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


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


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Reprinted from "The Publicity Hound's Tips of the Week," an ezine
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Subscribe at http://www.publicityhound.com/ and receive by email
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If you like these tips please pass them on to your friends,
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=======================================================
Joan Stewart
a.k.a. The Publicity Hound?
3434 County KK
Port Washington, WI
53074
USA
Phone: 262-284-7451 (Central) Fax: 262-284-1737

Publicity tips/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/The Worst TV Talk Show Guest Ever April 1, 2008

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

Circulation: 44,041

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

"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"

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

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

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

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

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

Hiring a VA or a Summer Intern?

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

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

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

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

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

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

1. The Worst TV Talk Show Guest Ever

2. When 'Oprah' Features Your Competitor

3. Book Waiver Forms

4. 'The Office' Returns

5. Promoting Garage Sale Signs

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Quote of the Week

8. At My Blog...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Embarrassing the host also means:

- -Holding up your book on camera and pitching it

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

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

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

TV personality Connie Dieken explained them all during an interview she did with me. It's available as a CD or an electronic transcript that you can download and be reading as soon as your order has been approved.

Read more about "How to be a TV Talk Show Host's Dream Date" at http://publicityhound.net/cdtvtalkshowdreamdate


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The interview is available as a CD or an electronic transcript that you can download and be reading as soon as your order has been approved.

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Read more about what you'll learn at http://publicityhound.net/cdbookadvance


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

Attention product placement watchers.

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

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

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

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

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

The interview is available as a CD or an electronic transcript that you can download and be reading as soon as your order has been approved.

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


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

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


From Lisa Romeo:

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


From Julie Parvis:

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

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


From Kathleen Lisson:

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

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

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


The Publicity Hound says:

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


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


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


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

Natasha Henry of Laurel, Maryland writes:

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

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

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

The Publicity Hound says:

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


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

Cat's motto:

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


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

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

Http://www.publicityhound.com/dogjokebook/


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

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


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


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

Where to See or Hear The Publicity Hound


April 22: Shorewood, Wisconsin

"Savvy Media Relations: How to Get FREE Online & Offline Publicity," 8:30 to noon, and "The New Rules of Press Releases: How to Write Them for Consumers, Not Only for Journalists," 1 to 3:30 p.m.; North Star, 4515 W. Oakland Ave., sponsored by the Shorewood Business Improvement District. Tickets are $75 each or $65 for two or more persons. To register, contact Barb Caprile at barb@shorewood.com or 414-962-7008.


April 30: Teleseminar

"How to Create a Media Plan," part of the teleseminar series "Intro to Internet Marketing" for health professionals. Perfect for doctors, nurses, spa owners, holistic health counselors, massage therapists, etc. Register at http://publicityhound.net/introinternetmarketing


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

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

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

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

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

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

Publicity tips/The College Exam Nightmare Sept 11, 2007

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #363 Sept. 11, 2007
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.com/
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)
The Publicity Hound®

Circulation: 35,411

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

"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"

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

Need help with publicity?
See the resources list at
http://www.publicityhound.com/resources.htm


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

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

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

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

"How to Help Your Boss or Client with a Publicity Campaign"

Dozens of you have asked about how to buy the audio recordings or electronic transcripts of my weeklong training program for assistants, virtual assistants and interns. The audios are available as MP3 files and CDs.

Read more about what you and your assistant will learn at http://tinyurl.com/yvwdje This series is also perfect for small-business owners who want to manage their own publicity campaigns.
*******************************************************
================================
In This Issue
================================

1. The College Exam Nightmare

2. Article Rights

3. Eliminate Publicity Grunt Work

4. Donate a Prize for Publicity

5. Promoting a Fashion Design Competition

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Quote of the Week

8. And at My Blog...


======================================
1. The College Exam Nightmare
======================================

Did you ever have the nightmare in which you're taking a final exam for a college course, and it suddenly dawns on you that you've never attended one class?

Or how about the bad dream in which all your teeth fall out?

Or the one in which you're going about your business, usually at work or in a public place, and realized you aren't wearing any clothes?

Dream expert Lauri Lowenberg of http://www.thedreamzone.com/ says those nightmares and others are good for us because they teach us a lesson about something that deserves our attention.

Lauri used her "nightmares are good for you" pitch at the National Publicity Summit in New York City three years ago, and immediately caught the attention of a booker for "The View."

On October 29, 2004, she was a guest on the Halloween episode in which Meredith Vieira and Company wore costumes and talked about spooky stuff like bad dreams.

At the publicity summit, Lauri also successfully pitched a story to the Hackensack Journal in New Jersey. A producer at ABC's "Good Morning America" read it and booked her for that show on November 29, 2004.

Her publicity campaign suddenly grew on its own, like a giant snowball rolling downhill. CNN's Anderson Cooper interviewed her twice, and Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN's chief medical correspondent, interviewed her once.

What can national publicity like that do for you?

"Right now I'm in Toronto, filming a pilot for The Discovery Health Channel, which will air in November," Lauri said last night from her hotel room. "It's my own show called 'The Dream Zone' and it will go to series in January. The National Publicity Summit was the launching pad that got me to this point. It was the best thing I've ever done for myself."

