Publicity tips/Donate Yourself for a Day July 24, 2007

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #356 July 24, 2007
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.com/
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)
The Publicity Hound®

Circulation: 32,589

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"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity" Receive this ezine direct to your desktop http://www.publicityhound.com/tipsoftheweek/

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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.

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Join Me in Norfolk, Va. August 14:

As some of you may know, I've drastically curtailed my travel schedule to give me more time to devote to my Internet marketing business. But I'll be in Norfolk, Virginia to present two half-day workshops on Tuesday, August 14--one on online and offline publicity and the other on the new rules of press releases. I hope you'll join me.

And, yes, I'm bringing a big Wisconsin Cheesehead Hat to give away as a door prize at the end of the day. Winner need not be a Green Bay Packers fan. Learn more at http://www.PublicityHound.com/norfolk.htm

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In This Issue
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1. Donate Yourself for a Day

2. How Much is That Doggie in the Window?

3. Two Time-sensitive Deadlines

4. Media Leads

5. Promoting a Gift Shop

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. And at My Blog...

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1. Donate Yourself for a Day
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When Mary Jo Rulnick of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania learned that a new tip-oriented TV show for busy women and moms would debut in Pittsburgh on June 3, she knew it was a perfect tie-in to her area of expertise.

"This was the target audience for my new book 'The Frantic Woman's Guide to Feeding Family and Friends.' I wanted to offer something different, catchy, out of the norm."

She emailed Jennifer Antkowiak, host of the new show "Jennifer" on Sunday mornings, and suggested a contest for frantic women. Mary Jo donated the grand prize--her services for one full day.

Jennifer loved it and immediately invited Mary Jo onto the show, which aired a few weeks ago, so viewers could see the grand prize in the flesh.

Almost 200 women entered the contest, including 53 entries from outside Pennsylvania.

The result? Mary Jo's book ranking on Amazon.com jumped from 450,000 to 696, thanks in large part to the TV appearance and other local publicity she received.

She will spend a full day helping the frantic winner get organized sometime in August, and that show will air in October.

"I took her concept and my concept and blended the two and it worked," Mary Jo said.

I can see why:

--The host had an instant idea for not one, but two segments, for her new show.

--The contest could turn into an annual event.

--Jennifer didn't have to hunt for a grand prize.

--Who wouldn't want a full day of lessons on how to get organized? The idea virtually guaranteed a huge response.

What kind of a contest can you pitch to local or national TV shows, newspapers, radio stations or bloggers--with your services as the grand prize?

Contests are one of the many ideas that TV producer Shawne Duperon suggested when she was my guest on a teleseminar called "How to Get Onto the Local TV News tomorrow." 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/4zpuz


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2. How Much is That Doggie in the Window?
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Thanks to Publicity Hound Howard Pierpont of Greeley, Colorado for passing along this item about a creative way to generate publicity when your organization is short on ideas.

Provide a work sheet or checklist for children on a topic that ties into your organization.

For example, the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants recently created "The True Cost of Owning a Pet: A Pet Owner's Worksheet." It helps children calculate how much it will cost to own and care for a pet, taking into consideration everything from veterinary bills to cat litter liners.

You can see it at http://tinyurl.com/2xb8v6

Public Relations Specialist Sarah Seals said the worksheet is part of the accounting profession's nationwide financial literacy effort.

"This worksheet is the Texas component," she said. "CPAS are doing this because the financial world is more complicated. This work sheet is a great way to start teaching kids about money when they're young."

Offering a work sheet or other assignment for children is also a wonderful way to introduce them to your profession, or get them into your circle. If a worksheet isn't a practical idea for you, I can suggest other things.

See "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/3sa3j


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3. Two Time-sensitive Deadlines
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--July 30 is the final deadline for being included in "Expertclick: The Online Yearbook of Experts," which will be published in October. Expertclick will distribute directories at the Society of Professional Journalists Convention & National Journalism Conference Oct. 4-7 in Washington, D.C. It will also be contacting hundreds more journalists to let them know that the database of experts is also available online. If staff writers, broadcasters or freelancers consult the database looking for someone with your level of expertise, will they find your contact information? If not, don't miss the deadline. Publicity Hounds get $100 off the subscription price. Learn more at http://snipurl.com/ExpertClick or call them at 202-333-5000.

