Donald Hansen of Issaquah, Washington, whose company makes Nordic jewelry, wants to know how to promote the products. From Margaret Vos of Wellington, New Zealand: "How about finding some Nordic genealogy sites and offering your products through them? If I were of Nordic descent, I’d love to buy something meaningful and historical for grandma, mom,… Read More
How to Get Booked on “The View”
After finally landing a spot on a major TV talk show, publicists and guests sometimes make the big mistake of thanking the wrong person. They send flowers, or candy, or baskets of muffins, or cute little gifts that they know the Barbara Walters and Joy Behars of the world will love. But they ignore the… Read More
Beware of the confidante
File this under the category of tricks reporters use to loosen your lips. I’m speaking specifically about the reporter who acts like a confidante–a trusted friend who is standing by ready to hear about your problems, and then commiserate. Here are phrases they might use: "Don’t you think it’s terrible that…" "I don’t think it’s… Read More
Dad gets ideas for promoting “Father of a Preemie”
Jeff Stimpson of New York, New York wrote the book "Alex: The Fathering of a Preemie" and wants ideas on how to get speaking engagements throughout the U.S. to promote the book. From Christina Steder of Milwaukee, Wisconsin: "I would suggest partnering with the March of Dimes. They are in the midst of a five-year,… Read More
Photographer puts local spin on Steve Fossett story
Thanks to Publicity Hound Stephen Brockelman of Las Vegas for explaining the clever way he managed to be the local angle to Steve Fossett’s quest to fly around the world in Global Flyer non-stop. "Watching GlobalFlyer.com, I noticed that after crossing the Pacific coast near Los Angeles, the plane would be flying at 45,000+ feet… Read More
Publicize older workers
When my financial planner asked me a few months ago how old I expect to be when I retire and I said 75, she told me in so many words she thought I was nuts. "I have the best job in the world," I said. "Why would I want to put The Publicity Hound out… Read More
Painting pregnant bellies
How’s this for an interesting trend? A mini-industry is springing up, focusing on the protruding bellies of pregnant women and the artists who paint them. I learned about it recently, just after I spoke at the TransWorld Halloween Costume & Party Show in Chicago. RoByn Thompson, a frustrated audience member, approached me after my presentation… Read More
Create fun for reporters
Opening a new pizza shop? Invite a reporter to the shop so the client can teach her how to make a pizza. Tell her she’ll even learn how to twirl the dough around on her fist, then throw it up in the air and catch it. Opening a hardware store? Invite a reporter to a… Read More
Yahoo gets mountains of publicity for 10th anniversary
Yahoo didn’t need any clever publicity hooks to promote its 10th anniversary recently. There was more than enough for the media to cover, including interviews with co-founders Jerry Yang and David Filo, who parlayed Yahoo Inc. from a college hobby into a full-time job. Today, the thirtysomethings are billionaires. But two clever anniversary promotions caught… Read More
Top 10 trends in 10 industries
If you’re looking for trend stories to pitch and you’re coming up dry, find the Jan. 31, 2005 edition of the Wall Street Journal. It included a special section called “The Top 10 Trends in 10 Industries.” The industries are consumer electronics, video games, credit cards, higher education, architecture, music, accounting, agriculture, furniture and defense.… Read More