Shannon Hein of Fort Collins, Colorado writes: “I am helping a friend promote Branchies, a product she invented that lets people hang heavy objects on their Christmas trees. “They attach easily to the trunk of your Christmas tree and support very heavy and bulky ornaments. They are a great way to transform your tree using… Read More
Pitching
Obama inauguration donors: Pitch to your local media
President-elect Barack Obama’s transition team is appealing to campaign donors and others to contribute to the Inauguation festivities, which will cost at least $40 million. If you’ll be ponying up money to help, you could pitch the story to your local media. If you know the names of other individual donors or businesses in your… Read More
Pitch an entire segment for the morning TV talk shows
If you’re trying to get onto one of the big morning TV talk shows to promote a product, tie it to a current event—and then sweeten your pitch by offering similar products. That’s what Liz Murphy of Formula PR in el Segundo, California did. Several month sago, she pitched the morning TV talk shows on behalf of… Read More
Life coaches: Offer tips on weathering the economy
Life coaches often complain that they have a difficult time generating publicity, perhaps because life coaches seem to be everywhere. But Publicity Hound David Bohl, of Milwaukee, a life coach and former venture capitalist, made it happen, with some help from a sharp publicist. David was the expert sources for a more than three-minute interview on a Milwaukee TV… Read More
Publicist finds the perfect hook for inflight magazine pitch
When Seattle publicist Nancy Juetten told me about a clever hook she used to place an article about a client’s product, a purse hook, in the holiday gift section of the November issue of Alaska Airlines magazine, I invited her to be a guest blogger and tell you in her own words. Nancy is the owner of Nancy S. Juetten Marketing &… Read More
Offer advice on how businesses can cope in a bad economy
Here’s a great example of how a smart Publicity Hound is passing along tips for small business owners who want to make sure their clients pay their bills. Margie Zable Fisher of Zable Fisher Public Relations offered four excellent tips in a blog post “Don’t Let Your Small Business Get Stuck with the Bill.” For example, ask for payment up front, and get signed… Read More
Find a freelancer with SPJ freelancer directory
Here’s another great resource for Publicity Hounds who need to outsource work to freelancers. Consult the Society of Professional Journalists’ online freelancer directory, a listing of more than 600 members. You can search by state or specialty. Members include writers, photographers and graphic artists. The trade group also has a new “Editor of the Moment”… Read More
Presidential politics in the workplace: A great story idea
Can’t think of a story to pitch about your business, nonprofit or government agency? Thanks to TV producer Shawne Duperon’s excellent newsletter Shawne’s TV Guide, for this timely story idea: politics in the workplace. Shawne suggests you pitch the idea to your local TV stations, daily and weekly newspapers, and bloggers who cover your industry.… Read More
Pitching ‘All Things Considered’? Pitch while the story is hot
If you’re pitching National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered,” Carol Klinger, associate editor, who has worked for NPR since 1995 and fielded thousands of pitches, says you must remember that this show deals with breaking news, not mostly feature-oriented stories that are the mainstay of other NPR shows. Here are her pitching tips. Pitches she hates: Get… Read More
Inexpensive gifts will be in demand for holiday gift guides
With the economy hanging by a thread, this could be one of the grimmest retail holiday seasons in decades. That means editors of consumer gift guides will be on the lookout for press releases and photos featuring inexpensive gifts such as calendars, picture frames, jewelry, CDs, books, scrapbooks and even kitchen utensils. (Who in the world would feature… Read More