Publicity tips/TV Talk Show Stunts Feb 26, 2008

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #387 Feb. 26, 2008
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.com/
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)
The Publicity Hound®

Circulation: 42,789

=====================================
"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"

Receive this ezine direct to your desktop
http://www.publicityhound.com/tipsoftheweek/

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You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The Publicity Hound® website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you told me that you want to subscribe. If you didn't subscribe, you can unsubscribe by clicking the link at the bottom of the newsletter.

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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Last Call for National Publicity Summit:

Steve Harrison's National Publicity Summit still has a few openings for Publicity Hounds who want to pitch top-tier journalists face-to-face. It's March 26-29 in New York City.

You'll meet with journalists and producers from top national TV shows like ABC's The View, CBS' 48 Hours, MSNBC, CNN, Fox News Channel, Montel, Fox & Friends and Live with Regis & Kelly.

You'll also personally meet writers who do stories for big-time print media like People magazine, Woman's Day, Alternative Medicine, Good Housekeeping, New York Times, Parents, Family Circle, INC., Time magazine and many other top publications.

In this newsletter, I've written many success stories about Publicity Hounds who have attended the summit, gotten huge media hits, sold tons of books as a result, and have raved about the event. If you're on the fence, at least read about what you'll learn at http://www.nationalpublicitysummit.com/?10011

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In This Issue
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1. TV Talk Show Stunts

2. The Mayo Clinic & Facebook

3. Create a Hall of Fame

4. Google Will Reward You for Video

5. How to Promote a College 'Care Package'

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. At My Blog...

9. At My Squidoo Lens...


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1. TV Talk Show Stunts
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In the old days, if you wanted to get onto one of the morning TV talk shows, you had to pitch a compelling idea that had the three magic elements that TV loves: people, color and motion.

These days, however, your chances improve drastically if your pitch includes a publicity stunt. Don't worry. You don't have to round up a stunt man. Instead, suggest the stunt be performed by one of the talk show hosts, anchors or reporters.

Like "Today" show news anchor Ann Curry bungee-jumping off a bridge in England.

Or her cohort, Meredith Vieira, jumping into frigid Lake Champlain in Vermont in February to promote the annual Penguin Plunge to benefit the Special Olympics.

Or Chris Cuomo, ABC's "Good Morning America" newsman, sky-diving off the roof of the Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City last week.

Why the stunts?

Simple. It helps the audience to connect to the personalities they see every day, said Jim Murphy, "Good Morning America" executive producer who was quoted in an Associated Press story.

Cancer patient Robin Roberts, co-host of "Good Morning America," even doffed her wig in public. Viewers flooded her and other personalities with email, saying they loved the stunts.

The next time you're looking for TV coverage, think of ways TV personalities can become directly involved in your story. See "Special Report #42: Tips for Letting Reporters Experience Your Story, Not Just Write About It" at http://www.publicityhound.com/publicity-products/reports.html

Can't think of a stunt? That's OK. There are many more ways to get onto the "Today" show, "Good Morning America" and "Fox & Friends." Lissa Warren explains them all on "How to Get Booked on the Morning TV Talk Shows." It's 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 what you'll learn at http://publicityhound.net/cdmorningtvtalkshows


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2. The Mayo Clinic & Facebook
=====================================

Thanks to Publicity Hound Tom Ribar of Grafton, Wisconsin for alerting us to this article that explains why even the world- renowned Mayo Clinic has its own Facebook page: http://www.1to1media.com/Xfactor.aspx?DocID=30670&m=n

The clinic uses Facebook to post information about itself and link to its three websites for patients, consumers, and research and education. It also displays "wall post" messages and photos, offers video and audio podcasts, provides updates on news and events, and connects with its Facebook friends.

The clinic encourages patients to tell their own stories and describe what their experience was like at the clinic.

Tom Ribar and I are learning more about Facebook because we're among the hundreds of students in the SMARTS social media coaching program. If you missed signing up for the program, you can still get a taste of what we're learning by watching the 50- minute video and downloading the special report. Dozens of Publicity Hounds have thanked me for alerting them to these content-rich resources.

Watch the video and sign up for the free report at http://www.stompernet.net/jvp/aw.aspx?B=25&A=332

Then create your own Facebook page and ask me to be your friend. But please let me know that you subscribe to this newsletter. You can find my page at http://www.PublicityHound.net/facebookprofile

Facebook is one of seven sites where social media expert Don Crowther, our SMARTS coach, says you must have a presence. He explained more about Facebook and the other six sites during a one-hour teleseminar earlier this year as part of my training series "How to Create a Media Plan."

If you need help building a 12-month plan that will really reach your target audience, pull traffic to your website, and have journalists calling for interviews, take a look at what you'll learn: http://www.PublicityHound.com/mediaplan.htm

The training program includes a list of more than 200 story ideas, several for every month of the year. You can incorporate them into your own plan.


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3. Create a Hall of Fame
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When Publicity Hound Karla Kinstler of the Houston Nature Center in Houston, Minnesota read one of my tips about creating a Hall of Fame, she knew the idea was a perfect fit with the annual "Festival of Owls."

"We now recognize one owl and one human each year who have done extraordinary things to make the world a better place for owls," says Karla, who submitted a Help This Hound question several months ago.

The first year, the Oregon Associated Press picked up the story when Fat Broad, an owl in Oregon, was inducted into the hall of fame.

Last year, the nature center widened its search and made it the "World Owl Hall of Fame."

"Coverage of our hall of fame wound up in the Canberra Times in Australia, and was linked to from the New Zealand Journal of Birds website," she adds.

This year, the nature center has nominations from seven countries on four continents. It has added a "Special Achievement" award category since there were so many nominations.

"Now we call our festival the International Festival of Owls and have folks attending from the U.S., Canada, Jamaica and The Netherlands this year. I just wanted to let you know that starting a Hall of Fame is, in itself, an award-winning idea."

You can read more about the contest at http://www.festivalofowls.com/World%20Owl%20Hall%20of%20Fame.htm

The next step, Karla says, is to grow the Houston Nature Center into a North American Owl Center with its own room for the World Owl Hall of Fame.

Why not follow Karla's lead and create your own hall of fame that ties into your own product, service, cause or issue? Promote it by writing and posting online press releases, pitching bloggers who write about your topic, pitching journalists on your media hit list, using social media sites, and creating videos about inductees.

