One of the most frequent complaints I hear from Publicity Hounds is the one about what went wrong when they hired a big PR firm, or a lousy publicist. The nightmares sound like this. Whopping monthly retainers but few media placements. Fresh-out-of-college graduates with little PR experience assigned to major accounts. Sweet-talking publicists who … [Read more...]
How to make book reviewers open your package
Book publicist Kate Bandos says authors who send their books to book reviewers, reporters and other media people must know how to make their packages stand out from all the rest. That could mean sending the book in a purple envelope so that when you make your follow-up call, you can remind the reporter to look for the purple envelope. It also … [Read more...]
Help weeklies cover sports
If your daughter plays on the junior high soccer team, but your local weekly newspaper acts like the team doesn't exist, quit grumbling and find a notebook and a pen. If your son participates in ice skating competitions, but the team has never had its photo in the paper, get a camera and learn how to use it. Even if you participate in an obscure … [Read more...]
Media summit like “speed-dating with top media”
If you're looking for a way to get the attention of top national journalists, pay attention to these four tips courtesy of Mahesh Grossman, author of the book "Write a Book Without Lifting a Finger":
--Relationships are the name of the game.
--You need to be your own publicist.
--Try to tie in with the … [Read more...]
How to revive a dying book marketing campaign
Two to three months after the typical book hits bookstores, sales usually start to diminish, sometimes for as long as eight or nine months.
Many authors go into panic mode, frightened that their sales can't possibly regain momentum.
Book publicist Lissa Warren knows the feeling. And she tells her clients that the slump is to be … [Read more...]
“Side door strategy” relies on not-so-obvious angles
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...]
Cable TV shows draws clients for Illinois PR pro
Publicist Robert Smith wanted something more than the standard brochure to set himself apart from all the other public relations practitioners in the U.S.
So after seeing a tip in this newsletter about starting his own TV show, courtesy of his local cable TV station's public access channel, he tried it.
"I had never heard of getting a … [Read more...]
Children’s troupe takes its act to trade shows
Publicity Hounds have tips for Melissa Pagan of Tequesta, Florida. She works for a performing arts troupe that specializes in children's entertainment. Their live shows have an education component that focuses on literacy, and some of their school programs address test-taking tips and techniques for relieving the anxiety of the high-stakes … [Read more...]
How to promote a mystery novel
Prudy Taylor Board of Delray Beach, Florida wants to know how to promote her book, "Murder a la Carte," the first a series titled Recipes for Murder.
From Harry Hoover of Huntersville, North Carolina:
"Every major paper has a food writer or editor. Pitch a story about how to do a themed dinner party featuring murder, mayhem and … [Read more...]
Less is more when contacting the media
Inexperienced Publicity Hounds make the frequent mistake of inundating media people with too much information. For example:
--Sending an unsolicited media kit along with a pitch letter, with grand illusions of the journalist spending hours poring over your materials. (Dream on).
--Sending an unsolicited book, with hopes that a … [Read more...]