The puppy on my desk

I just sent out the latest issue of my publicity ezine. At the end of the issue I mentioned that I have a sick, 8-week-old puppy wrapped in my fleece sweatpants, sitting on my desk like a little ornament.

Within minutes of sending out that issue I started receiving requests to post her photo.

Good idea! Here she is.

Her name is Dagney. Yep, after the main character in Ayn Rand's incredible book, Atlas Shrugged. Dagney has had a rough few weeks of her new life.

We got her in two weeks ago. I've developed an incredibly sharp sense of picking up when things aren't right with dogs. As soon as I saw Dagney, I felt something was wrong. She was acting perfectly normal. Running around, eating, pooping (that's an important one), etc.

I still wasn't happy.

I ran a test for Parvo on her. Eight minutes later it came back posititive.

Parvo is a viral disease in puppies that's fatal over 80% of the time.

Within 10 minutes I had her, her brother and sister at the vet.

Five days later, all three came back to our kennel, all alive and well because we picked up the problem so early.

Then Dagney came down with kennel cough - a fairly routine, cold-like disease in dogs.

So, I gave her her medicine, wrapped her up in my sweat pants and propped her up in front of me while I work on my computer.

I'll keep you posted on how Dagney is doing.

But before I close I want to thank Dr. Richard Orzeck, a veterinarian from upstate New York, who let me know about the 8-minute Parvo test. So far, the tests he sent me have saved the lives of seven puppies. Pretty powerful stuff!

That's it for now. Dagney wants some attention.

The problem with B-to-B

You probably have heard the terms B-to-B (business-to-business) and B-to-C (business-to-consumer). People talk about them like they are very different. Some people say "I'm in a B-to-B business".

Not only is that's wrong, it can be a significant problem for you and your business. It can be costing you a bundle of money.

There is no such thing as B-to-B. ALL businesses are B-to-C. Your customer may be a business owner, but he is still a customer. He may be buying business supplies, printing, telephone equipment - whatever. He is still a customer.

What does this have to do with publicity?

Many people feel they can get publicity in trade journals. They send press releases to specific publications that are read by owners of businesses in that field. For example, they may send press releases about computers to publications read by printers.

Good idea. Trade publications are great sources of publicity.

The problem is that the person sending the press release assumes that the printers understand a lot about the computers because they are business owners.

Big mistake. Yes, they may be business owners, but they own printing businesses, not computer businesses. They probably know very little about computers. They probably know even less about how computers can help their business.

If you send out press releases to trade publications assuming the people reading them are business owners, so they will understand more than a "regular consumer", you'll miss the target, miss publicity opportunities and miss out on profits.

There is no difference whatsoever between businesses and consumers - they are all consumers. Some consumers also own businesses.

Don't fall into that trap. When you write your press releases to trade publications, always visualize the business owners as your customers - which they are.

Next time I'm going to tell you why I despise Paris Hilton - and why I admire her.

My annual Turkey Shoot is done

Thanksgiving is over. Hope yours was as good as mine.

Lots of friends and family. Loads of laughs. Plenty of food. A pile of delicious leftovers.

But the first thing I did on Thanksgiving day was an annual, important event in my life - my annual Turkey Shoot.

Here are the details:

Every one of us has people in our life who try to bring us down. Maybe they ridicule you. Maybe they're negative thinkers. Maybe they remind you of your failures over and over. Maybe they tell you over and over to stop dreaming and start being realistic.

They're turkeys. Being an animal lover, I hate giving such a negative stereotype to an animal that doesn't deserve it, but society has taken over the word and used it to define people who shouldn't be in your life. The whiners. The complainers. The people who come up with endless excuses for their pitiful positions in life. The losers.

They have no place in my life - or yours.

Thus, the Turkey Shoot.

I have a database file of all of my friends, business associates, vendors, etc. Every Thanksgiving morning I go through that file, looking for turkeys. Looking for the people who are trying to hold me back. People who are getting in the way of me moving ahead.

I then press the "delete" button on my computer - and they're out of my life. I make the deletion permanent. All of their contact information is gone with just one button. I don't keep any backups in case I change my mind.

As I'm going through my database, the turkeys jump out at me. They're very obvious.

They're trouble - for you, for me, for our success.

Zap! They're gone.

I don't make any announcement. I told tell the turkeys they're out of my life. They just don't hear from me again.

It's like pulling a thorn out of my foot. I instantly feel better.

Last year I zapped one especially aggravating "friend". The second I pressed that "delete" button, I felt the thorn come out of my foot. My life was noticeably better this past year.

You have to do the same thing. Get rid of the petty, jealous, negative, bitter, angry people in your life. Even though Thanksgiving has just past, you can still have your own Turkey Shoot any time you'd like.

