The Publicity Hound’s Blog  

When the news of GOP Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s pregnant 17-year-old daughter, Bristol, broke over the weekend, Barack Obama was quick to issue an order to his campaign workers to “back off.” 

Family members of candidates aren’t fair game, he warned.

“We don’t go after people’s families, we don’t get them involved in the politics. It’s not appropriate and it’s not relevant…And if I ever thought that it was somebody in my campaign that was involved in something like that, they’d be fired.”

But what about the rest of us?

Should anti-abortion or abortion-rights advocates piggyback onto this news event to further their cause or issue?

What about opponents or proponents of condoms in schools? What about churches? Abortion clinics? Adoption agencies? Roe v. Wade backers and opponents? Parents groups?

Is the pregnancy fair game?  

It most certainly is, just as the pride—or not—that Michelle Obama felt for her country was a legitimate issue after she commented publicly about it.  As for Sarah Palin, she thrust her family into the spotlight, warts and all, when she accepted the nomination. (This photo of Bristol was taken Friday during her mother’s acceptance speech in Dayton, Ohio.) 

What about you? Do you work for a company or agency that will be piggybacking onto the issue of the pregnancy for publicity? Or have you decided to let it rest? What are you telling your spokesperson?

If you’re an author, speaker or expert whose topic ties into this news, will you be writing press releases or blogging about your opinions? Will you be offering yourself as a source to the media and bloggers? Why or why not?

Posted In: Authors & Publishers, Blogs, Crisis Communications, Nonprofits, PR Consultants/Publicists, Pitching the Media, Press Releases/News Releases, Publicity on the Internet
posted On: 9/2/2008: 9:27 am: By Joan
Comments: 30 Comments

Somebody just send me an email with a subject line “Quick question for members of the media”:

Good morning!

Quick question .  .  .  .

If you were to go to ONE press conference a week, which would be your favorite day?  Is Monday a good day, at the start of the week?  Not Friday, I imagine; right?  Wednesdays - to get out of your routine and break what can be a monotonous week?  This is not a fickle question, or a trick question; I’d love to know - truly!

She included a link to her website.

Here’s how I responded:

I would probably do everything in my power to avoid going to a press conference altogether.  Reporters despise press conferences because the vast majority of them are irrelevant.  If it is of any significance, all media people leave with the same story.

So, bottom line, I would do everything in my power if I were you to NOT hold a press conference in the first place.

When I interviewed Sandra Eggers, APR about Creative Alternatives to Boring Press Conferences, she gave example after example of fun media events that generated fantastic publicity, like:

—A fun “Kid’s Town Hall” that publicized what was otherwise a boring college news event. (Lots of cute faces for the TV cameras!)

—How a florist association announced its formation by giving away 50,000 roses and carnations  to new moms in local hospitals.

—How a group used hundreds of conch shells to publicize a lack of funding for special education in Michigan.

By the way, sending a blast email to media people brands you as clueless. If you’re not sure how they do their jobs, read my newsletter for publicity tips, or ask your colleagues for guidance.

Posted In: How to Interview, Pitching the Media
posted On: 8/26/2008: 9:00 am: By Joan
Comments: 6 Comments

One of the most difficult jobs for PR people is promoting a nursing home, extended care facility, retirement community or even a senior citizens center.

That’s because some of these places don’t have that much going on. But I got an idea for a terrific angle just now, thanks to Janet Podolak, a good friend and former co-worker who’s travel editor at The Lake County News-Herald, near Cleveland, Ohio. 

Ask this question: “What technology has made the biggest change in your life?” And then report on the results of your survey.

That’s what Janet asked while touring various Cleveland attractions with a group of seniors from the nearby Breckenridge Retirement Community. Here are some of the answers she received:

“The garage door opener”

“Super highways”

“Refrigeration.”

You can read the rest of the answers in her blog post here.

Technology-related angles usually increase your chances of getting coverage, and there are so many opportunities to use this idea:

—To coincide with the opening of a nursing home, extended care facility or senior center.

—To coincide with an annniversary being celebrated by those facilities.

—To promote an upcoming event like an open house.

—To promote an upcoming program or class for the eldery, particularly if it’s tech-related, like a class on how to use the Internet.

When pitching an idea like this one, be sure you’ve lined up a few elderly people who would agree to be interviewed and photographed. It’s a good idea to also get permission forms signed by their family members. (See “How to Use Photos & Graphics in Your Publicity Campaign.”)

