More bad news for the publishing industry and for Publicity Hounds who are targeting primarily traditional media. Wal-Mart is purging its racks of more than 1,000 magazine titles. The big loser? Meredith Publications, whose Better Homes & Gardens is out. So is the sister magazine, Ladies’ Home Journal. See which other magazines stay and which ones… Read More
Book promotion tip: ‘Cool Book of the Day’
Here’s a great promotion tip for authors. My friend Dan Janal is willing to promote your books, for free, at his new site called Cool Book of the Day. You need to do three things: 1. Answer the questions below by email. 2. Post a link to the Cool Book of the Day site after the interview… Read More
Ethics dispute blurs line between editorial, advertising
When I worked a newspaper editor 20 years ago, I would have been shocked to hear about a deal like this one between a hospital and a TV station. Today, however, it’s of little surprise. That’s because the line between editorial and advertising is blurred, and it’s getting fuzzier by the minute. WEAU TV-13 in Eau Claire, Wisconsin tried to… Read More
Video pitching will become overused
Thanks to Publicity Hound Laura Jackson for calling attention to the issue of video pitching—in other words, pitching a blogger by creating a clever video in which you are shown delivering the pitch. Blogger Jeremiah Owyang, a web strategist shown here, posted this item in which he raved about the clever video pitch from two authors who wanted… Read More
Publicist wants tips on how to deal with impatient clients
Gail Sideman of Milwaukee, Wisconsin writes: “I’m what the business calls a veteran publicist and media relations professional who has landed quality hits, and believes she does a good job in explaining how a PR or publicity campaign works to those who have never been involved in one. “I outline the fact that an online newsroom… Read More
Family Circle blurb leads to huge traffic spike
When I checked my website and blog statistics recently, I noticed a huge spike in traffic since January 1. Since I wasn’t doing any special promotions, I forgot about it until Diana Ennen, a virtual assistant in Florida, congratulated me for being mentioned in the January issue of Family Circle magazine. “Family Circle?” I asked. “That’s one of the… Read More
Whole Foods magazine will feature only its own products
If your product is for sale at Whole Foods Market, go ahead and pitch a story idea to the editor of Whole Foods magazine. But don’t waste your time pitching if your product isn’t sold there or if you think a story in the magazine can help get your product onto store shelves. That’s the advice… Read More
Another Way to Embarrass a Reporter
Publicity Hound Karen Pierce Gonzalez responded to last week’s item about the St. Louis politician who tried to embarrass a TV investigative reporter by answering the reporter’s question with comments about the reporter’s relationship with Jesus. He ended up embarrassing only himself. If you missed it, it’s the first item here: http://tinyurl.com/2uaubg Karen, who worked… Read More
How are you generating publicity from the primaries?
How are Publicity Hounds generating publicity by piggybacking onto the presidential primaries? Bloggers, how are you tying into the campaign to pull traffic to your blog? Speech coaches, are you critiquing the candidate debates? Leadership experts, are you commenting on Barack Obama’s appeal? Did Hillary Clinton lose or gain points when she almost cried this… Read More
Personal trainer for Boomers needs promotion ideas
Darcy Silvers of Bristol, Pennsylvania writes: “A friend of mine in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, near Philadelphia, is making a midlife career change from the corporate world to starting his own personal training business. “He has traveled the world in his previous jobs, including numerous Third World countries, and is using his insight into the human condition… Read More