<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<rss version="2.0"
	xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"
	xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/"
	xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
	xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
	xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/"
	xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/"
	xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd"
xmlns:rawvoice="http://www.rawvoice.com/rawvoiceRssModule/"
>

<channel>
	<title>The Publicity Hound's Blog&#187; Press Releases/News Releases</title>
	<atom:link href="http://publicityhound.net/category/press-releasesnews-releases/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>http://publicityhound.net</link>
	<description>Tips, Tricks &#38; Tools for Free Publicity</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:24:49 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<language>en</language>
	<sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod>
	<sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency>
	<generator>http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1</generator>
<!-- podcast_generator="Blubrry PowerPress/2.0.4" -->
	<itunes:summary>Tips, Tricks &amp; Tools for Free Publicity</itunes:summary>
	<itunes:author>The Publicity Hound&#039;s Blog</itunes:author>
	<itunes:explicit>no</itunes:explicit>
	<itunes:image href="http://publicityhound.net/wp-content/plugins/powerpress/itunes_default.jpg" />
	<itunes:subtitle>Tips, Tricks &amp; Tools for Free Publicity</itunes:subtitle>
	<image>
		<title>The Publicity Hound&#039;s Blog&#187; Press Releases/News Releases</title>
		<url>http://publicityhound.net/wp-content/plugins/powerpress/rss_default.jpg</url>
		<link>http://publicityhound.net/category/press-releasesnews-releases/</link>
	</image>
		<item>
		<title>Rethinking the press release: A content marketing &amp; SEO view of a proven tool</title>
		<link>http://publicityhound.net/rethinking-the-press-release-a-content-marketing-seo-view-of-a-proven-tool/</link>
		<comments>http://publicityhound.net/rethinking-the-press-release-a-content-marketing-seo-view-of-a-proven-tool/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 23 Jan 2012 14:10:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Joan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Press Releases/News Releases]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[content marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Deb McAlister-Holland]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Distribion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[press release]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[publicity tools]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://publicityhound.net/?p=10084</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<div style="padding-top:5px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:5px;padding-left:0px;;">
											<iframe
												style="height:25px !important; border:0px solid gray !important; overflow:hidden !important; width:550px !important;" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowTransparency="true"
												src="http://www.linksalpha.com/social?blog=The+Publicity+Hound%27s+Blog&link=http%3A%2F%2Fpublicityhound.net%2Frethinking-the-press-release-a-content-marketing-seo-view-of-a-proven-tool%2F&title=Rethinking+the+press+release%3A+A+content+marketing+%26+SEO+view+of+a+proven+tool&desc=This+guest+post+was+written+by+Deb+McAlister-Holland%2C+a+publicity+expert+who%C2%A0works+for+Distribion%2C+a+Dallas+SaaS+software+company+that+makes+marketing+automation+tools.+She+is+also+the+author+of+2+bo&fc=333333&fs=arial&fblname=like&fblref=facebook&fbllang=en_US&fblshow=1&fbsbutton=1&fbsctr=1&fbslang=en&fbsendbutton=0&twbutton=1&twlang=en&twmention=PublicityHound&twrelated1=PublicityHound&twrelated2=&twctr=1&lnkdshow=noshow&lnkdctr=1&buzzbutton=1&buzzlang=en&buzzctr=1&diggbutton=1&diggctr=1&stblbutton=1&stblctr=1&g1button=1&g1ctr=1&g1lang=en-US">
											</iframe>
										</div>This guest post was written by Deb McAlister-Holland, a publicity expert who works for Distribion, a Dallas SaaS software company that makes marketing automation tools. She is also the author of 2 books, Slimed Online: How to get your online reputation back despite Google and The Customer Never Sleeps: 21st Century Marketing. She lives in Dallas, Texas. [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div style="padding-top:5px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:5px;padding-left:0px;;">
											<iframe
												style="height:25px !important; border:0px solid gray !important; overflow:hidden !important; width:550px !important;" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowTransparency="true"
												src="http://www.linksalpha.com/social?blog=The+Publicity+Hound%27s+Blog&link=http%3A%2F%2Fpublicityhound.net%2Frethinking-the-press-release-a-content-marketing-seo-view-of-a-proven-tool%2F&title=Rethinking+the+press+release%3A+A+content+marketing+%26+SEO+view+of+a+proven+tool&desc=This+guest+post+was+written+by+Deb+McAlister-Holland%2C+a+publicity+expert+who%C2%A0works+for+Distribion%2C+a+Dallas+SaaS+software+company+that+makes+marketing+automation+tools.+She+is+also+the+author+of+2+bo&fc=333333&fs=arial&fblname=like&fblref=facebook&fbllang=en_US&fblshow=1&fbsbutton=1&fbsctr=1&fbslang=en&fbsendbutton=0&twbutton=1&twlang=en&twmention=PublicityHound&twrelated1=PublicityHound&twrelated2=&twctr=1&lnkdshow=noshow&lnkdctr=1&buzzbutton=1&buzzlang=en&buzzctr=1&diggbutton=1&diggctr=1&stblbutton=1&stblctr=1&g1button=1&g1ctr=1&g1lang=en-US">
											</iframe>
										</div><p><img class="alignleft  wp-image-10087" style="margin: 5px 10px;" title="linkedin-pix-july-2011" src="http://publicityhound.net/files/uploads/2012/01/linkedin-pix-july-2011.jpg" alt="Deb McAlister-Holland" width="139" height="209" />This guest post was written by <strong>Deb McAlister-Holland</strong>, a publicity expert who works for Distribion, a Dallas SaaS software company that makes marketing automation tools. She is also the author of 2 books, Slimed Online: How to get your online reputation back despite Google and The Customer Never Sleeps: 21st Century Marketing. She lives in Dallas, Texas. Visit <a href="http://debmcalister.com/" target="_blank">http://debmcalister.com/</a> for more information.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">****</p>
<p>I wrote my first press release decades ago, on an IBM Selectric typewriter. Back then, press releases were viewed as disposable documents created for one purpose – and only one purpose: to convince a small group of media gatekeepers to share something with the audience they controlled.</p>
<p>My boss had lots of rules about press releases. We were told how long they could be, what had to be included, what was never included, how many we could send in a month, and exactly how long the process should take to write it, get it approved by a client, get it distributed via fax, postal mail or press wire service, and how to follow up on it by calling the targeted journalists.</p>
<p>I was pretty good about following those rules for years, but I threw them out the window as the new century dawned. Good thing, too, because as the first decade of the 21st century came and went, it became crystal clear to me that the good old press release had been completely reincarnated in a new role – and anyone who hasn’t yet rethought the press release is missing a tremendous opportunity for low-cost content marketing.</p>
<p>What’s changed? Here are the four most important things that have changed in the way press releases function in today’s connected world:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Press releases are read by anyone and everyone with access to a web browser or smart phone.</strong> They aren’t the “insider” documents they once were, and they have become one of the cornerstones of a company’s online reputation.<br /> </li>
<li><strong>Press releases aren’t disposable.</strong> Google never forgets – the release you post on your website or send via newswire today will be searchable for the foreseeable future. Maybe forever. And there are legal and customer satisfaction implications involved in how press releases are written that would have turned my old boss’s hair gray.<br /> </li>
<li><strong>Press releases now have hyperlinks, embedded photos and videos.</strong> I know, that’s old news, right? We’ve been adding web addresses to press releases for the last 20 years. But 20 years ago, those links weren’t trackable the way they are today – and any photos or videos we offered were completely separate from our press releases.<br /> </li>
<li><strong>Press releases have a whole new constituency.</strong> Bloggers, content aggregators and scrapers, and a global audience are eager for news they can use and share.</li>
</ul>
<p>The truth is that I send out more press releases today than I ever thought I would in the days when I viewed them as a way to convince someone else to write about my company. Ever since I learned that the press release itself was a great marketing tool to drive traffic, increase customer engagement, and boost my search engine rankings, I’ve discovered dozens of new uses for them.<br /> <br /> <br /><strong>The Proof is in the Testing</strong></p>
<p>In February, 2011, when I started a new job as director of marketing at a SaaS software company, I put in what I thought was a routine budget request for a media data base – Vocus, Cision, MyMediaInfo – I wasn’t picky. I just knew that I would need a good database in order to add PR to my multi-channel marketing mix. The chairman of our board suggested I try a new service called MyPRGenie instead, and he arranged a free trial for me of their premium service.</p>
<p>That gave me the chance to try something I’d wanted to try for a long time: a head-to-head test to see just how much traffic press releases by themselves could drive to a website or blog. One of the content marketing strategies we launched was a new blog designed to expand our reach and introduce the concepts behind our products and services to new audiences.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.distributedmarketing.org/" target="_blank">The Distributed Marketing Blog</a> published its first posts in late March, and from April through mid-June, I sent out an SEO-optimized press release with half of the blog posts, and posted the others without a press release. All posts – those with and without a press release – were supported with the same social media out-reach: links to our company Facebook page, updates on my personal LinkedIn profile, and tweets on the five Twitter accounts our company uses.</p>
<p>The results are clear in the graphic below: the posts supported by a press release got twice as many visitors as the posts without a press release.</p>
<p><img class="alignleft  wp-image-10093" title="Blog readership table with and without press release" src="http://publicityhound.net/files/uploads/2012/01/Blog-readership-table-with-and-without-press-release1.png" alt="" width="627" height="386" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> </p>
