Issue #749 Sept. 10, 2013
Publisher: Joan Stewart
“Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity”
In This Issue
- 3 Shortcuts to End Frustration
- Don’t Write Your Own Article
- How to Optimize a Google+ Profile
- Hound Video of the Week
This Week in the Hound House:
I’m praying for a speedy end to the contract dispute between Time Warner Cable and the local NBC station here in Milwaukee. Not being able to watch the Packers on my own TV is like going through withdrawal. Here are 5 ways to watch NFL games if you’re affected by this feud, or you don’t want to pay for cable.
1. 3 Shortcuts to End Frustration
Solo PR practitioners are overjoyed when they get their first client.
Then fear sets in when they can’t figure out how to write a legal contract or a letter of agreement, and they can’t afford a lawyer.
They rejoice when I tell them about Solo PR’s free ebook “Get It in Writing!–the Communication Consultant’s Guide to Contracts,” complete with seven full contract examples.
Small business owners who need a new logo, an illustration of their face, a jingle for their podcast or a fun cartoon for their website dread going to the big freelance sites where hiring someone to do one of these projects can take days and cost a small fortune. They love me when I tell them about Fiverr.com where they can usually find something to do those jobs for only $5 each.
Bloggers who want to publish guest blog posts often can’t figure out where to find good writers. They turn to me for help. I tell them about BloggerLinkUp.com, a free service that matches bloggers with guest blog post writers. Within days, they’re publishing their first guest blog post as well as learning about blogs that are ideal for their own guest posts.
It’s that easy. But only if you know about these free or dirt-cheap resources.
I know about hundreds of them because I write about them in this newsletter and my blog, and I share thousands more on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+.
I mentioned the three resources above during a webinar I hosted almost two years ago on “60 Ideas in 60 Minutes,” one of my most popular training sessions because it was filled with tools, tips and resources to save you time, money and frustration.
I’m back again with 61 more fabulous resources for Publicity Hounds. You can see them all, including tips on how to use many of them, during a follow-up webinar at 4 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, Sept. 12. This time, it will be “61 More Publicity Ideas in 61 Minutes.”
If you can’t attend live, register anyway because I’m recording it and you’ll get the video replay. This will be sort of a “Best of” compilation of my favorite resources, including several new social media tools that have been introduced in the last few weeks.
Skip this one, and you might miss knowing about just one valuable resource that can save you hundred of dollars, several hours of work, or the frustration of figuring out a difficult problem by yourself. Register at here.
2. Don’t Write Your Own Article
Publicity Pups often ask me how they should write an article about their own business so that top-tier publications like the Wall Street Journal will print it.
Someone on Quora, the giant question and answer site, asked me to answer a question about how to write an article about their own startup so that Techcrunch, the popular web publication that covers tech startups, will use it.
Dream on.
These big publications never print articles written by the business owner, unless it’s an op-ed piece. In my answer, I made three major points:
–You need to entice THEM to write about you by creating a clever pitch.
–Identify the story behind your startup, and pitch the story, complete with drama, conflict and characters. In my Quora answer, I shared a great resource to learn the art of storytelling.
–Research journalists and bloggers long before you pitch. Know them so well that your pitch is right on target.
I’m sharing my entire answer with you because it will help full-fledged Publicity Hounds as well as the Publicity Pups.
3. How to Optimize a Google+ Profile
Stop fighting Google+ and thinking it’s nothing more than a network for nerds.
Learn it one step at a time, like I am. Make mistakes, like I am.
And listen to people who know how to use the site correctly to rank high in Google search results and pull traffic.
BL Ochman, Albert Maruggi and David Erickson hosted a fabulous Google Hangout recently and gave step-by-step directions on how to optimize your Google+ profile. David’s one tip on the type of photo to use, and why, was one of those aha moments when I almost choked on my dog biscuit.
“Of course!” I thought, wondering why no one else has mentioned it.
See their 15-minute tutorial on optimizing your Google+ profile, part of their Beyond Social Media Show (which makes me smarter).
If you want more training, get the replay of the webinar I hosted with BL several months ago on “Why Google+ Matters to Your Business and How to Use it Wisely.” It is filled with tips on strategies, not just tactics, and it’s an excellent overview of what she says is the world’s most important social media site.
4. Hound Video of the Week
Tear-jerker Alert: Thanks to Publicity Hounds Dona and Joe Baker of Brentwood, Calif., for this story about Daisy, the little pup with the broken back, and how she can teach us to never give up.
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