|
In This Issue:
1. Hyper-local Site Covers 19 States
2. Inspiration for Clever Taglines
3. Problems Downloading My Ebook?
4. No Gifts for Journalists
5. Year-end Recommendation
6. Hound Video of the Week
7. And at My Blogs & Mobile Site...
1. Hyper-local Site Covers 19 States
Here's another website to add to your media list if you
want publicity for local news.
It's
Patch.com and it already covers more than 600
communities and neighborhoods in California, Connecticut,
Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia,
Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota,
Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode
Island, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.
The site, owned by AOL and based in New York, hires
professional journalists and contracts with freelancers
to cover local news and events, business and government,
police and fire news, and more. Users can submit their
own announcements, photos and reviews, and participate in
discussions.
Here are Patch's advantages:
--It hires experienced journalists, many of whom have
been laid off by local newspapers and are already
familiar with the communities they cover.
--Patch makes it easy to find whoever covers your
community. Just go to Patch.com
and click on the state where you live. Choose the
community where Patch already has a presence. Contact
information for every Patch editor is at the top of every
local site. All Patch.com contributors can be contacted
via email through the local site.
--It encourages participation. Send a news tip, put an
event on the calendar or submit an announcement. If
you're a business owner who wants to be listed, just send
an email to
[email protected]. Learn more about what you can do with Patch here.
--It fills a void created by the demise of local
newspapers.
Here are Patch's disadvantages:
--It pays many journalists far less than what they made
before, and some editors have suffered from burnout and
left.
--Critics say it can strangle many other smaller local
websites. But I think competition helps, not hurts, the
news consumer.
--It needs to make enough money to support all those
journalists, and its growth might be too aggressive.
But you won't hear me complaining.
Most important: Local means local! Patch.com sites are
hyper-local. The focus is very specific--on the community
or neighborhood served by the Patch site.
A smart Publicity Hound will want to develop story ideas
that are directly related to a Patch.com community. As
always, take the time to review each site before
developing the pitch. Better yet, introduce yourself to
the Patch editor.
If you have experience with getting news placed on Patch,
or you have other comments to add, share them at my blog.
Also see "50+
Places Online to Promote Your Live & Virtual Events to
Reach Your Target Market & Pull Sell-out Crowds."
2. Inspiration for Clever Taglines
Need a tagline for your business or non-profit? Or
looking for some inspiration to create your own?
You can access more than 4,800 nonprofit taglines and a
guide to making yours great, for free, courtesy of
nonprofit marketing expert Nancy Schwartz.
Her All-New
Tagline Database and report includes tons of tips for
high-impact taglines that people remember. They include
10 have-tos, 6 deadly sins, and tips on what makes a
winning tagline.
Go here and complete the form.
3. Problems Downloading My Ebook?
If you're having trouble downloading "The Best of The
Publicity Hound's Tips of the Week" from 2010, email me
and I'll send the ebook as an attachment.
This is my annual gift to you, and it includes the best
25 tips from last year's newsletters. Hundreds of Hounds
already have re-gifted the ebook on LinkedIn, Twitter and
Facebook. A few have encountered technical problems and
can't access it.
If you missed it, go
here.
Email me if you need help.
4. No Gifts for Journalists
Just a few quick reminders about sending gifts to your
media contacts:
--It's best to not send gifts to journalists. Many media
companies have ethics policies that prohibit accepting
gifts. Sending a holiday greeting card is fine, however.
--If you're going to a TV or radio studio to do an
interview, take food. They love it!
--Don't take food if you're visiting a newspaper or
magazine.
--As for bloggers, it depends on the blogger. If you're
not sure, ask first. Remember that many traditional
journalists also blog.
The very best gift you can give traditional or new media
is a big fat scoop.
5. Year-end Recommendation
I've received so much great reaction from Publicity
Hounds who have already created ebooks for the Kindle
that I'm suggesting you add this to your year-end to-do
list.
Daniel Hall was my guest during a webinar a few weeks
ago, and he offered exact step-by-step instructions on
how to create an ebook and offer it for sale on Amazon
within a day.
The replay is free. It's more than four hours and
includes two bonus sessions. Daniel has sliced and diced
the video so you can watch it in segments.
The Kindle is the hot gift this year, and millions of
Kindle users might be looking for ebooks about your area
of expertise. Will you have something to sell them? If
you haven't seen the video yet, it isn't too late. This
is an excellent year-end task to accomplish so you're
positioned on Amazon as we enter 2011.
Access the replay here.
6. Hound Video of the Week
Watch this dog, crazy with anticipation, on
Christmas Eve. Way too cute.
DOG JOKES & QUOTES EBOOK: 170+ G-rated dog jokes and
quotes, perfect for a dog-lover, your favorite vet, or
just for a few good laughs.
BONUS: Buy the ebook and you also get a compilation of
the 50 best websites for dog humor.
7. And at My Blogs & Mobile Site
How to un-Google yourself & push bad news off Page 1
Manage your online reputation BEFORE bad news hits
Hyper-local Patch.com covers 600+ communities
Permission to Reprint:
You may reprint any items from "The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week" in your print or electronic
newsletter. But please include the following paragraph:
Reprinted from "The Publicity Hound's Tips of the Week,"
an ezine featuring tips, tricks and tools for generating
free publicity. Subscribe at
http://www.publicityhound.com/ and receive by email
the handy cheat sheet "89 Reasons to Send a Press
Release."
If you like these tips, please pass them on to your
friends, clients and colleagues.
You are receiving this because you signed up for it at
The Publicity Hound website or you told me you want to
subscribe.
Privacy Statement:
The Publicity Hound respects your privacy and has a
strict anti-spam policy.
 |
Merry Christmas! Have a safe, healthy and happy
New Year.
Joan Stewart
The Publicity Hound | |
|
