Publicity tips/Join Your Local Press Club Sept 18, 2007

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week
Issue #364 Sept. 18, 2007
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)
The Publicity Hound®

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"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"

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Announcements:

--Host the Publicity Hound in Wisconsin and Illinois. I'll be hitting the road this fall, presenting public seminars in Wisconsin and Illinois. I'm looking for a company or group to host me in Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay, Janesville and LaCrosse, Wisconsin and in Chicago or northern Illinois. If you'll host me, I'll let you bring three members of your staff, or three clients, gratis. Please contact my assistant, Christine Buffaloe, at 262-238-0868 or email mailto:Chris@SerenityVA.com?subject=HostTheHound if you're interested, and she'll tell you if we're a good match.


--Your 2008 Media Plan. Many of you have emailed me and asked how to create a media plan for next year. I've decided to sponsor a series of telephone seminars in October on how to do just that. It will include not only traditional media, but the all-important social media such as bloggers and social networking sites. To help me design the course, I need to know specifically what you want to learn. Mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com?subject=MediaPlan and tell me what you'd like me to include in this course.

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In This Issue
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1. Join Your Local Press Club

2. Sell 100,000 Books to One Buyer

3. Write Like a Journalist

4. GoodSearch Helps Charities, Schools

5. Promoting a Health Bar

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Quote of the Week

8. And at My Blog...


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1. Join Your Local Press Club
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Here's an easy way to meet lots of journalists face-to-face in a relaxed social setting.

Join your local press club. Press clubs promote journalism excellence through a variety of programs, activities and monthly meetings. Most members are from the working press, but plenty of PR people also belong.

David Niles, former editor of the Small Business Times in Milwaukee and a former president of the Milwaukee Press Club, says press club membership is a no-brainer for Publicity Hounds. Here's why:

--Anybody can join. The only requirement is that you "have an interest in the media."

--Dues won't break the budget. In Milwaukee, non-journalists pay just $75 a year. Students pursuing a communications degree pay only $10.

--You can meet journalists in your community numerous times throughout the year at major events and monthly meetings.

--About one-fourth of the members are PR people, which means you won't feel out of place.

--You can pitch the journalists in a relaxed setting, often over lunch or dinner. But be diplomatic. David recommends you say,"I've got some great things going on. Is it OK if I talk to you now?"

--Press club membership in your local chapter means you can have access to the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

David says press clubs in Atlanta, New Orleans, Cleveland and Denver are particularly strong. The Milwaukee Press Club has one of the most comprehensive lists of press clubs in the U.S. and Canada at its website at http://www.milwaukeepressclub.org/resources/links.php

Now that you're thinking of joining, know what you must do to build those valuable relationships that will pay huge dividends later. See "Special Report #49: 17 Ways to Build Valuable Relationships with Media People."

Click here to continue reading about what you'll learn: http://tinyurl.com/6uz9g


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2. Sell 100,000 Books to One Buyer
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Too many authors try to sell books the hard way. They look for 10,000 customers so they can sell 10,000 books.

It's sometimes a lot easier to sell all those books--or even 100,000 books--to only one customer.

How? By searching for companies that typically buy books in mass quantity and give them away as free "premium incentives" to encourage people to buy their products. Many of these same companies:

--Give away the books as thank-you gifts to people who buy other products and services.

--Use the book to thank members or subscribers who renew.

--Rely on the book to help train their employees.

Matthew Bennett has used this simple strategy as an unknown, self-published author to sell more than 5 million books.

He has written books on health, pets, fitness and inspiration and then sold them in quantity to companies like Disney, Reebok, NBC, Abbot Labs, Pfizer, US Healthplans, and Subway.

Steve Harrison is hosting a free one-hour teleseminar with Michael on Thursday, September 20, at 2 p.m. Eastern or 7 p.m. Eastern Time. Michael will share his tips on how he sold more than 80,000 copies of an inspirational book in just one phone conversation. He'll also explain how you can tie in with major charities like the March of Dimes and the American Heart Association to sell truckloads of books and raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for charity. You'll also learn the three things you absolutely must arm yourself with before ever pitching your book.

Like most free teleseminars, Steve is hoping that after you listen to the call, you'll buy their consulting services to learn how to do this in detail. So just sit back, relax and listen.

Click here to continue reading about what you'll learn and to sign up: http://www.freepublicity.com/mattbennett/?10011


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3. Write Like a Journalist
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One of the very best ways to attract journalists' attention for your story idea is to write the pitch the same way they would write a story.

But how do you write a pitch that takes less than 30 seconds to read? And how do you know how they'd write a story? One way is to search for what journalists refer to as the "nut graph" in almost every story. That's short for "nut paragraph."

It's the paragraph just after the lead in which the writer explains in a nutshell why the story is important. It frequently includes perspective and statistics. And it often makes comparisons between the way something used to be and the way it is now.

I wrote more about the nut graph and gave two examples in this item at my blog: http://tinyurl.com/ynohys

Finding the nut graph, studying it, then trying to write a pitch that sounds like a nut graph is one of the many tips I'll share when I join three other experts during a teleseminar next week on how to write. It's called "PR Writing Bootcamp: Give Your PR Writing More Polish, Punch and Power" and you'd be crazy to miss it.

Sponsored by Bulldog Reporter, the 90-minute teleseminar will be packed with news 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.

The handout will include a press release checklist and lots of other resources that will strengthen your writing so that journalists sit up and take notice.

Click here to continue reading about what you'll learn: http://tinyurl.com/2dmtza


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4. GoodSearch.com Helps Charities, Schools
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Thanks to author Viveca Stone-Berry of Fredericksburg, Virginia for tipping us off to a really easy way for charities or schools to add a revenue stream by doing almost no work--and generating some publicity at the same time.

