The Publicity Hound’s
Tips of the Week
Issue #476 Nov. 3, 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. Undo the New Facebook Change
2. Linking from Press Releases
3. Trunk or Treat & Thanksgiving
4. How an Artist Can Defend a Lawsuit
5. Help This Hound
6. Hound Video of the Week
7. And at My Blog…
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1. Undo the New Facebook Change
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Facebook users are still howling about recent changes to the
homepage. If you’re one of them, there’s a quick fix to change it
back to the way it used to be.
Ten days ago, with no warning, Facebook eliminated with the
Twitter-like feed of every real-time status update. Now, instead
of displaying everything from all your friends, Facebook uses a
secret algorithm to display only the posts and status updates
that are generating a lot of comments and responses. So you never
know what you’re missing.
If you hate the change, here’s a three-step process to revert
back to the old feed:
–Log into Facebook. On your homepage, on the top of the left
column, you’ll see “News Feed.” Go to the bottom of that column
and click on “More.”
–Find the “Status Updates.” Click and drag it to the very top of
that column.
–Click “Status Updates” to load that view. Now, Facebook will
deliver your feeds just like it did before.
The News Feed option is still on the left. If you click on it,
you’ll see the new view. And if you decide later that reading
your Facebook feed is like drinking from a firehose, you can
always revert back to the smaller feed.
Whatever you choose, make sure you’re getting the most return on
investment for all the time you spend at this site. See “11 Ways
to Avoid Missed Opportunities on Facebook” at
http://budurl.com/uqp3
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2. Linking from Press Releases
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Follow these three important rules when you’re linking to your
website or blog from a press release:
–Link to the exact page that dovetails with the “call to action”
within your release. If you want people to buy a specific
product, for example, send them to that product page. Too many
press release writers simply send readers to the homepage, where
they’re left searching for what you’re writing about. Confused
readers bail out.
–Write the entire URL with the “http://…., preferably near the
end of the boilerplate or “about us” section. If somebody finds
your release online and cuts and pastes the content into their
own blog or website but they forget to link your anchor text,
readers won’t be able to find your website.
–Use anchor text that includes one of your keyword phrases and
turn it into a link. How many? About one for every 100 words in
your press release.
Transcripts and audio from my Oct. 21 teleseminar on “How to Use
Keywords, the ‘Magic Magnets’ That Pull Journalists and Consumers
to Your Press Releases” have been delivered to everyone who
ordered them. The illustrated handouts include a simple six-point
checklist for anyone doing keyword research, the two best keyword
research tools, links to three videos that show you how to do
keyword research, the three best free press release distribution
services, and a sample press release that’s been optimized for
the search engines.
Grab ’em now at http://budurl.com/pressreleasekeywords
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3. Trunk or Treat & Thanksgiving
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Get a head start pitching stories for Thanksgiving this month,
and for Halloween next year.
These ideas are courtesy of publicist Michelle Tennant of Wasabi
Publicity, whose “blogger butt” I wrote about last week. They’re
almost guaranteed to bring the TV cameras to your school or
company.
Just before Halloween, host a “trunk or treat” event in your
parking lot for parents and kids. Everyone dresses up. Parents
open the trunks of their cars, decorate the insides with a
Halloween theme, and give treats to the kids who make their way
from car to car.
For Thanksgiving this year, Michelle suggests you round up a
bunch of kids, dress them as Pilgrims, and give them a big basket
of fresh vegetables and a box of toothpicks. Let them make
“Pilgrim people” out of the veggies, and ask them to explain why
the Pilgrim people are thankful.
TV stations that are scrounging for ideas during Thanksgiving
week will love this one–great for schools, chambers of commerce,
brick-and-mortar businesses, churches, libraries, day care
centers and even home schoolers.
You’ll find 22 ideas for October, 23 more for November and 10
more for December on the handouts that accompany the CD, “103
Sizzling Story Ideas from July through December.” These ideas are
yours to steal. Read more about them at http://budurl.com/guu5
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4. How an Artist Can Defend a Lawsuit
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This week, nine Publicity Hounds have tips for John T. Unger of
Mancelona, MI, whose fire bowls, original art which he’s been
making since 2005, have been copied by a manufacturer. He wanted
ideas on how can he use traditional and social media to raise
awareness and money for his legal costs.
From Cheryl Pickett:
“Establish a Facebook fan page with full explanation and invite
people to follow what’s going on. Those kinds of things seem to
get passed around pretty regularly. Keep everyone informed on the
blog as to what’s going on and also invite them to the other
things you do as well.”
From Bonnie Boots:
“John should email The Crafts Report, which covers business for
the professional crafter. Their contact page is here:
http://www.craftsreport.com/contact-us.html
“He should also contact the American Craft Council at
http://www.craftcouncil.org/ Click on “The Council” at the bottom
and then “Staff” on the left. You’ll find the email addresses for
the senior editor, managing editor and assistant editor. Email
one of them (I’d try the assistant editor first) and ask them to
suggest the names of any writers they know that might be
interested in this story.”
From Brisbane, Australia:
“Stories like this are just asking to be linked to and tweeted
about. I think you will be far more successful promoting the
injustice rather than an actual fund raising event. Also, try
contacting the stores selling their products. I’m sure they would
much rather be selling your legitimate products.”
The Publicity Hound says:
Read all the responses to this week’s “Help This Hound” question
at http://budurl.com/firebowl You have one week left to submit
your own idea in the comments section at my blog. The Hound who
submits the best entry wins a beautiful shovel mask, valued at
$59. The winner will be announced here next week.
Email your own Help this Hound question to
mailto:Jstewart@PublicityHound.com
and include your city, state and province.
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5. Help This Hound
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Cheryl Muskus of Oak Creek, WI, writes:
“I’m the owner of The CarmelRose, a floral shop, and I’m looking
for ways to generate publicity in a very competitive market.
“Even though our industry is hurt to a large extent when
obituaries state ‘in lieu of flowers, the family suggests
donations to…,’ we’re trying to form relationships with local
funeral homes so they can refer us to families that are buying
flowers for the funeral. I’d also like to target the local
corporate market, because revenues from local businesses that
need floral arrangements can be significant.
“What ideas do your Hounds have for events I can sponsor at the
shop or elsewhere, story ideas I can pitch to the local media,
press releases I can write, photos I can offer the local media,
opportunities for getting onto local TV, and joint venture
partnerships I can form with other businesses?
“Also, suggestions for using social media would be appreciated.”
The Publicity Hound says:
Local businesses like yours, Cheryl, can benefit just as much
from online publicity as bigger companies, so you’re smart to
work that into the mix. Let’s see what ideas my Hounds can offer
at my blog at http://budurl.com/dcye
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6. Hound Video of the Week
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It’s NBA season, so here’s a cute video of a dog joining the
competition. I may have already shown you this, but it’s worth a
second look:
http://www.funnydogsite.com/videos/basketball.htm
Dog Jokes & Quotes Ebook: 170+ G-rated dog jokes and quotes,
perfect for a dog-lover, your favorite vet, or just for a few
good laughs.
BONUS: Buy the ebook and you also get a compilation of the 50
best websites for dog humor.
http://publicityhound.com/dogjokebook/
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7. And at My Blog…
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Learn how to pronounce names of radio/TV broadcasters,
journalists
http://budurl.com/l358
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Joan Stewart
a.k.a. The Publicity Hound
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