Michael Smart, national news director for Brigham Young University, generated fabulous publicity for the university several years ago just as the show “Survivor” was debuting on CBS. “We had an honors class at BYU on team-building that had been taught for 13 years, and it wasn’t new,” he said. “The students were told they were stranded on… Read More
Media Relations
Meet reporters at ‘New York’s Funniest Reporter’ contest
I look for every opportunity to help you connect face-to-face with journalists, and this one sounds like fun. Six New York-area journalists and broadcasters will take to the stage in a stand-up comedy competition that will raise money for Operation Uplink, a charity that supports U.S. Troops. The 2nd Annual “New York’s Funniest Reporter” contest will be at 9:30 p.m. October… Read More
The Forward adds bureau to cover Jewish news in L.A.
The Forward, an influential Jewish newspaper published in New York City, is expanding its West Coast coverage, and has opened a Los Angeles bureau. Staff reporter Rebecca Spence will cover a wide range of topics including politics, entertainment, local Jewish news and organizations. Spence has been a staff writer at the Forward on two separate occasions from… Read More
What motivates journalists, bloggers? Most of these 40 things
Attracting a journalist’s or blogger’s attention for your story idea is no different than attracting a consumer’s attention for a product or service. That’s what I concluded when I read What motivates people? Beckwith 40, written by branding expert Harry Beckwith, strategic director of Beckwith Partners, a marketing firm. Take, for example, three of his… Read More
Freelance writers need more lead time
Have a great story idea that you want to pitch to freelancers? If so, give them enough time to work with their client publications. Don’t expect to pitch, then hear from them immediately about whether they’re interested. That’s one of the tips from freelance journalist Helen Chang, who has contributed to Time, BusinessWeek, San Francisco Chronicle and… Read More
BusinessWeek Chicago to launch in November
If you’re pitching Chicago-area business news, watch for BusinessWeek Chicago to debut in November. About 60,000 of BusinessWeek’s local subscribers and other Chicago-area businesses will receive the free-distribution magazine. Michael Arndt, a senior correspondent in BusinessWeek’s local bureau, will be the editor. The magazine, he says, will focus on long, analytical articles. Each issue is expected to be about 36… Read More
Grant recipients: Tell the rest of the story
Thanks to Publicity Hound Beth Bilderback, public relations specialist for Nauticus, a marine science center in Norfolk, Virginia, for this tip that can be used by anyone who receives grant money: “This summer, we received a hefty grant to fund two oceanography camps for two separate groups of 10th-graders. One requirement was that the students… Read More
Freelancers: Your Secret Weapon
PR people spend huge amounts of time pitching the most influential writers at top-tier media outlets, and too little time finding freelancers who already have built strong relationships with those same newspapers and magazines. Finding freelancers isn’t always easy. But once you know who they are, they can be your secret weapon to publicity. Here… Read More
Media interviews frightening? This card deck will help
At times, I dislike doing media interviews, particularly with reporters at top-tier publications whose interview style makes me feel rushed, or I suspect the journalist is either dense or biased. Crisis counselor Lou Hampton of the Hampton Group in Washington, D. C. says we don’t have to be afraid. He offers these six handy phrases to use during interviews: “Let… Read More
Pitching top-tier editors? Let them critique your pitch
Aching to get into the New York Times, Time magazine, Forbes or People magazine? The Harvard Business Review? USA Today? Or Inc.? The Expertizing Forum, hosted by publicity expert Fern Reiss, one of my favorite Publicity Hounds, connects you with journalists writing for the most important publications in America. Each week for five months, you submit a… Read More