The Publicity Hound’s Blog  

Companies that want  to hire a PR firm, or do their own publicity, can find some helpful suggestions in the Forbes.com article The Single Greatest Marketing Tool.

One tip, however, is just plain wrong.

The article recommends hiring a PR intern from a local college on the cheap, and then using that intern to deal with the press:

“Mine the local schools for eager interns looking to pad their resumes at rock-bottom rates. The smartest can deal with the press, hunt for sponsorship opportunities (such as local events) and even develop a company blog to attract customers.”

You can use an intern to look for sponsors, help with your blog, write press releases, update web copy and call media outlets to verify contact information. But here are four reasons why you should NEVER let a PR intern pitch the media on your company’s behalf:

1. It sends the wrong message. “We’re too busy and too important to call you ourselves. So we’re putting our cheap, inexperienced intern on it.”
       
2. Pitching is an art. Catching a journalist’s attention in fewer than 10 seconds with a compelling pitch is incredibly difficult, even for experienced PR pros who have been doing it for many years. Asking a PR intern to call a business reporter and get a placement is like asking a medical school student to perform your brain surgery.
        
3. Most interns won’t be prepared to answer the media’s questions. Let’s say you have an intern who CAN deliver a great pitch. But the reporter says, ”I’m not interested in that story, but what can you tell me about the four people you laid off last month in your PR department?” The person in your company who deals with the press must know how to answer questions like that one, or find someone quickly who can.
         
4. Many college students have terrible phone manners and don’t sound professional. I know because I get calls frequently from PR firms asking me to confirm or update my company’s contact information that appears in media directories. I suspect their interns are making the calls because most of them sound bored, as though I’m the 1,587th person they’ve called that day. Or, when I start to ask questions, I hear this kind of response: “Well, like, my boss asked me to call you and… like… ” When one youngster got the information he needed, he ended the conversation with “Awesome!”

When I hosted the teleseminar series How to Help Your Boss or Client with a Publicity Campaign, I explained that the person who pitches story ideas about your business must sound professional, understand how to craft a compelling pitch,  answer unexpected questions from journalists, and build relationships with busy reporters and editors. Most PR staffs wouldn’t have the time to train an intern to do all that. And by the time the intern learned the necessary skills, it would be time to go back to school.

You can assign your interns to many valuable projects, like getting your company more involved in social media. But don’t burden them with pitching. It isn’t fair to them, to your company, or to the media.

Posted In: PR Consultants/Publicists, Pitching the Media
posted On: 6/12/2009: 12:52 pm: By Joan
Comments: 6 Comments

Avrom Honig writes:

“My three-year-old web TV show Feed Me Bubbe, which features my Bubbe (Yiddish for grandmother) demonstrating how to cook a variety of kosher food, has received national media attention.

“Of course, we’d like to receive more. Can your Hounds recommend the best ways to pitch a story about the show to the big food magazines? We’ve already been on ABC News and PBS’s “Frontline,” and in the Wall Street Journal. But we’re always interested in any other media attention we can generate, including blogs.

“We’d love to hear ideas from your Hounds on other media outlets or bloggers that might be interested in covering Feed Me Bubbe.”

You can watch this segment, in which Bubbe makes “Jewish penicillin,” or chicken soup.   

Posted In: Pitching the Media, Publicity on the Internet, TV Publicity, Video, YouTube
posted On: 6/9/2009: 2:16 pm: By Joan
Comments: 5 Comments

Several readers saw the item in last week’s newsletter about getting onto “Oprah”  and wrote to tell me that they pitched ideas months ago and still haven’t heard back from Oprah’s producers. Can they assume their pitches are in the “deleted” folder?

Never!

While getting onto “Oprah” is always a long shot, I’ve heard of cases in which journalists and broadcasters follow up on pitches as long as two years after receiving them. 

I posted a Note to my Facebook page last night, telling my friends that publicists need to update themselves periodically on pitches that are still “out there.” Also, I advised, tell your clients not to be surprised if they hear from the media when they least expect it. Clients must be prepared on a second’s notice to discuss an old story idea. 