I’ve blogged about other ways to promote these facilities here and here. Now let’s hear your best ideas.

Posted In: Business Promotion, Photos & Graphics, Pitching the Media, Press Releases/News Releases, Publicity for Niche Markets, The Local Angle
posted On: 8/17/2008: 7:38 am: By Joan
Comments: No Comments

If you’re pitching food editors and reporters at daily or weekly newspapers, your job is more difficult than ever.

As newspapers continue to cut staff, lifestyle-related sections are among the first on the chopping block.

Also, at many papers, sections such as food, travel and entertainment are no longer stand-alone sections. They’re combined under one section simply called “Lifestyle.”

The Aug. 4 issue of PRWeek offers these pitching tips:

—If you’re pitching a specific type of food product, be sure it’s available in that newspaper’s market.

–Pitch seasonal angles, and cooking meals that are convenient.

–Make sure your pitch has a local angle. One way to do that is to get local farmers involved in fresh- and health-eating stories. For example, organic produce is available in many supermarkets, and much of it is grown locally. But organic fruits and vegetables often look bruised and unattractive. Try contacting local organic farmers who can offer tips on how to buy organic produce. How do you know if an organic apple is bruised, or if it’s supposed to look ugly?

During the teleseminar I conducted with Jamie Oikle from RestaurantReport.com on “Publicity Tips for Restaurants, Chefs & Foodies,” I suggested pitching trends—whether you’re a restaurant that’s seeing more requests for vegetarian dishes or a store that’s slowly eliminating low-carb food items because the low-carb trend is dying.

Here’s my own tip: Check to see if the food editor or one of the food reporters or columnists blogs. If they do, read the blog. You’ll quickly learn about what food topics they think are important. Post a comment to their blog, then pitch them a week or two later. See my article “Let Bloggers Create Publicity for You.”

Posted In: Blogs, Newspaper Publicity, Pitching the Media, Publicity for Niche Markets
posted On: 8/7/2008: 9:43 am: By Joan
Comments: No Comments

Twenty years ago, when I worked in the newspaper business, if a local company had delivered to my newsroom a free gourmet burger that I could enjoy at lunch, I probably would have turned red from embarrassment, then eaten it, with my fellow newsroom buddies watching.

Gourmet burgers, after all, didn’t fall into the “anything of value” category that the newspaper’s ethics policy prohibited. Gifts we couldn’t accept included things like concert tickets or anything worth more than about $20. But still, we always felt a little sleazy if we accepted anything from sources, particularly from companies that hadn’t met us, but wanted publicity.

Today, however, I’m guessing that things may have changed. Now that publishers are cutting newsroom staffs to the absolute minimum, journalists are busier than ever. And inbetween writing and editing stories, they’re spiffing up their resumes, hoping to jump ship before it sinks. That gourmet burger might not make a reporter feel as guilty as he might feel if he had job security.

These days, there’s also the world of social media and using it to keep up with what journalists are doing. The July 14 issue of PR Week discusses the “pitch potential” of social media sites and points out the do’s and don’ts of pitching journalists at sites like Twitter and Facebook.

Todd Defren of Shift Communications, creator of the social media press release, read a tweet from a digital editor who was complaining that he was missing lunch because of deadlines. Defren sent the editor a gourmet burger on behalf of his client.

“That wouldn’t have been possible without something like Twitter,” he said.

Are you using Twitter to keep tabs on journalists you’re targeting? If not, you should. In my “Special Report #52: How to Use Twitter for Business to Network, Promote, Sell, Recruit & Profit,” I discuss the Twittering Journalists wiki created by Harry Hoover. It’s must reading for anybody who needs to start forming strong relationships with journalists. See if your favorite reporter is on the list.

***Important note: The PR Week article cautions that PR pros should determine how journalists are using social networking sites and be wary of inviting reporters to join their networks if they have never met. You can still follow your favorite journalists on Twitter, however, and be privy to personal and business information about them–juicy little tidbits that some of your competitors will never know because they’re too busy to bother with social networking.

Posted In: PR Consultants/Publicists, Pitching the Media, Press Releases/News Releases, Social networking, Twitter
posted On: 7/29/2008: 12:32 pm: By Joan
Comments: 1 Comment