Publicity tips/Facebook's Twilight Zone July 29, 2008

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #409 July 29, 2008
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)
The Publicity Hound®

Circulation: 49,355

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"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"

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Facebook Training: You Asked for It, You Got It

Many of the more than 155 people who signed up for the teleseminar on "How to Use LinkedIn to Promote" or bought the products have asked for a similar teleseminar series on how to use Facebook.

I've lined up a fabulous guest expert, so mark your calendars for Aug. 13 & 14. See Item #1 below.

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In This Issue
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1. Facebook's Twilight Zone

2. When Doctors Shill for Pharmas

3. Why is Oprah Obsessed with This Topic?

4. Start Pitching Gift Guides

5. Promoting Natural Hair Care Products

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. And at My Blog...


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1. Facebook's Twilight Zone
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When you use Facebook, do you ever feel like you've entered the Twilight Zone, or some strange planet from which there's no escape?

Ever feel like you're suffocating from information overload? I sure do.

But I don't get nearly as upset as Stacie Krajchir does. Facebook leaves her feeling so overwhelmed that she wrote "5 Reasons Why I want to Kick Facebook's A--" recently at the Huffington Post blog at http://tinyurl.com/6k4ofd. (An amusing column.)

Stacie can probably just abandon Facebook and it's no big deal.

But what about the rest of us who need to incorporate social networking sites like this one into our publicity campaigns, or publicity for our PR clients? After all, many of the friends we've accumulated on Facebook actually look forward to our messages. They love it when we write on their walls. They wait to see who has poked them, or who has sent them a virtual drink.

Help is on the way, Hounds.

Many of you have asked for a training session on Facebook, similar to the series I did last month with Scott Allen. I asked Scott if he could recommend a guest expert who can help us learn about Facebook.

Scott, it turns out, served as editor for the book "I'm on Facebook -- Now What??" Written two years ago by Jason Alba and Jesse Stay. Scott recommended Jason, and Jason agreed.

A lot has changed on Facebook since he wrote the book. Millions more people now have profiles--more than 60 million total, in fact--and techies have created hundreds of applications to use at the site.

Join me for a 70-minute teleseminar on Wednesday, Aug. 13, and Thursday, Aug. 14, on "How to Use Facebook to Promote Your Business or Nonprofit."

The first day, we'll present an overview of he site and the most important things you need to know. The second day will be devoted to actually promoting. If you don't have a profile yet at Facebook, we suggest you visit the site at http://www.Facebook.com, create one, take a look around and try to become familiar with the site. You'll be in a better position to ask questions during the teleseminars.

We could devote an entire week to Facebook. Because many of you are at various levels with Facebook--from not having a profile to feeling very comfortable on the site and using it to promote-- I've structured these sessions so we cover some of the basics for beginners, and lots of advanced content for more seasoned Hounds.

This is not a webinar. All you need is a telephone. But it would be very helpful if you can be in front of your computer and logged into the site during the calls so you can actually see what we're discussing.

Register for the teleseminars, which includes a copy of the MP3 audios and the edited electronic transcripts, at http://www.publicityhound.com/teleseminar/facebook.htm

The LinkedIn teleseminars sold out, and I expect these to sell out, too. Even if you can't attend, you can sign up any and listen to the recordings or read the transcripts when it's most convenient.


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2. When Doctors Shill for Pharmas
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Leigh Ann Hubbard, managing editor of MyFamilyDoctorMag.com, writes:

"Periodically, in response to a request, I'll get a quote from a doctor (via a publicist) that mentions a specific product. Inevitably, I Google the doctor and he or she has been or is on the payroll for the folks who make the product.

"There's no mention of conflict of interest in these emails, so it makes me mad, and I assume the publicists are trying to pull the wool over my eyes.

"Recently, that happened again. In email correspondence about it, in which I expressed my anger, the publicist actually defended the practice:

'Dr. [____] consults from time to time with the company as do many medical professionals for the pharma and OTC markets... As you know, Leigh Ann, many reputable practicing physicians consult with manufacturers from time to time to help them develop better products so people can be well.'

"I responded, 'Yes, I know that. And as you may know, it is then inappropriate for them to promote the companies they 'consult.'"

"Much to my amazement, she responded, 'I was not aware of that, to be honest with you, and not sure whose policy you are referring to--or perhaps some code of ethics I am not aware of. However, you see it all the time in the medical journals where researchers are in the pockets of pharmaceutical companies (disclosed of course) and surprise! The research makes the pharma drugs look good.'

"Have I really been getting these conflict-of-interest pitches simply because publicists don't know any better?

"Anyway, whatever the reason, this practice makes me never want to use the publicist--or any of his or her clients--again because I can't trust the person.

"It would be wonderful if you could address this. I know you have a large audience, and maybe there are publicists who truly don't know that this is absolutely unacceptable and insulting."

What do you say, publicists? Do these doctors need to hire new PR people? Or is what Leigh Ann experienced common PR practice within the medical community? If so, does it work? You can weigh in at my blog at http://tinyurl.com/5ofxom

Learn how to be the type of source journalists not only trust-- but treasure. "Special Report #49: 17 Ways to Build Valuable Relationships with Media People" tells you what to do and say if you want to stand heads above all the other PR people and self- promoters. The 17 things I teach you in this report are the same 17 things I valued in sources when I worked as a newspaper editor and reporter. Only $10. Order at http://tinyurl.com/6uz9g


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3. Why is Oprah Obsessed with This Topic? =======================================

"Does my butt look big in these jeans?"