Susan Harrow, creator of “The Ultimate Guide to Getting Booked on Oprah,” was on CNBC last week to discuss The Oprah Effect.” Several entrepreneurs discussed how they got onto the show, and what it has meant to their businesses.

I missed the show. If you did, too, you can see a short segment in which Susan gives two tips for getting onto Oprah. (Apologies for the commercial.)

                                                  


Watch a clip of Susan Harrow discussing
how to get onto Oprah

Posted In: Business Promotion, PR Consultants/Publicists, Pitching the Media, TV Publicity
posted On: 6/2/2009: 11:46 am: By Joan
Comments: 2 Comments

If you haven’t subscribed to the free media leads courtesy of PitchRate.com, you could be missing the chance to score a big hit in a top-tier media outlet, or reach your target audience with your message in a niche media outlet. You can read more about this media leads service that matches sources with journalists. 

Of the many leads posted at the site this week, here are four I’ve plucked out for Publicity Hounds:

Life coaches:

Dr. Dan, who has an Internet TV show, is doing a segment called Living Life Like a Rock Star. He’s looking for experts in self development, life coaches, leaders and anyone who is passionate about living life like a rock star.  ”We want to hear how you’ve created the life you have, what principles you live your life by, and what it is that you want to contribute to the world.” The deadline for responding is June 8.

Faith-based franchises:

Reuters.com wants to talk to operators and others who have worked with faith-based franchise companies. “How does it affect the culture of the company? How do customer perceive the business?” Deadline for responding is June 10.

   
Virginia brides:

Virginia Bride magazine is doing an article on do-it-yourself weddings and wants to know about trends. ”How popular are DIY weddings? What should a bride know before planning one? How can they save money without looking like they skimped on things? What shouldn’t ever be DIY when it comes to weddings?” Deadline for responding is June 11.

Business owners:

Blog Talk Radio is looking for successful business owners for a series its featuring during the entire month of June on Empowering You Radio. ”We are running a series during the month of June to discuss today’s business challenges and needs. I am looking for successful business owners who would like to chat about their needs, challenges and struggles. Focusing on finding solutions for the listener base and encouraging them to step out. No experts needed, I am looking for real people with real experiences to share.” Deadline for responding is June 8.

If any of these media leads are perfect for you or someone you know, you can get contact information, more details, and more leads at PitchRate.com.

Posted In: Business Promotion, Magazine Publicity, Media Leads, Pitching the Media, Publicity for Niche Markets
posted On: 5/31/2009: 12:58 pm: By Joan
Comments: 1 Comment

When a producer calls you and needs you to fill in for a guest who has canceled, move a mountain if you must, and say yes.

That’s what I did when Jon Missall of VoiceAmerica Business Network called yesterday afternoon and asked if I’d serve as a fill-in on the PRInsider show this morning with Maureen Kedes. Someone canceled, and they needed confirmation, within 30 minutes, that I could appear along with a guest of my choosing.

Of course, I said yes.

I invited Michelle Tennant of Wasabi Publicity, who has a string of A+ media hits to her credit, along with a really fun style. We’ll be a great team. And I know we’re on the same track because she was in The Publicity Hound Mentor Program for several years.

We’ll talk about a half dozen or so of the most important things Publicity Hounds must do to generate online and offline publicity. Michelle will share recent successes she has had getting her clients—including authors, nonprofits and small business owners— onto NBC in Dallas, AOL Canada, Good Morning America, the Colorado Business Journal, Dr. Phil and in other online and offline media.

The show will be at noon Eastern Time and you can listen here. I hope you join us.

Posted In: Authors & Publishers, Celebrity tie-ins, Newspaper Publicity, Nonprofits, PR Consultants/Publicists, Pitching the Media, Publicity on the Internet, Radio Publicity, TV Publicity
posted On: 5/22/2009: 8:35 am: By Joan
Comments: 1 Comment