Flooding in the Midwest. Wild fires in California. Snow in the Northwest. Scorching heat on the East Coast. And it’s still only spring. This is the time to pitch weather stories. If you sell or give away a product or service to help people cope with the weather, let the media know. They’re hungry for… Read More
Pitching
Dairy Queen joins Girl Scouts to create Thin Mint Blizzard
Here’s a perfect example of how a nonprofit can team up with a popular nationwide chain, and piggyback onto a “Week of the Year” to promote a good cause. Dairy Queen is creating the Girl Scout Thin Mint Blizzard for the month of July to promote Girl Scout Appreciation Week July 7-13. What a wonderful idea! No more… Read More
Use spam checkers for ezine copy and pitches
Your ezine might be packed with free content and do excellent job promoting your expertise. But it’s worthless if it ends up in the recipient’s spam folder, or in one of several other spam traps that have been set by Internet service providers. That’s why it’s worth the extra time to run your ezine or important email you’re sending, like pitches to… Read More
Help promote ‘Say Something Nice Sunday’
Mitch Carnell of Charleston, South Carolina writes: “Last year, we celebrated the first Say Something Nice Sunday on the first Sunday in June. This is now an annual event. “We want churches and denominations of all faiths to join in. This is a Sunday when Christian will say nothing negative about any other Christian or… Read More
How can Michigan promote itself to Hollywood producers?
Milan Stevanovich of Detroit, Michigan writes: “Michigan just passed a 40 percent rebate to companies filming movies and TV programs in the state. If you use Michigan companies and labor, you get a 40 percent instant rebate after production—big savings for number-crunching entertainment financiers. “For the last three weeks, my associates and I have schmoozed a dozen… Read More
What else should American have done after canceling flights?
Here’s the list of public relations tactics American Airlines adopted after canceling more than 3,000 flights this month: According to PRWeek, it: —Enlisted its seven-person PR team, other staffers and Weber Shandwick, its PR firm, to inform the public about the reasons for the delay. —Handed out press releases to customers at some of its largest hubs. —Sent… Read More
American Airlines’ canceled flights a publicity op
American Airlines’ more than 1,000 canceled flights this week offer a chance for business travelers and others to piggyback off this news story. The airlines canceled more than 930 flights today, stranding tens of thousands of travelers in airports throughout the U.S. More than 570 flightsw are expected to be canceled on Friday, with the schedule back… Read More
Pitch stand-alone photos ideas to weekly newspapers
When Tom Holubowicz wanted publicity recently for his custard stand in Grafton, Wisconsin, he donned an ape costume and visited the local Pick ‘n Save supermarket to buy bananas for Monkey Pox, his “flavor of the day.” The recipe calls for bananas, custard and chocolate-covered peanuts. Before he left, he called The News Graphic, his… Read More
Publicity plan should target blogs and ezines
Don’t miss this critical step when creating your publicity plan. Start adding bloggers and editors of electronic newsletters (ezines) to the list of people who you will contact if you want publicity. If you’re a publicist, and your PR client is adamant about getting coverage in top-tier media like USA Today, The New York Times,… Read More
‘Help a Reporter’ connects journalists, sources
If you’re hoping to connect with journalists and broadcasters who might interview you for a story, or include you in a TV show they’re planning, here’s another resource. It’s a website called “If I can Help a Reporter Out,” and it was created by Peter Shankman, owner of a New York PR firm. His many journalist… Read More