See "The New Rules of Press Releases" at http://publicityhound.net/cdnewrules


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4. Google Will Reward You for Video
======================================

Are you tired of lousy Google rankings for your website or blog?

Are you wasting hundreds of dollars on Google pay-per-click advertising that isn't making anybody except the Google advertising people happy?

I hear from dozens of Publicity Hounds each week who are doing just that. That's why I tell them to start cranking out short videos as fast as they can. Google and the other search engines place a high premium on video, even low-cost videos made by amateurs.

Why? Because web surfers love watching video. Take a look at the statistics:

- -More than 141 million Americans viewed online video in December of last year alone.

- -YouTube is almost double the size of Google, the granddaddy of search engines, in the number of page views.

- -More than half of all videos online are being watched on other websites, not just on YouTube. That means that if you upload your video to YouTube, bloggers, website owners and anyone else can embed your video link at their blog or website, thus giving your video even more exposure and your website more traffic. And you don't pay them a cent for doing it.

- -Video can reward you with more traffic, a higher conversion rate on your sales pages and maybe even a call from a journalist who watches one of your videos and wants to interview you.

On Thursday night, I'll be on the phone taking notes furiously on Tom Antion's teleseminar on "How to Get Instant High Rankings on Google Using Short Videos." Then I'll be converting some of the videos I use in my live workshops for the web.

Don't miss this call, and his special bonus to the first 200 people who sign up. Read more about what you'll learn at http://www.PublicityHound.net/antionvideo


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5. How to Promote a College 'Care Package'
=========================================

This week, 13 Publicity Hounds have tips for Patricia Hudak of Jersey City, New Jersey. She's creating an informational care package for college seniors and is looking for corporate sponsors who want to reach this niche audience.


From Paulette Ensign:

"Look at who else is already marketing to that population, such as big financial planning companies, gasoline companies, recruiting firms, and cruise lines. Contact their marketing departments with your proposal. Be prepared to modify your package if they are interested in parts of it. In fact, it may serve the sponsors better to pull apart your package and provide pieces of it spread out over time to keep them in front of that audience longer."


From Ann Wondra:

"While new college grads are often very savvy in technology and more globally aware, employers are dismayed at their lack of work ethic, top salary expectations with little or no experience to back it, attitudes of 'entitlement,' and weak written and verbal professional communication skills (text messaging doesn't fly well in most corporate business settings). If those kinds of skills are included in your Career module, those would be attractive selling points to businesses that are recruiting from the college of students you are targeting."


From A. Moore:

"Create a place online where you can interact with and share your ideas with college grads and young career enthusiasts. Offer portions of your programs as downloads. Spend the time to build a following for yourself and you'll be better positioned to engage sponsors. You'll probably even attract media and become a valuable resource, or you may get a book deal out of it or a radio show."


The Publicity Hound says:

Contact bloggers who write about corporate marketing and let them know what you're doing. They have a ready-made audience that would be perfect for you. See "How to Pitch the Best Bloggers & Create a Publicity Explosion" at http://www.PublicityHound.net/cdpitchbestbloggers


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


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6. Help This Hound
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Lori Feldman of St. Louis, Missouri writes:

"I am an ACT! Software consultant and I belong to The CRM (Customer Relationship Management) Alliance, a consortium of the top ACT! Consultants across the U.S.

"We have pooled resources to offer a $6,500 grand prize for a complete CRM/Email Marketing/Internet Marketing package for one winner, with other winners getting second- and third-place prizes. Your Hounds can read more about it at http://www.actsoftwarepromotion.com/

"Were launching the promotion next week and it will run through April 30. We're promoting it through our alliance members' lists, our vendor partners' lists and through two lists we just purchased. We're also using press releases before and after the event.

"Total value of the prizes is $17,000. That's pretty hefty for our little group, and I'd love to do as much as I can to get the word out. Help from you and your Hounds would be greatly appreciated."


The Publicity Hound says:

Maybe it's just because I've immersed myself in the SMARTS social media marketing program the last five weeks. But I can think of all kinds of great ways to use the social media sites to drum up interest in this. Let's see if my Hounds are thinking along the same lines. Hounds with ideas for online and offline promotion can post them to my blog at http://tinyurl.com/2wcw9g


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7. Hound Joke of the Week
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My dog chewed the tongue on one of my new, very expensive running shoes. I hoped to save my investment, so I took the shoes to a shoe repair shop.

I placed them on the counter and told the man, "My dog got hold of this."

The repairman picked up the shoe, looked it over, and placed it back down on the counter.

"Well, what do you recommend?" I asked.

He looked at me and replied, "Give your dog the other shoe."


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. At My Blog...
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Best blogs for writers
http://publicityhound.net/index.php/best-blogs-for-writers/


LinkedIn can provide comments from experts
http://tinyurl.com/3c4aph


Top 10 tips for free publicity--in Italian
http://tinyurl.com/34zg3r


Hannah Montana--buckle your seatbelt!
Http://tinyurl.com/2j3dx2


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9. At at My Squidoo Lens...
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- -March and April Story Ideas


- -How Reporters Loosen Your Lips


http://www.squidoo.com/howtogetfree_publicity

- -----------------------------------------------------------

Where to See or Hear The Publicity Hound


March 5: Teleseminar on "How to Turn Your Content into Cash"

Join me for a free teleseminar at 3 p.m. Eastern Time with Cathy Stucker. This one-hour call is perfect for authors, speakers and experts who have handouts in their file cabinets and on their bookshelves and hard drives. Cathy will show you how to take your content and spin, retool or tweak it to create information products and lots more. She promises a teleseminar packed with content, and she'll take your questions, too. This call is limited to the first 250 people. You don't have to sign up. Simply call 1-218-486-1300. The access code is 1-8-2-2-2-2#.


March 27: Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin

"Red Hot Tips to Set Your Publicity Campaign on Fire," Menomonee Falls, Sussex and Germantown Business to Business Networking Breakfast; networking and breakfast from 7:30 to 8, presentation from 8 to 8:45 a.m. Tickets are $15. Guests welcome. For reservations, call Diane Henning at the Menomonee Falls Chamber at 262-251-2430.