<p>Of course, the June numbers presented here are just a little bit misleading – I had to remove about 200,000 unique visitors to our blog that month because one of those press releases we sent out resulted in pick-ups from PC World, CNET, BNET, Fox Business, Forbes, Fortune, and the Wall Street Journal (along with several hundred smaller blogs and publications).<br /> <br /><strong>Traffic Target Surpassed</strong><br /> <br />So 12 weeks after we launched our blog, I had blown our traffic target out of the water, and gotten global exposure for our company and our blog – thanks to that old standby, the press release. It was just the first of many similar successes we’ve had this year.<br /> <br />Although no other post has gotten more traffic than that very first one, we’ve had eight posts so far that have gotten awfully close – and if I was keeping an old fashioned PR clip book, it would have over 980 clips from major publications and broadcast outlets in it.</p>
<p>Those “clips” came straight off the press releases we’ve sent out. In more than nine months at my job, I haven’t made a single phone call to an editor, attended a single press event, or done anything else that even smacks of the PR skills I have no time to use. I don’t have a PR firm. The only thing I’ve done is post SEO-optimized press releases on a single service that sends the releases with an email cover note to journalists, bloggers and analysts in their database.<br /> <br /><strong>Press Releases and So Much More</strong></p>
<p>So I stopped testing, and started writing a press release for every piece of content I wanted to promote. In fact, whenever I post new content, I write four things:</p>
<ol>
<li>The new content itself (starting with a catchy headline, followed by an outline, followed by the SEO-optimized content).<br /> </li>
<li>The press release.<br /> </li>
<li>A series of 5-7 tweets.<br /> </li>
<li>An abstract for sites like Facebook, LinkedIn and StumbleUpon.</li>
</ol>
<p>Webinars, presentations, new blog posts, White Papers, trade show speaking engagements – you name it, we probably send out a press release about it. The distribution list for our releases ranges from a few hundred contacts in a particular industry to about 2,000 contacts for a more general topic.</p>
<p>Every press release follows a standard outline designed to boost search traffic:</p>
<ul>
<li>SEO-optimized title / headline<br /> </li>
<li>Sub-head<br /> </li>
<li>Two to three paragraphs promoting the content with a call to action (read it, download it, attend the event, etc.)<br /> </li>
<li>A two-paragraph boilerplate (who, what, where, when, why – all the basics, including links)</li>
</ul>
<p>Like other services, MyPRGenie has built-in SEO optimization tools, and that makes each release work overtime to drive traffic back to my content or website. The right words – the words my prospective customers use when they’re searching for products like mine – are critical in the strategy of using press releases to build traffic.<br /> <br /> <br /><strong>Don&#8217;t Forget Photos</strong></p>
<p>Perhaps just as importantly, every single press release (and every single piece of content) gets its own unique photograph or graphic.</p>
<p>I’m a “word person”, and I was slow to realize just how powerful great art is in building traffic for content marketing. But I’m a true believer now. A press release titled, “How to Become a Legendary Marketer” illustrated with a photograph of a knight in shining armor (who just happens to be my son, so the photo is especially attractive) gets much more attention than a press release with the same headline and no photo. How do I know? Because I tested that, too.</p>
<p>Here’s a look at two weeks’ worth of press release titles and images from The Distributed Marketing Blog. (Our total cost for the legal, licensed images you see here, by the way, was $12 – most of them were free. For a look at great free or low-cost art for your content, <a href="http://debmcalister.wordpress.com/2011/11/11/how-to-find-great-photos-for-your-blog/" target="_blank">check out this post</a> from my personal blog.)</p>
<p><img class="alignleft  wp-image-10096" title="Two weeks of blog posts and releases" src="http://publicityhound.net/files/uploads/2012/01/Two-weeks-of-blog-posts-and-releases.png" alt="" width="699" height="519" /></p>
<p>Last, but not least, we use the social media links available through the press release service extensively. Because all I have to do is click a button, I’ve been able to expand my social media outreach to services like StumbleUpon, Reddit and dozens of others that are well beyond the scope of my internal social media capabilities. <br /> </p>
<p><strong>No Such Thing as &#8220;Too Many&#8221; Releases</strong></p>
<p>So here’s the bottom line for me: press releases work, whether or not they results in direct coverage.</p>
<p>Long ago, I remember being afraid to send out too many press releases. It was expensive, and I worried that I’d overwhelm the small number of journalists I was targeting.</p>
<p>That was then.</p>
<p>Now, I don’t have to worry about it. The people who read my press releases now do it because they want to. They’ve opted in to a distribution list, clicked on a link, searched for the keywords, or gone to a website where my release is featured.</p>
<p>As for the journalists, many of them are now paid at least in part on the number of readers they draw. From the standpoint of a blogger or journalist on a deadline, a press release offers:</p>
<ul>
<li>Fast copy that’s usually well written. (Your press releases ARE well written, right?)<br /> </li>
<li>Freedom from copyright hassles or questions. (You wouldn’t send it to them if you didn’t hope they’d reuse it, right?)<br /> </li>
<li>Fresh ideas that may be timely and topical. (Your press releases are timely, right?)</li>
</ul>
<p>Nearly 75 percent of all the journalists working today are freelancers – a complete turn-around from a time 10-15 years ago when high-paying jobs in journalism were the norm instead of the rarity they are today. For freelancers at even the most prestigious sites, compensation is usually tied directly to the number of readers they attract to their online posts.</p>
<p>The more articles they post, the more opportunities they have to draw readers. So they’re hungry for fresh content and fresh ideas in a way that their predecessors never were. It’s a hunger I’m happy to fill – and press releases remain the most cost-effective item on the menu for everyone.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://publicityhound.net/rethinking-the-press-release-a-content-marketing-seo-view-of-a-proven-tool/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>8</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>24 juicy publicity, social media tips in free &#8216;best of&#8217; ebook</title>
		<link>http://publicityhound.net/24-juicy-publicity-social-media-tips-in-free-best-of-ebook/</link>
		<comments>http://publicityhound.net/24-juicy-publicity-social-media-tips-in-free-best-of-ebook/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 20 Dec 2011 15:31:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Joan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[LinkedIn]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Press Releases/News Releases]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[event publicity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[linkedin groups]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[product review template]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://publicityhound.net/?p=9935</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<div style="padding-top:5px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:5px;padding-left:0px;;">
											<iframe
												style="height:25px !important; border:0px solid gray !important; overflow:hidden !important; width:550px !important;" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowTransparency="true"
												src="http://www.linksalpha.com/social?blog=The+Publicity+Hound%27s+Blog&link=http%3A%2F%2Fpublicityhound.net%2F24-juicy-publicity-social-media-tips-in-free-best-of-ebook%2F&title=24+juicy+publicity%2C+social+media+tips+in+free+%27best+of%27+ebook&desc=If+you+haven%27t+made+any+resolutions+for+improving+your+publicity+or+social+media+efforts+next+year%2C+promise+that+you%27ll+steal+at+least+one+tip+from+this+free+ebook%2C+%22The+Best+of+The+Publicity+Hound%27s+&fc=333333&fs=arial&fblname=like&fblref=facebook&fbllang=en_US&fblshow=1&fbsbutton=1&fbsctr=1&fbslang=en&fbsendbutton=0&twbutton=1&twlang=en&twmention=PublicityHound&twrelated1=PublicityHound&twrelated2=&twctr=1&lnkdshow=noshow&lnkdctr=1&buzzbutton=1&buzzlang=en&buzzctr=1&diggbutton=1&diggctr=1&stblbutton=1&stblctr=1&g1button=1&g1ctr=1&g1lang=en-US">
											</iframe>
										</div>If you haven&#8217;t made any resolutions for improving your publicity or social media efforts next year, promise that you&#8217;ll steal at least one tip from this free ebook, &#8220;The Best of The Publicity Hound&#8217;s Tips of the Week of 2011&#8221; and do it. This is the seventh year I&#8217;ve compiled the very best tips from [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div style="padding-top:5px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:5px;padding-left:0px;;">
											<iframe
												style="height:25px !important; border:0px solid gray !important; overflow:hidden !important; width:550px !important;" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowTransparency="true"
												src="http://www.linksalpha.com/social?blog=The+Publicity+Hound%27s+Blog&link=http%3A%2F%2Fpublicityhound.net%2F24-juicy-publicity-social-media-tips-in-free-best-of-ebook%2F&title=24+juicy+publicity%2C+social+media+tips+in+free+%27best+of%27+ebook&desc=If+you+haven%27t+made+any+resolutions+for+improving+your+publicity+or+social+media+efforts+next+year%2C+promise+that+you%27ll+steal+at+least+one+tip+from+this+free+ebook%2C+%22The+Best+of+The+Publicity+Hound%27s+&fc=333333&fs=arial&fblname=like&fblref=facebook&fbllang=en_US&fblshow=1&fbsbutton=1&fbsctr=1&fbslang=en&fbsendbutton=0&twbutton=1&twlang=en&twmention=PublicityHound&twrelated1=PublicityHound&twrelated2=&twctr=1&lnkdshow=noshow&lnkdctr=1&buzzbutton=1&buzzlang=en&buzzctr=1&diggbutton=1&diggctr=1&stblbutton=1&stblctr=1&g1button=1&g1ctr=1&g1lang=en-US">
											</iframe>
										</div><p><a href="http://publicityhound.net/files/uploads/2011/12/Best-of-2011-230-x-3091.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-9940" style="margin: 6px 15px;" title="Best of 2011 230 x 309" src="http://publicityhound.net/files/uploads/2011/12/Best-of-2011-230-x-3091.jpg" alt="" width="160" height="215" /></a>If you haven&#8217;t made any resolutions for improving your publicity or social media efforts next year, promise that you&#8217;ll steal at least one tip from this free ebook, &#8220;<strong>The Best of The Publicity Hound&#8217;s Tips of the Week of 2011</strong>&#8221; and do it.</p>
<p>This is the seventh year I&#8217;ve compiled the very best tips from <a href="http://archive.aweber.com/pubhound_01" target="_blank">my weekly ezine</a> and offered it to you as a holiday gift&#8212;along with my enthusiastic recommendation to regift it to your friends and clients.</p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.on2url.com/app/adtrack.asp?MerchantID=20214&amp;AdID=578944" target="_blank">Click here to download the book</a>.</strong> (If you&#8217;re having trouble, try a different browser or a different computer, or <a href="mailto:Scott@SerenityVA.com" target="_blank">email Scott Buffaloe</a>, my customer service manager, and he&#8217;ll send it to you.)</p>
