News is breaking all around you. Here are 6 tips on how to generate publicity from breaking news. Update: We’ll be discussing these tips and many others during the webinar “How to Tie Your Story Pitch to Breaking News and Make the Media Interview YOU” tomorrow, Wednesday, July 21. 1. The local angle. If you’re… Read More
Pitching
Connect with journalists through media leads service
By Joan Stewart Social media sites like Twitter and Facebook are one of the best places to find journalists because more than half the journalists surveyed have said they use these sites to look for sources. Another place to connect with them is through free media leads services like Reporter Connection. The service,… Read More
How to answer a media leads query & prompt a reporter to call
The free media leads services that connect journalists with sources can be a valuable tool in your publicity campaign, but only if you know the right way to answer a query and convince the journalist to call you. Otherwise, these services—PitchRate.com, Help a Reporter (HARO) and Reporter Connection—can be a huge time suck, particularly if… Read More
How to find journalists online and wow ’em with your pitch
The next time you want publicity, do two things that 99 percent of the other people who want publicity fail to do. First, vow that you won’t use the “spray and pray” technique. That is, spraying the same one-size-fits-all pitch or press release to dozens or even hundreds of journalists, and then praying they’ll… Read More
New to publicity? Here’s a free 6-part email course
If you’re new to publicity and you don’t know where to start, here’s one of the best places. Sign up for a free subscription to PitchRate.com, a service that connects sources with journalists, bloggers and anyone who provides content. PitchRate was created by Drew Gerber of Press Kit 24/7. I wrote all about here… Read More
How a guest blogger pitched me and made me say ‘yes’
If you’re pitching a blogger with an idea for a guest blog post, take a cue from James Nissen. James pitched me last night regarding a guest blog post about how he built the buzz for SecretintheDirt.com, a free golf website hosted by PGA Champion Steve Elkington, legendary masters champion Jackie Burke, and Internet golf sensation… Read More
Syndicated columnists need sources; you can be one
Syndicated columnists can be valuable connections for a publicity campaign because they have such a far reach. To find them, you can do your homework, consult media directories and search online for columnists who cover your topic. But don’t forget about the free and fee-based services that can feed you leads several times a day… Read More
9 of 10 pet owners say ‘I love you’ to their dogs & cats
If you have a dog or cat, I’m betting that, at least once, you’ve looked it in the eyes and said “I love you.” That’s because a clever survey by Iams, the pet food company, showed that 91 percent of customers it contacted several years ago admitted whispering those three little words to their furry… Read More
In-flight magazine editors and readers love these 7 topics
You won’t find a more captive audience for your publicity campaign than inside an airplane, at 36,000 feet. Bored and restless, passengers often pull the magazines out of the pockets in front of them, flip through the pages, and then settle in for an hour or two of reading. If your target market includes business… Read More
Free contact info, pitching tips for 9 TV producers
If you’re hoping to get your product, service, cause or issue onto one of the big TV programs or news shows, whom do you contact? A producer? Or a guest book booker? Or someone with a title you’ve never heard of? Help is on the way. Cision, the company that sells media databases, has a… Read More