One of the biggest myths of press releases is that they must contain news.

That was true two decades ago when we wrote press releases primarily for journalists and we had to worry about insulting them with trivia about our business.

But now that we post them online, mostly to pull traffic to our websites, we’re free to write about whatever we wish.

Here, then, are 13 press release topics when your pockets are empty and there’s absolutely nothing newsworthy to write about. They’re excerpted from my free email course on 89 Ways to Write Powerful Press Releases. (PR people, take the course to sharpen your press release skills. And then use the tips below when you’re scrounging for ideas to publicize your clients.)

Publicity Hounds who have a subscription to Expertclick, The Yearbook of Experts, which lets you post up to 52 press releases a year, will find these tips particularly helpful.

1.  Take a Stand on a Controversial Topic

Controversial topics can include everything from the old standbys such as abortion and gun control to local issues like proposed zoning laws.

When you’re done with the press release, generate extra publicity by writing a letter to the editor of your local or national newspaper. How to Use Newspaper & Magazine Editorial Pages shows you all the ways you can rally support for your cause or issue by using editorial pages, from writing letters to asking for a meeting with the newspaper editorial board.

2.  Write About Your Blog 

If you’ve started blogging for business, write a press release about it so people who want information on your topic can find it. Or devote the release to some of the things you mentioned in a specific post.

This blog, for example, helps people solve problems writing press releases, and I encourage people to submit questions to me. It also teaches people how to use social media sites to self-promote. I could write two press releases, or more, just telling reades about ways they can use this blog. You can, too.

Visit other bloggers who blog on the same topic, or a similar topic, and post comments at their blogs. By linking back to your blog from your comments, you will improve the page ranking of your own blog.

3. Lead Readers to Free Articles at Your Website

If you have free articles that solve people’s problems, or entertain them, say so.

Are your articles arranged by category? Are they updated monthly? Do you let the media, ezine publishers, newsletter editors and bloggers reprint them? Do you feature articles from other industry experts?

4. Tell People Where to Find You on Social Media Sites

Smart Publicity Hounds use Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Quora profiles to position themselves as the go-to sources in their industries.

Do you post your photos and videos to Flickr? Do you have a YouTube channel chock full of helpful how-to videos? (Here’s mine.)

5.  Create Your Own Holiday

Create your own day, week or month of the year, or your own holiday, at Chases Calendar of Events. The listing is free. You can then use that holiday as a springboard to even more publicity.

The topic doesn’t have to be serious. In fact, the more fun, the better. I love Doing Business in Your Bathrobe Day.

6. Make a Prediction

Predict something that ties into your area of expertise—or not.

Predict when gasoline prices, the stock market or interest rates will rise and fall. For fun, predict who will win the Super Bowl or when the first snowfall will occur in your area. Predict the winner of local or national elections.

7. Issue a Proclamation

Congratulate the local high school football team for winning a state title, or a local business for celebrating its 10th anniversary.

8. Write Tips That Tie into an Upcoming Holiday

Professional orgnizers can write about how to stay organized during the Christmas holidays. A child safety expert can offer tips on how to keep kids safe during fireworks season on the Fourth of July.

9.  Identify A Trend You’re Seeing in Your Business or Industry

You don’t even have to think very hard to identify a trend you’re seeing. How has your customers’ behavior changed the way you do business? What’s happening with your orders? Is your nonprofit serving more people in a particular age group or income level?

If you want to cheat, Google “Top trends in the (fill in the blank) industry” and write about one of those.

10.  Comment on Breaking News

This one’s easy. The news can tie into your business or industry—or not. If you’re an expert who welcomes interview requests for radio talk shows, say so in the release. See 6 ways to tie your pitch to breaking news for PR and publicity.

11. What Event Are You Attending?

Most people don’t think it’s a big deal if they attend a trade show or industry conference. But why not turn this into a publicity opportunity?

Write a press release telling people that you’d welcome meeting them. Encourage them to ask you questions about problems they’re facing.

12. Take a Poll or Survey

Sites like Survey Monkey make simple polling a breeze.  You can also take a poll on Facebook. Don’t forget to write a follow-up press release that reports on the results of the poll.

13. Explain How to Solve a Problem

Press releases offering tips and advice are often the very best for pulling traffic to your website. That’s becauase you can dazzle readers with your expertise, help them solve their problem, and then link to a website where they can find more information about a product or service you sell that can help them even more.

What topics do you write about when the idea well is dry?

