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
Prep your CEO for TV interviews
PR Week offers some great tips on how to prepare your CEO for TV interviews. Most of these items are useful for print and radio, too. They’re courtesty of Jerry Doyle, EVP at CommCore Consulting Group. 1. How well does he know the subject matter for the interview? It is perfectly reasonable to expect that… Read More
5 ways to drive sales with online publicity
Small-business marketing expert Lois Carter Fay, APR suggests these 5 ways to drive sales with online publicity: –Use others to promote you. Create something “viral”–something that people love to pass on to their associates–and you can really rake in the sales. When you think “viral,” think fun, useful or something that everyone wants, like a… Read More
Buckle Up Florida campaign gets ideas galore
Jennifer Marko of Tampa, Florida wantes to know how to promote the “Buckle Up Florida” campaign designed to encourage people to use their seatbelts. Here are a few ideas. From Dan Limbach of Oak Park, Illinois: Give an unusual twist to the concept of the “cutest baby” photo contest. Ask people to submit the most… Read More
“Savvy Senior” columnist self-syndicates
Every so often, an excited Publicity Hound writes to tell me about a terrific idea for a column they want to write and sell to one of the big news syndicates so they can become rich and famous like Dear Abby, Ann Landers, Mike Royko and hundreds of others. Not so fast, I tell them.… Read More