com/4kb8q4


Pitching 'All Things Considered'? Pitch while the story is hot
http://tinyurl.com/3zvu3k


Inexpensive gifts will be in demand for holiday gift guides
http://tinyurl.com/4cpn72


Include special-interest weeklies in national publicity campaigns
http://tinyurl.com/3rpyu3


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/How to Claim the #1 Spot on Google Sept 17, 2008

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #417 Sept. 23, 2008
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)
The Publicity Hound®

Circulation: 50,820

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

"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"

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

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

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

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

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

Don't Miss Twitter Teleseminar and 2 Recordings:


--If you aren't Twittering yet, you're missing out on one of the
biggest publicity tools on the planet. Join me and Warren
Whitlock, co-author of The Twitter Handbook, for two 70-minute
teleseminars on how to use Twitter to promote. They're from 3 to
4:10 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday, Oct. 13, and Tuesday, Oct. 14.
You can start signing up next week.


--If you're an expert who speaks on one of 17 topics, colleges
and universities want to hire you. If you missed last Tuesday's
teleseminar with James Malinchak, the king of the college
speaking circuit, you can learn more about it and listen to the
recording in which he shares the 17 topics that are in demand.
Learn more at http://tinyurl.com/43o9cl


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

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

1. How to Claim the #1 Spot on Google

2. Newspapers Eliminating Zoned Editions

3. Ping: Social Networking Time-saver

4. Advice for Friday's Debaters

5. Promoting Alternative Energy Research

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. And at My Blog...


=========================================
1. How to Claim the #1 Spot on Google
=========================================

When news breaks in the TV advertising industry, journalists
Google "TV advertising expert" and, within seconds, find Adam
Armbruster's telephone number so they can call him for an
interview.

When news breaks in the toy industry, reporters can Google "toy
expert" and find Tim Walsh, who can talk about everything from
Hula-hoops to Wii, Nintendo's home video game console.

Both men have the coveted #1 spot on Google for their area of
expertise.

"When the new Bill Gates commercials came out recently, Fox News
called me and wanted an interview because they wanted to know if
I thought the commercials were a good tactic," Adam said. The
segment lasted about eight minutes.

Reporters from the Boston Globe, E Television, the Daily Globe &
Mail in Canada and other media have found him in the experts
database at Expertclick: The Online Yearbook of Experts.

"The Yearbook of Experts really turbo-charges the PR momentum of
what I'm doing," said Adam, who has had an Expertclick
subscription for only 18 months.

It includes his profile and contact information in the database,
which journalists search frequently, and the ability to post up
to 52 press releases a year with no additional per-release
charges.

Tim, the toy expert, credits Expertclick for his media hits.

"Anytime there's a toy safety recall, or a Cabbage Patch doll
anniversary, or a new hot game, they call me after finding me on
Expertclick," Tim said.

His biggest media hit was an appearance on CNBC's "The Big Idea"
with Donny Deutsch. Donny interviewed Tim for a segment on how to
be successful after you've been rejected. Several toy companies
rejected Tim's idea for a board game called TriBond in which
players have to guess what three seemingly unrelated things have
in common. So he manufactured it himself and sold 3 million
copies.

The Washington Post called Tim for a story on Wham-O's 60th
anniversary because he's the author of "WHAM-O Super Book:
Celebrating 60 Years Inside the Fun Factory," which will be on
book shelves in a few weeks.

KGO radio in San Francisco called him for an interview on Wii,
Nintendo's electronic game "and I've gotten a ton of smaller
media hits as well."

A trade publication even asked him to write an obituary for
Richard Knerr, WHAM-O's founder, who died in January at age 82.

"Expertclick isn't like a typical ad that you hope people find
and read," Tim said.

Sept. 30 is the deadline for Publicity Hounds to save $250 on the
price of an annual subscription, which is normally $995. Mitchell
Davis of Expertclick will let early birds save $150 if they
subscribe by Sept. 30, and an additional $100 if they mention The
Publicity Hound or use this link:
http://www.ExpertClick.com/Referral/Publicity_Hound


=========================================
2. Dailies Eliminating Zoned Editions
=========================================

Local daily newspapers, faced with mounting financial pressures,
are running out of things to eliminate.

This time, it's the zoned editions for local news that are taking
a hit. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel recently eliminated all of
its zoned editions, which offered readers local news from the
counties where they live. The Atlanta Journal Constitution
eliminated its zoned editions in July.

