The media want drought stories NOW–so pitch!

The folks at Fireworks Popcorn in Port Washington, WI, my favorite place for a quick mid-afternoon snack, say the drought is so bad, that they’re worried about popcorn prices. A farmer in Indiana told the owner that if his fields don’t get signficant rain by next week, he’ll start plowing them under.

Small businesses, even those that have a difficult time generating publicity, have opportunities galore to piggyback story ideas off severe weather like a drought, heat wave, snowstorm, flood, hurricane, sub-zero temperatures or rainy season.

Smart Publicity Hounds in the Midwest and other drought-stricken communities throughout the United States are thinking of every opportunity right now to pitch stories on how the heat wave and lack of rain are affecting them. 

News crews MUST cover the weather 365 days a year.  Many of them hate that assignment. You can help them by calling local newspapers and TV stations, contacting bloggers, and even creating your own YouTube videos tied to the weather.

Discuss a weather-related problem and how you’re coping. Or share a solution. How is the bad weather affecting your employees who are trying to get to work? How is it affecting your own ability to provide products and services to customers?
     
     
More Drought Story Ideas

I shared seven publicity ideas during the drought recently.  Here are three more:

• Don’t forget the critters. What’s the best way to keep dogs and cats from suffering heat stroke? How hot does it need to be before we dispense with the dog’s daily walk? What are the signs that a dog or cat is overheated? Does the heat affect their appetites?  Are some breeds more susceptible to the heat than others?
   
• Have you tried shopping for an air conditioner recently? Almost all stores are sold out. Retail outlets should explain what they’re doing to restock shelves.
   
• Hospitals and health care clinics, explain the most common types of heat-related injuries and emergencies you’re seeing.  What kind of emergency system do you have in place in case the power goes out?  
     
   

Pitch “Good Weather” Stories, Too

Don’t just pitch when the weather is bad. Pitch when it’s good.

What does good weather mean for food prices, tourist attractions or sales of camping equipment?

Psychologists and therapists, can a week of prolonged sunshine affect our moods?     
   
   
A Publicity Tool That Can Help You

Special Report #37: How to Tie Your Product, Service, Cause or Issue to the Weather gives you  dozens of ideas on the types of stories to pitch to the media, who to call at media outlets, and other ways to outsmart your competition and make it onto the front page or your local newspaper, or onto your local TV news simply by tying your story idea to what’s happening outside your window. The report was updated recently along with my other special reports.