Here’s why:

1. You’re paying for thousands of listings. Yet you’ll use a small fraction of them. So why pay for what you don’t need?
      
      
2. Many of those listings are out of date by the time they get to you.  Pervasive layoffs in the newspaper industry, and frequent staff turnover at TV and radio stations, mean the revolving door is always in motion.   

      

3. Media relations is all about building relationships. You can’t build relationships with thousands of journalists and broadcasters.
      
      
4. With a big database of journalists at your fingertips, you’ll be tempted to send email blasts to many of them even though you know darn well that they despise them. (Repeat after me: “I will not send email blasts to journalists.”)

      

5. Many of the big databases don’t include golden nuggets of information that you can find yourself online. That’s because many of the companies that sell media lists collect their information by asking journalists to fill out questionnaires. When I worked in a newsroom, I hated answering those questionnaires because they were a time suck. And it seemed like they all arrived in the mail within a few weeks of each other.  I completed them as quickly as possible. Other journalists do, too.

By spending some time online researching a half dozen key reporters, editors or talk show hosts, you can gather details that you’ll never find in those big databases. 

For example,  in about 10 minutes, I discovered a treasure trove of personal information about Deborah Kotz, former health reporter for U.S. News & World Report who now writes a consumer health blog for the  Boston Globe. By spending time at her blog, I learned that Kotz had thought about her risk of staying on birth control pills until she reaches menopause, and lamented the dearth of research on the long-term use of contraceptives by women. You will NEVER find juicy details like that in the big media directories. 

So how about creating your own?

Join me at 3 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, Feb. 16, when I present the webinar “How to Create Your Own Database of Valuable Media Contacts.” Register here.

If you’re trying to generate publicity for yourself, or you’re a publicist, you’ll learn about the types of information to include in your database, shortcuts that will help find the best contacts quickly, and the most important details to include in each entry.

I’m offering a huge bonus for everyone who registers: a package of eight templates, the same ones I use, so you don’t have to start from scratch. These will be PDFs and you’ll have to recreate them depending on what program you’re  using to build your database. More about that on Thursday.

7 Crucial Tactics for Writing a Radically Successful Guest Post http://ow.ly/8TLYO

Farts: The topic of a 6th-grader’s 1st-place speech. Here are 5 lessons from the speech: http://ow.ly/8TPHk

5 ways LinkedIn can freshen up and be more relevant http://ow.ly/8VfF5

6 ways to get more B2B leads from social media  http://ow.ly/8VkBW

5 tips for measuring ROI of PR and determining if you’re beating your competitors  http://ow.ly/8WCf0

11 things that annoy journalists and bloggers  http://ow.ly/8X9oS

5 tips for choosing a LinkedIn profile photo (and other LinkedIn mistakes to avoid)  http://ow.ly/8YmE2

Google offering $25 in gift cards to let them track you  http://ow.ly/8YnF3

Tip for Publciists: Have a new client? Make sure they know how to do media interviews.

Sleazy and dishonest if true: Pinterest secretly cashes in on user links by adding its own affiliate codes  http://ow.ly/8YxOu

Of course you are. Just one appearance can send your book flying off the shelves.

If you’re a small business person, it can mean thousands of people rushing to your website.

If you’re an expert in your field, it can mean more consulting assignments.  

To get onto TV, here are three things you do NOT need:

1. A big, expensive PR firm to pitch your idea to the producers.
    
2. A highfalutin degree like a Ph.D.
    
3. A long track record of publicity successes.

What you DO need is a compelling story idea, delivered in such a way that the producers know the audience will love you.

A former NBC producer who booked guests for “Today” and “Dateline NBC” will explain what it takes to become a regular guest on national TV and even get offered your own show, during a webinar at 2 and 7 p.m. Eastern tomorrow, Thursday, Feb. 9, with my friend, Steve Harrison.

Steve will interview the producer and explain how to brand yourself for the media in a way that celebrates your uniqueness while also separating you from all the other experts in your field.

You’ll learn about publicity superstars like Jennifer, who became a regularly featured lifestyle expert on Fox News Channel and “The Early Show,” and scored coverage in hundreds of print media outlets including O the Oprah Magazine, Redbook, US Weekly, Success and Entrepreneur.

Register for the webinar “How To Become A Regular Guest On National TV And Other Secrets Of The Publicity Superstars” by clicking here. 

