If you’re trying to get into Newsday, the New York daily paper with almost a half-million circulation, pay attention to these pitching tips from associate editor A.J. Carter, courtesy of Bulldog Reporter’s excellent Journalists Speak Out newsletter: —Make your online newsrooms easier to navigate. (Listen to the hour-long interview I did with Drew Gerber of Presskit… Read More
Media Relations
Online tools for journalists: Here are Top 3
Knowing what tools journalists use to do their jobs can help Publicity Hounds, who need to do research for articles, opinion columns, letters to the editor, and sometimes even pitches to journalists and bloggers. Amy Gahran, content strategist and info-provocateur from Boulder, Colorado, lists her Top 3 Online Tools for Journalists for Poynter Online. Furl, a free service… Read More
Northwest Airlines PR nosedives due to tips booklets
Is anybody awake in bankrupt Northwest Airlines’ PR department? How could anyone—even somebody with a brain the size of a pea—let the company distribute tips booklets titled “101 Ways to Save Money” to employees whose pay has just been slashed? The booklets offer these tips: Shop in thrift stores Take a date for a walk in the woods… Read More
Nag Oprah? Try it at your own risk
I despise Internet petitions and am sick to death of being asked to “sign” my name for whatever and pass it along “to everyone in your address book.” Then along comes this post at book marketing guu John Kremer’s blog about a petition being circulated by an author who wants to get onto “Oprah.” In at least… Read More
Sidebars enhance your story pitch
If you’re pitching a story idea to journalists, give them a little something extra that will prompt them to say “tell me more.” I’m referring specifically to what’s called a sidebar. It’s a short, often boxed auxiliary news story that’s printed alongside the longer article and typically presents additional information such as statistics or bullet points. Let’s… Read More
Need publicity for a charity? Former WSJ reporter offers tips
If your charitable organization or nonprofit needs publicity, stop trying to convince the media how “newsworthy” you are. Instead, give media outlets what they want. That’s great advice, and it comes from Dean Rotbart, a former Wall Street Journal reporter who is host and executive producer of Newsroom Confidential, the one-hour live radio program from KRLA… Read More
Gifts for print journalists? Don’t you dare
Publicity Hound Ek Dari writes: “I’ve been reading your tips for quite some time now, and love the articles and ezine. “One question I had was about thanking an editor or journalist. What is the standard on that? I have had successful placements in the New York Times, Washington Post, Fortune, and top-tier magazines, but am not sure how… Read More
Press releases just got easier thanks to this free tutorial
Writing press releases isn’t easy. If you think I’m wrong, take this little quiz. Answer true or false to the following statements: I write press releases primarily to encourage journalists at newspapers and magazines to write articles about my company, or for broadcasters who will feature us on the news or invite us as guests on talk shows.… Read More
When a reporter calls, here’s what to ask
Publicity Hounds spend so much time worrying about their pitch—how long it takes, what it looks like, what it sounds like, and the number of words it requires—that they’re often unaware of how to react when the journalist makes the first move and calls them. Your first inclination might be to brace yourself for the just see… Read More
Pay-per-play alive and well, survey shows
If you’re relatively certain you’ll get a good media placement because your story can stand on its own two feet, guess again. You might be elbowed out by somebody who had the big bucks to pay journalists to cover it. Almost half of the 266 marketing executives polled by PR Week and Manning Selvage & Lee, a PR… Read More