In the old days, booking a coveted spot on “Oprah” was one of the most difficult tasks a Publicity Hound could face. But there were some tricky ways to get around the problem. You simply recorded a show, then watched the recording in slow motion, checking the credits at the end for names of producers… Read More
Publicity Blog
Terrorist plot story had some great tie-ins
I saw two clever tie-ins to last week’s big story about Scotland Yard breaking up the terrorist plot to blow up as many as 10 U.S.-bound passenger jets. Michelle Tennant of Wasabi Publicity Inc. and her team of 10 publicists immediately started pitching story ideas about their client, SATSair, which provides “air taxi’ services. (Update on… Read More
Sidebars enhance your story pitch
If you’re pitching a story idea to journalists, give them a little something extra that will prompt them to say “tell me more.” I’m referring specifically to what’s called a sidebar. It’s a short, often boxed auxiliary news story that’s printed alongside the longer article and typically presents additional information such as statistics or bullet points. Let’s… Read More
Executive Travel wants new tech products, services
If you offer technology products or services that can save the small business person money, let Leah Ingram of Executive Travel magazine know. She’s writing a round-up and needs to hear about new gadgets and tools (both offline and online) that people haven’t heard a lot about and are relatively new to the market. Also, if you can hook her… Read More
Heat wave offers great opportunities for publicity
This time of year, the media are looking for every interesting angle they can find that ties into heat waves. Al Tompkins, whose blog gives newspaper reporters great story ideas, has a bunch of heat-related examples in this post. They include: How Muslim and Orthodox Jewish women cope with the heat while adhering to religious rules… Read More
Public Relations, Inc. website a wolf in disguise
Thanks to Publicity Hound Gaye Carleton of Mantra Public Relations in New York City for tipping me off to this super-sleazy (as in dishonest) website owned by a company calling itself Public Relations, Inc. The hyperlink provided above sometimes leads to an error page, which is just as well. When I clicked on it a few days ago,… Read More
Need publicity for a charity? Former WSJ reporter offers tips
If your charitable organization or nonprofit needs publicity, stop trying to convince the media how “newsworthy” you are. Instead, give media outlets what they want. That’s great advice, and it comes from Dean Rotbart, a former Wall Street Journal reporter who is host and executive producer of Newsroom Confidential, the one-hour live radio program from KRLA… Read More
Gifts for print journalists? Don’t you dare
Publicity Hound Ek Dari writes: “I’ve been reading your tips for quite some time now, and love the articles and ezine. “One question I had was about thanking an editor or journalist. What is the standard on that? I have had successful placements in the New York Times, Washington Post, Fortune, and top-tier magazines, but am not sure how… Read More
Food editors love stories about your harvest
Our huge garden is producing green beans faster than we can pick them. Two weekends ago, a friend and I canned 56 jars of cherry jam. Next on my to-do list are canning beets and dill pickles, followed by homemade applesauce in September. I’ll also set aside a Saturday sometime next month for the annual pesto-making extravaganza… Read More
How to promote a podcast for women
Kit Behling of Milwaukee, Wisconsin writes: The writers of “Single Married Widowed Divorced” need your help. We are a group of technologically challenged, over-35 women who have jumped on the podcasting bandwagon—uh, make that bandwidth. We have a website and a play and a weekly podcast in which we examine real women’s relationship stories. “Each week… Read More