Publicity tips/Look Who's Twittering May 20, 2008

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #399 May 20, 2008
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)
The Publicity Hound®

Circulation: 46,751

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"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"

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Save the Dates:

May 21: Teleseminar

Videographer John Easton explains "9 Clever Ways to Use Video to Become a Publicity Darling in Your Industry or Community." 3-4 p. m. Eastern Time. Register at http://www.publicityhound.com/teleseminar.htm

June 11: Teleseminar

PR whiz Robert Smith explains "How to Earn An Extra $100,000 This Year as a Publicist, Even in a Bad Economy." 3-4 p.m. Eastern Time. See item #3 below. Register at http://www.publicityhound.com/teleseminar.htm

June 18: Teleseminar

Business coach Leili McKinley shows you "How to Outsource Almost Any Part of Your PR Campaign or Your Business." 3-4 p.m. Eastern Time. See next week's newsletter for sign-up details.

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In This Issue
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1. Look Who's Twittering

2. I Hate When This Happens

3. PR People: Thrive in a Bad Economy

4. Share Your Best Tips on How to Save

5. Promoting 'Say Something Nice' Sunday

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Quote of the Week

8. At My Blog...


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1. Look Who's Twittering
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Don't complain that you're too busy to twitter.

Dell, H&R Block, Jet Blue, Comcast, Southwest Airlines and other mega-companies have made time to join the Twittosphere. You should, too.

I've been twittering for several months at http://Twitter.com/PublicityHound and have found it's not only a fabulous publicity tool, it's fun.

The free microblogging service lets you create a page at Twitter.com, and then check in throughout the day and report on what you're doing. Each message, or tweet, is limited to 140 characters.

Twitter started primarily as a social networking service for personal use. Daily, scores of business people are becoming addicted to it. Twitter, it seems, is the new online crack.

Because tweets are so short, twittering takes far less time than what you have to invest in many other social networking tools.

Even better, it can produce incredibly powerful, instant results. Businesses and nonprofits large and small continue experimenting with dozens of ways to use Twitter. Here are just a few of them:

- -As a crisis communications tool. The American Red Cross uses Twitter to announce disaster news. During this year's tornadoes, tweets listed emergency shelters in several states, led followers to Flickr photos that showed tornado damage, and invited tornado survivors to report in as being "safe and well."

- -To announce new products and services.

- -To promote articles and blog posts.

- -To follow journalists who Twitter and learn what they think is important.

- -To respond to media coverage, good or bad.

- -To monitor what others are saying about you and your brand.

- -To share with your followers interesting tips, helpful suggestions, great articles or humorous blog posts.

- -To monitor customer service problems and respond within minutes. If used correctly, Twitter can be more powerful than those annoying and expensive customer service call centers.

So how about shaving just 15 minutes a day off the non- productive, energy-sucking, time-wasting task of reading and responding to your email? Use those 15 minutes, instead, spaced throughout the day, to Twitter.

"Special Report 52: How to Use Twitter for Business to Network, Promote, Sell, Recruit & Profit" includes 10 pages of examples, tips and resources. Learn how to enhance your Twitter experience and make it dovetail with other social networking tools like Facebook.

Start building customers for life by ordering the special report, only $10, at http://publicityhound.com/publicity-products/reports.html

P. S. My special reports are usually only five pages, but we had so much fun with this one, we couldn't stop writing!


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2. I Hate When This Happens
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I'll bet you've done this, too.

You want to see where your website ranks in the search engines, So you type one of your most important keywords into Google and hit "enter," hoping to see your website URL in that lofty position at the top of the organic list on the left side of the screen.

The page no sooner appears and your eyes are darting back and forth, up and down, frantically searching. But the only websites you're seeing are that darn Wikipedia, Amazon.com, and the sites owned by the Bad Guys, a.k.a. your competitors.

Your heart starts pumping faster as you click onto Page 2. When you don't see your website there either, you're left wondering, "What did I do wrong?"