Making these cuts means newspapers, forced to lay off workers to
lower their payroll, no longer have to staff outlying bureaus.

But what does it mean to Publicity Hounds who have relied on
local dailies for publicity? Here are four alternatives which you
should also consider even if your local daily still has zoned
editions:

--Think weeklies. If you view weekly newspapers as rinky-dink,
get over it, and start building relationships with local
reporters. See "Special Report #49: 17 Ways to Build Valuable
Relationships with Media People" at http://tinyurl.com/539tcf

--Think video. Newspapers are hungry for your video, even amateur
video, to use at their websites. The next time your group has an
event that the newspaper won't cover, cover it yourself, using an
inexpensive Flip Video camera, and offer the video to your local
TV stations, too. I've explained how to do this at
http://tinyurl.com/4e8j4o

--Think Craigslist. One of the reasons newspapers are dying is
because Craigslist's free classified ads have taken millions of
dollars in ad revenue from local dailies. So start posting your
news to the Craigslist nearest you. Be aware that Craigslist has
strict rules against posting the same item to more than one
category or to more than one list. See "How to Use Craigslist as
a Global Publicity Tool." Craigslist expert Nancy Mills explains
the correct strategies for using this worldwide community
bulletin board to publicize your events and other news at
http://tinyurl.com/geog2

--Remember that most dailies might welcome your news for their
online editions. So identify one editor or reporter as your key
contact, and start building the relationship.


=========================================
3. Ping: Social Networking Time-saver
=========================================

One of the biggest complaints about social networking is that it
takes too much time to post to multiple sites.

Ping to the rescue!

Go to http://www.Ping.fm and open an account. Then decide which
social networking sites you want to receive the information you
post to Ping. The sites include MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn,
Twitter, Jaiku, Delicious, Friendster, Plaxo and more than 20
others. (You must first create separate accounts at whichever
sites you choose.)

You can post your message using AIM, GTalk, iGoogle, Windows Live
Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, WAP, iPhone/iPod Touch, SMS or
email.

When I started using Ping, I included LinkedIn, but I'm removing
it from the list. That's because a lot of the personal
information I post on my Facebook and Twitter pages isn't
appropriate for LinkedIn, which is strictly for business
networking.

LinkedIn, by the way, is very different from many of the other
social networking sites. I've spent a lot of time the last few
weeks answering questions related to public relations, publicity
and even writing, so I can promote my expertise through my
answers.

Scott Allen, a social networking expert, explained how to use the
question feature and many other strategies to forge valuable
relationships with your LinkedIn contacts. The two teleseminars
we conducted sold out quickly.

We recorded them, and they're available as electronic transcripts
and your choice of either MP3 download links or CDs. Start
learning "How to Use LinkedIn to Promote Anything--Ethically &
Powerfully" at http://tinyurl.com/5zvzyd


=========================================
4. Advice for Friday's Debaters
=========================================

Friday's presidential debate, which promises a record TV
audience, offers a golden opportunity for experts to weigh in
with their advice beforehand, their comments during the debates,
and a critique afterward.

Here are some ideas on how to use the three presidential debates
and the vice presidential debate to promote your expertise.

--Experts in anger management can offer advice on how to not get
rattled when somebody is pressing your buttons.

--Speakers and speech coaches, share your tips on how to sound
your best when somebody asks you a question you least expect and
don't want to discuss. Every speaker has faced this problem. But
the presidential candidates must face it head-on.

--Bloggers, write about the debate this week. Tell your readers
you'd like them to weigh in with their immediate reactions during
the debate, and afterward, in the comments section at your blog.

--Twitterers, let your followers know you'll be tweeting your
immediate reactions throughout the debate and invite them to join
the conversation.

--Afterward, create a video that critiques the candidates and
comments on whatever topics tie into your expertise, like image
for image consultants and speech for speech coaches. Upload it to
dozens of video-sharing sites at the same time using Traffic
Geyser at http://tinyurl.com/3sgo6s which will save you hundreds
of hours waiting for each video to upload. Many users are getting
front-page Google listings in just a few hours when they use this
service.

--Contact your local TV stations and offer your commentary
afterward, whether you're a group of soccer moms or a staff of
political science professors.

