Publicity tips/Don't ask the wrong Question April 24, 2007

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #343 - April 24, 2007
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)
The Publicity Hound®

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"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"

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Update on The Publicity Hound Resources List:

Twenty vendors have already claimed a spot on The Publicity Hound's Resources List at http://www.PublicityHound.com/resources.htm

This week, to promote the list, we're making stickers with the URL of the resource list, and we'll be inserting them into every product package that leaves my office. I've also inserted the URL into every "thank you" email message that we send to anyone who buys a product or service from me.

If you sell a product or service to people or companies that self-promote, read how you can be part of the list at http://www.PublicityHound.com/PublicityResources.htm

If you tell me you want to be on the list now, and pay for your spot, I'll start promoting you now. But the clock won't start ticking on your listing until May 1. That means you get free exposure until then.

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In This Issue
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1. Don't Ask the Wrong Question

2. Let Assistants Help with Publicity

3. Authors, Can You Guess the 7 Secrets?

4. Media Leads

5. Promoting a Driving School

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. And at My Blog...


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1. Don't Ask the Wrong Question
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Here’s what usually happens when somebody scores a big publicity hit, either in their local newspaper, or on a major TV show.

They see a big spike in traffic to their website. Then within a week or two, the traffic slows to a crawl.

That’s when they email me and ask, "How can we keep the buzz going? How can we turn this publicity into even more publicity?"

Before answering, I visit their website. Then I usually conclude, rather quickly, that they’re asking the wrong question. Instead of worrying about how to turn one publicity hit into multiple hits, they should be more concerned about what to do with all that traffic that’s visiting their website. Right now.

The answer? Start capturing people’s email addresses once they land on the website.

Offer them something for free: a report, an ebook, a White Paper, or a list of tips on how to solve the Number One problem your customers or clients face. When people visit my website, I ask for their email address in exchange for a helpful cheat sheet called "89 reasons to send a press release." I also tell them I’ll send them this ezine every week.

That intrusive box that bounces down from the top of the screen at http://www.publicityhound.com/ is largely responsible for my email database that now has more than 30,000 names. It gives me the power, without spamming, of emailing to a targeted list of people week after week after week, and marketing to them--and often selling to them--until they tell me to stop.

If you’re planning a publicity campaign for yourself or your PR client, don’t start pitching the media until you’ve figured out how to benefit from all that publicity.

I don’t care whether you’re a Fortune 100 company or a stay-at-home mom who sells Tupperware from a one-page website. Traffic at your website is worthless if you can't hang onto most of it, then dazzle those visitors with your knowledge and expertise so they eventually become customers.

Can't think of anything to give away in exchange for an email address? I have 55 ideas, and I included them all in "Special Report #51: 55 Free Things You Can Offer to Generate Publicity or Capture People's Email Addresses." Only $10.

Read more about what you'll learn at http://tinyurl.com/6uz9g


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2. Let Assistants Help with Publicity
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One of the smartest moves I ever made was hiring a virtual assistant.

She frees me from time-consuming, energy-sucking grunt work so I can concentrate on the creative, fun and profitable projects I love.

That got me thinking. What could you Publicity Hounds accomplish if you had an assistant to help you?

What about those of you who already have assistants? If your assistant was trained on how to help with many aspects of your publicity campaign, just think about those important projects you could concentrate on!

If you don't yet have an assistant, did you know you can hire a virtual assistant for as little as $30 an hour? Your VA doesn't have to live near you. VAs, who are independent contractors, can live thousands of miles away from their clients, and still do a fabulous job.

Right now, I’m planning the content for a series of teleseminars that I'll host during the next several weeks to train assistants, virtual assistants, executive assistants and summer interns on how to help their bosses manage a publicity campaign.

For example, they'll learn how to do the all-important research that’s necessary before the boss starts pitching specific reporters and bloggers. I’ll teach them how to write routine press releases and what to do after they’ve written them.

I'll even do a training session on user-generated video that explains how they can shoot their own video of special events, commentary, news stories or feature stories for use on your local evening news, or on national news channels like CNN.

They’ll learn about photos and graphics, and other topics such as how to get the boss in front of the best bloggers. But before I get too deep into the content, I want to know what you think I should be teaching them.

