What’s behind that four-star rating of a restaurant review at your favorite foodie website? Diners can’t always know for sure. That’s because as online food sites become increasingly influential in the restaurant business, chefs and owners are offering bloggers complimenary meals to get good write-ups, explains an article in Saturday’s Wall Street Journal. In fact, publicists across… Read More
Publicity Blog
Wall Street Journal pitching tip: Show your warts
An article in the October 2007 issue of PR Tactics includes a great tip for pitching the Wall Street Journal and any other business publication. It’s courtesy of Gene Coulter, editorial director at Peppercom in New York and former news editor of the Money Investing section of the Journal. “You need to learn how to think like a… Read More
Public, leased access let you have your own TV show
Wishing and hoping for your own show on national TV? Stop waiting for an invitation to audition. Instead, create your own show on your cable TV company’s public access channel. That’s what foodie Dave Lieberman did when he was a student at Yale University. On his show “Campus Cuisine,” he demonstrated how fellow students could cook… Read More
Festival of Owls in Houston wants promotion ideas
Karla Kinstler of Houston, MN writes: I coordinate the International Festival of Owls, held annually the first weekend in March in the tiny little town of Houston, MN (population 1,020). It began simply as a hatch-day party for Alice the Great Horned Owl, the Houston Nature Center’s only live animal, and grew into an event that… Read More
Salon’s letter to the editor is better than an article
Have you ever picked up the local newspaper and read a glowing story about one of your competitors? And told yourself that the reporter could just as well have written the story about you? Lots of Publicity Hounds have. They throw away their newspapers, and then stomp off grumbling and groaning that their day has… Read More
Targeting teens? Use MySpace and Facebook equally
If you’re targeting teens with a message about your product, service, cause or issue, it’s a mistake to use only MySpace or only Facebook. MediaWeek says that according to a new report issued by Nielsen/NetRatings, U.S. Web users ages 12-17 who regularly visit both MySpace and Facebook spend more time on these sites than users who visit… Read More
New fall TV shows can be tied to your pitch
Michael Smart, national news director for Brigham Young University, generated fabulous publicity for the university several years ago just as the show “Survivor” was debuting on CBS. “We had an honors class at BYU on team-building that had been taught for 13 years, and it wasn’t new,” he said. “The students were told they were stranded on… Read More
Organic industry should be pitching right now
An article in the Oct. 1 issue of PR Week says recent recalls of Mattel toys and microwave popcorn presents the perfect opportunity for companies that make non-toxic, eco-friendly and organic products to generate publicity for their brands. Here are some ideas to get you started: —Restaurants can publicize organic menu offerings. Be willing to talk… Read More
GoodSearch.com raises money for charities, schools
If you’re a charity or a school, or there’s a particular charity or school you support, this tip is for you. Use the GoodSearch search engine whenever you’re looking for information online. After a charity or school adds its name to the website, GoodSearch will pay the group one cent every time someone designates it as the recipient and… Read More
Sonoma County wine country website wants promo ideas
Nancy Hayssen Sonoma County, California writes: “I am a local private pilot and web entrepreneur who has launched a website targeting Sonoma County residents and visitors traveling direct into the area from L.A., Seattle and Portland who want to visit the Wine Country. “The site recently has been ‘taking off’ and I’d love your help. I’m… Read More