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GET FREE PUBLICITY EZINE
October 3, 2002
Published by The
George McKenzie, Editor
See the bottom of this newsletter for
Subscribe/Unsubscribe Information
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Here are the headlines (also known in the news biz as
"teases"):
*** Looking for promotional pizazz? Get a team of 4700
smart people brainstorming ideas for your next success...
and the price is right too (is FREE cheap enough?)
*** A day of rest? Not for the frugal publicity seeker.
Here's why Sunday can be a blessing in disguise, and the
answer to your promotional prayers.
*** Yawn. Are they bored? Or burned out? Why it's harder
than it used to be to get the attention of reporters,
producers and editors.
Plus more...
===========================================================
Sponsor Message: Press Release Toolkit Makes It Easy
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Only 5-10 percent of press releases get more than a glance
from journalists before going in the trash. These are the
main reasons they get tossed:
1) They’re cumbersome to read -- poor formatting, small
print, etc.
2) They’re blatant attempts to promote a person or a
product.
3) The subject isn't newsworthy.
4) They’re not suited to the medium they’re sent to.
5) They’re too long -- journalists are too pressed-for-time
to read them
So I've created a paint-by-the-numbers system for anyone who
wants to eliminate bonehead mistakes like these. It's
called The Instant Press Release Toolkit. Go
to http://www.pressreleasetoolkit.com/prtoolkit.htm
============================================================
Got (Publicity) Writer's Block?
4700 heads are better than one...
============================================================
I get questions from subscribers fairly often asking me for
ideas to help promote their business.
Unfortunately, I rarely have time to brainstorm these
requests and send back a list of possibilities.
So let's do this.
If you need ideas for ways to get out the word about your
product, project, or company, email me at
mailto:george@get-free-publicity.com.
Tell me what you want to promote -- an event, a rollout, a
website, or even yourself
I'll pick one (or maybe several) requests every week and
publish them for all subscribers to read. Anyone who has an
idea can contribute a response.
I'll share as many ideas as I can in upcoming issues--but,
I'll post ALL responses in a special section of our main
website http://www.get-free-publicity.com.
That way all subscribers can log on for ideas any time they
want.
Let's all work together to help each other out. We have
4700 subscribers, and that's a lot of brainpower to put to
work.
Watch future issues for information about the url I'll be
using for this project.
============================================================
Quick Media Marketing Tip:
Looking For Tube Time? Sunday Is The #1 Day
============================================================
Advertising is what you pay for. Publicity is what you pray
for.
So what's the best day to try to get an answer to your
prayers through through TV news programs?
The answer might surprise you.
It's Sunday.
More people watch Sunday night newscasts than any other
night of the week.
The AC Nielsen Company - which measures these things -
agrees. Recent research reveals that more people watch TV on
Sunday than any other day...followed in order by Thursday,
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday and Friday.
Sunday is also the easiest day to snag coverage,since very
little "hard news" happens that day, and TV news programs
still have time to fill.
So remember, if you're looking for TV news coverage, Sunday
is anything but a "Hail Mary..."
===========================================================
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Blue collar guy. Driving a truck around. Tried some home-
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of his credit card company's money. Had trouble paying it
back.
Tried more businesses, but you know what they say. You have
to spend money to make money.
Frank didn't have it to spend. So he had to get creative.
Best thing that ever happened to him.
Frank Garon realized before most other folks that the
internet is the greatest free publicity machine in the
world, and he was imaginative enough to take advantage of
its possibilities.
Now his internet business generates more than $100,000 a
year. And his travel schedule this month includes seminars
and conferences every weekend--in the U.S. and overseas --
to explain how he did it..
You don't have to travel to Houston, Las Vegas or the United
Kingdom to find out. Just click on
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============================================================
Really, just how lazy are today's journalists?
============================================================
by George McKenzie
During a recent interview for his "Internet Marketing
Lounge" radio show (http://www.internetmarketinglounge.com),
Peter Twist asked me if I thought today's journalists had
gotten lazy.
Peter noted that to get a journalist to do a story about
you, a product, or an idea, you almost have to do all the
work for them: give them a good headline, figure out an
intriguing angle, etc.
On the surface, it would seem then that's today's reporters,
producers, and editors HAVE gotten lazy.
But in fact, the opposite is true. It takes more hard work
than ever to stay in the journalism business these days, and
only the most dedicated, energetic people survive.
Think about it this way.
When I got my first TV job in 1974, the city where I worked
(Altoona, PA) had only ONE station. Even big cities, like
nearby Pittsburgh, only had three commercial outlets.
So those stations got to divide up ALL the TV advertising
dollars. The pie was cut into no more than three pieces.
Look at what you have now. Hundreds of stations and cable
channels competing for less and less money. The pie
is no longer cut into pieces. It's down to slivers.
Plus, advertisers just aren't spending right now.
Revenues are down.
As a result, some news operations are shutting down
altohgether. Others are merging and streamlining
(streamlining is a euphemism for "cutting jobs").
The laws of economics apply. Reporters, producers, and
editors who are still in the business have to do more work
for less money.
While that's bad news for them, it's good news for you. It
opens up some terrific opportunities to get exposure and
free publicity.
Here's how:
If you're sending a press release, make sure
1. it passes the "Instant Eyeball Test" and
2. its "news value" is apparent at a glance.
For tips on how to do those things, see
http://www.pressreleasetoolkit.com/prtoolkit.htm
If you're following up a press release or a pitch letter
with a phone call, always ask if they have a moment
to talk, or if they're working "on deadline." If they're on
deadline, ask when would be a good time to call back.
NEVER try to push a reporter who says they're working on
deadline.
