Publicity Tips/Lighten Your Load April 14, 2009

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

Circulation: 41,324

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

"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"

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

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

Authors, Don't Miss this One:

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

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

1. Lighten Your Load

2. Where to Find Speaking Gigs

3. Tea Party Publicity

4. Use a Gravatar

5. Promote a Consignment Shop

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. And at My Blog...


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

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

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

But here's a little secret.

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

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

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

Here are five tips to get started:

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

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

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

--Reward outstanding work.

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


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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

--Blog about the experience.

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

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

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


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


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

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

Could be you don't have a gravatar.

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

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

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

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

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


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


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

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


From Howard Pierpont:

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


From Alan McBride:

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


From Cheryl Kurland:

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


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


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


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

Karen Kalisek of Escondido, Calif. writes:

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

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

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

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


The Publicity Hound says:

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


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

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


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

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

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


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

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


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


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


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

Where to See & Hear The Publicity Hound:


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http://www.facebook.com/people/Joan_Stewart/541605146


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


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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
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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/Newspaper Closings? Ho-Hum Mar 17, 2009

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

Circulation: 41,750

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

"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"

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

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

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

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

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

Speakers: Hit the Continuing Education Market

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

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

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

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

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

1. Newspaper Closings? Ho-Hum

2. Thanks for Taking My Survey

3. A Handy Twitter Formula

4. Backgrounders Educate Reporters

5. 'Window Shopping' for a Retirement Home

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. And at My Blog...


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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


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

Confused about what to tweet about on Twitter?

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

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

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

--10 percent: Information that keeps them informed

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

--25 percent: Compliments and praise

--5 percent: What you're doing

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

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


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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

During a teleseminar I hosted, I explained exactly how to contact
them, ask for a meeting of the editorial board, what to take with
you and what to say. "How to Use Newspaper & Magazine Editorial
Boards" is available as a CD or an electronic transcript that you
can download and be reading as soon as your order has been
approved.

Read more about editorial boards and backgrounders at
http://tinyurl.com/5wh45


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

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


From Barry Lebow:

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


From Patricia C. Vener:

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

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

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


From Alan McBride:

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


The Publicity Hound says:

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

"How to Use Craigslist as a Global Publicity Tool" is available
as a CD or an electronic transcript that you can download and be
reading as soon as your order has been approved. Read more about
how to get started on Craigslist at http://tinyurl.com/geog2


The Publicity Hound says:

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


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


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

Mitchell Teplitsky of New York, NY writes:

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

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

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

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


The Publicity Hound says:

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

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


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

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


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

Dear God:

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

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


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

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

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


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

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


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


Permission to Reprint:

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

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

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

You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The
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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
USA
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