<p>Here&#8217;s what you&#8217;ll find in this year&#8217;s book.</p>
<table border="0" align="left">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><img class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-9945" style="margin: 3px 15px;" title="twitter-bird-on-twitter-button" src="http://publicityhound.net/files/uploads/2011/12/twitter-bird-on-twitter-button1-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /></td>
<td><span style="font-size: small;"><strong>Social Media Tips Galore</strong></span></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong><br />
</strong></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<ul>
<li>Tips on <strong>how to attract more Twitter followers</strong> by using Twellow, my favorite Twitter directory, to really drill down and identify people in your target market&#8212;and make it easy for others to find you</li>
<li><strong>6 bios that need updating</strong>. Trust me. They&#8217;re either filled with stale information, or your bios are missing key links for new social media profiles you&#8217;ve created.</li>
<li><strong>3 strong reasons for joining groups on LinkedIn</strong>, and the recommended number of groups to join.</li>
<li><strong>How to create a link for a Facebook status update</strong> so you can pull more people to your Facebook page. This still stumps many Facebook users.</li>
<li><strong>3 ways to use Twitter lists</strong> to save time, get in front of influential bloggers who write about your topic, and start to build relationships with journalists.</li>
<li><strong>A big no-no that several LinkedIn &#8220;gurus&#8221; are teaching</strong> about how to write your LinkedIn profile.  It looks bad, it smells bad and it can get you into trouble.</li>
<li>A  new feature on YouTube that <strong>lets you edit your videos right in the browser!<br />
</strong></li>
<li>Where to find a valuable template on <strong>how to write a product review</strong> that you can share on the social media sites or at your blog.</li>
<li>Where to find <strong>&#8220;52 Headline Hacks,&#8221;</strong> a handy cheat sheet for writing blog posts that go viral, or headlines you can use on articles.</li>
</ul>
<div>
<table border="0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><img class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-9946" title="newspaperboy" src="http://publicityhound.net/files/uploads/2011/12/newspaperboy-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /></td>
<td style="text-align: center;" align="middle"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong>Publicity Tips for Traditional Media   </strong></span></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</div>
<ul>
<li><strong>An important reminder if you&#8217;re planning an event</strong> so you don&#8217;t blow a big chance at publicity in a magazine.</li>
<li><strong>6 ways to avoid corrections</strong> and what to do if a mistake in your press release or article slips through and ends up being published.</li>
<li><strong>The one word to never use</strong> when you&#8217;re talking to journalists.</li>
<li>Angles for news stories you can pitch so you can get onto the <strong>most watched TV newscast</strong> of the entire week on your local station.</li>
<li><strong>Why press releases are usually ineffective</strong> if you want a journalist to cover your story&#8212;and the one thing that works instead.</li>
<li>3 types of publicity photos that scream &#8220;We&#8217;re lazy. And we don&#8217;t mind boring you with this photo.&#8221;</li>
<li>The one person to follow on Twitter who can provide lots of <strong>hot leads from traditional media</strong> who are looking for sources to interview.</li>
</ul>
<table style="width: 300px;" border="0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><a href="http://publicityhound.net/files/uploads/2011/12/websiteURL.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-9950" title="websiteURL" src="http://publicityhound.net/files/uploads/2011/12/websiteURL-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /></a></td>
<td align="middle"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong>Tools for Online Publicity</strong></span></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>A hyperlocal website that&#8217;s begging for neighborhood news</strong> in 16 bigger cities in the United States. This site is perfect for news from clubs and civic groups, schools, nonprofits, churches, political campaigns and neighborhood groups.</li>
<li><strong>A news powerhouse that you should be pitching</strong> because its stories get high rankings on Google News and Google Blogs. You&#8217;ll also find a link to a valuable video that explains exactly <strong>how to pitch</strong>.</li>
<li><strong>A local publisher that wants news from hundreds of communities</strong> in 19 states in the United States. They&#8217;re competing with local newspapers for stories, photos, videos and ad dollars.</li>
<li>4 tips for creating your<strong> 2012 Publicity Plan</strong> for online and traditional media.</li>
</ul>
<table border="0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-9974" title="checkmark on black square box2" src="http://publicityhound.net/files/uploads/2011/12/checkmark-on-black-square-box2.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /></td>
<td align="middle"><span style="font-size: small;"> <strong>Tips for Building Your Business &amp; Nonprofit</strong></span></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<ul>
<li>Where to find <strong>step-by-step instructions on how to format a book for the Nook</strong>, the Barnes &amp; Noble ereader, and <strong>Amazon&#8217;s Kindle</strong>&#8212;sometimes in less than 30 minutes.</li>
<li>Where to find detailed instructions on how to produce webinars that sell your products and services. Includes a recommendation for what webinar company to use.</li>
<li>Nonprofits, 9 ways to <strong>make it easy for people to donate</strong> at your website.</li>
</ul>
<p>If you like these tips, you&#8217;ll love the newsletter. Today&#8217;s issue will be published this afternoon and it includes a cute dog video. <a href="http://publicityhound.com/ezineinfo.htm">Sign up here</a>.</p>
<p>Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and a very Happy New Year!</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://publicityhound.net/24-juicy-publicity-social-media-tips-in-free-best-of-ebook/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>5</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Blogging Cheat Sheet and more tweets</title>
		<link>http://publicityhound.net/blogging-cheat-sheet-and-more-tweets/</link>
		<comments>http://publicityhound.net/blogging-cheat-sheet-and-more-tweets/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 16 Dec 2011 17:17:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Joan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Media Leads]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Press Releases/News Releases]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[news releases]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pitching journalists]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pitching the Media]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://publicityhound.net/?p=9905</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<div style="padding-top:5px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:5px;padding-left:0px;;">
											<iframe
												style="height:25px !important; border:0px solid gray !important; overflow:hidden !important; width:550px !important;" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowTransparency="true"
												src="http://www.linksalpha.com/social?blog=The+Publicity+Hound%27s+Blog&link=http%3A%2F%2Fpublicityhound.net%2Fblogging-cheat-sheet-and-more-tweets%2F&title=Blogging+Cheat+Sheet+and+more+tweets&desc=Here+are+my+Top+10+tweets+from+this+past+week%2C+great+for+retweeting%21+If+you+missed+these%2C+follow+me+on+Twitter.%0D%0A%0D%0A25+Worst+Passwords+of+the+Year+for+2011.+%5BIs+one+of+yous+on+this+list%3F%5D%C2%A0http%3A%2F%2Fow.ly&fc=333333&fs=arial&fblname=like&fblref=facebook&fbllang=en_US&fblshow=1&fbsbutton=1&fbsctr=1&fbslang=en&fbsendbutton=0&twbutton=1&twlang=en&twmention=PublicityHound&twrelated1=PublicityHound&twrelated2=&twctr=1&lnkdshow=noshow&lnkdctr=1&buzzbutton=1&buzzlang=en&buzzctr=1&diggbutton=1&diggctr=1&stblbutton=1&stblctr=1&g1button=1&g1ctr=1&g1lang=en-US">
											</iframe>
										</div>Here are my Top 10 tweets from this past week, great for retweeting! If you missed these, follow me on Twitter. 25 Worst Passwords of the Year for 2011. [Is one of yous on this list?] http://ow.ly/81QNc How to get a ton of new subscribers to your blog. http://ow.ly/7ZR3S Should you post press releases in social [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div style="padding-top:5px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:5px;padding-left:0px;;">
											<iframe
												style="height:25px !important; border:0px solid gray !important; overflow:hidden !important; width:550px !important;" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowTransparency="true"
												src="http://www.linksalpha.com/social?blog=The+Publicity+Hound%27s+Blog&link=http%3A%2F%2Fpublicityhound.net%2Fblogging-cheat-sheet-and-more-tweets%2F&title=Blogging+Cheat+Sheet+and+more+tweets&desc=Here+are+my+Top+10+tweets+from+this+past+week%2C+great+for+retweeting%21+If+you+missed+these%2C+follow+me+on+Twitter.%0D%0A%0D%0A25+Worst+Passwords+of+the+Year+for+2011.+%5BIs+one+of+yous+on+this+list%3F%5D%C2%A0http%3A%2F%2Fow.ly&fc=333333&fs=arial&fblname=like&fblref=facebook&fbllang=en_US&fblshow=1&fbsbutton=1&fbsctr=1&fbslang=en&fbsendbutton=0&twbutton=1&twlang=en&twmention=PublicityHound&twrelated1=PublicityHound&twrelated2=&twctr=1&lnkdshow=noshow&lnkdctr=1&buzzbutton=1&buzzlang=en&buzzctr=1&diggbutton=1&diggctr=1&stblbutton=1&stblctr=1&g1button=1&g1ctr=1&g1lang=en-US">
											</iframe>
										</div><p><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-9908" style="margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px;" title="happly-bird1" src="http://publicityhound.net/files/uploads/2011/12/happly-bird1.jpg" alt="" width="144" height="188" /><strong>Here are my Top 10 tweets from this past week, great for retweeting! If you missed these, <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/PublicityHound" target="_blank">follow me on Twitter</a>.</strong></p>
<p>25 Worst Passwords of the Year for 2011. [Is one of yous on this list?] <a href="%20http://ow.ly/8044A" target="_blank">http://ow.ly/81QNc</a></p>
<p>How to get a ton of new subscribers to your blog. <a href="http://ow.ly/7ZR3S" target="_blank">http://ow.ly/7ZR3S</a></p>
