Issue #836 July 19, 2014
Publisher: Joan Stewart
“Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity”
In This Issue
- Tell ’em in Plain English
- Authors: Have a Drawing Contest
- A Favorite Time-saving Tool
- Hound Video of the Week
This Weekend in the Hound House:
We’re celebrating Fish Day today in Port Washington, Wisconsin. It’s the world’s largest outdoor fish fry also known among the locals as the world’s largest public drunkfest. I leave town for most of the day so I don’t have to fight traffic. But I’ll hoof it to the lakefront tonight for the giant fireworks display. I can’t resist fireworks. I even hoot and holler and whistle through my fingers at the end.
1. Tell ’em in Plain English
If you’re looking for a valuable list to give away at your website in exchange for someone’s email address, steal this idea from HubSpot, the inbound marketing company.
They wrote a blog on “25 Tech Terms Translated into Plain English.”
Take that same headline and swap out the word “tech” for your favorite topic. The more complicated the topic, the more valuable the list. But don’t call it a list. Call it a cheat sheet.
I could write a cheat sheet on “25 Radio Broadcasting Terms Translated into Plain English.” For example, an “active” is the number of listeners that contact a radio show regarding requests, contests or other information. I could do a quick Google search for “radio industry lingo” or “radio station definitions” and compile my cheat sheet in about a half hour.
A sci-fi novelist could write a similar cheat sheet and explain lingo found within the novel.
Other uses for this cheat sheet:
–Offer it to journalists who interview you, to be used as a sidebar.
–Turn it into a special bonus for anyone who registers for a paid webinar.
–During speaking engagements, use it as a bonus to audience members who buy one of your products form the back of the room.
I have more ideas in “Special Report #51: 66 Free Things You Can Offer to Generate Publicity or Capture Email Addresses.”
2. Authors: Have a Drawing Contest
Here’s a fun idea to promote your ebook.
Host a drawing contest and tell your fans to draw a character from your ebook using Doodle.ly. It’s a fun, free and easy app you can download from the iTunes store. People can draw right on their tablets, then publish their work of art or save it.
They can post their drawing on your Facebook page and you can ask your fans to choose a winner.
So simple!
That was one of the tips from yesterday’s webinar on “How to Promote Your Ebooks for Maximum Visibility and Sales.”
I’m sending the video replay and all the bonuses later today to everyone who registered. Don’t miss it. Order now.
3. A Favorite Time-saving Tool
I’ve written about my love for ShortKeys, the $25 macro software program that lets you produce short or large chunks of text that you type frequently, with just a few keystrokes.
I use it for things like my bio and even my website address. Instead of typing publicityhound.com every time I want to go to my own website, I type ##ph and I’m there!
Publicity Hound Barbara Florio Graham says she loves ClipMate, a similar program. She offered to write a guest blog post for me, explaining all the ways she uses it for publicity, marketing, and to keep her office organized.
4. Hound Video of the Week
Ever see a dog get out of bed, brush its teeth and have breakfast at the table? I love the part where the dogs drinks out of the glass.
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