Publicity tips/PR bosses from hell October 24, 2006

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #316 - Oct. 24, 2006
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.com/
http://www.publicityhound.net/
(Blog) The Publicity Hound®

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In This Issue
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1. PR Bosses from Hell

2. More on Madonna's Adoption

3. Media Leads

4. Nonprofits & the Election

5. Promoting a Seminar on Teen Problems

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Quote of the Week

8. And at My Blog...


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1. PR Bosses from Hell
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I hear these complaints all the time from people who work in PR:

--"My boss treats me like a second-class citizen and never involves me in important meetings about PR projects at the senior staff level. Then he dumps a project on me and expects me to be a magician."

--"How can I help my boss understand that her idea of a publicity campaign doesn't stand a chance of succeeding? How can I persuade her to include me in the planning of these kinds of campaigns?"

--"My boss put me in charge of PR, but every time I have a great idea for a PR project, she says we can't afford to spend the time or the money. Yet if our company doesn't get good PR, I don't get a raise. What can I do?"

If you feel like the Rodney Dangerfield in your company or nonprofit, you're not alone. These complaints are so common that I asked PR pros Dan Collins and Karen Morales for their best tips for the Rodneys of the world. They suggest:

--Do your research. Show how similar PR campaigns by other companies in the same industry have had quantifiable results.

--Know your CEO. Who does your boss admire? Who are the leaders in the industry, or people that he looks up to? Find quotes from those people about communication, the value of communication, and what communication has done for them. Find out how those people's companies have benefited from publicity.

--When you have a great idea for a PR campaign, concentrate on the benefits, not the features.

--Measure, measure, measure. That means you must know how to measure the success of a PR campaign in dollars and cents. How many sales will result from the campaign, for example?

When you have an idea, make sure you explain to the boss how the company should measure its success.

--Learn as much as you can about crisis communications even if that isn't part of your job. Knowing how the company should respond during a crisis like an industrial accident can win you greater respect as well as a seat in the executive suite.

--Make sure that any PR ideas you have tie directly to the company's goals.

Dan and Karen have lots more tips, and they explained them all during a one-hour teleseminar I conducted with them called "How to Teach Your Boss the Value of PR." It's available as a CD. Read more about what you'll learn at http://tinyurl.com/yaaxwb


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2. More on Madonna's Adoption
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Publicity Hound John Easton saw the item in last week's newsletter about piggybacking your news stories off Madonna's controversial adoption of a year-old African boy.

John wrote:

"The Madonna story is interesting to me because I recently produced a DVD for a client that teaches Caucasian women and all men how to style Black girls' hair. I'm planning to use the Madonna story to pitch the DVD."

You can see a snippet of the video at http://tinyurl.com/yef8h9

By the way, Oprah thinks the Madonna controversy is so important that she taped a segment with Madonna yesterday, in which the Material Girl defended the adoption. Oprah's website says it will air tomorrow.

I'm betting Madonna had no trouble at all getting onto "Oprah." No such luck, however, for the rest of us.

If you're still pitching the show and tying your idea to the spirituality theme that was on Oprah's radar screen several years ago, but you aren't getting anywhere, no wonder.

That theme isn't as prominent as it once was. So says Susan Harrow, who knows all the ways the show has changed in the last several years--and how your strategy for pitching needs to change with it. The 2006 update of an interview I did with Susan called "How to Get Booked on Oprah," is available as a CD or 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/855eb


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3. Media Leads
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--Author Laurie Wing is looking for stories and advice for the new dad-to-be for her new book. "We want to hear your funny stories about pregnancy, childbirth and new fatherhood. Sappy stories are welcomed too! (i.e. what not to say to your wife during pregnancy, what happened during childbirth, when the baby came home, etc.). Email your stories/advice to mailto:lauriejwing@aol.com Laurie is the author of "Butterflies & Hiccups: A Guided Pregnancy Journal for the Mom-to-Be." Your quote will be included in the new book with your name, city and state, or you can remain anonymous--please specify.

--Chow, the online Epicurean magazine, is looking for items to feature in its holiday gift section. It wants tableware, appliances, edibles & potables... " or anything related to food and drink. Prefers to receive press releases by email but accepts hard copy press kits. Prefers digital photos by email at low-resolution in jpeg, and attachments are OK. Email to Michele Foley at mailto:michele.foley@cnet.com or snail-mail to Michele Foley, CHOW, 235 Second Street, San Francisco, CA 94105. Deadline is November 15. You can find Chow online at http://www.chow.com/


The Publicity Hound says: The Chow media lead is courtesy of The Gift List, a subscription service that provides contact information for more than 250 top newspapers, magazines and other media that feature special gift sections. Publicity Hounds will receive a 10 percent discount through October 31 on the Moms, Dads & Grads 2007 list. Early deadlines for those sections start in November. The discount also applies to all products. Take a 24-hour test drive by clicking on the "Subscribe" button at http://tinyurl.com/9es8y


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4. Nonprofits & the Election
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Several Publicity Hounds sent me to the doghouse without my dinner (and no treats for a week) after reading the item in last week's newsletter about how to piggyback publicity off the election.

I advised Hounds, including nonprofits, to weigh in on issues and candidates through things such as letters to the editor.

Publicity Hound Laurie Morrow of Montpelier, Vermont and several others reminded me that the IRS specifically prohibits nonprofits from doing things such as endorsing candidates. Laurie writes:

"Pity the Hound who publishes a letter like this: 'Dear Editor, I work for No Dog Left Outside Foundation and really care about dogs. All the scientific data supports the conclusion that dogs who have solar-heated dog houses are healthier and live longer than dogs with unheated dog houses.

