{"id":287,"date":"2009-12-01T18:00:36","date_gmt":"2009-12-01T23:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.publicityarticles.net\/?p=287"},"modified":"2024-05-01T13:51:29","modified_gmt":"2024-05-01T13:51:29","slug":"what-if-your-lawyer-is-wrong","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/purelysupp.com\/publicity\/tips-of-the-week\/what-if-your-lawyer-is-wrong\/","title":{"rendered":"What if Your Lawyer is Wrong?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Publicity Hound&#8217;s<br \/> Tips of the Week<br \/> Issue #481 Dec. 1, 2009<br \/>Publisher: Joan Stewart<\/p>\n<p>==========================================<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>===================================<\/p>\n<p>In This Issue<br \/> ===================================<\/p>\n<p>1. What if Your Lawyer is Wrong?<\/p>\n<p>2. Website Magnets: Pet Ecards<\/p>\n<p>3. Pitching Ellen, Rachael &amp; Cavuto<\/p>\n<p>4. Promoting a Book About Christians<\/p>\n<p>5. Help This Hound<\/p>\n<p>6. Hound Video of the Week<\/p>\n<p>7. And at My Blog&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>8. Correction<\/p>\n<p>====================================<br \/> 1. What if Your Lawyer is Wrong?<br \/> ====================================<\/p>\n<p>If you&#8217;re faced with a PR nightmare, don&#8217;t assume that your<br \/> lawyer&#8217;s advice will save you.<\/p>\n<p>Just ask Tiger Woods, whose legal advice might well be<br \/> responsible for the public relations mess that&#8217;s been getting<br \/> even messier since last week&#8217;s car crash.<\/p>\n<p>On TV talk shows and all over the Internet, media experts, crisis<br \/> counselors, PR pros and even attorneys are admonishing Woods for<br \/> flunking PR 101 since crashing his car into a fire hydrant, and<br \/> then a tree, outside the couple&#8217;s home Thanksgiving night.<\/p>\n<p>They say he erred by:<\/p>\n<p>&#8211;Holing up inside his home and refusing to talk to the police or<br \/> the public, making it look like he has something to hide and<br \/> fueling speculation about what happened.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211;Waiting until Sunday to post a statement on his website, thus<br \/> letting anyone with an opinion take control of the story. PR pros<br \/> say that even though all the details aren&#8217;t necessary, he should<br \/> have given a more substantive response.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211;Canceling an appearance at the Chevron World Challenge golf<br \/> tournament this weekend.<\/p>\n<p>During an interview I did with crisis counselor Clarence Jones<br \/> several years ago, Jones said that attorneys, who usually tell<br \/> their clients not to comment, are concerned primarily about<br \/> winning in the court of law, not in the court of public opinion.<br \/> That&#8217;s why clients who have won in the court of law sometimes<br \/> emerge with their reputations in ruins. By that time, the PR<br \/> damage has been done.<\/p>\n<p> ===================================<br \/> 2. Website Magnets: Pet Ecards<br \/> ===================================<\/p>\n<p>When BL Ochman and her business partner, Caimin Jones, realized<br \/> their new company, <a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20220617143725\/https:\/\/www.pawfun.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Pawfun.com<\/a>, needed to<br \/> have more traffic before they could expect to make a profit<br \/> selling customized pet T-shirts, totes and other items, they<br \/> decided to change their business model.<\/p>\n<p>They added the kind of social media tools they create to help<br \/> their corporate clients build traffic and sales-<a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20170802173751\/http:\/\/www.pawfun.com:80\/send-ecard\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">-a free service<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20170802173751\/http:\/\/www.pawfun.com:80\/send-ecard\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> that lets anyone create free pet ecards.<\/a> Take a look.<\/p>\n<p>Upload your own pet photo to the site, and add pithy, funny or<br \/> endearing comments to the bubble that comes out of the pet&#8217;s<br \/> mouth. Then share the card with your social media friends,<br \/> followers and fans.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;In order for us to make money, we need a high volume of<br \/> traffic,&#8221; BL said. &#8220;We really needed to turn that site into a<br \/> social media lab for ourselves&#8211;something that does all the<br \/> things we tell our clients to do.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The result?<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s really starting to work,&#8221; she said. &#8220;Traffic is doubling<br \/> every week, and there are hundreds of ecards featured in our<br \/> gallery.