The Publicity Hound’s Blog  

Oprah, make your 53rd birthday your best ever today!

To celebrate, many of my Publicity Hounds will be devoting 90 minutes to learning what they must do to land a spot on your show as a guest WITHOUT pestering your producers. 

They’ll be participating in a call that Steve Harrison is hosting with Michelle Anton, your former guest booker. It’s called “The 3 Big Secrets for Getting Free Publicity as a Guest on America’s Top National TV Shows ?” at their choice of two times—2 or 7 p.m. Eastern. 

We suspect you’re either off celebrating somewhere, or you’re preparing for your TV show. You’ll be happy to know, however, that Hounds who participate in today’s call will learn:

• Why they MUST stop pitching ideas that aren’t a good fit with your audience. 
• How to deliver pitches that are spot-on, succinctly and with passion
• What NOT to say when they pitch
• What NOT to send when they pitch
• How to be a great guest on your show
• How to get on the Fox News Channel, CNN, the “Today” show and other top shows. (Sorry. We know your producers are picky and if you don’t want them, somebody else might.)
• What they should send to national TV producers (and what they shouldn’t).
• An important lesson from one author who you interviewed on your show and saw sales soar as a result.
• The most important question people must be able to answer when talking to a guest booker.
• Case histories of four other authors and entrepreneurs and the strategies they used to get onto your show and others.

So enjoy your special day, and look forward to interviewing lots of interesting Publicity Hounds who have wonderful advice, ideas and stories to share with the world.

Posted In: General
posted On: 1/29/2009: 4:00 pm: By Joan
Comments: No Comments

Michele Lessirard of Vero Beach, Fla. writes:

“I have been blogging for more than seven years at New Moon Journal and my blog.

“Now, there’s a high-profile Harry Potter-type author named Stephanie Myer Meyer who’s written a series of vampire novels. One best-seller is New Moon. Of course, I am competing now for search engine optimization with her New Moon book and soon-to-be movie.  The New Moon Journal is an astrology blog dedicated to creativity and personal growth using the lunar cycles for power, healing and problem solving.

“How can I use this name recognition and ride on the coattails of her book. Is it possible?”

Posted In: General
posted On: 1/27/2009: 11:02 am: By Joan
Comments: 3 Comments

If you’ve done something dumb and bad publicity results, the quickest way to make the story go away is to apologize.

But not in Attleboro, Mass. where the city has threatened to place a lien on the home of Eileen Wilbur, a 72-year-old blind woman because she has failed to pay a past-due water bill of 1 cent. 

The charge was from the previous fiscal year, which ran from July 2007 to July 2008. A computer automatically prints letters for accounts with an overdue balance, but no human reviews them before mailing them. The city paid 42 cents to send the letter which also warned of a lien and a $48 penalty if the bill isn’t paid by Dec. 10. 

City Collector Debora Marcoccio said she received a fax from the woman’s daughter but it didn’t include a phone number. “If I had received a phone call, I would have been able to talk to the resident and hopefully resolve the issue,” Marcoccio said, “But I wasn’t given that opportunity.”

Why not just check the computer records, find out who had a past-due bill of a penny, and do something about it?

Imagine the goodwill that could have resulted had Marcoccio, or the town’s mayor, hand-delivered a food basket to the elderly woman on behalf of the city, along with an apology. Talk about a great photo op! The TV cameras could have been there and it would have been on that night’s evening news.        

Instead, the city let this story grow legs until it became the kind of David vs. Goliath saga the media love.  The story first appeared in the Sun Chronicle of Attleboro. The Associated Press picked it up and distributed it nationwide. 

Former Attleboro City Councillor Antonio Viveiros stepped forward and paid the bill, but he did so with a check to underline the absurdity of what he termed an “idiotic” bureaucratic snafu.

A doggie treat to Viveiros and to Publicity Hound Sonia Coleman for tipping me off to this one. And a trip to the dog house for the folks at Attleboro City Hall.

Posted In: General
posted On: 11/19/2008: 8:58 am: By Joan
Comments: 1 Comment

It’s called the International Association of Writers. But don’t let that name fool you.

The new association created by Fern Reiss, the “Expertizing” expert, offers the kinds of services that are also perfect for speakers, experts and business owners. For example, membership includes information and support in the areas of literary agents and publishing contracts, self-publishing and print-on-demand, ebooks, article syndication, speaking, media, book promotion, freelance writing, blogging and business, as well as a myriad of special offers on everything from books to press releases to writing conferences.

Looking for speaking opportunities? As a member, you’ll be part of the group’s program that promotes qualified experts for speaking engagements worldwide.

Have articles you want others to reprint? You’ll have the opportunity to syndicate your articles and columns to newspapers, magazines, websites and ezines via an articles directory.

Most authors are experts on a particular topic. Many experts are also speakers. As for business owners, most of them are experts and many are also speakers.

Because I’m a member of her contributors’ panel, you’ll see articles and audio lessons from me on publicity-related topics and social media marketing.

Fern’s site launches in just a few weeks and if you register now, for only $149 a year, you’ll get lots of extra benefits for free, plus two of my special reports of your choosing. Just use promo code “JS” when you sign up.

This is an inexpensive way to publicize almost any business.

Posted In: General
posted On: 11/10/2008: 8:54 am: By Joan
Comments: No Comments

Here’s another great resource for Publicity Hounds who need to outsource work to freelancers.

Consult the Society of Professional Journalists’ online freelancer directory, a listing of more than 600 members. You can search by state or specialty. Members include writers, photographers and graphic artists.

The trade group also has a new “Editor of the Moment” feature on its freelancer blog, The Independent Journalist, that connects editors and journalists.

During the teleseminar I hosted on Outsourcing Secrets: How to Find the Best Quality, Price & Teamwork from Freelancers, Leili McKinley mentioned several online services like Elance.com and Guru.com. I’ve used Elance.com several times and have found great writers and a few clunkers.

If you have a project that requires research or reporting, and you want journalists who speak English as a first lanuage, SPJ’s freelance directory is a great resource. SPJ members also agree to abide by the society’s Code of Ethics.

Posted In: General, Photos & Graphics, Publicity Resources, Writing Articles
posted On: 10/5/2008: 10:00 am: By Joan
Comments: No Comments