PERMISSION TO REPRINT: You may reprint any items from "The Publicity Hound's Tips of the Week" in your print or electronic newsletter. But please include the following paragraph:

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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PRIVACY STATEMENT: The Publicity Hound® respects your privacy and has a strict anti-spam policy. Read my privacy policy at http://www.publicityhound.com/privacypolicy.htm

=======================================================
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

Publicity tips/Your Hand Sanitizer Can be Poisonous Sept 25, 2007

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #365 Sept. 25, 2007
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.com/
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)
The Publicity Hound®

Circulation: 35,713

=====================================

"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"

Receive this ezine direct to your desktop
http://www.publicityhound.com/tipsoftheweek/

Need help with publicity? See the resources list at http://www.publicityhound.com/resources.htm

=====================================

You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The Publicity Hound® website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you told me that you want to subscribe. If you didn't subscribe, you can unsubscribe by clicking the link at the bottom of the newsletter.

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.

*******************************************************

Announcements:

--James Malinchak, an expert on how to get onto the college speaking circuit and generate tons of publicity doing it, will be my guest once again during a complimentary teleseminar at 4 PM Eastern Time on Tuesday, Oct. 9. This is a high-content call chock full of lists of tips that will whet your appetite for his boot camp Nov. 29-Dec. 2 in Los Angeles. Warning: I got several complaints last year that the boot camp sold out early because James lets past attendees return as many times as they wish. So if you're thinking of going, don't wait until the last minute. Sign up for the teleseminar at http://tinyurl.com/fs56k

--Join me from 1 to 2:30 PM Eastern Time on Thursday, Sept. 27, for the teleseminar on "PR Writing Boot camp: Give Your PR Writing More Polish, Punch and Power." Sponsored by Bulldog Reporter, this session will be packed with tips and writing exercises designed to streamline the writing process and strengthen your press release or pitch. You'll learn how to craft the first 25 words of your pitch precisely the way a journalist would and why word choice matters. We'll share credibility-building language, as well as the fuzzy, jargon language traps that many PR people fall into. It includes a handout with tips, checklists and other goodies from me and the three other guest experts who will join me. Click here to continue reading about what you'll learn: http://tinyurl.com/2dmtza

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In This Issue
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1. Your Hand Sanitizer Can be Poisonous

2. Attention Article Writers

3. Do You Do What Experts Do?

4. 'Talk Like a Pirate' Day

5. 'Best of' Website Competitions

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. And at My Blog...


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1. Your Hand Sanitizer Can be Poisonous
======================================

Confession: I eat in my car.

That's why I keep a bottle of hand sanitizer in the glove compartment. I thought that was fine until yesterday when I was conducting a teleseminar for people in The Publicity Hound Mentor Program.

Marilee Tolen, an expert in holistic health marketing, rattled off a list of reasons why hand sanitizers--specifically, the Purell brand--can be dangerous to your health:

--Purell contains isopropanol which is used to denature the ethanol in Purell, and isopropanol is poisonous.

--On Feb. 1 this year, The New England Journal of Medicine published information on the dangers of ingesting hand sanitizers.

--Purell kills all of the bacteria on the skin, even the good bacteria, which help fight the bad bacteria. Eliminating the bad bacteria means skin is more "naked" than it already is--with lowered protection and lowered immunity.

Air fresheners also can be hazardous to your health. Last week, one day after a group of environmental organizations asked the federal government to start assessing the risk of air fresheners, Walgreens pulled three of its products off store shelves.

I asked Marilee how she's using both stories to her advantage.

--She's blogging about them at http://www.homespalady.com/blog/, and mentioning that essential oils, which she sells, are good alternatives to hand sanitizers and air fresheners.

--She's creating Google Alerts and posting comments at other blogs that discuss this.

--She's writing articles for online article directories.

--Tomorrow's issue of her ezine includes a lead story on the dangers of air fresheners.

When bad news breaks about a product or service that you compete with, are you jumping on every opportunity to offer yourself as the safe alternative?

Marilee is even hosting a series of teleseminars this week that teach holistic health counselors, nurses, doctors, therapists, educators, healers, massage therapists, nutritionists, spa owners and health care business owners how to create a huge presence for themselves online. Click to continue reading about what she's teaching: http://tinyurl.com/3xmbfb

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2. Attention Article Writers
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If you're posting articles to article directory sites, you may have felt the bottom drop out of your stomach when you discovered where some of these articles are showing up.

That's what's happened to me, and to other Publicity Hounds who have emailed me, when we discovered that our articles are appearing on some of the most sickening, disgusting websites out there. And it's all legit, since anybody can use our articles as long as the byline and author resource box remain intact. Even worse, one of my articles that included tips for taking great photos ended up on a website devoted exclusively to d*irty photos.

What to do?

Ignore it. That's what all the article experts I've contacted are doing.

Rebecca Morgan, editor of SpeakerNetNews, the excellent ezine for speakers at http://www.speakernetnews.com/, gives the best explanation I've seen:

"Stopping this would be a full-time job. There is no way to contact the owner from the site, so you have to look them up in Whois.com. They are often located in Eastern European countries or Asia. Emailing them gets no response. Contacting their ISP to take down the site will just mean they’ll be live from another site the next day."

Eric Gruber of http://www.articlemarketingexperts.com/ agrees.

"I've been getting a lot of questions like that lately. And I tell them that if their articles are on About.com and MarketingProfs.com, what are they worried about? These other sites do not generate traffic from their prospects."

Good point. Besides, what are the chances a prospect would email you and point out to you that your article appeared on a yucky site where they were lurking? If they did read your article and click through to your website and maybe even buy something, their money is as good as anybody else's.

If you want to learn more about how to set up Google Alerts so you can stay on top of what people, including bloggers, are saying about you, and where your articles are showing up, click here to continue reading, and watch the cool video on how to create a Google Alert: http://tinyurl.com/2d9wkz

Not worried about where your articles are showing up because you aren't writing them? Shame on you. It's time to start. If you can't write, download the incredibly easy template I've provided. It comes with the CD or electronic transcript titled "How toWrite How-to Articles for Newspapers, Magazines and Trade Journals."

Click to continue reading more about what you'll learn at http://tinyurl.com/dnxhb

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3. Do You Do What Experts Do?
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Are you an expert in your topic?

