Issue #725 June 15, 2013
Publisher: Joan Stewart
“Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity”
In This Issue
- Don’t Nudge with a Sharp Stick
- Washington Post Opinion Page Ads
- New Posts at My Blog
- Hound Video of the Week
This Weekend in the Hound House:
I’ll be in the garden all weekend, fighting with the garlic mustard. So far, it’s winning.
1. Don’t Nudge with a Sharp Stick
When event promoter Tim Kern pitched three ideas for a guest blog post back in November, I set aside the email and made a mental note to return to it later and review his ideas. I thanked him and said I’d get back to him.
That never happened.
Yesterday, he emailed me again with a very short follow-up:
“I just thought I’d email you again. When we last talked you were deciding whether the posts I mentioned below would be a good fit for your blog. So, I just wanted to follow up and see what you thought.
“I’m happy to contribute different content related to the events space, as well, so let me know if you’d prefer anything else. I’m flexible.
“Thanks,
Tim Kern”
He included the original email so I could see the ideas.
He offered different content and asked for my suggestions. He said he was flexible. And he didn’t waste my time.
It was a perfect follow-up and it worked! I replied immediately and told him which of his three ideas I like best.
Thanks to that follow-up, he’ll get what he wants: a chance to get in front of my Publicity Hounds. I’ll get what I want: A guest blog post on a topic I know you’ll love–how to fill seats at special events.
And everybody’s happy.
Some people who follow up with bloggers and journalists make the mistake of using a sharp stick. They put “Urgent” in the subject line when there’s no urgency. Or they write “This is the third time I am contacting you,” which sounds condescending. Or they send a barrage of emails and voicemail messages.
Don’t do that.
There are many ways you can catch the attention of people you’ve pitched, without being a pest. I explained them all during Thursday’s webinar on “The New Rules for Following Up Pitches to Journalists.”
The video replay and the big package of bonuses, including step- by-step advice from three top publicists, will be ready tomorrow and I’ll email the download links to everyone who registers.
Don’t miss this one. Journalists and bloggers love Publicity Hounds who make their jobs easy.
2. Washington Post Opinion Page Ads
Shrinking newspapers are looking under every rock for new revenue.
That’s why it’s no surprise that The Washington Post is now selling space on its online editorial pages to organizations that want to tie in their message to the paper’s opinions.
“Sponsored Views” invites groups to post commentary related to, or in response to, content from the paper’s Opinion section.
Sponsored Views appear at the bottom of an online column from The Post’s Editorial/Op-Ed pages.
The product is ideal for advocacy, communications and government affairs professionals to place their message in front of their target audiences.
3. New Posts at My Blog
Ignore journalists who say, “We don’t want follow-ups”…Here’s what they REALLY mean
Following up pitches to journalists? 3 mistakes to avoid
Dog Tweets: The difference between a press release and a pitch
4. Hound Video of the Week
This series of clips from “America’s Funniest Home Videos” is hysterical. I love the one of the dog with the Roman candle in its mouth.
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