The Publicity Hound’s Blog  

Linda Baldwin, associate publisher of Isthmus, the alternative weekly in Madison, Wisconsin, wrote to tell me she liked the advice I gave to restaurants that get bad reviews.

In short, don’t complain to the newspaper that the reviewer visited on the night two people called in sick. And don’t threaten to pull your advertising because it can backfire. Instead, work at making improvements, and invite the reviewer to return. 

Linda passes along two great tips of her own:

Tip 1:
“Usually the reviews are not totally negative, but contain negative parts…play up the good stuff. We almost always provide a good reformated color copy of the good reviews for framing. Restaurants could ask for “only the good” parts, and some papers might do it.”

Tip 2:
“If the review appeared in a newspaper or magazine, it may in the publication’s online version. Make sure that the bad reviews don’t stay up on the paper’s website forever. If that happens, the restaurant should call the paper to tell them that the old review isn’t valid anymore and ask for its removal. That’s not unreasonable. Most will do it.”

The Isthmus, of course, prints restaurant reviews. Restaurateurs everywhere thank you, Linda.

http://www.go.dlr.de/wt/dv/ig/icons/funet/chef.gif

Posted In: Business Promotion, Magazine Publicity, Newspaper Publicity, Publicity on the Internet
posted On: 5/28/2007: 3:07 pm: By Joan
Comments: No Comments

If you’re involved in a news story and you’re afraid the media will misrepresent you, slant the news, or write it according to their own agenda, don’t refuse comment, thinking they’ll just go away and leave you alone.

As I’ve said so many times before, refusing an interview is akin to screaming “we’re guilty,” even if you aren’t.

Instead, do what many executives and other news sources are doing. Tell the journalist you will consent to an email interview. Howard Kurtz, media columnist at the Washington Post, says in a recent column that in the digital age, some executives and commentators are doing just that. An email interview gives them a permanent record of the exchange and makes it extremely unlikely they will be misquoted.

Others, who don’t want any communication whatsoever with journalists are simply saying, “You know what I think? Read my blog.” That’s a risky tactic. And a reporter still might be tempted to say “Joe Flibeetz refused comment.” But still, blogging, is a terrific way to let journalists research you and your topic.

In most cases, there’s nothing wrong with email interviews. In addition to having a permanent record of the discussion, you have time to craft a response. 

If your company is faced with a crisis, however, like a major industrial accident, make your executives and PR people available for phone or face-to-face interviews, and train them beforehand on how to interview when the news is bad and how to improve accuracy in news stories. Being available to the media is more important than ever during a crisis.

Posted In: Blogs, Crisis Communications, How to Interview, Media Bias
posted On: : 9:19 am: By Joan
Comments: No Comments

One of the biggest mistakes made by Publicity Hounds who blog and also publish an ezine is failing to cross-promote from one to the other.

For example, in this blog, there’s a sign-up box for my ezine, “The Publicity Hound’s Tips of the Week,” just below my photo over on the right side. Many of you reading this blog arrived her by clicking on a link in my ezine. Each week, I list all the new posts at my blog.

Blogs and ezines are two of the strongest marketing tools on the planet. But if you’re not using every trick to cross-promote them, you’re missing out on more readers and possibly more sales.

You need to tell all those visitors who arrive at your blog that you want their email addresses so you can send your ezine or tip of the week.  ou also need to tell all your ezine subscribers what you’re doing over at your blog. 

Notice the ebook covers in the margin over on the right side? (Scroll down.) I’m not blatantly promoting them, but they arouse enough interest that readers click on them, end up on the sales pages for the books, and often buy.

The blog pulls in traffic. The ezine pushes out your marketing message. That “pull/push” cycle can really make things happen. Like sales. And a ringing telephone.  People want to suddenly buy your consulting services or sign up for your next workshop.

Don Crowther taught me the “pull/push cycle.” And today, we both use it successfully. I picked Don’s brain for one hour on other ways he dovetails his blog with his ezine to boost the bottom line. We recorded the interview, and you can learn more about it here.   

Posted In: Blogs, Business Promotion, Publicity on the Internet
posted On: 5/26/2007: 9:07 am: By Joan
Comments: No Comments

Journalists use all kinds of interesting tools to research and write their stories.

Smart Publicity Hounds should be curious enough to know what they are. Who knows? You might even be able to use some of them when you’re writing your own articles, or crafting a pitch.

Check out the Journalist’s Toolbox, a helpful website packed with resources, from serious topics like casualty statistics from the war in Iraq to fun stuff like the Weird Converter, sort of like a currency converter but for completely unrelated items. You can learn, for example, how many NASCAR Winston Cup Tires are in an African Elephant.

These tools are also helpful if you’re writing how-to articles.  

Posted In: General, Writing Articles
posted On: 5/23/2007: 3:17 pm: By Joan
Comments: No Comments

If you’re pitching business news, you probably know lots of the big-name journalists who work for top-tier publications like the Wall Street Journal and Forbes.

You may not be familiar, however, with some of the up-and-coming writers who are really making a name for themselves in business journalism.

I harp constantly about researching journalists before you pitch. Read their articles. Check to see if they blog. Try to find their bios. When you find one you think you will eventually pitch, set up a Google Alert for their name so y ou know what they’re writing as soon as they write it. Following those tips will give you valuable clues about their backgrounds, interests and beats they cover.

TJFR Group/News Bios, the company that sells bios of working journalists, just chose this year’s “30 Under 30″ recipients of its Journalists of Distinction awards—30 journalists under the age of 30. It would be worth your time to check out the list, and determine which ones to add to your media contacts database. 

Posted In: Business Promotion, Magazine Publicity, Newspaper Publicity, Pitching the Media, Publicity on the Internet
posted On: : 2:21 pm: By Joan
Comments: No Comments