The Publicity Hound’s Blog  

Karma Bennett of Ulysses Press writes:

“The publishing house where I work was founded with our travel series, the Hidden Guides. The first book, Hidden Hawaii, was at the time, the only book on Hawaii that actually reviewed and compared the various beaches of the islands.

“Now we are giving the books a whole new look which emphasizes the hidden aspect of the series: the places that locals love, rather than the same tired tourist traps. The trick is that book reviewers don’t like to review new editions, so I am looking for a good side-door angle. The original author will not be able to fly to Hawaii for the new edition as we are a small company and the air fare would be expensive.

“I would love to hear what your fellow Hounds can come up with to kick off this series with a bang.”

Posted In: Authors & Publishers
posted On: 8/13/2007: 7:14 am: By Joan
Comments: 8 Comments

At times, I dislike doing media interviews, particularly with reporters at top-tier publications whose interview style makes me feel rushed, or I suspect the journalist is either dense or biased.

Crisis counselor Lou Hampton of the Hampton Group in Washington, D. C. says we don’t have to be afraid. He offers these six handy phrases to use during interviews:

1. “Let me repeat that, because it’s such a critical point…”
2. “One trend we see…”
3. “The key point is…”
4. “The bottom line is…”
5. “The one thing people need to realize…”
6. “What is especially exciting/surprising/unexpected…”

The phrases are included in Lou’s deck of Mem-cards, a package of 26 cards, each featuring a media tip for Hounds who interview. Use the cards as handy reference tools while you’re waiting in the green room on the “Today” show. They also make great gifts for clients—even if you’re on a budget. The cards are $9.97 per deck until August 31.

Posted In: Crisis Communications, How to Interview, Media Bias
posted On: 8/10/2007: 2:22 am: By Joan
Comments: No Comments

If you’re doing PR for a new book, here’s a great idea you can borrow, courtesy of Dorothy Molstad, marketing manager for MBI Publishing Company in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Create a fun contest for the media, including ezine publishers and bloggers. That’s what she did to promote their book “Green Bay Packers: The Complete Illustrated History” by Don Gulbrandsen.  It hits bookstores August 15. 

Knowing I’m a Packers fan, she asked permission to send me the book.  It arrived with a hand-written note that said:

“I’ll bet you’ll find many Packer fans read your newsletter if you print something about the book.  I’ll send a copy to the most distant fan who responds.”

If you’re a Packers fan in a distant land, email Dorothy at dmolstad @  mbipublishing.com  and tell her how many miles you live from me at 3434 County KK, Port Washington, Wisconsin. 

The coffee table book sells for $29.95 and includes some interesting photos from yesteryear.

You can use publicity ideas like this one not only for new titles, but for books that have been on the market for several months, particularly when sales flatten. Publicist Lissa Warren says that’s what happens with most titles. But too many authors, she says, give up after less than a year. She was my guest during a teleseminar I conducted called “How to Revive a Dying Book Marketing Campaign.”

Posted In: Authors & Publishers, Blogs, Contests, Pitching the Media, Publicity for Niche Markets
posted On: 8/9/2007: 4:45 pm: By Joan
Comments: No Comments

You don’t have to look far this summer to find stories about travel nightmares in airports all over the world.

That’s why the Aug. 31 deadline for the 6th Annual Road Warriors contest sponsored by AmericanWay, the inflight magazine of American Airlines, is perfect timing. 

The magazine is searching for the top Road Warriors. The winner will participate in a photo shoot, be featured in the special American Way Road Warrior issue, and win some other cool prizes. Speakers, consultants and anyone who travels—and can put up with the related hassles with grace and ease—should apply.

If you enter and don’t win, you still have lots of other opportunities to get into that inflight magazine and many others. Simply pitch a story idea or column that’s perfect for a mostly upscale, well-educated audience, or a “surprise destination” story. Or create a fun quiz. See “Special Report #29: Fly High with Publicity in the Inflight Magazines.”

A tip of the hat to Penny Sansevieri’s “The Book Marketing Expert (mini) Newsletter” for mentioning this.   

Posted In: Contests, Magazine Publicity
posted On: : 2:20 pm: By Joan
Comments: 1 Comment

During these slow days of summer, I hear people complaining that business is flat. If you need more clients, consider these six ideas:

1. Start blogging. The search engines love timely, content-rich blogs, particularly on niche topics. The more you blog, the more traffic you’ll get. Also, start posting comments at blogs written for the same target audiences you want to attract as clients. See “How to Pitch the Best Bloggers & Create a Publicity Explosion.”
2. Get onto the speaking circuit. Create a short presentation on how people can solve the most pressing problem that ties into the product or service your company sells, or the cause or issue your nonprofit addresses.  Dozens of service clubs are looking for luncheon and dinner speakers. This is what I did when I started my consulting business, and many people in my audiences hired me to help with their PR.
3. Write articles for article directory sites. The biggest and best one is EzineArticles.com. Make sure the author resource box links to your website. But don’t let all that traffic arrive, then disappear.  Capture email addresses at your site by offering something for free. I use Hover Ad Creator, powerful HTML coding that makes the sign-up box at my website bypass spam filters. See “Special Report #51: 55 Free Things You Can Offer to Generate Free Publicity or Capture People’s Email Addresses.”
4. If you sell publicity-related products or services, join The Publicity Hound’s Resources List. This is where I send callers when they want to know who I recommend to help them write press releases, proofread their copy, or contact the media on their behalf.
5. Call former clients and tell them you need more work. If they know business is slow, they will probably be glad to refer friends and business associates to you.
6. Take advantage of Craigslist. Call up the list the city closest to where you live and start posting tips on this free community bulleting board. Then link to your website. See “How to Use Craigslist as a Global Publicity Tool.”

If you’re a PR practitioner or a publicist, see “24 Ways to Attract Clients to Your PR Practice.”

Posted In: Blogs, Business Promotion, PR Consultants/Publicists, Publicity Resources, Publicity on the Internet, Writing Articles
posted On: : 11:41 am: By Joan
Comments: No Comments