<p>Should you post press releases in social media? Conflicting answers from the experts.<del><a href="%20http://ow.ly/7ZmYQ" target="_blank"> http://ow.ly/7ZmYQ</a></del>  <a title="http://www.forbes.com/sites/robertwynne/2011/12/12/should-you-post-press-releases-in-social-media" href="http://t.co/1EniyRxF" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" data-expanded-url="http://ow.ly/8486v" data-ultimate-url="http://www.forbes.com/sites/robertwynne/2011/12/12/should-you-post-press-releases-in-social-media" data-display-url="ow.ly/8486v">http://ow.ly/8486v</a></p>
<p>Top 10 Marketing &amp; PR Trends in 2012. <a href="http://ow.ly/7ZcO4" target="_blank">http://ow.ly/7ZcO4</a></p>
<p>A free cheat sheet for writing blog posts that go viral, from @Copyblogger. <a href="http://ow.ly/7XSx3" target="_blank">http://ow.ly/7XSx3</a></p>
<p>How to answer a journalist&#8217;s query on HARO, Reporter Connection, PitchRate &amp; PRLeads. <a href="http://ow.ly/7YMvB" target="_blank">http://ow.ly/7YMvB</a></p>
<p>8 secrets that writers won&#8217;t tell you. <a href="http://ow.ly/803Km" target="_blank">http://ow.ly/803Km</a></p>
<p>17 Fun Freebies That Build Thought Leadership. Something for everybody. <a href="http://ow.ly/7Wwxs" target="_blank">http://ow.ly/7Wwxs</a></p>
<p>10 Worst Media Disasters of 2011 from @MrMediaTraining. [Can you guess #1?] <a href="http://ow.ly/81xh3" target="_blank">http://ow.ly/81xh3</a></p>
<p>5 strategic social media tips for PR pros, from @PerkettPR [No. 4 is my favorite] <a href="http://ow.ly/81x3q" target="_blank">http://ow.ly/81x3q</a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://publicityhound.net/blogging-cheat-sheet-and-more-tweets/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>4</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Cool PR finds &amp; other tweets from this past week</title>
		<link>http://publicityhound.net/cool-pr-finds-other-tweets-from-this-past-week/</link>
		<comments>http://publicityhound.net/cool-pr-finds-other-tweets-from-this-past-week/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 26 Nov 2011 02:41:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Joan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Facebook]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pitching the Media]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Press Releases/News Releases]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social media marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Twitter]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Writing Articles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[facebook marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[follow up story]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[internet press guild]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[press releases]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[publicity hound on twitter]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[thanksgiving quote]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[writing tools]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://publicityhound.net/?p=9820</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<div style="padding-top:5px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:5px;padding-left:0px;;">
											<iframe
												style="height:25px !important; border:0px solid gray !important; overflow:hidden !important; width:550px !important;" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowTransparency="true"
												src="http://www.linksalpha.com/social?blog=The+Publicity+Hound%27s+Blog&link=http%3A%2F%2Fpublicityhound.net%2Fcool-pr-finds-other-tweets-from-this-past-week%2F&title=Cool+PR+finds+%26+other+tweets+from+this+past+week&desc=Here+are+my+Top+10+tweets+from+this+past+week%2C+great+for+retweeting%21+If+you+missed+these%2C+follow+me+on+Twitter.%0D%0A%C2%A0%C2%A0%C2%A0%C2%A0%0D%0AHow+to+improve+your+Facebook+marketing+for+the+holidays%0D%0Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fow.ly%2F7DjbU%C2%A0&fc=333333&fs=arial&fblname=like&fblref=facebook&fbllang=en_US&fblshow=1&fbsbutton=1&fbsctr=1&fbslang=en&fbsendbutton=0&twbutton=1&twlang=en&twmention=PublicityHound&twrelated1=PublicityHound&twrelated2=&twctr=1&lnkdshow=noshow&lnkdctr=1&buzzbutton=1&buzzlang=en&buzzctr=1&diggbutton=1&diggctr=1&stblbutton=1&stblctr=1&g1button=1&g1ctr=1&g1lang=en-US">
											</iframe>
										</div>Here are my Top 10 tweets from this past week, great for retweeting! If you missed these, follow me on Twitter.      How to improve your Facebook marketing for the holidays http://ow.ly/7DjbU             50 tools that can help you write http://ow.ly/7BtSv            The care and feeding of the press: Super tips from the [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div style="padding-top:5px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:5px;padding-left:0px;;">
											<iframe
												style="height:25px !important; border:0px solid gray !important; overflow:hidden !important; width:550px !important;" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowTransparency="true"
												src="http://www.linksalpha.com/social?blog=The+Publicity+Hound%27s+Blog&link=http%3A%2F%2Fpublicityhound.net%2Fcool-pr-finds-other-tweets-from-this-past-week%2F&title=Cool+PR+finds+%26+other+tweets+from+this+past+week&desc=Here+are+my+Top+10+tweets+from+this+past+week%2C+great+for+retweeting%21+If+you+missed+these%2C+follow+me+on+Twitter.%0D%0A%C2%A0%C2%A0%C2%A0%C2%A0%0D%0AHow+to+improve+your+Facebook+marketing+for+the+holidays%0D%0Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fow.ly%2F7DjbU%C2%A0&fc=333333&fs=arial&fblname=like&fblref=facebook&fbllang=en_US&fblshow=1&fbsbutton=1&fbsctr=1&fbslang=en&fbsendbutton=0&twbutton=1&twlang=en&twmention=PublicityHound&twrelated1=PublicityHound&twrelated2=&twctr=1&lnkdshow=noshow&lnkdctr=1&buzzbutton=1&buzzlang=en&buzzctr=1&diggbutton=1&diggctr=1&stblbutton=1&stblctr=1&g1button=1&g1ctr=1&g1lang=en-US">
											</iframe>
										</div><p><a href="http://publicityhound.net/files/uploads/2011/11/twitter-bird1.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-9822" style="float: left; margin-left: 12px; margin-right: 12px; margin-top: 6px; margin-bottom: 6px;" title="twitter bird" src="http://publicityhound.net/files/uploads/2011/11/twitter-bird1.jpg" alt="Publicity Hound on Twitter" width="200" height="161" /></a>Here are my <strong>Top 10 tweets</strong> from this past week, great for retweeting! If you missed these, <a href="http://www.twitter.com/PublicityHound" target="_blank">follow me on Twitter</a>.<br />
    <br />
How to improve your Facebook marketing for the holidays<br />
<a href="http://ow.ly/7DjbU%20">http://ow.ly/7DjbU </a><br />
     <br />
    <br />
50 tools that can help you write<br />
<a href="http://ow.ly/7BtSv%20%20">http://ow.ly/7BtSv<br />
</a>     <br />
    <br />
The care and feeding of the press: Super tips from the Internet Press Guild<br />
<a title="http://www.netpress.org/careandfeeding.html" href="http://ow.ly/7BtCU" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" data-display-url="ow.ly/7BtCU" data-ultimate-url="http://www.netpress.org/careandfeeding.html" data-expanded-url="http://ow.ly/7BtCU">http://ow.ly/7BtCU</a><br />
     <br />
    <br />
Publicity Tip: Contact a media outlet that already covered you &amp; suggest a &#8220;follow up story&#8221; to the original one<br />
     <br />
    <br />
6 tips for making your press release Twitter-friendly<br />
<a title="http://www.mediabistro.com/prnewser/six-tips-for-making-your-press-release-twitter-friendly_b30368" href="http://ow.ly/7AqL8" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" data-display-url="ow.ly/7AqL8" data-ultimate-url="http://www.mediabistro.com/prnewser/six-tips-for-making-your-press-release-twitter-friendly_b30368" data-expanded-url="http://ow.ly/7AqL8">http://ow.ly/7AqL8</a><br />
     <br />
    <br />
Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it. ~William Arthur Ward<br />
     <br />
     <br />
10 words that can help or hurt your click-through rate on Twitter.<br />
<a href="http://ow.ly/7BzRk" target="_blank">http://ow.ly/7xNfu</a> RT <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/DanZarrella" rel="nofollow" data-screen-name="DanZarrella"><strong>@DanZarrella</strong></a> [Testing is powerful]<br />
    <br />
    <br />
Social bookmarking tips to pull traffic to your blog or website<br />
<a href="http://ow.ly/7BzRk">http://ow.ly/7BzRk</a></p>
<p>      <br />
 &#8221;I love Thanksgiving turkey. It&#8217;s the only time in Los Angeles that you see natural breasts.&#8221; ~Arnold Schwarzenegger<br />
     <br />
    <br />
6 ways to help people find your press releases<br />
<a href="http://ow.ly/7FkmY%20" target="_blank"> http://ow.ly/7FkmY </a></p>
<p>Do you already follow me, but you&#8217;d like to read tweets about certain PR, publicity and social media topics? Which ones?</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://publicityhound.net/cool-pr-finds-other-tweets-from-this-past-week/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Nonprofit Marketing Tip: Explain all 9 ways people can donate</title>
		<link>http://publicityhound.net/nonprofit-marketing-tip-explain-all-9-ways-people-can-donate/</link>
		<comments>http://publicityhound.net/nonprofit-marketing-tip-explain-all-9-ways-people-can-donate/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 28 Oct 2011 20:54:02 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Joan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Nonprofits]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Press Releases/News Releases]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Writing Articles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[charitable donations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[combined federal campaign]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[corporate matchning gift]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[donors]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nonprofit marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nonprofit PR]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nonprofit publicity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[paypal deduction]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[stock donation]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://publicityhound.net/?p=9667</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<div style="padding-top:5px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:5px;padding-left:0px;;">
											<iframe
												style="height:25px !important; border:0px solid gray !important; overflow:hidden !important; width:550px !important;" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowTransparency="true"
												src="http://www.linksalpha.com/social?blog=The+Publicity+Hound%27s+Blog&link=http%3A%2F%2Fpublicityhound.net%2Fnonprofit-marketing-tip-explain-all-9-ways-people-can-donate%2F&title=Nonprofit+Marketing+Tip%3A+Explain+all+9+ways+people+can+donate+&desc=Does+your+nonprofit+tell+visitors+at+your+website+all+the+ways+they+can+donate%3F%0D%0A%0D%0ADuring+the+webinar+I+hosted+yesterday+on+nonprofit+marketing%2C+PR+and+publicity+with+nonprofit+marketing+expert+Sandy+&fc=333333&fs=arial&fblname=like&fblref=facebook&fbllang=en_US&fblshow=1&fbsbutton=1&fbsctr=1&fbslang=en&fbsendbutton=0&twbutton=1&twlang=en&twmention=PublicityHound&twrelated1=PublicityHound&twrelated2=&twctr=1&lnkdshow=noshow&lnkdctr=1&buzzbutton=1&buzzlang=en&buzzctr=1&diggbutton=1&diggctr=1&stblbutton=1&stblctr=1&g1button=1&g1ctr=1&g1lang=en-US">