If you have an assistant or an intern, or you plan to hire one, I hope you’ll answer 5 questions that will help me plan this course around your needs. If you complete the survey, let me know which of my two special reports you'd like me to email to you--my way of saying thank-you.
This survey is only for Publicity Hounds who already have assistants or interns, or who will be hiring them within the next month or two.

Take the survey at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=943413741903

If you want to get a jump on training your assistant, you can start right now. One of the first things your assistant should be doing is submitting your articles to online article directories.

Sharron Senter explains how on "How to Submit Online Articles That Pull Traffic to Your Website." It's a recording of a teleseminr we conducted, in which she explains how she gets from 30 to 100 sales leads a month from this simple strategy. It's available as a CD or an electronic transcript that you can be reading as soon as your order is approved.

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


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3. Authors, Can You Guess the 7 Secrets?
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I was on the teleseminar call last week when Steve Harrison explained the seven things that the top 3 percent of authors---the most successful---do.

I'm betting that most of you who already have written books, or are thinking of writing them, wouldn't be able to take an educated guess and nail four of the seven.

If you don't know what the seven secrets are, you'll end up wasting hours of time and thousands of dollars trying to make a living selling books. (Hint: That ties into one of the seven things Steve discussed on last week's call.)

He's letting Publicity Hounds listen to a rebroadcast of the 81-minute call until May 8. Then he's removing it. Listen to it at http://snipurl.com/AuthorSecrets

His next teleseminar, this Thursday, is for authors and anyone else who has a product or service to sell and wants to build a publicity machine that runs round-the-clock.

He'll explain why conventional press releases are usually not the best way to contact journalists (I agree) and what to send instead.

He'll tell you what a "Good Morning America" producer says is the absolute best way to pitch the show--something very few publicity-seekers do. But it dramatically increases your chances of getting booked.

And Steve will tell you about the surprisingly simple strategy a former "Oprah" guest booker says everyone should use when pitching the show.

This free call will run approximately 75 minutes. You can listen to it at 2 PM Eastern (11 AM Pacific) or at 7 PM Eastern (4 PM Pacific). It's the third preview call for his upcoming year-long Quantum Leap Marketing Coaching Program. Learn more about Thursday's call and register at http://snipurl.com/QuantumLeapCall2


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4. Media Leads
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--The Frommers travel website at http://www.frommers.com/ has an average of 1 million visitors a month who view some 18 million pages. About 250,000 subscribers receive a related newsletter three times a week. Here's one way to get into Frommers. Robert Fisher contributes two articles a month after making worldwide trips. He welcomes individual or group invitations to regions, cities and other destinations, as well as resorts, hotels, cruises, tours, guest ranches and attractions. His articles appear about one to three months after his travel. Contact him during March, June, September and December. Write to him at 315 West 55th Street (5A), New York, NY 10019. Call 212-246-3527. Or mailto:bobharu@aol.com. This lead is courtesy of Travel Publicity Leads, a newsletter that provides contact information for reporters, editors, freelancers and other media outlets that want your travel-related news. Get 10 free issues at http://snipurl.com/19bcz


--Author Gary W. Toyn is looking for stories about unsung or little-known American heroes for his book "Quiet Heroes: America's Greatest Stories of Heroism You've NEVER Heard." He is looking for heroes who, in a singular act, ignored their own safety to protect or save the life of another and, since that event, have lived a life of honor and integrity. If you'd like to nominate a hero, complete the form at http://americanlegacymedia.com/unsungheroes.htm


--"That Marketing Show," an Internet radio show with host Rodger Roeser, needs 30-second and 60-second audio public service announcements to air during the show. This is a chance for nonprofits to get exposure in front of thousands of marketing industry executives who decide which organizations their companies and clients should align with. If you don't have a PSA, the producers can professionally record one for you for a small fee. Learn more at http://www.thatmarketingshow.com/main/index.php


PSAs are only one of dozens of ways for nonprofits and charities to generate publicity. Learn all the others--all can be done on a shoestring budget--from Paul Hartunian. We recorded a CD called "Failproof Publicity Tips for Your Nonprofit." It's also available as an electronic transcript that you can download a few minutes after your order is approved.

