Can you help a reporter and get quoted in an article?

There's a free and easy way to learn about opportunities to be quoted in an article. It's Peter Shankman's "If I can help a reporter out" email list.

Sign up and you'll get several emails daily listing what reporters are looking for. The emails also give the reporter's contact information.

It's up to you to winnow out appropriate opportunities and contact the reporter. Please don't reply if you don't fit the reporter's needs. There's nothing more annoying to a reporter. Plus, you almost guarantee that reporter won't look to you as a source in the future.

Looking for magazines as PR targets?

Looking for magazines to pitch stories to?

Wooden Horse Publishing provides information--including editorial calendars--on magazines. You must pay to access their database. But their weekly e-newsletter is free.

Free e-book of publicity tips

Looking for some no-cost, yet high-quality publicity tips?

Check out The Best of the Publicity Hound's Tips of the Week 2006, a free e-book. The author writes one of the few blogs that I check regularly.

If any of her tips bring you publicity, please let me know.

________________________________
http://www.investmentwriting.com

M Metzger: "Wanna Be Quoted? Try Speaking English"

Are you speaking to reporters using the same language you speak with corporate co-workers?

If so, you're lowering the odds that the reporter will quote you.

Why?

First, the reporter may not understand what you're trying to say.

Second, if the reporter uses your information, she or he will probably need to restate your comment in words that readers will understand.

If you speak in plain, yet colorful language, you're more likely to attract a reporter

In "Wanna Be Quoted? Try Speaking English," which appeared in Bacon's The Navigator, Michelle Metzger of Entrust, Inc. gives some bad and good examples of how to speak with reporters. You can learn from her advice.

Joan Stewart, the Publicity Hound: "How to Create an Online Presskit the Media will Love"

Joan Stewart, the Publicity Hound, has made available a recording of "How to Create an Online Presskit the Media will Love." It's a recording of her interview of Drew Gerber on this topic.

Joan is also offering a free, 89-part email course on "89 Ways to Write Powerful Press Releases." You can sign up at http://www.PublicityHound.com/pressreleasetips/art.htm

H Stimpson: PR pinball—how one placement can lead to another

An article by PR expert Henry Stimpson follows below.


Obtaining media coverage is like planting seeds. Seed the media with ideas and cultivate relationships, and some of the seeds will sprout. And a blossom in one medium can lead to powerful propagation in another.

For financial advisor Frank Congemi, we wrote and pitched a story idea on financial gerontology and what Registered Financial Gerontologists like Frank do to help their clients. It resulted in a feature article in the New York Post.

Where do TV reporters get most of their story ideas from? They read newspapers. The Post article attracted the attention of a reporter at the NBC TV affiliate in New York City. The resulting feature-length story on Channel 4 featured both Frank and two of his clients—an even better placement. Frank posted the video on his Web site, and you can view it at http://www.stimpsoncommunications.com/prplacements.html

Here’s another example. We placed a bylined article on equity-indexed annuities in InvestmentNews, a top trade magazine, for Mitchell Maynard, owner of MCP Premium, a software company. A reporter at Dow Jones News Service read the article, interviewed Mitch and put out a national wire story prominently quoting him as an expert.

Cross-fertilization works, and the beauty of it is that is usually happens on its own.

www.stimpsoncommunications.com
508-647-0705

Get online publicity for your book

Thinking about writing a book to help promote your business?

Sandy Beckwith, whom I mentioned below, recommends Steven Van Yoder's Get Slightly Famous website as a resource.

I enjoyed his article on "Should You Write a Book?"

Guide to Writing Press Releases

Thinking of drafting a press release for your business?

Check out this website for links to some resources.

Article PR

I first learned about "article PR" from copywriter Jonathan Kranz's blog.

His latest post, "New rules of articles, too" talks about the value of posting articles to sites such as Ezinearticles or Goarticles. The reader comments on his post talk about the experiences that some of them have had with this technique.

Steve's article prompted me to sign up for a subscription to Article PR eNews, where there's an interesting article on article PR.

This is something you'll probably hear more about.