Celebrity tie-ins

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Associated Press hires 21 writers to cover celebrities

CelebrityPublicityNewspapers are headed for extinction, but celebrity news has never been more in demand.

The Associated Press wire service is hiring 21 writers this year, spread across Los Angeles, New York and London, says Nikki Finke’s Deadline Hollywood Daily blog.

It’s also cold comfort that AP insists its new separate entertainment vehicle is “not about gossip, unnamed sources and innuendo or about ‘peephole’ journalism with AP photographers becoming paparazzi.” Instead, the wire service claims it’s just giving its members what they want “in an area of growing interest” because it “makes good business sense.”

If the AP covers a story, it will send it to hundreds of its member papers. So there’s a big advantage to getting into an AP story. The push for more celebrity news is a great chance for experts to piggyback onto it. 

Debra Holtzman does just that. She’s an author and child safety expert and keeps a close eye on celebrity news. When she sees a celebrity putting a child at risk, or announcing a pregnancy or adoption, she responds by writing press releases.

For example, when Madonna and her husband, Guy Ritchie, decided to adopt a baby boy, Debra wrote a press release headlined Madonna and Guy’s Perfect Baby Room for David, with tips on how to create a safe nursery. She has received lots of coverage from top-tier publications as a result of her press releases.

What kind of celebrity news can you piggyback onto? (See “Special Report #50: How to Piggyback onto Celebrity News to Promote Your Product, Service, Cause or Issue.”)

Posted In: Celebrity tie-ins, Newspaper Publicity, Pitching the Media, Press Releases/News Releases, Publicity on the Internet, The Local Angle
posted On: 3/21/2008: 5:17 pm: By Joan
Comments: 1 Comment

How to get your product into celebrities’ hands

Princess GracePrincess Grace once said this about Estee Lauder:

“I don’t know her very well, but she keeps sending me all these things…”

Estee Lauder would mail her homemade cosmetics to celebrities she didn’t know. She’d even give them to stars she spotted on the street. The constant practice of gifting celebrities with her cosmetics is what many say caused Estee Lauder’s small business to explode into a $5 billion dollar cosmetics company.

That’s one of the tidbits in Jason McAuley’s free report “How to Get Your Products in Celebrities’ Hands for Free Celebrity Endorsements, Instant Credibility and Star-powered Publicity.” You’ll find all kinds of interesting tidbits. For example, did you know that celebrities frequently send thank-you notes to gift-givers? You’ll find several examples in the report.

Jason, by the way, runs ContactAnyCelebrity.com, the company that sells a database of contacts for celebrities, their managers, agents, publicists and attorneys.

Posted In: Celebrity tie-ins
posted On: 2/26/2008: 10:22 pm: By Joan
Comments: 1 Comment

Hannah Montana, buckle your seatbelt!

Hannah Montana and seat beltsPiggybacking onto celebrity news and hot movies almost guarantees publicity, especially if you see the celebs misbehaving on or off screen and you take them to task.

On Monday, Consumer Reports criticized Miley Cyrus, the alter ego of Hannah Montana, and her celebrity dad, Billie Ray Cyrus, who are shown in their new movie with their seatbelts unfastened.

The magazine’s blog post unleashed comments from young fans.  Consumer Reports wrote about it again and mentioned that Bill Ray apologized for the oversight  in an interview with People Online:

“We got caught up in the moment of filming, and we made a mistake and forgot to buckle our seat belts. Seatbelt safety is extremely important.”    

See special Report #50: How to Piggyback onto Celebrity News to Promote Your Product, Service, Cause or Issue.

Posted In: Celebrity tie-ins
posted On: 2/15/2008: 10:06 am: By Joan
Comments: No Comments

Hollywood bad girls provide pitching opps galore

Piggybacking onto celebrity news and gossip is one of the best ways to generate publicity for your own expertise. 

Commenting on Britney Spears’ lousy parenting skills, her mother’s apparent absence of parenting skills, or celebs bouncing in and out of rehab has never been easier.

The article “Rise of the Hollywood Bad Girl” at GlobeandMail.com explains what’s behind the 2007 implosion of these young women, including Mischa Barton, shown here, the former star of The O.C.  On Thursday, the 21-year-old actress was arrested for investigation of driving under the influence of alcohol and possessing marijuana after being stopped by police in West Hollywood. 

Publicity Hounds can also conclude from this article that’s it’s far more advantageous to piggyback off news about Hollywood’s bad girls instead of its bad boys.  (See “Special Report #50: How to Piggyback onto Celebrity News to Promote Your Product, Service, Cause or Issue.”)

Posted In: Celebrity tie-ins, Pitching the Media
posted On: 12/31/2007: 11:50 am: By Joan
Comments: No Comments

How to publicize a solo law practice

Way too many attorneys act as though we still have those laws prohibiting them from advertising. 

How else to explain why so many of them are just plain lousy when it comes to marketing their services and, specifically, generating free publicity?

In this 32-minute interview, attorney Cole Silver asks me about my best publicity tips for sole practitioners. It’s one of his “Raindancing” segments, and you’ll come away with at least three great ideas you can start using in your practice today.

Posted In: Business Promotion, Celebrity tie-ins, Newspaper Publicity, TV Publicity
posted On: 11/19/2007: 8:14 pm: By Joan
Comments: No Comments

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