If you can’t attend because the times are inconvenient, sign up anyway and find someone who can listen and take notes for you.

Please note, this is NOT my webinar. It’s Steve’s, and I promote it as an affiliate. He usually doesn’t record these, so show up, or risk missing it.

When sixth-grader Sophie Paterson of New Zealand announced that farting was the topic of her speech during a speech competition last fall, the audience snapped to attention.

With her younger brother, Ben, nearby, ready to hold up diagrams that further explained her topic, Sophie launched into her speech:

Most of the time, when friends email me things like this, I try to ignore them. But I couldn’t resist looking at this one. As I read Sophie’s speech, I struck by how many lessons it offers for authors, speakers, writers and others who want publicity. Here are the lessons I found buried in her winning speech on farting:   
   

1. Get outside your comfort zone.

Write about, speak about, and be passionate about topics that are controversial, prickly or yucky. A sixth-grader can certainly muster a lot more enthusiasm for the topic of farting than you and I could, but she not only loves the topic, she embraces it. 
     
     
2. Use visuals.

Whether you’re speaking from the platform, writing ebooks, hosting webinars, or writing press releases, visuals make words come alive. I don’t know what the diagrams looked like on the cards that Sophie’s little brother held up in front of the audience, but I’ll bet they were a scream.     
   
   
3.  Use lists. 

Sophie’s Top 10 list of animals that fart was educational. And priceless. I love how she included “Zebras and my pony Free” in the Number 3 spot.
   
   
 4. Use statistics.

Who knew that the average person farts 14 times a day, expels a half liter of gas, or that hydrogern sulphide is the compound that makes them stink?

Statistics give your topic perspective. The Internet makes it easy to obtain statistics on any topic, within seconds. 
   
   
5.  End with a funny poem:

A fart can be useful
It gives the body ease,
It warms the bed in winter
And suffocates the fleas. 

Did you see any other lessons in her first-place speech about farts?  

How entrepreneurs decide how to post on LinkedIn, Facebook & Twitter. http://ow.ly/8MvYM

4 easy tactics for becoming a must-follow account on Twitter.  http://ow.ly/8MHte

5 Ways Writers Can Break Out of the Tired Old Social Media Box.  http://ow.ly/8Mxlx

How to keep your face out of LinkedIn ads. http://ow.ly/8Mw6j

Don’t create your next info-product until you watch this cool video that explains a smart 5-step system. http://ow.ly/8Onwp

13 Ways To Get More Traffic & Publicity From Slideshare. http://ow.ly/8OA68

Top 30 PR Do’s and Don’ts. http://ow.ly/8OzE4

18-point checklist for proofreaders. http://ow.ly/8PTc9

Press Release Tip: Always include a strong call to action & explain EXACTLY what you want people to do (click, call, write…)

The Inside Scoop on Using Twitter Lists for Profit and Sanity http://ow.ly/8Rgbr

Host me either on Thursday, March 8, or Friday, March 9. I need a room big enough to hold about 30 people for a public workshop. It doesn’t have to be a hotel. Corporate conference rooms or university classrooms work just fine.

I’ll be speaking on Saturday, March 10, at the Independent Book Publishers Association’s annual Publishing University on Saturday, March 10,  at the Sheraton Fisherman’s Wharf Hotel. I’ll be on these panels:

Advanced Techniques for Creating Websites/Blogs That SELL at 9 a.m.

Using Facebook and Twitter to Jump-start Sales at 1:45 p.m.

Getting Attention: Promoting Your Titles to Bloggers and Online Communities at 3:15 p.m.
Register here for that event.

I love piggybacking my own public workshops onto others where I’m speaking in the same town. So if you’re in or near the Bay Area, and you’d like to partner with me, email me or call 262-284-7451 and let’s talk!

Lyssa Beyer and Matt Schroeder, her associate regional editor, were stopping shoppers and asking if they knew about Patch, which operrates in 22 states in the U.S. and the District of Columbia. Two weeks earlier, I had pitched a story about my local garden club to Beyer, and she said yes. They’re interviewing one of our members this week. So this was a good chance to meet her in person.

Here are her tips on how to use Patch:
  
 
1. Share your blog posts.

If you have your own blog, or even if  you don’t, you can register to be a blogger at your local Patch site. Go to Patch.com, click on the state where live, and then the Patch community where you want your blog to appear. Scroll down and look for the “Want to Blog on Patch?” button in the middle column. Introduce yourself, tell the editor a little about your blog, and wait for instructions.

