What if Your Lawyer is Wrong?

The Publicity Hound’s
Tips of the Week
Issue #481 Dec. 1, 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. What if Your Lawyer is Wrong?

2. Website Magnets: Pet Ecards

3. Pitching Ellen, Rachael & Cavuto

4. Promoting a Book About Christians

5. Help This Hound

6. Hound Video of the Week

7. And at My Blog…

8. Correction

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1. What if Your Lawyer is Wrong?
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If you’re faced with a PR nightmare, don’t assume that your
lawyer’s advice will save you.

Just ask Tiger Woods, whose legal advice might well be
responsible for the public relations mess that’s been getting
even messier since last week’s car crash.

On TV talk shows and all over the Internet, media experts, crisis
counselors, PR pros and even attorneys are admonishing Woods for
flunking PR 101 since crashing his car into a fire hydrant, and
then a tree, outside the couple’s home Thanksgiving night.

They say he erred by:

–Holing up inside his home and refusing to talk to the police or
the public, making it look like he has something to hide and
fueling speculation about what happened.

–Waiting until Sunday to post a statement on his website, thus
letting anyone with an opinion take control of the story. PR pros
say that even though all the details aren’t necessary, he should
have given a more substantive response.

–Canceling an appearance at the Chevron World Challenge golf
tournament this weekend.

During an interview I did with crisis counselor Clarence Jones
several years ago, Jones said that attorneys, who usually tell
their clients not to comment, are concerned primarily about
winning in the court of law, not in the court of public opinion.
That’s why clients who have won in the court of law sometimes
emerge with their reputations in ruins. By that time, the PR
damage has been done.

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2. Website Magnets: Pet Ecards
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When BL Ochman and her business partner, Caimin Jones, realized
their new company, Pawfun.com, needed to
have more traffic before they could expect to make a profit
selling customized pet T-shirts, totes and other items, they
decided to change their business model.

They added the kind of social media tools they create to help
their corporate clients build traffic and sales--a free service
that lets anyone create free pet ecards. Take a look.

Upload your own pet photo to the site, and add pithy, funny or
endearing comments to the bubble that comes out of the pet’s
mouth. Then share the card with your social media friends,
followers and fans.

“In order for us to make money, we need a high volume of
traffic,” BL said. “We really needed to turn that site into a
social media lab for ourselves–something that does all the
things we tell our clients to do.”

The result?

“It’s really starting to work,” she said. “Traffic is doubling
every week, and there are hundreds of ecards featured in our
gallery.”

They’ve even landed two corporate sponsorships. The first is with
StacksandStacks.com, which sells organizing tools for humans and
pets. The other is with Simon & Schuster, publisher of the book
“Cowboy and Wills” about the Golden Retriever and the autistic
boy who loved him. Pawfun will give the books as contest prizes.

“We know that those are the kinds of sponsorship deals that are
possible,” BL said.

What free magnets are you offering at your own website? “Special
Report #51: 55 Free Things You Can Offer to Generate Publicity or
Capture People’s Email Addresses” give you dozens of ideas.

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3. Pitching Ellen, Rachael & Cavuto
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Don’t make the mistake of assuming that big, celebrity-driven TV
talk shows only want celebrities.

Even though “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” loves celebrities and A-
list interviews, Ellen loves human interest stories like child
inventors, variety acts, and social causes like Hurricane Katrina
or animal rights. But how would you know that unless you watch
the show every day?

The five profiles are drawn from “Harrison’s Guide to the Top
National Talk & Interviews TV Shows,” which is on sale through 6
p.m. Eastern this Friday, December 4. Subscribe now and you’ll
also get a 30-minute consultation with a former national TV
producer who’ll help you get on TV. (I get a commission if you
buy this directory.)

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4. Promoting a Book About Christians
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This week, three Publicity Hounds have tips for Mitch Carnell of
Charleston, SC, who needs ideas on how to market his book,
Christian Civility in an Uncivil World.

From Gail Sideman:

“I would take some of the elements in this book and create story
angles and tips about why they apply to life in and outside
religious practices.

“Create a tips list with the top bits of advice in the book and
pitch them to media and as a column for consumers to use.  This
would be a good way to begin to help people relate to the book in
general and not corner it into a religious how-to book.”

From Christine Buffaloe:

“The first thing would be to create a presence on Facebook. If
you don?t already have a profile, create one. It?s easy to do. Then join groups that
are within your niche and, from there, connect with the people in
those groups.

“Then, create a Facebook fan page. This is where you can really
promote your book. You can send updates and link to your blog.
The possibilities are endless.”

From The Publicity Hound:

“Mitch, how about trying to get booked on niche radio talk shows
that will reach your niche audience?

“Francine Silverman’s ebooks that offer contact info are a good
place to start. I blogged about these this morning.

“Under the self-help category, I see several possibilities on how
you can spin your topic to match those topics.”
Read all the responses to this week’s Help This Hound” question.

Send your own Help this Hound question and include your city and state.

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5. Help This Hound
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Ted Fuller of Lafayette, Calif., writes:

“Thanks to you and Paulette Ensign, the Tips Booklet Queen, I
have completed my first two booklets.

“The Best Ideas Yet About Aging Successfully is 16 pages, and
Tips for Writing a Great Memoir is 12 pages. Now comes the grind
of contacting book and gift store distributors, retirement home
companies, and other organizations serving seniors.

Any suggestions on how one gets these charming publications
publicized so the purchasing departments seek me out with their
orders??

The Publicity Hound says:

Mitch, I urge you to think far beyond nursing homes for your
target audience. Many of today’s senior citizens run marathons
and climb mountains. You don’t have a website, and that’s
compounding your problem. So I hope my Hounds make some
suggestions on how to also sell these booklets online. Hounds,
post your best ideas to my blog.

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6. Hound Video of the Week
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Meet Cowboy and Wills. Cowboy is the Golden Retriever puppy that
brought joy and love to Wills Holloway, an autistic boy. They’re
the subject of the book “Cowboy & Wills,” by Monica Holloway.
This isn’t your typical book promo, and it made my day. Thanks to
BL Ochman of New York City (See Item #2 above), for sharing it.

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7. And at My Blog…
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Ebooks offer talk radio contact info for specific niches

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8. Correction
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In last week’s issue, I incorrectly identified Scott Martin of
Lake Mary, Fla., who runs DivorceDirection, a financial advisory
firm and who was quoted recently in the New York Times. I
apologize for the error.