Local TV will be looking for the local angle to this national
story, and TV producer Shawne Duperon has valuable tips on how to
convince your local stations to feature you on the news. She was
my guest during a teleseminar on "How to Get on the Local TV News
Tomorrow." Take a peek at what she discussed and get started
contacting your local stations today using Shawne's advice at
http://tinyurl.com/4zpuz


==========================================
5. Promoting Alternative Energy Research
==========================================

This week, three Publicity Hounds have tips for Mike Michaud of
Fannin County, Texas, on how he can promote a website on
alternative energy research in a non-partisan way.

From Loretta Lynn:

"Promote it on MySpace, Linked In, Facebook, the usual social
media outlets....You can use Twitter to blog about it." (See "How
to Use Facebook to Promote Your Business or Nonprofit" at
http://www.publicityhound.com/teleseminar/facebook.htm )


From Gail Sideman:

"Stock your website with facts, facts and more facts--not with
pages of copy, but quickly and concisely so that people can get
the idea quickly.

"Include case studies about why alternative sources of energy are
so necessary for the future of our country. Again, keep it
concise and highlight the benefits so the average Joe/Jane can
understand.

"To highlight the bipartisan aspect of this effort, gather
comments from people who represent both sides of the aisle about
the importance of the research and why they believe in it."


From The Publicity Hound:

Create Google Alerts at http://www.Google.com/alerts for specific
keywords, so that you know on a daily basis what is being
discussed online about this topic. The Alerts will lead you to
bloggers. Post comments at their blogs and let them know about
your campaign. 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/622sud


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


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

Jennifer Melnick Carota of Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania writes:

"I am an expert bargain shopper and 'give-ologist' known as the
Gift Therapist. I have a ton of fun teaching folks how find
fabulous gifts on a shoestring budget.

"I recently combined all of my bargain shopping tips and gifting
advice into my first book titled 'Shop Smart, GIVE MORE' and I
have been asked to speak about it next month at a regional
Women's Expo in the Pittsburgh area.

"I have purchased table space where I will sign my books
throughout the two-day event, but wondered if your Hounds had any
creative ideas on what other types of informational products I
could develop and sell at the Expo, as well as the upcoming gift
giving season.

"The event begins October 11. Yikes!"


The Publicity Hound says:

Yikes is right, Jennifer. Luckily, information products are among
the easiest to create because you can outsource the work to a
freelancer, and sell the products electronically, which requires
no up-front costs. I just wrote an article on "Outsourcing Tips
for Hiring Freelancers" at http://tinyurl.com/3lfklp

But electronic products probably won't sell very well at the
trade show. So let's see what other ideas my Hounds might have
for creative tchotches or other items you can create quickly to
sell. Hounds, post your best ideas to my blog at
http://tinyurl.com/4zxue7


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

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

--Yvonne Clifford, American actress


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

BONUS: Buy the ebook and you also get a compilation of the 50
best websites for dog humor.

http://www.publicityhound.com/dogjokebook/


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

Perez Hilton's 3 tips for a p~rofitable blog
http://tinyurl.com/4z2ok5


Colleges hungry for experts who speak on 17 topics
http://tinyurl.com/43o9cl


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


Tomato pie: A great way to get rid of all those tomatoes
http://tinyurl.com/5sr4vz


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

Reprinted from "The Publicity Hound's Tips of the Week," an ezine
featuring tips, tricks and tools for generating free publicity.
Subscribe at http://www.publicityhound.com/ and receive by email
the handy list "89 Reasons to Send a News Release."

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

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

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

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

---

Publicity tips/The Twitter Handbook Sept 16, 2008

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

Circulation: 51,005


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

"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"

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

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

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

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

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

Don't Miss These 3 Events and Downloads:

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

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

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

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

1. The Twitter Handbook

2. Lipstick & More Lipstick

3. Promote Your Social Networking Pages

4. Authors, Start a Membership Site

5. How to Promote a Puppy Journal

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Story of the Week

8. And at My Blog...


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

Three bad reasons people refuse to Twitter:

- -"I don't have time."

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

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

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

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

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

With Twitter, you can tell them.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

- -Parenting experts, what's the correct age when girls can start
wearing lipstick?

Or how about creating a quiz related to lipstick? "Briefs,
Fillers & Quizzes" offers lots of ideas on how to create quizzes
and pitch them to the media. It's available as a CD or an
electronic transcript that you can be reading as soon as your
order is approved.

