Publicity tips/Oprah Magazine Ranked #1 March 6, 2007

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #336 - March 6, 2007
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.com/

http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)
The Publicity Hound®

Circulation: 29,530

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"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"

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In This Issue
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1. Oprah Magazine Ranked #1

2. 32,000 Readers and a 2-Book Deal

3. Sponsor a Contest at YouTube

4. Piggyback onto 'The Secret'

5. How to Distribute PSAs

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Quote of the Week

8. And at My Blog...

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1. Oprah Magazine Ranked #1
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Good news for the gazillion Publicity Hounds who want to get into O, The Oprah Magazine.

It clinched the top spot on Adweek's Hot List of magazines, published yesterday. The list honors magazines with a track record of advertising and circulation growth.

Overall, O's circulation was flat, but the fact that it's as big as it is and still managed to grow nearly 10 percent in ad pages in a very competitive category was the reason for the honor.

Oprah's magazine dethroned "People" magazine, last year's Hot List champ, which this year didn't even make it into the top 10. This year, "Real Simple" was ranked Number 2. "Us Weekly" held steady in the Number 3 spot.

More, the magazine for middle-aged women, ranked fourth.

Condé Nast dominated the middle of the order, placing Teen Vogue, Glamour, Allure and Wired in Numbers 5 through 8.

So what does all of this mean to Publicity Hounds?

Lots of ads usually translate into a bigger magazine with more room for editorial copy. And bigger magazines mean more opportunities for pitching.

Successful pitching, on the other hand, requires an intimate knowledge of the kind of editorial content the magazine wants.You also must be patient, persistent and have story ideas that are customized for a particular magazine.

Susan Harrow's ebook "Get into O, the Oprah Magazine" offers in-depth case studies of publicists who have gotten their clients into the popular publication.

One of the secrets, Susan says, is that you must be willing to wait up to two years before the editors review your pitch and say yes. If you're willing to stay the course and keep in touch with the magazine, you'll have a big advantage over most other people who give up after two or three months.

The payoff can be huge.

Denise Loren, whose company makes DVDs for dogs and was featured in O Magazine, got her products into more than 100 retail outlets after the article appeared.

Even nonprofits can reap the benefits. Genevieve Piturro, who founded the pajama project, a charity to give new PJs to poor kids, went from five chapters to 30 and growing. She got 9,000 new PJs donated and a donation of $5,000 after appearing in O.

Read more about what you'll learn in Susan's ebook at
http://snipurl.com/OprahMagazine


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2. 32,000 Readers and a 2-Book Deal
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How did a new blogger go from a pathetic 10 readers a day to being featured in the New York Times and clinching a two-book deal with a major publisher in just two months?

As anyone who has started blogging knows, it's not easy to attract a lot of traffic. But Greg Pincus used a system of viral marketing to create buzz for his blog, which he launched on Feb.21 last year at http://gottabook.blogspot.com/

Greg--a screenwriter, children's book author, volunteer librarian and a dad--writes poems as a hobby. His blog encouraged readers to submit poems using a series of numbers known as the Fibonacci sequence.

Readers were intrigued. They passed the idea on to their friends, who wrote and submitted their poems. Greg's blog attracted the attention of Slashdot, a heavily trafficked blog that featured him on April 7 and brought more than 32,000 people to his blog.

Shortly afterward, the New York Times published an article about Greg. That resulted in calls from publishers, including Arthur A. Levine Books at Scholastic.

"Little did I know that a two-book deal would result after only two months," Greg said.

Blogging expert Denise Wakeman says Greg started blogging the smart way: "He knew he needed traffic to his blog to really leverage the power of online marketing, and he set out to recruit readers through use of a viral gimmick."

He'll explain how he did it, and how other bloggers can replicate a viral campaign for their own businesses and blogs, during a telephone seminar tonight called "32,000 Readers and a 2-Book Deal: How to Launch and Profit from a Viral Blogging Campaign."

Denise and her partner, Patsi Krakoff, who are also known as The Blog Squad, will host the telephone call at 8 PM Eastern Time. If you can't make it, that's OK. They'll send you the CD to listen to later.