--If you want to get onto big national TV shows to promote a book, or other product, service, cause or issue, don't miss a f~ree teleseminar with Steve Harrison, publisher of Radio-TV Interview Report. It's this Thursday, July 26, and you can listen either at 2 PM Eastern (11 Pacific) or 7 PM Eastern (4 Pacific). His guests will include Michelle Anton, a former guest booker for "Oprah." They will teach you what 95% of all publicity-seekers don't know, including how to increase the odds of getting onto big shows like "Oprah," the "Today" show and "Montel." You'll also learn how to understand the marketing mindset of national TV producers, and what prompts them to book you as a guest. To register for this call--which is fr~ee except for your long-distance charges, go to http://tinyurl.com/2qnjrp


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4. Media Leads
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--Author Jordan McAuley is finishing a book tentatively titled "Celebrity Leverage: How to Harness the Power of Celebrities To Make Your Business Famous" and he's looking for people who have successfully used celebrity endorsements to sell a product or service, or simply used celebs in their marketing and publicity campaigns. Submit a short explanation to him at mailto:jordan@contactanycelebrity.com Include your name, email address and phone number so he can let you know if he included your story in the book. If you want to see more testimonials of how businesses and entrepreneurs have used his company, Contact Any Celebrity, to get valuable celebrity endorsements and more, visit http://tinyurl.com/2w7dy3

--WomenEntrepreneur.com, which launched May 1, is looking for content for its website, which discusses all facets of entrepreneurship, work/life balance and success. Read more about what they need and how to pitch in this article from "The Navigator" newsletter: http://tinyurl.com/2nrzaa

--"The Next Food Network Star" will be back for a new season in 2008. Do you have what it takes to be a TV star and host your own food show? The network is looking for people with cooking know-how, either self-taught or professionally trained or somewhere in between, but you should know the basics. Ideal candidates will also have a personality that pops, and teaching skills. Preliminary applications and completed online submissions--or printed submissions with VHS, DVD or DV--must be postmarked by July 30, 2007. Learn more at http://tinyurl.com/3ar4a4


Not yet ready for The Food Network? You can still get fabulous publicity for your food-related product, service, cause or issue. Learn how from the CD or electronic transcript "Publicity Tips for Restaurants, Chefs & Foodies." Each comes with a handout listing all 51 story ideas. You can download it as soon as your order has been approved.

Read more about what you'll learn at http://tinyurl.com/2qyxye


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5. Promoting a Gift Shop
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This week, five Publicity Hounds have tips for Ted Fuller of Lafayette, California. His friend, who owns a gift store in downtown Antioch, California, needs advice on how to draw customer traffic during the evening.


From Michael Carr:

"Create a night life scene that ties into the culture of your community and make your shop the destination to go to with regularly occurring events that draw people in the evening. Bring in some local music or provide a showcase for local artists; tap into California wine country with bottle signings, meet the winemaker or wine tastings. Serve beverages along with light fare and use the products you sell during your party--you'll be able to demonstrate and talk about the things you sell."


From Cheryl Pickett:

"What about partnering with other complementary shops in another area? Could be down the road, could be across the country. If she carries (or could create) a specialty product that could be distributed by a few select partners, maybe it would expand her reach and increase sales."


From Stephanie Chandler:

"What about looking for other ways to capture revenue?...Is your friend selling items online? If it were my store, I would use those evening hours to focus on building online sales. There are many opportunities for selling gift items online, and over time, this could result in generating a tremendous percentage of her company revenue!"


