Issue #1090 Jan. 14, 2017
Publisher: Joan Stewart
“Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity”
In This Issue
- Captions for Your Facebook Videos
- What Reporters Want at Your Website
- 47 Resources for Writers
- Hound Video of the Week
This Weekend in the Hound House:
Here I am in my Cheesehead hat, all cranked up and ready to go for tomorrow’s NFL Divisional game between the Green Bay Packers and the Dallas Cowboys. The foam fashion statement has an interesting history. The FAA has credited it with saving the life of a Packers fan who was severely injured in a plane crash. Read it here.
1. Captions for Your Facebook Videos
Silent videos perform better on Facebook. That’s because 8 out of 10 people dislike it when a video starts playing unexpectedly.
But without sound, how does the viewer know what the video is about?
Last February, Facebook introduced a new tool to automatically create captions for video ads. Now, the platform is extending the feature to all videos published on your Pages. It’s similar to the way YouTube creates captions.
Both sites use voice-recognition software. Most of the time, it works OK, despite an occasional goofy word or phrase. Like YouTube, Facebook lets you review and edit the auto-generated captions before you publish your video. You can also add auto-captions to videos that you have already published.
To do: See the simple how-to screenshots in the article “How To Automatically Generate Captions On Your Facebook Videos.” Thanks to Publicity Hound Mari Smith for this tip.
#facebookvideo #videocaptions #facebookcaptions
2. What Reporters Want at Your Website
Pretend you’re a reporter researching a topic. You do a Google search and land on a website that looks interesting.
What’s the Number One feature you’d want to find at that site that would make your job easy?
It’s probably the same feature you look for when you land on a website and want information fast. It’s a search box, and it topped the list in a survey of reporters by TEK Group International, an Internet software and services company.
I was surprised to see that press releases ranked third, especially because of the mantra “the press release is dead.”
To do: In exchange for your name and email, TEK will give you the entire PDF of “Top 20 Elements to Have in an Online Newsroom.” They apply mostly to big companies. But the more you offer, the more media-friendly your website.
#onlinenewsroom #onlinepressroom #websitetools
3. 47 Resources for Writers
If you have little time to write blog posts, press releases, articles, marketing materials or your book, you’ll love this list of almost four dozen resources that will keep you motivated and save time writing.
“Many people who perceive that they have too little time actually just fail to take advantage of spare time when the opportunity arises,” says Glen Long, managing editor of Smart Blogger who compiled the list.
It doesn’t matter how much time you find for writing if you can’t consistently plant your butt in the chair.
To do: Read his “47 Resources for People Who Love to Write But Can Never Find the Time.” Many lead to other articles, more free resources and writing tools.
#writingtips #writersblock #toolsforwriters
4. Hound Video of the Week
Black Labs Harley and Loa are in big trouble. Will they snitch on each other when mom asks, “Who did the dirty deed?” Thanks to Publicity Hound Dr. Marvin Marshall for this one.
[Tweet “RT @PublicityHound #PublicityTips –Captions for Your Facebook Videos #facebookvideo #videotips”]
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