The Publicity Hound’s
Tips of the Week
Issue #565 July 26, 2011
Publisher: Joan Stewart
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“Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity”
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In This Issue
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1. A Cheap Website You Can Be Proud of
2. Twitter Tips for Beginners
3. It’s Time to Pitch Food Stories
4. Webinar on How to Host Webinars
5. Publicity Summit Registration
6. Hound Video of the Week
7. And at My Blog & Mobile Site…
8. Correction
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1. A Cheap Website You Can be Proud of
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Gone are the days, thankfully, when you no longer have to pay a
web design company $6,000 for an attractive website.
Or $3,000. Or even $1,000.
Tom Antion, one of my Internet marketing mentors, goes berserk
when he hears from Publicity Hounds and others who have been
taken to the cleaners by web design companies that charge a
fortune. I do, too.
That’s why I listened to a free webinar Tom hosted on Saturday on
“How to Create Websites the Search Engines Love for Less Than 20
Bucks.”
Tom advocates using the free WordPress blogging platform to build
your website. Your biggest expense is hosting.
You can still have an impressive online pressroom and a
collection of helpful articles and videos that promote your
expertise.
If you want to break free of your expensive web designer, watch
the free video replay here, and take lots of good notes because
Tom gives you step-by-step instructions:
http://www.kickstartcart.com/app/aftrack.asp?afid=43188&u=
http://www.kickstartvideo.com/evp/cheapwebsites/
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2. Twitter Tips for Beginners
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If you aren’t among the more than 20 million people on Twitter,
you may feel like you’re late to the party.
That’s OK. There’s no reason to be ashamed or embarrassed that
you don’t understand what all the fuss is about.
Twitter, I’ve discovered, is one of the best and quickest ways to
build a huge following of people who are hungry for what’s in
your brain.
But one of the biggest Twitter myths is that the person with the
most followers wins.
If only a minuscule percentage of my more than 20,000 followers
care about the information I share, but a majority of your 300
followers can hardly wait for you to tweet, you could be more
successful than I’ve been.
So what makes an irresistable tweet?
Content-rich articles, videos and infographics. I throw in an
occasional funny headline or a pithy one-liner just to keep
things interesting. And I have 4 or 5 formulas for writing tweets
that tease my readers and almost force them to click on the links
I’m sharing.
I don’t write about what I ate for lunch, what time I woke up, or
what the peoplewatching is like when I’m at the coffee shop. That
just adds to the noise and is of no help to the people who follow
me to learn about publicity tips.
But that’s only a small part of my strategy.
Many Publicity Hounds still aren’t tweeting because they aren’t
sure where to start, and they’ve heard that it can be a huge
time-suck. I’m hosting a webinar next week on “Twitter for
Beginners: A Step-by-Step, Can’t-Fail System for Experts and
Influencers (and Those Who Want to Be).” It’s at 3 p.m. Eastern
Time on Thursday, Aug. 4.
This webinar is perfect for Publicity Hounds who manage their own
Twitter accounts and for PR people who are training clients on
how to manage theirs. Read about what you’ll be able to do after
the webinar:
http://publicityhound.com/publicity-products/marketing-
tapes/twitterforbeginners.htm
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3. It’s Time to Pitch Food Stories
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These are the stories the media love this time of year:
–Odd-shaped garden veggies that look like real people.
–Key lime pie on a stick, chicken-fried bacon and other unusual
foods at state and county fairs.
–Healthy, ice-cold treats you can make and keep in the freezer,
to enjoy on sweltering hot days.
And the record 51 containers of basil pesto that my friend, Ann
Dekorsi, and I made over the weekend. It’s an annual ritual in
which we pour, measure, whirl and taste-test basil, walnuts,
olive oil, cheese and plenty of garlic which we turn into
luscious, fattening sauce that’s as good right from the food
processor bowl as it is on pasta.
Our recipe, and lots of tips we’ve learned over the years, are at
my blog at http://publicityhound.net/?p=8981
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4. Webinar on How to Host Webinars
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Here’s another tool to add to your PR or marketing campaign: free
webinars.
–Use them to show customers how to use a product or service.
–Offer them to people who might want to join your coaching or
mentoring program.
–Surprise your followers and devote an entire webinar to
answering their questions on any topic.
–Use them as an enticement to sell just about any product or
service, but only after you’ve delivered a high-content program
that helps your audience solve a problem.
My friend, Daniel Hall, has been my guest on three free webinars
during the last few years, and Publicity Hounds always rave about
how much material he offers.
We’re doing it again from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time on
Wednesday, July 27. But this time, Daniel will show you his
step-by-step formula on how to host free webinars, just like he
does.
Join us for “Step-by-Step Insider Secrets to Producing Highly-
Profitable Webinars.”
Register here: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/395111240
and come with lots of questions. Daniel will answer them all.
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5. Publicity Summit Registration
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The National Publicity Summit, where you can meet journalists and
broadcasters from top national TV shows and leading newspapers
and magazines, is accepting applications starting at 3:30 p.m.
Eastern Time tomorrow–Wednesday, July 27.
The summit, hosted by Steve Harrison, will be held Oct. 12-15 in
New York City.
Only 100 Publicity Hounds will be accepted at this event, which
lets you pitch journalists directly. Having a face-to-face
meeting with an editor or producer dramatically increases the
chances they’ll write about you–or put you on their show.
After attending the summit:
–Gary Cora became a regular on Fox News Channel.
–Connie Bennett got coverage in Time magazine.
–Ron & Lisa Beres appeared on the Today Show. So did Linda
Franklin as well as Dave Farrow.
Mark Amtower and Rory Cohen each landed a full-page story in
Entrepreneur (and Rory also scored The View!).
Apply for the National Publicity Summit here:
http://www.nationalpublicitysummit2011.com/?10011
I’m an affiliate who earns a commission from products and
services you buy from the Harrisons.
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6. Hound Video of the Week
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Thanks to Publicity Hound Colleen Robinson of Everett, WA, for
this video of Dozer the dog that unintentionally ran a half-
marathon.
“I love the story, but I also love how his ‘mom’ took that event
and turned it into a bigger money-maker for the cancer fund-
raiser,” Colleen said.
http://www.ummsfoundation.org/dozer
More than 2,300 people have Liked his Facebook page!
DOG JOKES & QUOTES EBOOK: 170+ G-rated dog jokes and quotes,
perfect for a dog-lover, your favorite vet, or just for a few
good laughs.
BONUS: Buy the ebook and you also get a compilation of the 50
best websites for dog humor.
http://publicityhound.com/dogjokebook/
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7. And at My Blog & Mobile Site…
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Need more guest blog posts? Say so in “About Me”
http://publicityhound.net/?p=8968
Presto! 51 containers of delicious pesto
http://publicityhound.net/?p=8981
Free webinar July 27 on how to host webinars
http://publicityhound.net/?p=8977
5 best places to answer questions & promote your expertise
http://publicityhound.net/?p=8899
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8. Correction
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In last week’s newsletter, I transposed the first and last names
of basketball star Dwayne Wade of the Miami Heat. Thanks to
Publicity Hound Lorie McClory, a proofreader, for the catch.
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Joan Stewart
The Publicity Hound
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