You can share all your posts, or some of them. I recommend you tweak your posts to give them a local angle.  

Your post won’t appear until the local editor approves it. Patch welcomes moderated comments at all blogs. So check back periodically to continue the conversation if people comment on your posts.

Local nonprofits, this is a great opportunity for you, too!
   
  
2. Pitch news and feature stories to your local editor. 

Beyer responded to my pitch within 48 hours. Remember, local news is their bread and butter, so don’t be shy. 

When you pitch, let the editor know if you can offer contact information for other sources, or photos and graphics.
   
  
3.  Invite your local editor for coffee.

Beyer says she meets regularly with people in the community, usually at local coffee shops.  This is a great chance to start building the relatonship. Invite your local editor for coffee even if you don’t have  a story to pitch. See 18 ways to schmooze with reporters and Magic phrases to use with the media.
   
  
4.  Claim your free listing for businesses and organizations.

Patch includes a free directory of local businesses and organizations. Listings include details such as hours, payments and more, tools for owners, original photos, a description, and customer feedback.  If you’re squeamish about people reviewing your business, get over it. They’re probably already talking about you somewhere online. Read about 11 ways to use Yelp to respond to bad reviews. Much of that applies to Patch, too.   

5. Post your event on the calendar.

One of the reasons I love Patch is because readers can sign up for daily email alerts. When I get mine, I usually drop what I’m doing and head on over to Patch to see what’s happening in my community.
   
  
6.  Share your photos and videos.

The Gallery section is a great place to upload photos or videos that promote an upcoming event, or photos or videos you took at an event.  Remember, stand-alone photos and videos are welcome. You don’t necessarily have to have a big news story.
   
  
7. Write an announcement.

Just married? New baby? Make the honor roll? Spread the word in an announcement. This is for personal news only, not promoting your business. 
  
  
Those are my tips for using Patch. What are yours? If you’re using Patch, what kinds of results have you seen? More people attending your events? More people saying, “I saw you on Patch”?

Have you ever clammed up in a business meeting, at a cocktail or dinner party, on jury duty, or at some other small social event—-even though you know you’re as smart (or smarter) than anyone else in the room? And is this a departure from your usual personality?

If you have funny or interesting stories to tell about this topic, please respond as soon as possible to aceb5@aol.com with details of your anecdote and contact information. Anyone quoted must be willing to use to use their name.

How to write irresistible blog intros. http://ow.ly/8Em6E

Chicago Tribune Offers Sunday Book Review Section for $99 a year. http://ow.ly/8FRZM

Facebook timeline becoming mandatory for all users. (Ugh.) http://ow.ly/8HvgH

4 Simple Steps to a Facebook Timeline that Tells Your Marketing Story. http://ow.ly/8FSh9

Write killer headlines using this clever trick. http://ow.ly/8GLQO

3 good reasons to snip a LinkedIn connection. http://ow.ly/8H6lT

The 50 most influential social media experts. http://ow.ly/8Hv7E

How to have happy subscribers that stay on your email list. http://ow.ly/8HvgH

5 fab tips for online PR success. [Bet you're not doing most of this. I'm not.] http://ow.ly/8Hxzv

10 quick (and easy) tips to improve your writing. http://ow.ly/8I1yi

“I am the Founder of Pin-ups for Vets, an award-winning non-profit organization that supports hospitalized veterans and deployed service members.

“We produce World War II-style pin-up calendars that raise money for hospitalized veterans. We use the money to buy rehabilitation equipment to help our veterans in their physical, occupational and cognitive therapy sessions. Although we have won a number of community service awards, we have never been funded. We’re using hundreds of volunteer hours to keep the organization operating. 

“Our biggest challenge has been to get the word out there to the rest of the U.S. about our small organization with the big heart so we can help more wounded warriors . 

“As the 1940′s-style calendar girl in the Pin-Ups for Vets calendar, I have made thousands of personal bedside visits to ill and injured vets in VA and military hospitals across the U.S. and overseas to present the donated calendar gifts from my supporters . The response to the hospital visits has been overwhelming!

“We would love to find a way to spread the word about our organization and have had some publicity on FOX news, in Stars & Stripes and in other media, but we need more. We can’t afford a publicist right now. Can your Publicity Hounds give us some ideas on how to spread the word about what we’re doing so we can sell more calendars and help more injured vets?”