I’m thrilled to be a new columnist for SOHO Business Report, a quarterly magazine for Canadian small office/home office business owners. My first column is due September 1, and I’m looking for publicity success stories from Canadian SOHOs. Tell me: How you got publicity for a product, service, cause or issue. How you pitched a… Read More
Northwest Airlines PR nosedives due to tips booklets
Is anybody awake in bankrupt Northwest Airlines’ PR department? How could anyone—even somebody with a brain the size of a pea—let the company distribute tips booklets titled “101 Ways to Save Money” to employees whose pay has just been slashed? The booklets offer these tips: Shop in thrift stores Take a date for a walk in the woods… Read More
Nag Oprah? Try it at your own risk
I despise Internet petitions and am sick to death of being asked to “sign” my name for whatever and pass it along “to everyone in your address book.” Then along comes this post at book marketing guu John Kremer’s blog about a petition being circulated by an author who wants to get onto “Oprah.” In at least… Read More
Oprah booking: More difficult than ever
In the old days, booking a coveted spot on “Oprah” was one of the most difficult tasks a Publicity Hound could face. But there were some tricky ways to get around the problem. You simply recorded a show, then watched the recording in slow motion, checking the credits at the end for names of producers… Read More
Terrorist plot story had some great tie-ins
I saw two clever tie-ins to last week’s big story about Scotland Yard breaking up the terrorist plot to blow up as many as 10 U.S.-bound passenger jets. Michelle Tennant of Wasabi Publicity Inc. and her team of 10 publicists immediately started pitching story ideas about their client, SATSair, which provides “air taxi’ services. (Update on… Read More
Sidebars enhance your story pitch
If you’re pitching a story idea to journalists, give them a little something extra that will prompt them to say “tell me more.” I’m referring specifically to what’s called a sidebar. It’s a short, often boxed auxiliary news story that’s printed alongside the longer article and typically presents additional information such as statistics or bullet points. Let’s… Read More
Executive Travel wants new tech products, services
If you offer technology products or services that can save the small business person money, let Leah Ingram of Executive Travel magazine know. She’s writing a round-up and needs to hear about new gadgets and tools (both offline and online) that people haven’t heard a lot about and are relatively new to the market. Also, if you can hook her… Read More
Heat wave offers great opportunities for publicity
This time of year, the media are looking for every interesting angle they can find that ties into heat waves. Al Tompkins, whose blog gives newspaper reporters great story ideas, has a bunch of heat-related examples in this post. They include: How Muslim and Orthodox Jewish women cope with the heat while adhering to religious rules… Read More
Public Relations, Inc. website a wolf in disguise
Thanks to Publicity Hound Gaye Carleton of Mantra Public Relations in New York City for tipping me off to this super-sleazy (as in dishonest) website owned by a company calling itself Public Relations, Inc. The hyperlink provided above sometimes leads to an error page, which is just as well. When I clicked on it a few days ago,… Read More
Need publicity for a charity? Former WSJ reporter offers tips
If your charitable organization or nonprofit needs publicity, stop trying to convince the media how “newsworthy” you are. Instead, give media outlets what they want. That’s great advice, and it comes from Dean Rotbart, a former Wall Street Journal reporter who is host and executive producer of Newsroom Confidential, the one-hour live radio program from KRLA… Read More