A freelance PR person just emailed me and asked, “Did you ever or can you recommend a resource on how to become a magazine columnist?” I told her that several years ago, I wrote “Special Report #34: Secrets to Becoming a Columnist in Newspapers and Magazines.” It advises writers to offer columns for free and not ask… Read More
Craigslist
Wal-Mart offers free online classified ads
Are you selling a car or real estate? Looking for someone to fill a job? Selling concert or sports tickets or miscellaneous items? If so, take advantage of Wal-Mart’s new free classified ads which the giant retailer started offering about three weeks ago in partnership with Oodle.com, which aggregates listings from more than 80,000 local and… Read More
Help a designer promote a wardrobe survey for women
Merri Cvetan of Big Bend, Wisconsin writes: “As an interior designer, I’m always looking for ways to drive people to my website and business. “I am creating a fun survey to find out the relationship between a woman’s wardrobe and the colors she decorates her home with. I will offer a designer notebook to one or… Read More
Don’t let Craigslist’s bad publicity discourage you from posting
Every month or so, it seems, we’re hearing one more story about how somebody committed a crime with help from Craigslist. In March, a New York City prostitute was killed after meeting a client on the world’s largest classified ad bulletin board. Two weeks ago, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that a 15-year-old Wisconsin girl who ran away from home sold… Read More
Explain how to find a lost dog or a lost (fill in the blank)
I lost my dog, Bogie, on Sunday night while taking her for a walk in a residential neighborhood about a mile from our home—shortly after sunset, with temperatures in the 20s and falling fast. It was trash day the next day on the street where we were walking. When she brushed up against a trash bag filled with… Read More
‘Meanest Mom on the Planet’ uses classified ad to sell son’s car
Thanks to Publicity Hound Bryan Todd of Lincoln, Nebraska for tipping me off to this fun story. Buying newspaper classified ads is an expensive way to spread the word about whatever you’re promoting. But guess who reads the classifieds? Reporters—lots of them. That’s where they find the low-hanging fruit in the form of clever, funny… Read More
Family Circle blurb leads to huge traffic spike
When I checked my website and blog statistics recently, I noticed a huge spike in traffic since January 1. Since I wasn’t doing any special promotions, I forgot about it until Diana Ennen, a virtual assistant in Florida, congratulated me for being mentioned in the January issue of Family Circle magazine. “Family Circle?” I asked. “That’s one of the… Read More
Find a writer with free classified ads
If you’re looking for a freelance writer writer for your press releases, articles, a bio for your media kit, or anything else, Angela Adair-Hoy offers free classified ads in her excellent ezine, WritersWeekly.com. Send her an email and let her know what you need. Her ezine is one of the few I stop to read, no matter… Read More
Online event calendars: Which are your favorites?
OK, all you publicists and self-promoters. I’m in the market for the very best online calendar directories, preferably free, where you can post blurbs about your events. I’ll trade you six of mine for six of yours—or even just one of yours. Here are some of the sites we’re using: Full Calendar costs $19.95 per post, but… Read More
Attract more clients with these 6 strategies
During these slow days of summer, I hear people complaining that business is flat. If you need more clients, consider these six ideas: Start blogging. The search engines love timely, content-rich blogs, particularly on niche topics. The more you blog, the more traffic you’ll get. Also, start posting comments at blogs written for the same target… Read More