So, get your delete finger ready. Or get your eraser ready. Or whatever you need to permanently get the losers out of your life. Then, next year, let me know how much better this coming year was.

Next time I'll tell you why the whole concept of business-to-business (b-to-b) is not only false, it's dangerous. Of course, I'll tell you how it relates to your publicity campaigns - and how it can be doing damage to them.

The publicity book you've got to read or suffer the consequences

I hope you're having a good Thanksgiving. Dinner is still a little while off for me, so I've got some time to talk with you.

Last time I told you about a publicity book you've got to read. Better yet, keep it in your library and read it every once in a while.

It's about advertising and publicity. It's all about how traditional advertising is increasing in cost and decreasing in response - how the trend has been heading this way for a long time. And it's getting worse.

The title of the book is "The Fall of Advertising and the Rise of PR". It's by Al and Laura Ries.

You won't learn anything about how to get publicity, how to write press releases, etc. That's not the purpose of the book.

The whole premise of the book is that traditional advertising is going to continue to be more costly while being less effective. Business owners who don't learn how to get and use publicity will be at a very strong disadvantage. It's going to take an enormous bank account to be able to pay for enough traditional advertising to keep a business afloat and growing.

Publicity, on the other hand, is free - or at worst very, very inexpensive.

I show my publicity students how to get nationwide publicity campaigns out for about $10.

Get the book. Read it. Learn the lessons it teaches you and then put them into action.

Next, I'm going to tell you about an annual Thanksgiving tradition I have. Been doing it for many, many years.

I call it a turkey shoot.

Now don't get your undies in a bundle. You know how much of an animal lover I am. This has nothing to do with shooting turkeys - or any other animal for that matter.

It's something you should - no must - be doing.

Don't miss it.

Have a wonderful holiday.

How to Become a Celebrity, Instantly

One of my great frustrations is that only a tiny percentage of business owners - as well as non-business owners for that matter - clearly understand how important publicity is, not only to their businesses, but also to their lives.

Sure, it's fun to be on radio and TV, in newspapers and magazines.

Yep, it brings in new customers you probably never would have had.

And you can't beat the cost of getting publicity - essentially free.

But the real power of publicity is it's ability to instantly turn you into a celebrity.

You don't have to do anything special to obtain that celebrity status. It's automatic.

The general public sees anyone who's on TV or radio as a celebrity. The same goes for articles that appear in newspapers and magazines.

Once again, it may not make sense that the public sees you as a celebrity when you appear in the media, but it is what it is. Take full advantage of it.

If you're a typical grocer with a small, local shop, but you're on TV every Friday for 2 minutes talking about how to make great winter salads, or which produce is the best value that week, etc. you're no longer a typical grocer. You're a celebrity grocer.

If you're a typical real estate agent, but you're interviewed on radio about the current downturn in the real estate market and what to do about it, you're no longer a typical real estate agent. You're a celebrity real estate agent.

Don't believe me?

Well, what if you saw your grocer on TV one day. What would you say to him when you saw him next? I'll guarantee you'll say: "Hey, I saw you on TV last night. I didn't know my grocer is a celebrity!"

I don't care what business, service or professional practice you're in. If you learn how to get and use publicity correctly, you'll immediately rise above your competition and become the celebrity in your field.

The key to the success of this is consistency. You can't expect to send out one press release and hit it big. This is no genie in a bottle.

But if you learn how to get and use publicity and you do it on a consistent basis, your chances of success rise phenomenally.

There's a book you've got to read. It's on my bookshelf. I've gone through it over and over. It's all about how critical it is to you to learn and use publicity. I see dozens of copies of the book on alibris, half.com and Amazon for as little as $1.99.

I'll tell you all about that book next time. (Nice cliffhanger, eh?)

Hold The Presses - A Hot Breaking News Story!

Just as I finished the last post, I saw a sizzlingly hot, major news story. It's a story that could have a huge impact on your life. This story is so important, it's at the very top of Yahoo News. It's the featured story at the very, very top of the page.

Here's the news:

Katherine McPhee, the American Idol runner-up, 23 years old, is engaged.

Yes, it's true. Katherine is engaged.

That's the news story that bumped every other news story off the top of Yahoo's news page.

I've never heard of Katherine McPhee. But I may just be out of touch.

I do notice, though, that she didn't win American Idol. She was just a runner-up.

She didn't even get married. She just got engaged.

Here's another one of those entertainer stories that drives me crazy. Entertainers get engaged as often as I take a breath. And this story tops all the other news taking place in the world!

Do you see the incredible power of celebrity? Do you also see how starved media people are for good stories?

OK, enough of this rant. Next time I promise I'll tell you how you can easily attain celebrity status.

