If you're pitching food editors and reporters at daily or weekly newspapers, your job is more difficult than ever. As newspapers continue to cut staff, lifestyle-related sections are among the first on the chopping block. Also, at many papers, … [Read more...]
When doctors shill for pharmas, what’s a PR person to do?
Leigh Ann Hubbard, managing editor of MyFamilyDoctorMag.com, writes: Periodically, in response to a request, I'll get a quote from a doctor (via a publicist) that mentions a specific product. Inevitably, I Google the doctor and he or she has been … [Read more...]
How to make news when there’s no news
Here's a quick trick for creating news when there's absolutely nothing new to pitch. Be willing to talk about your business problems and how you solved them. Pick up any business journal and you'll see company after company mentioned, usually because they've figured out ways to solve a problem, whether it's delivering the product faster to … [Read more...]
Journalists suspicious of ‘green’ story ideas
When Bulldog Reporter invited me to be a guest panelist on the July 24 teleseminar designed to help Publicity Hounds create news when there is no news, I jumped at the chance. I wrote three pages of notes for the session titled "Evergreen Magic for PR: Media … [Read more...]
Story idea for this week: Freedom from (fill in the blank)
My friend, TV producer Shawne Duperon, has a terrific idea for tying publicity into the July 4 Independence Day theme. Think of a "freedom from..." and use that in your pitch. Examples: ---A health department in the Midwest might pitch tips to give people … [Read more...]
If a journalist uses humor in a query, use it in your pitch
If you subscribe to a service that gives you leads from journalists who are looking for certain types of sources, pay attention to the way the reporter has written the query. Peter Shankman, whose free leads service called "Help a Reporter Out," flags this terrific … [Read more...]
Unusual weather a perfect chance to pitch weather stories
Flooding in the Midwest. Wild fires in California. Snow in the Northwest. Scorching heat on the East Coast. And it's still only spring. This is the time to pitch weather stories. If you sell or give away a product or service to help people cope with the weather, let the media know. They're hungry for any tie-in. Several years ago, after terrible … [Read more...]
Dairy Queen joins Girl Scouts to create Thin Mint Blizzard
Here's a perfect example of how a nonprofit can team up with a popular nationwide chain, and piggyback onto a "Week of the Year" to promote a good cause. Dairy Queen is creating the Girl Scout Thin Mint Blizzard for the month of July to promote Girl Scout Appreciation Week July 7-13. What a wonderful idea! No more having to wait until March … [Read more...]
Use spam checkers for ezine copy and pitches
Your ezine might be packed with free content and do excellent job promoting your expertise. But it's worthless if it ends up in the recipient's spam folder, or in one of several other spam traps that have been set by Internet service providers. That's why it's worth the extra time to run your ezine or important email you're sending, like pitches … [Read more...]
Help promote ‘Say Something Nice Sunday’
Mitch Carnell of Charleston, South Carolina writes: "Last year, we celebrated the first Say Something Nice Sunday on the first Sunday in June. This is now an annual event. "We want churches and denominations of all faiths to join in. This is a Sunday when Christian will say nothing negative about any other Christian or Christian group or … [Read more...]
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