Based on the reaction I receive when I ask this question during my workshops, three out of four people in the audience are reluctant or afraid to call themselves experts.

"I'm not one of the top people in the world who knows the most about my topic," one audience member said.

Another lamented: "I'd be mortified if a journalist interviewed me, discovered I wasn't an expert, and then uncovered me as a phony."

Typical responses, I believe, because most people don't know the definition of an expert. My own professional association, the National Speakers Association, has struggled with that same issue. Several years ago, five top speakers wrote an excellent 12-page White Paper on what constitutes expertise. You can download it at http://nsaspeaker.org/pdfs/Expertise_Wht_paper.pdf

They concluded that there are numerous levels of expertise, and that expertise shouldn't be measured only by what you know, but by what you do.

For example, experts at various levels write books, articles, newsletters and White Papers. Some of them hold copyrights,trademarks and patents. They receive awards, accolades and honors. They serve as trainers, expert witnesses, coaches, mentors, trusted advisors, arbiters and even sources quoted in the media.

Because the several thousand NSA speakers come from a variety of backgrounds, I recommend that Publicity Hounds, even those who are not professional speakers, use the White Paper as a starting point to identify their own level of expertise. Once you know whether you're an expert, the White Paper can explain what you need to do to become one, and then deepen your expertise.

Smart experts who want reporters, journalists and bloggers to find them make sure they're listed in Expertclick: The Online Yearbook of Experts, like I am.

A subscription helps you drive visitors to your website by writing and distributing press releases at http://www.newsreleasewire.com/ You can send releases without per-release charges when you register for an ExpertClick.com page. You get a search-engine optimized Press Room page, and you can add content instantly to the Web.

Only my Publicity Hounds get to lock in a $100 Publicity Hound discount on top of the double early-order discount, and drop the cost from $895 to $595. Save $300 when you order from the link below by Sunday, Sept. 30. Prices go up $100 in October.

Call the office in Washington, D.C., at 202-333-5000, and ask for the "Publicity Hound Discount" or order on-line at http://www.ExpertClick.com/Discount/The_Publicity_Hound
You can use the $300 savings on any level of membership in the Yearbook of Experts, too. Click here to continue reading about all the benefits of a membership: http://www.ExpertClick.com/Brochure

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4. 'Talk Like a Pirate' Day
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It started as a joke several years ago.

But international "Talk Like a Pirate Day" on Sept. 19 turned out to be enticing enough that even Pulitzer prize-winning humor columnist Dave Barry, National Public Radio and other media wanted in on the fun.

John Baur and Mark Summers explain how they encouraged the columnist to write about their special day, and how the giant publicity snowball is still rolling downhill, growing bigger and bigger. Click here to continue reading:
http://www.talklikeapirate.com/about.html

"I think you will agree that these guys should win an award for being honorary Publicity Hounds," writes Julie Lichtman of Frederick, Maryland.

Shiver me timbers. She's right.

Does your company, nonprofit or government agency have its own special day, week or month of the year? If not, learn how to create it, what to do with it, and how to recycle all the great publicity that will result. I explain how in "How to be a Kick-butt Publicity Hound," my most popular ebook. Download a sample chapter designed to helped you identify story ideas the media will love.

Click to continue reading how to download the chapter:
http://tinyurl.com/2a3dp9

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5. 'Best of' Website Competitions
==========================================

This week, three Publicity Hounds have tips and alternatives for Donald Hansen of Issaquah, Washington who wants to know how to find "Best of" website competitions he can enter. He wants to promote his Viking Trader website at http://www.vikingtrader.net/where he sells Viking Age artifacts.


From Lois Carter Fay of MarketingIdeaShop.com:

"I know that the Web Marketing Association holds a competition for best sites. You can read about it here:
http://www.webaward.org/

"But even better, here's a link to a work sheet that lists lots of award competitions: http://www.website-awards.net/worksheet.htm"

From Christine Buffaloe of Mequon, Wisconsin:

"Joan often mentions capturing visitors’ email addresses with the Hover Ad Creator. I think this would be ideal. Not only would it track the visitors, but it would also capture them as well." Christine is referring to special HTML coding that you can buy at http://tinyurl.com/2zhj33

The Publicity Hound says:

Your time might be better spent on things like blogging, search engine optimization, posting articles to article directory sites, commenting at other blogs and doing joint ventures with merchants who target the same audience you do.

My mentor, Tom Antion, just updated 'Click,' his excellent ebook that explains how to do all of the above, and more. This ebook, now at a whopping 817 pages and with 150 new links you must know about, is my bible for Internet marketing. I refer to it at least a half dozen times a week. I’m buying the new version today at http://tinyurl.com/s57vc

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6. Help This Hound
================================

Brian James of Melbourne, Australia writes:

"My client wants his innovative portable water recycling device http://www.waterleech.com.au/ to break into the U.S. market.

"It's a small company with a limited budget. The Water-Leech is a portable water collector that sucks up water from showers, baths and washing machines. It is then wheeled outside to water gardens and wash cars.

"The company is looking to raise funds to grow large enough for Home Depot and other big stores to stock the product. So the devices may be test-marketed in California and include a certificate which gives the first 10,000 people 100 units in the company as well.

"What would it take to get the word out and what is the most effective means of getting into the U.S./California media?"


The Publicity Hound says: My mind is racing with ideas, but my Hounds will come up with far more suggestions than I ever could. Hounds with ideas for Brian can post them at my blog at http://tinyurl.com/3884v8

In the meantime, you or your client should start writing direct-to-consumer press releases and posting them online, so you don't have to rely on the media to deliver your message. Sign up for my free email tutorial "89 Ways to Write Powerful Press Releases" at http://www.PublicityHound.com/pressreleasetips/art.htm

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7. Hound Joke of the Week
=================================

Thanks to Publicity Hound Christel Hall of Carson City, Nevada for this one, an oldie but goodie:

Three male dogs are walking down the street when they see a beautiful, enticing, female poodle.

They fall all over themselves in an effort to be the one to reach her first, but end up arriving in front of her at the same time.

Aware of her charms and her obvious effect on the three suitors, she tells them, "The first one who can use the words 'liver' and' cheese' together in an imaginative, intelligent sentence can go out with me."

The sturdy, muscular black lab speaks up quickly and says, "I love liver and cheese."

