Newsjack This Story: Condom Snorting

Issue #1211 April 3, 2018
Publisher: Joan Stewart

“Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity”

In This Issue

1. Newsjack This Story: Condom Snorting
2. 8 Ideas to Promote Your PR Business
3. Hot Radio Topics in April
4. Hound Video of the Week

This Week in the Hound House:

The furnace guys are here right now, installing my new furnace which I bought through Costco. And just in time. The forecast calls for 2 to 4 inches of wet, heavy snow in my neck of the woods in Wisconsin. I keep calling up the 10-day forecast and see no end to the cold weather in sight although the high of 53 forecast for Friday, April 13 might be a late April Fool’s joke.

1. Newsjack This Story: Condom Snorting

I’m a news junkie. But I hadn’t heard about The Condom Snorting Challenge until I saw a news story about it last night on a Milwaukee TV station.

Turns out this fad was all the rage from as far back as the nineties. But kids have resurrected it, and their videos are going viral.

“In the videos, teens put an unwrapped condom up one of their nostrils and inhale until the condom comes out of their mouth,” says a story in today’s USA Today under the headline “The ‘condom snorting challenge’ is every parent’s worst nightmare.” 

Even though the story is starting to appear in national and local media outlets, there’s a chance your TV station doesn’t know about it yet, making you a perfect candidate for publicity. Here are ideas on how authors, speakers, and experts can piggyback onto this story, also known as newsjacking:

–Doctors, nurses, clinics and healthcare professionals can explain the dangers of this sickening fad, including choking, suffocation and even a collapsed lung.

–Parenting experts, what’s the best way to warn your children about this? Because this involves condoms, how young is too young?

–Therapists and psychologists, is there something wrong mentally with kids who are snorting and recording? Or do they just crave attention? Last fall, kids were eating colorful Tide detergent packets. 

To do: Read about five more ideas at my blog on how to newsjack this story and make it your own. See “Condom Snorting Dangers Ripe for Newsjacking.”

#CondomSnorting #ViralVideos

2. 8 Ideas to Promote Your PR Business

If you’re a PR pro, do you sometimes feel like the shoemaker’s kids who don’t have shoes?

You’re so busy serving clients that you don’t have time to follow your own advice. That’s how I felt when I was reading an article at the Solo PR Pros blog on how to promote themselves.

The article urges you to put your skills to use for yourself to generate leads, enhance your visibility and establish credibility with your target audience by doing the types of things you urge your own clients to do, such as blogging and podcasting. Publicity Hounds in almost any occupation can follow the tips. Here’s mine, which I posted as a comment at their blog:

“Offer free mini-consultations as a way for people to get a feel for how your brain works and what it would be like if they paid for a consulting session with you. If I’m speaking at a live or virtual event, and the event planner asks speakers to volunteer to consult at a few of these free sessions and explain to members how to build a platform and generate free publicity, I usually say yes. I’ve converted several of these freebies into paying clients. You can also give away these short consulting sessions as door prizes when you speak at an event and collect business cards to build an email list. Announce the winner(s) from the stage.

I also recommend PR folks offer short paid consulting sessions like I do for clients who don’t have a lot of money to spend. My Rent My Brain service offers laser-focused coaching that can usually be scheduled within just a few days.

To do: Read seven more tips in the article and the comments under the headline “Self-Promotion Is Not Evil.” Vow to follow through this week on at least one of those tips. You can also schedule a Rent My Brain session with me to help you promote your practice.

3. Hot Radio Topics in April

Health takes center stage this month, and radio DJ Wayne Kelly says this is the perfect time to pitch a story that ties into:

• Emotional Overeating Awareness Month. This is a great topic for psychologists and body image experts. How do you know if you are an emotional eater? And what can you do about it? How do we stop our children from emotional overeating? Do Parents cause this in their children?
• Physical Wellness Month. Perfect for doctors or trainers.
• Women’s Eye Health & Safety Month. Optometrists, what do we need to know to keep our eyes safe this summer?
• Early Warning: National Small Business Week is April 29 through May 5.

To do: Read Wayne’s entire list of “Hot Radio Topics That Need Guests This April.”

#RadioPublicity #RadioGuests

4. Hound Video of the Week

Secret, an Australian Shepherd, gives new meaning to the phrase “down dog” by doing yoga with his owner.

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