The Publicity Hound’s Blog  

Once of the best ways to generate publicity for your product, service, cause or issue is to be mentioned in somebody else’s book.

I was reminded of that today, when the UPS guy delivered a copy of “Make Your Business Survive and Thrive!—100+ Proven Marketing Methods to Help You Beat the Odds and Build a Successful Small or Home-Based Enterprise,” written by Priscilla Huff.

She sent me a free copy because it includes a list of seven publicity tips from me on page 151, plus a mention in the recommended resources section. I’ll get sales leads from that book, just as I have from the more than 50 other books where I’ve been mentioned. 

In some cases, it’s just a two-line blurb about my website. Some authors, however, have asked me to write entire chapters, and I jump at every chance to do that.

Because books have a long shelf life, the leads keep coming in years after the books have been published. Here are 8 tips on how to get into other people’s books:

1. Start blogging about your topic. Most authors do voluminous research before writing. And your blog will help them find you through the search engines. See “Blogging 101: How to Use Weblogs for Publicity.”

2. Post helpful comments at other people’s blogs to position yourself as an expert. See “How to Pitch the Best Bloggers & Create a Publicity Explosion.” 

3. Set up one or more Google Alerts so you can find articles and blog items about your area of expertise. Once you know who wrote them, you can find out if the writer is writing a book. If so, offer yourself as a resource. Watch the short video on how to do this.

4. See if your local library carries a copy of “Forthcoming Books in Print” or “Books in Print.” Both offer information on books that haven’t been released yet.

5. Read the Media Leads section of my weekly ezine, “The Publicity Hound’s Tips of the Week.” Most weeks, you’ll see queries from journalists or authors looking for specific kinds of sources for their articles or books.

6. Read Dan Poynter’s ezine Publishing Poynters. Many issues include queries from authors.

7. Find books that other people have written about a topic on which you’re an expert. Contact each author and offer yourself as a resource for their next book.

8. Write articles about your topic and post them to online article directories. See “How to Write How-to Articles” and “How to Submit Online Articles That Pull Traffic to Your Website.”  

I’d love to hear your ideas on how to get into other people’s books.

Posted In: Authors & Publishers, Blogs, Business Promotion, Media Leads, Publicity on the Internet, Writing Articles
posted On: 12/29/2006: 9:02 pm: By Joan
Comments: No Comments

Put your 2007 publicity campaign on steroids with my special holiday gift to you—”The Best of The Publicity Hound’s Tips of the Week of 2006″ ebook.

I reviewed all 52 of my newsletters from last year, hand-picked the top two dozen items that generated the biggest response from readers and included them in this ebook.

It will help remind you of tasks you need to do either before the start of the year, or as soon as possible.

For example:

—If you don’t yet have an online media room or press kit, create one. Or update the one you already have.

—Tie your story to celebrities, an almost guaranteed way to generate instant publicity.

—Create a list of the most influential bloggers that blog on your topic. Then start posting comments to their blogs. Eventually, you will pitch them. 

—Double your media placements by offering journalists a little something extra along with your pitch. They’ll love you for it, and this might tip the scales in your favor.

—Offer statistics to journalists so they can create things like maps, bar charts and pie charts to accompany their stories

—Think beyond the “adult angle” when pitching. Can your pitch be tweaked and turned into a story that would appeal to parents, or can you turn the pitch into one with a kids’ angle?

You can download the 2006 ebook from this page.

Almost 4,000 people downloaded my “Best of” ebook from 2005. If by chance you’ve missed it, you can find it here.

If you blog or publish an ezine, by all means regift the ebook to your own fans. They’ll love you for it. 

Just send them to this blog post.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Happy New Year. Make 2007 your best publicity year ever.