As of last night, the summit only had 14 seats left for its October 24-27 event. That's when you'll get to personally meet more than 100 producers and journalists who do stories and shows for many of America's biggest media outlets like the "Today" show, CNN, "Montel," Fox News, "O" the Oprah Magazine, Time magazine, "Fox & Friends," "48 Hours," ABC's "20/20," Alternative Medicine, USA Weekend, "Dateline NBC," Inc., Health magazine, Entrepreneur, MSNBC, Family Circle and many more top outlets.

All those media were represented at the last summit and most of them are expected back. Steve Harrison, who is hosting the summit, is also adding new producers and journalists.

Registration closes Sept. 18, a week from today. Don't miss out and then kick yourself later when you read other success stories like Lauri's in this space. Learn more about the summit at http://www.NationalPublicitySummit.com/?10011


========================================
2. Article Rights
========================================

You know you're a Publicity Hound when a newspaper, magazine or an influential website asks you to write an article on a particular topic.

Smart Hounds usually say yes. But what happens when, several months later, an even more influential publication wants to print the same article?

Some Hounds are stumped and don't know what to say. So they email me and ask, "Is that OK? Can somebody else reprint it?"

It all depends on what kind of an agreement you made the first time. Smart Hounds always maintain the copyright, unless they're receiving a freelance fee, in which case the publication usually buys first rights, some rights, or all rights.

If they buy all rights, you cannot give someone else permission to reprint the identical article because it isn't yours anymore. You can, however, rewrite it so that it's different enough from the first one, and then offer it to someone else.

I receive so many questions on the topic of articles and reprint rights that I asked intellectual property attorney Patricia Eyres to be my guest during a teleseminar called "Legal Issues You Must Know When Writing Articles for Fee or for Free."

Patricia mentioned, for example, that Publicity Hounds who automatically reprint an article written about them at their websites are violating copyright. You shouldn't reprint it without first getting permission. And if the article appeared in a major publication like the New York Times, you might be surprised that the newspaper wants several thousand dollars for reprint rights.

Avoid sticky situations like these, and others, by knowing your rights before you start writing and negotiating. The teleseminar is available as a CD or an electronic transcript that you can download and be reading as soon as your order is approved.

Read more about what you'll learn at http://tinyurl.com/dbc3p


=========================================
3. Eliminate Publicity Grunt Work
=========================================

If you're frustrated that you don't have time to implement all the great ideas you see here, consider hiring a virtual assistant to eliminate most of your grunt work by helping with chores like:

--Creating Google Alerts for specific keywords and keyword phrases, and then flagging you to the high-page-rank blogs that are writing about your topic, so you can post comments.

--Posting articles to article directory sites

--Proofreading your articles, press releases and website copy

--Researching media outlets that want your story ideas

--Regularly reading the blogs of journalists who you want to get in front of

--Submitting your press releases to press release distribution services

--Updating copy at your website, particularly in your online press room

--Updating your media contact lists

--Uploading videos to sites like YouTube.

--Researching podcasts that might welcome you as a guest

--Finding ways to recycle publicity

--Looking for book reviewers

--Finding content for your ezine and blog

--Ordering reprints of articles

--Doing keyword research

That just might free you up to write articles, start a blog, get onto the speaking circuit, or take a long weekend or even an extra vacation.

Sound intriguing? "How to Find a Virtual Assistant to Help with Your Publicity Campaign" explains where to look for a VA, how to hire one, and tips for smooth sailing all the way. It's a recording of a teleseminar I conducted with VAs Cindy Greenway and Diana Ennen, 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 what you'll learn at http://tinyurl.com/23lgpf


======================================
4. Donate a Prize for Publicity
======================================

There's a clever promotion under way at ProBlogger, one of the top blogging sites that's dedicated to showing bloggers how to add income streams to their blog.

The blog is celebrating its third anniversary, and Darren Rowse is asking readers to donate significant prizes--everything from cash to iPods--and generate some great publicity.

Call me nuts, but I'm donating $300 and participating for one selfish reason. His blog has a Google page rank of 6, which is very good. It was ranked the Number One blog for bloggers at http://tinyurl.com/yr7clu according to four factors, so he has a huge following.

That means that if Darren chooses my prize, then links to my blog, that one link will go a long way toward helping boost the page rank at my blog from 5 to 6. One of the things Google and the other search engines also consider in ranking websites and blogs is the number of bloggers who link to sites that link to me. The more links to ProBlogger, the better it is for me and others to whom Darren links. His contest is already generating alot of buzz online, and I want to get in on the action and in front of all those other bloggers.

If you do, too, learn more about the prizes he's looking for at http://tinyurl.com/yvzpkv Deadline is this Friday.

If you don't feel like donating, you can still get in front of influential bloggers and generate links from them, but only if you know how to play the game. That means you can't pitch bloggers the same old way you pitch traditional media. Learn the tricks of how to catch a blogger's attention and win a valuable link back to your own blog or website. "How to Pitch the Best Bloggers and Create a Publicity Explosion" 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/m7ymr


==========================================
5. Promoting a Fashion Design Competition
==========================================

This week, Brenda Rogerson of Highland, Michigan received seven responses to her question about how to generate more contestants for the American Sewing Expos' Baby Lock Passion for Fashion design contest inspired by Project Runway. The event is Sept. 28 in New York.


