Issue #790 Feb. 4, 2014
Publisher: Joan Stewart
“Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity”
In This Issue
- A Press Release vs. a Pitch
- 109 Ways to be Irresistible
- Join Me on a Google Hangout
- Hound Video of the Week
This Week in the Hound House:
I’ve been battling a persistent cough for more than two months, a mild asthmatic condition exacerbated by all the dried road salt in the air. Two prescriptions haven’t done any good, so before returning to the doctor next week, I’m using Oil of Oregano, one of the very best natural antibiotics. I hold my nose and rub it on the bottoms of my feet. I mix it with water and drink it through a straw. It tastes and smells so vile that I don’t know if I’ll ever reach for the bottle of dried oregano on my spice rack again.
1. A Press Release vs. a Pitch
One of the most confusing dilemmas for Publicity Hounds is knowing when to write a press release and when to deliver a pitch.
Each has its own advantages and disadvantages.
Most press releases are so poorly written that readers can barely make it past the headline. Yet press releases live online forever and can include many pertinent details journalists can use if they cover your story. They won’t waste valuable time asking you about minutiae that’s right there in the release.
Pitching, on the other hand, can turn into a landmine.
If you don’t do your research and you pitch blogger Pat Brown blindly and lead your email pitch with “Hi Ms. Brown,” Pat Brown will very well blackball you because he’s a man.
But a well-crafted customized pitch that delivers the underlying message “I know who you are, I know what you cover, I know what your audience needs and I can help you” can give you valuable exposure at a high-traffic website or blog.
I want you to know the difference between the two. Start by reading my blog post “The pros and cons of press releases vs. pitches.” Tomorrow, I’ll write another blog post that explains exactly when to use a press release and when to use a pitch.
This is great content for sharing on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn. Or link to it from your blog or ezine.
2. 109 Ways to be Irresistible
One of my favorite blog posts on how to generate publicity includes 109 Ways to Make Your Business Irresistible to the Media.
I’ve mentioned it here before. But it’s definitely worth a second or third look because it will remind you of great ideas you can use right now. Here are three of my favorites:
–Frame your story as a local example of a national or international issue currently in the news. If you’re a drug counselor, comment on the heroin epidemic in your community, and piggyback the story onto the death of Philip Seymour Hoffman who investigators believe died from a heroin overdose.
–Connect on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, or in real life more than six months in advance of pitching a reporter.
–Ask journalists if you can add them to your email list. Then provide them with education-based content marketing to sell them on doing a story about your business.
An email list, like the one you’re on that feeds you these valuable tips twice a week, can be one of the most important revenue-generators in your business. But so few people understand the value of these lists or are scared to create them.
Internet marketer Danny Iny says communicating regularly with people who want what you have is one of the four major components to a successful online business. He’ll review them all tonight when he returns one more time to present his live interactive workshop on “Bridging Your Passion, Purpose and Prosperity in 2014.”
More than 15,000 people have participated so far, and my Hounds gave Danny “two paws up–way up.”
3. Join Me in a Google Hangout
I’ll be hosting my first free Google Hangout soon, and I want to know what you want to know.
What publicity or social media problems are you struggling with?
Or should it be a general Q&A?
Email me at JStewart@PublicityHound.com and share your thoughts.
4. Hound Video of the Week
Thanks to Sophie Wajsman from Melbourne, Australia, for this video that shows a dog guarding its owner’s bike. You won’t believe what the dog does when the owner returns. It’s gotten more than 3.4 million views.
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