Read more about what you'll learn and register at http://snipurl.com/ViralBlogging


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3. Sponsor a Contest at YouTube
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If you don't like the job your ad agency is doing, turn to the folks over at YouTube to help. And turn it into a contest.

That's what the nonprofit SmartPower has done. Its national non-profit marketing campaign which promotes the use of clean renewable energy from sources such as wind, solar and water, is sponsoring a contest at YouTube.com for the most creative 30-second public service announcement.

It has contacted film students, environmentalists and others committed to a cleaner future. So far, it has collected 11 videos on its YouTube page at http://tinyurl.com/3ysymy

A panel of judges will review the ads, and the winning entry will receive $10,000 and be included in SmartPower's national TVcampaign.

Deadline is April 22, Earth Day. Learn more about the contest at http://smartpower.org/contest/

If you've found a way to get YouTubers involved in your publicity, advertising or marketing campaign, let the media know. Stories like this are perfect for top-tier media outlets as well as for smaller papers like business journals and daily newspapers and even TV stations, simply because YouTube is so hot.

But that doesn't mean the media will jump on just anything related to YouTube. You must pitch quickly and convincingly. "How to Create the Perfect 30-Second Pitch" shows you how to attract the attention of busy media people, sometimes in as few as 5 or 10 seconds. Raleigh Pinskey, a master at enticing pitches, was my guest during a teleseminar, and we recorded it. 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 what you'll learn at http://tinyurl.com/6xghx


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4. Piggyback onto 'The Secret'
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Thanks to Publicity Hound Jim Labadie, who coaches personal trainers, for passing along this idea on how anybody can piggyback onto all the hype surrounding "The Secret."

The best-selling hardcover book and DVD tells people how to achieve what they want from their relationships, jobs, finances and future through positive thinking, gratitude for what they have, and envisioning what they want.

"The Secret" has been featured on "Oprah," "Larry King Live," "Ellen," the "Today" show, and in top-tier newspapers and magazines like Newsweek.

Jim suggests contacting the media and letting them know how you use "The Secret," or the law of attraction, in your business.

Just yesterday, I saw a story in my local newspaper featuring several business people and educators who commented on whether they're believers (most are) or non-believers. And some of them provided concrete examples of their success.

Things to consider:

--Round up several business people in your industry or town and offer yourselves as sources for your local newspapers. Pitch the story to the news departments at local TV stations on the days when national shows like "Oprah" or "Ellen" are featuring the topic. TV news crews love to offer "the local angle" on hot topics like this one.

--Survey your members, students, parishioners, or group on whether they believe, and let the media know.

--Pitch bloggers, and offer concrete examples of how "The Secret" has helped you in your personal or business life.

The possibilities for publicity are almost endless, including the big morning TV talk shows which love topics like this. "How to Get Booked on the Morning TV Talk Shows" walks you step-by-step through the entire process of how to get in front of--and convince--the powerful people who decide what they will feature on their programs each day. Publicist Lissa Warren has gotten more than 100 of her clients onto these shows, and she says you can get on, too.

Read more about what you'll learn from the CD or electronic transcript at http://tinyurl.com/ab86x


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5. How to Distribute PSAs
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This week, five Publicity Hounds have tips for Carrollyn Cox of Optimist International in Virginia Beach. She wants to know about inexpensive ways to distribute public service announcements througout North America.


From Paul Furiga of WordWrite Communications:

"Carrollyn, the key word here is 'leverage.' You need to find a large, companion nonprofit that might share your mission and which is willing to partner with you in distribution. For example, AARP, the nation’s largest nonprofit membership organization, has perhaps the best nonprofit broadcast center in the world with full studio and satellite capability inWashington, D.C.

"If your PSAs have a 'hook' that ties them with the mission of another nonprofit, whether it would be AARP or a medical mission or whatever, two nonprofits would be better than one."


From Robert Smith, The PR Doctor:

"One of my clients, Drive & Grow Rich, wanted to use PSAs so we thought about driving hazards, i.e., drunk driving, kids and car seats, etc. Well, MADD uses drunk driving PSAs.