From Shonika Proctor:

I just searched 'Baby Lock' and I didn’t see your event listed on the highly ranked pages found under that term. The three sites listed below all have a dedicated event, blog or announcement link which appears to be to be used as a resource or feature an event such as yours. Contact these websites with the details about your contest. Offer to share photos of some of the contest entries that can then be posted on their websites and ultimately help to sell more Baby Lock machines (be sure to get permission from the contestants first). Here are the three sites:
http://www.babylock.com/
http://www.jennys-sewing-studio.com/Babylock.asp
http://www.quiltingbee.com/products/machines/BabyLock.html


From Alice Hohl:

"See if you can find a Facebook or MySpace page for the fashion majors at your local college, and post the information there."


From Linda Merrill:

"The blogosphere is the way to go. There are hugely popular fan websites dedicated to Project Runway. Specifically http://www.bloggingprojectrunway.blogspot.com/ and http://www.bravissimoblog.blogspot.com/ They attract a wide readership of Project Runway devotees, including designers, stitchers, etc. Plus, just Google "Project Runway" blogs. There many people whose blogs include Project Runway with other shows or fashion-related items."

Read all the responses at http://tinyurl.com/2w95vv


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

Jim Labadie of North Palm Beach, Florida writes:

"Our company has launched what we feel is the best tasting snack bar on the planet. It's called Prograde Cravers, and we literally sold out of our first shipment in just nine hours after we put them up for sale!

"You can see all the video testimonials we have from our recent debut at a fitness industry seminar at our website at http://tinyurl.com/3xfojy. Our Prograde Nutrition products are only available via fitness professionals, so it only made sense to let them try them first."

"I've got numerous ideas on how to promote the bars:

--Put the video testimonials on YouTube
--Perfect Halloween candy because they are 100 percent organic and less than 200 calories
--Holiday gift guides

"I'd really love some extraordinary ideas. The bars are so nutritious and taste so amazing we want to be sure they keep selling out. We want to be sure the entire U.S. and Canada knows about them and tries one. What ideas can your Hounds offer that will help us reach that goal?


The Publicity Hound says:

Send a sample snack bar to bloggers who write about anything related to food, fitness or nutrition. But first, make sure your website has a photo of the health bar so if they write about it, they can show their readers what it looks like. I wanted to use a photo at my blog and searched and searched at your site, but came up empty. See "How to Use Photos & Graphics in Your Publicity Campaign" at http://www.publicityhound.com/publicityphotos.htm

Hounds with ideas for Jim can post them to my blog at http://tinyurl.com/37qrfg


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

Thanks to Publicity Hound Jeff Haebig of Rochester, Minnesota for this one:

A nursery school teacher was delivering a station wagon full of kids home one day when a fire truck zoomed past.

The children saw the Dalmatian sitting in the front seat of the fire truck and started to discuss the dog's duties.

"They use him to keep crowds back," said one youngster.

"No," said another, "he's just for good luck."

"I know!" said a third... "They use him to find the fire hydrant!"


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

Canadian magazines have their own blog
http://tinyurl.com/yrcop5


Company anniversary? Get onto the speaking circuit
http://tinyurl.com/yvcynq


Cockroach Hall of Fame museum still generating publicity
http://tinyurl.com/2z92tz


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

Where to Meet or Hear The Publicity Hound®


September 12: Germantown, Wisconsin

Menomonee Falls Rotary Club, noon, "How to Generate Thousands of Dollars in Free Print, Broadcast and Online Publicity," Lohmann's Steak House, W183 N9609 Appleton Ave. To attend, you must come as a guest of a current Rotary member.


September 18: Teleseminar

"How to Use FREE Publicity to Drive Tons of Traffic to Your Web Site," 8 p.m. Eastern Time. This is part of Michelle Nightengale's four-part teleseminar series for speakers, coaches, consultants, trainers, programmers, designers, and personal assistants on simple, effective marketing strategies to breathe life into your business and multiply your client base and profits in six months or less. Sign up at https://paydotcom.com/r/18572/JoanStewart/1612861/ where you can also listen to the unedited 65-minute round table call that previewed the entire series.

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

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

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


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

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

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

Publicity tips/What You Can Learn from a Puppy August 28, 2007

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #361 Aug. 28, 2007
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)
The Publicity Hound®

Circulation: 35,280

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

"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"

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

Need help with publicity?
See the resources list at
http://www.publicityhound.com/resources.htm


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

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

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

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

Miscellaneous Items:

--I am looking for guest presenters to join me during a weeklong series of teleseminars on how nonprofits can generate publicity. If this is your area of expertise, and you'd like to partner with me to create a product we can both sell, email me at Mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com?subject=NonprofitPublicity and tell me why you're an expert, and suggest a specific sub-topic you would like to address.

--"How to Help Your Boss or Client with a Publicity Campaign," a series of Publicity Hound University teleseminars I conducted in June for assistants, virtual assistants and interns, will be ready for sale next week as electronic transcripts, CDs or MP3 files. I'll be offering a special deal to subscribers of this newsletter before I roll out this product to the public. Don't miss next week's issue.

--Thanks to the many Hounds who responded to last week's request for tips on how you're getting through to the media during these days of shrinking newsrooms. Your comments were wonderful, and I'll be posting all of them over at my blog in the next few weeks. Stay tuned.

