Even if you’re not a football fan, you might be able to generate publicity from today’s two big NFL playoff games. The Chicago Bears host the New Orleans Saints in Soldier Field for the NFC championship, and the New England Patriots travel to Indianapolis for the AFC title. Publicity Hound Jennifer Spies of New Philadelphia, Ohio, tipped me… Read More
Pitching
Why most Oprah fans need an ebook on how to pitch
Women’s Wear Daily says the staff at “O, the Oprah Magazine” isn’t pleased with Susan Harrow’s new ebook “Get into O Magazine.” And WWD doesn’t seem to be either, based on this review. But reviewer Amy Wicks doesn’t present a very convincing argument. Some of Susan’s “secrets,” she says, are “relatively commonsensical topics” that anyone can learn just by picking up the… Read More
Turn your book into a Hollywood movie
So, you think Hollywood will go ga-ga over your book? Not so fast. Lots of authors think the same thing. And if you want to break through all that competition, you have to take the right steps. Rick Frishman of Planned Television Arts is offering a free teleseminar from 8 to 9 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, January… Read More
Warm winter offers story ideas galore
USA Today says that globally, 2006 was likely the sixth-warmest on record, although final worldwide data won’t be available until March. If you’ve experienced the winter heat wave, think of interesting story ideas you can pitch to the media. My local newspapers and TV stations are reporting on all kinds of local angles, from an absence of… Read More
Oprah’s magazine: A secret for getting into it
Here’s an inside secret on how to get into O, Oprah’s wildly popular magazine. Be willing to wait up to two years before the editors review your pitch and say yes. That’s right—two years! If you’re willing to stay the course and stay in touch with the magazine, you’ll have a huge advantage over most… Read More
David Lawrence Show pitching tips
More than 4 million people listen to The David Lawrence Show and Onling Tonight radio on a regular basis. Host David Lawrence is looking for guests who are experts on technology and can talk intelligently and compellingly about topics from spam to flaming to online sex. Marketing Sherpa has an in-depth interview with David, complete… Read More
John Kremer offers media contacts
Book marketing expert John Kremer is publishing a daily “Kremer 100 PR” newsletter featuring key media contacts—editors, book reviewers, radio and TV producers, magazines, newspapers, syndicated columnists, etc. For only $30 a year, he’ll deliver a newsletter direct to your desktop Monday through Friday. That’s a piddly $2.50 a month. When I first saw this price, I thought… Read More
More ideas for holiday pitches
The weeks leading up to Christmas are the very best times to pitch the media with your story idea. I offered several controversial holiday ideas earlier this week, and I just found a great list of more story ideas with holiday hooks, courtesy of the PRLeap blog. Many of them would be great to pitch to… Read More
Stuart Elliot, NYT ad columnist, offers tips
If you’re dying to get yourself or your PR client in front of longtime New York Times advertising columnist Stuart Elliot, read his pitching tips, courtesy of Marketing Sherpa. He tells you how to get your story into print and how to get onto his podcast. You can access this article for free until December 18.
Following up can tilt publicity in your favor
Ask any journalist if people should follow up with them after sending a press release or emailing a pitch, and you’ll hear the word “No!” The persistent people who follow up, however, are sometimes the ones I write about in my ezine, “The Publicity Hound’s Tips of the Week,” or this blog. Last month, a publicist who… Read More