OK, all you speech coaches. This is the night you’ve been waiting for, so don’t blow it. President Bush will deliver his State of the Union address to Congress and people all across America at 9 PM Eastern Time. But this is YOUR night to shine, speech coaches. That’s because if you’re smart, you’ll offer… Read More
How to promote a helicopter charter service
Lauren Tarne of Dallas, Texas writes: “I have a client who is a high-end helicopter charter service in New York City—obviously a very crowded local market. I am struggling to think of opportunities for them because they don’t like doing free promo flights because of the high costs associated and they don’t have any clients… Read More
Crain’s Chicago editor offers tips on how to get into his paper
I swear I’m not making this up. PR people actually call newspapers and ask journalists, “Can you help me get a client into your paper?” As in, “My butt’s in a sling, and I need a media hit—fast!” As in, “I can’t convince anybody else to write about this guy. Do you mind if we… Read More
What you can do to fight bias in the media
I just finished reading the book “Bias—A CBS Insider Exposes How the Media Distort the News,” written by former CBS correspondent Bernard Goldberg and published about five years ago. It hit No. 1 on the New York Times best-seller list. So do I think the media slant the news? I thought they did long before Goldberg’s book. I’m a… Read More
How to create an Experts Directory to promote your experts
If you have numerous experts within your company, nonprofit, government agency, trade association or other group, are you making it easy for the media to find them within seconds? For most of you, I’ll bet the answer is no. Take a cue from colleges and universities, which publish annual “experts directories.” The directory is an… Read More
Press releases about new books should explain where readers can buy them
One of the biggest mistakes authors make is sending a press release about their new book to the media, but failing to mention where people can buy the book. I know this because I feature books in my subscription newsletter, The Publicity Hound. At least 7 out of 10 releases, even those sent by major publishing… Read More
Dan Poynter adds second ezine for authors
Publishing expert Dan Poynter, who every author should be watching and following closely, is starting a second ezine for authors. The current monthly ezine, titled Your Publishing Poynters, has 25,000 subscribers and is packed with information for authors and publishers. “Last November, we started a new section in Publishing Poynters:ParaWants-Reviews (on Amazon and B&N wanted),” Dan writes in today’s… Read More
Piggyback onto prime-time TV shows for publicity
So much for the Rev. Daniel Webster, the pill-popping Episcopal priest, and his dysfunctional family. NBC has canceled “The Book of Daniel,” the Friday night drama that featured the Vicodin-addicted priest, his boozing wife, gay son and a bisexual aunt. Oh yeah. And don’t forget Jesus. What a shame. I never saw the show. But the… Read More
How to find freelancers and start forming relationships
When it comes to forming valuable relationships with media people who can help you, treat freelance writers with the same respect you would staff writers. Here’s why they can be so valuable to your publicity campaign: —If you pitch a freelancer, it’s their job to tweak the pitch, flesh out the story, and sell the… Read More
How to promote a book for writers
C. Hope Clark of Phoenix, Arizona writes: “I am author of THE SHY WRITER: An Introvert’s Guide to Writing Success. The thrust of the book is “Sell your words, not your soul” and it is designed for people who cringe at getting up in front of people. It helps them come up with alternatives to… Read More