Tools to Help You:    

How to be a Kick-butt Publicity Hound

Keywords: The Magic Magnets That Pull Journalists & Consumes to Your Press Releases

The New Rules of Press Releases: How to Write them for Consumers, Not Only for Journalists

The Big Press Release Samples Ebook: Press Releases for Every Occasion and Industry

If you’re like me, you rush over to one of the stock photo services when you need a graphic for your website, blog, a press kit, a sales page, or a Facebook Note.

But even at a buck or two each, you can burn through your credits quickly.

I just discovered the really snazzy Marketing Graphics Toolkit for only $10.95. It comes with 21 modules of premium graphics content. Here are a few samples of what you’ll get, and some examples of how how you can use them:

Red Arrow Buttons—Lots of Them!

Perfect for sales pages, icons on my Facebook page, and to draw attention to parts of a blog post.

Price Badges

A set of nice looking price badges in five different colors.  You can add these to your order buttons, put them on top of your ebook covers, or use them in your sales copy.  You get web ready transparent PNG files ($9.95, $19.95, $29.95 and $39.95) + you also get PSD source files so you can make it say any price you want.

High-Res Ebook Covers, Including 3D

I’m going to use these for my 52 special reports.  I don’t have graphics on the sales page, just the titles of the special reports, and the visuals will help me sell more of them.

Visual Headlines

Visual headlines on sales pages are a great way to REALLY make your headlines pop.  You’ll get two visual headlines: one for main headline and one for sub-headline.  They come in layered PSD format so you can easily modify the text in minutes.  You also get different highlight and underline effects.

Guarantee Stickers

Tests show that a guarantee can boost your sales drastically.  You get a set of professional guarantee signs in 8 different colors, including transparent PNG files and also source PSD files.

Handwritten Fonts

With handwritten fonts, you can add some personal notes to your website, blog and Facebook Welcome Page that say things like “check this out,” “watch this video,” etc. You’ll get direct links to websites where you can download several fonts.

Premium Header Templates

You’ll get several premium website headers for your blog or sales pages or blogs.  They come in layered PSD format and all of the elements on the headers can be modified.  You can change the text, change the colors, add your own images, move things around, combine elements from one header with another, etc. Lots of possibilies for customization, or just use them as is after editing your own text.

Buttons and Checkmarks

There are dozens of uses for these—press kits, web pages, marketing materials, your blog, Facebook fan pages, etc. They come in transparent PNG format so you can use them on any color background.  You also get source PSD files.

This is just a small sampling of what you’ll get. You’ll also find Add to Cart buttons, call-to-action buttons, backgrounds for PowerPoint slides, numbers icons, footers, photo frames and lots more.

Full disclosure: I get paid affiliate commission if you buy, so don’t get confused if it looks as though you’re buying directly from me. Max, the designer, is simply depositing the money directly into my PayPal account. I think you’ll like this package so much that you, too, can join the affiliate program and earn commission that’s deposited directly into your PayPal account. You don’t even need a shopping cart.

Update on April 5, 2011: If you buy this package, you’ll be taken to a page and offered another product. On that page, scroll to the bottom to find the download link for the graphics package. Many of my readers were confused about this. So was I.

Share this on the social media sites, at your blog, in your newsletter, in your speaker handouts and in other marketing materials.  Your followers will love you—and your classy looking website, blog and marketing materials.

Click here to read the testimonials and see what else is in the package.

Whether you’re sponsoring a live or virtual event, make sure you’ve covered the bases long before the big day arrives or you’ll be facing poor attendance, empty seats and a boss who’ll want a good explanation.

Here are seven problems that can kill your event, despite a more-than-adequate budget and  a group of enthusiastic volunteers. I’ll discuss these in more depth when I host the webinar “50+ Places Online to Promote Your Live & Virtual Events to Reach Your Target Market & Pull Sell-Out Crowds” on Tuesday, Oct. 19.

1. Not allowing people to register online, with a credit card.

Becoming a credit card merchant, or getting a PayPal account, is so easy, that there’s no excuse for not being able to process registrations online. I’ve seen a lot of sole proprietors host webinars and teleseminars and insist that attendees mail them a check. They’re leaving a lot of money on the table.

On Tuesday, I’ll tell you about a company I found that takes your registrations and processes your payments for you.

2. Not checking all the local event calendars before you choose the date of your event.

If you’re sponsoring a live event, check with your state’s Tourism Office and your local Chamber of Commerce to see what other events are planned on your day. You can also do a Google search for “events + March 30, 2010 + Cleveland, Ohio” to see what events are already planned on March  30 in Cleveland.

Also, consider the weather and have a contingency plan. What happens to your outdoor fall festival if there’s a snowstorm in late October? It’s happened.

