You can hardly open a newspaper or turn on the TV these days without noticing somebody crabbing about Wal-Mart. Now they’re going after Starbucks. Penny Stafford, owner of the Seattle-based Belvi Coffee and Tea Exchange Inc., charges in a federal lawsuit that the coffee giant uses anti-competitive tactics to rid itself of competition. The suit,… Read More
Publicity Blog
Celebrity addresses are easier to get with this service
Celebrity addresses are a closely guarded secret. So what do you do if you’re hoping to contact a celebrity and ask if they’ll appear at your special event? Getting contact information for the celebrity is next to impossible, but getting in touch with the people in their inner circle isn’t. The best service for contacting a celebrity’s agent, manager,… Read More
Book about saving the ocean needs publicity tips
Publicity Hound jean Logan of Alexandria, Virginia writes: “I work for a very small nonprofit called the Blue Frontier Campaign. We are building a grassroots movement for ocean and coastal health (we call it the Seaweed Rebellion). We try to teach people that the actions they take in their everyday lives affect ocean health, from… Read More
How to promote classical music company for babies
Publicity Hound Adam Adelman of Fairfax, California writes: “My wife and I have launched a company called Juno Baby and we’re an award-winning and critically-acclaimed premium creator of infant/toddler music and media. “All of our original music was scored for and performed by actual orchestral musicians. All of the original music was written by my wife,… Read More
Spinach crisis: Here are ways you can piggyback
News stories about the spinach-related E. coli outbreaks all over the United States offer lots of opportunity for savvy Publicity Hounds to piggyback onto this story. Here are some ideas off the top of my head: —What’s the effect on restaurants? Have they pulled spinach completely from their menus or are they using frozen spinach… Read More
Unsolicited press releases considered spam—but not by me
If you send an unsolicited press release, will journalists consider it spam? Most probably won’t. But there’s an interesting conversation about this topic at the Poynter Online blog. Amy Gahran, who calls herself a conversational media consultant and content strategist, says she flags unsolicited press releases as spam. I commented and said I love getting bad pitches and unsolicited… Read More
Press releases with a video clip come alive
An online press release that includes a video clip can be incredibly powerful. Readers simply click on the video link and watch a short video of you extolling the benefits of your product or service. Here are other ways you can use video: —Readers can watch you demonstrate a new product. —They can see you interviewing a customer who… Read More
Children’s book about divorce needs marketing tips
Author DK Simoneau of Lakewood, Colorado writes: “I have written a children’s picture book, ‘We’re Having A Tuesday’ that focuses on the issue of divorce. It goes beyond the typical book that centers on divorce not being the child’s fault. Instead, it’s a communication tool meant to help children and adults discuss the frustrations of… Read More
Celebrity gossip: Tie it to your own publicity
For years, Debra Holtzman kept wishing and hoping that she’d generate publicity in top-tier newspapers and magazines and on the big morning TV shows like “Good Morning, America” because of her expertise in child safety. But the wishing and hoping got her a media hit here and there. Then Debra found the key that not… Read More
Political best-seller list in New York Times online editions
The New York Times is adding a new best-seller list for political books. But the line-up is only being posted on the website’s book section, along with the paper’s other best-seller lists. Why only online? I’m guessing because of space considerations in the newspaper. During the last several years, many newspapers have drastically reduced the amount of space they devote… Read More