Issue #892 Feb. 14, 2015
Publisher: Joan Stewart
“Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity”
In This Issue
- Whip Up Publicity with ’50 Shades’
- Help TV Producers Book You
- Amazon.com Tip
- Hound Video of the Week
This Weekend in the Hound House:
This Weekend in the Hound House:
I wish I had started watching “Downton Abbey” when it premiered five years ago. My girlfriend wants to watch the entire series again with me by her side. She’s planning a girls night every few weeks where we can watch several episodes. Should I wait and start from the beginning? Or should I tune in on Sunday night and catch up later? Downton fans, your advice?
1. Whip Up Publicity with ’50 Shades’
“50 Shades of Grey,” the S&M movie based on the best-selling trilogy, opens this weekend in movie theaters.
Here are five ideas on how to tie into what could be a box office bomb or, if it sells like the books, a record-breaker.
–The boycott campaign using the hashtag #50dollarsnot50shades has gone viral. Supporters are urging women to donate $50 to their local women’s shelters instead of seeing the movie which has been panned by professional critics. Social media experts, how effective are hashtags at mustering support for causes and issues? Can hashtags kill a brand?
–Women’s shelters, how much money as been donated this weekend that you attribute to the “50 Shades” campaign?
–Parenting experts, will teen-age girls be tempted to try what they see on the screen, if they haven’t done so already? What’s a responsible parent to do?
–Book shepherds, coaches and romance novelists: Was scheduling the moving to open the day before Valentine’s Day a smart move?
–Attorneys, do people actually have legally binding sexual contracts?
If I still worked as a reporter, I’d ask these questions.
2. Help TV Producers Book You
The next time you send an email pitch or a press release, include links to your social media profiles.
Make it easy for TV producers to check out your YouTube videos so they can see what you look like. Let radio talk show hosts hear what you sound like on a podcast. If a reporter wants to follow you on Twitter, don’t make her hunt for your Twitter handle.
That wise advice comes from Roshanda Pratt, a former TV news producer who now does marketing for small businesses.
Roshanda also recommends that you search for your name on Google. It will let you see exactly what journalists find when they search for your name too, and what they see when they click on “Images.”
Will they see that goofy photo of you in the furry hat with the big ear flaps–the one you wore on your hunting weekend with the guys? How about that Facebook photo of you holding up the giant beer mug at your sister’s wedding shower?
If so, those photos can set off warning bells and dissuade a producer from booking you on a TV news segment.
Read Roshanda’s other tips at my blog.
She’s a regular contributor to The Publicity Hound’s blog. If you’d like to pitch an idea for something you’d like to write about, first read the guidelines.
3. Amazon.com Tip
Creating an Author Central page on Amazon.com has many marketing advantages.
But the biggest one is the free customer service support you’ll get if you have a problem with your store. When my amazon store hit a snag a few months ago, I called the customer service number. Within 15 seconds, the phone rang. A living, breathing human was on the other end, offering to me.
That was one of the tips I shared yesterday during my webinar on “Book Publicity Tips You can Use Today to Sell More Books Tomorrow.” If you missed it, you can still order the replay which comes with a bonus package.
Publicity Hound Rebecca Brown sent me this nice message yesterday:
“Joan, just hung up from your webinar.
“The info you shared was beyond compare.
“I feel like I’ve just attended a 2-day event…for pennies!
“Thank you, thank you.”
Don’t miss out. Grab the replay and the bonuses.
4. Hound Video of the Week
Thanks to my sister, Elaine Grassbaugh of Columbus Ohio, for this commercial for Subaru that shows a family of dogs out for a ride in the car. Then they start howling. That’s exactly what you’ll do when you see why.
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