The Publicity Hound’s
Tips of the Week
Issue #466 Aug. 25, 2009
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. Sample Social Media Policy
2. Read Facebook, LinkedIn Blogs
3. Media Lead: O Magazine & Others
4. How to Repitch Oprah
5. Thanks for Feedback
6. Help This HOund
7. Hound Joke of the Week
8. And at My Blog…
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1. Sample Social Media Policy
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If it’s time to write a social media policy for your company or
nonprofit, don’t panic.
It doesn’t have to be a thick tome that goes ker-plunk when you
drop it on the table. And it doesn’t have to get the legal
department all worked up into a lather.
The entire policy can fit nicely onto a single sheet of paper.
Here’s the best part. It’s ready and waiting for you.
The “Top 10 Guidelines for Social Media Participation,” a
copyright-free document, is courtesy of Todd Defren at Shift
Communications, a PR firm in Boston and San Francisco.
Shift helped a client write it, and Todd invites you to use it
with or without attribution to his firm. The attorneys have
already given it their blessing. Some highlights:
–Transparency rules. If you’re writing about your company or a
competitor, you must use your real name and be clear about your
role.
–Never participate in social media when the topic can be
considered a crisis situation.
–Be polite. No criticizing. No flaming.
–Yes, you can write about the competition, but you’d better have
the facts straight, behave diplomatically, and have the
appropriate permissions.
You can cherry-pick guidelines from more than 30 other social
media policies I discuss at my blog at http://budurl.com/t7rs
Run the final version by your own attorney.
My “research,” by the way, took about 10 minutes. Rather than
spending hours on Google searching for social media policies, I
simply went over to LinkedIn and asked whether anyone had a
sample they’d be willing to share.
LinkedIn’s Q&A feature is one of the most powerful research tools
if you’re in a hurry, and a terrific way to flaunt your expertise
if you’re willing to take the time to respond to questions.
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2. Read Facebook, LinkedIn Blogs
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One way to stay on top of what’s happening at your favorite
social media site is to read the site’s corporate blog.
Last week, Facebook announced that it was releasing a feature
that allows administrators of Facebook Pages to publish their
Facebook updates to their Twitter accounts automatically.
I saw lots of bloggers discussing it, but the official details
are at the Facebook blog.
So are more than 600 comments from Facebook users who love or
hate the change. Reading the comments can often help you see
quickly whether that site’s community gives thumbs-up or thumbs-
down to a new feature or application.
Two other blogs worth noting:
–If you’re on LinkedIn, don’t miss their blog.
The first page includes tips on how to win new clients by optimizing
your LinkedIn profile, how LinkedIn helps an entrepreneur close deals,
and how to organize networking events for free using your LinkedIn network.
–Google, the granddaddy of search engines, has an entire line-up
of blogs in its directory. It includes search tips, how to use Google tools
and applications, and a nifty blog called Citizentube that gives lots of
examples on how video is changing the world.
If you have a favorite social site, check to see if it has a blog
worth following, and subscribe to the RSS feed.
Befuddled by social media? You’re not alone. Blogger BL Ochman,
one of my social media teachers, helps you sift through what’s
important and what isn’t. See “How to Do Social Media, Run a
Business & Still Have a Life.”
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3. Media Lead: O Magazine & Others
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If you’re a woman business owner, or you’re a woman who has a
great success story or tips you’d like to pitch, let a team of
top-notch publicists pitch it for you to major media outlets,
including O Magazine.
It will cost you nothing.
PitchRate.com, the service that provides media leads to anyone
who wants free publicity, is doing a round-up of story ideas and
pitches about successful women business owners, or women in
business who have great stories to tell about how they overcame
obstacles.
Sign up for their free media leads service and you’ll be able to
submit your success story. After you sign up, look for the black
bar that says “Exclusive Requests” at the top and submit your
pitch. Deadline is 5 p.m. Eastern Time on Saturday, Sept. 12.
“We’ll take the best 10 to 20 pitches from Publicity Hounds and
deliver them to our list of women’s business media venues,
including Good Morning America, Women Entrepreneur magazine, the
Associated Press and O Magazine,” said Drew Gerber of
PitchRate.com.
If the journalists and broadcasters like your pitch, they’ll
contact you. This is no-brainer, Hounds. Their publicists have a
long track record of major media hits.
Why exclusivity for Publicity Hounds? Because Michelle Tennant
and Drew Gerber of PitchRate.com were among the first graduates
of The Publicity Hound Mentor Program. They also want more people
to participate in their free media leads service.
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4. How to Repitch Oprah
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This week, six Publicity Hounds have tips for Jennifer Louden of
Bainbridge Island, Wash., on how to repitch Oprah’s producers
about a system she has developed for staying organized. She is
the author of “The Life Organizer: A Woman’s Guide to a Mindful
Year.”
From Stan Unruh:
“Why not have one of the producers, or Oprah herself, use tips
from the book? Have them give the tips a try for one week.”
From Roberta Stein:
“Since you’re talking about a ‘Mindful Year,’ how about using the
New Year as an angle? If you bring the book out before the
holidays, your angle can be something like, ‘Remember to let this
be an organized year!’ And while I know that half the world wants
their products given away on Oprah’s Christmas show, she’s
already interested in you! So this would REALLY be a great gift
for her audience that day.”
From Barbara:
“I think your pitch should revolve around how harried and jumbled
life is before reading your book, and then how organized and
peaceful it is after employing your techniques.”
Read all the responses to this week’s Help This Hound question.
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5. Thanks for Feedback
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Thanks for your comments about this newsletter, and your
suggestions for improving it.
I love your idea of adding helpful bookmarks to the index so you
can click on a certain headline and jump to the item without
having to read or scroll through the entire newsletter. I’ve
started using bookmarks.
Design issues continue to be a problem for a few Hounds reading
this newsletter on a Mac. If you still notice problems or have
any other suggestions, email me. I can’t promise I’ll be able to
solve them, but I’ll sure try. Please let me know if you’re on a
Mac or a PC, what browser you’re using and the size of your
monitor.
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6. Help This Hound
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Jeff Clear of Monument, Colo., writes:
“I do Internet marketing for Lasater Grasslands Beef, a grass-fed
beef ranch in Colorado.
“Our target audience consists of environmentally conscious
people, moms who want to feed their families healthy beef, and
people who have spent money on vitamins because they have already
proven they will spend money on health.
“Our beef is sold in Whole Foods, so that will give you an idea
of the demographics of our customer base. Our grass-fed beef has
less saturated fat and is lower in calories than grain-fed beef,
and has no hormones, additives or pesticides. It has higher
amounts of omega-3 fatty acids and other vitamins.
“What’s the best way to reach our target market online?”
The Publicity Hound says:
Reaching a target market is so much easier, and cheaper, these
days, thanks to social media. If you have an idea for Jeff, post
it to my blog.
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7. Hound Joke of the Week
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A tail is a dog’s PR department. A smile is yours.
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8. And at My Blog…
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