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

1. What You Can Learn from a Puppy

2. A Ribbon-cutting Worth Publicizing

3. Jump on this Art Controversy

4. Media Leads

5. Promoting a Canadian Boarding School

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Quote of the Week

8. And at My Blog...


======================================
1. What You Can Learn from a Puppy
======================================

Meet Bogie, our new puppy, at my blog at http://tinyurl.com/2ufguh

She's an 11-week-old purebred German Shorthaired Pointer, the love of our lives.

Bill is in charge of training her because she'll be his hunting companion. I'm devouring the book "Training in No Time," written by dog training expert Amy Ammen, who was in my mentor program, so I can keep up with what he's doing.

After only six days with Bogie, my first experience living with a puppy, I'm learning about things like:

--Persistence. She was out of sight for just a few minutes yesterday and chewed on the "Warning" tag that was sewn into the seam of her doggie bed. She didn't stop gnawing until the entire label was in her mouth. Thankfully, I retrieved it before she could swallow it.

--Risk-taking. We took her on her first walk at the beach yesterday afternoon. She was fascinated by the sights and sounds of the waves lapping at the Lake Michigan shoreline, but decided it was too early to venture into the water. I'm betting she at least sticks a paw into it the next time out.

--Responsibility. After she pooped on our living room carpet this morning, I realized it was my own fault because I became too engrossed in writing the newsletter to give her frequent potty breaks. I'm now relying on a timer to alert me every 30 minutes so we can visit the backyard.

--The importance of grieving after the loss of a pet. Cody, our beloved German Shorthaired Pointer, died on Jan. 13 this year. We needed several months to cry, work through the grief, and heal our hearts so we could welcome a new puppy into our lives and give her our full attention. Bill took Bogie to visit Cody's grave in the backyard, and he told her she has big shoes to fill.

--Opportunity. She's napping in her kennel right now, next to my desk, and I'm racing to complete this newsletter before she awakens for another who-knows-how-many-hours of bedlam.

--Rudimentary engineering skills. Her metal kennel, a big shipping box and a large plastic wastebasket, placed side by side, prevent her from crawling under my desk, where she can chew, then pulverize, a tangled mess of computer wires.

Did the headline on this item catch your attention?

If so, consider creating a list of tips called "What You Can Learn from a Puppy" or "What You Can Learn from a Kitten" or "What You Can Learn from a Porpoise"--or any critter of your choice--and slant it to people with a particular problem or concern.

Then provide a list just like I did. You don't even need to be a pet owner to pull this off.

Submit the list or article to online article directories and your list of media contacts. Heck, the editor of a trade magazine might even welcome an article like this one if the tips dovetail perfectly with what readers need. If you don't want to use this format, consider the same title in a Q&A format, or even a quiz.


Tips lists, Q&As and quizzes are only three of several kinds of briefs I teach you to write in "Briefs, Fillers & Quizzes: How to Write Them and Why Editors Love Them." It's available as a CD or an electronic transcript that you can download and be reading as soon as your order has been approved.

Read more about what you'll learn at http://tinyurl.com/d74h7


========================================
2. A Ribbon-cutting Worth Publicizing
========================================

I hate ribbon-cuttings of any kind, and most of you have heard me preach that journalists hate them too and usually refuse to cover these cheesy, staged media events. That's because most people are tired of seeing them.

Even attempts at clever or cutesy ribbon-cuttings usually fall flat. But this one is so unusual that it's worth mentioning. I found it over at Alan Sharpe's Direct Mail Fundraising Blog at http://tinyurl.com/2mu4aa

Here's Alan's hypothetical example of a compelling ribbon-cutting:

"Instead of a ribbon-cutting photo featuring your leaders, why not take a photo that features your donors? Let’s say you mailed a special appeal letter six months ago, asking for funds to build a wheelchair-accessible ramp at your summer camp for kids. The money came in, the ramp is complete, and the project was a success.

"You could run a story in your newsletter with the headline, 'New Wheelchair Access Ramp Completed,' accompanied by a photo of the ribbon-cutting ceremony with this caption: "Our executive director cuts the ribbon during the opening ceremony for our new wheelchair access ramp." Boring. The focus of the story is the ribbon and the ramp, not the benefits of the ramp (who it helps) or the cause of the ramp (the donors).

"Instead, you could take a photo of a camper descending the ramp all by herself in her motorized wheelchair. Surrounding the ramp are the volunteers who donated their time, and a representative sampling of donors who gave their gifts. They are all waving and applauding as the girl makes her way to the bottom of the ramp, ready to break through the inaugural ribbon at the bottom with her legs (much the same way Olympic runners do with their chests).

"The headline reads: 'New Wheelchair Ramp Gives One Camper--and Many Donors--a Big Lift.'

"The photo caption reads: 'INCLINED TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE: Dozens of Camp Wikiming volunteers and donors celebrate as 13-year-old Kirsten Jacobs enjoys the fruit of their love, labour and generosity--the new wheelchair access ramp to Lansing Hall."

Thanks, Alan. Newspapers and TV stations might even be willing to cover this one.

