Thinking of pitching public radio with your story? If so, first read these pitching tips from Charles Munroe-Kane, courtesy of Bulldog Reporter. Munroe-Kane produces “To The Best of Our Knowledge” and “Zorba Paster on Your Health” for Public Radio International and says he isn’t interested in breaking news events but, rather, a “cultural” look at the… Read More
Pitching
2007 editorial calendars ready now
If you want publicity in newspapers and magazines, one of your most valuable tools is each publication’s editorial calendar for 2007. An editorial calendar is the January-to-December list of all special sections and topics that are being planned for next year. It alerts advertisers to the sections where their ads would be the best fit. But… Read More
October story ideas to pitch to the media
TV reporter Shawne Duperon and I had a blast brainstorming “103 Sizzling Story Ideas from July through December.” October is bursting with ideas about the second largest retail holiday of the year that you can pitch to newspapers, magazines and TV stations. Here are some we’re suggesting you use: —That pretty pumpkin looks great now, but how can… Read More
Wal-Mart, Starbucks dominance a great publicity op for small businesses
You can hardly open a newspaper or turn on the TV these days without noticing somebody crabbing about Wal-Mart. Now they’re going after Starbucks. Penny Stafford, owner of the Seattle-based Belvi Coffee and Tea Exchange Inc., charges in a federal lawsuit that the coffee giant uses anti-competitive tactics to rid itself of competition. The suit,… Read More
Spinach crisis: Here are ways you can piggyback
News stories about the spinach-related E. coli outbreaks all over the United States offer lots of opportunity for savvy Publicity Hounds to piggyback onto this story. Here are some ideas off the top of my head: —What’s the effect on restaurants? Have they pulled spinach completely from their menus or are they using frozen spinach… Read More
Celebrity gossip: Tie it to your own publicity
For years, Debra Holtzman kept wishing and hoping that she’d generate publicity in top-tier newspapers and magazines and on the big morning TV shows like “Good Morning, America” because of her expertise in child safety. But the wishing and hoping got her a media hit here and there. Then Debra found the key that not… Read More
Rosie O’Donnell’s zinger a perfect opportunity for Publicity Hounds
This morning, as I was writing the lead item for today’s issue of my ezine on how to piggyback your news off of celebrities, the gals on the set of the ABC daytime hit “The View” were knee-deep in a discussion about the Middle East. As co-host Elizabeth Hasselbeck, a conservative, was making a comment about “radical Islam,”… Read More
Newsday publicity is easier with editor’s pitching tips
If you’re trying to get into Newsday, the New York daily paper with almost a half-million circulation, pay attention to these pitching tips from associate editor A.J. Carter, courtesy of Bulldog Reporter’s excellent Journalists Speak Out newsletter: —Make your online newsrooms easier to navigate. (Listen to the hour-long interview I did with Drew Gerber of Presskit… Read More
Online tools for journalists: Here are Top 3
Knowing what tools journalists use to do their jobs can help Publicity Hounds, who need to do research for articles, opinion columns, letters to the editor, and sometimes even pitches to journalists and bloggers. Amy Gahran, content strategist and info-provocateur from Boulder, Colorado, lists her Top 3 Online Tools for Journalists for Poynter Online. Furl, a free service… Read More
Northwest Airlines PR nosedives due to tips booklets
Is anybody awake in bankrupt Northwest Airlines’ PR department? How could anyone—even somebody with a brain the size of a pea—let the company distribute tips booklets titled “101 Ways to Save Money” to employees whose pay has just been slashed? The booklets offer these tips: Shop in thrift stores Take a date for a walk in the woods… Read More