Colleen Schmid of Heathrow, Fla. Writes: “I’ve recently started a new business teaching families how to start going green in their homes. I go through their homes and, room by room, show them what things they can be doing to save on power and water bills as well as removing toxins. I will also begin… Read More
News & Events
More publicity for Dallas hardware store after Bush visits
Tying celebrities to your news story can generate publicity you never dreamed of. But if the celebrity responds, the publicity can multiply. That’s what happened to Elliott’s Hardware in Dallas, Texas yesterday when former President George W. Bush stopped in for a one-hour visit, bought a few items and joked that he was looking for… Read More
Home & garden show needs promotion ideas FAST
Lori Feldman of St. Louis, Mo. writes: “My client is a home and garden show that’s produced in four cities—Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Indianapolis and Portland—from late February through early March. “We’re launching a social media plan for this company that has done nothing but traditional advertising for the last 50 years! Last year was the… Read More
How a Dallas hardware store generated national publicity
Here’s how a locally owned independent hardware store in Dallas, Texas piggybacked off President Bush leaving office and generated a ton of national publicity when the Associated Press picked up the story. Elliott’s Hardware in Dallas invited former President George W. Bush to spend his retirement working as a part-time greeter at its Maple Avenue store. It mailed… Read More
Help promote a Wisconsin retirement community art show
Kendra Hinzmann of Oshkosh, Wisconsin writes: “I am the director for a fine art exhibit space within an upscale retirement community. This new venture was mostly set in place as life enrichment for the residents, but I really wanted to include the community as well. “I got on board with the local Gallery Walks (over… Read More
NPR canceling ‘Day to Day,’ ‘News & Notes’
National Public Radio is canceling “Day to Day,” and “News & Notes” March 29 and laying off 7 percent of its staff, after experiencing sharp declines in funding, especially from corporate sponsors. Twenty-two journalists will lose their jobs, including hosts Madeleine Brand and Farai Chideya. The shows are both based in Culver City, Calif., at NPR West, a… Read More
T-shirt companies need ideas to generate publicity, sales
This week, I received two Help this Hound questions from the owners of businesses that sell T-shirts. I’m including both of them here because their problem is similar—how to attract attention and generate publicity and interest for their shirts. Here are the two questions: Andrea Ayers of Boulder, Colorado writes: “I own Tees For Change,… Read More
Meet me at Social Media Summit Sept. 10-12 in Chicago
Response to the two teleseminars I’m hosting today and tomorrow on “How to Use LinkedIn to Promote Anything–Ethically & Powerfully” has been overwhelming. I sold the last of the 100 seats on Tuesday morning. (You can still sign up to receive the MP3 audio and electronic transcripts, however.) Anybody who has a LinkedIn profile must know how to squeeze… Read More
Unusual weather a perfect chance to pitch weather stories
Flooding in the Midwest. Wild fires in California. Snow in the Northwest. Scorching heat on the East Coast. And it’s still only spring. This is the time to pitch weather stories. If you sell or give away a product or service to help people cope with the weather, let the media know. They’re hungry for… Read More
Help promote ‘Say Something Nice Sunday’
Mitch Carnell of Charleston, South Carolina writes: “Last year, we celebrated the first Say Something Nice Sunday on the first Sunday in June. This is now an annual event. “We want churches and denominations of all faiths to join in. This is a Sunday when Christian will say nothing negative about any other Christian or… Read More