Tips, Tricks & Tools for Free Publicity
by Joan Stewart
Many PR people have added bloggers to their media contact lists--and for good reason.
Bloggers are making a name for themselves as legitimate news breakers, commentators and opinion-shapers.
If you're pitching your story to bloggers, you must understand the difference between a "real" journalist and a … [Read more...]
by Joan Stewart
Right now, as you're reading this, a journalist could be nosing around at your website, looking for clues that will help determine whether you're worth covering.
Will the reporter find typos galore, outdated news releases or incomplete contact information? PR pro Carolyn Moncel said there's a checklist of items you should have at your … [Read more...]
by Joan Stewart
Nothing can be more exciting for a Publicity Hound than getting a call from a reporter who asks for an interview.
But when the reporter starts asking questions, the worst thing you can do is immediately start answering them.
If you do, without knowing what the story is about, you're putting yourself at risk. Let's say the … [Read more...]
by Joan Stewart
Proteges in The Publicity Hound Mentoring Program heard me lecture recently on the "side-door strategy" to publicity during a teleseminar I hosted just for them. Even though I've always understood and promoted the concept, I first heard the phrase "side-door strategy" when I read an article by publicist Jodee Blanco.
The "side-door … [Read more...]
by Joan Stewart
What do you do when your competitor is featured in a story on the front page of the local morning paper? Or her face shows up repeatedly on the nightly news, commenting on an issue that you know more about?
Do you retreat to the closet and silently lick your wounds? Or complain to your co-workers? Or, heaven forbid, grouse to the media? … [Read more...]
by Joan Stewart
What do you do when you’ve been hammered by the almighty Reader's Digest?
That’s what happened to the Mount Horeb Mustard Museum in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin when an article in the December issue placed the Mustard Museum on its list of "5 Museums Not to Plan Christmas Around."
"Want a fun vacation?" the article asked. … [Read more...]
by Joan Stewart
Night after night, we see stories on the local and national TV news about topics like obesity, alcoholism, drug abuse and mental illness.
The reporter's narration accompanies generic film footage of people walking on a crowded sidewalk, or students making their way to class on a college campus.
No problem--except if the story happens … [Read more...]
by Joan Stewart
Publicity Hounds spend so much time and energy chasing after staff writers at national magazines, that they often overlook a much more valuable group of contacts--the freelancers that write for those publications.
Why are freelancers more valuable? Because many of them already have key contacts at lots of major magazines and newspapers. … [Read more...]
by Joan Stewart
I've received so much great feedback from Publicity Hounds who have used my tip about "TV Weatherperson's Day" on February 5 that I'm mentioning itagain.
When it comes to celebrity status, the TV weather people are at the bottom of the totem pole. While the news anchor is invited to host a glitzy charity ball, the weather guy is asked to … [Read more...]
by Joan Stewart
When I worked as a newspaper editor for more than 20 years, I had my own pet peeves about people who were clueless about working with the media. They included: --Idiots who called to complain, "You've written about my competitor three times but you've never written about me!" --News releases that didn't list the name or phone number of a … [Read more...]
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