The Publicity Hound’s
Tips of the Week
Issue #516 Aug. 3, 2010
Publisher: Joan Stewart
==========================================
“Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity”
===================================
In This Issue
===================================
1. Create Twitter Lists
2. New Media Leads Service
3. Secrets of Publicity Superstars
4. Subject Lines That Scream “Open!”
5. How to Promote Wardrobe Workshops
6. Authors, Save the Date
7. Dog Quote of the Week
8. And at My Blogs & Mobile Site…
=====================================
1. Create Twitter Lists
=====================================
If you’re active on Twitter, you’ve probably seen at least one
reference on your own profile page to Twitter lists.
They’re a powerful way to categorize Twitter users according to
their area of expertise, or the topics of their tweets and then,
once the list is created, let anyone see it. They save valuable
time because when you create a list, every tweet from every
person on that list feeds into that particular list. You don’t
have to drink from a firehose on Twitter to be able to find the
tweets from people who have a particular expertise.
But don’t be fooled into thinking that that’s the only way to use
Twitter lists. They’re powerful tools that can help you do
valuable research, track down experts in a particular niche, find
people in your target market, spy on your competitors, find
journalists who cover your industry, and so much more.
They’re also an excellent way to determine how other people
perceive your expertise and your brand. Here’s what I mean.
Go to your Twitter Home or Profile page and look under your photo
on the upper right side. You’ll see the number of people you’re
following, the number of people who are following you, and the
number of lists you’re on. Click on “Listed.”
Instantly, you can look down the list and see which Twitter users
have put you on one of their lists, and you can see the names of
their lists. For example, I’m on 644 Twitter lists. When I click
on “Listed,” a window opens and I can see that many of the lists
include the words “PR,” “publicity” and “social media.”
I can also see I’m on lists called “best-resources-4-authors,”
“inspiring-quotes” and “futuristic-entrepreneurs.”
If you aren’t on many lists, or you haven’t created your own
lists yet, that’s OK. I’m hosting a teleseminar at 3 p.m. Eastern
Time on Thursday, Aug. 26, called “How to Use Twitter Lists &
Directories?to Generate Publicity and Build Your Brand.” If the
time is inconvenient for you, sign up anyway because I’m
recording it. You’ll get a link where you can watch the streaming
video, or download the video. Read more about what you’ll be able
to do with Twitter lists and directories at
http://publicityhound.com/publicity-products/marketing-
tapes/twitterlists.htm
======================================
2. New Media Leads Service
======================================
There’s a new media leads service similar to HARO, PRLeads,
Reporter Connection and PitchRate.
It’s called NewsBasis. Darryl Siry, a freelance writer and
marketing executive, created it.
It’s similar to the four services mentioned above, because it
matches journalists with sources. You can also build a public
profile.
NewsBasis gives you the ability to upload articles to the site,
which can be found by journalists. There’s also a cool feature
that lets you embed your point of view into an article at the
site, and also point out inaccurate information.
Watch the short video that gives you an overview of the service
at http://newsbasis.com/#overview
=====================================
3. Secrets of Publicity Superstars
=====================================
In almost every field, there are people who seem to attract
publicity like magnets.
Journalists love them, and they appear regularly on radio and TV
shows.
They not only know how to get a ton of free coverage, but also
how to profit from the coverage in the form of increased sales,
name recognition, speaking engagements and more.
To discover how these “publicity superstars” do it and how you,
too, can use their strategies, join Steve Harrison this Thursday,
August 5, for a free webinar (or teleseminar if you prefer) at
http://www.freepublicity.com/superstars/?10011
It’s part of a series of free teleseminars he’s hosting to
promote the National Publicity Summit, Oct. 20-23 in New York
City, where 100 pre-qualified Publicity Hounds will be able to
meet dozens of journalists and broadcasters face-to-face and
deliver a pitch. I’m promoting the summit as an affiliate,
because I’ve received great feedback from people whose topics
were a perfect fit for the summit. If your topic is better suited
to trade publications, or niche publications, you won’t be
accepted.