"Oh, how childish," said the poodle. "That shows no imagination or intelligence whatsoever."

She turns to the tall, shiny golden retriever and says "How well can you do?"

"Um. I HATE liver and cheese," blurts the golden retriever.

"My, my," said the poodle. "I guess it's hopeless. That's just as dumb as the lab's sentence."

She then turns to the last of the three dogs and says, "How about you, little guy?"

The last of the three, tiny in stature but big in fame and finesse, is the Taco Bell chihuahua.

He gives her a smile, a sly wink, turns to the golden retriever and the lab and says...

"Liver alone. Cheese mine."


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/


=================================
8. And at My Blog...
=================================

BBB's 'accredited business' boosts your credibility
http://tinyurl.com/2la9xk

The Forward adds bureau to cover Jewish news in L.A.
http://tinyurl.com/3cs4zt

'Martha' to feature toilet paper wedding dress winner
http://tinyurl.com/2vuj75

What motivates journalists, bloggers? Most of these 40 things
http://tinyurl.com/35m25p

Freelance writers need more lead time
http://tinyurl.com/345rad

Special events publicity: 11 tips to draw a crowd
http://tinyurl.com/ytph7f

---------------------------------------------------------------

Where to Meet or Hear The Publicity Hound®


Sept. 26: Chicago, Illinois

I'll be attending the "Un-Conference" as a participant. It's the free daylong brainstorming session on how to use social media in your PR campaign. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Millennium Knickerbocker, 163 E. Welton. It kicks off Ragan Communications' full-blown traditional conference, "Corporate Communications and the Social Media Revolution" Sept. 27-28. Learn more about the Un-Conference and the two-day session at
http://tinyurl.com/2bz79b


Sept. 27: Teleseminar on PR Writing

"PR Writing Boot Camp: Give Your PR Writing More Polish, Punch and Power," from 1 to 2:30 PM Eastern Time, sponsored by Bulldog Reporter. Includes a handout with tips, checklists and other goodies from me and the three other guest experts who will join me. Click here to continue reading about what you'll learn:
http://tinyurl.com/2dmtza

Oct. 2: Teleseminar on Promoting Your Expertise Online

Marilee Tolen will present "Intro to Internet Marketing," a series of telephone seminars for holistic health counselors, nurse, doctors, therapists, educators, healers, massage therapists, nutritionists, spa owners and health care business owners how to create a huge presence for themselves online. I'm her guest from 7 to 8:15 PM Eastern Time. And I'll teach you how to become an expert in your field, and then promote your expertise online to pull traffic, including journalists, to your website. Click to continue reading about what else you'll learn:
http://tinyurl.com/3xmbfb

Oct. 9: Teleseminar on "How to Get onto the College Speaking Circuit"

With James Malinchak, 4 to 5 p.m. Eastern Time. This complimentary, high-content call will be chock full of lists of tips on how to make a bundle speaking at colleges. It will whet your appetite for his boot camp Nov. 29-Dec. 2 in Los Angeles. Sign up for the teleseminar at http://tinyurl.com/fs56k


PERMISSION TO REPRINT: You may reprint any items from "The Publicity Hound's Tips of the Week" in your print or electronic newsletter. But please include the following paragraph:

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.

You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The Publicity Hound® website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you told me you want to subscribe.

PRIVACY STATEMENT: The Publicity Hound® respects your privacy and has a strict anti-spam policy. Read my privacy policy at http://www.publicityhound.com/privacypolicy.htm

=======================================================
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

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #360 Aug. 21, 2007
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.com/
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)
The Publicity Hound®

Circulation: 34,424

=====================================

"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"

Receive this ezine direct to your desktop
http://www.publicityhound.com/tipsoftheweek/

Need help with publicity?
See the resources list at
http://www.publicityhound.com/resources.htm

=====================================

You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The Publicity Hound® website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you told me that you want to subscribe. If you didn't subscribe, you can unsubscribe by clicking the link at the bottom of the newsletter.

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.

*******************************************************

While I'm Gone...

I will be out of the office Aug. 20-24. If you have a customer service problem you need solved, please contact Christine Buffaloe, my customer service manager, at mailto:serenityva@wi.rr.com or call 262-238-0868.

Also, Chris has solved the problem many of you PayPal customers have experienced with not being able to download your electronic documents after your order has been approved. The entire ordering process should be smooth sailing from now on.

*******************************************************
================================
In This Issue
================================

1. Mattel's Toy Recall

2. A Tip for Grant Recipients

3. A Fun Event for Food Pantries

4. The Shrinking Newsroom

5. Promoting a Book on Hawaii

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Quote of the Week


======================================
1. Mattel's Toy Recall
======================================

Mattel's second toy recall in less than two weeks presents publicity opportunities galore for smart Hounds:

--Pediatricians and other medical experts can offer advice on what parents can do if they think their children have been exposed to hazardous toys.

--How do you take toys that have been recalled away from children without resulting in temper tantrums from them and long explanations from you?

--Can your company, agency or school offer other alternatives to entertain kids? What about simple home-made toys you can make yourself?

--How can parents best protect their kids against dangerous toys and jewelry? Consumer experts can comment.

--Should we be more suspicious than ever of anything with a "Made in China" label? Let journalists know if you have manufacturing experts who can comment on this topic.

--If your company makes things that are used by children, what kinds of safety regulations do you follow?

--Mattel did a lousy job of damage control when this crisis hit. If you're a crisis counselor or PR expert, what do you think the toy maker should have done?

--Mattel has warned that it could announce more recalls. That has led some experts to question the fate of the Mattel brand in the wake of the bad news. Branding experts should offer comment on how this crisis might affect Mattel.


When a crisis like this hits, will journalists be able to find your experts who can comment? One of the first places they look is Expertclick: The Online Yearbook of Experts at http://tinyurl.com/f5evn Publicity Hounds get $100 off the subscription price.


========================================
2. A Tip for Grant Recipients
========================================

Thanks to Publicity Hound Beth Bilderback, public relations specialist for Nauticus, a marine science center in Norfolk,Virginia.

She was in the audience on Tuesday when I presented my "Savvy Media Relations" workshop, and she passed along this great publicity tip for anyone who receives grant money:

"This summer, we received a hefty grant to fund two oceanography camps for two separate groups of 10th-graders. One requirement was that the students put together a PowerPoint presentation detailing all of their marine biology activities throughout the week and show it on the last day of the camp.