The Internet marketing experts at Stompernet will tell you exactly what you did wrong, right down to the last little detail. They're offering a free competitive analysis report of your own website as well as those owned by the competition.

Until the end of the week, you can order the reports--up to five per day--at http://www.stompernet.net/jvp/aw.aspx?B=44&A=332

You'll even find a video at that site right now that gives you step-by-step instructions on how to go about fixing all the errors that are dragging down your ranking.

While you're there, check the comments from people who have already seen the video and read their own reports.

Then think about what will happen if your competitors check up on you but you fail to check up on them.

Go there now: http://www.stompernet.net/jvp/aw.aspx?B=44&A=332


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3. PR People: Thrive in a Bad Economy
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I first met Robert Smith about 10 years ago when he was working as a frustrated bill collector, looking for a fun hobby to offset his boring day job.

He called and asked my advice about writing press releases.

We've kept in touch on and off since then. When he called again last week, my chin dropped as he explained what he's been up to. The term "fast learner" doesn't even begin to describe what he's accomplished.

Robert manages his own PR agency based in Rockford, Illinois and has a full-time staff of eight and four sub-contractors. In 10 years, he's gone from a net worth of zero to more than $1 million.

Here's how he does it:

- -He pays a paltry $67 a week to have his own half-hour TV show on the leased access channel in Chicago--and rakes in PR clients who see him on the air.

- -He swings deals with guys who drive delivery trucks by persuading them to drop off one of his brochures with each package they deliver to a business customer. In return, the drivers get a commission on any PR clients who call Robert and sign a contract.

- -He buys and sells leads. If a small-business client has only $1,000 to spend on a publicity campaign, far less than the kinds of projects Robert takes on, he sells the lead to a budding PR practitioner who is hungry for the work.

Robert will be my guest during a teleseminar from 3 to 4 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, June 11 on "How to Earn An Extra $100,000 This Year as a Publicist, Even in a Bad Economy."

This teleseminar is perfect for publicists, PR practitioners, wanna-be PR people, and even virtual assistants whose clients are in PR.

Everyone who attends gets a copy of the MP3 recording to listen to afterward. I expect this session to be packed, and seating is limited, so sign up today: http://www.publicityhound.com/teleseminar.htm

By the way, the photo of Robert on the sign-up page was taken for the cover of Dr. Phil's magazine. He'll explain how that happened, too.


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4. Share Your Best Tips on How to Save
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Everywhere I look, experts are offering advice on how to save money while food and gasoline prices go through the roof.

Here are two great tips to help you save at the grocery store:

- -During each trip to the supermarket, the average shopper makes $10 worth of impulse purchases. Solution: Make fewer trips.

- -One of the biggest money-wasters is letting food sit in the refrigerator so long that you can't even tell what it is. Solution: Make better use of leftovers and eat produce quickly.

I also heard three great tips about how to save on gasoline, courtesy of a guy who works for one of the big oil companies.

- -Buy gasoline in the morning, when it's still cold. That's because warm gasoline expands. The pumps are not set for temperature change, so one gallon can actually be less than a gallon.

- -Buy it when your tank is half empty. The more air in your tank, the more gasoline tends to evaporate.

- -Never buy gasoline when you see big tanker trucks at the station or you could end up with gasoline that has dirt and other debris that's been stirred up by the recent delivery.

What are your best tips for your own customers? Pitch them to the local and national media.

And make them do double- and triple-duty by posting them at your blog, at Twitter, in articles you post at article directory sites, and at your own website.

How about offering your tips via briefs, fillers and quizzes? I show you how on the CD or electronic transcript "Briefs, Fillers & Quizzes: How to Create Them and Why Editors LOVE Them."

You can download the transcript as soon as your order is approved. Read more about how to start using briefs as a valuable publicity tool at http://publicityhound.net/briefs


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5. How to Promote 'Say Something Nice' Sunday ============================================

This week, four Publicity Hounds have tips on how Mitch Carnell of Charleston, South Carolina can promote "Say Something Nice Sunday."


