The Publicity Hound’s Blog  

Here’s another great resource for Publicity Hounds who need to outsource work to freelancers.

Consult the Society of Professional Journalists’ online freelancer directory, a listing of more than 600 members. You can search by state or specialty. Members include writers, photographers and graphic artists.

The trade group also has a new “Editor of the Moment” feature on its freelancer blog, The Independent Journalist, that connects editors and journalists.

During the teleseminar I hosted on Outsourcing Secrets: How to Find the Best Quality, Price & Teamwork from Freelancers, Leili McKinley mentioned several online services like Elance.com and Guru.com. I’ve used Elance.com several times and have found great writers and a few clunkers.

If you have a project that requires research or reporting, and you want journalists who speak English as a first lanuage, SPJ’s freelance directory is a great resource. SPJ members also agree to abide by the society’s Code of Ethics.

Posted In: General, Photos & Graphics, Publicity Resources, Writing Articles
posted On: 10/5/2008: 10:00 am: By Joan
Comments: No Comments

If journalists and consumers are using Google to find someone with your expertise, and you’re not on the first page of the search results, they may call one of your competitors who ARE in one of the top three positions on the most popular search engine.

Like Adam Armbruster who is #1 on Google for “TV advertising expert” and “television advertising expert”:

Or Tim Walsh who is #1 for “toy expert”:

Or Debra Holtzman who’s in the #1, #2 and #3 positions for “child safety expert,” and driving her competitors crazy:

Adam, Tim and Debra have profiles in Expertclick, the Online Yearbook of Experts, which pushes them to the top of Page 1 in Google.  They’re also media darlings because journalists who use Google when searching for experts can find them easily.

As a result of his Google ranking and Expertclick profile, Adam has been interviewed by Boston Globe, E Television, the Daily Globe & Mail in Canada and appeared on FOX News to comment on Microsoft’s $300 million campaign to resuscitate Windows Vista via pitchman Jerry Seinfeld. You can watch it here.

Tim Walsh’s biggest media hit was an appearance on CNBC’s “The Big Idea” with Donny Deutsch.  Donny interviewed Tim for a segment on how to be successful after you’ve been rejected.  Several toy companies rejected Tim’s idea for a board game called TriBond in which players have to guess what three seemingly unrelated things have in common.  After nobody else wanted it, he manufactured it himself and sold 3 million copies.

The Washington Post called Tim for a story on Wham-O’s 60th anniversary because he’s the author of “WHAM-O Super Book: Celebrating 60 Years Inside the Fun Factory,” which will be on book shelves in a few weeks.

KGO radio in San Francisco called him for an interview on Wii, Nintendo’s electronic game “and I’ve gotten a ton of smaller media hits as well.”

Debra has received a  mountain of publicity because of her #1, #2 and #3 ranking on Google and her profile in Expertclick. She has been featured as a safety expert on NBC’s Today Show, Dateline NBC, CNBC Asia Market Watch, MSNBC, Associated Press Radio, and in Parenting Magazine, Newsweek, Child Magazine, Star Magazine, Us Weekly Magazine, USA Weekend Magazine, Reader’s Digest, First For Women Magazine, Boston Globe, Washington Post and Family Circle Magazine.

The other big advantage of Expertclick is that you can post up to 52 press releases a year, which are picked up by the Google and Yahoo news feeds,  at no additional per-release charge.  I have an Expertclick subscription, and you can see my press releases here.

Tomorrow is the deadline for Publicity Hounds to save $250 on the price of an annual Expertclick subscription, normally $995.  Mitchell Davis of Expertclick will let early birds save $150 if they subscribe by Sept. 30, and an additional $100 if they mention The Publicity Hound or use this link: https://www.ExpertClick.com/discount/Publicity_Hound

If you call Mitch and his staff at 202-333-5000, they will take your call personally and answer your questions.  Don’t miss out and have to wait another year for an opportunity like this one.