"For one of these last days, we invited both the board of the funding organization and a local reporter, who sent a photographer to follow the kids on their field trip that afternoon so they could get a good visual.

"It was win-win all around. The granters got to see the very real return on their investment. The students were delighted at the attention (parents were of course also invited). The hard work of all who put the camp together was recognized, and the media highlighted a really successful partnership.

"We ended up getting an article on the front page of the local news section. Lesson: Don’t just announce that you've received grant money. Follow up with a happy ending."


That's great advice, Beth. OK, Hounds. If you've put grant money to good use, let the media know the rest of the story.


Nonprofits think they face a more difficult time than businesses generating publicity, but that isn't necessarily so. Paul Hartunian knows lots of tricks that nonprofits can use to get media attention. He explained them all during a teleseminar I conducted with him called "Failproof Publicity Tips for Your Nonprofit." It's 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 what you'll learn at http://tinyurl.com/29dba


=======================================
3. A Fun Event for Food Pantries
=======================================

During Tuesday's session in Norfolk, I came up with a great idea for Jan Cline who works for the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia.

The foodbank gets a fair share of publicity for routine news events, he said, like when the agency really needs donations. But he wanted an idea for something really different that would catch the media's attention.

Here's what I suggested. Have a fun competition between several local chefs. Take five of the same items from your food pantry, like a can of pork and beans, a box of macaroni and cheese, a can of tomato soup, a jar of black olives and a loaf of bread. Then ask each chef to cook a dinner using those items.

Offer the recipes to your local newspaper's food columnist. You can even turn it into a fund-raiser, sell tickets, and serve samples of the chefs' creations.


More great tips involving food are on the CD and electronic transcript called "Publicity Tips for Restaurants, Chefs & Foodies." It comes with a list of all 51 ideas that you can download as soon as your order has been approved. Read more about what you'll learn at http://tinyurl.com/clr26


======================================
4. The Shrinking Newsroom
======================================

Are you paying attention to the layoffs taking place at newspapers of every size, all over the U.S.?

If not, you'll probably be very aware of them the next time you call or email a reporter or editor and don't receive an answer.

Getting a callback was difficult enough even 10 and 20 years ago. Today, however, newsrooms are leaner than ever. Declining readership and advertising, coupled with the millions of dollars in classified ad revenue that has been taken away from newspapers by online bulletin boards like Craigslist, are resulting in massive layoffs.

Editors are relying more on freelancers. And staff writers who still have their jobs are often shuffling multiple beats--sometimes not very well.

I'm writing an article for PR Tactics, the newspaper published by the Public Relations Society of America, and I'm looking for Publicity Hounds to quote in my article.

Is the problem of gaining access to journalists getting worse at your local papers? What tips or tricks can you pass along on how to encourage journalists to call you back? Have you been successful in meeting busy journalists for lunch or coffee? If so, how did you get them to say yes?

Mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com?subject=BusyJournalists

I may follow up with a phone interview sometime next week.

In the meantime, let the newspapers' loss from Craigslist be your gain. Craigslist is still one of the very best tools for Publicity Hounds, regardless of what you're promoting. You'll find separate lists for cities all over the world, and dozens of sub-categories where you can post news about classes, events, fund-raisers, new products and services, politics, real estate and lots more. You'll even find discussion forums for whatever topic floats your boat.

But before you start posting, you must know the rules and understand how to develop a publicity strategy that pays big dividends. Nancy Mills explains how on "How to Use Craigslist as a Global Publicity Tool." It's 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 what you'll learn at http://tinyurl.com/geog2.


==========================================
5. Promoting a Book on Hawaii
==========================================

This week, seven Publicity Hounds have tips for Karma Bennett of Ulysses Press. She wants advice on how to promote a new edition of the book Hidden Hawaii, which focuses on the places locals love instead of the same tired tourist traps. She's concerned that book reviewers won't pay much attention to a new edition.


From Michael Draper:

"I would recommend keeping each book separate and focused on a new market. It is best to have more products for sale. It will help make you look like the real experts on Hawaii. There is a separate market for each book, and a market that would buy both books. When you release your new book, it will be reviewed as a new book. But I would make sure that the new book is tailored for that different market and not just a redo."


From Andrea Kinney:

"Why not partner with travel agencies to help promote the series? I am a travel specialist who specializes in culinary travel and I am always looking for the genuine aspects of any destination. Offer the books to travel specialists for a free or reduced rate in return for advertising in their newsletters and on their websites. I’m already excited to check out the series for myself!"


From Kellee White:

"I got so much use out of my first copy of Hidden Hawaii. I am thrilled to know it is being updated! Try to get the news into Daily Candy Travel at http://www.dailycandy.com/ They love things like this."


The Publicity Hound says:

National Public Radio is the perfect publicity opportunity for authors. Go to the NPR website at http://www.npr.org/ and use the search box on the top of the homepage to search for travel-related programs. Then pitch the producers on a fun program that ties into the book.


Book publicist Lissa Warren has lots of other tips to pass along on "How to Get Booked on National Public Radio," available as a CD or electronic transcript. She's booked dozens of her clients on NPR shows. Read more about what you'll learn at http://tinyurl.com/ayms6


Read all the responses to this Help this Hound question at http://tinyurl.com/2l97no


================================
6. Help This Hound
================================

Julie Ann Kodmur from St. Helena, California writes:

"How do you get American writers and, of course, families, interested in Shawnigan Lake School, a Canadian boarding school at http://www.sls.bc.ca/?

"I’ve been doing publicity for the wonderful school where my step-son goes and now find that we need some fresh ideas. The school is frankly a cousin of Hogwarts---uniform Tudor architecture in all the buildings on campus which slope down to a lake, then bordered by a forest and a huge 'great hall' dining room with fireplaces. The faculty are not only very intelligent but enormously empathetic and caring.

"We’ve thought of having J.K. Rowling come to do a reading or present an award. We’ve thought of having the Headmaster write some op-ed pieces for U.S. papers.

"We’re trying to 'junket' some writers up to the campus to shadow some students and go back to their U.S. papers and write up the experience. Do your Hounds have any fresh ideas for publicity?"


