The Publicity Hound’s Blog  

Among the most loyal listeners of National Public Radio–ready for this?–are taxi cab drivers in Washington, D.C. and probably those elsewhere through the United States.

Many listeners who are non-English speaking immigrants say that NPR and public radio in general give them the best information and the clearest diction on American radio. They appreciate NPR’s clear pronunciation and its overall high standards of broadcasting.

NPR ombudsman Jeffrey A. Dvorkin in his column says NPR even has guidelines for reporters, including a list of frequently mispronounced words such as imminent/eminent and terrorist/terrace that can confuse listeners. If you’re trying to book a spot on an NPR station, you should be aware of them–particularly if you’re using these words in your pitch. Read his column.

Getting onto NPR can be a crapshoot unless you understand the labyrinth of NPR, you know you whom to pitch and when to pitch them. Publicist Lissa Warren, who has booked hundreds of her clients on NPR programs, unravels of the mysteries of how to find your way onto the airwaves in “How to Get Booked on NPR,” available as a CD or electronic transcript.

Posted In: Radio Publicity
posted On: 5/25/2005: 2:59 am: By Joan
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When I attended my niece’s high school football game in Ohio last fall, I couldn’t help but notice that some of the cheerleaders looked like (starts with the letters SL and rhymes with mutts).

Apparently, it’s not just me feeling old again.

A story in my local paper yesterday discussed the spirited debate over what’s appropriate at high school football games. The multimillion-dollar cheerleading business, the story said, seems to be drifting far from its pep squad roots and is now too influenced by outside factors such as racy music videos and hip-hop music. Some cheerleaders throughout the U.S. are wearing skimpy uniforms, doing the bump and grind, and yelling vulgar chants–even in elementary school.

In fact, a bill languishing in the Texas legislature would let the state regulate moves by cheerleading squads at public schools.

I found the story fascinating and noted its source–the Religion News Service®. It reminded me to remind you to add this service to your media database. It’s often been difficult to get religion stories, or those on the fringes of a religious topic, on anything other than the religion or op-ed pages in the secular press. So the news service seems like a good alternative.

It deals with news about religion, ethics, spirituality and moral issues.
Based in Washington, D.C., the news service has a network of correspondents around the world, providing news and information on all faiths and religious movements to the nation’s leading newspapers, news magazines, broadcast organizations and religious publications.

The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, U.S. News & World Report, Time and Newsweek magazines, National Public Radio, and ABC World News all have used its stories.

I emailed the folks at RNS and asked if I could interview them, but they declined, saying they are already inundated with pitches. Even so, that shouldn’t deter Publicity Hounds from at least trying.

Don’t just pitch major stories. Submit briefs such as Q&A features, quizzes, round-up boxes that include various kinds of sources, etc. “Briefs, Fillers & Quizzes: How to Write Them and Why Editors Love Them” explains the nine types of briefs and gives you dozens of ideas on how to use them in your publicity campaign. The one-hour teleseminar is available as a CD or downloadable transcript that you can be reading in minutes. Read more about what you’ll learn.

Posted In: Pitching the Media, Press Releases/News Releases
posted On: : 2:47 am: By Joan
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John Cicale of Deptford, New Jersey writes:

“I invented and produced the Glare Eliminator, with my own money. It’s a reusable static cling headlight window tint that cuts glare from your driver’s side window. It clings to the inside of your window, and when you’re finished with it, you simply peel it off, place it on a piece of cardboard and store it in the reusable package for your next night time trip. This is a must-have vehicle accessory, especially if you drive a lot during night. You can see it here. http://www.GlareEliminator.com
“My plan was to license it to a manufacturer and collect royalty checks. That didn’t happen, so I’m trying to sell them on my own but they’re not selling. I’ve spent all of my money on producing them, and patenting and trademarking, so I don’t have any left for advertising.

“Can you help me?”

Hounds can respond by clicking on the “Comments” or “Leave a response” section below.

Posted In: Business Promotion
posted On: 5/24/2005: 11:02 pm: By Joan
Comments: 14 Comments

Shel Horowitz of Frugal Fun in Massachusetts asks:

“In June, I started a campaign to change the business paradigm–to create a climate where ethical business is the norm. I see this as a 10-year effort, and I have a background in both marketing and organizing. This is not the first time I’ve attempted to do something the experts said was “impossible.” (For instance, I started a campaign that protected our local mountain from a large development after all the experts said there was nothing we could do.)

“So far, the campaign has attracted good attention from ezine editors and bloggers–and signatures from six of the seven regions of the world–but almost nothing in the mainstream press. Since this is a volunteer effort, I don’t have much in the way of resources to throw at it. And while it’s great to see it spreading around the Internet, the number of signatures is a long way from critical mass. I feel this story belongs in Forbes, Business Week, Wall Street Journal, NY Times, etc. Any ideas to get it there?”

Posted In: Business Promotion
posted On: : 9:12 am: By Joan
Comments: 9 Comments

If you’re pitching your local TV stations and not having much luck this month, it might be because we’re in the middle of May sweeps. Newsrooms everywhere are broadcasting their big investigative stories designed to boost the all important Nielsen ratings.

Unless your pitch is time-sensitive, hold off pitching for another few weeks. Use this time to start thinking of ideas you can pitch through the summer. If you get stuck, don’t despair. TV reporter Shawn Duperon helped me cook up 229 story ideas that can be spread over 12 months. We explained them during two teleseminars we recorded:

“116 WOW! Story Ideas from January through June”

“103 Sizzling Story Ideas from July Through December”

Posted In: TV Publicity
posted On: 5/12/2005: 3:52 am: By Joan
Comments: No Comments