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
Photos & Graphics
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
Photos on CD help TV reporters illustrate your story
Publicity Hound Brad Wilson of East Greenwich, Rhode Island, passes along a handy tip on how to make TV reporters love you. Give them a CD of photos they can flash on the screen during news or feature stories, even if they already have the film footage they need. Nineteen-year-old Brad recently returned from a… Read More
No more boring ribbon-cutting ceremonies
When Dan Collins had to drum up publicity for the opening of The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Center for Women’s Health and Medicine at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore, he stayed away from the cliche ribbon-cutting ceremony. Instead, he thought of as many news angles as he could. There were the “magnet physicians” the hospital… Read More
Help weeklies cover sports
If your daughter plays on the junior high soccer team, but your local weekly newspaper acts like the team doesn’t exist, quit grumbling and find a notebook and a pen. If your son participates in ice skating competitions, but the team has never had its photo in the paper, get a camera and learn how… Read More
No ho-hum groundbreaking for this health clinic
Eighteen ublicity Hounds have tips for Anne Deeter Gallaher of Camp Hills, Pennsylvania. Her client is breaking ground for a new clinic addition. It houses a family practice with nine physicians that have 30,000 patients. She wants alternatives to the routine and boring groundbreaking ceremony. From Lisa “Chase” Patterson of Jersey City, New Jersey: Sometimes… Read More
News release screams for an accompanying photo
I just read a scrumptious news release about an unusual new package used to hold a well-known brand of food. (The brand will remain anonymous to protect the guilty.) The copy provided a detailed description of the package and gushed about its unusual shape, and how it shimmers and shines when the package is moved.… Read More