Register for the teleseminar at
http://www.freepublicity.com/superstars/?10011 or apply to attend
the summit at http://www.nationalpublicitysummit.com/apply/?10011
=====================================
4. Subject Lines That Scream “Open!”
=====================================
Some subscribers missed receiving this item last week, because of
a dumb mistake I made. So here it is. If you already read it,
it’s worth a second read:
Here’s some really bad advice that the so-called PR experts
dispense: Your email pitches to journalists and bloggers should
be as short as possible. No more than three or four words.
Why is it bad advice? Because it forces people to make their
subject lines sound cute rather than informative.
Publicist Michelle Tennant, a master at booking her clients on
top-tier TV and radio shows, often uses as many words as
necessary in her subject lines so they scream, “Open me!”
And wow, do journalists ever open them!
During last week’s webinar on “How to Tie Your Pitch to Breaking
News and Make the Media Interview YOU,” Michelle dissected three
email pitches that scored publicity in major media outlets. All
three had the critical elements of an email pitch and made the
journalist’s job incredibly easy. You can adopt them for your own
use.
News is breaking all around you–and that’s the very best time to
pitch. I recorded the webinar and you can watch it at your
computer, or download it along with the MP3 file, the handouts
and Michelle’s sample email pitches. Read more about what she
taught at
http://publicityhound.com/publicity-products/marketing-tapes/breakingnews.htm
======================================
5. How to Promote Wardrobe Workshops
======================================
This week, six Publicity Hounds have tips for Cathy Berger of
Roslyn, NY, who asked for quick, creative ways she can market
workshops that show women how to dress according to their body
type.
From Bob Shultz:
“Have you marketed your plan to area health clubs and fitness
centers that focus on women who want to look and feel better?
Also, weight loss centers such as Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers
may be interested.”
From Rekaya:
“Narrow your target audience. For example, for the ‘6 Steps for
Fashionably Fitting the Voluptuous Woman,’ create flyers and
distribute them to plus-sized stores in the area. Your current
target audience could work if you use social media. Try catching
their attention with buzzwords such as ‘Fashion Trends in the
Workplace,’ ‘What to Wear to an Interview with Your Body Type,’
and ‘Dressing for Less.'”
From Marcia Yudkin:
“You can get much better attendance if you narrow your topic.
Women who know they have an hourglass figure (for example) would
much rather pay to attend a workshop where they know all the
content pertains to them than to pay for and sit through a
workshop where only a percentage of the content pertains to
them.”
The Publicity Hound says:
Read all the responses to this week’s “Help This Hound” question
at
http://publicityhound.net/dress-better-workshops-for-women-need-
publicity-ideas/
Send your own “Help This Hound” question to:
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com?subject=HelpThisHound
and include your city and state.
=====================================
6. Authors, Save the Date
=====================================
If you’re writing a book or thinking of writing one, you won’t
want to miss my teleseminar on how to “Write a Client-Attracting
Book Fast that Makes Up to $150,000 Before It’s Published” at 8
p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, Aug. 18.
My guest, John Eggen, a publishing and marketing mentor, has an
impressive string of success stories from authors who made big
bucks from their books, attracted clients, and received
consulting assignments long before their books hit the
bookstores.
Sign-up information should be ready for you next week.
=====================================
7. Dog Quote of the Week
=====================================
“My dog, she looks at me sometimes with that look, and I think
maybe deep down inside she must know exactly how I feel. But then
maybe she just wants the food off my plate.” –Unknown
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/
====================================
8. And at My Blogs & Mobile Site…
====================================
Great retweets:
How to build a strong brand so competitors can’t define you
http://publicityhound.net/?p=6806
Guest post:
Everything you do online–good or bad–is publicity
http://publicityhound.net/?p=6789
7 ways blogging makes you and your employees smarter
http://publicityhound.net/?p=6776
Show website visitors how to find you at social media sites
http://www.mysocialmediasolution.com/?p=432
================================================
Joan Stewart
a.k.a. The Publicity Hound
Share Your Two Cents