Suzanne Falter-Barns, the expert at building your platform, passes along this great tip for anyone who needs a good-quality photo, but doesn’t want to resort to using the photographer at the local department store, or the camera in cousin Louie’s cellphone. Check out Look Better Online, a website that’s a directory of professional photographers in 6,000… Read More
Publicity Blog
Watches for lawyers: A clever product that needs publicity ideas
Lisa Solomon of Ardsley, New York writes: “My husband and I, both attorneys, are partners in The Billable Hour Company. We make watches and clocks especially for lawyers, with dials divided into six-minute increments–the same way many lawyers bill. “Our product is a lighthearted take on the concept of the billable hour and it’s the… Read More
A bra that deflects bullets? Details, please
Reporters are taught from Day One to always get pertinent details. Like the name of the cat that died in a housefire. Or the height of the basketball star who hit his head on the top of a doorway and had a concussion. This amusing post by the Poynter Institute titled “Get the name of that bra” reminds us of… Read More
Article directories abound: Post to sites with a Google page ranking of 4 or higher
Rik Feeney of GymnasticsTrainingTips.com asks this question about posting article online: “What experience do you have with article submission sites? Are they worth the time and effort? I recently received info from this site and it intrigued me, but then I thought to myself, “What would Joan Stewart do?” The Publicity Hound says: There are lots… Read More
Publicity photos will look better if you follow these tips
If you’re taking your own photos and submitting them to the media, increase your chances of getting them printed by following tips from Gregg McLachlan at the Newscollege website. They include: —No “execution-at-dawn” photos. —No photos of people smiling when the subject matter is serious. —The best photographers do more than move their finger on the… Read More
Feng shui instructor needs ideas on how to use controversy for publicity
Debra Blackmon of Bakersfield, California writes: “This morning, a popular local radio host blasted the inclusion of Feng Shui workshops at our local community center this summer. “The reason? Feng Shui is a religion and non-Christian and shouldn’t be taught at the community forum. I’m the instructor of the workshop (and a Christian). I want to… Read More
Book marketing tip: Hand people your book
Book marketing guru John Kremer offers this terrific tip for authors: when someone asks you about your book, don’t just stand there and talk about it. Hand it to them. Susan Crook, author of the book Personaltiy Insights for Moms, told John that she took his advice when a man asked her why she was reading… Read More
Katrina first anniversary means publicity opportunity
Tom Warneka of Cleveland, Ohio writes: “I spent two weeks in southern Mississippi last fall as a mental health worker with the Red Cross. We’re quickly coming up the first anniversary on August 29 of Hurricane Katrina. “As a way of promoting my book ‘Leading People the Black Belt Way: Conquering the Five Core Problems Facing… Read More
When a reporter calls, here’s what to ask
Publicity Hounds spend so much time worrying about their pitch—how long it takes, what it looks like, what it sounds like, and the number of words it requires—that they’re often unaware of how to react when the journalist makes the first move and calls them. Your first inclination might be to brace yourself for the just see… Read More
Pay-per-play alive and well, survey shows
If you’re relatively certain you’ll get a good media placement because your story can stand on its own two feet, guess again. You might be elbowed out by somebody who had the big bucks to pay journalists to cover it. Almost half of the 266 marketing executives polled by PR Week and Manning Selvage & Lee, a PR… Read More