Do you hate recording talking-head videos as much as I do?
There. I’ve said it. I hate recording talking-head videos!
Here’s why.
Before I can hit the “record” button, I must:
- Clean my home office. This includes ripping all the inspirational post-its and to-do notes from the walls, scooping up papers, notebooks, periodicals and other junk from my desk and throwing it into a pile in the corner. The coffee cups go into the kitchen sink.
- Drag out my big wooden ladder so I can clip one of the lights onto the side of it.
- Look for the blue gel sheets that I attach to the lights with wooden clothes pins.
- Search for the damn clothes pins.
- Retrieve my tripod from the closet, set it up and attach the camera, then reposition it until it’s perfect.
- Wash and style my hair.
- Paint my face.
- Find something decent to wear.
- Tape my talking points to the wall behind the camera.
All That—BEFORE I Can Practice
Only then can I start recording a few dry runs.
When I’m done recording, I rip everything down and put the office back together again.
So why bother at all with these videos?
Because I can upload them to my YouTube channel. Videos are one of the most powerful ways to pull traffic. They’re terrific for offering free content.
They help people know more about me. They’re one of the hottest, most powerful marketing tools. And they’re essential for a PR campaign.
Anybody who doesn’t use video is leaving money on the table. (Nonprofits, this includes you!)
But why go through all this trouble and make shooting video harder than it has to be?
Enough is Enough
Last night, I decided to turn a small corner of my dirty apple cellar in my basement into a video studio. I can set up the equipment once and everything stays in place forever. When it’s time to record a video, all I have to do is gussy up, run downstairs, turn on the lights and start recording.
Here’s where you come in. I need your help turning part of this room, which you’d expect to find in the Addams Family basement, into an attractive setting for videos that are good enough for the corporate world. I want to shoot against this wall which is fine for Lurch and Uncle Fester, but not much else:
Calling it an apple cellar is a bit of a stretch. The 18-by-8 room is filled with remnants of aluminum siding and carpeting from the previous owner. It’s littered with pieces of broken wooden chairs.
I need to sweep up small piles of gravel and sand from the floor. A big oak table holds about a dozen paint cans, paint supplies, blankets and other junk:
The sturdy walls, made of large stones held together with grouting, keep out the noise. But they’re not a pretty backdrop.
Let’s Have Fun with This
What can I put against the stone wall? Suggestions for furniture? Silk flowers in a vase? I dislike silk flowers but don’t want to run out and buy a fresh bouquet every time I shoot.
I’ll also be sharing my progress, with video and photos, on the social media sites to prove that if I can do it, so can you. All you need is a small space, some fairly inexpensive equipment and the creative ideas of other Publicity Hounds like you.
I don’t need professional staging or interior decorating advice because I want to keep it simple. And I want to be able to buy what I need from the local thrift shops.
So have at it, Hounds. I’m on a tight budget and need your ideas on how to really spruce up the place.
The Publicity Hound
13 press release topics when there’s nothing newsworthy
That was true two decades ago when we wrote press releases primarily for journalists and we had to worry about insulting them with trivia about our business.
But now that we post them online, mostly to pull traffic to our websites, we’re free to write about whatever we wish.
Here, then, are 13 press release topics when your pockets are empty and there’s absolutely nothing newsworthy to write about. They’re excerpted from my free email course on 89 Ways to Write Powerful Press Releases. (PR people, take the course to sharpen your press release skills. And then use the tips below when you’re scrounging for ideas to publicize your clients.)
Publicity Hounds who have a subscription to Expertclick, The Yearbook of Experts, which lets you post up to 52 press releases a year, will find these tips particularly helpful.
1. Take a Stand on a Controversial Topic
Controversial topics can include everything from the old standbys such as abortion and gun control to local issues like proposed zoning laws.
When you’re done with the press release, generate extra publicity by writing a letter to the editor of your local or national newspaper. How to Use Newspaper & Magazine Editorial Pages shows you all the ways you can rally support for your cause or issue by using editorial pages, from writing letters to asking for a meeting with the newspaper editorial board.
2. Write About Your Blog
If you’ve started blogging for business, write a press release about it so people who want information on your topic can find it. Or devote the release to some of the things you mentioned in a specific post.
This blog, for example, helps people solve problems writing press releases, and I encourage people to submit questions to me. It also teaches people how to use social media sites to self-promote. I could write two press releases, or more, just telling reades about ways they can use this blog. You can, too.
Visit other bloggers who blog on the same topic, or a similar topic, and post comments at their blogs. By linking back to your blog from your comments, you will improve the page ranking of your own blog.
3. Lead Readers to Free Articles at Your Website
If you have free articles that solve people’s problems, or entertain them, say so.
Are your articles arranged by category? Are they updated monthly? Do you let the media, ezine publishers, newsletter editors and bloggers reprint them? Do you feature articles from other industry experts?
4. Tell People Where to Find You on Social Media Sites
Smart Publicity Hounds use Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Quora profiles to position themselves as the go-to sources in their industries.
Do you post your photos and videos to Flickr? Do you have a YouTube channel chock full of helpful how-to videos? (Here’s mine.)
5. Create Your Own Holiday
Create your own day, week or month of the year, or your own holiday, at Chases Calendar of Events. The listing is free. You can then use that holiday as a springboard to even more publicity.
The topic doesn’t have to be serious. In fact, the more fun, the better. I love Doing Business in Your Bathrobe Day.
6. Make a Prediction
Predict something that ties into your area of expertise—or not.
Predict when gasoline prices, the stock market or interest rates will rise and fall. For fun, predict who will win the Super Bowl or when the first snowfall will occur in your area. Predict the winner of local or national elections.
7. Issue a Proclamation
Congratulate the local high school football team for winning a state title, or a local business for celebrating its 10th anniversary.
8. Write Tips That Tie into an Upcoming Holiday
Professional orgnizers can write about how to stay organized during the Christmas holidays. A child safety expert can offer tips on how to keep kids safe during fireworks season on the Fourth of July.
9. Identify A Trend You’re Seeing in Your Business or Industry
You don’t even have to think very hard to identify a trend you’re seeing. How has your customers’ behavior changed the way you do business? What’s happening with your orders? Is your nonprofit serving more people in a particular age group or income level?
If you want to cheat, Google “Top trends in the (fill in the blank) industry” and write about one of those.
10. Comment on Breaking News
This one’s easy. The news can tie into your business or industry—or not. If you’re an expert who welcomes interview requests for radio talk shows, say so in the release. See 6 ways to tie your pitch to breaking news for PR and publicity.
11. What Event Are You Attending?
Most people don’t think it’s a big deal if they attend a trade show or industry conference. But why not turn this into a publicity opportunity?
Write a press release telling people that you’d welcome meeting them. Encourage them to ask you questions about problems they’re facing.
12. Take a Poll or Survey
Sites like Survey Monkey make simple polling a breeze. You can also take a poll on Facebook. Don’t forget to write a follow-up press release that reports on the results of the poll.
13. Explain How to Solve a Problem
Press releases offering tips and advice are often the very best for pulling traffic to your website. That’s becauase you can dazzle readers with your expertise, help them solve their problem, and then link to a website where they can find more information about a product or service you sell that can help them even more.
What topics do you write about when the idea well is dry?
Tools to Help You:
How to be a Kick-butt Publicity Hound
Keywords: The Magic Magnets That Pull Journalists & Consumes to Your Press Releases
The New Rules of Press Releases: How to Write them for Consumers, Not Only for Journalists
The Big Press Release Samples Ebook: Press Releases for Every Occasion and Industry