From Kim Duke:

"I think this would be a great topic for John Tesh to cover on his international radio show. Throughout his show, he reads quips from magazines, unusual tips and he definitely does spread the word about unusual ideas--and I think 'Say Something Nice Sunday' would fit his mandate. Contact him at http://www.tesh.com"


From Cheryl Pickett:

"How about encouraging churches that have an announcement type sign out front to put the info there? Hopefully, people will end up seeing the message all over town. Don’t forget to contact any radio or TV community calendars as well."


The Publicity Hound says:

Rally churches all over the world as quickly as you can to post this item to their local Craigslist at http://www.Craigslist.org. Don't post it yourself to every list or you'll violate the rules. See "How to Use Craigslist as a Global Publicity Tool" at http://tinyurl.com/geog2


Read all the responses to last week' Help This Hound question at http://publicityhound.net/help-promote-say-something-nice-sunday/

Send your own Help this Hound question to: mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com?subject=HelpThisHound and include your city and state.


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6. Help This Hound
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Mary Ammons of Nashville, Tennessee writes:

"We had a successful launch of a book on physical and financial fitness (authored by celebrity Jack LaLanne and financial advisor Matthew J. Rettick) in New York and have had a great run with television on shows like the Today Show, Fox Business, etc.

"But we're having trouble garnering more exposure for Matt. He’s almost become Jack’s shadow or 'the other author.'

"I'm also having trouble promoting the two topics (finance and health) with the print media. Even journalists understand that you have to have both physical and financial fitness to enjoy a great retirement, which is the full topic. But they don't know where to quite fit it in to their beats, or they've covered it recently.

"I've pushed the fact that this is a unique book because it's basically Planning for Retirement 101. I've also had what feels like a million ideas shot down.

"The book is titled Fiscal Fitness: 8 Steps to Wealth and Health from America’s Leaders of Fitness and Finance. We're on the third printing and need to keep generating press, but, again, I'm having trouble pitching to the print media. Help!"


The Publicity Hound says:

I suspect your topic is too broad. Break it down by pitching story ideas and tips on narrow sub-topics to specific section editors and beat reporters. Also, you'll find some terrific tips on the CD or electronic transcript "How to Revive a Dying Book Marketing Campaign" at http://tinyurl.com/67bhu


Hounds, let's hear your best ideas for Mary. Post them to my blog at http://tinyurl.com/545r96


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7. Hound Joke of the Week
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A tail is a dog's PR department. A smile is yours.


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8. At My Blog...
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Bad landing pages, resource boxes can confuse article readers
http://tinyurl.com/48bhgx


NPR Books Watch Contest goal: Get more authors on NPR
http://tinyurl.com/4sj7bj


Newest occupational hazard: Death by blogging
http://tinyurl.com/5heabv


Blog comments position you as an expert, pull traffic
http://tinyurl.com/5fazfp


Google Friend Connect brings social media to any website
http://tinyurl.com/657co2


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Where to See or Hear The Publicity Hound


May 21: Teleseminar on Video

Learn "9 Clever Ways to use Video to Become a Publicity Darling in Your Industry or Community" with guest expert John Easton, a videographer and media darling in Charlotte, NC. Register at http://www.Publicityhound.com/teleseminar.htm


June 11: Teleseminar for Publicists

PR whiz Robert Smith explains "How to Earn An Extra $100,000 This Year as a Publicist, Even in a Bad Economy." 3-4 p.m. Eastern Time. See item #3 below. Register at http://www.publicityhound.com/teleseminar.htm


June 18: Teleseminar on Outsourcing

Business coach Leili McKinley shows you "How to Outsource Almost Any Part of Your PR Campaign or Your Business." 3-4 p.m. Eastern Time. See next week's newsletter for sign-up details.


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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