Pitching

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

Include special-interest weeklies in national publicity campaigns

In yesterday’s ezine, The Publicity Hound’s Tips of the Week, I wrote about how Publicity Hounds should rely on weekly newspapers more than ever, now that several dailies are eliminating their zoned editions because of mounting financial pressures. It wasn’t until today that I remembered a fabulous article in the May/June 2000 issue of The… Read More

The perils of friending journalists on Facebook

Journalists have always hated being identified publicly as the “friend” of a source. “I’m not your friend,” is a typical response. “I’m just trying to do my job.” But that was 10 years ago, long before social networking sites came onto the scene. These days, if you’re trying to get in front of a reporter at… Read More