When you send a journalist a story idea, either by snail-mail letter or email, do you put the most important phrases in boldface? You should. Boldface type is powerful. It attracts the eye and helps the reader cut through the clutter. It’s also a powerful sales tool. All those long sales letters you receive in… Read More
Pitching
Wall Street Journal lists 10 trends in 10 industries
Grab a copy of yesterday’s Wall Street Journal and save the special section called “The Top 10 Trends in 10 Industries.” It’s an annual section compiled by Journal reporters who tell you what’s in and what’s out with automobiles, beverages, publishing, restaurants, hospitals, movies, fashion, insurance, lodging and toys. Did you know that when it… Read More
Indoor water park can promote during off-season
Karla Swita of Wausau, Wisconsin gets advice from Publicity Hounds on how to promote her indoor water park during the off-season. From Lee Newman of Milwaukee, Wisconsin: “I am going to a high school reunion in Wausau in a couple weeks. That would be a great place to stay and meet old friends. Get to… Read More
Use other people’s days, weeks, months of the year
Publicity Hound Genevieve Frederick of Paw Publishing in Carson City, Nevada wrote to me to comment on the importance of piggybacking off other people’s days, weeks and months of the year. “The American Kennel Club celebrates Responsible Dog Ownership Day on September 17. I was able to get a big article and photo in the… Read More
7 examples of stories that are ideal for parenting magazines
Those tabloid-size parents magazines, free or by subscription, might welcome your child-related story. When I was in Columbus, Ohio last week to speak to the National Association of Home Builders, I picked up the current issue of Columbus parent. It gave me all kinds of ideas about stories you can pitch: –The magazine interviewed two… Read More
No shortage of publicity ideas for dog massage practice
If your audience is very niched, how do you promote your business? Lorine Hoffer of Park City, Utah gets tips galore from 15 Publicity Hounds on how to promote her dog massage practice. From Victor De’Prey of Yachats, Oregon: “Park City sounds like a place where there should be a dog-friendly park. If there is… Read More
How to clinch radio interviews
Alex Carroll says that if you want to get onto radio talk shows, the host or producer probably won’t book you for an interview unless you can do one of these 6 things: –Tell listeners how to save time or money –Give them information that will make them rich –Tell an amazing story –Make them… Read More
Slow weekends a great time to pitch TV
Publicity Hound Sabrina Gary Anwah, public information officer at the McLean Community Center in Fairfax County, Virginia, writes with this success story: “Thank you for coming and speaking to the Fairfax County Government Communicators group. “Inspired by your talk, I decided to approach a local TV reporter about our Moroccan festival. Amazingly, she agreed to… Read More
Media summit like “speed-dating with top media”
If you’re looking for a way to get the attention of top national journalists, pay attention to these four tips courtesy of Mahesh Grossman, author of the book “Write a Book Without Lifting a Finger”: –Relationships are the name of the game. –You need to be your own publicist. –Try to tie in with the… Read More
How to protect your good name on the Internet
These days, your good name can be damaged within a matter of minutes. It can happen if a blogger posts an entry about you, your company or non-profit, on the Internet. Minutes later, it’s picked up and either repeated or referred to on four other blogs. The next day, you start getting email messages from… Read More