The Publicity Hound’s Blog  

If you’re attending the giant BookExpo America convention in Washington, D.C. May 18-21, pay attention to the journalists, book reviewers and other media people who will be there, keynoting or speaking on panels.

I found these names while paging through the convention program. This list is by no means comprehensive.  

Thursday, May 18:

10-11 a.m.–Creating Digital Press Kits, Jess Todfeldt, “Fox & Friends”

11:30-12:30–How to Prepare for Media Interviews, Jess Todfeldt

2:30-3:30–Capturing the Baby Boomer Behemoth: Are Publishers Ready?, Hugh Delehanty, Editor-in-Chief, AARP Publications

5-6 PM, Opening keynote by Tim Russert, Host of “Meet the Press”
Friday, May 19:

10:30-11:30 a.m.–National Public Radio, Meet the Producers panel: Amy Salit of “Fresh Air,” Setsuko Sato of “Talk of the “Nation,” Susan Sweeney of “All Things Considered”

11-11:45 a.m.–The BEA Interview Series with Chris Anderson, editor-in-chief of Wired magazine

Noon-2: Saturday Book & Author Luncheon with commentator Pat Buchanan, “20/20″ reporter Lynn Sherr

1-2 p.m.–DC Print Media: Meet the Editors, Carol Memmott, book critic for USA Today; Benjamin Schwarz, literary & national editor, Atlantic Monthly; Marie Arana, editor, Washington Post Book World

2:30-3:30 p.m.–State of the Thriller, including David J. Montgomery, critic, Chicago Sun-Times

3-4 p.m.–Fiction Under 40 and the Future of the Novel, Lev Grossman, book critic, Time magazine; Laura Miller, journalist, critic & co-founder of Salon.com; John Freeman, freelance writer & book critic, Jennifer Reese, critic, Entertainment Weekly; Oscar Villalon, book editor, San Francisco Chronicle 

4-5 p.m.–Mind Body Spirit Publishing: Marketing Trend Update: Lynn Garrett, religion editor, Publishers Weekly
(I won’t be attending this year because of a prior commitment.)

Note: When you meet journalists at these events, this is NOT the time to pitch. Paul Furiga, a former business journal editor who was my guest on a teleseminar a few years ago on “How to Use Business Journals to Tell Your Story,” says events like this are crowded and noisy and the last thing journalists want to hear is your story idea. Introduce yourself and ask if it’s OK to follow up with a call or email later the following week.

Posted In: Authors & Publishers, Pitching the Media, Special Events
posted On: 4/27/2006: 7:41 am: By Joan
Comments: No Comments

Here’s a big mistake that many PR people make when they start writing a press release. They write the release for only one audience: the media.   

Twenty years ago, when most of us were snail-mailing releases, that would have been fine. But today, you should be writing press releases so people in your target audience, not just the media, can find you online.

Greg Jarboe, a PR pro who is also an expert in search engine optimization, explains:

“Among the 4,500 ‘news sources’ that Google News continuously crawls are PR Newswire, Business Wire, Market Wire and PR Web.

“When users search Google News for a term or phrase, they often find press releases as well as articles on the first three pages of results. This means that PR people can use Google News to pitch their news stories directly to prospects.”

Greg says PR people can also use Google News to reach the press. An estimated 92 percent of journalists working at newspapers, magazines and broadcast outlets nationwide go online for article research, and about 81 percent say they search online daily.

Greg has a five-step process for optimizing your press releases so they’re found by consumers as well as journalists. He explains it in an article in the May/June issue of The Publicity Hound newsletter. The issue also includes articles on how a Bulldog Kissing Booth got fabulous publicity for a dog show; what you need besides expertise to be a credible source on TV; a new women’s magazine, where to find email addresses of Wall Street Journal reporters; a website that wants articles on parenting, families and relationships; 6 tips for working with freelance writers; how to write compelling comments on blogs; where to post a writing, editing or research project for freelancers; how to know how many other websites link to yours; how to pitch “Dateline;” and seasonal story ideas for May and June.

You can order it for $10.

Posted In: Press Releases/News Releases, Publicity on the Internet
posted On: 4/26/2006: 7:03 am: By Joan
Comments: No Comments

Tamara Remedios of New Jersey writes:

“We’re doing a restaurant promotion July 24-August 4 in northern New Jersey. It’s Hudson Restaurant Week for Hoboken & Jersey City (across the river from Manhattan). I created the event last year. I own a local magazine and it was an idea brainstormed with one of my advertisers. It’s a 10-day dining promotion with prix-fixe meals at fine restaurants for a reduced price.
 