3. Not being aware of religious and secular holidays.

Plan your event on All Saints Day, Yom Kippur, Eid Al-Fitr, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Kwanza, Cinco de Mayo, or Presidents Day when many people are out of town over the long weekend, and you could see smaller crowds.  The University of Kansas Medical Center’s Diversity Calendar is a handy resource.

4. Not understanding all the problems that can occur if you serve alcohol at your event.

Make sure you know your liability if you serve booze, even if it’s only beer and wine.  It may be inappropriate to serve alcohol at a family event. And it may send a bad message if you seek a beer or wine company as a sponsor of a family event.

5.  Not leaving enough time for national publicity.

If your pre-event publicity relies on national magazines, you must account for the six-month lead time at many publications. If your festival, which you hope will attract tourists, can’t get into national travel or inflight magazines, you could be in big trouble.

6. Relying on press releases as the primary way to publicize your event.

Press releases seldom result in big stories in newspapers, magazines and on TV. They’re a miniscule part of a publicity campaign and need to be part of a strategic PR program that dovetails traditional and social media.

7. Not using online event calendars.

When people are looking for something to do, many of them rely on online event calendars such as those found at AmericanTowns.com, Yelp! and CitySearch.com.   If your event isn’t on those calendars, another event gets their attention, time and money. You’ll also find event calendars at many niche sites, which event planners often overlook.

During Tuesday’s webinar, I’ll share more than 50 websites that are searchable by city and zip code, or  that target a niche market, or that have huge followings of people who are looking for something to do. Register here. If the time is inconvenient, register anyway because you’ll receive the replay link for the video, and killer handouts that include all the websites I’m discussing, so you can use it as a handy cheat sheet the next time you plan an event.

Those are only some of the problems that can occur. With some smart planning, you can avoid them,  and stage successful events that pack ‘em in.

When you’re brainstorming ideas to promote your next special event, use this shortcut: My list of 27 questions designed to get you thinking creatively about how to generate publicity. 

The answers will help you identify juicy angles, compelling pitches and other content the media and bloggers will want to know about.

I’ll share several dozen more ideas when I host the webinar “50 Places Online to Promote Your Live and Virtual Events to Reach Your Target Market & Pull Sell-out Crowds” from 3 to 4:15 Eastern Time on Tuesday, Oct. 19. (If you can’t attend live, register anyway because you’ll get the video replay, MP3, PowerPoint slides I used, and handouts.)

Until then, whether you’re doing your own promotion or you’re part of a committee, here are 27 questions to ask while planning your event:

1. What’s the most unusual or interesting angle to this year’s event?
     
2. What trends are we expecting to see this year among attendees, and are they coming to our event to learn more about those trends?
     
3. How will a recent news event affect our live event? (Example: Is a major bridge near your event closed and undergoing repairs?  Has your organization come under fire recently?)
     
4. Who is the most interesting behind-the-scenes person or volunteer working on the event? (That person might make an interesting profile story.)
     
5. Can we sponsor a clever or funny contest in the weeks leading up to the event, on a topic that ties into our event?
     
6. Can we take a poll or survey that ties into our event, and then announce the results at the event? 
     
7. Have we created a Facebook Fan Page devoted specifically to our event and what can we offer our fans to attract their attention? (See 11 Ways to Avoid Missed Opportunities on Facebook)
      
8. What kind of intertesting, short videos can we create and upload to sites like YouTube to drive traffic to the sign-up page?
     
9. What are good topics for tips sheets we can write for pre-event publicity? (Example: “9 ways to keep employees from bolting to your competitor’s company” would tie into an HR conference.)
     
10. What kinds of how-to articles can we write and upload to article directory sites, or offer to bloggers who write specifically for our target market?
      
11. Who within our organization can write a guest blog post on a topic that ties into the event, and to whom can we offer it?
      
12. How are we using technology to draw more visitors?
      
13. What are we doing to attract attendees in an unconventional age bracket or demographic?
      
14. How are we making the event safer?
      
15. If it’s a virtual event like a teleseminar or webinar, what are we doing to make the event of significant value to attendees? (Are you soliciting questions beforehand and promising to answer them during the call or afterward? Will you answer  their questions during the session even though they aren’t there? Are you offering bonuses like audio and video replay links?)
      
16. What can we plan at the event to guarantee great visuals for television, preferably something that will attract the TV cameras beforehand?
      
17. What major changes are we planning this year?  Is it because of a mistake made last year? (Don’t be afraid to talk about your mistakes and what you learned from them!)
       
18. Are we celebrating a significant anniversary like a 10th, 20th 50th that we can tie into the event? If so, can we make old photos, documents and other historical memorabilia available to the media as part of pre-event publicity?
      