The next time you're tempted to break ground, cut a ribbon or pass a check, slap yourself. Then consider all the creative alternatives mentioned on "Fun Alternatives to Boring Ground-breakings, Ribbon-cuttings and Check-passings." It's available as a CD or an electronic transcript that you can download and be reading as soon as your order has been approved.

Read more about what you'll learn at http://tinyurl.com/7cl6z


=======================================
3. Jump on This Art Controversy
=======================================

If you're stumped about how to generate publicity, one of the best ways is to piggyback onto a controversy with strong opinions.

It isn't too late for artists, African-Americans and others to jump into the fray that's erupted over the Beijing "sculpture of record" for the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial set for the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Critics are complaining that the choice of Lei Yixin of China over a black American amounts to"outsourcing."

National Public Radio has already devoted at least three stories to this topic at http://tinyurl.com/2ed7nj

If you know how to write an opinionated, succinct letter to the editor, you're much farther ahead than most Publicity Hounds, and you can use newspaper and magazine editorial pages over and over again to promote your product, service, cause or issue.

"How to Use Newspaper and Magazine Editorial Pages" shows you how. You'll even learn how to approach the all-important (and sometimes pompous) newspaper and magazine editorial boards and ask them to support your cause or pet project.

Read more about you'll learn at http://tinyurl.com/5wh45


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

--Do you know someone who recently obtained a good job outside of public relations? What was the winning tactic? WorkWise columnist Mildred Culp is looking for multiple sources to discuss what they did to get a full- or part-time job. WorkWise is syndicated inprint and online in such papers as The Hartford Courant, the nation's longest-continuously published newspaper, and The DallasMorning News. Mailto:Workwise@Comcast.net?subject=JobHuntingTactic


--Eastonsweb Multimedia recently launched Broadcast Charlotte, an online video channel delivering educational content and event coverage that most small businesses in Charlotte, North Carolina do not receive. Event coverage includes local grand openings, seminars, new product announcements and related content. "Educational content will help small businesses get better PR, improve networking skills, learn from top entrepreneurs and more," says videographer John Easton. Learn more at http://www.broadcastcharlotte.com/


--Baby Boomer couples are invited to apply for the pilot of a new television show "Life Begins at 40." This is how they describe the show: "For many people in their 40s and 50s, the time has come to restructure their life and do something they’ve always dreamed of. It could be anything from owning a Bed & Breakfast to running a Scuba Diving School in the Caribbean. Our television show, 'Life Begins at 40' will give a husband and wife team an opportunity to Road Test their Dreams. Contact Amber Mike, associate producer, at mailto:amber.mike@rdfnewyork.com or 646-747-7940


Thanks to Publicity Hound Dana Hall for tipping us off to this one.


==========================================
5. Promoting a Canadian Boarding School
==========================================

This week, four Publicity Hounds have tips Julie Ann Kodmur from St. Helena, California. Julie needs ideas on how to generate publicity for Shawnigan Lake School, a Canadian boarding school at http://www.sls.bc.ca/?

"The school is frankly a cousin of Hogwarts---uniform Tudor architecture in all the buildings on campus which slope down to a lake, then bordered by a forest and a huge 'great hall' diningroom with fireplaces...We’ve thought of having J.K. Rowling come to do a reading or present an award."


From Garth Gibson:

"You might want to keep alive your Harry Potter links and ride its coattails as long as you can.

"Another might be to link to the attention boarding schools are getting in other parts of the world like the Middle East. These are two major themes of interest about boarding schools that are in the news these days.

"How has your school changed or stayed the same during and after the Harry Potter craze?"


From Michael Draper:

"Think about creating controversy or a challenge. Maybe try doing some type of challenge between some American schools and Canadian schools every year. Setup something similar to the Calgary Stampede format. Every year a team from the schools would compete for a prize or trophy. Pick something that you are good at...The competition can get sponsors and TV coverage."


From Terri Benincasa:

"Lo and behold, you said it yourself!

"With all the Harry Potter-ness right now, 'having your very own Hogwarts for a truly magical experience (wand not included--but also not necessary)' is about the best PR you could get. Withthat description, I’m considering boarding school for myself!


Read all the responses to this Help this Hound question at my blog at http://tinyurl.com/2hu4o9 Then learn more great ideas in"Special Report #15: Publicity Tips for Schools, Colleges and Universities" at http://tinyurl.com/6uz9g


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

Kathy McCabe of Washington, D.C. writes:

"My business partner, success coach Margarita Rozenfeld, are co-sponsoring The Tuscany Visioning Retreat at http://www.dreamofitaly.com/public/365.cfm

"It's a week of personal reflection, goal-setting sessions and cultural encounters at a private villa. It's for men and women. We envision the target audience as 30s to 50s--people ready to refocus their lives, maybe change jobs, start a new business, set personal goals. Margarita and I both have email lists in the thousands, and while we've used them to generate some interest, it hasn't been enough.

"It costs $3,199 for the week, including luxurious accommodations at a private villa, coaching sessions throughout the week, pre-and post-retreat phone sessions, nearly all meals, a day trip to hill towns and vineyards, and a cooking lesson.

"How do we publicize this 'new kind of travel experience' to an audience that is used to traditional tours? We're having trouble hitting the right angle. Many thanks to your Hounds for any ideas they can provide."


