Maybe it's just me, a grumpy former newspaper writing coach. But I fear our love affair with Twitter, text messaging and even those ubiquitous emoticons is poisoning the English language. Mari Smith's Twitter … [Read more...]
Why trying to get a magazine column can be wasted effort
A freelance PR person just emailed me and asked, "Did you ever or can you recommend a resource on how to become a magazine columnist?" I told her that several years ago, I wrote “Special Report … [Read more...]
Wal-Mart offers free online classified ads
Are you selling a car or real estate? Looking for someone to fill a job? Selling concert or sports tickets or miscellaneous items? If so, take advantage of Wal-Mart's new free classified ads which the giant retailer started offering about three weeks ago in partnership with [Read more...]
Help a designer promote a wardrobe survey for women
Merri Cvetan of Big Bend, Wisconsin writes: "As an interior designer, I'm always looking for ways to drive people to my website and business. "I am creating a fun survey to find out the … [Read more...]
Don’t let Craigslist’s bad publicity discourage you from posting
Every month or so, it seems, we're hearing one more story about how somebody committed a crime with help from Craigslist. In March, a New York City prostitute was killed after meeting a client on the world's largest classified ad bulletin board. Two weeks ago, the Milwaukee … [Read more...]
Explain how to find a lost dog or a lost (fill in the blank)
I lost my dog, Bogie, on Sunday night while taking her for a walk in a residential neighborhood about a mile from our home---shortly after sunset, with temperatures in the 20s and falling fast.
It was trash day the next day on the street where we were walking. When she brushed up against a trash bag filled with empty glass bottles, it … [Read more...]
‘Meanest Mom on the Planet’ uses classified ad to sell son’s car
Thanks to Publicity Hound Bryan Todd of Lincoln, Nebraska for tipping me off to this fun story. Buying newspaper classified ads is an expensive way to spread the word about whatever you're promoting. But guess who reads the classifieds? Reporters---lots of them. That's where they find the low-hanging fruit in the form of clever, funny or unusual … [Read more...]
Family Circle blurb leads to huge traffic spike
When I checked my website and blog statistics recently, I noticed a huge spike in traffic since January 1. Since I wasn't doing any special promotions, I forgot about it until Diana Ennen, a virtual assistant in Florida, congratulated me for being mentioned in the January issue of Family Circle magazine. "Family Circle?" I asked. "That's one of … [Read more...]
Find a writer with free classified ads
If you're looking for a freelance writer writer for your press releases, articles, a bio for your media kit, or anything else, Angela Adair-Hoy offers free classified ads in her excellent ezine, WritersWeekly.com. Send her an [Read more...]
Online event calendars: Which are your favorites?
OK, all you publicists and self-promoters. I'm in the market for the very best online calendar directories, preferably free, where you can post blurbs about your events. I'll trade you six of mine for six of yours---or even just one of yours. Here are some of the sites … [Read more...]