2010 January

Misnamed online media rooms can confuse visitors

1/20/2010 By Joan 4 Comments

If the media, bloggers or anyone else come to your website looking for the navigational button that will give them all the background information about your company, what will they find?

If you’re trying to be clever and call that part of your website an “asset library” or “company press club,” visitors will find utter confusion, says publicity expert Marcia Yudkin. In this week’s issue of her ezine, Marketing Minute, Marcia correctly points out that an organization’s attempt to be creative can backfire.

She says she found one company that called its online media room an “asset library,” a phrase that stonewalls the visitor. She Googled “asset library” and discovered that other companies are using it, too. She also found a company that calls its online media room a “company press club.”

“Press Club implies a clique of media followers who clink glasses with each other,” she said.

What should you call it?

So what SHOULD you call that part of your website that helps the media and other visitors find your bio, photos, background material, press releases and contact information?

I like “Press Room,” which is what I use, or “For the Media.” ”Media Kit” is OK, too, although a media kit can sometimes be part of an online press room. ”Media Room” is OK but some people don’t like it because they think it sounds too much like a home entertainment center.

If you REALLY want people to click on that navigational button, you can call it “For the Media Only.”

Yikes! I just noticed my online press room is horribly out of date. I need to add links to my profiles on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube, as well as information about my new company, My Social Media Solution. (See “Special Report #22: How to Create an Online Media Room and Keep the Media Coming Back.”)

What do you call it?

What do you call that part of your website designed spcifically for journalists, bloggers, or anyone else who wants background information? What names have you found that are too confusing?

And how long has it been since you visited your own Press Room? How much of the content there needs to be updated?

I’d also love to hear your comments about features in your own online press room that have proven helpful to the media and other visitors.

Filed Under: Media Kits, Photos & Graphics, Press Releases/News Releases Tagged With: about us, company background, media room, online media room, PR background, PR information, press room

Artist needs tips for placing artwork on TV, movie sets

1/19/2010 By Joan 5 Comments

Consuelo Okdie from Tampa Bay, Fla., writes:

“I’m hoping that you or one of your readers will be able to tell me how to get my artwork used as set decoration for TV or films.

“My work is unique in medium and application as I am one of a very few artists using polymer clay to create illustrations & paintings. Any information you may be able to give me will be greatly appreciated.”

The Publicity Hound says:

First, you need to be willing to do the research necessary to pitch set designers, costume coordinators, production coordinators, prop masters and product placement decision-makers for specific movies and TV shows. I hosted a teleseminar with Amy Bates Stumpf two years ago on How to Get Your Consumer Product onto the Sets of Movies and TV Shows.

A few quick pointers from that training session:

The Hollywood Reporter and Daily Variety are magazines that report on upcoming production schedules. That’s a good place to start.
If you’re pitching specific TV shows, be sure watch the show first. In your pitch, explain why you think your product or artwork is a good tie-in.
Don’t send unsolicited products.
Pitch early. Getting in on the ground floor of a TV show or movie or you might miss your opportunity.

Filed Under: Business Promotion, Celebrity tie-ins, TV Publicity Tagged With: Amy Bates Stupf, movie sets, prodcut placment, production coordinators, prop masters, set designers

Add comic strips to your PR campaign & pitch the artists

1/19/2010 By Joan 8 Comments

Every year since 2001, Rebecca Morgan and her cadre of volunteers have been going into the Willow Glen neighborhood in San Jose, Calif., just before Halloween and encouraging readers to give 6,500 of their “gently read” books to children in place of trick-or-treat candy.

“Books feed children’s minds, while candy only feeds their cavities,” says Rebecca, a speaker, author and consultant. “Many children rarely receive books as gifts, so even gently read books are special treats.”

The Books for Treats campaign has been bolstered by lots of local publicity as well as articles in Spry magazine, which is distributed to 9 million households in national newspapers, and in the American Association for the Advancement of Science magazine.

Taking the campaign nationwide

But this past October, Rebecca pursued a wild idea for publicity that attracted national attention.

“I’m reading the Luann cartoon in the paper and I see that once a month, Luann goes to the library to read to the kids,” she said.

She suspected that Greg Evans, Luann’s creator, supported literacy. So she Googled his name and, within seconds, found his email address. She wrote to him and asked if he’d be willing to have Luann give out books at Halloween.

The result is this strip, published Oct. 29 in hundreds of newspapers, and reprinted here with Greg Evans’ permission:

It includes the URL of Rebecca’s Books for Treats site in the lower right corner of the strip. Two days later, on Halloween, another strip shows Luann taking a stack of books to her parents and suggesting that they give trick-or-treaters books instead of candy.

“When it hit the blogosphere, and I got 60,000 hits that week at my website, up from only 250 a month,” she said.

Whom to pitch and where to find them

Rebecca says she hopes Greg isn’t inundated with pitches.

Not to worry, Rebecca. Publicity Hounds can refer to this site which includes hundreds of links to comic strips that might tie into their causes or issues.

