Holidays

Archived Posts from this Category

How to generate publicity from Pi Day

Pi symbol on a blue circle

Piggybacking publicity onto popular or obscure days, weeks and months of the year is one of the easiest ways to find your way into the media, and I give lots of examples in my ebook, How to be a Kick-butt Publicity Hound.
  
Here’s one of the more obscure days of the year.  It’s Pi Day, and it’s today, 3/14.  It celebrates pi, which is 3.141592653589793, the mathematical constant that goes on without any repeating patterns, right into infinity.
    
Columnist Jim Stingl of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel wrote a column in today’s paper about two local businesses that are celebrating:
  • Discovery World Museum is giving prizes to math wizards and Einsteins who can recite from memory the most digits of pi.  
        
  • Each year, Whole Foods Market in Milwaukee gives away free slices of apple, cherry or blueberry pie, starting at 3:14 p.m. It also sells pies for $3.14.

Your business doesn’t have to be tied to food, or math, in order for you to generate a little publicity from Pi Day.  What can you sell for $3.14?  Or what challenge can you issue to your customers that ties into the numbers 3, 1 and 4?

Update:
    
Someone who commented on Stingl’s column another great publicity idea:
    
“When I used to work as a medical researcher, our department celebrated Pi Day every year by bringing pies into work on that day.  A lot of people would bring in pies and we’d set up the pies on a credenza in the hall outside of the labs along with plates and forks, whipped cream, etc. On the wall above the pies there were fun facts about pie.”
    
This is something ANY business or nonprofit can do.  Try it, and invite the local TV stations and newspapers.
    
For more ideas, see Special Report #45: How to Generate National Publicity from Your Own Holiday (or Day, Week or Month of the Year). Or if you don’t want to create your own day, you can always piggyback onto someone else’s.

Posted In: Business Promotion, Holidays, Newspaper Publicity, TV Publicity
posted On: 3/14/2010: 10:07 am: By Joan
Comments: 1 Comment

‘Refired Not Retired Day’ needs promotion ideas

refired, not retired book coverPhyllis May of Key West, FL, writes:

“March 1 is my day in Chase’s Calendar of Events.  It’s ‘Refired not Retired Day’ and it’s also the title of my book. It’s a humoprous book that shows people how to make the most of life after retirement.  

“Might your Publicity Hounds have suggestions for things I can suggest for people to do on March 1? Amazingly, because I have a Google Alert, there is a restaurant in Australia that has it on their calendar. I wrote and told them I thought I should be there but they didn’t respond. Darn.

“One time I saw an assisted living facility promoting it but I truly don’t know any BIG ideas. Can your creative readers help?”


Posted In: Authors & Publishers, Holidays
posted On: 2/2/2010: 12:56 pm: By Joan
Comments: 4 Comments

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

sign agaisnt a blue sky that says "news"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: 

  1. What’s new or unique about your business?
       
  2. What do you offer that your competitors don’t?                                                   
          
  3. How do you help people solve problems, save time or save money?
        
  4. What business mistakes have you made that you learned from?
       
  5. What new trends have you spotted in your industry?
       
  6. Is there a social or political issue you feel strongly about? (Write an opinion column, letter to the editor or blog post.) 
        
  7. Are you sponsoring a contest or an award?
        
  8. Can you piggyback your topic off a holiday or anniversary?
        
  9. How are you using technology in your business?
        
  10. Do you have any good visuals that tie into your story idea for television?
        
  11. What about your personal life? (Hobbies, travels, food, clothing, etc.)
        
  12. Have you formed an interesting partnership or alliance?
        
  13. What how-to articles could you write?
             
  14. What topics are good fodder for a tip sheet? (9 tips for….)
        
  15. 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?
        
  16. Are you the local angle to a national or regional story?
           
  17. How are you using social media in your business? 
       
  18. 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.
       
  19. 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.


Posted In: Blogs, Business Promotion, Contests, Holidays, PR Consultants/Publicists, Photos & Graphics, Press Releases/News Releases, Publicity Resources, Social media marketing, TV Publicity, Writing Articles
posted On: 1/14/2010: 11:20 am: By Joan
Comments: 4 Comments

12 ways to use my free ebook of publicity tips

Ebook cover: The Best of The Publicity Hound's Tips of the Week Have you claimed your copy of “The Best of The Publicity Hound’s Tips of the Week of 2009″ yet?

It not, grab it here. You’ll find the 26 tips that generated the most response from readers of my ezine last year. 

I give away this ebook each year, and my readers eagerly look forward to it. Many of them regift the book to their own friends and followers. And the big attaction is that anyone can access the ebook. You don’t have to opt in with your name and email address. 

What will you learn in this book? Plenty.

For example, I explain how to create your own day, week or month of the year. You’ll learn about lots of tricks and tools for participating at the social media sites. Read about 10 dead or dying PR tactics. 

And for Publicity Hounds who are looking to connect with journalists, I’ve given you several resources.  The book will help you, regardless of what business or nonprofit you’re in. 

Use the ebook one of these 12 ways:

  1. Create a Facebook note, and excerpt the entire tip. Use the photo along with the text, and you’ve got a nice little item that your followers and fans will love. Christine Buffaloe discussed Facebook notes when she was my guest during a teleseminar on “11 Ways to Avoid Missed Opportunities on Facebook.” 
         
  2. No time for a Note? Write about it and share the link (http://tinyurl.com/bestof2009tips) in a Facebook status update.
        
  3. Write about it in a LinkedIn status update.
         
  4. Blog about the book, and include your own success story that ties into one of the tips. 
         
  5. Offer the ebook as a bonus along with other products and services you’re selling.
        
  6. Give it to your clients and customers.
        
  7. Mention it at your weekly staff meetings.
        
  8. Add it to the Free Articles page at your website.
        
  9. Give it away to the winner of a contest you’re sponsoring.  
          
  10. Offer the ebook as a freebie to help you capture names and email addresses at your website. 
       
  11. Create a video that discusses the ebook and upload it to your website or to YouTube, then share that with your social media friends and followers.
       
  12. Include the link  (http://tinyurl.com/bestof2009tips) in a book you’re writing, or in handouts you’re using for a speaking engagement.

What about you? Have you thought of any other clever ways to use the ebook? If so, share them here. I’d love to hear them.

Posted In: Authors & Publishers, Blogs, Contests, Facebook, Holidays, Information Products, LinkedIn, Nonprofits, Pitching the Media, Publicity on the Internet, Social media marketing, Twitter, YouTube
posted On: 1/5/2010: 2:12 pm: By Joan
Comments: 2 Comments

Florist needs ideas, events to promote shop online and offline

flowersinvasel2Cheryl Muskus of Oak Creek, WI, writes:

“I’m the owner of  The CarmelRose, a floral shop, and I’m looking for ways to generate publicity in a very competitive market.

“Even though our industry is hurt to a large extent when obituaries state ‘in lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to…,” we’re trying to form relationships with local funeral homes so they can refer us to families that are buying flowers for the funeral.  I’d also like to target the local corporate market because revenues from local businesses that need floral arrangements can be significant.

“What ideas to your Hounds have for events I can sponsor at the shop or elsewhere, story ideas I can pitch to the local media, press releases I can write, photos I can offer the local media, opportunities for getting onto local TV, and joint venture partnerships I can form with other businesses? 

“Also, suggestions for using social media would be appreciated.”

Posted In: Business Promotion, Holidays, Newspaper Publicity, Photos & Graphics, Pitching the Media, Press Releases/News Releases, Publicity on the Internet, Special Events
posted On: 11/3/2009: 9:25 am: By Joan
Comments: 15 Comments

Next Page »