"I want to urge every reader of the Barkenbite Times who cares about dogs to re-elect Senator Dogged, the sponsor of Senate Bill 624, which will provide subsidies to taxpayers who purchase a solar-heated doghouse in 2007."

The simplest explanation I found about what nonprofits can and can't do is at http://tinyurl.com/6ovyp

I'm off to the doghouse, with my tail between my legs...

For the rest of you who DO want to comment about the Nov. 7 election in the United States, this is the time. Most newspapers are printing their endorsements for races and issues that will be on the ballot, and they welcome letters that agree or disagree with their views. "How to Use Newspaper & Magazine Editorial Pages" gives you great advice you can use to submit letters to the editor in time for the election, as well as strategies you can use long afterward. Read more about what you'll learn from this CD or electronic transcript at http://tinyurl.com/5wh45


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5. Promoting a Seminar on Teen Problems
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This week, 10 Publicity Hounds have tips for Susan Stein of Dallas, Texas. She works for an independent medical practice that's planning a daylong seminar in Dallas in April for parents of adolescents. It will discuss problems that teens face. Susan wanted suggestions on how to promote the seminar, which will donate all proceeds to a nonprofit girls program.


From Dr. Robert Kotler, M.D.:

"The (free) publicity, which should be the key element in your marketing campaign for this event, should be garnered by the charity which will be the perceived beneficiary. Your city is too big to spend money on mail lists, etc. Those are best for neighborhood events. The charity’s publicists and you should collaborate, but they should be the ones to carry the banner.

One reason is that TV stations are obliged by the FCC to give some exposure to non-profits."


From Teresa Kump:

"Why not partner with your local PTA Council to get the word out to parents? PTA has strict rules against promoting businesses, but might pass along information on an educational conference like this. You might also send letters about the event to the presidents of the individual PTAs in your area and ask them to let their members know about this educational opportunity."


From Lois Carter Fay of MarketingIdeaShop.com:

"I suggest you write several short articles in a tips format, such as '10 Ways to Communicate With Your Teen in a Crisis,' '5 Positive Ways to Deal with the Word Whatever!', '8 Ways to Keep Your Teen Off Drugs,' and other topics that are relevant to teens these days. In your 5-line bio, add a plug for your website (I assume you have one), where there is a big, bold link to the upcoming event(s). Send these articles to the local media as filler, post them online at your website, and distribute them through online sources like PRWeb.com. Joan has some great products for teaching you how to write your tips articles!

The Publicity Hound says: Indeed I do. One of them is "Special Report #16: How to Write Tip Sheets That Catch the Media's Attention." It shows you how to write and distribute these little one-page tips lists that the media love. Editors need these lists because they fill odd-size holes on a page. Read more about it at http://tinyurl.com/y7ac4u


Read all the responses to this week's question at http://tinyurl.com/yfuntu

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6. Help This Hound
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Joey Lo of Hong Kong, China writes:

"I’m starting my own financial services company which specializes in factoring to help small and micro-enterprises, that offer credit terms to customers, generate cash flow without a loan.

"Factoring is buying outstanding invoices at an amount less than face value so companies can receive cash today instead of having to wait for 30 to 90 days. My target clients are growth-oriented companies that are turned down by banks due to their small sizes and insufficient financial histories.

"With immediate cash on hand, companies can expand their business by taking advantage of large discounts offered by suppliers, fulfill large orders by hiring additional staff and buying new equipment, and improve the balance sheet (because it is not a loan, it’s turning paper asset into cash asset) to eventually qualify for banks or venture capital firms etc.

"I'll be using a serviced office so I can't host any events there. Besides, I can't think of any event that would attract media attention given the small size of the operation.

"Do your Hounds have any creative ideas for publicity campaigns?"

The Publicity Hound says: I know they do because many of them have told me about the clever events they've sponsored for their own businesses. Hounds with great ideas for Joey can post them to my blog at http://tinyurl.com/yj5p95


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7. Hound Quote of the Week
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"You may have a dog that won't sit up, roll over or even cook breakfast, not because she's too stupid to learn how but because she's too smart to bother."

--Rick Horowitz, Chicago Tribune


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

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


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8. And at My Blog...
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Scobleizer gives
blogging tips for PR pros
http://tinyurl.com/yhp3hy


Experts, flaunt your
expertise in articles
http://tinyurl.com/ydv937


Blogging easier
with these 11 tips
http://tinyurl.com/yaks9s

Media bias: The ugly truth
http://tinyurl.com/ybdcrx


On my blog at http://www.publicityhound.net/, I've made it easy for you to find what you're looking for by dividing my posts into more than 20 categories. Click on the "Topics" arrow on the right side of the blog to find the category you're looking for.
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Where to Meet or Hear The Publicity Hound®

October 31, 2006: West Bend, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin-Washington County, part of the "Adding to Your Organization's Toolbox--Media and Public Relations" series, sponsored by the University of Wisconsin-Washington County, UW-Extension, Volunteer Center of Washington County and The United Way of Washington County. I'll present "Savvy Media Relations: How to Get FREE Print, Broadcast & Online Publicity" for nonprofits from 8 to 9:30 a.m., followed by a media panel. Over lunch, from 11:30 until 1, I'll present "How to Write Powerful Press Releases." Registration is $35 for the first session and $8 for the luncheon session on press releases. To register, and to submit a press release that you'd like me to rewrite for the second class, contact Dan Anhalt at mailto:dan.anhalt@uwc.edu or (262) 335-5218. Or visit http://tinyurl.com/ybfj7b


March 17, 2007: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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


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

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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