Almost 20 Publicity Hounds took me up on last week’s offer to critique their news releases and story pitches that piggyback onto Hurricane Katrina. In all but a few cases, I gave thumbs-down to what I saw. Several Hounds came up with “Buy from me and I’ll donate a portion” offers which sounded tacky. Another… Read More
Pitching
Don’t make these mistakes with follow-up calls to the media
Big PR agencies seem to be the worst offenders when it comes to following up on news releases. They usually assign a woman who sounds like an 18-year-old twinkie to call reporters and editors after the agency has mailed a release. The twinkie, usually using an annoying sing-songy voice, says: “Hi. This is Brittany. I’m… Read More
Use history as a hook for publicity
The next time you’re searching for an angle for your story pitch, consider using history. For example: —If you’re sponsoring an event that’s been held for 50 years, offer the media a sidebar that highlights the most significant aspects of your event during the last five decades. —Pitching a profile story of your new CEO?… Read More
Hold off on non-hurricane news
If you’re planning to pitch a news story like a new product announcement, or an upcoming event or whatever to the national media , hold off a week or two. Media everywhere are concentrating on the newest developments from Hurricane Katrina, from the horrible looting and shooting in New Orleans to the effects on local… Read More
How to Publicize an Award
You should have seen me last Thursday, racing around the Expo building at the Wisconsin State Fair, darting from display case to display case, searching for the two pieces of needlepoint I entered. I finally found them with — ta da! — a second-place ribbon on one and a third-place ribbon on the other. My… Read More
How Attorneys Promote Their Experts
Attorneys have more disdain for the media than any other group of professionals I can think of. “Don’t talk,” they tell their clients who have just been sued or charged with a crime. “No comment,” they tell reporters who ask about a big case they’re defending. That’s why I was delighted to read about the… Read More
Pitch college newspapers
If you want publicity that reaches the 18-to-22-year-old crowd, take advantage of the powerful reach of college newspapers. But don’t use the same pitching tactics you use with weekly and metro newspapers. For one, reporters at college newspapers are difficult to reach in the morning. That’s because many of them study or party late into… Read More
Piggyback Publicity onto Hot Summer Movies
Keep your eyes open for summer movies that might help you create publicity for your product, service, cause or issue. It’s Just Lunch, an international dating service that gives clients a chance to meet over lunch, uses this strategy to get phenomenal publicity. It recently surveyed 2,774 East Coast singles on whether they found romance… Read More
Use the independence theme
Right now, in newsrooms and at TV and radio stations all over the U.S., assignment editors are groaning about having to come up with local stories for the Fourth of July. Even worse, July 4 falls on Monday. That means that in addition to a big Sunday paper, editors have the holiday edition to worry… Read More
How to pitch to USA Today’s technology columnist
Kevin Maney, USA Today’s technology writer and tech columnist, doesn’t cover daily breaking news, individual product pieces, product announcements or product reviews, unless “they are mind-blowing.” But he wants PR people to let him know about up-and-coming technology that is just coming out of labs and factories, as well as tech trends in other countries.… Read More