The Publicity Hound says:

Your landing page has far too many distractions. It should be devoted to one topic only: the retreat. I suggest you read Mark Widawer's excellent ebook "Landing Page Cash Machine" at http://tinyurl.com/y6wws5

Once you've improved the landing page, you'll need many other promotion ideas. And my Hounds are up to the task. Hounds, what would you want to know about this retreat to Tuscany before you commit to spending $3,200? If you have suggestions for Kathy and Margarita, post them to my blog at http://tinyurl.com/2ghdn7


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

Poem for New Puppy Owners:


Don't chew my books, don't eat my plants,
Don't steal food or underpants.

Don't eat my socks, don't grab my hair,
Don't rip the stuffing from that chair!

Don't eat those peas, don't touch that bush,
Don't chew my shoes, what IS that mush!?!

Eat your treats and drink your drink
Outta the toilet! Outta the sink!

Away from the litter box. It's for the cat!
(And must you kiss me after that?)

Raising a puppy is not for the lazy,
Those rug rats are funny, but also quite crazy.

Don't despair through the toil and the strife.
'Cause after three years you'll get back your life.

So let's go for a walk, and you do your "thing"
And maybe I'll get back my diamond ring.

--Author 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...
=================================

BusinessWeek Chicago to launch in November
http://tinyurl.com/ytywhu

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

Where to Meet or Hear The Publicity Hound®


September 11: Brookfield, Wisconsin

Association for Volunteer Administration of Southeastern Wisconsin, keynote presentation on "Savvy Media Relations: How to Get Thousands of Dollars in FREE Online and Offline Publicity," 9:45 a.m., University of Phoenix Metro-Milwaukee Campus, 20075 Watertower Blvd. $30 for AVA/SEW and IAVC members, $40 for non-members. Deadline August 31. Learn more at http://www.ava-sew.org/content/blogcategory/5/4/or call Kay Bloesl at 414-571-1327 to register.


September 12: Germantown, Wisconsin

Menomonee Falls Rotary Club, noon, "How to Generate Thousands of Dollars in Free Print, Broadcast and Online Publicity," Lohmann's Steak House, W183 N9609 Appleton Ave. 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
U.S.A.
Phone: 262-284-7451 (Central)
Fax: 262-284-1737

Publicity tips/What Assistants Can Do May 29, 2007

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #348 May 29, 2007
Publisher: JoanStewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)
The Publicity Hound®

Circulation: 31,084

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

"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.

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

Publicity Hound University for Assistants:

Many assistants, virtual assistants and summer interns are perfectly capable of assuming duties far above their current level of performance. But no one has time to show them how.

The Publicity Hound to the rescue.

My week-long, graduate-level course, the first of its kind anywhere specifically for assistants, features 11 hours of live training by The Publicity Hound and my crew of guest experts. Students will also receive a variety of educational tools, and free email support for 30 days.

Learn more at http://snipurl.com/PHUniversity or see Item #1 below.

Don't have an assistant yet? If you missed last week's teleseminar on how to hire a virtual assistant, you can order the CD or the electronic transcript here: http://publicityhound.com/teleseminar.htm

We expect to ship CDs tomorrow or Thursday and email transcripts to those who already have ordered them early next week.

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

1. What Assistants Can Do

2. Book-burning Publicity Stunt

3. Media Leads

4. Val's Art Diary at YouTube

5. Promoting a Stem Cell Research Book

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Quote of the Week

8. And at My Blog...


======================================
1. What Assistants Can Do
======================================

Longing for an assistant to help you with all the tedious grunt work that's part of a publicity campaign?

Stop dragging your feet and just do it already. Here's a short list of all the tasks you can unload on your assistant:

--Research media outlets where your story would be the best fit.

--Buy back issues of newspapers and magazines so you can become familiar with a reporter's work instead of pitching blindly.

--Search for influential bloggers, podcasters and Internet radio show hosts who are in a good position to spread the word about you far and wide.

--Ghostwrite how-to articles.

--Hunt for the best high-traffic websites and article directory sites, then post the article.

--Update print and online media kits.

--Call newspapers and magazines where your articles appear and ask for permission to reprint them, with the publication's nameplate at the top.

--Stand in line at Kinko's to have the reprints made.

--Do keyword research for website copy, articles and anything else you write that will be posted online.

--Track your website and blog statistics so you can see who's visiting, where they're coming from, what pages they're spending the most time on, what page they're leaving from, and which keywords are pulling the most visitors.

--Post to Craigslist, one of the most frequently overlooked vehicles for free publicity.

--Post your events to online calendars and city-specific calendar sites.

--Compile editorial calendars, and call for updates.

Now, don't you feel better just reading that list and imagining getting rid of all that work?

What? The budget won't allow a part-time or full-time assistant? Then how about a virtual assistant for just a few hours a week?

If you missed my May 17 teleseminar on "How to Find a Virtual Assistant to Help with Your Publicity Campaign," you can get the CD or electronic transcript at http://publicityhound.com/teleseminar.htm.

Then give me five days and I'll train your assistant--over the phone. No airfare or hotel bills. Your assistant can start putting into practice what she learns, starting from the first day.

This is the only training of its kind, and you'll be kicking yourself if you miss this event. Read more about Publicity Hound University for Assistants at http://snipurl.com/PHUniversity


========================================
2. Book-Burning Publicity Stunt
========================================

One of the problems with publicity stunts is that you'd better attend to every little detail. Or you risk looking foolish when all eyes are on you.