											</iframe>
										</div>Does your nonprofit tell visitors at your website all the ways they can donate? During the webinar I hosted yesterday on nonprofit marketing, PR and publicity with nonprofit marketing expert Sandy Rees, one of the participants asked if she should include a &#8220;Donate&#8221; button on every page of her agency&#8217;s website. Uh, of course, we [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div style="padding-top:5px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:5px;padding-left:0px;;">
											<iframe
												style="height:25px !important; border:0px solid gray !important; overflow:hidden !important; width:550px !important;" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowTransparency="true"
												src="http://www.linksalpha.com/social?blog=The+Publicity+Hound%27s+Blog&link=http%3A%2F%2Fpublicityhound.net%2Fnonprofit-marketing-tip-explain-all-9-ways-people-can-donate%2F&title=Nonprofit+Marketing+Tip%3A+Explain+all+9+ways+people+can+donate+&desc=Does+your+nonprofit+tell+visitors+at+your+website+all+the+ways+they+can+donate%3F%0D%0A%0D%0ADuring+the+webinar+I+hosted+yesterday+on+nonprofit+marketing%2C+PR+and+publicity+with+nonprofit+marketing+expert+Sandy+&fc=333333&fs=arial&fblname=like&fblref=facebook&fbllang=en_US&fblshow=1&fbsbutton=1&fbsctr=1&fbslang=en&fbsendbutton=0&twbutton=1&twlang=en&twmention=PublicityHound&twrelated1=PublicityHound&twrelated2=&twctr=1&lnkdshow=noshow&lnkdctr=1&buzzbutton=1&buzzlang=en&buzzctr=1&diggbutton=1&diggctr=1&stblbutton=1&stblctr=1&g1button=1&g1ctr=1&g1lang=en-US">
											</iframe>
										</div><p><a href="http://publicityhound.net/files/uploads/2011/10/wikimediafoundation2.png"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-9668" style="margin: 12px 15px; float: left;" title="wikimediafoundation2" src="http://publicityhound.net/files/uploads/2011/10/wikimediafoundation2.png" alt="wikipedia logo for nonprofit marketing and publicity" width="230" height="230" /></a>Does your nonprofit tell visitors at your website all the ways they can donate?</p>
<p>During the webinar I hosted yesterday on <a href="http://www.PublicityHound.com/publicity-products/marketing-tapes/nonprofitpublicity.htm" target="_blank">nonprofit marketing, PR and publicity</a> with nonprofit marketing expert Sandy Rees, one of the participants asked if she should include a &#8220;Donate&#8221; button on every page of her agency&#8217;s website.</p>
<p>Uh, of course, we answered. (No-brainer.)</p>
<p>I wish I had seen the <a href="http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Ways_to_Give/en" target="_blank">&#8220;Ways to Give&#8221;</a> page at the Wikimedia Foundation&#8217;s website, which I just stumbled across this afternoon. That&#8217;s the nonprofit that operates<a href="http://www.wikipedia.org" target="_blank"> Wikipedia</a>, the world&#8217;s mammoth online encyclopedia.</p>
<p>It lists these nine ways to give:</p>
<ol>
<li>Credit card or Paypal<br />
  </li>
<li>Via regular mail<br />
  </li>
<li>Monthly recurring giving<br />
  </li>
<li>Stock donation<br />
  </li>
<li>Direct deposit<br />
  </li>
<li>Combined Federal Campaign<br />
  </li>
<li>Corporate Matching Gift<br />
  </li>
<li>Moneybookers<br />
  </li>
<li>Payroll deductions</li>
</ol>
<p>Especially helpful are the detailed instructions. Brilliant! Nonprofits could link to a list like this from the end of articles they write, from blog posts or from press releases.  </p>
<p>What other ways can your donors give? And how do you let them know? </p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://publicityhound.net/nonprofit-marketing-tip-explain-all-9-ways-people-can-donate/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>5</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Write killer headlines: 102 fill-in-the-blank formulas</title>
		<link>http://publicityhound.net/write-killer-headlines-102-fill-in-the-blank-formulas/</link>
		<comments>http://publicityhound.net/write-killer-headlines-102-fill-in-the-blank-formulas/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 26 Oct 2011 14:21:12 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Joan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blogs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Press Releases/News Releases]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Publicity Resources]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Writing Articles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[headline examples]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[headline formulas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[how to write headlines]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sample headlines]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://publicityhound.net/?p=9655</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<div style="padding-top:5px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:5px;padding-left:0px;;">
											<iframe
												style="height:25px !important; border:0px solid gray !important; overflow:hidden !important; width:550px !important;" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowTransparency="true"
												src="http://www.linksalpha.com/social?blog=The+Publicity+Hound%27s+Blog&link=http%3A%2F%2Fpublicityhound.net%2Fwrite-killer-headlines-102-fill-in-the-blank-formulas%2F&title=Write+killer+headlines%3A+102+fill-in-the-blank+formulas&desc=The+next+time+you%27re+struggling+with+a+headline+for+an+article%2C+press+release%2C+blog+post%2C+a+page+at+your+website+or+a+paid+ad%2C+whip+out+this+handy+five-page+cheat+sheet+and+steal+one+of+the+102+headli&fc=333333&fs=arial&fblname=like&fblref=facebook&fbllang=en_US&fblshow=1&fbsbutton=1&fbsctr=1&fbslang=en&fbsendbutton=0&twbutton=1&twlang=en&twmention=PublicityHound&twrelated1=PublicityHound&twrelated2=&twctr=1&lnkdshow=noshow&lnkdctr=1&buzzbutton=1&buzzlang=en&buzzctr=1&diggbutton=1&diggctr=1&stblbutton=1&stblctr=1&g1button=1&g1ctr=1&g1lang=en-US">
											</iframe>
										</div>The next time you&#8217;re struggling with a headline for an article, press release, blog post, a page at your website or a paid ad, whip out this handy five-page cheat sheet and steal one of the 102 headline-writing formulas. Fill in the blank, and you&#8217;ve got a killer headline. It&#8217;s courtesy of blogger Chris Garrett, [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div style="padding-top:5px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:5px;padding-left:0px;;">
											<iframe
												style="height:25px !important; border:0px solid gray !important; overflow:hidden !important; width:550px !important;" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowTransparency="true"
												src="http://www.linksalpha.com/social?blog=The+Publicity+Hound%27s+Blog&link=http%3A%2F%2Fpublicityhound.net%2Fwrite-killer-headlines-102-fill-in-the-blank-formulas%2F&title=Write+killer+headlines%3A+102+fill-in-the-blank+formulas&desc=The+next+time+you%27re+struggling+with+a+headline+for+an+article%2C+press+release%2C+blog+post%2C+a+page+at+your+website+or+a+paid+ad%2C+whip+out+this+handy+five-page+cheat+sheet+and+steal+one+of+the+102+headli&fc=333333&fs=arial&fblname=like&fblref=facebook&fbllang=en_US&fblshow=1&fbsbutton=1&fbsctr=1&fbslang=en&fbsendbutton=0&twbutton=1&twlang=en&twmention=PublicityHound&twrelated1=PublicityHound&twrelated2=&twctr=1&lnkdshow=noshow&lnkdctr=1&buzzbutton=1&buzzlang=en&buzzctr=1&diggbutton=1&diggctr=1&stblbutton=1&stblctr=1&g1button=1&g1ctr=1&g1lang=en-US">
											</iframe>
										</div><p><a href="http://publicityhound.net/files/uploads/2011/10/Headline-formulas.png"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-9656" style="float: left; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 15px; margin-top: 9px; margin-bottom: 9px;" title="Headline formulas" src="http://publicityhound.net/files/uploads/2011/10/Headline-formulas-300x242.png" alt="headline formulas cheat sheet" width="300" height="242" /></a>The next time you&#8217;re struggling with a headline for an article, press release, blog post, a page at your website or a paid ad, whip out this handy five-page cheat sheet and steal one of the 102 headline-writing formulas.</p>
<p>Fill in the blank, and you&#8217;ve got a killer headline.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s courtesy of blogger Chris Garrett, and it could be one of the most valuable tools in your office. <a href="http://socialmediaworkbook.com/102-headline-formulas" target="_blank">Download it here</a>.<br />
     </p>
<p><strong>Why Writing Great Headlines Is Important </strong></p>
<p>Killer headlines pull people into your copy. They beg to be retweeted. And they often tell the reader, &#8220;You have a problem and this article will solve it.&#8221;</p>
<p>For added oomph, choose several other headlines from the list and place them throughout your article or blog post as sub-heads, like I&#8217;ve done in this blog post. Sub-heads are great for scanners, who often won&#8217;t take the time to read every word. They&#8217;re visual clues that tell readers what else they&#8217;ll find within an article.<br />
     <br />
     <br />
<strong>Sample Headlines </strong></p>
<p>Here are examples of headlines from this free report:</p>
<p>Get Rid of Your ___________ Once and For All</p>
<p>What Your _____________ is Not Telling You About _____________</p>
<p>10 Lies We Tell Our ________________</p>
<p>How to Spot a Fake ________________</p>
<p>5 Reasons _____________ is Better Than _________________</p>
<p>If those don&#8217;t fit the article or blog post you&#8217;re writing, you&#8217;ll find several that will.<br />
     <br />
    <br />
<strong>More Tools to Help You</strong></p>
<p>This report is one of 60 free or inexpensive tools I shared during the webinar &#8220;60 Ideas in 60 Minutes:  Free (or Practically Free) Tips, Tricks, Tools &amp; Tutorials for Publicity &amp; Social Media.&#8221; <a href="http://www.publicityhound.com/publicity-products/marketing-tapes/60ideas.htm" target="_blank">Click here</a> to read more about what it includes and how to access the video replay and the handouts.</p>
<p>I&#8217;ve listed several ways you can use these headlines. How else would you use them?</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://publicityhound.net/write-killer-headlines-102-fill-in-the-blank-formulas/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>15</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>6 ways to promote your retail business before you open</title>
		<link>http://publicityhound.net/6-ways-to-promote-your-retail-business-before-you-open/</link>
