If you’re rolling out a new product or service, make sure you have a plan in place to promote it online and offline. No budget? That’s OK. Maria Reyes-McDavis has a 7-step plan for those with just a small budget. Many of the tips require no money at all. As you’re working the plan, remember to… Read More
Pitching
Newspaper, radio layoffs, buyouts can work to your advantage
It’s time to say buh-bye to some of your favorite reporters. Right now, all over the U.S., there’s an exodus of experienced, high-profile, high-priced journalists taking early retirement. To boost profits, newspapers are offering buy-outs to some of their veteran staff members who will be replaced with cheaper, less experienced reporters and editors. Here in… Read More
‘Best of ProfNet’ list promotes PR agency
‘Tis the season for “Best of” lists. The Morris + King Co., a New York City PR firm, issued its own Top 10 “Best of ProfNet” list. ProfNet is a subscription service that forwards leads from working journalists to PR people. M + K chose the funniest and most peculair reporter leads of this past year.… Read More
Follow-up calls to journalists can brand you as a pest
The next time you send a press release to a journalist, and you’re tempted to make a follow-up call to see if he’s using it, read this article by Washington Post humor columnist Gene Weingarten. It’s a perfect example of what it’s like to be on the receiving end of those annoying follow-up calls from PR people. I took… Read More
Leah Ingram’s blog, The Lean Green Family, needs “lean, green” story ideas
Leah Ingram’s blog, The Lean Green Family (formerly Suddenly Frugal), will soon be syndicated nationally through a third- party syndicator whose clients include the Associated Press, The New York Times, CNN, LexisNexis and other major media outlets. She is looking to the PR community to keep a steady stream of “lean and green” story ideas… Read More
Help promote ‘donations instead of gifts’ campaign
Harry Hoover of Charlotte, North Carolina writes: “I’d like to tap into the collective brains of Publicity Hounds. Since 2002, I have promoted a project each holiday season called Holiday For Charity. It encourages people to ask for charitable donations in their name in lieu of gifts. I’ve gotten solid local coverage of this program,… Read More
Black Friday can be like gold for Publicity Hounds
Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, is aptly named as the day when retailers shift into profitability or move “into the black.” But it can be like gold for Publicity Hounds. Here’s why: First, the media are often working with skeleton staffs. Second, PR people and even some publicists take the day off. That means less competition for your… Read More
Tweak Your Pitch
When you pitch a story to a magazine editor and the editor declines, sometimes all it takes is a little tweaking to change the editor’s mind. That’s what happened when Tina Lancy emailed the editor of Go, Airtran’s inflight magazine, last November. She pitched a story about College Assistance Plus, the Rochester, New York-based consulting… Read More
How to pitch bloggers–21 tips
Darren Rowse of ProBlogger offers a comprehensive list of almost two dozen excellent tips for anyone pitching bloggers. Most bloggers say they hate being referred to as journalists. But when you read his tips, you’ll notice how many of them also apply to pitching journalists.
New fall TV shows can be tied to your pitch
Michael Smart, national news director for Brigham Young University, generated fabulous publicity for the university several years ago just as the show “Survivor” was debuting on CBS. “We had an honors class at BYU on team-building that had been taught for 13 years, and it wasn’t new,” he said. “The students were told they were stranded on… Read More