That's what happened yesterday to bookstore owner Tom Wayne of Kansas City, Missouri. He needed to get rid of the 20,000 used books he has collected in a warehouse during the past decade--books he can't sell or even give away. So he decided to have a good old-fashioned book burning outside his store.

The burning also was in protest of what he sees as diminishing support for the printed word.

"This is the funeral pyre for thought in America today," Wayne told spectators outside his bookstore as he lit the first batch of books.

Within an hour, the Kansas City Fire Department arrived on the scene and doused the blaze because Wayne didn't have a permit for burning.

Even so, the Associated Press carried the story. You can read it at http://tinyurl.com/3dmnw5

So I guess the stunt accomplished its goal. I wouldn't be surprised if Tom starts getting calls from all over the place, from book collectors looking for rare books to charities looking for donations.

If he had taken the lazy way out and held a press conference, the AP wouldn't have covered it, and you'd be reading about something else in this space. The next time you're tempted to hold a press conference, a staged event that media everywhere hate, pinch yourself. Then start thinking of creative events that can tell the story better than you ever could, standing behind a microphone in an empty room.

And don't forget to get the right permits!

"Creative Alternatives to Boring News Conferences," a recording of a teleseminar I conducted with Sandra Eggers, APR, includes dozens of ideas for fun, compelling special events and publicity stunts that will draw the media like magnets. If you MUST have a press conference, she explains how to do it right.

Read more about what you'll learn at http://tinyurl.com/yu6qob


=======================================
3. Media Leads
=======================================

--WorkWise syndicated columnist Mildred Culp is looking for sources who have left a large company and now work at a smaller one. She wants sources outside of public relations, advertising or small business ownership to discuss their experiences in her column. Anonymity is available upon request. Mailto:workwise@comcast.net?subject=ThePublicityHoundSentMe


--Has your workplace gone to the dogs? Monster.com wants to hear about your experiences with dogs at work, and might include you in an upcoming article in conjunction with Take Your Dog to Work Day on June 22. Mailto:tellusyourstory@monster.com or learn more about TYDTWD at http://www.petsit.com/tydtwd/about.php By the way, if you're taking your dog to work, this is a great opportunity for publicity. Let your local media know. Thanks to Doris Appelbaum of Glendale, Wisconsin for alerting us to this one.


--Michele Ktel, the new music editor at YouTube, says: "I'm always on the lookout for new and interesting sounds fromYouTubers in all genres, whether it's jazz, hip-hop, electronica, twang, from kazoo to conga drums--everything and anything." The video you submit can be your own, or someone else's. She also wants to know about your favorite record. Watch her short video at http://www.youtube.com/blog and email her at mailto:music@youtube.com


The Publicity Hound says: This is a great opportunity for bands or anyone looking for publicity for their music. Music publicity expert Bob Baker has dozens more ideas on the CD or electronic transcript "Do-it-Yourself PR for Songwriters, Musicians & Bands on a Budget."

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


======================================
4. Val's Art Diary at YouTube
======================================

When I was a guest during Ariane Goodwin's January telesummit on how artists can market their creations, I suggested that they create videos of their artwork in progress and post them to YouTube.

Little did I know at the time that an artist who goes by the name Valentina, from San Mateo, California, was doing just that--and pulling thousands of viewers.

In November 2006, Valentina almost gave up her dream of becoming a painter. She claims she can't write very well, and she didn't like having to write the typical artist's statement.

Galleries and museums often don't explain the artist's intentions. And Valentina thought, "Why not let myself ramble a bit on camera as I paint? Wouldn't that make a truly ideal statement?"

So she started Val's Art Diary, a video blog that documents the process of making her paintings. It includes her rants, reflections and funny moments she often captures with her camera. The subject of her episodes always relates to the subjects of the paintings she is working on.

She posts a new video every Sunday night. You can see the most recent one at http://www.youtube.com/valsartdiary and judge for yourself.

Today, just seven months later, thousands of fans tune in every Sunday, and she sells every new painting she produces. Here's the kicker. YouTube just announced that it's starting to share revenues with the most popular content creators, and Valentina is one of the few lucky ones.

"My videos have been watched by over 3 million people over the last five months," she said. "What surprised me more was the support and appreciation for art I found among the viewers who post comments under my video."

If you like the YouTube idea, you'll love the more than two dozen other ideas I shared with artists. Ariane recorded the call. "How Artists Can Sell More Artwork from Online & Offline Publicity" is available as a CD or an electronic transcript that you can download as soon as your order has been approved.

Read more about what you'll learn at http://tinyurl.com/yvewm8


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5. Promoting a Stem Cell Research Book
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This week, five Publicity Hounds have ideas for Yvonne Perry of Nashville, Tennessee. She wanted tips on how to publicize her book "Right to Recover: Winning the Political and Religious Wars over Stem Cell Research in America" through Nightingale Press. The publication date is October 2007. You can learn more about it at http://www.right2recover.com/


From Garth Gibson:

"You might think about putting Michael Moore on your list as well since his 'Sicko' (health care documentary?) will soon premier.

"Add Bill Clinton, Arnold Schwarzenegger to the list. (Maybe Jimmy Carter?)"