		<comments>http://publicityhound.net/6-ways-to-promote-your-retail-business-before-you-open/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 11 Oct 2011 16:43:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Joan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Business Promotion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Google]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Newspaper Publicity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pitching the Media]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Press Releases/News Releases]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Special Events]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DIY public relations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DIY publicity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[new stoie publicity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[retail PR]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[retail publicity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ribbon cutting event]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ribbon-cutting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[store opening]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://publicityhound.net/?p=9556</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<div style="padding-top:5px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:5px;padding-left:0px;;">
											<iframe
												style="height:25px !important; border:0px solid gray !important; overflow:hidden !important; width:550px !important;" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowTransparency="true"
												src="http://www.linksalpha.com/social?blog=The+Publicity+Hound%27s+Blog&link=http%3A%2F%2Fpublicityhound.net%2F6-ways-to-promote-your-retail-business-before-you-open%2F&title=6+ways+to+promote+your+retail+business+before+you+open&desc=Create+a+buzz+all+over+town+long+before+your+store+opens.%0D%0A%0D%0AThese+days%2C+in+a+sour+economy%2C+businesses+opening+just+about+anywhere+are+major+news.+So+don%27t+shy+away+from+publicity.+Here+six+ways+to+pr&fc=333333&fs=arial&fblname=like&fblref=facebook&fbllang=en_US&fblshow=1&fbsbutton=1&fbsctr=1&fbslang=en&fbsendbutton=0&twbutton=1&twlang=en&twmention=PublicityHound&twrelated1=PublicityHound&twrelated2=&twctr=1&lnkdshow=noshow&lnkdctr=1&buzzbutton=1&buzzlang=en&buzzctr=1&diggbutton=1&diggctr=1&stblbutton=1&stblctr=1&g1button=1&g1ctr=1&g1lang=en-US">
											</iframe>
										</div>Create a buzz all over town long before your store opens. These days, in a sour economy, businesses opening just about anywhere are major news. So don&#8217;t shy away from publicity. Here six ways to promote your retail business before you open. Display a large banner or sign outside your building letting people know you&#8217;ll [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div style="padding-top:5px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:5px;padding-left:0px;;">
											<iframe
												style="height:25px !important; border:0px solid gray !important; overflow:hidden !important; width:550px !important;" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowTransparency="true"
												src="http://www.linksalpha.com/social?blog=The+Publicity+Hound%27s+Blog&link=http%3A%2F%2Fpublicityhound.net%2F6-ways-to-promote-your-retail-business-before-you-open%2F&title=6+ways+to+promote+your+retail+business+before+you+open&desc=Create+a+buzz+all+over+town+long+before+your+store+opens.%0D%0A%0D%0AThese+days%2C+in+a+sour+economy%2C+businesses+opening+just+about+anywhere+are+major+news.+So+don%27t+shy+away+from+publicity.+Here+six+ways+to+pr&fc=333333&fs=arial&fblname=like&fblref=facebook&fbllang=en_US&fblshow=1&fbsbutton=1&fbsctr=1&fbslang=en&fbsendbutton=0&twbutton=1&twlang=en&twmention=PublicityHound&twrelated1=PublicityHound&twrelated2=&twctr=1&lnkdshow=noshow&lnkdctr=1&buzzbutton=1&buzzlang=en&buzzctr=1&diggbutton=1&diggctr=1&stblbutton=1&stblctr=1&g1button=1&g1ctr=1&g1lang=en-US">
											</iframe>
										</div><p><a href="http://publicityhound.net/files/uploads/2011/10/Coming-Soon2.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-9562" style="float: left; margin-top: 5px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 16px; margin-right: 16px;" title="Coming Soon2" src="http://publicityhound.net/files/uploads/2011/10/Coming-Soon2.jpg" alt="Coming Soon sign" width="230" height="229" /></a>Create a buzz all over town long before your store opens.</p>
<p>These days, in a sour economy, businesses opening just about anywhere are major news. So don&#8217;t shy away from publicity. Here six ways to promote your retail business before you open.</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Display a large banner or sign outside your building letting people know you&#8217;ll be opening</strong>. Thanks to Alyson Stanfield, a business coach for artists and an art marketing expert, for this idea which I read <a href="http://www.artbizblog.com/2011/10/start-promoting.html" target="_blank">at her blog</a> yesterday.<br />
<strong><br />
</strong></li>
<li><strong>Pitch the story to the local media</strong>. Contact a reporter at your local newspaper, business journal or business magazine and pitch a story about the opening. Angles can include why you chose this time, when the economy is bad, to open a new business.<br />
<strong><br />
</strong></li>
<li><strong>Write a press release.</strong> Post it on a site like <a href="http://www.Craigslist.org" target="_blank">Craigslist</a>, which gets millions of eyeballs. Post it only in one category and only in the city closest to where your business is located.<br />
<strong><br />
</strong></li>
<li><strong>Plan a fun grand opening celebration</strong>. Publicize it on a local event sites like <a href="http://www.Yelp.com" target="_blank">Yelp</a>, <a href="http://www.EventCrazy.com" target="_blank">EventCrazy.com</a> and <a href="http://www.Meetup.com" target="_blank">MeetUp.com</a>.  This list of<a href="http://publicityhound.net/?p=7142" target="_blank"> 27 questions to ask before promoting your event</a> will stimulate ideas and help you plan a more interesting event. Please, no boring ribbon-cuttings. You can do  better than that. Here are some <a href="http://publicityhound.net/alternatives-to-the-cliche-ribbon-cutting-photo/" target="_blank">alternatives to ribbon-cutting events</a>.<br />
<strong><br />
</strong></li>
<li><strong>Just before you open, create a business profile on <a href="https://accounts.google.com/ServiceLogin?service=lbc&amp;passive=1209600&amp;continue=http://www.google.com/local/add/businessCenter?hl%3Den%26gl%3Dus&amp;followup=http://www.google.com/local/add/businessCenter?hl%3Den%26gl%3Dus&amp;hl=en" target="_blank">Google Maps.<br />
</a></strong><strong><br />
</strong></li>
<li><strong>Contact related businesses and offer to cross-promote</strong>. Ask them to display flyers about your grand opening at the front counter. Tell them that once you open, you&#8217;ll be happy to promote something they&#8217;re doing. If you&#8217;re opening a pet store, contact owners of dog kennels, dog obedience schools and veterinarians.</li>
</ol>
<p>What other ideas can you offer for ways that retail businesses can promote long before they open? Any examples in your own community?</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.publicityhound.com/publicity-products/marketing-tapes/60ideas.htm"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-9776" title="Ideasad728x90" src="http://publicityhound.net/files/uploads/2011/11/Ideasad728x90.png" alt="" width="728" height="90" /></a></strong></p>
<p><strong><br />
</strong></p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://publicityhound.net/6-ways-to-promote-your-retail-business-before-you-open/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>13 press release topics when there&#8217;s nothing newsworthy</title>
		<link>http://publicityhound.net/13-press-release-topics-when-theres-nothing-newsworthy/</link>
		<comments>http://publicityhound.net/13-press-release-topics-when-theres-nothing-newsworthy/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 22 Sep 2011 20:38:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Joan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blogs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business Promotion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Contests]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Facebook]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Flickr]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Holidays]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[LinkedIn]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Photos & Graphics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PR Consultants/Publicists]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Press Releases/News Releases]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[YouTube]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[breaking news commentary]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[chase's calendar of events]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[create a holiday]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[doing buisness in your bathrobe day]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[editorial pages]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Expertclick]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[free articles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[press release tips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[proclamations]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://publicityhound.net/?p=9451</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<div style="padding-top:5px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:5px;padding-left:0px;;">
											<iframe
												style="height:25px !important; border:0px solid gray !important; overflow:hidden !important; width:550px !important;" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowTransparency="true"
												src="http://www.linksalpha.com/social?blog=The+Publicity+Hound%27s+Blog&link=http%3A%2F%2Fpublicityhound.net%2F13-press-release-topics-when-theres-nothing-newsworthy%2F&title=13+press+release+topics+when+there%27s+nothing+newsworthy&desc=One+of+the+biggest+myths+of+press+releases+is+that+they+must+contain+news.%0D%0A%0D%0AThat+was+true+two+decades+ago%C2%A0when+we+wrote+press+releases+primarily+for+journalists+and+we+had+to+worry+about+insulting+&fc=333333&fs=arial&fblname=like&fblref=facebook&fbllang=en_US&fblshow=1&fbsbutton=1&fbsctr=1&fbslang=en&fbsendbutton=0&twbutton=1&twlang=en&twmention=PublicityHound&twrelated1=PublicityHound&twrelated2=&twctr=1&lnkdshow=noshow&lnkdctr=1&buzzbutton=1&buzzlang=en&buzzctr=1&diggbutton=1&diggctr=1&stblbutton=1&stblctr=1&g1button=1&g1ctr=1&g1lang=en-US">
											</iframe>
										</div>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&#8217;re [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div style="padding-top:5px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:5px;padding-left:0px;;">
											<iframe
												style="height:25px !important; border:0px solid gray !important; overflow:hidden !important; width:550px !important;" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowTransparency="true"
												src="http://www.linksalpha.com/social?blog=The+Publicity+Hound%27s+Blog&link=http%3A%2F%2Fpublicityhound.net%2F13-press-release-topics-when-theres-nothing-newsworthy%2F&title=13+press+release+topics+when+there%27s+nothing+newsworthy&desc=One+of+the+biggest+myths+of+press+releases+is+that+they+must+contain+news.%0D%0A%0D%0AThat+was+true+two+decades+ago%C2%A0when+we+wrote+press+releases+primarily+for+journalists+and+we+had+to+worry+about+insulting+&fc=333333&fs=arial&fblname=like&fblref=facebook&fbllang=en_US&fblshow=1&fbsbutton=1&fbsctr=1&fbslang=en&fbsendbutton=0&twbutton=1&twlang=en&twmention=PublicityHound&twrelated1=PublicityHound&twrelated2=&twctr=1&lnkdshow=noshow&lnkdctr=1&buzzbutton=1&buzzlang=en&buzzctr=1&diggbutton=1&diggctr=1&stblbutton=1&stblctr=1&g1button=1&g1ctr=1&g1lang=en-US">