Get started creating quizzes on any topic at
http://tinyurl.com/d74h7


=========================================
3. Promote Your Social Networking Pages
=========================================

Publicity Hound Holly Miller of Chesapeake, Virginia emailed me
this morning and asked if it's proper to include a Twitter
address within a press release.

It's a great idea, and it got me thinking about other ways to let
people know where they can find you online.

- --If you're on MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, do you
include links to your profile pages in press releases? What
about other social networking sites your followers might want to
know about?

- --Do you cross-promote from every social networking site? For
example, can people find your Twitter address on your LinkedIn
profile?

- --Does the home page of your website include links to your
social networking profiles?

- --What about your email signature?

- --What special applications do you use at social networking
sites that let you cross-promote?

Let's see how many ideas Publicity Hounds can suggest. Post them
to my blog at http://tinyurl.com/6f59nn

Holly's question is a timely reminder that we aren't writing
press releases only for the media. "The New Rules of Press
Releases: How to Write Them for Buyers, Not Only for Journalists"
is a one-hour interview with David Meerman Scott, who explains
why the new rules present a powerful advantage to Publicity
Hounds.

It's available as a CD or electronic transcript that you can
download as soon as your order is approved. Read more about the
new rules and how you can benefit at http://tinyurl.com/ndwfo


=========================================
4. Authors, Start a Membership Site
=========================================

A first-time author has come up with a novel way of turning his
book into a membership site that brings in $34,000 a month.

In fact, last fall this former physical education teacher used
his unique model to launch a new book and promptly over sold more
than 5,000 copies, pretty impressive in itself.

Almost a year later, he's still got more than 1,700 of the buyers
paying him $19.95 each month for ongoing access to a membership
website that offers additional content based on his book.

That's more than $34,000 a month in passive recurring revenue
with practically no work.

He's come up with an ingenious yet simple model which many non-
fiction authors can use to make more from their books.

He has agreed to share his methods during a free telephone
seminar Steve Harrison is offering twice on Thursday, Sept. 18.
You can register at http://www.freepublicity.com/Mr_PI/?10011

Listen as the author describes the nitty-gritty secrets of how
you can use his strategies to create autopilot revenue from your
own book. You'll also learn:

- -Four easy-to-implement models for creating recurring income
from your own book, several of which you can implement in less
than a day.

- -Ingenious ways to re-purpose the information from your book
into other formats your readers want.

- -Key vendors and resources you need to know about. They'll
make your life a lot easier.

- -The email that took him less than 30 minutes to write but
which still makes him more than $1,000.00 a month.

If your topic is perfect for a membership site, don't miss this
call. Register at http://tinyurl.com/5kwkw4


==========================================
5. How to Promote a Puppy Journal
==========================================

This week, nine Publicity Hounds have tips for Rik Feeney of
Orlando, Florida, on how to best promote his new books, the Puppy
Lover's Journal and the Kitten Lover's Journal.


From Dena Harris:

"Look at joining the Cat Writers Association and Dog Writers of
America which will lend credibility to your work. Look at
marketing your books to pet sitters. The journals would make a
great gift for them to give to clients for the holidays. There
are national dog/cat/love your pet days. Shoot out press
releases near those events. Market to breeders who might give
the book as a gift to people who adopt their dogs."


From Gail Sideman:

"Seek out blogs and columnists that target their messages for
single people, childless or empty-nest married couples. These
demographics treat their pets like their children and would be
likely to journal about them. Now they can keep a puppy book
much like they kept, or their friends keep, baby journals."


From Joy:

"I just Googled Puppy Lovers Journal, and I see that it's been
donated as a prize to rescue organizations, which is a great
idea. What about donating it as a door prize at dog-related
events?"


The Publicity Hound says:

Don't forget about all those dog- and cat-related groups that are
worth joining at social networking sites like Facebook and
MySpace.

Read all the responses to this week's Help This Hound question at
http://tinyurl.com/6g6wx5


Send your own Help this Hound question to:
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com and put Help This Hound in the
subject line. Include your city and state.


==================================
6. Help This Hound
==================================

Mike Michaud of Fannin County, Texas writes:

"I would like to get some ideas on how to promote a site that is
all about pooling our financial contributions to fund alternative
energy research, development and production. There are many
promising technologies that are languishing due to government
ineptness, red tape, corporate greed, banking failure and
investor panic.

