About half the posts on the popular blog Gawker deal with pop culture and celebrity gossip. That’s why it’s all too easy to dismiss this blog as frivolous. But Michael Sebastian, a former Chicago newspaper reporter who writes for Ragan Communications, says Gawker is must reading for anybody in PR. That’s because the other half of… Read More
Public Relations
Crisis at your company? Consider embedding reporters
When seven people in the Chicago area died in 1982 after ingesting Tylenol capsules which had been laced with potassium cyanide poison, Johnson & Johnson moved quickly to manage the crisis. The company embedded journalists in meetings with top management so they could hear first-hand all the issues and problems the company faced. That move, and others, were brilliant. Johnson… Read More
How can Michigan promote itself to Hollywood producers?
Milan Stevanovich of Detroit, Michigan writes: “Michigan just passed a 40 percent rebate to companies filming movies and TV programs in the state. If you use Michigan companies and labor, you get a 40 percent instant rebate after production—big savings for number-crunching entertainment financiers. “For the last three weeks, my associates and I have schmoozed a dozen… Read More
Bury bad news with online press releases
It could be a lawsuit against your company. Or a health department violation against your restaurant. Or a post at somebody’s blog, written by a rabble-rouser who wants to drag your name through the mud and destroy your business. If it’s bad news and it’s online, it could live on forever. Anybody who uses the… Read More
Video tour of your website will impress journalists, others
One of the best ways to use video for publicity is to give visitors to your website the red-carpet treatment by taking them on a video tour of your site. I’m creating a video right now for that very purpose, using Camtasia Studio 5.0. It’s a software program that captures whatever is on your monitor screen. The… Read More
A virtual assistant can help with personal calls, too
If you’ve hired a virtual assistant, or you’re considering hiring one, let your VA help you with more than just your business. Delegate many of your personal calls to her. Here’s an example. When my local Pick ‘n Save supermarket stopped carrying Jennie-O turkey sausage links, one of my favorite breakfast foods, they told me that if I… Read More
High school musicals contest sponsored by USA Weekend
USA Weekend magazine is looking for the best high school musicals. Students, parents and schools are invited to enter the second annual HSM Showstopper event. Any musical performed during the 2007-2008 school year is eligible. The winning show will be announced and featured in a late spring issue of USA Weekend magazine. In a separate contest,… Read More
Brett Favre press conference a class act & PR touchdown
Here’s what Publicity Hounds can learn from retiring Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre’s press conference today: —Speak from the heart. Trying hard to fight back tears, Favre sobbed for several minutes and held nothing back while explaining why he decided to leave (“I know I can play but I know I don’t want to”), what he’ll do next (“nothing”) and… Read More
What you can learn from TripAdvisor.com’s ’10 Dirtiest Hotels’
In today’s newsletter, “The Publicity Hound’s Tips of the Week,” I wrote about the “10 Dirtiest Hotels” contest sponsored by TripAdvisor.com. The annual contest draws attention to TripAdvisor’s “Travelers’ Choice Award Winners” in 10 categories, from the Best Luxury Hotels to the Best Inns and B&Bs. Each year, consumers nominate the filthiest hotels, then weigh in with… Read More
Print a Reporter’s Face on Candy
Here’s another idea I suggested when I spoke on Saturday in Pittsburgh. Linda Roundtree, owner of Custom Chocolate Creations in suburban Pittsburgh, was in the audience. She can imprint someone’s photo or logo on a piece of chocolate, like the one you see at her website at http://tinyurl.com/2u8m7v On Saturday, she brought one piece of… Read More