Publicity Hounds hate spending money on ads when they can generate thousands of dollars in free print space and air time for next to nothing. That said, there might be times when you MUST buy an ad to promote a product. I seldom read ads. But an ad for Huggies Pull-Ups Training Pants, in an… Read More
Public Relations
A high profile can help when your company is for sale
Publicity Hounds usually use the strategies they read about here to sell more products or services, promote books, get speaking engagements, promote a nonprofit, position themselves as experts, or offset negative publicity. Here’s another time when you should try to get the media’s attention: When your company is for sale. Last year, PestPatrol, a company… Read More
A great way to get more PR clients
If you work in the PR industry and you’re fishing for new clients, here’s a clever way to hook ’em. Choose a company that you’re dying to work with. Then keep your eyes open for coverage their competitors are getting. When you see a story written about a competitor, clip it and send it along… Read More
Schmoozing at trade shows
Trade shows are great places to take reporters to lunch and to generate all kinds of publicity. Among the thousands of attendees at trade shows, you’ll sometimes find hundreds of reporters who are hungry for stories about new products and interesting people behind the products. But you must do your homework. –Even before you pack… Read More
Take a reporter to lunch
One way for Publicity Hounds to form relationships with media contacts is to take them to lunch. If you’ve never done this before, it can sound daunting and maybe even downright dangerous. What if you say something stupid? What if you end up with a piece of spinach on your front tooth? What if the… Read More
Know everthing possible about your target audience
If you’re an author, doctor, or other expert who writes about, treats or discusses breast cancer, what magazines would you target if you wanted to pitch a story about the topic? The most obvious answer, of course, is any of the big-circulation women’s magazines like Woman’s Day, Working Woman or Ladies’ Home Journal. Overlooking the… Read More
Don’t be a bodyguard
If you do PR for your company or organization, one of the best things you can do to get in the media’s good graces is to encourage media people to contact your CEO or other sources directly, without demanding that they go through you. Also, don’t act like a bodyguard, shielding Mr. or Ms. Important… Read More
How quickly could you set up an emergency hotline?
The story about the woman who claims she found a finger in Wendy’s chili begs the questions, if a crisis hit your company or organization tomorrow–like a product recall, for example–and you needed a way for customers to quickly contact you for help, how long would it take to get a toll-free hotline installed? How… Read More
Celebrity endorsements
OK, so it isn’t exactly free publicity. But I think its intriguing that an entire industry is being built around getting people’s product in front of celebrities like Oprah and Paris Hilton. In an article titled “Oprah’s Golden Gut,” Fortune Small Business explains how you, too, can get your products, fromfabric belts to robotic vacuum… Read More
Children’s troupe takes its act to trade shows
Publicity Hounds have tips for Melissa Pagan of Tequesta, Florida. She works for a performing arts troupe that specializes in children’s entertainment. Their live shows have an education component that focuses on literacy, and some of their school programs address test-taking tips and techniques for relieving the anxiety of the high-stakes standardized testing. They will… Read More