Author Marcia Yudkin is one of the most creative people I know.
Her book “6 Steps to Free Publicity” is perhaps my very favorite book on how to work with the media. I’m one of her groupies, and I read her ezine “Marketing Minute” each week.
So I was thrilled when she gave me permission to reprint one of her articles in the July/August issue of The Publicity Hound subscription newsletter. It’s called “Publicity Stunts that P.T. Barnum Would Love.”
For example, Marcia suggests shaming “do-badders” with awards. Or ranking cities according to their friendliness to new technology. Or issuing brash predictions, with donations that kick in when they don’t come true.
I particularly like her idea about the best cities. That’s because you’re virtually guaranteed publicity in those 10 cities. Create a “10 Best Cities for…” and a “10 Worst Cities for…” and coverage in those 20 cities is almost a sure bet.
The article gives three more clever ideas for publicity stunts you can pull off when it’s a slow news month and you can’t think of anything newsworthy to promote.
The July/August issue also includes articles on how to appeal to the 5 types of journalists, how the U.S. Bowling Congress got more than $2.5 million in free publicity, 5 simple “rules of the road” for PR, how to get free tips on healthcare crisis communications, where to find new ethics guidelines for business writers, a Canadian decorating magazine that will debut later this year, what to do when Hispanic media call, how Florida nonprofits profit from PR interns, a DVD you can buy if you’re training your staff on how to interview with the media, pitching tips on how to get into Consumer Reports, and July/August story ideas.
It’s $10 and you can order it here.