Issue #880 Dec. 20, 2014
Publisher: Joan Stewart
“Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity”
In This Issue
- Sizzling Author Bio Boxes
- Don’t Miss My Top 2014 Tips
- Press Release Advice Galore
- Hound Video of the Week
This Weekend in the Hound House:
My Consumer Bargain of the Year: Airbnb.com, the easy way to find single rooms, homes and entire villas to rent anywhere in the world when you don’t want to stay in a hotel. I booked my second Airbnb reservation recently for a one-nighter in a couple’s home in Florida. My hosts will pick me up at the airport, make me breakfast the next morning, and drive me to my destination. The total cost: under $120, a fraction of what I’d pay for a hotel, meals and transportation. And now, there’s an app for that.
1. Sizzling Author Bio Boxes
You have to admire people who can promote their expertise and make themselves sound so interesting in only a few sentences that they practically force you to go hunting for more information about them.
I’m referring to the author resource box, that 50- to 100-word paragraph that you place at the end of articles and blog posts you write.
When I see one I love, I move it into a special folder in my email and share them with clients in my Mentor Program who use me as their writing coach. Many of them struggle when it’s time to write about themselves. And it’s a lot easier to write your own resource box after you see examples of how other writers have created theirs.
I thought it would be fun to share some of the best ones with you, too, so you can see how easy it is to make yourself sound interesting. Authors, by the way, write some of the most boring bios.
Read the article I wrote for The Future of Ink blog on “9 Ways to Make Your Author Resource Box Sizzle.”
2. Don’t Miss My Top 2014 Tips
Have you opened my gift to you, “The Best of The Publicity Hound’s Tips of the Week of 2014” ebook yet?
If not, don’t miss it.
When you see what’s inside, you’ll want to regift it to your friends and followers.
This year’s ebook includes 26 snack-size tips on many aspects of PR and publicity.
Everybody, it seems, is an author these days. That’s why you’ll see several items on book publishing and marketing.
Don’t miss the coupon codes that I’ve sprinkled throughout the ebook. They give you half off products in my store, good until Jan. 5. If you want to use the codes but you’re confused about what to choose from my huge inventory, drop me a line JStewart@PublicityHound.com and explain what you are trying to do with publicity. I’ll make a recommendation on which products offer the greatest value.
Give your friends and followers this link when you regift.
And suggest that they regift it, too.
3. Press Release Advice Galore
This time of year, many companies are compiling lists of their best content that has been shared most often by others during the last 12 months.
Business Wire has its list of “The Sweet 16: Business Wire’s Most Read, Viewed and Shared Content of 2014.”
Because it’s a press release distribution service, almost all the content pertains to press releases.
Lots of great reading, with special reminders to incorporate multi-media within your releases.
4. Hound Video of the Week
This is what happens when adults get puppies for Christmas. A cute series of videos.
Share Your Two Cents