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>They&#8217;ve even landed two corporate sponsorships. The first is with<br \/> StacksandStacks.com, which sells organizing tools for humans and<br \/> pets. The other is with Simon &amp; Schuster, publisher of the book<br \/> &#8220;Cowboy and Wills&#8221; about the Golden Retriever and the autistic<br \/> boy who loved him. Pawfun will give the books as contest prizes.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We know that those are the kinds of sponsorship deals that are<br \/> possible,&#8221; BL said.<\/p>\n<p>What free magnets are you offering at your own website?<a href=\"https:\/\/publicityhound.com\/shop\/special-report-51\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> &#8220;Special<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/publicityhound.com\/shop\/special-report-51\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Report #51: 55 Free Things You Can Offer to Generate Publicity or<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/publicityhound.com\/shop\/special-report-51\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Capture People&#8217;s Email Addresses&#8221;<\/a> give you dozens of ideas.<\/p>\n<p>====================================<br \/> 3. Pitching Ellen, Rachael &amp; Cavuto<br \/> ====================================<\/p>\n<p>Don&#8217;t make the mistake of assuming that big, celebrity-driven TV<br \/> talk shows only want celebrities.<\/p>\n<p>Even though &#8220;The Ellen DeGeneres Show&#8221; loves celebrities and A-<br \/> list interviews, Ellen loves human interest stories like child<br \/> inventors, variety acts, and social causes like Hurricane Katrina<br \/> or animal rights. But how would you know that unless you watch<br \/> the show every day?<\/p>\n<p>The five profiles are drawn from &#8220;Harrison&#8217;s Guide to the Top<br \/> National Talk &amp; Interviews TV Shows,&#8221; which is on sale through 6<br \/> p.m. Eastern this Friday, December 4. Subscribe now and you&#8217;ll<br \/> also get a 30-minute consultation with a former national TV<br \/> producer who&#8217;ll help you get on TV. (I get a commission if you<br \/> buy this directory.)<\/p>\n<p>===================================<br \/> 4. Promoting a Book About Christians<br \/> ===================================<\/p>\n<p>This week, three Publicity Hounds have tips for Mitch Carnell of<br \/> Charleston, SC, who needs ideas on how to market his book,<br \/> Christian Civility in an Uncivil World.<\/p>\n<p>From Gail Sideman:<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I would take some of the elements in this book and create story<br \/> angles and tips about why they apply to life in and outside<br \/> religious practices.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Create a tips list with the top bits of advice in the book and<br \/> pitch them to media and as a column for consumers to use.\u00a0 This<br \/> would be a good way to begin to help people relate to the book in<br \/> general and not corner it into a religious how-to book.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>From Christine Buffaloe:<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The first thing would be to<a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> create a presence on Facebook<\/a>. If<br \/> you don?t already have a profile, create one. It?s easy to do. Then join groups that<br \/> are within your niche and, from there, connect with the people in<br \/> those groups.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Then, create a Facebook fan page. This is where you can really<br \/> promote your book. You can send updates and link to your blog.<br \/> The possibilities are endless.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>From The Publicity Hound:<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Mitch, how about trying to get booked on niche radio talk shows<br \/> that will reach your niche audience?<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Francine Silverman&#8217;s ebooks that offer contact info are a good<br \/> place to start. <a href=\"https:\/\/publicityhound.com\/blog\/ebooks-offer-talk-radio-contact-info-for-specific-niches\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">I blogged about these this morning. <\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Under the self-help category, I see several possibilities on how<br \/> you can spin your topic to match those topics.&#8221;<br \/> <a href=\"https:\/\/publicityhound.com\/blog\/help-a-publisher-promote-a-book-to-volunteer-board-leaders\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read all the responses to this week&#8217;s Help This Hound&#8221; question.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com?subject=HelpThisHound\">Send your own Help this Hound question<\/a>\u00a0and include your city and state.