The Publicity Hound’s
Tips of the Week
Issue #629 July 10, 2012
Publisher: Joan Stewart
==========================================
“Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity”
===================================
In This Issue
===================================
1. Invite Anchors to Emcee
2. Why You Should be on Pinterest
3. What Journalists Want from You
4. Hound Video of the Week
This Week in the Hound House:
Crafters, Gardeners and Scavengers, check out the pretty photos
of the 19 glass flower plates my sisters and I made for our
garden last week. Then follow my step-by-step directions at my
blog at http://publicityhound.net/?p=11851 and make your own
stunning garden art.
======================================
1. Invite Anchors to Emcee
======================================
This is about as close as you can get to guaranteed TV coverage
for your event.
Invite a local TV anchor to emcee it. If you can’t get an anchor,
ask the often-forgotten meteorologist.
TV stations love putting their on-air stars at these events
because it shows they’re involved in the community. And smart
Publicity Hounds work opportunities like this into their 12-month
media plan.
I’ve seen some pretty lame events covered on the 10 o’clock news
on Saturday night. Not because they deserved the air time, but
because somebody from the station served as an emcee or judge.
Many local stations ask you to complete a request form that you
can find at their website. If you can’t find a form, call the
station and ask for the community affairs director.
TV producer Shawne Duperon knows every trick in the book for
getting local TV coverage for yourself, your company, or your
event. She shared them all, including some fabulous story ideas
to pitch near Labor Day, during the teleseminar “How to Get on
the Local TV News Tomorrow.” You can access the audio recording
or the electronic transcript at
http://publicityhound.com/publicity-products/marketing-
tapes/getinthenews.htm
=====================================
2. Why You Should be on Pinterest
=====================================
Pinterest users are power shoppers. They have upscale tastes. And
they love a good deal on high-end products.
Studies show that people are more apt to buy from a website they
find on Pinterest than from a website they find on Facebook.
That’s one of the things I’ll be teaching the Iowa Newspaper
Association this week when I present a webinar on how newspapers
can use Pinterest to engage readers, showcase their journalists’
best work and make advertisers love them.
If women comprise most of your target audience, you should be
pinning, too. What to pin?
Photos of what you sell, or of things tied to what you sell. If
you specialize in custom-made curtains and drapes, pin photos of
rich fabrics, elegant drapes you see elsewhere, home furnishings,
dream kitchens where your curtains might be hung, and anything
else that would appeal to your ideal customers.
Oh, did I mention that almost 1 out of 4 Pinterest users has an
annual household income of $75,000 a year or more?
Start pinning before your competitors beat you to it. Grab my
step-by-step guide on “How to Use Pinterest to Generate Clicks,
Traffic, Links, Leads and Sales” at
http://publicityhound.com/publicity-products/marketing-tapes/pinterest.htm
====================================
3. What Journalists Want from You
====================================
Here are four things journalists want:
–Your attention. So pay attention to them on the social media
sites.
–Your understanding of what they cover. If you don’t know, one
of the best ways to find out is to read their Twitter feeds.
–Know topics and issues important to them. They’re dropping
clues left and right on Twitter. Follow the trail of bread crumbs
that leads to publicity.
–Comments about their work. Reply to a tweet. Comment on a
status update on their Facebook page. Send the message “I care
about you” instead of “I want something from you.”
I explain four more things journalists want from you in the video
replay of the webinar “How to Use Social Media Sites to Connect
with Journalists.” This is a powerful way to communicate with
reporters, editors, broadcasters, sports writers, bloggers and
others, even if they don’t respond to your email pitches. Learn
more about the webinar at
http://publicityhound.com/publicity-products/marketing-tapes/journalistsonsocialmedia.htm
====================================
4. Hound Video of the Week
====================================
What baby needs a rubber ducky when he’s got a real live dog to
play with at bath time?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMuZdN84PJg
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: http://publicityhound.com/dogjokebook/
Share Your Two Cents