From Kevin:

"There are quite a few podcasts that would love to interview you regarding your book. Go to http://www.theness.com/ and email Dr. Steven Novella. He has a weekly science/skepticism podcast that has over 15,000 listeners. These listeners are passionate about the promotion of science in society, and this book is right up their alley.


From Stephanie Chandler:

"Find a way to get this in the hands of Michael J. Fox ASAP! He’s been an advocate for stem cell research and probably has a very wide network. If you can’t get the book directly into his hands, get it into the hands of those around him. I bet the folks at his foundation would be very interested in reading your book and possibly working together. Here’s a link: http://www.michaeljfox.org/ Good luck."


The Publicity Hound says: I love Stephanie's idea of trying to get an endorsement from Michael J. Fox. This is a tactic many of you can use when promoting a cause or issue that somebody in Hollywood also is promoting. But getting through to them is another matter entirely.

A subscription to ContactAnyCelebrity.com gives you instant, unlimited access to their exclusive online database of contact information for over 54,696 celebrities, 6,890 representatives (agents, managers, publicists & attorneys) and 4,131 entertainment companies. Learn more at http://publicityhound.net/ContactAnyCelebrity

Kevin's idea reminds me to remind Yvonne about Alex Carroll's database of contact information for 213 radio shows that welcome guests who can speak on New Age, inspirational, mind-body-spirit or self-improvement topics. The contacts include those for satellite and Internet radio, and podcasts. Many of those shows have very niched and loyal audiences. Learn more at http://publicityhound.com/newageradioresources.htm


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6. Help This Hound
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Patricia Dischler of Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin writes:

"I am the author of 'Because I Loved You: A Birthmother’s View of Open Adoption' (Goblin Fern Press, 2006). This book is part memoir, part guidance/advice. I share the story of placing my son for adoption in 1985, beginning before the pregnancy and continuing through his high school graduation. It is the first book written by a birthmother about open adoption and that tells a positive story of adoption. (No regrets, searching, etc.)

"I have been focusing on marketing directly to adoption agencies and pregnancy centers, gaining endorsements from most national adoption offices. Once I get them to read the book, they’re hooked, and sales come in. But getting an agency to take that first step is tough. I have a national list of these agencies and have been sending emails and mailings, but most often these campaigns result in very few hits to my website and sometimes no sales at all. I am thinking that while I can write a good book, I really need some help writing copy that sells books.

"I think that whole 'compel them to buy' factor is missing in my material and I am looking for someone who can help me with this marketing. While there seems to be lots of help out there with publicity (press releases, etc.), I haven’t located anyone for marketing--writing ads, mailings, emails, etc. that sell. Can your readers help me out?"

You can learn more about the book at http://www.PatriciaDischler.com


The Publicity Hound says:

Most authors, or other people for that matter, can’t write a sales letter worth a lick.

OK, all you sales copy writers. This is the time to market your services and tell Patricia what makes your copy so great. How about offering specific links where we can see what you’ve written?

Then give us the cold, hard numbers. If your sales letter is online, what’s the lead-click conversion and the click-sale conversion for a particular sales page?

Do you split-test? (If you’re serious about your sales copy, you certainly do. Just a few small changes in one headline can quadruple sales quickly.)

If you don’t do any of that, you can still explain what makes your sales letters convert.

Also, check The Publicity Hound’s Resources List at http://www.PublicityHound.com/resources.htm Even though you won't find a specific category for sales copy writing, several writers, public relations companies and other service providers write sales copy.


Post your comments, ideas and samples at my blog at http://tinyurl.com/yssaeh


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7. Hound Quote of the Week
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New research shows almost 20 percent of Americans share a bed with their dog or cat. Another 20 percent sleep on the floor in a basket while the pets have the bed to themselves.


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

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


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8. And at My Blog...
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Costco Connection covers books, authors http://tinyurl.com/24brqs


Media interviews: Balance of power has shifted to sources http://tinyurl.com/2g6zcc


Journalists' toolbox: Take a peek inside http://tinyurl.com/224ezq


Business reporters: 30 under 30 to watch http://tinyurl.com/2d65zm


Bad restaurant review? 2 more ways to recuperate http://tinyurl.com/34e7lh


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Where to Meet or Hear The Publicity Hound®

June 6, 2007: Teleseminar for Attorneys

"How to Promote Your Law Practice and Generate Thousands of Dollars in Print, Broadcast and Online Publicity"

I'll be the guest expert on Steven Farley's one-hour teleseminar at 4 p.m. Eastern Time on how attorneys can generate free publicity. $49. Register at http://www.rainmakerretreat.com/teleseminar.htm


June 7, 2007: Teleseminar on Press Releases

I'll be the guest expert on Debra J. Schmidt teleseminar at noon Eastern Time on "The New Rules of Press Releases: How to Write Them for Consumers, not Only for Journalists." Noon Eastern Time. Register at http://loyaltyleader.com/live_teleseminar.iml?id=81


June 11-15: Publicity Hound University for Assistants

Join me and a stellar line-up of guest experts for five days packed with teleseminars that will train your assistant, virtual assistant or summer intern on how to help manage your publicity campaign. This is the only training session of its kind. Learn more at http://www.PublicityHound.com/university.htm


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

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

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

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


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