Read more about what you'll learn at http://tinyurl.com/29dba


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5. Promoting a Driving School
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This week, 10 Publicity Hounds have tips for Roger Pozeznik of Kalamazoo, Michigan. He wants to know how to promote his driving school, which competes with two other driving schools nearby.


From Lisa Montagna:

"Joan is always giving us tips on how to piggyback off of news events or holidays. Since driving schools are typically targeting teenagers, why not reach out to media in your area during prom season? You can offer '5 Driving Tips to Keep Your Teen Safe This Prom Season.' It might also be useful at graduation time: 'BuyingYour Teen a Car for Graduation? Here are 5 Tips to Keep Him Safe Behind the Wheel.'


From T. Jackson:

"You might consider a 'bring a friend' program. If two teens signup at the same time, they get a discount. Also, consider other markets. Not all adults know how to drive (my mom, who is from London and never needed to drive, didn’t learn until she was 55). What about immigrants or non-English speakers?


From Ayana Glaze:

"Think of issues that affect driving and write and submit articles about that. Go against the norm. Instead of driving while talking on cell phones, discuss issues on driving when angry. Offer reasons for calming down before getting behind the wheel. Speak at area high schools and colleges on safe driving. Partner with local MADD offices. Hold a teen driving mixer."


The Publicity Hound says: Don't forget good old Craigslist, which has a list for Ann Arbor. But before you start posting, learn the best strategies for using this giant community bulletin board. Nancy Mills, a Craigslist expert, explains how on "How to Use Cragislist as a Global Publicity Tool." It's one of my most popular CDs and electronic transcripts.

Read more about what you'll learn at http://tinyurl.com/geog2


Read all the responses at http://tinyurl.com/2sg7ad


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6. Help This Hound
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Kare Anderson of Sausalito, California writes:

"I am a friend of Jenna Raby, co-founder of the company LaborFair at http://laborfair.com/ It's an online referral communityof reliable, quality workers for all on-demand household labor. Consumers get fre*e, real-time access to hundreds of local worker profiles, pictures, and professional references, and consumers connect directly with already available, qualified but underemployed workers.

"For the first time, time-pressed consumers have a fast way to find reputable household help online (cleaning, repair, gardening, childcare, etc.) through LaborFair. It just launched in 15 San Francisco Bay Area cities, from San Jose to Sausalito.

"By paying LaborFair just $15 a month for a listing, workers can bypass costly (for them) and time-consuming neighborhood flyer distribution or agency representation that cuts deeply into their take-home pay. Better than Craigslist for this service, think of LaborFair as an Ebay for household services, with fair trade built into the business.

"Can your Hounds think of ideas for promoting this service throughout California?"


The Publicity Hound says:

I know my Hounds will be willing to do a lot of the heavy lifting for your friend. Hounds with great promotion ideas for Kare can post them to my blog at http://tinyurl.com/235dwl

I also suggest you check out "The Fastest, Cheapest, Easiest Waysto Publicize Your Small Business." It was a teleseminar I conducted with Jeff Zbar, the U.S. Small Business Administrations's 2001 Journalist of the Year. Jeff offers dozens of suggestions on how to publicize small businesses just like this one, and the driving school in the previous item. It's available as a CD or an electronic transcript that you can be reading as soon as your is approved.

Read more about what you'll learn at http://tinyurl.com/3tbbp


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7. Hound Joke of the Week
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Thanks to Elizabeth Guy of St. Louis, Missouri for this one, her favorite dog joke from the great comedian George Carlin:

"What does a dog do on his day off? He can't lie around--that's his job."


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8. And at My Blog...
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Why you should read reporters' blogs
http://tinyurl.com/2m6j2p

Amazon best-seller campaigns not worth it
http://tinyurl.com/2t5bp4


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Where to Meet or Hear The Publicity Hound®


April 27, 2007: Webinar

Women Business Owners Virtual Growth Summit Webinar. I'm presenting a session at 1 PM Eastern Time on how to become an expert in your topic, then generate online and offline publicity. Register at http://www.businesswomensgrowthsummit.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." 9a.m. to noon. "Sleeping with the Competition: How to Collaborate with Other Speakers to Create Profitable Products." 2 to 4 p.m. For more information, call 561-630-7766 or visit http://www.florida-speakers.org


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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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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