Tell your employees, volunteers, donors and other followers to use the GoodSearch search engine whenever they're looking for information online. They can find it at http://www.GoodSearch.com

After your charity or school adds its name to the website, GoodSearch will pay your group one cent every time someone designates you as the recipient and conducts a search. What could be easier?

Viveca says that every time she searches, a penny goes to one of her favorite groups: Ring Dog Rescue in Richmond, Virginia. It rescues pitbulls, Rottweilers and other breeds victimized by the dog-fighting business.

"As a writer and webmaster, I spend a lot of time researching on the net," Viveca says. "Just from me, they must be earning about a buck a day."

The New York Times, USA Today, Fortune magazine, Oprah's magazine and other top-tier media outlets have given the search engine great publicity.

You can generate publicity of your own by using it. Every time a media outlet interviews you, and they ask about your budget or fund-raising efforts, tell them about GoodSearch. The search engine also has a quarterly ezine featuring organizations that are doing great work in their communities. And they give you a nifty GoodSearch icon to place at your website so your visitors know they can help your group.

"Failproof Publicity Tips for Your Nonprofit," a one-hour teleseminar I conducted with Paul Hartunian, gives even the poorest nonprofits lots more great ideas like this one on how to create publicity on almost no budget. It's available as a CD or an electronic transcript that you can be reading as soon as your order has been approved. Click here to continue reading about what you'll learn: http://tinyurl.com/29dba


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5. Promoting a Health Bar
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This week, 10 Publicity Hounds have ideas on how Jim Labadie of North Palm Beach, Florida can market and publicize his new Prograde Cravers health bar. It's a healthy snack bar that's round and slightly bigger than an Oreo cookie and covered in dark chocolate. It's available only through fitness instructors.


From Duncan Brodie:

"In the UK, there are lots of food and weight shows on TV and I guess it will be similar in the U.S. and Canada. How about pitching to the producers of these shows to have your products featured? Another idea is to find a health writer who would do a feature on the product."


From Annie Benefield-Lawrence:

"Are you sure you only want to carry them through the gym? How about the health food industry? We offer retreats and have people from around the country. Sometimes we offer healthy snacks. Also, resorts and health spas carry this type of snack for their guests. If you decide to carry them outside the gym, let me know."


From Gail Sideman:

"Another audience you may want to target is business travelers. When my favorite hometown airline ran out of its gourmet meals (for sale, of course) a few weeks ago, I went to my stash of protein bars for dinner! I always take nuts/almonds/fruit on the road to trade shows for when less-than-desirable alternatives are available." Click here to read about "Special Report #27: Fly High with Publicity in the In-flight Magazines" at http://tinyurl.com/6uz9g


The Publicity Hound says:

Contact Parents magazine and other related magazines and suggest they do a blind taste test with a panel of kids, comparing various health bars. I'm betting yours will come out on top. Pitch the story to coincide with the health craze that starts just after the Christmas holidays.


Click here to continue reading all the responses to this Help This Hound question: http://tinyurl.com/37qrfg


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6. Help This Hound
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Donald Hansen of Issaquah, Washington writes:
"Your readers responded well to an earlier question about needing help with our (then-Danish, now US/worldwide) website of Viking Age artifacts in replica at http://www.VikingTrader.net We used some of the suggestions to good effect. We also used your tips on how to get into the inflight magazines.

"Now we have another question that may apply to all of us with websites. How and where do we get into the competition for 'best websites' sponsored by various publications? I think U.S. News & World Report does this, but I'm sure that there are many more. Have you have any suggestions?"


The Publicity Hound says:

I love your question because publicity in top-tier media outlets and in the blogging community can bring a glut of traffic to your website. Before it all starts arriving, however, make sure you're capturing email addresses, like I do. Otherwise the traffic will come, and then leave, and you'll never know who was there and how to contact them. See "Special Report #51: 55 Free Things You Can Offer to Generate Publicity or Capture People's Email Addresses" at http://tinyurl.com/6uz9g

If you're a Hound with a great idea for Donald, click here to post it at my blog: http://tinyurl.com/23wz34


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7. Hound Joke of the Week
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If you are a dog and your owner suggests that you wear a sweater...suggest that he wear a tail. --Fran Lebowitz


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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Halloween story ideas should be pitched now
http://tinyurl.com/3xmjlt


'World of wealth' is topic of new WSJ magazine
http://tinyurl.com/2lvwgo


Make a Difference Day, Oct. 27, a great publicity op
http://tinyurl.com/2jb4ec


'Lola' new lifestyle magazine for Boston women
http://tinyurl.com/2sdlwu


EzineArticles.com adds 27 niche categories
http://tinyurl.com/2vro55


Social media consumers must be fed--here's how
http://tinyurl.com/38vf32


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Where to Meet or Hear The Publicity Hound®


September 18: Teleseminar

"How to Use FREE Publicity to Drive Tons of Traffic to Your Web Site," 8 p.m. Eastern Time. This is part of Michelle Nightengale's four-part teleseminar series for speakers, coaches, consultants, trainers, programmers, designers, and personal assistants on simple, effective marketing strategies to breathe life into your business and multiply your client base and profits in six months or less. Sign up at https://paydotcom.com/r/18572/JoanStewart/1612861/ where you can also listen to the unedited 65-minute roundtable call that previewed the entire series.


Sept. 24: Teleseminar

For members of The Publicity Hound Mentor Program. "How to Encourage Visitors to Comment at Your Blog & Where to Find Good Photos and Artwork to Accompany Your Blog Posts." 1 PM Eastern. Continue reading more about what you can learn in my program at http://www.publicityhound.com/mentorprogram/intro.html


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. 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


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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
U.S.A.
Phone: 262-284-7451 (Central)
Fax: 262-284-1737