Posted In: Holidays, Magazine Publicity, Media Kits, Newspaper Publicity, PR Consultants/Publicists, Photos & Graphics, Pitching the Media, Press Releases/News Releases, Publicity on the Internet, Radio Publicity, Special Events, TV Publicity, Writing Articles
posted On: 12/26/2006: 3:30 pm: By Joan
Comments: 5 Comments

Publicity Hound Kare Anderson writes:

“I am co-founder of a new business that’s going public in January, called SavvyHer. It’s the only online community for women age 45 and older to contribute tips for making their lives easier and more joyful. They can even be recognized and rewarded with gifts from sponsors each month, when the community votes their tips Most Popular.

“Members’ tips may include photos or video. All contributions are moderated to keep the network free from porn, spam or other content not in keeping with the spirit of SavvyHer.

“Membership and eNewsletter subscription is free for this sponsor-supported network where there is a firewall between our content and our sponsors. It includes a tagged Directory of Tips and Members, weekly e-newsletter, monthly poll, and annual Best of SavvyHer book.

“This is a great showplace for people to demonstrate their expertise or highlight their book, cause or other interest.

“We need ideas on how to promote this website.”

Posted In: Authors & Publishers, Blogs, Business Promotion, Publicity for Niche Markets, Publicity on the Internet
posted On: : 12:03 pm: By Joan
Comments: 7 Comments

I’ve been tagged by blogger Denise Wakeman, half of The Blog Squad, in a fun Internet game of tag designed to introduce bloggers to each other and bring more traffic to our blogs. 

Everyone who’s tagged is asked to share five things about themselves that people don’t know, then tag five other bloggers.

Here goes:

1. In 1970, I was the first girl to win a sports letter at Lumen Cordium High School in Bedford, Ohio, an all-girls Catholic high school.

2. I rode on a sleigh pulled by reindeer in Finland. 

3. When I worked as a reporter in Ohio, I went to the bottom of a Morton Salt Co. mine to write about what it’s like to be a miner. Did you know they ride around down there on golf carts? 

4. In my office, I have a die-cast scale model of my first car, a white 1963 Chevy Nova, affectionally referred to as “The White Tornado.”

5. I’m a biker babe. In the summer, there’s nothing better than riding on the back of a Gold Wing, taking in the sights and smells of the Wisconsin countryside.

Tag, you’re it—Dan Janal, Suzanne Falter-Barns, Tom Antion, Alexandria Brown and Bob Baker. Tell us something we didn’t know. 

Posted In: Blogs, Business Promotion, Publicity on the Internet
posted On: 12/21/2006: 2:13 pm: By Joan
Comments: 1 Comment

If you write press releases, one of the worst mistakes you can make is writing to please the boss or the PR client.

Here’s what bosses and clients like to see:

• What I call “the B.S. quote.” It sounds like this: ”The ABC Widget Company is honored to be a part of this long-standing tradition blah-blah-blah…”

 

• On first reference, abbreviations after the client’s name to designate their professional affiliations, certifications or college degrees so they look important.  Some writers insert three and four abbreviations after one name, making the sentence look like a bowl of alphabet soup. Because most readers aren’t familiar with the designations, journalists immediately edit them out. Or, they simply hit the “delete” key, and the press release is history.

 

• Long, pompous boilerplate, those two or three paragraphs at the end of the release that speak in glowing terms about the company. Often, boilerplate includes lots of overused words and industry jargon like “turnkey solutions” and “cross-platform applications.”    

 

• A press release approved by managers at all levels, including the legal department. This gives everyone a chance to participate in the writing and editing and, in the process, water down the release and make it difficult to understand—with no consideration whatsoever for the end user, the reader.

 

• Not conforming to Associated Press style, thus making journalists work harder to make it conform. If you don’t have an AP Stylebook, get one.

John McIntyre, copy desk chief at The Baltimore Sun, lists more pet peeves that drive journalists—and readers—crazy in this excellent article, courtesy of Bulldog Reporter.  

If you want to learn how to write press releases for readers and, in turn, make journalists happy, sign up for my free email course called “89 Ways to Write Powerful Press Releases.”

Posted In: Business Promotion, Newspaper Publicity, Press Releases/News Releases
posted On: 12/20/2006: 8:15 am: By Joan
Comments: 2 Comments