19. Does our event tie into a major or minor holiday? And if so, how can we piggyback onto that holiday?
      
20. What are we doing to pull more people to our event when the economy is bad and people don’t want to spend money?
      
21. Who attended our event last year and might agree to be interviewed by the media about what they saw/learned/ate/heard/experienced?
      
22. Is there a follow-up story from last year’s event that we can pitch this time around?
      
23. What is the most significant or interesting “preparation” that goes into our event?
       
24. Is there something related to our event in which we can invite a reporter to participate? (A cardboard boat regatta can invite a reporter to ride along in one of the cardboard boats and report on the competition. Fun!)
      
25. What interesting photos, graphics or logos can we offer to the media and bloggers to accompany a simple calendar listing?
      
26. What sites like Meetup.com can we use to promote our event and which of the above angles can we use to get them to our event?
      
27. Can we offer the media quiz that ties into our event?

There you have it. But what have I missed? Can you add any questions to this list?

What’s your best tip about publicizing an event? 

Always keep your eye open for trends on which you can piggyback a story pitch, or offer free tips or advice.

I found a great one on Friday when I checked into the Radisson Greentree in Pittsburgh.

On the front counter, flyers alert guests to a nationwide rash of auto break-ins by thieves who are looking for electronic devices such as iPods, GPS navigation units, cellphones, Blackberries, laptops and satellite radio receivers.

“A nationwide trend has developed regarding an increase in automobile break-ins…As a reminder to our guests, we ask that extra caution is used when leaving such items or any items of value in your vehicle so as not to draw attention to them and become an easy target for theft.”

The smash-and-grab thieves hunt for their prey, particularly rental cars,  in hotel parking lots and industrial parks. Tourists who usually don’t know their way around strange cities and rent cars with GPS units are particularly vulnerable. This is also a great story for television because it offers visuals.

Here are nine groups that can piggyback off this trend and pitch stories to the media:

1. Police departments and other law enforcement agencies
2. Hotels and motels
3. Industrial parks
4. Shopping malls (Great for the holidays. See 103 Sizzling Story Ideas from July through December)
5. Tourist attractions
6. Companies that sell car alarms and other security devices
7. Companies that sell customized stereo systems, cellphones or other electronic devices
8. Parking garages
9. Insurance companies

If the break-ins aren’t occurring on your property, you can still tie into this trend and offer a list of safety tips.

Don’t forget to pitch the bloggers and website owners who who write about crime prevention.

What other groups can you think of that can use this topic as a publicity hook?

If you have a dog or cat, I’m betting that, at least once, you’ve looked it in the eyes and said “I love you.”

That’s because a clever survey by Iams, the pet food company, showed that 91 percent of customers it contacted several years ago admitted whispering those three little words to their furry friends.

The company wisely publicized the survey results to coincide with Valentine’s Day.  Hundreds of newspapers, magazines and TV and radio stations picked up the story.

Surveys on topics that are fun, edgy, heart-warming, controversial, timely or compelling can generate mountains of publicity.  They can also do something else.

They can tell you EXACTLY what products and services your customers want and EXACTLY how much they’d be willing to pay for them.

Surveys have been the best-kept secret among Publicity Hounds and successful entrepreneurs–the cute little trick that has boosted PR campaigns and let top marketers create products to order, get proof to convert prospects and keep customers buying, and find the ticking time bombs in our businesses before they explode.

Let the Survey Expert Help You

My business partner, Jeanne Hurlbert, PhD, is one of the world’s foremost survey experts.  She’s so good at surveys that she’s helped people like The Tony Robbins Companies, Ali Brown, and Joe Polish.  She also created my own customer profile survey last spring, and I’m using the results as a roadmap to guide my business.

She and Mike Koenigs are hosting a webinar called “Your Cash-Generating Crystal Ball: How to Use Simple Surveys to Read Your Prospects’ and Customers’ Minds, Build Lists, Create Products, and Make Money.”  It will be at 2 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday, May 4.

They’ll show you how to jumpstart your business by putting your publicity, and your profits, on steroids.

And if you don’t HAVE a business yet, the news is just as good: They’ll help you start one, create products that generate revenue, and build your email list, in as little as 2 weeks.

You will learn:

Sign up here now.

P. S. When you sign up, you get 2 special reports—and one is about how a survey transformed my business.  On the call, Jeanne and Mike are giving away two things to five lucky winners: a cool new product that will be sold for at least $97 and another helpful special report.

(Shutterstock photo)

• 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?

Phyllis 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?”

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.

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.