Issue #862 Oct. 21, 2014
Publisher: Joan Stewart
“Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity”
In This Issue
- 170 Nonprofit Blog Post Ideas
- Sneak Your URL into News Items
- Help Amazon Promote your Book
- Hound Video of the Week
This Week in the Hound House:
I’m still collecting your helpful ideas on how to keep from gaining weight on my Publishing at Sea cruise in January. So far, my favorite is from Publicity Hound Michelle Gutenstein. Keep thinking and saying, “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.” I did that last night at 11:45 as I was digging into the fridge for a piece of bread to make peanut butter toast. It worked. I closed the door and went to bed. Email your ideas to me and I’ll compile them all at my blog.
1. 170 Nonprofit Blog Post Ideas
Bloggers who work for nonprofits and have a difficult time generating ideas for things to write about will love a free ebook from WiredImpact.com, a company in St. Louis that builds websites for nonprofits.
It includes “170 Blog Post Ideas for Your Nonprofit.” They’re divided into six categories: donors and fundraising, volunteers and serving your community, your nonprofit’s events, relevant news and resources, a problem you’re addressing, and your nonprofit’s impact.
Here are seven ideas from the book:
–Tell the story of one of your donors meeting someone they helped.
–Provide a wish list of items you need at the moment.
–A guest post from one of your donors on “Why I’ve continued to donate.”
–Tell volunteers what they need to do to prepare for a volunteer event.
–A guest post written by someone who has attended one of your events on “One of the coolest people I met at this event.”
–List relevant blogs you routinely read and explain why you like them.
–Post a photo-heavy showcase of creative work, such as art or photography, from those you serve.
Download the ebook in exchange for your email address.
2. Sneak Your URL Into News Stories
The next time someone interviews you for a blog post or a news story, make sure they mention your web address.
Don’t just ask, “Can you be sure to include my website?” That sounds lame.
Instead, give them a good reason to mention it.
One way is to change the name of your company to your web address. Instead of telling them my company is The Publicity Hound, I’d say it’s PublicityHound.com.
In a guest post I wrote for Arik Hanson’s Communications Conversations blog, I give you eight other ideas. Read “9 Ways to Sneak Your Website Address into Media Stories.”
3. Help Amazon Promote Your Book
Book marketing expert Penny Sansevieri shares these five tips on how to make your print or ebook more searchable on Amazon:
–Include the subtitle as part of the title.
–Use the maximum number of keywords that Amazon allows, including keyword phrases.
–Research other very popular titles in your category and see what tags those authors used.
–Write a long description using keywords. Be sure to explain what the book is about.
–In the description, mention a bonus that readers will find inside the book. Or an extra bonus.
Penny explains how to do simple keyword research, how to get a free website if that’s all you can afford, the best ways to promote your books locally, and golden gems you can give reviewers, reporters, editors and bloggers. They’re all on the video replay of “How to Launch a Book, Promote It and Sell a Truckload–Without an Expensive Publicist.”
The giant bonus package includes Penny’s ebook “52 Ways to Sell More Books.” Grab it now and start selling hundreds more books. Order it here.
4. Hound Video of the Week
Check out this way-too-cute pool party featuring Hazel, a Cairn Terrier pup, and Prickle the hedgehog.
Thanks to Publicity Hound Christine Buffaloe, my assistant, at SerenityVA.com, for this one.
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