											</iframe>
										</div><p><a href="http://publicityhound.net/files/uploads/2011/09/empty-pockets.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-9454" style="margin: 6px 12px; float: left;" title="bankrupt" src="http://publicityhound.net/files/uploads/2011/09/empty-pockets.jpg" alt="empty pocket and no news to write about" width="200" height="298" /></a>One of the biggest myths of press releases is that <strong>they must contain news.</strong></p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>But now that <strong>we post them online, mostly to pull traffic to our websites</strong>, we&#8217;re free to write about whatever we wish.</p>
<p>Here, then, are 13 press release topics when your pockets are empty and there&#8217;s absolutely nothing newsworthy to write about. They&#8217;re excerpted from my free email course on <a href="http://www.89pressreleasetips.com" target="_blank">89 Ways to Write Powerful Press Releases.</a> (PR people, take the course to sharpen your press release skills. And then use the tips below when you&#8217;re scrounging for ideas to publicize your clients.)</p>
<p>Publicity Hounds who have a subscription to <a href="http://tinyurl.com/f5evn%20">Expertclick, The Yearbook of Experts</a>, which lets you post up to 52 press releases a year, will find these tips particularly helpful.</p>
<p><strong>1.  Take a Stand on a Controversial Topic</strong></p>
<p>Controversial topics can include everything from the old standbys such as abortion and gun control to local issues like proposed zoning laws.</p>
<p>When you&#8217;re done with the press release, generate extra publicity by writing a letter to the editor of your local or national newspaper. <a href="http://www.publicityhound.com/publicity-products/marketing-tapes/editorialpages.htm" target="_blank">How to Use Newspaper &amp; Magazine Editorial Pages</a> 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.</p>
<p><strong>2.  Write About Your Blog </strong></p>
<p>If you&#8217;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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p><strong>3. Lead Readers to Free Articles at Your Website</strong></p>
<p>If you have free articles that solve people&#8217;s problems, or entertain them, say so.</p>
<p>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?</p>
<p><strong>4. Tell People Where to Find You on Social Media Sites</strong></p>
<p>Smart Publicity Hounds use Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Quora profiles to position themselves as the go-to sources in their industries.</p>
<p>Do you post your photos and videos to Flickr? Do you have a YouTube channel chock full of helpful how-to videos? (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/publicityhound" target="_blank">Here&#8217;s mine</a>.)</p>
<p><strong>5.  Create Your Own Holiday</strong></p>
<p>Create your own day, week or month of the year, or your own holiday, at <a href="http://www.Chases.com" target="_blank">Chases Calendar of Events</a>. The listing is free. You can then use that holiday as a springboard to even more publicity.</p>
<p>The topic doesn&#8217;t have to be serious. In fact, the more fun, the better. I love <a href="http://publicityhound.net/do-business-in-your-bathrobe-day-feb-12/" target="_blank">Doing Business in Your Bathrobe Day</a>.</p>
<p><strong>6. Make a Prediction</strong></p>
<p>Predict something that ties into your area of expertise&#8212;or not.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p><strong>7. Issue a Proclamation</strong></p>
<p>Congratulate the local high school football team for winning a state title, or a local business for celebrating its 10th anniversary.</p>
<p><strong>8. Write Tips That Tie into an Upcoming Holiday</strong></p>
<p>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.</p>
<p><strong>9.  Identify A Trend You&#8217;re Seeing in Your Business or Industry</strong></p>
<p>You don&#8217;t even have to think very hard to identify a trend you&#8217;re seeing. How has your customers&#8217; behavior changed the way you do business? What&#8217;s happening with your orders? Is your nonprofit serving more people in a particular age group or income level?</p>
<p>If you want to cheat, Google &#8220;Top trends in the (fill in the blank) industry&#8221; and write about one of those.</p>
<p><strong>10.  Comment on Breaking News</strong></p>
<p>This one&#8217;s easy. The news can tie into your business or industry&#8212;or not. If you&#8217;re an expert who welcomes interview requests for radio talk shows, say so in the release. See <a href="http://publicityhound.net/6-ways-to-tie-your-pitch-to-breaking-news-for-pr-publicity/" target="_blank">6 ways to tie your pitch to breaking news for PR and publicity.</a></p>
<p><strong>11. What Event Are You Attending?</strong></p>
<p>Most people don&#8217;t think it&#8217;s a big deal if they attend a trade show or industry conference. But why not turn this into a publicity opportunity?</p>
<p>Write a press release telling people that you&#8217;d welcome meeting them. Encourage them to ask you questions about problems they&#8217;re facing.</p>
<p><strong>12. Take a Poll or Survey</strong></p>
<p>Sites like Survey Monkey make simple polling a breeze.  You can also take a poll on Facebook. Don&#8217;t forget to write a follow-up press release that reports on the results of the poll.</p>
<p><strong>13. Explain How to Solve a Problem</strong></p>
<p>Press releases offering tips and advice are often the very best for pulling traffic to your website. That&#8217;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.</p>
<p>What topics do you write about when the idea well is dry?</p>
<p><strong>Tools to Help You:    </strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.publicityhound.com/publicity/publicityhound.htm" target="_blank">How to be a Kick-butt Publicity Hound</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.publicityhound.com/publicity-products/marketing-tapes/keywords_in_press_releases.htm" target="_blank">Keywords: The Magic Magnets That Pull Journalists &amp; Consumes to Your Press Releases</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.publicityhound.com/publicity-products/marketing-tapes/newrules.htm" target="_blank">The New Rules of Press Releases: How to Write them for Consumers, Not Only for Journalists</a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><a href="http://www.ereleases.com/insider/freebooksPH.html" target="_blank">The Big Press Release Samples Ebook: Press Releases for Every Occasion and Industry</a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://publicityhound.net/13-press-release-topics-when-theres-nothing-newsworthy/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>11</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Press release mistake: Not including a call to action</title>
		<link>http://publicityhound.net/press-release-mistake-not-including-a-call-to-action/</link>
		<comments>http://publicityhound.net/press-release-mistake-not-including-a-call-to-action/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 01 Sep 2011 20:08:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Joan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Press Releases/News Releases]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[call to action]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[how to write a press release]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[janet thaeler]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[keywords]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[news release mistakes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[press release mistakes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[press releases]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://publicityhound.net/?p=9311</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<div style="padding-top:5px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:5px;padding-left:0px;;">
											<iframe
												style="height:25px !important; border:0px solid gray !important; overflow:hidden !important; width:550px !important;" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowTransparency="true"
												src="http://www.linksalpha.com/social?blog=The+Publicity+Hound%27s+Blog&link=http%3A%2F%2Fpublicityhound.net%2Fpress-release-mistake-not-including-a-call-to-action%2F&title=Press+release+mistake%3A+Not+including+a+call+to+action&desc=Press+release+mistakes+abound.%0D%0A%0D%0AWhen+you+write+your+next%C2%A0release%2C%C2%A0don%27t+overlook+the+one+part+of%C2%A0it%C2%A0that+can+determine+whether+it%27s+a%C2%A0huge+success%2C+or+a+great+big+dud.%0D%0A%0D%0AIt%27s+the+call+to+actio&fc=333333&fs=arial&fblname=like&fblref=facebook&fbllang=en_US&fblshow=1&fbsbutton=1&fbsctr=1&fbslang=en&fbsendbutton=0&twbutton=1&twlang=en&twmention=PublicityHound&twrelated1=PublicityHound&twrelated2=&twctr=1&lnkdshow=noshow&lnkdctr=1&buzzbutton=1&buzzlang=en&buzzctr=1&diggbutton=1&diggctr=1&stblbutton=1&stblctr=1&g1button=1&g1ctr=1&g1lang=en-US">
											</iframe>
										</div>Press release mistakes abound. When you write your next release, don&#8217;t overlook the one part of it that can determine whether it&#8217;s a huge success, or a great big dud. It&#8217;s the call to action&#8212;the sentence that tells readers exactly what you want them to do. Press release expert Janet Thaeler discussed the call to action when she was my [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div style="padding-top:5px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:5px;padding-left:0px;;">
											<iframe
												style="height:25px !important; border:0px solid gray !important; overflow:hidden !important; width:550px !important;" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowTransparency="true"
												src="http://www.linksalpha.com/social?blog=The+Publicity+Hound%27s+Blog&link=http%3A%2F%2Fpublicityhound.net%2Fpress-release-mistake-not-including-a-call-to-action%2F&title=Press+release+mistake%3A+Not+including+a+call+to+action&desc=Press+release+mistakes+abound.%0D%0A%0D%0AWhen+you+write+your+next%C2%A0release%2C%C2%A0don%27t+overlook+the+one+part+of%C2%A0it%C2%A0that+can+determine+whether+it%27s+a%C2%A0huge+success%2C+or+a+great+big+dud.%0D%0A%0D%0AIt%27s+the+call+to+actio&fc=333333&fs=arial&fblname=like&fblref=facebook&fbllang=en_US&fblshow=1&fbsbutton=1&fbsctr=1&fbslang=en&fbsendbutton=0&twbutton=1&twlang=en&twmention=PublicityHound&twrelated1=PublicityHound&twrelated2=&twctr=1&lnkdshow=noshow&lnkdctr=1&buzzbutton=1&buzzlang=en&buzzctr=1&diggbutton=1&diggctr=1&stblbutton=1&stblctr=1&g1button=1&g1ctr=1&g1lang=en-US">
											</iframe>
										</div><p><a href="http://publicityhound.net/files/uploads/2011/09/Oops-sign2.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-9313" style="float: left; margin: 5px 12px;" title="Oops sign2" src="http://publicityhound.net/files/uploads/2011/09/Oops-sign2.jpg" alt="Oops sign for press release mistakes" width="144" height="150" /></a>Press release mistakes abound.</p>
