Publicity tips/Remove child before folding January 16, 2007

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #329 - Jan. 16, 2007
Publisher: Joan Stewart
Mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.net (Blog)
The Publicity Hound®

Circulation: 26,919

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"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"
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On a Personal Note:

Our beloved four-legged hound Cody, a German Shorthaired Pointer, died Saturday morning. She was Bill’s hunting buddy for many years.

By 4:30 p.m. each day, she was in my office, alerting me that it was time to go to the post office, then on our daily walk. We gave her treats every night at 8, but she started pestering us at 6:30, hoping we'd give in early. Sometimes we did.

Today’s "Dog Quote of the Week" is in memory of our wonderful Cody.
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In This Issue
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1. Remove Child Before Folding

2. Sports Blues

3. Post on Craigslist

4. Media Leads

5. How to Promote Artwork

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Quote of the Week

8. And at My Blog...


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1. Remove Child Before Folding
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Sponsor a fun contest.

One of my favorites is the Wacky Warning Label contest, sponsored each year by the Michigan Lawsuit Abuse Watch, to reveal how lawsuits have created a need for common-sense warnings on products.

The grand prize winner receives $500 and a copy of the new book "Remove Child Before Folding: The 101 Stupidest, Silliest and Wackiest Warning Labels Ever," written by Bob Dorigo Jones, the group's president. The title of his book comes from a warning label that won a prize in the early years of the contest.

I heard a drive-time interview with Bob on a Milwaukee radio station last week. So I called him this morning to see how much publicity the book and contest have generated.

He was a guest on about 25 radio shows within the last three weeks, including four interviews on the BBC. He appeared on "Fox & Friends" and was also scheduled to be on the "Today" show. But he was bumped when the show interviewed Donald Trump instead.

Still, that's a pretty impressive publicity campaign--and all because of a fun contest.

Bob Wilkinson of Northville, Michigan won the $500 grand prize for 2006 for submitting this label he found on the side of a washing machine: "Do not put any person in this washer."

If you don't have a contest, you can still get onto national TV.

Find out how during a free 90-minute telephone seminar on Thursday, January 18, with my friend Steve Harrison, publisher of Radio-TV Interview Report. It's called "The Three Big Secrets for Getting Booked as a Guest on Top National TV Shows."

In addition to Steve, you'll hear from a former "Oprah" guest booker, a Fox News Channel producer and some other surprise guests.

Together they'll teach you things unknown to 95 percent of all people who want publicity. The call is free, except for normal long-distance charges.

Register at http://snipurl.com/TopTVShows

You'll learn things like:

--How to increase your odds of getting on "Oprah," Fox News, CNN, the "Today" show, "Montel" and other top shows.

--Understanding the mindset of national TV producers and what gets them to book you as a guest.

--The strategy a husband-and-wife team used to land a 7-minute segment on the "Today" Show.

--An important lesson from one author who got on Oprah and saw sales soar as a result.

--The most important question you must be able to answer to land a TV appearance.

--The biggest mistakes to avoid when pitching TV producers (including ones that could get you black-balled forever!).

Once registered, you'll receive all the details via email in a few minutes. Register at http://snipurl.com/TopTVShows


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2. Sports Blues
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Thanks to Publicity Hound Jennifer Spies of New Philadelphia, Ohio, for this tip on how people can piggyback onto the football playoffs:

"I thought of you last evening when I turned on the local news TV news and they interviewed a psychologist talking about the 'sports blues.' Everyone in Ohio was very depressed on Tuesday because the Ohio State Buckeyes had such a bad game on Monday night. The game was hyped to the max everywhere for days.

"It's truly a Publicity Hound moment when a psychologist can get on the local TV station by piggybacking on the Buckeyes' loss."

She's right. But you don't have to be a sports psychologist to tie into any big college play-off game, or the NFL playoffs.

Motivational speakers, high school coaches, authors whose books tie into topics like sportsmanship, and even workplace experts, can be the local angle to the national sports story by pitching these ideas and offering their commentary:

--Good and bad sportsmanship during the big game.

--Whether big losses in championship games can actually lead to depression in fans.

--Whether big wins or losses affect productivity and morale in the workplace.

--How does a winning or losing team affect the local economy?

In addition to pitching to the local media, you can write press releases about all of the above and post them online. I've made a New Year's resolution to post one release a week, or 52 a year, through Experclick's News Release Wire at http://snipurl.com/ExpertClick where I have a subscription. This is a great way to build a huge online presence and have your releases picked up by Google, Yahoo and Lexis-Nexis.

Before you start writing press releases, make sure you're not writing them the old way--only for journalists. "The New Rules of Press Releases: How to Write Them for Consumers, Not Only for Journalists," explains all the new rules. It's available as a CD or electronic transcript. Learn more at http://tinyurl.com/ndwfo

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3. Post on Craigslist
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Cheryl Beck of Novi, Michigan, who freelances as a press release writer, wrote to tell me she got a terrific client by posting information about her services on Craigslist at http://www.Craigslist.org

In her initial response to them, she said she had taken an online course on how to write and distribute press releases. She was referring to my tutorial "89 Ways to Write Powerful Press Releases" at http://www.PublicityHound.com/pressreleastips/art.htm

"I don’t know if that helped or not but I’m sure it didn’t hurt," Cheryl wrote. "It also appears that due to the variety of interests my client has, this relationship could open up many other doors for me as well. So whatever part my taking your course played in all of this, thank you."

Of course it helped, which is why people who have taken my course should include it on their latest resume.

If you sell products or services locally, let the thousands of people in your community know about it by posting to Craigslist.