“The event has really grown over the past year. I give lots of attention to advertising but not PR. I want to change that as we go into Year Number 2. I want to do a kick-off party with mayors, politicians, chefs, restaurant owners, business owners and winners from our email list. We’ll be selling tickets to the public with proceeds going to a local food bank. I want to invite media but I’m not sure how to go about it.

“Do you send an invite or a personal note or letter? Do I also send a pitch? What’s the protocol and should we do anything special for them? Any other tips for publicity?”

Posted In: Business Promotion, Pitching the Media, Special Events
posted On: 4/25/2006: 11:21 am: By Joan
Comments: 4 Comments

Attention authors, speakers and others who are experts on topics such as leadership, being successful in and out of school, relationships and dating, overcoming challenges, alcohol awareness and drug prevention.

Stop grumbling about not booking enough speaking engagements. Right now, in thousands of colleges and universities, there’s a group of people in a position to hire you to speak on those topics. But you probably never knew they existed.

They’re called Students of Disabilities Coordinators, and they bring in speakers with and without disabilities to speak to only students with disabilities. The talks can relate to any of the topics I just mentioned, or other topics that you think would be a good fit for that audience.

Problem is, so few speakers are even aware that such a group exists or that they have healthy budgets to pay for talks, lectures and training sessions. Instead, most speakers are all going after the same corporate, trade association and nonprofit meeting planners who everybody else is calling. And they overlook this small audience of coordinators, some of whom have money from state and federal grants to pay you.

The Students of Disabilities Coordinators, like other types of program coordinators at colleges, often change schools and will hire you again if you’re easy to work with and if they like your talk. 

James Malinchak, “The King of the College Speaking Market,” has identified 16 other types of key people who book speakers for student leadership gatherings, student government events, lectures sponsored by fraternities and sororities, career and job fairs, commencements and graduations, student conferences and summer programs. Add to the list academic, athletic and club events, and other meetings where an “outside” expert is needed. Get his complimentary special report at http://tinyurl.com/rcbs4

Then join us at noon Eastern Time tomorrow, Wednesday, April 26, for a complimentary teleseminar in which he spills the beans on how to find your way to the meeting and event planners who hire speakers at colleges and universities, and get some free publicity in the process. Register for the call at http://tinyurl.com/oqgqx

If you can’t make it, sign up anyway and you can listen to the recording afterward.

Posted In: Authors & Publishers, Publicity for Niche Markets, Special Events
posted On: : 8:32 am: By Joan
Comments: 1 Comment

A Publicity Hound writes:

“I have a client who has been booked on the ‘Today’ show as part of their “Love After 40″ series.  I didn’t get the segment directly. ‘Today’ called us after seeing the local NBC segment about my client.  I am wondering the best wording to use to capitalize on this exciting opportunity.  I was turned down by ‘The View’ but I feel like I should call again to let them know the ‘Today’ show wants my client and to suggest that perhaps they should take another look. 

“I also want to call our local newspaper and More magazine to let them know about the ‘Today’ show. Any advice on how to word my conversation with these other media outlets?

My answer:

When a media outlet says it isn’t interested, never try to change their minds. Media people hate that. It’s as though you’re asking, “Don’t you think you made a bad decision that you want to reverse?”

During a teleseminar called “How to Get booked on ‘The View,’” that I hosted a few years ago with Erin Saxton, a former producer for “The View,” Erin said the show is very different from most other talk shows. It’s known as “The Selfish Women Show.” In fact, Erin says that’s what they call themselves because the show focuses on how women can help themselves, pamper themselves and make themselves feel good. So forget about “The View” and move on. 

Definitely let the local newspaper know about the “Today” show. This is news and they should be interested. When you pitch to More, let the story idea stand on its own. More doesn’t much care that your client appeared on “Today.” I would however, capitalize on the “Today” appearance by:

—Having the client add “As see on the ‘Today’ show” in their email signature.

—Mentioning this media appearance at their website and get a clip, if possible, with permission to include it at the website.

—Include this mention in bio material.

Posted In: Magazine Publicity, Pitching the Media, TV Publicity
posted On: 4/22/2006: 7:15 am: By Joan
Comments: No Comments