The Publicity Hound’s
Tips of the Week
Issue #593 Feb. 7, 2012
Publisher: Joan Stewart
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“Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity”
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In This Issue
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1. Lessons from a Speech on Farts
2. Build Your Own Media List
3. Don’t Say This to Journalists
4. No Experience Necessary
5. Free Webinar for Authors
6. Hound Joke of the Week
7. And at My Blog & Mobile Site
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1. Lessons from a Speech on Farts
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You can read all the articles and books in the world about
writing a compelling speech.
But none comes close to what you can learn from sixth-grader
Sophie Paterson’s speech about farts.
I usually ignore funny emails, jokes and other trivia people send
to me, but the topic caught my attention and I couldn’t help but
read the newspaper clipping.
The speech competition, which sounds as though the local Rotary
Club in New Zealand sponsored it, featured Sophie in the front of
the room rattling off a Top 10 list of animals that fart the
most. Her younger brother stood nearby, holding up placards that
illustrated what she was explaining.
When I finished reading the article, I was struck by all the
lessons Publicity Hounds can learn from Sophie’s speech, which
won first place.
For example, when you’re writing an article, a blog post, or even
a pitch to journalists, use statistics. (Who knew that the
average person farts 14 times a day, expels a half liter of gas,
or that hydrogen sulphide is the compound that makes them stink?)
I found four other lessons from Sophie’s speech. Read them at my
blog at http://publicityhound.net/?p=10293 and join the
conversation. What lessons did you learn from the speech?
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2. Build Your Own Media List
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You see those ads all the time from the big companies selling
elephant-size media databases.
“Which of those big expensive lists is the best one to use?” many
Publicity Hounds ask.
Unless you have a lot of PR clients, you don’t need an expensive
database. In fact, those big directories can actually slow your
publicity efforts because you’ll be tempted to send one-size-
fits-all pitches to several dozen outlets at the same time. And
we know how well that works.
I recommend you build your own list from scratch, using a wide
variety of resources, all free, that you can find online.
Yes, it’s a lot of work. But once you’ve created your list–and
done it correctly–it will include golden nuggets of information
that you’ll NEVER find in the big media directories.
That’s because the big directories often get their information by
asking busy journalists to complete a questionnaire. And what’s
on the questionnaire goes into the directory. Problem is, most
journalists never take the time to give thorough answers, and
they don’t include the kinds of valuable details that will really
help you.
Join me at 3 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, Feb. 16, when I host
the webinar, “How to Build Your Own Database of Valuable Media
Contacts.” Whether you’re doing publicity for yourself or your PR
clients, you’ll learn about the types of information to include
in your database, shortcuts that will help find the best contacts
quickly, and the most important details to include in each entry.
Here’s the best part. Everyone who registers gets a package of
eight templates, the same ones I use, so you don’t have to start
from scratch.
Don’t miss this one. It’s going to fill up fast. Register at
http://publicityhound.com/publicity-products/marketing-tapes/mediadatabase.htm
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3. Don’t Say This to Journalists
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When I worked as a newspaper reporter, nothing was more annoying
than interviewing a source, only to have the source ask, after
I’d been taking notes for 20 minutes, “You’re not going to print
any of this, are you?”
That’s just one of dozens of things you should never say to a
journalist.
You can read them all at Quora at
http://www.quora.com/Cultural-Faux-Pas/What-are-some-faux-pas-
when-speaking-to-a-journalist
Quora is the giant website where anyone can ask a question about
any topic (even farts) and anyone can provide the answer.
I was among the 22 people who answered the question, “What are
some faux pas when speaking to a journalist?”
Here’s what I said Publicity Hounds should never do:
“Assume Chris is a woman, Terry is a man, Val is a woman and
Billie is a man. Don’t address a journalist as ‘Dear Mr. Smith’
unless you know for sure he’s a man.”
Also, I said using the word “publicity” in your pitch is
forbidden, as in “Can you give us some good publicity?”
Now that you know what NOT to say, learn WHAT to say. I’ve
explained it in my ebook, “How to be a Kick-butt Publicity
Hound,” a one-stop resource for anyone who’s promoting a product,
service, cause or issue. Read more about it at
http://publicityhound.com/publicity/publicityhound.htm
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4. No Experience Necessary
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The quickest path from knowledge to profit is simple. First,
find a system that works. Then take action.
I found a system that’s going to save you years of time and a ton
of money and heartache trying to get your info products to
market. It’s called Make, Market, Launch IT and it works fast.
Creators Pam Hendrickson and Mike Koenigs have a client, Karen
Waksman of San Francisco, who made, marketed and launched a
product in just two weeks–and generated $10k in sales with their
system.
Now Pam and Mike are going to promote her to over 200,000 people
for free.
If you’ve ever considered turning your ideas, advice or knowledge
into a product that you can sell, Make, Market, Launch IT is the
shortest path to profits. Watch this video to see what I mean:
http://makemarketlaunch.com/aff.php?af=1427774&video=4
It doesn’t matter whether you’re starting from scratch or how
much experience you have. Most of their Product Creation Heroes
started with none. Watch their step-by-step tips on how to
package your ideas, knowledge or advice into a product you can
sell, even if you have little or no budget.
http://makemarketlaunch.com/aff.php?af=1427774&video=4
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5. Free Webinar for Authors
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What’s the one thing you need most to get booked as a guest on
the big morning TV shows like the “Today” show?
If you said, “A big PR firm with inside contacts,” you’re wrong.
Even if you did hire a big firm that knew producers at the show,
you’d never get on the air without a compelling topic, and unless
the producers knew you’d make a great segment.
A former NBC producer who booked guests for “Today” and “Dateline
NBC” will explain what it takes to become a regular guest on
national TV and even get offered your own show (think Dr. Phil).
Steve Harrison will interview the producer and explain how to
brand yourself for the media in a way that celebrates your
uniqueness while also separating you from all the other experts
in your field.
You’ll learn about publicity superstars like Jennifer, who became
a regularly featured lifestyle expert on Fox News Channel and the
Early Show, and scored coverage in hundreds of print media
outlets including O the Oprah Magazine, Redbook, US Weekly,
Success and Entrepreneur.
Join Harrison and his other guests for the webinar, “How To
Become A Regular Guest On National TV And Other Secrets Of The
Publicity Superstars,” at 2 and 7 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday,
Feb. 9.
If you can’t attend because the times are inconvenient, sign up
anyway and find someone who can listen and take notes for you.
Register at https://m164.infusionsoft.com/go/NPS18CallOne/A10011/
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6. Hound Joke of the Week
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The front door was accidentally left open and our dog was gone.
After unsuccessfully whistling and calling, my husband got in the
car and went looking for him.
He drove around the neighborhood for some time with no luck.
Finally, he stopped beside a couple out for a walk and asked if
they had seen our dog.
“You mean the one following your car?” they asked.
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/
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7. And at My Blog & Mobile Site…
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Great content for tweeting:
Publicity lessons from a first-place speech on farts
http://publicityhound.net/?p=10293
Dog Tweets:
How entrepreneurs decide how to post on
LinkedIn, Facebook & Twitter
http://publicityhound.net/?p=10302
Looking for San Francisco biz or
nonprofit to host me March 8-9
http://publicityhound.net/?p=10281
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