Here are some ideas on how to promote a product, service, cause or issue by tying it to Halloween, the second largest retail holiday of the year. They’re courtesy of TV producer Shawne Duperon, one of my guests during next week’s media plan teleseminar series: —Sponsor a pumpkin-carving contest at your company. Challenge participants to carve… Read More
Holidays
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
Halloween story ideas should be pitched now
If you sell a product or service related to Halloween, or you’re promoting a cause or issue that ties in, start pitching your story ideas now. Halloween-related stories and magazine covers started showing up as early as Labor Day this year, as the popularity of the holiday seems to grow each year. Halloween is the second… Read More
Papa Jack Weil, the oldest CEO, great Labor Day story
Thanks to professional speaker Robin C. Johnston, an expert at sales, marketing and fundraising, for tipping us off to a perfect Labor Day story: “A news article just aired on TV about Papa Jack Weil, CEO of a Denver-based company. Papa Jack recently turned 106 years old and is believed to be the world’s oldest working… Read More
Spring gift show alerts media to gift-related products
If you have a product that would make a terrific gift for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day or Graduation Day next year, you should know about the Spring Product Media Event, a chance to get your product in front of journalists. Gift List Media and adVance Public Relations will present the event October 24 at the… Read More
Think Jingle Bells
It’s only June, and smart Publicity Hounds should be pitching– right now–the many consumer magazines, wire services and other media that will be featuring holiday gift guides or special holiday features. Many national magazines, for example, work six months in advance. That means that while you’re reading this, editors are sifting through their files looking… Read More
Publicity tip: Green dogs on St. Patrick’s Day
I just received TV reporter Jeff Crilley’s excellent email newsletter which you can subscribe to here, and I wanted to share his terrific tip on one way to generate publicity as St. Patrick’s Day nears. You don’t have to have an Irish pub to tie into this holiday. A few years ago, Kim Morris from Pappy’s Pet… Read More
Do Business in Your Bathrobe Day Feb. 12
If you’re one of those entrepreneurs who’s luck enough to have a home office, and you enjoy the luxury of doing business in your bathrobe, generate a little publicity. Kristie Tamsevicius, at left, founder of Webmomz.com, has chiristened Monday, Feb. 12, has Do Business in Your Bathrobe Day. “Bathrobe Day” has generated publicity for her and other entrepreneurs in… Read More
More ideas for holiday pitches
The weeks leading up to Christmas are the very best times to pitch the media with your story idea. I offered several controversial holiday ideas earlier this week, and I just found a great list of more story ideas with holiday hooks, courtesy of the PRLeap blog. Many of them would be great to pitch to… Read More
Controversial holiday story ideas
Looking for some ink, air time or online publicity in the next few weeks? Consider these controversial holiday stories: Annual brag letters. Do you cringe when you receive a “year in review” letter inside a Christmas card from a friend or family member? Or do you appreciate the update? Are these letters inconsiderate, or a practical… Read More