Posted In: Business Promotion, Press Releases/News Releases, Publicity Resources, Publicity on the Internet
posted On: 9/29/2008: 2:28 pm: By Joan
Comments: No Comments

The more addicted you become to Twitter, one of the fastest and easiest-to-use publicity tools, the more time-consuming and confusing it can become.

Answering the question “What are you doing?” within 140 characters is the easy part.

The hard part is figuring out the Twitter culture and etiquette, understanding the Twitter lingo (Tweeple means people who use Twitter), and knowing which of the hundreds of applications and other Twitter-related websites are worth your time.

Deborah Micek, who goes by @CoachDeb on Twitter, has teamed up with Warren Whitlock, aka @WarrenWhitlock, to write the Twitter Handbook, a 169-page ebook. On a five-star system, I give it five stars and an enthusiastic recommendation for Publicity Hounds everywhere, regardless of what you’re promoting. You can claim your free copy here. (If you don’t receive it immediately, be patient. You’ll get it within the next week.)

I wish this had been available when I started Twittering less than a year ago. It would have saved me from sending my Twitter followers embarrassing questions like “What’s a Tweetdeck?” and “Somebody just asked me a question. How do I reply?”

What you’ll learn

The book assumes you know nothing about Twitter, which is great for newbies. But longtime Tweeple will find it just as valuable. Deb and Warren provide thousands of tips on how to navigate the Twittersphere and adopt specific strategies that will help you meet your business goals, whether you’re a sole proprietor or the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. (Yes, CEOs should Twitter, too.)

Especially helpful are their recommendations on what to do first.

For example, instead of trying to amass a huge army of followers, you’d be better off spending time just posting. Then, when people start following you on Twitter, they might be curious enough to see what you’ve been writing about and whether it’s worth coming back for more.

My only suggestion is that I wished the authors would have created bookmarks within the PDF document. I read the book quickly without taking notes. Backtracking and trying to find certain sections so I can follow through on tips I remembered reading was time-consuming. I suggest you keep a “to do” list while reading it, and note the page number where a particular tip is located. Don’t try using the fancy applications until you’ve tackled the basics, like knowing where to find replies to your messages, how to reply to people you are following, and how to read your direct messages.

5 cool Twitter tips

Here are five tips from the handbook:

1. Still confused about who’s twittering and what they’re writing about? See tweets from all over the world and in real time on Twittervision, an interactive map.

2. How well do you Twitter? Check your Twitter Grade, within seconds. I was astounded to see that my score is 93/100 because, well, there’s still so much about Twitter that I didn’t know until I read the Twitter Handbook. And I still feel like a Twitter nerd.

3. Deb and Warren are only two of millions who Twitter. Even though they did extensive research via Twitter before writing, they want lots more input on how other Tweeple use it. You can read 101 More Reasons to Tweet.

4. TwitterFone, a free service, lets you update your Twitter feed using your voice from any mobile or cell phone. You call it, speak your tweet, and hang up. A short while later, your tweet will be posted on Twitter.

5. Create a “Twitter badge” and put it on your websites, blogs and other social networking sites like Myspace and Facebook, letting people know you Twitter and sharing with them your most recent tweet. Once you’re logged into Twitter, go to http://twitter.com/badges and choose the type, color, shape and size of your badge. It will automatically create a code for you depending on where you want it to be seen. Put that code on your website, blog, etc.

If you’ve gotten this far and you’re still saying to yourself, “I don’t get it. Why is everybody wasting all this time?” check out my “Special Report #52: How to Use Twitter for Business to Network, Promote, Sell, Recruit & Profit.” It will give you lots of examples of how companies and nonprofits large and small are using Twitter to amass loyal followers, solidify their brand, and make the cash register ring.

Then dive into the Twitter Handbook, keep it nearby, and commit to following at least one recommendation each week. Soon, that tweeting sound you hear will turn into ka-ching, ka-ching.

