Issue #1268 Oct. 20, 2018
Publisher: Joan Stewart
“Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity”
In This Issue
- Win an Award? Don’t Skip This Detail
- 4 Pinterest Tools Improve Your Blog
- More Tips for Smart Instagram Captions
- Hound Video of the Week
This Weekend in the Hound House:
Autumn yardwork tops the agenda. I’m also rounding up templates for pretty labels I can print for the 27 jars of applesauce I canned these past few weeks. I’m writing this before Game 6 between the Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Dodgers, which the Brewers must win to stay in the race for the World Series. I’m praying I can catch Game 7 today.
1. Win an Award? Don’t Skip This Detail
When the email from my financial advisor arrived this week, bragging that he won an award for his excellent performance and customer service, I was thrilled.
I love working with him because he doesn’t make me drive 45 minutes in heavy traffic to his office for our twice-a-year meetings. He schedules appointments with all his clients who live along Interstate 43 in Wisconsin, on the same day and visits us in our homes and offices. We sit in my kitchen and talk. I don’t have to put on make-up. Easy-peasy.
I also appreciate his written agendas before we meet, and the summary and “to do” list his assistant sends me the day after each meeting.
“Why didn’t they explain any of this in the email?” I asked myself.
Don’t just say you won an award. Explain why.
Most press releases, social media postings and other announcements about awards miss this critical piece of information. If you gather enough details about why you won, you can weave them into a story that’s far more impressive than a dry email.
Don’t just tell your followers about an industry citation. What did you do to earn it?
Don’t just blow your own horn about a book award. Include a short quote from one of the judges.
To do: I’ve compiled thousands of tips like this one in the fifth edition of my ebook, “How to be a Kick-butt Publicity Hound.” It’s the most thorough learning tool I’ve created, perfect for publicity puppies or older, seasoned Publicity Hounds. Order by midnight Monday night, Oct. 22, and you can schedule a free 15-minute consultation with me to discuss any publicity problem or you have, or we can brainstorm ideas about your business that you can pitch. Order here. I’ll email you to schedule our meeting.
#Awards #AwardPR
2. 4 Pinterest Tools Improve Your Blog
People who love your blog content aren’t sharing your links only on Facebook and LinkedIn. They’re talking about you on Pinterest.
Why not make it easier for them to send new traffic to your blog?
Social media expert Susan Gilbert recommends four Pinterest tools to do that and also send traffic from your blog to your Pinterest account.
The first is a WordPress tool with a strange name. Install an easy pin button called “Pinterest Pin It Button On Image Hover and Post.”
The three other tools will let you showcase your boards, encourage blog visitors to follow you on Pinterest and attract your email subscribers to your Pinterest Page.
To do: Read Susan’s article “4 Great Pinterest Tools for Blog Owners.”
#PinterestTools #BlogTips
3. More Tips for Smart Instagram Captions
Writing in a consistent voice on Instagram can help you build your band channel.
That means you should think about how long you’ll typically want most of your posts to be. Instagram expert Lindsay Kolowich says you should ask:
–Do you want Do you want to be a storyteller who writes a paragraph or more?
–Do you need the space to write out instructions, or a recipe?
–Or do you just a few words to make it fast and snappy?
She also recommends you loosen up a little use puns you normally wouldn’t consider on, say, Linkedin. Chobani, for example, used the caption you see above under a photo of glazed donuts on a cooling rack.
To do: Read Lindsay’s other tips in her article “How to Write Good Instagram Captions: 8 Bookmarkable Tips for Perfecting Your Copy.” If you missed the ones I shared a few weeks ago, see “How to Write Good Instagram Captions: Tips, Ideas, and Tools.”
#InstagramCaptions #InstagramTips
4. Hound Video of the Week
Thanks to Publicity Hound Pat Sabiston of Panama City, Fla., for this one of the world famous Duncan Lou Who, the two-legged Boxer puppy that goes to the beach for the first time. This perky pup has snagged free publicity worldwide with 7 million views on YouTube.
[Tweet “#PublicityTips — Win an Award? Don’t Skip This Detail #Awards #AwardPR”]
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