The Publicity Hound says:

Internet marketing is a fabulous idea. I'm betting the online gift business is a multi-million-dollar industry, and there's no reason why Ted's friend can't claim a slice of the pie. She should read the ebook "Click: The Ultimate Guide to Electronic Marketing," my bible when it comes to selling online. Learn more about it at http://tinyurl.com/s57vc

Read all the responses to this Help This Hound question at http://tinyurl.com/38z6f8


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6. Help This Hound
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Emily Bowles of New York, New York writes:

"I work for a small New York City-based nonprofit that provides f~ree website resources to performing artists (musicians, dancers, choreographers, producers/directors, actors, etc.)seeking rehearsal and performance spaces in NYC.

"Our websites--http://www.nycMusicSpaces.org/, http://www.nycdancespaces.org/ and http://www.nyctheatrespaces.org/ enable performing artists to search for spaces that match their space and budgetary needs.

"We provide detailed rental information about more than 1,300 rentable spaces in all five NYC boroughs, at no cost to users. No membership or registration is required.

"Our resources have not been an easy sell to the media. We may be heroes to those who have used our websites to find spaces that enabled them to perfect their art and present it to an audience (we have lots of testimonials), but we are "unsung"and not widely known. Space is highly coveted in NYC and the need is great, but our product isn't compelling enough.

"Our nonprofit organization, NYC Performing Arts Spaces, at http://www.nycpaspaces.org/ is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, and we are on the verge of consolidating our online resources, so that all three websites may be searched simultaneously. Any suggestions for how to create significant 'buzz' within the music, theatre and dance communities for little or no money, and reach an even wider audience (which we hope will include potential funders)?"


The Publicity Hound says:

Emily, your question is a perfect example of why I preach to Publicity Hounds about pitching bloggers. I have several suggestions, which I'll post in a few days, but I first want to see what tips my Hounds offer. If you have a great idea for Emily, post it to my blog at http://tinyurl.com/2fcfth


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7. Hound Joke of the Week
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Thanks to Lois Carter Fay of MarketingIdeaShop.com for this one:

Four workers were discussing how smart their dogs were. The first was an engineer who said his dog could do math calculations. His dog was named "T-Square," and he told him to get some paper and draw a square, a circle and a triangle, which the dog did with no sweat.

The accountant said he thought his dog was better. His dog was named "Slide Rule." He told him to fetch a dozen cookies, bring them back, and divide them into piles of three, which he did with no problem.

The chemist said that was good, but he felt his dog was better. His dog "Measure" was told to get a quart of milk and pour 7 ounces into a 10-ounce glass. The dog did this with no problem.

All three men agreed this was very good and that their dogs were equally smart. They all turned to the union member and said, "What can your dog do?" The Teamster called his dog named "Coffee Break" and said, "Show the fellows what you can do."

Coffee Break went over and ate the cookies, drank the milk, went to the bathroom on the paper, claimed he injured his back while eating, filed a grievance for unsafe working conditions, applied for Worker's Compensation and left for home on sick leave.


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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Pitching top-tier editors? Let them critique your pitch
http://tinyurl.com/yv3xrs

Denver Business Journal: Who's oblivious?
http://tinyurl.com/2axunp

Thank-you notes make a lasting impression
http://tinyurl.com/ypmwph

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Where to Meet or Hear The Publicity Hound®


August 14: Norfolk, Virginia

9 to noon: "Savvy Media Relations: How to Get Free Print, Broadcast & Online Publicity." $97. 1:30-4: "The New Rules of Press Releases: How to Write Them for Consumers, Not Only for Journalists." Each session is $97. Or attend the entire day for $147, and save $47. Register at http://www.PublicityHound.com/norfolk.htm


August 15: Virginia Beach, Virginia

I'll be spending the day with Internet marketing expert Tom Antion, my mentor, in his office, learning the latest strategies for Internet marketers. It's the annual daylong training session for members who join the Internet Association of Information Marketers at the highest level. If you earn most of your revenue through Internet marketing, you can join at the Outer Circle level, then meet us at Tom's place for this day of training. This one day alone is worth 50 times more than the price of membership. Learn more about the association at http://tinyurl.com/54dp6


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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