The Publicity Hound’s
Tips of the Week
Issue #579 Nov. 1, 2011
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. Make it Easy for People to Donate
2. Overused Words in Press Releases
3. ProfNet Leads on Twitter
4. Overcome Publicity Shyness
5. How to Time Your Facebook Posts
6. Hound Video of the Week
7. And at My Blog & Mobile Site…
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1. Make it Easy for People to Donate
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Nonprofits and any business that’s asking website visitors for
donations: This tip is for you.
Make it as easy as possible for people to give to your worthy
cause.
Don’t just ask them to send a check. Let them pay by credit card,
or PayPal. Consider letting them donate stock, or give a
corporate matching gift. What about payroll deductions?
The Wikimedia Foundation, the folks that manage Wikipedia, gives
its website visitors nine ways to donate. You can read about it
at my blog at http://publicityhound.net/?p=9667.
Make these options part of your publicity campaign.
Include a reference in paid ads, press releases, your press kit,
the press room at your website, from a “Ways to Donate” link at
your blog, and on the social media sites.
Nonprofits that need publicity tips, or businesses that do joint
ventures with nonprofits, can find dozens more tips in the video
replay of a webinar I hosted last week with nonprofit marketing
expert Sandy Rees. If you’re sponsoring an event, looking for
donors, recruiting volunteers or trying to persuade the public to
support your cause, this is for you. Read more about what you’ll
learn and how to do it at
http://publicityhound.com/publicity-products/marketing-tapes/nonprofitpublicity.htm
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2. Overused Words in Press Releases
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Delighted. Best of breed. Scalability. Unique. Innovative. New.
And my personal favorite: Announced.
Those words appear everywhere in press releases, making the news
sound boring and trite.
Steve Farnsworth, chief digital strategist for Jolt Media, is
asking you to cast your vote.
“What overused drek is clogging the heart of news releases these
days? You can select up to 3!”
And then learn how to write press releases the correct way. Take
my free email course, “89 Ways to Write Powerful Press Releases.” By
the time you’re done, it will be the equivalent of earning a
master’s degree in press releases. Opt into the course at
http://www.89pressreleasetips.com
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3. ProfNet Leads on Twitter
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ProfNet, the subscription service that provides leads Monday
through Friday from print and broadcast journalists looking for
sources, can be pricey if you’re a sole proprietor or your
company is on a tight budget.
That’s why following Proftnet’s Maria Perez on Twitter can pay
huge dividends. You won’t see all the leads, or most of them, but she
shares a few juicy ones.
Today, for example, she tweeted a lead from the Wall Street
Journal, which is looking for a forensic accounting expert. She
tweeted about the New York Post, which is looking for experts in
home health care. Another tweet mentioned that the Christian
Science Monitor is looking for experts in the Occupy Oakland
strike who can comment on what it will or won’t accomplish.
Follow Maria Perez on Twitter at http://www.Twitter.com/ProfNet.
That tip was one of more than 60 I shared recently when I
gathered my favorite free (or almost free) tools to share during the
webinar “60 Ideas in 60 Minutes: Free (or Practically Free) Tips, Tricks,
Tools & Tutorials for Publicity & Social Media.” You can access
the video replay, handouts and slides I used during the presentation.
at
http://publicityhound.com/publicity-products/marketing-tapes/60ideas.htm
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4. Overcome Publicity Shyness
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Most publicity advice is of the “here’s how to approach
journalists” variety.
But what if you’re reluctant, shy, embarrassed or uncomfortable
promoting yourself?
Many people are.
There’s a simple, profound principle that changed Steve
Harrison’s life when he started his business two decades ago. He’ll share
it, and explain the one marketing lesson that took him from
struggling to successful, when he hosts a free webinar tomorrow at 2 and 7
p.m. Eastern on “Fast-Track Strategies for Becoming a Well-Known,
Well-Paid Author, Speaker Or Expert In Your Field.”
Even though the call is free, I’m promoting it as a paid
affiliate because so many experts spend too many years trying to build
their platform, only to be disappointed in the end.
Don’t miss out, register for the call at
https://m164.infusionsoft.com/go/QL14FT/A10011/
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5. How to Time Your Facebook Posts
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This is way more work than you might be willing to do, but if you
love analyzing numbers, you can learn when to time your Facebook
posts so they reach the most fans.
Follow the directions given by Jeff Widman at the Mashable blog:
http://mashable.com/2011/10/26/time-facebook-posts/
And then discover all the other ways to attract Facebook fans.
Mari Smith, the world’s Number One Facebook expert, ticked them off
one by one, and demonstrated many of them, during my webinar, “33
Ways to Attract Facebook Fans, Provide Sterling Content & Keep Them
Coming Back for More.” You can access the video replay, the
handout listing all 33 tips and more. at
http://publicityhound.com/facebookpages.htm
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6. Hound Video of the Week
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Meet Daniel, the 20-pound miracle Beagle that’s up for adoption
after surviving a gas chamber in Florence, AL. What a great
mascot for dog-related company or nonprofit.
http://video-embed.nj.com/services/player/
bcpid651974715001?bctid=1242628019001
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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Nonprofit Marketing Tip: Explain all 9 ways people can donate
http://publicityhound.net/?p=9667
Write killer headlines: 102 fill-in-the-blank formulas
http://publicityhound.net/write-killer-headlines-102-
fill-in-the-blank-formulas/
-Joan Stewart
The Publicity Hound
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