The Publicity Hound says:

Many Hounds who read this newsletter do PR for schools, colleges and universities, so I know they'll share some of their best tips. If you have an idea for Julie Ann, post it to my blog at http://tinyurl.com/2hu4o9


=================================
7. Hound Quote of the Week
=================================

Thanks to Dan Poynter of Santa Barbara, California for this one:

Terrier + Bulldog = Terribull, a dog that makes awful mistakes

Bloodhound + Labrador = Blabador, a dog that barks incessantly

Collie + Malamute = Commute, a dog that travels to work

Deerhound + Terrier = Derriere, a dog that's true to the end.

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/


---------------------------------------------------------------

Where to Meet or Hear The Publicity Hound®

September 11: Brookfield, Wisconsin

Association for Volunteer Administration of Southeastern Wisconsin, keynote presentation on "Savvy Media Relations: How to Get Thousands of Dollars in FREE Online and Offline Publicity," 9:45 a.m., University of Phoenix Metro-Milwaukee Campus, 20075 Watertower Blvd. $30 for AVA/SEW and IAVC members, $40 for non-members. Deadline August 31. Learn more at http://www.ava-sew.org/content/blogcategory/5/4/or call Kay Bloesl at 414-571-1327 to register.


PERMISSION TO REPRINT: You may reprint any items from "The Publicity Hound's Tips of the Week" in your print or electronic newsletter. But please include the following paragraph:

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.


You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The Publicity Hound® website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you told me you want to subscribe.

PRIVACY STATEMENT: The Publicity Hound® respects your privacy and has a strict anti-spam policy. Read my privacy policy at http://www.publicityhound.com/privacypolicy.htm


=======================================================
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

Publicity tips/Citizen journalists & Virginia Tech April 17, 2007

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #342 - April 17, 2007
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com

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

Circulation: 30,511

=====================================

"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"

Receive this ezine
direct to your desktop
http://www.publicityhound.com/tipsoftheweek/

=====================================

You are receiving this because you signed up for it at The Publicity Hound® website at http://www.publicityhound.com/ or you told me that you want to subscribe. If you didn't subscribe, you can unsubscribe by clicking the link at the bottom of the newsletter.

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.

*******************************************************

Need Help Buying a Publicity Product or Service?

Already, several people who have bought a three-month or one-year listing on The Publicity Hound's Resources List are getting calls from people who might want to do business with them.

If you'll be using the list, I've written an article that includes tips on how to shop for the best publicity product or service. You can find it at http://tinyurl.com/yrazf5

If you're looking for people to write or distribute your press releases, serve as your publicist, provide media directories, do voiceovers or ghostwrite articles, you'll find my handy resource directory at http://www.PublicityHound.com/resources.htm

I'm already promoting the list aggressively, and it will be growing in the months ahead. 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.

********************************************************

================================
In This Issue
================================

1. Citizen Journalists & Virginia Tech

2. What Successful Authors Do Differently

3. Apply for the Torch Award

4. Origami Dollar Bills

5. Promoting Ergonomics Training

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. And at My Blog...


======================================
1. Citizen Journalists & Virginia Tech
======================================

When news broke yesterday morning about the massacre at Virginia Tech, people throughout the world turned on their TVs to learn more.

Some of the first video they saw came directly from citizen journalists--students who recorded the events on their cell phone cameras.

Jamal Albarghouti, a Virginia Tech graduate student from the West Bank, took cell phone pictures of police charging Norris Hall as shots rang out. CNN broadcast the video over and over again.

What made it unique and valuable was the sound track: Gunshotscould be heard coming from one of the buildings. People viewed it more than 900,000 times on CNN.com.

By early evening, CNN showed Jamal standing on campus, microphone in hand, reporting from the scene as he talked with anchorman Wolf Blitzer, who was in the cable channel's Washington newsroom.

A story in today's Baltimore Sun quotes Nancy Lane, CNN's vice president of domestic news, on the value of user-generated content: "Let's face it, right now, his material is still the best of the day in terms of capturing on video what took place there."

You can read the entire story at http://tinyurl.com/2xakzq

MSNBC and other news outlets solicited video from anyone who was on campus. They also immediately started monitoring social networking sites like Facebook.com and MySpace.com to see how students reacted to the shooting, and to learn whatever details they could about who survived and who didn't.

In the months ahead, we'll be hearing more about how citizen-generated journalism and social networking sites are changing the media landscape.

Said CNN's Nancy Lane: "What you saw today with the cell phones and the I-Reporters is the future - and the future is now."


========================================
2. What Successful Authors Do Differently
========================================

Most of the authors I've worked with over the years--hundreds of them--tell me the same thing.

They never imagined how much time, money or energy they'd have to spend writing and selling a book. Some of them run out of steam by the time they have to start promoting it.

Steve Harrison, who has worked with more than 19,000 authors during almost two decades, says he has concluded that the top 3 percent of authors simply do seven key things differently than the rest. Those seven things don't include writing a stellar book or having a catchy title.

To learn what the most successful authors know, Steve is hosting a free 75-minute telephone seminar on Thursday, April 19. Choose from two time slots: 2 PM Eastern (11 AM Pacific) or 7 PM Eastern (4 PM Pacific).

He'll talk about the "unfair advantage" top authors use to win the publishing game--99.9 percent of all authors, he says, don't know this.

Steve will also discuss the single biggest thing authors need to attract a publisher and one thing authors should do to dramatically increase the profit they make from every book. I'm curious, so I'll be on the call, too.

You can reserve your spot at http://snipurl.com/AuthorSecrets


==================================
3. Apply for the Torch Award
==================================

Winning a prestigious award can skyrocket your company's profile, bring more traffic to your website, put you heads above your competitors, and give you the kind of credibility and publicity you couldn't possibly get on your own.

That's why I can't understand why the Better Business Bureau has to practically beg people to apply for its annual Torch Award for business ethics and integrity.

Last week, I attended a workshop at the Milwaukee office of the BBB to learn how I can apply for the award and win it. Even though I have my own team of subcontractors, I'm a company of one. That means I'm eligible to apply in Category One, for companies with one to 10 employees.

The contest has five categories in all, including one for charities. You don't have to be a member of the BBB to apply.