<\/p>\n<p>=================================<br \/> 5. Help This Hound<br \/> =================================<\/p>\n<p>Ted Fuller of Lafayette, Calif., writes:<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Thanks to you and Paulette Ensign, the Tips Booklet Queen, I<br \/> have completed my first two booklets.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The Best Ideas Yet About Aging Successfully is 16 pages, and<br \/> Tips for Writing a Great Memoir is 12 pages. Now comes the grind<br \/> of contacting book and gift store distributors, retirement home<br \/> companies, and other organizations serving seniors.<\/p>\n<p>Any suggestions on how one gets these charming publications<br \/> publicized so the purchasing departments seek me out with their<br \/> orders??<\/p>\n<p>The Publicity Hound says:<\/p>\n<p>Mitch, I urge you to think far beyond nursing homes for your<br \/> target audience. Many of today&#8217;s senior citizens run marathons<br \/> and climb mountains. You don&#8217;t have a website, and that&#8217;s<br \/> compounding your problem. So I hope my Hounds make some<br \/> suggestions on how to also sell these booklets online. Hounds,<br \/> <a href=\"https:\/\/publicityhound.com\/blog\/author-needs-help-selling-tips-booklets-for-senior-citizens\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">post your best ideas to my blog. <\/a><\/p>\n<p>==================================<br \/> 6. Hound Video of the Week<br \/> ==================================<\/p>\n<p>Meet Cowboy and Wills. Cowboy is the Golden Retriever puppy that<br \/> brought joy and love to Wills Holloway, an autistic boy. They&#8217;re<br \/> the subject of the book\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=yjyUJGw7urk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">&#8220;Cowboy &amp; Wills,&#8221;<\/a> by Monica Holloway.<br \/> This isn&#8217;t your typical book promo, and it made my day. Thanks to<br \/> BL Ochman of New York City (See Item #2 above), for sharing it.<\/p>\n<p>==================================<br \/> 7. And at My Blog&#8230;<br \/> ==================================<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/publicityhound.com\/blog\/ebooks-offer-talk-radio-contact-info-for-specific-niches\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ebooks offer talk radio contact info for specific niches<\/a><\/p>\n<p>==================================<br \/> 8. Correction<br \/> ==================================<\/p>\n<p>In last week&#8217;s issue, I incorrectly identified Scott Martin of<br \/> Lake Mary, Fla., who runs DivorceDirection, a financial advisory<br \/> firm and who was quoted recently in the New York Times. I<br \/> apologize for the error.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Publicity Hound&#8217;s Tips of the Week Issue #481 Dec. 1, 2009Publisher: Joan Stewart ========================================== &#8220;Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity&#8221; =================================== In This Issue =================================== 1. What if Your Lawyer is Wrong? 2. Website Magnets: Pet Ecards 3. Pitching Ellen, Rachael &amp; Cavuto 4. Promoting a Book About Christians 5. Help This Hound\u2026&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/purelysupp.com\/publicity\/tips-of-the-week\/what-if-your-lawyer-is-wrong\/\" class=\"rmlink\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","iawp_total_views":1,"wds_primary_category":6,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[3,29,19],"class_list":{"0":"post-287","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-tips-of-the-week","7":"tag-book-promotion","8":"tag-media-relations","9":"tag-pitching-to-reporters","10":"entry"},"featured_image_src":null,"featured_image_src_square":null,"author_info":{"display_name":"Joan Stewart","author_link":"https:\/\/purelysupp.com\/publicity\/author\/jstewart\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/purelysupp.com\/publicity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/287","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/purelysupp.com\/publicity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/purelysupp.com\/publicity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/purelysupp.com\/publicity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/purelysupp.com\/publicity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=287"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/purelysupp.com\/publicity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/287\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/purelysupp.com\/publicity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=287"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/purelysupp.com\/publicity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=287"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/purelysupp.com\/publicity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=287"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}