Barbara Florio Graham of Gatineau, Quebec, Canada writes: “The 20th anniversary edition of my popular book, Five Fast Steps to Better Writing, just came out this fall, and I’d like to capitalize on the ‘five fast steps’ theme (which is also the title of my second book, Five Fast Steps to Low-Cost Publicity), by arranging… Read More
Publicity Blog
Get into this directory of experts
When news breaks and journalists need to find sources to interview, they can’t waste time Googling under certain words or phrases, then wading through a long list of websites and articles in search of the perfect source. Many of them go directly to Yearbook.com, a website where they can search among the thousands of sources… Read More
How to research reporters and other media contacts
As I was writing the previous tip about the “Coats for Kids” drive, I couldn’t remember all the details. So I Googled weatherman Vince Condella. Here’s what I learned about him within about 30 seconds: –He rides a Harley. –He’s a “Seinfeld” junkie. –He likes guitar music, quality coffee and ice hockey. –He was named… Read More
Piggyback off Media Charities
I never guarantee you’ll get publicity by following my tips. But this tip falls into the category of an “almost guarantee.” While watching the local FOX TV news recently, I saw a short news item about a group of first-graders at a Milwaukee elementary school. They were shown singing a song to the tune of… Read More
How to promote hobby railroads
Susan Robinson of Red Bluff, California writes: “We publish two hobby railroad magazines in a niche market. We reach people who either own commercial scale railroads (those large enough to ride in) or who own or are building their own private railways. Many people remember these trains from when they were children at amusement parks,… Read More
Dishing the dirt on Pantene bribing journalists
Back where I come from in the world of newspapers, an editor would practically pull off a reporter’s fingers, one by one with a pair of pliers—then fire the sinner—for accepting a can of caramel corn from a source who wanted to say “thanks” at Christmas. The caramel corn, and other gifts that came to… Read More
PR Week awards deadline is Friday
When I worked as a newspaper reporter, nothing made my day more than winning a writing award from one of my trade associations. It’s no different if you work in PR. So you might want to hustle if you haven’t yet entered the 2006 PRWeek Awards. The deadline is Friday, October 14. The awards really… Read More
What do to when reporters won’t mention your name in an article
Here’s a common problem Publicity Hounds run into when they’re so eager for publicity that they’ll do almost anything for a journalist. Last week, a reader asked, “I spent a lot of time talking to a reporter and we really hit it off. But when she wrote the article, I was surprised to see she… Read More
How to promote caps for Latinos
Diane White of Venice, Florida writes: “I developed and patented an angled sportswear cap and have been promoting it on my own for the past 6 years. I have written press releases and have been blessed with several local articles. But that has not captured buyers and licensees. “You can see the Side-cap at my… Read More
Create a “Top 10” list
If your company or nonprofit serves a national or international audience, here’s a great idea publicity idea you can steal. Ditto if you’re an author, speaker or consultant. One of the ideas in my ebook “How to be a Kick-butt Publicity Hound” is to create a list of the top 10 cities or states that are… Read More