Last year in Wisconsin, only about 100 companies were in the running. Some years, they don't have enough good entries in a particular category to even choose a winner.

If your company prides itself on ethical business practices, gives outstanding customer service, subscribes to truth in advertising, and helps foster ethics and integrity within your industry and community, you're a perfect candidate for this award. What a great way generate fabulous publicity, and separate yourself from the Enrons of the world.

During the next few months, in communities all over the U.S. and Canada, the BBB will host workshops designed to show you how to apply. In Wisconsin, the deadline for applications is Friday, August 17. Winners will be announced at a huge awards banquet in November.

The application process can be tedious and time-consuming. But based on what past winners have said, it's worth it.

Thomas Bentley III, CEO of the Bentley Company, a Wisconsin construction company, said news of their first-place award in 2003 made it all the way to the boardroom of one of their client companies.

"A Fortune 500 company was so proud that one of their vendors got this that they took it to their board of directors and actually made a showcase out of it," he said.

Today, he said, his company promotes the Torch Award at its website and in its marketing materials, and puts it out in front of all its sales efforts.

In a few months, when I start creating my own application, I'll be telling you about ways you can help me win. Until then, I hope you check into how you can apply in your own state or province. Call your local BBB office for details.

Awards are only one of hundreds of ways to generate publicity. "How to be a Kick-butt Publicity Hound," my most popular ebook, explains them all. The book, updated last year, includes an entire chapter on blogging. Learn more about the book at http://www.publicityhound.com/publicity/publicityhound.htm


=================================
4. Origami Dollar Bills
=================================

Publicity Hound Brian Foley read last week's item in which I complained about those uncreative ribbon-cutting and check-passing ceremonies that seem to be everywhere.

He loved my idea of a bank hiring a magician to perform magic tricks with dollar bills at its grand opening. Brian, a professional magician who does exactly that, offered another tip that's worth sharing.

"Banks can also have origami displays of animals made out of bills," Brian wrote. "I've seen displays like this in banks in Europe, in glass cases in the middle of the bank floor. They always get great responses, and you can keep them on display for weeks. I think they'd result in good publicity for any bank."

Use the origami display idea not only for grand openings, but to celebrate anniversaries and during other special events.

Since it's tax deadline time, how about a local tax preparer's office finding local students to make origami animals from all the unused tax forms, then displaying them?

If you teach origami, do a joint promotion with a local print shop. Your students can use over-runs or leftovers and turn them into animals, flowers and other colorful pieces of paper art.

An office supply store can sponsor a local contest inviting people to submit the most creative piece of origami artwork. Those are just a few ideas to get you started.

If you're an artist who creates origami or works in any other medium, learn dozens of ways to promote it. "How Artists Can Sell More Artwork Through Online and Offline Publicity" is available as a CD or electronic transcript that you can read as soon as your order is approved.

Read more about what you'll learn at http://tinyurl.com/yvewm8


===================================
5. Promoting Ergonomics Training
====================================

This week, seven Publicity Hounds have tips for Kay Richardson of Miami, Florida. She asked for help promoting an ergonomic consulting/training company.


Candace Moody Says:

"Consider teaming up with a massage therapist to offer chair massage at a company. You could generate a contest of some sort and provide the chair massage as the winning prize. Massage therapy corrects many of the aches and pains created by poor ergonomics; while at the business, you can offer tips and a follow-son assessment. Massage therapists and chiropractors would make great partners in a referral network, as well."


From Shel Horowitz, Ethical Marketing Expert:

"Since journalists are frequently nursing computer- and telephone-induced ergonomic issues, offer a free one-time workshop just for local journalists. Don’t charge, but be sure to provide a handout that not only gives them stuff they can remember and practice but also describes your public offerings--maybe some no-cost stuff on your website, a list of resources--something they will promote without necessarily needing to directly promote you, and useful for their readers. Of course, some of them may do a feature on you, but even if they don’t, they’re likely to mention your freebie."


From Eric Gruber at ArticleMarketingExperts.com:

"Write an article and submit it to sites such as www.HR.com. Article topics include 'How to Reduce Working Pains & Improve Your Productivity' or '5 Ways to Identify & Eliminate Employee Injuries at Work.'"


The Publicity Hound says: Articles like the ones Eric suggested can pull lots of traffic back to your website. But what if you just don't have time to write? Or you don't know how to write? I have a handy template for a how-to article. It comes with the CD or electronic transcript called "How to Write How-to Articles for Newspapers, Magazines & Trade Journals."

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


================================
6. Help This Hound
================================

Roger Pozeznik of Kalamazoo, Michigan writes:

"I run All-Star Driver Education in Ann Arbor. Two other big driving schools in town seem to have a monopoly and have gotten lazy with there teaching skills. It's frustrating to see that they have full classes.

"The school I work for is very well-known on the east side of the state and they are in about 20 schools. We have done the basics: targeted mailing lists, PA announcements, and we're putting raffle boxes around town to win a free class and collect names/leads to follow up on. The other schools have such a hold on the locals because they never really had any competition, and they have been around for years.

"What can we do to promote the school?" The website is at http://www.allstardrivereducation.com/


The Publicity Hound says: I know my Publicity Hounds will take the wheel and steer all kinds of great ideas your way, Roger. Hounds with suggestions can post them to my blog at http://tinyurl.com/2sg7ad


================================
7. Hound Joke of the Week
================================

Thanks to Debbie Schenk of Boulder, Colorado for sending this personal ad that was spotted in a newspaper in southern Florida.


SBF SEEKS MALE COMPANIONSHIP

I love long walks in the woods. Riding in your pickup truck.
Hunting.
Camping.
Fishing trips.
Cozy winter nights spent lying by the fire.
Candlelight dinners will have me eating out of your hand. Rub me the right way and I will respond with tender caresses. I'll be at the front door when you get home from work, wearing only what nature gave me. Kiss me and I'm yours. I'm a svelte, good looking girl who loves to play. Call 555-2121 and ask for Daisy.

The phone number was the SPCA, and Daisy was an eight-week-old black Labrador Retriever.


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/


=================================
8. And at My Blog...
=================================


The changing media landscape: How to keep up with it
http://tinyurl.com/3xfbgv

USA Today reporters' list also offers their articles
http://tinyurl.com/34ewov


---------------------------------------------------------------

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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