"We as a nation of individuals need to go around this roadblock
and fund our own future energy development.

"I'm setting up a website to provide more information and accept
donations. I'm just looking for ideas on how to promote this in
a non-partisan way. This cuts across all lines."


The Publicity Hound says:

The heated presidential election seems like the perfect tie-in,
and I think you can use that hook and still remain non-partisan.
Hounds, what ideas do you have for Mike? Post them to my blog at
http://tinyurl.com/622sud


"Special Report #17: Powerful Ways to Promote Your Website to
Draw Traffic and Boost Sales" will give you dozens of ideas of
how to pull traffic online and offline. Only $10. Order at
http://tinyurl.com/3sa3j


==================================
7. Hound Story of the Week
==================================

No joke this week.

Instead, let's hear it for Buddy, the trained German Shepherd in
Scottsdale, Arizona that dialed 911 when his owner began having
seizures, and saved his life:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,422341,00.html


DOG JOKES & QUOTES EBOOK: 170+ G-rated dog jokes and quotes,
perfect for a dog-lover, your favorite vet, or just for a few
good laughs.

BONUS: Buy the ebook and you also get a compilation of the 50
best websites for dog humor.

Http://www.publicityhound.com/dogjokebook/


================================
8. And at My Blog...
================================

Twitter handbook: The bible for newbie, veteran Tweeple
http://tinyurl.com/6elfqv


Think far beyond traditional media and target niches
http://tinyurl.com/6ygm7d


3 website mistakes that derail your publicity efforts
http://tinyurl.com/4rpwer


Twitter and text-speak are poisoning the English language
http://tinyurl.com/4aubuc

Revlon ties contest to 'Lipstick on a pig' controversy
http://tinyurl.com/6d37pr


How do you promote your social networking profiles?
Http://tinyurl.com/6f59nn


PERMISSION TO REPRINT: You may reprint any items from "The
Publicity Hound's Tips of the Week" in your print or electronic
newsletter. But please include the following paragraph:

Reprinted from "The Publicity Hound's Tips of the Week," an ezine
featuring tips, tricks and tools for generating free publicity.
Subscribe at http://www.publicityhound.com/ and receive by email
the handy list "89 Reasons to Send a News Release."

If you like these tips please pass them on to your friends,
clients and colleagues.


You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The
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told me you want to subscribe.

PRIVACY STATEMENT: The Publicity Hound® respects your privacy and
has a strict anti-spam policy. Read my privacy policy at
http://www.publicityhound.com/privacypolicy.htm

=======================================================
Joan Stewart
a. k.a. The Publicity Hound®
3434 County KK
Port Washington, WI 53074
USA
Phone: 262-284-7451 (Central) Fax: 262-284-1737

Publicity tips/Grade Your Press Release June 3, 2008

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #401 June 3, 2008
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)

The Publicity Hound®

Circulation: 46,792

=====================================

"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"

Receive this ezine direct to your desktop http://www.publicityhound.com/tipsoftheweek/

=====================================

You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The Publicity Hound® website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you told me that you want to subscribe. If you didn't subscribe, you can unsubscribe by clicking the link at the bottom of the newsletter.

Please forward this ezine to anyone you know who needs free publicity to establish their credibility, enhance their reputation, position themselves as employers of choice, sell more products and services, or promote a favorite cause or issue.

**********************************************

Save the Dates:

June 11: Teleseminar

PR whiz Robert Smith explains "How to Earn An Extra $100,000 This Year as a Publicist, Even in a Bad Economy." 3-4 p.m. Eastern Time. Register at http://www.publicityhound.com/teleseminar.htm See Item #3 below.

June 18: Teleseminar

Business coach Leili McKinley shows you "How to Outsource Almost Any Part of Your PR Campaign or Your Business." 3-4 p.m. Eastern Time. Register at http://www.publicityhound.com/teleseminar.htm

***********************************************

================================
In This Issue
================================

1. Grade Your Press Release

2. How to Mimic a Star Reporter

3. For Energetic Publicists Only

4. Do Criminals Use Twitter?

5. Promoting a Dawg Art Exhibit in Michigan

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. At My Blog...


=========================================
1. Grade Your Press Release
=========================================

Wouldn't it be great if you could write a press release, run it past a press release expert and then, within a few seconds, know whether the release passes or fails?

