Having a difficult time understanding the dozens of social networking sites, how to use them in your publicity campaign, and which to use first? Check out this fabulous list, in order of importance, courtesy of Jane Copland at SEOmoz.org. She lists each site’s “pitch,” then gives you her take, pointing out the pros and cons of each… Read More
Online publicity tip: How to become a guest blogger
I just finished my first gig as a guest blogger. Brian DeSpain invited me to write about my best PR tips for start-up businesses, or new businesses that are online. You can read my tips at his Thalasar Ventures blog. Here’s how I got the invitation. Pay attention because this is powerful stuff, and you can use this same strategy to… Read More
Unusual product packaging is worth publicizing
“How do I open this damn thing?” I ask myself in frustration at least once a week. I’m trying to tear the wrapper off a piece of candy, open one of those big padded envelopes, rip the stubborn cellophane off a new CD, or get inside a molded piece of plastic glued to a cardboard backing so I can retrieve the CD headphones I just… Read More
Gift Guide Show June 13 in New York City
If you sell consumer products in one of seven areas, you can meet journalists who want to know about your products by attending the Holiday Gift Guide Show June 13 at the Marriott Marquis in New York City. It’s sponsored by Stark & Associates. The show will feature 50 non-competing exhibitors in the health, home,… Read More
Small newspapers prospering, so contact them now
Amid all the grim news we’ve been hearing about the demise of big-city newspapers, some small newspapers are sitting pretty. An article at WashingtonPost.com says that while the Internet is transforming the largest papers in the business dramatically—siphoning classified advertising and commoditizing national news—many small papers are weathering the decline with relative ease, and some are even prospering.… Read More
Author’s blog pulls 32,000 readers, two-book deal
He blogs about poems, and he started out with a pathetic 10 readers a day.Within two months, he had a two-book deal with a major publisher. It’s not easy to attract a lot of traffic—anybody who blogs knows that. Meet Greg Pincus, who used a system of viral marketing to create buzz for his blog, which he… Read More
YouTube: Perfect place to sponsor a contest
Sponsor a contest on whatever it is you’re promoting, and let the amateur videographers over at YouTube participate. That’s what the nonprofit SmartPower has done. Its national non-profit marketing campaign, which promotes the use of clean renewable energy from sources such as wind, solar and water, is sponsoring a contest at YouTube.com for the most creative… Read More
Book marketing: Pitch high-traffic, niched websites
Here’s a great success story on how authors can get exposure at high-traffic websites by writing a regular column. Mike Archer of Firebomber Publications emailed it to me and I’m reprinting it here. My ‘Firebombers Incorporated’ novels relate the adventures (and misadventures) of a high-tech wildland firefighting outfit that employs a high percentage of ex-military personnel.… Read More
‘The Secret’ offers publicity opportunities galore
You’ve heard of the “The Secret,” haven’t you? It’s the best-selling hardcover book and DVD that tells people how to achieve what they want from their relationships, jobs, finances and future through positive thinking, gratitude for what they have, and envisioning what they want. And Jim Labadie, who coaches personal trainers, has a terrific idea on… Read More
L.A. Times to discontinue book review section
More bad news for authors and publishers who want book reviews in top-tier newspapers. The Wall Street Journal says that sometime this spring, the Los Angeles Times will announce that it’s folding its highly esteemed Sunday book review section, shown at left, into a new section that will combine books with opinion pieces. That leaves only five separate… Read More