That’s the question you should answer if you want to win $500 in products or consulting services from me.
Why $500? Because I’m doing this to promote Issue 500 of my newsletter, which I’ll publish on April 13.
Last week, I asked you for help on how to promote the 500th issue, and got several excellent suggestions. This promotion combines two ideas submitted by Publicity Hounds Diana Ennen and Kathy Slattengren.
The rules
- Answer this question in 200 words or fewer: What new publicity tactics do you use as a result of reading my publicity tips and what results did you experience from them? (You may link to a newspaper article/TV show clip). PR pros can discuss ideas they used for their clients.
- The 10 best entries I receive will be put to a vote by Publicity Hound readers (people will only be able to vote once). The more helpful the tips in the entries, the better chance they will have at making the ballot. Blatant commercials that just promote you or your business won’t make the cut.
- The winner gets a choice of $500 in products or consulting services, or both.
- All entries become property of The Publicity Hound and can be used as testimonials at my website or blog.
And a Free Ebook of Ideas…
Now, I’ll sweeten the deal. All entries that adhere to the rules will be compiled into a free ebook that I’ll offer to all my readers, and I’ll encourage them to pass it along to their friends, followers and connections on the social media sites.
That’s a TON of publicity for you, with a link to your website or blog, if you participate and share a great entry. Again, don’t enter if all you can offer is a free commercial or I won’t approve your comment or include you in the ebook. I want a success story and an explanation of how the tip worked for you.
Have at it, Hounds. Post your comments below. Next week, I’ll explain how to vote.
9 Places to Find Blog Content ( #488 Jan. 19, 2010) really changed the way I do business in my promotion and coaching. Currently I have a blog which a majority of my clients visit. Unfortunately for me I was really stretching to find the right content for my blog, and when clients would ask me “what should I blog about” I’d quickly run dry. Your post on “9 Places to Find Blog Content”, really gave me a push in the right direction. My readership constantly increases and the feedback is solid and sound! Although the places to find your content that you suggested seem like a “no-brainer,” that particular article on that particular day just clicked. As for coaching my clients, when a client would seek advice as to what they should post, I simply ask them to check their email inbox or think back to any questions they may have been asked recently. With that tip alone, my clients and I have hammered out some great blogs which increased sales and market share! Your tip on blog content is a definite must for one of the most popular Public Relations tactics out there!
You’re right. I get the best blog topics from my readers, usually in my email box. Congratulations on starting a blog and sticking to it. So many people start on Monday and quit by Friday “because I’m not getting any traffic.”
I have been a reader of your publicity hound newsletter on and off for many years, always packed full of great stuff. One of the best tips for free publicity that you have ever told us about was to get a fan page up for your business. I did this for my business http://www.LaCrosse-Wisconsin.com last Friday and already have over 440 friends. This will help to build a strong following on my website and help the people who have listed their businesses on my site. Keep up the great work and here is to 500 more newsletters.
Bob Schmidt
Facebook Fan Pages are a great way to attract a loyal fan base and keep them coming back for more, Bob. Make sure the content is helpful and entertaining.
When I first ran across the Publicity Hound website and then signed up for the newsletters, I went into system overload. I thought, “There is no way in the world I can do all this myself!” But then it was through her website and newsletters that I learned about virtual assistants and found one through Joan and by using her tips on how to hire a good virtual assistant. My virtual assistant, Christine Buffaloe, got me started with facebook, blogs, and more. The investment has not yet paid for itself yet, but it has certainly introduced my music to people who were never exposed to it. Thank you, Joan!
Anne, we’re both very fortunate to have Chris. I’m astounded at how much she knows about the social media sites. And she has far more patience than I’ll ever have!
Hi Joan,
The guide to earning publicity in in-flight magazines inspired me to pitch Alaska Airlines Magazine about my client and her purse hangers — known as Zook Hooks — just in time for holiday gift giving season in 2008. That delivered some excellent sales results and visibility for my client well beyond her Newcastle, WA backyard.
Your special report that explains how to set up a Fan page on Facebook was just what I needed to take action. The clear instructions and examples were well worth the fee paid for helping me to get this right with my first attempt.
Reading your ezine since 2006 was a big reason I was inspired me to create a line of DIY publicity information products. Today, I have a reliable, welcome new stream of income that is contributing to my company’s growth and attracting speaking and teleseminar engagements, among other welcome results.
Finally, every time you’ve mentioned the importance of launching and sustaining a blog, I’ve listened. It wasn’t until September of 2007 that I finally started blogging.
Launching the blog has been among the single best lead generation methods for my business.
Keep up the much appreciated work!
I work for a wonderful non-profit organization that’s easy to brag about. Getting media to let me do it is not so easy.
I’ve subscribed to the Publicity Hound ezine for seven weeks. By week 5, I was able to generate more publicity than ever before. Your tips about “cheat sheets” and key messages were actually appreciated by the TV reporter who used them for the interview and wrote a report for the station’s webpage. MSNBC used the report and our links on their homepage too.
