As I was writing last week's tip about how to piggyback off the runaway bride story, my friend Barbara Bartlein was doing just that. Barbara, a professional speaker and author of the book "Why Did I Marry You Anyway? --12.5 Strategies for a Happy Marriage," saw all the attention the Runaway Bride was getting and fired off [Read more...]
PR pros still far behind with blogging
When I attended the Media Relations 2005 conference in San Francisco April 10-12, one the things that surprised me most was that the PR profession doesn't take blogging as seriously as it should. There was only one panel devoted to blogging and RSS feeds. And I sat at a table with PR people who told me their bosses already have told them … [Read more...]
Build relationships with reporters
Get to know reporters who you want to cover you, and start building relationships. But how do you start building relationships with someone you don't know, particularly a reporter who is pitched dozens of times a day? Take a tip from Jeffrey O'Brien, senior editor at Wired magazine. "We love to talk about our work," he said. "On a very rare … [Read more...]
Runaway bride story begs for comment
People have been buzzing for a week about Jennifer Wilbanks, the 32-year-old runaway bride-to-be, who bolted from Atlanta four days before her wedding and set off a massive search by police and the FBI. This story screams for letters to the editor, opinion columns and expert opinion on radio and TV talk shows from authors, speakers, mental health … [Read more...]
Publisher starts speakers bureau
Today's Wall Street Journal (Page B8) says HarperCollins Publishers Inc. is starting a speakers bureau in the U.S. to arrange speaking engagements for its authors. Its best-known authors are Michal Crichton, business author Jim Collins and children's book writer Daniel Handler. The publisher says the bureau is expected to generate a … [Read more...]
Quote excerpts from product reviews, with attribution
Lisa Wuennemann of Beloit, Wisconsin writes: "When a reporter reviews our new product and prints a review in the newspaper or voices it on air, can we legally use a quote from the review in materials that we send promoting the product as long as we source it? Do we need to obtain written approval first?" The Publicity Hound says: I forwarded … [Read more...]
Don’t offer exclusivity for special event photos
If the situation warrants it, some Publicity Hounds like to give a particular story to their favorite media that reaches a large audience. If a certain newspaper or magazine knows they will get the story first, they will be more inclined to cover you--as long as it's a good story. With photos, however, that isn't necessarily the case. When … [Read more...]
End-of-summer story ideas
The calendar says spring is here, but if you're pitching to national magazines, particularly those that work several months out, you should be thinking of end-of-summer stories. They include: --Anything that can tie into Labor Day which we celebrate on September 5 this year. --Back-to-School stories, particulary trends in things such as … [Read more...]
Follow the clues
When you listen to your favorite radio talk show, do you listen with only one ear, oblivious to all the little clues the hosts or the drive-time deejays are dropping about their likes and dislikes, hobbies, friends and family members, and other topics that will catch their attention in your pitch letters and phone calls? Publicity Hound Carol … [Read more...]
Press releases becoming a thing of the past
In this week's issue of The Business Journal in Milwaukee, publisher Mark Sabljak says in his weekly column that "Press releases, frankly, are old news." In most cases, he said, the media are looking for exclusive news, not the same old stuff that's offered to all the other media. That's particularly true with The Business Journal. I was the … [Read more...]
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