I despise Internet petitions and am sick to death of being asked to “sign” my name for whatever and pass it along “to everyone in your address book.” Then along comes this post at book marketing guu John Kremer’s blog about a petition being circulated by an author who wants to get onto “Oprah.” In at least… Read More
Pitching
Oprah booking: More difficult than ever
In the old days, booking a coveted spot on “Oprah” was one of the most difficult tasks a Publicity Hound could face. But there were some tricky ways to get around the problem. You simply recorded a show, then watched the recording in slow motion, checking the credits at the end for names of producers… Read More
Terrorist plot story had some great tie-ins
I saw two clever tie-ins to last week’s big story about Scotland Yard breaking up the terrorist plot to blow up as many as 10 U.S.-bound passenger jets. Michelle Tennant of Wasabi Publicity Inc. and her team of 10 publicists immediately started pitching story ideas about their client, SATSair, which provides “air taxi’ services. (Update on… Read More
Sidebars enhance your story pitch
If you’re pitching a story idea to journalists, give them a little something extra that will prompt them to say “tell me more.” I’m referring specifically to what’s called a sidebar. It’s a short, often boxed auxiliary news story that’s printed alongside the longer article and typically presents additional information such as statistics or bullet points. Let’s… Read More
Heat wave offers great opportunities for publicity
This time of year, the media are looking for every interesting angle they can find that ties into heat waves. Al Tompkins, whose blog gives newspaper reporters great story ideas, has a bunch of heat-related examples in this post. They include: How Muslim and Orthodox Jewish women cope with the heat while adhering to religious rules… Read More
Need publicity for a charity? Former WSJ reporter offers tips
If your charitable organization or nonprofit needs publicity, stop trying to convince the media how “newsworthy” you are. Instead, give media outlets what they want. That’s great advice, and it comes from Dean Rotbart, a former Wall Street Journal reporter who is host and executive producer of Newsroom Confidential, the one-hour live radio program from KRLA… Read More
Food editors love stories about your harvest
Our huge garden is producing green beans faster than we can pick them. Two weekends ago, a friend and I canned 56 jars of cherry jam. Next on my to-do list are canning beets and dill pickles, followed by homemade applesauce in September. I’ll also set aside a Saturday sometime next month for the annual pesto-making extravaganza… Read More
Create your own holiday or piggyback off somebody else’s with these resources
Thanks to self-publishing guru Dan Poynter’s excellent Your Publishing Poynters ezine for this tip. Marika Flatt of PR by the Book, says your pitch will always be more interesting to the media if it’s tied to a timely date, such as a health awareness month (October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month) or a holiday (Memorial… Read More
Publicity stunts to try when the idea well is dry
Author Marcia Yudkin is one of the most creative people I know. Her book “6 Steps to Free Publicity” is perhaps my very favorite book on how to work with the media. I’m one of her groupies, and I read her ezine “Marketing Minute” each week. So I was thrilled when she gave me permission… Read More
Press releases just got easier thanks to this free tutorial
Writing press releases isn’t easy. If you think I’m wrong, take this little quiz. Answer true or false to the following statements: I write press releases primarily to encourage journalists at newspapers and magazines to write articles about my company, or for broadcasters who will feature us on the news or invite us as guests on talk shows.… Read More