I pitched the idea to the Dallas Morning news with hard-to-resist “before” photos. They resisted. But they liked my follow-up story and “after” photos. The editor said it was exactly what they need, and forwarded it to another editor who published it too. The best part – they all invited me to keep them in the loop with future stories.
Thank you for sharing so freely. Everyone says they can help you break into the media, but a lot of newsletters are just ads, followed by sales calls. Your advice really works. Please click here for some of the proof:
http://tinyurl.com/yh6bgjl
Thank you Joan, for helping the “little guys” break through!
Sincerely,
Gloria Beard
My Press Release writing skills were outdated. That’s when I came across your “89 Ways to Write Powerful Press Releases”. After reading all of them I made notes and highlighted like a crazy woman. Now they are in a binder where I can refer to them as needed. My skills are renewed…writing press releases is fun again…and I have you to thank. Great resource. Thanks!
When I read Joan Stewart’s publicity tips, they become a part of my consciousness if I gie them their due respect. From tips sheets to piggybacking on holidays, applying the local angle to a national news story and submitting articles or blog posts to establish expert status, Joan’s advice has helped me generate media attention for my clients and me. Even when I think I know all I can about something, The Publicity Hound’s materials further educate and spur new ideas that benefit my work as a publicist.
May I also add that about two-years-ago when I still questioned the value of social media, Joan asked me if I was using it to publicize a client with which I was challenged to get coverage. It was still unpopular among the masses, even our profession. I gave it another shot having signed up for Twitter and Facebook accounts months prior. Needless to say, it’s been a HUGE benefit to my professional toolbox.
Here are a couple of examples of ways Joan’s tips have paid off in coverage and expert recognition: “Networking an added benefit of gym membership” http://www.jsonline.com/business/45451342.html (Used well-discussed angle of networking and applied to gym atmosphere); I became a guest blogger for SportsNetworker.com to further establish my expertise in sports publicity: http://www.sportsnetworker.com/author/gail-sideman
McAllen, Texas has a new emphasis on our nightlife that we were eager to promote regionally, but we had a very small budget. One of Joan’s Special Reports, “#18: Clever Contests That Will Tempt Reporters to Call,” gave me an idea. We created a “McAllen Official Cocktail” contest and promoted it primarily through our website. Readers were invited to send in a recipe for a cocktail, with the winning cocktail to be featured at the lounges and restaurants in McAllen.
The promotion worked. We created a short video for the website promoting the contest, and almost immediately had the local media calling to cover the contest, which of course also mentioned McAllen’s lounges and restaurants. We printed table tents for the establishments promoting the drink, and got a second promotional “hit” when we announced the winning drink and its creator.
Thanks, Publicity Hound, for literally hundreds of promotional inspirations that everyone with enthusiasm and drive can use to their advantage. These ideas are the perfect answer to financial constraints in these days of shrinking budgets.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0dAEHtX5rY&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRgS19g-GOE
I have read Joan’s publicity tips for years, now, because they offer special reports that are pure “meat and potatoes,” full of useful, practical information for the PR professional. One that has helped me immensely in learning video production and editing for the web is “9 Clever Ways to Use Video…” We all know that more online media than ever want constant new video content. In reading this fabulous document, I noted with particular interest the passage that reads: “Finding Video Experts to Help You.” I hired a well-respected videographer for two hours, and he taught me proper use of my camera, tips on lighting and sound, and even editing on iMovie. Armed with that knowledge, I’m now producing client video content for the web.
I’ve been doing PR for 20 years and, as co-owner of Wasabi Publicity, I love learning new techniques and tips. I’ve been a subscriber of your newsletters for years and your mentoring was invaluable for me in my early years as a publicist and making Wasabi Publicity what it is today.
Years ago, I was coordinating a press conference for the 10 year anniversary of a children’s charity and I was lucky enough to score the Duchess of York as the guest of honor. My client wanted a traditional press conference, but I thought about what Joan had taught me: The media loathes press conferences. Instead of offering a press conference, I invited the media to have “tea with the Duchess” — treats included. The media clamored to attend, despite another press conference held in Manhattan earlier that day with the Duchess. (I think her press agent at the time was a bit shocked with the turnout. He gave me a look like, “Wow. Reuters.”) The Duchess was so thrilled with the turnout, she agreed to help the charity by hosting a two hour reality show I had scored to raise money for them. Thanks, Joan!
Comment by Michelle Tennant – re The Duchess of York. What a perfect example of following you EXACTLY. A great success story with ramifications that really paid off. The fact that she named her company in her reply wasn’t too shabby either.
It was inspiring to see how so many people used your publicity ideas, but I thought that the cocktail contest and tea with the Duchess really stood out.
I’ve been reading your newsletters for years and glean something of value each week. But what’s given me the most mileage is your suggestion to tie my articles to what’s going on in the media. How those articles have helped build platform will be a talking point when our agent pitches our book to publishers. And I have you to thank for that!