I just received the latest issue of Marketer, the print magazine published for members of the Society for Marketing Professional Services. I’m a contributing writer, and my article on Page 17 offers great tips on how to work with photographers, excerpted from my ebook “How to Use Photos & Graphics in Your Publicity Campaign.” One… Read More
Photos & Graphics
Vote for POOPY PR photos
I’ll bet many of you work for companies that regularly have “POOP” in their newsletters, annual reports and even at their websites. “POOP” stands for Photos that Ought to be Outlawed Permanently. The acronym is the brainchild of Jean Clough, who teaches photography. Her friend, Steve Crescenzo, thought it was so clever when he first… Read More
Pitch a stand-alone photo for quick publicity
Liz Morgan, my Jazzercise instructor, has been beaming all week because the local weekly newspaper printed a photo of her new Junior Jazzercise class for little girls. So which do you think has more credibility? That photograph? Or a quarter page ad that Liz could have bought if she had the budget to advertise? When… Read More
Use more care when taking publicity photos
Whenever I send a news release about something I’ve done to my local newspapers or trade journals, I hardly ever hear feedback from my neighbors or peers, even when I know it’s been printed. But when I send my photo with the release and it’s printed, I hear a chorus that sounds like this: —“I… Read More
Boulder newspaper trains citizen journalists
One of the things I hated about the newspaper business was our failure, as a whole, to teach people how to use the newspaper. That’s why I welcome a new program started by the Daily Camera in Boulder, Colorado. It’s sponsoring an in-person training session for its MyTown site. It’s running full-color, half-page ads in… Read More
Why Publicity Hounds must have good-quality publicity photos
I’ll bet at least 3 out of 4 of you who are reading this right now don’t have a good-quality photo of yourself that you can give to a reporter or editor who asks for it. Photos are often far more powerful than articles. Every time my photo appears in the newspaper along with a… Read More
Don’t take boring check-passing photos
A Publicity Hound who just started reading this newsletter emailed me last week, asking if I have any clever suggestions for an interesting check-passing photo. Sorry, I said. There is no such thing. Every check-passing photo looks alike. Two people stand shoulder-to-shoulder, each clutching one end of a check and staring into the camera with… Read More
Don’t offer exclusivity for special event photos
If the situation warrants it, some Publicity Hounds like to give a particular story to their favorite media that reaches a large audience. If a certain newspaper or magazine knows they will get the story first, they will be more inclined to cover you–as long as it’s a good story. With photos, however, that isn’t… Read More
Think graphics when pitching
Maps, pie charts, bar charts, illustrations, clever photos and a whole host of other graphic elements that can help readers or TV viewers better understand your story can be part of your pitch to reporters. But don’t suggest graphics right away until you know whether the reporter is interested in your idea. If the reporter… Read More
When being cute works and can result in publicity
Cute headlines on news releases. Cute lead paragraphs. Cute story pitches. It’s enough to make a reporter gag. Unless, of course, they crave cute. But how do you ever know? When pitching a story or sending a news release, err on the side of caution. Don’t send anything that smacks of cute to reporters who… Read More