Here's the next best thing. It's called the Press Release Grader, a nifty piece of software that not only assigns your press release a grade of 1 to 100, but tells you exactly what you must do to improve it.

It was created by Hubspot, a Cambridge, Massachusetts company that helps small businesses have a huge presence online so that people in their target market can find them, and convert a higher percentage of prospects into customers.

Simply cut and paste your press release into the window at http://www.pressreleasegrader.com/, complete the form and click on "Grade Press Release." Within seconds, you'll see your score and a list of suggested improvements.

The grader deducts points for:

- -Not having an "About Us" section on your press release. I could quibble with this, but it's a minor point in an otherwise cool tool.

- -No links high in the release.

- -Not using "###" at the end of the release, the universal code for "the end."

- -Incorrect use of anchor text. That is, the words on the page that link to a website.

- -Gobbledygook words like "flexible," "scalable" and "robust."

It even tells you whether the readability level of your press release is "graduate school" or one of several lower levels.

Before you start, watch the video on that page for a better understanding of how it works. When Hubspot grades your release, it gives you a full report that you can email to other members of your team.

I'll be incorporating this tool into my free email tutorial "89 Ways to Write Powerful Press Releases" at http://www.PublicityHound.com/pressreleasetips/art.htm

Thanks to Publicity Hound Debra Helwig of Athens, Georgia for alerting me to this one.


========================================
2. How to Mimic a Star Reporter
========================================

If you're a member of your local Chamber of Commerce and the only thing you have to show for it is the receipt for your annual dues, don't even think about dropping out.

Because you're a smart Publicity Hound, you have an opportunity right at your fingertips to be a star in the organization and generate so much publicity for yourself that all the other members will be green with envy. Nonprofits, this applies to you, too.

Here's what you do.

The next time the chamber has an event that the local media won't cover, act like a reporter and cover it yourself. Buy an inexpensive Flip video camera and interview people at the event.

If it's a routine chamber breakfast meeting with a speaker, interview the speaker after the presentation for a segment of two to three minutes. At the same breakfast, create another short video. Ask the chamber president to provide a brief infomercial of upcoming chamber events like the annual golf outing or street festival.

At bigger events, like the annual awards banquet, interview the Business Person of the Year. If you really want to create a stir, choose a controversial topic that chamber members are buzzing about. Interview one person on each side of the issue. You've just created two more videos.

Import the videos into your computer, which takes a minute or two, edit them, upload them to your website, give the chamber the link to the videos, and then watch what happens.

The chamber will probably email all its members and tell them to go to your website. Many of those members will share the link with their friends. The link will end up in the next chamber newsletter. And who knows where else.

And here's the best part. You can offer that same video to the local newspapers, magazines and TV and radio stations for use at their websites. Print media, in particular, are hungry for user- generated video, even if it's of events that they decided not to cover.

That's what videographer John Easton does in Charlotte, North Carolina. He covers local business events and uploads them to his blog at http://www.eastonsweb.wordpress.com/ or to his own streaming video channel, sort of like his own TV station, at http://www.broadcastcharlotte.com/ and then he offers the video to local media.

Too busy to fuss with all these details? John says every community is teaming with people who you can hire for next to nothing to shoot and edit the video for you. He explained how to find them when he was a guest on a teleseminar I conducted recently on "9 Clever Ways to Use Video to Become a Publicity Darling in Your Industry or Community." We recorded it, and the interview is available as a CD, electronic transcript or MP3 audio.

Learn how to start covering your own community's news right now, or find somebody to do it cheaply, by going to http://tinyurl.com/66xshb


==============================================
3. For Energetic Publicists Only
==============================================

I can hear some of you publicists groaning already.

During next week's teleseminar, when Robert Smith describes the wild strategies he uses to pull in so many potential clients that he has to refer some of them to other publicists, one of you will complain, "You expect me to do WHAT?"

Consider this fair warning.

Robert doesn't like doing what all the other publicists are doing. So he dreams up unconventional ideas on his own, like recruiting drivers for an overnight delivery service to hand- deliver his brochures when they drop off packages at businesses.

He's the PR equivalent of Willie Sutton, but in a good way. Sutton said he robbed banks because that's where the money is. Robert knows where the clients are, and he'll do just about anything to find them. If they're a good fit, he'll close the deal.

