The Publicity Hound’s
Tips of the Week
Issue #705 April 9, 2013
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. Spring Story Ideas
2. Think Christmas
3. How to Impress Your Blog Readers
4. Hound Video of the Week
This Week in the Hound House:
In memory of Mouseketeer Annette Funicello, who died this week,
here’s a clip from the Mickey Mouse Club’s “Talent Roundup Day.”
Do you Boomers remember what day of the week the Mouseketeers
were saddling their ponies? I do. And I know almost all the words
to the song. But I can’t remember what I did last week.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8KmmgJQfc0
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1. Spring Publicity Ideas
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Thanks to Publicity Hound Shawne Duperon for suggesting these
spring story ideas, perfect for pitching to local and national
media, and for blogging:
–Pitch stories about spring cleaning, including what to clean
and how to clean it. Example: Mini-blinds (ugh).
–Professional organizers, share tips on how to organize
basements, closets and garages, and recommend your favorite
products to store things. Provide a list of questions people can
ask when deciding whether to keep it or pitch it.
–Is this the best or worst time to buy a lawnmower? There are so
many options. What’s the best size for your turf?
–Taxes, taxes and more taxes. What are the common mistakes
everyone seems to be making this year? One of the most clever
ideas I heard about was a local business that delivered lunches
to local accountants who were hard at work during the final week
before tax filing deadline. Brilliant!
If you like these ideas, you’ll love the more than 200 story
ideas Shawne and I brainstormed, several for every month of the
year. We even tell you which ones work best for print media and
which work best for broadcast. I’ve been selling “106 WOW Story
Ideas from January to June” and “103 Sizzling Story Ideas from
July through December” separately. But today only, you can get
both CDs and two handouts listing all 219 story ideas for one low
price of $39.95. That’s two for the price of one.
We’ve got ideas for companies big and small, nonprofits,
solopreneurs, authors, speakers and experts. Click here to order
and you can download the handouts immediately while you’re
waiting for the CDs to arrive.
https://publicityhound.com/shop/spring-publicity-ideas.php
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2. Think Christmas
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Regional magazines are perfect for submitting items about
upcoming events, accompanied by a color photo.
But while flipping through Midwest Living magazine yesterday, I
noticed they have a seven-month lead time for calendar items.
Seven months! That isn’t unusual.
That means that if you’ll be promoting an event in December,
you’ll have to submit the item in May.
Book marketing expert John Kremer has an excellent list of
regional and local magazines at his website.
It’s worth taking a look to make sure you aren’t missing any
publicity opportunities. And if you aren’t sure of the deadlines,
you can call the magazine.
Need help pitching magazines but can’t afford a publicist?
In the video “How to Find Your Way into Glossy Magazines,” I walk
you step-by-step through the process of researching journalists
who work for the magazines in which you want publicity. These
journalists are leaving clues, online and off, about exactly what
they need.
And if you know where to look, you’ll have a leg up on all the
other people who are pitching because you can build relationships
with writers and editors BEFORE you pitch. This webinar will
teach time-saving tips for generating thousands of dollars in
free publicity in the glossies–even if you’re on a tight budget.
Access it, and the bonus handout “11 Ways to Prepare for a
Magazine Interview.”
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3. How to Impress Your Blog Readers
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Andrienne Smith, the Engagement Expert, offers these five ideas
on how to thank people for reading your blog, and encouraging
them to come back for more:
–Invite them to write a guest post.
–Write a blog post about their blog.
–Feature a reader of the week or month.
–Promote a really juicy comment written by one of your readers.
–Let your readers promote themselves at your blog.
Read her entire post, which links to another post in which she
explains exactly how she lets her readers promote themselves.
http://www.adriennesmith.net/how-to-impress-blog-readers/
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4. Hound Video of the Week
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Thanks to Publicity Hound Sophie Wajsman of Melbourne, Australia,
for this video clip of a multi-talented dog that will never get
bored. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdT1UqlwDOI
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