She arrived in Milwaukee at age 24 with less than $40 in her purse, learned to speak English and took the streetcar to work. Today, at age 75, Magrit Heitmann still logs up to 1,500 hours a year doing what she loves best–organizing the hundreds of volunteers for Germanfest, one of the signature festivals in… Read More
These email faux pas show you’re clueless
Some time ago I wrote about nerdy websites. If you email anything to the media, make sure you aren’t guilty of these nerdy email blunders: –A subject line that says “News Release” with no clue what the release is about. –A generic greeting such as “Dear Editor.” Always use the editor’s name. If you don’t… Read More
Mossberg recommends MSN Spaces for bloggers
In the Personal Technology column in today’s Wall Street Jurnal, Walter Mossberg recommends Microsoft’s MSN Spaces as the best of the online services for free blogs. “My Verdict: MSN Spaces is very well done,” he says. “It makes it easy to create a simple, attractive blog with text, links and potos, and to customize the… Read More
12 worst mistakes PR people make
It was difficult to pare them down to a dozen, but we did. Of all the mistakes PR people make when working with the media, Jon Greer of Bulldog Reporter’s PR University and Liz Miklya of Weber Shandwick joined me in whittling down the list to 12. We presented them the Media Relations 2005 conference… Read More
Hospitals should show how they pamper patients
Hospitals throughout the U.S. are pampering patients like never before. You can now recuperate after your heart bypass or gall bladder removal in upscale units with suite-sized rooms, gourmet meals, high-thread-count sheets, attentive security, and smiling staff ready to cater to your every whim. A Forbes magazine survey of the 10 Best Luxury Hospitals finds… Read More
Think graphics when pitching
Maps, pie charts, bar charts, illustrations, clever photos and a whole host of other graphic elements that can help readers or TV viewers better understand your story can be part of your pitch to reporters. But don’t suggest graphics right away until you know whether the reporter is interested in your idea. If the reporter… Read More
Don’t blame the reporter for inaccuracies; check first
Reporters get blamed enough for inaccuracies in news stories–sometimes rightly so. Most Publicity Hounds don’t know, however, that mistakes in print and broadcast stories are often caused by other people in the newsroom. So if you don’t like what you see, don’t call the reporter and start screaming into the phone. Find out who committed… Read More
Do homework before hiring a publicist
One of the most frequent complaints I hear from Publicity Hounds is the one about what went wrong when they hired a big PR firm, or a lousy publicist. The nightmares sound like this. Whopping monthly retainers but few media placements. Fresh-out-of-college graduates with little PR experience assigned to major accounts. Sweet-talking publicists who promised… Read More
A free hotline will get you great publicity
Everyone loves free, helpful information. Your customers and clients are no different. So why not create a free hotline where they can call and ask a question about how to use your product or service? Or suggest a product or service they’d like to see you offer. Or get a helpful recorded tip of the… Read More
Deloitte taking nominations for Technology Fast 500
One of the best ways to get free publicity for your company is winning a prestigious award. If you’re a tech company, listen up. Nominations are now being accepted for Deloitte’s Technology Fast 500, which ranks the fastest-growing technology companies in North America, and the Fast 50, which ranks the fastest-growing technology companies in 17… Read More