Ivy Mendoza of Manila, Philippines writes: “My small PR firm just got an account that needs a lot of exposure in the lifestyle sections. The previous PR person had been sacked due to some anomalies which she was supposed to have committed while conniving with the client’s marketing department. “To neutralize the situation, the marketing people have… Read More
Media Relations
What to do when journalists ignore your press releases
Joel Kweskin of Charlotte, NC, asks this week’s Help This Hound question: “What should I do when I send out press releases to, among others, the local newspaper and they simply don’t publish them? I’m talking legitimate and even entertaining news items. “Do you just keep throwing the proverbial stuff against the wall until something sticks? Or, is there… Read More
Did this PR pro err by chastizing a Forbes reporter publicly?
If a reporter at a magazine interviewed you for a story, reassured you that he wouldn’t present you in a bad light, and the story that was published described you exactly as you had feared, would you criticize the reporter publicly? In the old days, most people wouldn’t. “Don’t pick fights with people who buy their ink… Read More
Meeting a journalist? 9 magic phrases the media love
One of the best ways to generate publicity from traditional media outlets is to form a relationship with reporters, editors, broadcasters and freelancers. That’s a critical step that 99 percent of the people miss! And what a shame. If you know what they’re looking for, how to talk to them, how to help them, and… Read More
Media interview? How to deal with a confused journalist
You’re being interviewed by a magazine reporter who clearly doesn’t understand the topic, despite your best efforts to explain it over and over again. What do you do? That’s what a graduate of The Publicity Hound Mentor Program asked me just now. “A staffer recently did repeated interviews with a magazine writer, and sent follow-up emails… Read More
PR interns shouldn’t pitch the media on your behalf
Companies that want to hire a PR firm, or do their own publicity, can find some helpful suggestions in the Forbes.com article The Single Greatest Marketing Tool. One tip, however, is just plain wrong. The article recommends hiring a PR intern from a local college on the cheap, and then using that intern to deal with the press: “Mine… Read More
Your media pitch isn’t dead until you hear the word ‘no’
Several readers saw the item in last week’s newsletter about getting onto “Oprah” and wrote to tell me that they pitched ideas months ago and still haven’t heard back from Oprah’s producers. Can they assume their pitches are in the “deleted” folder? Never! While getting onto “Oprah” is always a long shot, I’ve heard of cases… Read More
SEO tip will encourage journalists, customers to call
If a journalist uses the search engines to search for a source with your expertise, Google may return to her a long list of possibilities on the left side of the screen. There’s a clever trick you can use to prod that journalist into picking up the phone and calling you—even if she’s on deadline… Read More
Writers, pitch your idea to TV producers, agents on Tuesday
If you dream of writing for TV—comedy, drama, reality, or alternative—but you’re not sure you’ve got what it takes, you can pitch your idea to a literary agent and TV producers next week and hear their feedback on your pitch. And it’s all free. Chad Gervich, author of the book Small Screen, Big Picture: A Writer’s Guide to… Read More
How About a Little Good News?
The Publicity Hound’s Tips of the Week Issue #440 March 3, 2009 Publisher: Joan Stewart ========================================== “Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity” ================================ In This Issue ================================ 1. How About a Little Good News? 2. It’s Square Root Day 3. 3 Teleseminars to Help You 4. The Advantage of Freelancers 5. Ugly Patio Furniture… Read More