Nancy Mills, an expert on how to take advantage of every opportunity Craigslist offers, recorded an interview with me last year called "How to Use Craigslist as a Global Publicity Tool." It's available as a CD or an electronic transcript that you can download as soon as your order is approved. Read more about what you'll learn at http://tinyurl.com/geog2

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4. Media Leads
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--For a USA TODAY story about small businesses and technology, Entrepreneurs reporter Jim Hopkins is asking small business owners to answer the following questions by the close of business on Thursday, Jan. 18: What are the three most frustrating technology challenges your company faces today? Please be as specific as possible. Send your name, title, business name, city, state, product or services sold, number of employees, business website and phone number to mailto:jhopkins@usatoday.com

--A national TV news magazine wants to interview two recovering candy addicts who are willing to talk about their addiction.
Connie Bennett, author of the new book "Sugar Shock," says the producers have contacted her and asked her to find two people who have been off sugar for at least a year and are willing to talk about it. Learn more at http://tinyurl.com/yzyolj

--Michel Nichols, Savvy Selling columnist and podcast host for BusinessWeek.com, is looking for sales experts to interview for a podcast. "Please email me a few topics regarding selling that you have a lot of experience and insight into, with a sentence or two of explanation. Please submit your ideas only once, so give some deep thought before you send it. No attachments, please. If you have a website, make sure you mention it. If you have suggestions for other great guests, please let me know too." Mail topics and descriptions to mailto:michelle.nichols@savvyselling.com

--Alison Rhodes, founder of Peek-a-Boo BabyProofing, is writing a book about the dangers facing children and is looking for responses to the question: What do you consider the top three dangers/hazards facing our children today?
Mailto:alison@peekaboobabyproofing.com

When you respond to the media leads you see here, are you trying to build relationships with the journalists and authors? You should be. "Special Report #49: 17 Ways to Build Valuable Relationships with Media People" shows you how to be a media darling. Order at http://tinyurl.com/6uz9g


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5. How to Promote Artwork
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This week, three Publicity Hounds have tips for Lisa Tomlinson of Oakland, California. She wants tips on how to market her brother's artwork which is featured on greeting cards, stationery and gift items. Products are sold to retailers and on their website at http://www.gottagetup.net/main/index.html


From art marketing expert Ariane Goodwin:

"My first recommendation is an overhaul of your website. As a calling card for your greeting cards, it falls way short.

"For starters, I don’t see any way for you to build a list of customers, prospective or otherwise...Check out '20 Website Details Every Artist Must Know' at http://www.artist-statement.com/ Scroll down and you'll see it on the right side."


From Eric Gruber:

"Normally, as The Article Marketing Expert at http://www.prleads.com/article.htm, I’d answer your question by rattling off 3 to 5 article topics you should be writing about right now. By writing and submitting articles to the top directories, websites and ezines, you’d increase your online exposure and branding on the Net, improve search engine optimization rankings and create a constant flow of traffic to your site all at the same time. Plus, in 6 months guaranteed, you can have a list of hungry prospects wanting to hear from you right now.

"But before you can do that, you need to improve your website design and copy. You need to compel me to take action now! You need to create a special report, a newsletter or some way for me to give you my name and email address so you send me offers month after month."


From Joan Stewart, The Publicity Hound:

Your gift items are perfect for the various gift guides published by newspapers and magazines. You can do a Google search for "gift guides" and see what you find. But a far easier way is to subscribe to "The Gift List," a service that provides you with contact information and pitching tips for hundreds of consumer publications, TV and radio stations, wire services and other consumer media looking for interesting gift information.

Sometimes all it takes is a short press release and a photo to get into these gift guides. Learn more at http://tinyurl.com/9es8y

Also, don't miss the smARTist TeleSummit 2007 later this month.

It's a series of telephone seminars in which a dozen art marketing experts, including me, will share our best tips on how to turn an art hobby into a full-time business. Learn more at http://tinyurl.com/ymcvu8

Read all the responses at http://tinyurl.com/y89ugk


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6. Help This Hound
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Roger Ellerton of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada writes:

"I am the author of 'Live Your Dreams Let Reality Catch Up--NLP and Common Sense for Coaches, Managers and You" at http://www.live-your-dreams.biz. My book was published a year ago but I want more publicity.

"I've submitted articles to article directories, donated copies to libraries, distributed press releases locally and will do a wider distribution, faxed information to local HR directors and senior managers, donated copies of my book to silent auctions, published a monthly newsletter, done speaking engagements and gotten book reviews.

"Current plans are to continue with those activities and to get into the local media and then national and international media. But I'm at the point where I can't see the forest for the trees and would appreciate new and innovative publicity ideas."


The Publicity Hound says: OK, all you authors and book publicists. Please pass along your best ideas for Roger by posting them to my blog at http://tinyurl.com/ynxcks

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7. Hound Quote of the Week
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"She is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are her life, her love, her leader. She will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of her heart. You owe it to her to be worthy of such devotion."
--Unknown


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8. And at My Blog...
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Turn your book into a Hollywood movie
http://tinyurl.com/yln3hj


Blog promotion is easer with these 41 tips
http://tinyurl.com/ym6h5y


Music industry publicity course at UCLA
http://tinyurl.com/yk5yg9


Press release tip to lure the media
http://tinyurl.com/yjg5bx


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

January 22, 2007:

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

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


March 17, 2007: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
"Savvy Media Relations: How to Get Print, Broadcast and Online Publicity." 8 a.m. to noon. Details pending.


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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 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® will never distribute your address to anyone. Period. Promise.

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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