I knew him back when he was a frustrated bill collector who wanted to learn how to write press releases just for grins.

When he told me that, I thought he was crazy. But here he sits today with a full-time staff of eight and four sub-contractors. In 10 years, he's gone from a net worth of zero to more than $1 million.

If you're not prepared to entertain off-the-wall ideas about how to grow your business or work incredibly hard to find new clients, you'd be wise not to sign up for the call.

As for the rest of you, join us from 3 to 4 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, June 11, for "How to Earn An Extra $100,000 This Year as a Publicist, Even in a Bad Economy."

This teleseminar is perfect for publicists, PR practitioners, wanna-be PR people, and even virtual assistants whose clients are in PR.

Everyone who attends gets a copy of the MP3 recording to listen to afterward. I expect this session to be packed, and seating is limited, so sign up today: http://www.publicityhound.com/teleseminar.htm

And please make sure your seat belts are securely fastened.


========================================
4. Do Criminals Use Twitter?
========================================

Maybe it's just me.

But I fear that one day soon, criminals will discover that Twitter is one of the best places to find empty houses vulnerable to a break-in, or tweets that make it easy for them to commit far more serious crimes.

At Twitter.com, I expect to see lots of details about what people are doing in their jobs because using Twitter for business and publicity is just plain smart. (See "Special Report #52: How to Use Twitter for Business to Network, Promote, Sell, Recruit & Profit" at http://tinyurl.com/4tyl76 for ideas.)

But I'm amazed at some of the personal details people include. Like announcing they're closing up the house and leaving for two weeks in the Florida Keys. Or visiting San Francisco for a three- day conference. Or saying good-bye to their cabin on the southeast corner of such-and-such a lake and heading back home.

Last week, I was guilty of tweeting that I'd be in Las Vegas for two days, but our house wasn't vacant at the time. Had it been empty, I wouldn't have let the world know that.

With the number of social networking sites multiplying daily, it wouldn't take a savvy criminal long to put two and two together and go hunting for our profiles and...well...you know the rest. Just look what the slime balls have been able to accomplish with phishing and identity theft.

What about you? Do you police yourself so you don't share too much information? Do you know of guidelines anywhere that discuss the kinds of details we should or shouldn't include in our tweets?

Or am I just being paranoid?

Join in the conversation at my blog at http://tinyurl.com/5sge6v


=============================================
5. Promoting a Dawg Art Exhibit in Michigan =============================================

This week, seven Publicity Hounds have tips on how Lynne Scheible of Big Rapids, Michigan can promote the Year of the Dawg so that people will come to Big Rapids and the surrounding area to see bulldogs that are artistically designed by local artists.


From Nancy Stephen:

"Make sure you're talking to the local, regional and state tourism offices. Make sure you've got pictures that they, too, can post and use on their website."


From Kim Stezala:

"Have Ferris State tie in with the event and promote it with alumni. Perhaps alumni could vote for their favorite dawg."


From Cheryl Pickett:

"Once you get the sponsors together, how about putting together a joint flyer including special events or offers beyond those that your group is planning? The goal would be to increase the likelihood of visitors going into the stores instead of just walking by to view the dawgs. You could also post a downloadable version on everyone's websites or include it with maps."

"Example: A salon could offer a coupon for a massage/pedi for dawg tired feet after all the walking around town. A restaurant couuld offer a special on their hot dawgs."


The Publicity Hound says:

Start pitching this story to the gazillion pet bloggers. Why not ask them to ask their readers to vote, based on photos of the dawgs? See "How to Pitch the Best Bloggers & Create a Publicity Explosion" at http://tinyurl.com/m7ymr


Read all the responses to this Help This Hound question at http://tinyurl.com/6m9hmc

Send your own Help this Hound question to: mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com?subject=HelpThisHound and include your city and state.


==================================
6. Help This Hound
==================================

Merri Cvetan of Big Bend, Wisconsin writes:

"As an interior designer, I'm always looking for ways to drive people to my website at http://www.mecdesignstudio.com and business.

"I am creating a fun survey to find out the relationship between a woman's wardrobe and the colors she decorates her home with. I will offer a designer notebook to one or two entries.

"It won't be scientific, but I think the results should be interesting and garner some publicity. I can post the questionnaire on my site and at a few blog sites as well as Craigslist. Any other sugges