"Also, none of these angles helped promote us to business people. So we created a PSA about using your cellphone while driving and we found statistics on the number of accidents.

"And at the end we say this PSA was brought to you by Drive & Grow Rich. Now imagine hearing that 400 times a day across the country. We also targeted the cities with the worst traffic.

"All you need to make this happen is a good PSA and email addresses or fax numbers of program directors. You can go to http://www.congress.org/congressorg/dbq/media/ and send emails to the media at no cost."


From Lennie Rose of Rise Public Relations LLC:

"At Rise, we don’t use a buck-shot approach. We get the names of Community Affairs directors. You can also research who to submit to by going online to TV & radio stations. Your hope is that your cause will be 'adopted' by the media who care about what you care about.

"If this is a nationwide event, I’d stick to the key cities where it can be seen and heard by the most people. Another thing to keep in mind is matching the demographic of the media audience with the cause. If the radio plays rock, it’s more apt to endorse a younger hip cause."


The really smart Publicity Hounds know of the more than two dozen other ways you can get your story onto radio or TV without paying for ads. I share them all in my most popular ebook, "How to be a Kick-butt Publicity Hound." Read more about what it includes at http://tinyurl.com/6uw4n

Read all the responses at http://tinyurl.com/3b744b


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6. Help This Hound
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Joan Schramm of Annapolis, Maryland writes:

"I volunteer with the Mid-Atlantic Great Dane Rescue League and recently took over as the publicity coordinator for Maryland/D.C.

"I'd like some new ideas for getting the word out about our monthly Meet and Greet events where we set up at local pet stores and bring some of our dogs for people to meet and learn about Great Danes, and for our larger events, such as our annual Parade of Paws, Bull Roast, etc.

"I thought about trying to get some local news celebrity to kick it off, or do a live broadcast, or something, and I also thought about trying to get some local corporate sponsors."

"We have about 80 Danes looking for homes, and we're in desperate need of more people to foster Danes while they're looking for their forever home."


The Publicity Hound says: I just love questions about four-legged Hounds. And I know my two-legged Hounds will help. If you have a great idea for Joan, post it to my blog at http://tinyurl.com/2sr9wm


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7. Hound Joke of the Week
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Thanks to Burgundy Olivier, The Spinach Lady, of Rayne, Louisiana for this one:

It's one of "Rules for Dogs and Cats" to be posted on your refrigerator door--at nose height:


Dear Dogs and Cats,

I cannot buy anything bigger than king-size bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort.

Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out, having tongues hanging out the other end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm.

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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L.A. Times to discontinue book review section
http://tinyurl.com/2khghg


Doing TV interviews? Don't overuse the reporter's name
http://tinyurl.com/248z8x


Flower magazine to debut March 15
http://tinyurl.com/2e2868


Wall Street Journal editor explains
how to get into the paper
http://tinyurl.com/yqgs7q


Writer of ghoulish Anna Nicole press release
responds to criticism
http://tinyurl.com/ytjwad

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Where to Meet or Hear The Publicity Hound®

March 8, 2007: PR University's Bulldog Reporter Teleconference

"PR Writing--Top PR Wordsmiths Analyze Proven Press Releases to Reveal Best Practices for Writing Compelling Copy That Reaches Millions," 1 p.m. Eastern. Want to improve your press releases and boost media pick-up fast? I'm part of a panel of wordsmiths that will deconstruct some of the year’s best releases and personally hand you the keys to duplicating their successes. Register at http://tinyurl.com/2cf7aq


March 17, 2007: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

"Savvy Media Relations: How to Get Free Print, Broadcast and Online Publicity." 8 a.m. to noon. Register at http://www.nsapittsburgh.com/


May 12, 2007: Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Florida Speakers Association: "The New Rules of Press Releases: How to Write Them for Consumers, Not Only for Journalists." 9 a.m. to noon. "Sleeping with the Competition: How to Collaborate with Other Speakers to Create Profitable Products and Programs." 2 to 4 p.m. For more information, call 561-630-7766 or visit http://www.florida-speakers.org/


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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