Here are some ideas to get you started, along with my ideas for the strip you might want to pitch, and the name of the artist:

The military: Beetle Bailey. (Mort Walker)
Babies: Baby Blues (Jerry Scott and Rick Kirkman)
Dogs: Mutts (Patrick McDonnell) — There are dozens of comic strips devoted to dogs, cats and animals.
Latino-related issues: Baldo (Hector Cantu & Carlos Castellanos)
Cats: Garfield (Jim Davis)
Families: Family Circus (Bil Keane)

I know you can think of more. If you see a strip that ties into what you want to promote, Google the name of the strip or the creator. Or check the strip’s fine print and you might find the URL.

Does the artist have a blog? If so, you may have struck gold because that’s a perfect place for you to start a conversation with the artist before pitching. Artists’ and journalists’ blogs offer valuable clues about how to pitch them.

Is the artist on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or other social media sites? If so, start the conversation there. And then send your brief pitch, just like Rebecca did. (See “How to Create the Perfect 30-Second Pitch.”)

What other favorite comic strips might tie into your cause or issue? Do you regularly read strips about your industry or occupation? If so, which ones?

By the way, I think Rebecca’s Books for Treats campaign would be perfect to pitch to dental associations.

Filed Under: Blogs, Business Promotion, LinkedIn, Magazine Publicity, Newspaper Publicity, Nonprofits, Pitching the Media, Social networking Tagged With: american association for the advancement of science magazine, baby blues, baldo, beetle baily, bil keane, books for treats, carlos castellanos, comic strips, family circus, garfield, greg evans, hector cantu, jerry scott, jim davis, literacy, luann, mort walker, mutts, patrick mcdonnell, pitching journalists, rebecca morgan, rick kirkman, special event publicity, spry magazine

9 easy places to find content for your blog

1/16/2010 By Joan 3 Comments

If you’re blogging, or you want to start a blog but you’re afraid you won’t have enough content, forget the binoculars!

You don’t have to look far to find it. It’s all around you.

The trick is to be aware of it, learn how to recycle it, and be willing to tweak it, edit it, and repurpose it for different audiences.

Here are nine places to look to find more than enough topics to write about.

In your email box. When someone asks you a question, answer it, and then include the question and the answer in a blog post.
In print newsletters and ezines for your industry. What’s the hot prediction for this year, and do you agree with it?
At other people’s blogs. (Comment on the post at your own blog, and link to it.)
In newspaper and magazine articles. Excerpt a tip or two from an article you’ve just read, with attribution, and comment.
At conferences, seminars and workshops you attend. Mention something you’ve learned and explain how you’re going to apply it.
On your own wish list. Discuss something you want to do in your business, or your life, before you die.
In your office. Write about the best (or worst) computer equipment and other tools you use.
On TV. If a show or character you saw ties into your topic, write about it.
On your to-do list. What are your goals for 2010?

Want 68 more sources for blog content? They’ll be on the handout you’ll get when you register for my teleseminar on “Time-saving Tips for Smart Business Blogging” at 4 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, Jan. 20, with Patsi Krakoff.

Only a few seats remain. The handout, which I’ll email on Wednesday morning, has lots of other goodies you’ll love.

Filed Under: Blogs Tagged With: blog content, blog ideas, ideas for bloggers, what to blog about

19+ story ideas to generate publicity, PR for your business

1/14/2010 By Joan 4 Comments

If you’re looking for publicity from bloggers or traditional media but can’t think of an idea to pitch to them, here’s a quick way to find several.

Longtime Publicity Hound Norman Lieberman reminded me about this yesterday when he emailed me to see if I had a list of questions that Publicity Hounds can ask themselves, designed to uncover nuggets of information that are possible story ideas.

I gave Norm two resources. The first is my “Story Idea Tickler List,” part of the handouts for my “Savvy Media Relations” workshop:

What’s new or unique about your business?
What do you offer that your competitors don’t?
How do you help people solve problems, save time or save money?
What business mistakes have you made that you learned from?
What new trends have you spotted in your industry?
Is there a social or political issue you feel strongly about? (Write an opinion column, letter to the editor or blog post.)
Are you sponsoring a contest or an award?
Can you piggyback your topic off a holiday or anniversary?
How are you using technology in your business?
Do you have any good visuals that tie into your story idea for television?
What about your personal life? (Hobbies, travels, food, clothing, etc.)
Have you formed an interesting partnership or alliance?
What how-to articles could you write?
What topics are good fodder for a tip sheet? (9 tips for….)
On what radio talk shows would you be a good fit and what’s the hot story of the day that ties into your expertise?
Are you the local angle to a national or regional story?
How are you using social media in your business?
How can you piggyback onto celebrity news? For example, here are 10 ways to generate publicity from the Tiger Woods mess and here’s how Connie Dieken, a Cleveland TV personality and media trainer, got publicity by piggybacking onto celebrity outbursts.
Do you have an interesting stand-alone photo you can offer the media? Newspapers and magazines often use these photos as fillers.

If those aren’t enough, you can check out the free sample chapter of my ebook, “How to be a Kick-butt Publicity Hound” where you’ll find more ideas, and a fuller explanation of some of the ideas listed above.

What ideas have you pitched recently that other Publicity Hounds could also use? Share them here.