If they say they have a few seconds to talk, take them
literally. Make your point and get your message across in
30 seconds or less. Read Joan Stewart's Special Report
#25-How To Pitch Reporters Over The Phone And Make Every
Second Count
http://www.get-free-publicity.com/specialreports.htm
Also see Jeffrey Mayer's "Opening Doors With A Great
Elevator Speech
http://www.get-free-publicity.com/elevator.html
There's never a guarantee that you'll be able to get the
free publicity you want when you pitch a reporter, producer,
or editor. By if you do the things I've mentioned above,
you'll certainly increase your chances.
Remember this advice from Joan Stewart.
The five most important words you can say to any reporter
are "How can I help you?"
That's always been true.
But in this day and age of shrinking budgets and expanding
job descriptions, it's truer than ever.
===========================================================
Worth a try...
===========================================================
I'm always a little uneasy about recommending
traffic-building programs, but I've been using one
called LoopTraffic lately and it seems to be working.
You can check it out yourself at
http://www.get-free-publicity.com/looptraffic.html
==========================================================
The Celebrity Factor--
A Star is Born in Your Advertising
==========================================================
Guest article by
By Kahlia Hannah
http://MarketingHelp.NET
As Americans, we are obsessed with celebrities. We know who
the stars are dating, what their favorite foods are, and,
thanks to MTV Cribs, we even know the intimate details of
their home decorating styles.
With our paparazzi-like fixations on the famous, it is no
wonder ad campaigns involving celebrities are more
successful than any other type of advertising. Michael
Jordan says "Wear Hanes" and we do. Sarah Michelle Gellar
says "Use Maybelline cosmetics" and we buy the lot. Even
Carrot Top, considered by many to be the most repulsive and
annoying person ever to grace the screen, getsus to call
AT&T.
So how do these fun facts help you in your advertising? Let
me explain.
Unless you own Coca Cola, Pepsi, Verizon, or Kentucky Fried
Chicken, you probably can't afford to lay down a cool
million for celebrity advertising. Luckily, you don't have
to.
One way to get a celebrity in your ads is to use local
celebrities. This is a far cheaper, but still effective
strategy to get your prospects' attention.
Try a popular DJ, news reporter, politician, social figure
or merchant. Some of these people will jump at the chance to
be in your ad. An offer of $50 or $100 dollars will usually
do the trick
I am especially fond of using local DJs. We spend up to an
hour or more in our cars each day listening to these
characters, so we get a mental image of them locked in our
heads. In most cases, the DJ looks nothing like what you
imagined. When you see them on a commercial, you can't look
away, thinking, "I can't believe that's what he/she looks
like!" It's a great way to hold your viewers' attention.
But if you don't want to pay for a local celebrity, there is
an alternative that often works just as well. Become a
celebrity yourself!
This is not as difficult as it sounds. If people see your
face on television, billboards, and newspaper ads with
consistency, even though you are advertising your own
product or business, they will begin to consider you a
celebrity.
When people see you on the street or come into your store,
they will recognize you immediately. What is that, if not
fame?
I recently went to movie and found myself sitting next to a
local merchant who stared in his own commercials. I felt as
giddy as teenage girl at am N'Sync concert through the
entire movie. All he did was pay someone to shoot a
commercial with him in it, for crying out loud, but I was
still bragging about it to all my friends the next day.
Staring in one's own radio, TV, and newspaper ads has worked
for thousands of people just like you. It doesn't matter if
you are cross eyed, toothless, or speak with as much energy
as an aging hound dog. If Carrot Top can be famous, you can
too. And the more famous you are, the more successful your
advertising will be.
Kahlia Hannah provides marketing advice and popular
promotion packages. See her low-cost direct marketing and
press release deals at http://MarketingHelp.NET Reach
Kahlia at mailto:kahlia@drnunley.com or 801-328-9006.
===========================================================
Success Stories Needed
===========================================================
Tell us your success story and get a free one-hour audio
seminar (downloaded from our web site). Plus you could get
additional free publicity if we publish your story in this
ezine.
Email your stories directly to me at
mailto:successstories@get-free-publicity.com.
In doing so you grant permission for your story to be used
in an upcoming edition of this ezine or in a free ebook to
be offered to readers upon compilation.
You'll receive an email offering you a choice of audio
seminars within 24 hours after you send in your story.
============================================================
Sponsor Message
============================================================
Joan Stewart has authored a series of 39 "Special Reports"
that are a "must have" for anyone seeking free publicity
from the media. These reports are single-spaced, at least
five pages long, and go into incredible depth on each
topic. $7.00 each. Learn more by going to
http://www.get-free-publicity.com/specialreports.htm
============================================================
Affiliate Program
============================================================
Add another stream of income to your web site by offering
Academy resources to your customers, clients or readers.
Join our affiliate program. Generous revenue sharing.
http://www.get-free-publicity.com/affiliate.htm
============================================================
FREE ARTICLES FOR YOUR PUBLICATIONS
============================================================
We have many articles available for reprint in your
publication, company newsletter, etc. You may use
articles that you see in this ezine. Back issues
can be viewed at
http://www.get-free-publicity.com/backissues.htm
or
http://www.get-free-publicity.com/articlelist.htm
============================================================
SPONSOR MESSAGE
============================================================
Get a free weekly marketing tip directly from Marlon
Sanders. Sign up at
http://www.get-free-publicity.com/weeklytip.html
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GET FREE PUBLICITY
EZINE
October 3, 2002
Publisher:
http://www.get-free-publicity.com
Editor: George McKenzie
mailto:george@get-free-publicity.com
Copyright 2002 by George McKenzie
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