Are These Husbands Wimps?

Issue #1177 Nov. 28, 2017
Publisher: Joan Stewart

“Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity”

In This Issue

Are These Husbands Wimps?
De-jargonizer for Science Writers
Cyber Monday Extended
Hound Video of the Week

This Week in the Hound House:

Thanks to the Publicity Hounds who responded with tips for not only surviving–but enjoying–Camino de Santiago, the 500-mile pilgrimage across northern Spain, on foot, that I’ll be attempting in the fall of 2019. I won’t have to do a lot of training because I already walk about 75 minutes a day. My regimen includes walking up and down a giant flight of steps in front of a church near me–not once, but five times. That’s more than 800 steps in all.

1. Are These Husbands Wimps?

Years ago, I heard media trainer Joel Roberts say that if you want to get onto a big radio talk show, your chances skyrocket if you have a juicy topic that riles up listeners.

The idea must be so controversial or compelling that a motorist who listens to the show while driving gets angry enough that he pulls over to the side of the road, whips out his phone and calls the station to comment on the air.

I thought of Joel’s advice yesterday when I saw the results of a recent study from the University of Nevada. Researchers found that whenever a husband’s last name differed from that of his wife’s, he was frequently described in ways that both de-emphasized his masculinity and overemphasized any feminine characteristics. (I’ve even heard a few people refer to these guys as wimps.)

The results were published earlier this month in the Sex Roles journal.

Right now, I can envision lots of women motorists on that same busy highway pulling out their phones to call the station. They’re the ones who decided to keep their maiden names. But they aren’t even pulling over. They’ve got their foot on the pedal, going 70 miles an hour and dialing.

I love this story for so many reasons. Of course it’s unfair to call these men wimps. Yet if I were pitching this idea to a radio station, that’s the word I’d use because it stirs the pot and almost guarantees fireworks on the air.

To do: See my recommendations for piggybacking onto this story, in my blog post “Are Men Whose Wives Keep Their Maiden Names Wimps?”

#TalkRadio #MaidenNames

2. De-jargonizer for Science Writers

If you write or speak about a science topic, explaining it to lay audiences can be a challenge.

Try the De-jargonizer, a free online tool that helps science writers improve and adapt their vocabulary use for a variety of audiences, including lay people like me who become alienated by technical language we can’t understand.

Paste your copy into the window and the program determines the level of vocabulary and terms in your text. It divides the words into three levels: high frequency/common words, mid-frequency/normal words, and jargon – rare and technical words. You decide whether you want to use easier-to-understand words.

To do: Use this tool when writing your book, speeches, press releases and even pitches to journalists. Also try the Hemingway App, the closest thing to a human editor.

#ScienceWriting #WritingTip

3. Cyber Monday Extended…

I’m extending my Cyber Monday sale by one day, until midnight tonight. Get a whopping 60 percent off any learning tools at my website. Use coupon code MONDAY at checkout.

If you’re overwhelmed with the selection and you’re not sure what you need, hit “Reply” and tell me where you need help. I’ll make a recommendation.

To do: Shop till you drop at http://publicityhound.com/shop

#CyberMonday

4. Hound Video of the Week

A dog in China has been trained to go shopping on behalf of its owners. I want one!

[Tweet “#PublicityTips — Are These Husbands Wimps? #WritingTips #PitchingRadioShows”]