Meet reporters at ‘New York’s Funniest Reporter’ contest

LaughingI look for every opportunity to help you connect face-to-face with journalists, and this one sounds like fun.

Six New York-area journalists and broadcasters will take to the stage in a stand-up comedy competition that will raise money for Operation Uplink, a charity that supports U.S. Troops. The 2nd Annual “New York’s Funniest Reporter” contest will be at 9:30 p.m. October 3 at Gotham Comedy Club, 208 W. 23rd St.

Appearing in the show will be: Julia Allison (Star Magazine), Sean L. McCarthy (New York Daily News), Nikki Eagan (NBC), Robert George (New York Post), Tasha Harris (Stagetime Magazine), and 2006 Funniest Reporter Champion, Mandy Stadtmiller (New York Post). Headlining the event will be “Psychic Madman” Jim Karol (NBC’s the “Tonight” show), a national entertainer whose act incorporates magic, comedy and extraordinary feats of the mind.

Cost is $15 plus a two-drink minimum. To make a reservation, call 212-367-9000.

By the way, I’ve never seen anything like this, in which media people are willing to take to the stage and risk making fools of themselves. The competition is a neat idea, and it’s admirable that our troops will benefit from the journalists’ generosity.

As for pitching, if I wanted to get in front of one of these journalists, I’d attend the event but not pitch that night. I would, however, introduce myself if the time was right, then mention their performance when I pitched later by phone or email.

Why Purell and other hand sanitizers can be dangerous

Purell hand sanitizerI keep a bottle of hand sanitizer in the glove compartment of my car because, I confess, I sometimes eat in my car when I’m in a hurry.

Yesterday, when I was conducting a teleseminar for people in The Publicity Hound Mentor Program, I learned that that’s not so smart.

Marilee Tolen, an expert in holistic health marketing, rattled off a list of reasons why hand sanitizers—specifically, the Purell brand—can be dangerous to your health:

—Purell contains isopropanol which is used to denature the ethanol in Purell, and isopropanol is poisonous.

—On Feb. 1 this year, The New England Journal of Medicine published information on the dangers of ingesting hand sanitizers.

—Purell kills all of the bacteria on the skin, even the good bacteria, which help fight the bad bacteria. Eliminating the bad bacteria means skin is more “naked” than it already is—with lowered protection and lowered immunity.

Air fresheners also can be hazardous to your health. Last week, one day after a group of environmental organizations asked the federal government to start assessing the risk of air fresheners, Walgreens pulled three of its products off store shelves.

I asked Marilee how she’s using both stories to her advantage.

–She’s blogging about them and mentioning that essential oils, which she sells, are good alternatives to hand sanitizers and air fresheners.

—She’s creating Google Alerts and posting comments at other blogs that discuss this.

—She’s writing articles for online article directories.

—Tomorrow’s issue of her ezine includes a lead story on the dangers of air fresheners.

When bad news breaks about a product or service that you compete with, are you jumping on every opportunity to offer yourself as the safe alternative?

Marilee is even hosting a series of teleseminars starting this week. They teach holistic health counselors, nurses, doctors, therapists, educators, healers, massage therapists, nutritionists, spa owners and health care business owners how to create a huge presence for themselves online.

Special events publicity: 11 tips to draw a crowd

If you’re planning a special event large or small, stop losing sleep about how to draw a crowd.

Check out my 11 tips on how to just that. It’s at the new WomenCorp website, an online magazine for business women that’s featuring me as one of the guest experts.

No more excuses or worries about who will—or won’t—show up at your event.   

They even have a contest for subscribers. You could win a free flip video camera by sharing your success story.  Winners will be featured in the magazine.

Water recycling device needs publicity ideas

Brian James of Melbourne, Australia writes:

“My client wants his innovative portable water recycling device known as the Waterleech at http://www.waterleech.com.au  to break into the U.S. market.

“It’s a small company with a limited budget. The  Waterleech is a portable water collector that sucks up water from showers, baths and washing machines. It is then wheeled outside to water gardens and wash cars.

“The company is looking to raise funds to grow large enough for Home Depot and other big stores to stock the product. So the devices may be test-marketed in California and include a certificate which gives the first 10,000 people 100 units in the company as well.

“What would it take to get the word out and what is the most effective means of getting into the U.S./California media?”

BBB’s ‘accredited business’ boosts your credibiity

Better business Bureau logoI love knowing that in a few weeks, I’ll no longer be just a “member” of the Better Business Bureau. I’ll be an “accredited business.” 

That sounds better. It also lends an aura of credibility to small businesses like mine that join the BBB to, among other things, be able to display the BBB logo on the home page at their websites. (Mine is on the left.)

Calling members “accredited businesses” is part of a new marketing campaign that’s brilliant. More people will be inclined to  join. Journalists who visit our websites may view us more favorably if we have the BBB behind our name.  

And, well, it makes it look as though my business has gone through some type of accreditation process, which it hasn’t. Unless that means that the BBB did a background check before taking my dues payment.

Whatever it means, the change is a big improvement.