Maybe the reason Oprah loves that topic is because women love it.

Think I'm kidding? Go to the Oprah website at http://www.Oprah.com and type the word "jeans" into the search box and see how many show segments fall into the butt-in-jeans category.

So, what if you want to get onto Oprah but your story pitch doesn't have anything to do with butts or jeans? How can you hope to compete with all the other wanna-be guests who are pitching stories in the beauty/makeover category?

Michelle Anton knows. She worked as a guest booker on Oprah and accepted and rejected hundreds of pitches from publicists and self-promoters. She'll be a guest on Steve Harrison's free 90- minute teleseminar on Thursday, July 31, at your choice of two times.

"The Three Big Secrets for Getting Booked as a Guest on Top National TV Shows" will feature Steve interviewing Michelle and other surprise guests who will teach you things unknown to 95 percent of all publicity-seekers.

On the call, you'll learn things like:

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

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

- -What you should send TV producers (and what you shouldn't).

- -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 back within five minutes.

Note: Steve usually doesn't offer replays of these calls. But sign up anyway just in case he changes his mind. If he does, he'll send you the link.

You can register for the call, which is free except for your normal long distance charges, at http://www.TVPublicityTeleseminar.com/?10011


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4. Start Pitching Holiday Gift Guides
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If you subscribe to leads services like ProfNet, PR Leads, or Help a Reporter Out, keep your eyes open for the many opportunities to get news about your consumer products into holiday gift guides.

Getting into these special sections is often a lot easier than getting into the regular news and feature sections of newspapers because gift guide editors are specifically looking for press releases and photos of products that make great gifts. In most cases, you don't need a clever hook or angle.

Just submit the information and--voila!--it ends up in a gift section that millions of newspaper or magazine readers might see.

The tough part is knowing exactly which publications are planning special gift sections. That's why I recommend the Gift List, a subscription service that provides contact information, story themes, product features, deadlines, submission preferences, photography requirements, cross-references and more for more than 250 top newspapers, all the major wire services, and television shows like Filter, The Look for Less, and, of course, MTV, "Ellen," "The View" and hundreds more.

You can even take a test drive to see how this service works: http://tinyurl.com/9es8y


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5. Promoting a Design/Build Firm
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This week, seven Publicity Hound have tips on how Teresa Berger of North Wales, Pennsylvania, the marketing director of Creative Contracting, Inc., can get more exposure in the community as a "premier design/build" firm in the Philadelphia area.


From Tanya Epstein:

"As marketing director for one of L.A.'s top architecture firms, I feel your pain, Teresa! I would lead with one of Joan's famous lists of ten: "Ten Ways Design-Build Can Save Construction Costs" using your boss' byline and contact info. Local trade and business journals can use those for sidebars in recession- conscious times, and they confer instant 'expert' status. Then develop a standard presentation and offer your (or his!) Services as a speaker to local organizations like Rotary Club, business breakfast clubs, and developer and real estate professional organizations."


From Harry Menta:

"Some of the easiest places to get an audience are at local chambers of commerce, trade associations and Rotary Clubs. It costs next to nothing to develop a nice 10- to 15-minute Power Point Presentation...If your company has an expertise like using green products or in design or doing restoration work on historical buildings, these are ways that you could get your boss some publicity."


From Jonathan Bernstein:

"You might want to consider investing in search engine optimization (SEO) work that would get you on the first page of a search for 'design firms Philadelphia.' Right now, even your home page's keywords are not geographically specific, hence they compete against every design firm in the country."


The Publicity Hound says:

How about suggesting that the boss create his own TV show or a series of shows to air only in the Philadelphia market? Robert Smith explains how he does it during the interview I conducted with him called "How to Get Your Own National TV Show for Less Than $400 a Month." (Your boss's show would cost far less than that.)

The interview is available as a CD or an electronic transcript that you can download and be reading as soon as your order has been approved. Read more about how to create your own TV show at http://tinyurl.com/y4by43


Read all the comments for last week's Help this Hound question at http://tinyurl.com/6brzyb


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6. Help This Hound
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Dalia Wallach of New York, New York writes:

"My company has a line of specialty hair care products. Our Get Glow products nourish your hair with formulas that include vitamins, minerals and plant extracts.

"As your hair gets healthier, it starts to look better and you don't have to wash it as often which is better for your hair's health. Our products have wonderful scents and really make caring for your hair a more pleasurable experience.

"All we need is for more people to find out about us and experiment with our products. Our website is at http://www.GetGlow.com and we've gotten quite a bit of publicity in national magazines and the trades. What ideas do your Hounds have for spreading the word?"

The Publicity Hound says: How about it Hounds? What can Dalia do at the social networking sites? And what other online and offline publicity ideas can you suggest? Post them to my blog at http://tinyurl.com/6obj9l


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7. Hound Joke of the Week
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Thanks to Deb Schmidt of Milwaukee, Wisconsin for this recycled oldie but goodie from one of the old Hollywood Squares shows:

Peter Marshall: "When you pat a dog on the head he usually wags his tail. What will a goose do?"

Paul Lynde: "Make him bark."

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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8 interview mistakes you don't want to make
http://tinyurl.com/6k5y8z


Hungry reporter gets a gourmet burger thanks to Twitter
http://tinyurl.com/6cuaam


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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."

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Joan Stewart
a. k.a. The Publicity Hound®
3434 County KK
Port Washington, WI 53074
USA
Phone: 262-284-7451 (Central) Fax: 262-284-1737