Follow me on Twitter.

Posted In: Blogs, Business Promotion, Publicity Resources, Publicity on the Internet, Social media marketing, Social networking, Twitter
posted On: 9/15/2008: 2:24 pm: By Joan
Comments: 4 Comments

Too many Publicity Hounds are still chasing after top-tier newspaper reporters, national magazine editors, the highest rated TV talk show hosts and major market radio deejays, hoping that if they mention you, you’ll make it big.

Problem is, so are thousands of other publicity seekers. And because lots of those big media outlets reach a general audience of millions, you’d better have a damn good pitch.

Sometimes you’d be far better off targeting niched newsletter editors, ezine publishers, discussion forums, bloggers and Internet marketers who have a decent-size email list of people who are also your target audience. Many of these “journalists” and “publishers” have followers all over the world, unlike many mainstream media that reach regional audiences, or mostly people in one country.

BL Ochman’s 12 Tenet’s of Social Media Marketing is sort of 12 Commandments for those seeking publicity online. Tenet #2 reads: Though shalt cover all media.

Today media is a collective term for the producers of content for mass and, yea, also for niche consumption. Thou must niche or be niched. Thy niches may include surly teenagers in fly-over states, as well as disgruntled consumers. To communicate with them successfully you must approach them from the right perspective.

Thou shalt not piss them off by ignoring or patronizing them, for if thou do, they shalt bite you on the ass.

If you pitch big-time media you need to have big-time story ideas. However, despair not because these days everyone with a web site, newsletter, blog, e-zine, Mail List or forum is a journalist.

So how do you find these niche audiences? Here are a few suggestions:

—Asked a question on LinkedIn. For example, I would ask, “Can someone recommend the best print newsletters, ezines, blogs, discussion forums and websites that target people who want to promote a product, service, cause or issue?” The LinkedIn community responds quickly, and many LinkedIn users provide thoughtful and very helpful answers.  

—Ask the same question on Facebook and Twitter. The more friends and followers you have, the more responses you’re likely to get.  

—Google. Do a search for keywords and keyword phrases and see what you can find.

—Search at Technorati. This search engine will let you know which bloggers are discussing your topic.

—Create Google Alerts for your topics. You can read more about how to use Google Alerts and how to Google reporters, bloggers before pitching. (Also see Let bloggers create publicity for you.)

—Search for electronic newsletters. New-List.com lists almost 9,000 ezines.

Follow through on just one of those suggestions and you’re likely to find new media that are dying to hear what you havce to say.

Posted In: Blogs, LinkedIn, Magazine Publicity, Newspaper Publicity, Pitching the Media, Publicity Resources, Publicity for Niche Markets, Publicity on the Internet, Radio Publicity, Social networking, TV Publicity, Twitter
posted On: 9/14/2008: 7:47 am: By Joan
Comments: 4 Comments

Alaa el Ghatit of Libertyville, Illinois, writes:

“I own a national service called LifeOnRecord which lets people capture and preserve their stories and memories from any phone.  The most popular product is a keepsake CD that people will give for birthdays, anniversaries and other events.

“Here’s how it works. Someone planning the celebration will sign up for a LifeOnRecord account. Friends and family all call a toll-free number and leave stories, memories and well-wishes.  The recordings are all preserved onto a keepsake CD, and can also be managed and played via our website, or downloaded into iTunes.

“Much of my business comes from referrals and people coming from the search engines. But I’m looking for other ways to reach people who are looking for gift ideas for milestone birthdays or anniversaries. What ideas do your Hounds have for spreading the word?”

Posted In: Business Promotion, Magazine Publicity, Newspaper Publicity, Photos & Graphics, Press Releases/News Releases, Publicity Resources, Publicity on the Internet, Radio Publicity, TV Publicity
posted On: 9/2/2008: 3:16 pm: By Joan
Comments: 4 Comments