<p>When you write your next release, don&#8217;t overlook the one part of it that can determine whether it&#8217;s a huge success, or a great big dud.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s the call to action&#8212;<strong>the sentence that tells readers exactly what you want them to do</strong>.</p>
<p>Press release expert Janet Thaeler discussed the call to action when she was my guest during the teleseminar <a href="http://www.publicityhound.com/publicity-products/marketing-tapes/keywords_in_press_releases.htm" target="_blank">How to Use Keywords: The &#8220;Magic Magnets&#8221; that Pull Consumers and Journalists to Your Press Releases.</a></p>
<p>Here&#8217;s an excerpt from the transcript:</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div id="attachment_9315" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 110px"><a href="http://publicityhound.net/files/uploads/2011/09/janetthaeler.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-9315" title="janetthaeler" src="http://publicityhound.net/files/uploads/2011/09/janetthaeler.jpg" alt="" width="100" height="96" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Press release expert Janet Thaeler</p></div>
<p><strong>Janet: </strong>A lot of people don&#8217;t think about what they want their press release to tell people to do. Most people forget this step or they don&#8217;t even think about it. They&#8217;re only thinking often of the media and not their customers.</p>
<p>When you don&#8217;t the include this &#8220;call to action&#8221; in your press release, you&#8217;re actually missing one of the biggest opportunities of writing an online press release&#8212;to get people to do something and to engage with you. Once you do that, the chances of them buying or becoming a fan or a customer of your business goes way up.</p>
<p>If you have a new line of women&#8217;s dress shoes, your call to action would be something like, &#8220;View our new collection of women&#8217;s dress shoes,&#8221; and you would link to the page that has that new collection.</p>
<p>Also, don&#8217;t just think in terms of a call to action that&#8217;s to buy or look. You also can use a call to action to tell people to follow you on Twitter. Or you might ask them to become a fan of your Facebook page. It could be signing up for a newsletter or to view a demo of your product or download a White Paper. Or you might have a limited time offer where you give them some incentive, a discount code or something like that. You can give them an incentive to actually do something with the information you just gave them.</p>
<p><strong>Joan:</strong> The call to action doesn&#8217;t only have to be telling them to do something online. We can be telling them to do things offline as well as. Right?</p>
<p><strong>Janet:</strong> Good point. Yes, you could have them call or just take different actions, go into a store. Yes, it doesn&#8217;t have to actually be online.</p>
<p><strong>Joan:</strong> Register for a class or send a check or come to an open house or come visit us during our special evening hours or whatever. Think about what your call to action is. Is there ever a time when you wouldn&#8217;t include a call to action in a press release? A call to action seems so powerful. Any times when people wouldn&#8217;t include it?</p>
<p><strong>Janet:</strong> I can&#8217;t really think of any, Joan. I always use them. If I&#8217;m selling them and I&#8217;m telling a good story in my press release, I want them to do more. I want to engage with them.</p>
<p>The interesting thing is, online, people really want to engage with you. They expect it. If they like you, if you&#8217;ve sold them, you&#8217;ve given them a good story or it&#8217;s something that they care about, they&#8217;re going to want to know more about you or they&#8217;re going to want to check it out. Always invite them to do that.</p>
<p>Learn more about the press release tips Janet gave and <a href="http://www.publicityhound.com/publicity-products/marketing-tapes/keywords_in_press_releases.htm" target="_blank">how to use keywords in press releases</a>. And register for the <a href="http://www.89pressreleasetips.com" target="_blank">free press release writing tips </a>I&#8217;ve created on how to write and distribute online press releases. It&#8217;s called 89 Ways to Write Powerful Press Releases and it&#8217;s an entire course delivered by email. More than 6,000 people have taken it so far.</p>
<p>When writing your own releases, have you used an unusual calls to action, or a call to action the resulted in a lot of clicks, download, sales or page views?</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://publicityhound.net/press-release-mistake-not-including-a-call-to-action/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Inventory clearance on CDs, transcripts, booklets</title>
		<link>http://publicityhound.net/inventory-clearance-on-cds-transcripts-booklets/</link>
		<comments>http://publicityhound.net/inventory-clearance-on-cds-transcripts-booklets/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 15 Jun 2011 18:47:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Joan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Information Products]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Magazine Publicity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Newspaper Publicity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nonprofits]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Press Releases/News Releases]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Publicity for Niche Markets]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Publicity on the Internet]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TV Publicity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Twitter]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Writing Articles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[how to use Facebook]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[inventory clearance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nonprofit promotion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[press releases]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[publicity hound products]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[special event planning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[special event promotion]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://publicityhound.net/?p=8704</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<div style="padding-top:5px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:5px;padding-left:0px;;">
											<iframe
												style="height:25px !important; border:0px solid gray !important; overflow:hidden !important; width:550px !important;" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowTransparency="true"
												src="http://www.linksalpha.com/social?blog=The+Publicity+Hound%27s+Blog&link=http%3A%2F%2Fpublicityhound.net%2Finventory-clearance-on-cds-transcripts-booklets%2F&title=Inventory+clearance+on+CDs%2C+transcripts%2C+booklets&desc=%5Bcaption+id%3D%22attachment_8708%22+align%3D%22alignleft%22+width%3D%2291%22+caption%3D%22Recruitment+%26amp%3B+Retention+Tips+Booklets+%22%5D%5B%2Fcaption%5D%0D%0A%0D%0AInformation+products+can+become+out+of+date+so+quickly%2C+particularly+those&fc=333333&fs=arial&fblname=like&fblref=facebook&fbllang=en_US&fblshow=1&fbsbutton=1&fbsctr=1&fbslang=en&fbsendbutton=0&twbutton=1&twlang=en&twmention=PublicityHound&twrelated1=PublicityHound&twrelated2=&twctr=1&lnkdshow=noshow&lnkdctr=1&buzzbutton=1&buzzlang=en&buzzctr=1&diggbutton=1&diggctr=1&stblbutton=1&stblctr=1&g1button=1&g1ctr=1&g1lang=en-US">
											</iframe>
										</div>Information products can become out of date so quickly, particularly those dealing with social media sites or any type of technology. For that reason, I&#8217;m cleaning out my massive inventory and practically giving away more than 20 titles. CD and transcripts, regularly $39.95, are only $5 each, plus shipping.  Tips booklets on employee recruitment and retention, regularly [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div style="padding-top:5px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:5px;padding-left:0px;;">
											<iframe
												style="height:25px !important; border:0px solid gray !important; overflow:hidden !important; width:550px !important;" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowTransparency="true"
												src="http://www.linksalpha.com/social?blog=The+Publicity+Hound%27s+Blog&link=http%3A%2F%2Fpublicityhound.net%2Finventory-clearance-on-cds-transcripts-booklets%2F&title=Inventory+clearance+on+CDs%2C+transcripts%2C+booklets&desc=%5Bcaption+id%3D%22attachment_8708%22+align%3D%22alignleft%22+width%3D%2291%22+caption%3D%22Recruitment+%26amp%3B+Retention+Tips+Booklets+%22%5D%5B%2Fcaption%5D%0D%0A%0D%0AInformation+products+can+become+out+of+date+so+quickly%2C+particularly+those&fc=333333&fs=arial&fblname=like&fblref=facebook&fbllang=en_US&fblshow=1&fbsbutton=1&fbsctr=1&fbslang=en&fbsendbutton=0&twbutton=1&twlang=en&twmention=PublicityHound&twrelated1=PublicityHound&twrelated2=&twctr=1&lnkdshow=noshow&lnkdctr=1&buzzbutton=1&buzzlang=en&buzzctr=1&diggbutton=1&diggctr=1&stblbutton=1&stblctr=1&g1button=1&g1ctr=1&g1lang=en-US">
											</iframe>
										</div><div id="attachment_8708" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 101px"><a href="http://publicityhound.net/files/uploads/2011/06/booklet-107tips1.gif"><img class="size-full wp-image-8708" title="booklet--107tips" src="http://publicityhound.net/files/uploads/2011/06/booklet-107tips1.gif" alt="" width="91" height="207" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Recruitment &amp; Retention Tips Booklets </p></div>
<p>Information products can become out of date so quickly, particularly those dealing with social media sites or any type of technology.</p>
<p>For that reason, I&#8217;m cleaning out my massive inventory and practically giving away more than 20 titles.</p>
<p>CD and transcripts, regularly $39.95, are only $5 each, plus shipping.  Tips booklets on employee recruitment and retention, regularly $5 each, are $1.35, and include shipping.</p>
<p>Even though many of the products are out of date, all of them include valuable tips that are still as good today as they were when I created the them. Topics include Facebook, how to get PR clients, press releases, nonprofit publicity, how to get your own TV show, special event planning and promotion, employee recruitment and retention, and more.  Here&#8217;s <a href="http://www.Publicityhound.com/publicity-products/inventorycloseout.htm" target="_blank">the complete list of titles</a>.</p>
<p>Some of the CD titles are gone already, and we aren&#8217;t reordering, but you can still order the transcripts. <strong>Grab them while you have the chance</strong>. </p>
<p>Questions? Contact my assistant, Christine Buffaloe, at 619-955-5772 or Chris (at) SerenityVA.com.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://publicityhound.net/inventory-clearance-on-cds-transcripts-booklets/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>4</slash:comments>
		</item>
	</channel>
</rss>

