Post-Election Sources Wanted

Issue #1070 Nov. 5, 2016
Publisher: Joan Stewart

“Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity”

In This Issue

1. Post-Election Sources Wanted
2. Alternatives to the Lazy Word “Good”
3. How to Use Emojis in Marketing
4. Hound Video of the Week

This Weekend in the Hound House:

I’m heartbroken my Cleveland Indians blew it, but I’ve dried my tears and it’s back to work. I’m spending all day today creating a new training tool and hoping to take a break mid-afternoon and can about a dozen jars of pickled beets. Some break that is.

1. Post-Election Sources Wanted

Regardless of who wins Tuesday’s election, and the bedlam that will result, you should know where to find media leads for publicity.

Bloggers, podcasters, journalists, freelancers and others will be relying on several media leads services to distribute their queries. Don’t be left behind.

Here are free and paid leads services you should know about:

• HARO, short for Help a Reporter Out. The long lists of free and paid leads sent three times a day is like drinking from a fire hose. Most leads won’t pertain to you, but you might find a diamond among them.
• PitchRate.com, sent by my friends at Wasabi Publicity, is free.
• SourceBottle.com, which once featured leads mostly from Australia, now sends free leads from international media.
• JournoRequests.com features free or paid leads mostly from journalists and bloggers in the U.K. This is the perfect time to test-drive their paid account for 14 days, for free.
• PRLeads.com, a subscription service, combs through leads and sends you only the ones that tie into your expertise, saving you lots time.

To do: Subscribe to at least one. Respond only to those queries that are a perfect fit. Heaven help us if they end up reporting on hanging chads.

2. Alternatives to the Lazy Word “Good”

If you want to add sizzle to your PR materials, or anything you write, start by eliminating lazy words.

I catch myself using the word “good,” especially when I’m in a hurry.

Thanks to Custom-Writing.org, which writes academic papers, for a helpful infographic of powerful words you can use when “good” just isn’t good enough insightful. You’ll find 12 categories of words that will help you when you’re describing work, a performance, a book, a movie, a holiday, an opportunity, a change, a personality, a smile, an idea and a cafe.

Hop over to my blog and read “PR Writing Tip: 200 Powerful Words to Use Instead of Good.” You’ll also find a list of articles I discovered on alternatives to the words “excited,” “cool,” “fabulous,” “awesome” and “but.” If you know of a similar list, mention it in the comments.

3. How to Use Emojis in Marketing

Ninety-two percent of the population uses emojis in emails and social media, says a report from Emogi, a mobile-messaging platform.

Emojis can help make your tweets more concise because you don’t need to say you’re “elated.” Just find an emoji that says it best. You can use them with Instagram and Facebook too.

But you need to test them with your audience.

To do: Read Paul Channel’s article, “Can emojis work as part of your marketing strategy?”

4. Hound Video of the Week

There is no background music to this video, but if there was, it would be: “You’ve Got a Friend in Me.” Tennyson the German Shepherd has a friend for life as she helps this newly adopted kitten upstairs.

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