Attention PR people at agencies large and small, and sole practitioners who need more clients. Writing a column for your local newspaper is a fabulous way of demonstrating your expertise. Land a gig as a regular columnist and it’s akin to being anointed by the publishing company. That’s what happened to PR practitioner Nancy Juetten who’s writing a… Read More
October story ideas to pitch to the media
TV reporter Shawne Duperon and I had a blast brainstorming “103 Sizzling Story Ideas from July through December.” October is bursting with ideas about the second largest retail holiday of the year that you can pitch to newspapers, magazines and TV stations. Here are some we’re suggesting you use: —That pretty pumpkin looks great now, but how can… Read More
Press releases that include an incomplete tips list will send readers to your website
Web marketing expert Larry Chase has a dandy tip on how to lead people who are reading your press release online directly to your website: “I sometimes offer 3 out of 10 tips or trends within my press release and a live link thereafter for readers to jump to my site where they can read… Read More
Wal-Mart, Starbucks dominance a great publicity op for small businesses
You can hardly open a newspaper or turn on the TV these days without noticing somebody crabbing about Wal-Mart. Now they’re going after Starbucks. Penny Stafford, owner of the Seattle-based Belvi Coffee and Tea Exchange Inc., charges in a federal lawsuit that the coffee giant uses anti-competitive tactics to rid itself of competition. The suit,… Read More
Celebrity addresses are easier to get with this service
Celebrity addresses are a closely guarded secret. So what do you do if you’re hoping to contact a celebrity and ask if they’ll appear at your special event? Getting contact information for the celebrity is next to impossible, but getting in touch with the people in their inner circle isn’t. The best service for contacting a celebrity’s agent, manager,… Read More
Book about saving the ocean needs publicity tips
Publicity Hound jean Logan of Alexandria, Virginia writes: “I work for a very small nonprofit called the Blue Frontier Campaign. We are building a grassroots movement for ocean and coastal health (we call it the Seaweed Rebellion). We try to teach people that the actions they take in their everyday lives affect ocean health, from… Read More
How to promote classical music company for babies
Publicity Hound Adam Adelman of Fairfax, California writes: “My wife and I have launched a company called Juno Baby and we’re an award-winning and critically-acclaimed premium creator of infant/toddler music and media. “All of our original music was scored for and performed by actual orchestral musicians. All of the original music was written by my wife,… Read More
Spinach crisis: Here are ways you can piggyback
News stories about the spinach-related E. coli outbreaks all over the United States offer lots of opportunity for savvy Publicity Hounds to piggyback onto this story. Here are some ideas off the top of my head: —What’s the effect on restaurants? Have they pulled spinach completely from their menus or are they using frozen spinach… Read More
Unsolicited press releases considered spam—but not by me
If you send an unsolicited press release, will journalists consider it spam? Most probably won’t. But there’s an interesting conversation about this topic at the Poynter Online blog. Amy Gahran, who calls herself a conversational media consultant and content strategist, says she flags unsolicited press releases as spam. I commented and said I love getting bad pitches and unsolicited… Read More
Press releases with a video clip come alive
An online press release that includes a video clip can be incredibly powerful. Readers simply click on the video link and watch a short video of you extolling the benefits of your product or service. Here are other ways you can use video: —Readers can watch you demonstrate a new product. —They can see you interviewing a customer who… Read More