I'm going to take my dogs for a long walk. Who knows, by the time I get back, McPhee may have broken her engagement and gotten engaged to another entertainer. I'll check the top of Yahoo news for that one.

Credential Society vs. Celebrity Society - Part 2

We left off talking about how celebrity status has more of an impact on most people than credentials do.

Let me give you a current example.

Jenny McCarthy recently came out with a book about her autistic son. In her book, McCarthy claims that her son got autism because of the MMR vaccine (measles, mumps, rubella). Specifically, she claims the mercury in the vaccine caused the problem.

Mercury was removed from vaccines in 2001. McCarthy's son was born in 2002.

In her book she also talks about the hepatitis C vaccine and how it seriously damaged a friend's child.

There is no hepatitis C vaccine.

Those are just two of the inconsistencies.

Now keep in mind that, to my knowledge, Jenny McCarthy has absolutely no background in medicine, science or anything related. In fact, I'm not sure what McCarthy has done beyond pose nude in Playboy and appear on a TV reality show.

But please don't let facts get in the way of hysteria.

Because of what McCarthy claims, thundering herds of parents are telling their pediatricians that they don't want their children vaccinated because they don't want their children getting autism.

Incredible!

It's got to be driving the pediatricians nuts. They spend 10 years plus in training and some minor "celebrity" overrules their knowledge and experience.

As I mentioned in my previous post, you may not like it - I hate it - but it's a fact.

It happens all the time. Some TV or movie actor makes some claims about health, the environment, global warming, etc. and huge numbers of people believe them, simply because they are "celebrities" (even that word rubs me the wrong way).

What does this have to do with your efforts to get publicity?

Simple.

In order to get the maximum value from your publicity, you have to become a celebrity.

Whoa, Nellie. Don't get worried. Don't get upset. It's a whole lot easier than you ever imagined.

And I'll explain it next time.

Credential Society vs. Celebrity Society

Throughout civilization we have been a credential society.

By that I mean that whenever we chose someone to deal with - for example a physician, accountant, financial planner, etc. - we would look at their credentials. Do they have the appropriate licenses, where did they go to school, were they at the top of their class, have they won awards, etc.?

Publicity had it's role. Press agents had a very different role than today. Press releases were used, but not to the scale they're used today.

In the 1980's that began to change.

In the 1990's the change was almost complete.

Today, we are no longer a credential society. We are a celebrity-obsessed society.

It makes no difference whether or not the celebrity has any training, background, experience, etc. in that field. The only thing that matters is that the person is a celebrity.

And when I say "celebrity" I'm not talking about a celebrity physician, accountant, financial planner, etc. I'm talking about the people who act on soap operas, TV reality shows, etc.

Now you may not like the idea. You may hate the idea.

That's an emotional response. Irrelevant!

It's today's reality.

I'll have an infuriating example for you next. And I'll show you how this all pertains to free publicity, your press releases and how it affects you and your business.

Stay tuned.

A Story Handed To You On A Plate

A news story just came out about how Britney Spears is making $700,000 A MONTH (!) and is not saving a cent.

Hey all you folks in the financial services field, you should have a field day with this story! You should jump on this national news story and give your opinion, give her some advice, give advice to other people who haven't saved a cent, etc. Reporters will love that story and in return they'll help promote your business for you.

Sweet deal!

You folks in the psychology field (and a bunch of other fields) can grab on to this story too.

Just today, between 1 PM and 2 PM I saw fourteen great stories you folks could jump on, almost regardless of the field you're in. Publicity opportunities are all around you, every minute of the day.

More to follow.

Emotional Response vs. Reality Response

It sure didn't take long for me to find a story to write about here. And one that teaches an incredibly powerful lesson about free publicity.

I was just on Yahoo and saw that Elisabeth Hasselbeck is going to announce the name of her newborn son on "The View".

Now I'm not exactly sure who Hasselbeck is aside from being on "The View".

The astonishing thing - no, the three astonishing things are:

1) that the idea of Hasselbeck is going to "announce" the name of her son on TV

but more incredibly

2) that this is seen as a news story

and even more incredibly

3) that anyone at all cares!

Now for the very powerful publicity lesson...

What I just gave you above is an emotional response. It wasn't a reality-based response.

The reality is that it IS a news story and people DO care. It is what it is.

So many people make emotional decisions and act on them instead of looking at the reality and acting on that.

The reality is that we have become a celebrity-obsessed society. Not just in America. All around the world.

You may not like it. I hate it. But the truth is the truth. It is what it is.

I'm focusing a lot of time on teaching my clients how to use that obsession to their best advantage in getting publicity. We're weaving that principle into press releases, media interviews and all publicity efforts.

More on this to come.

I Can't Believe It's A Hartunian Blog!

Well, it's time for me to join the 21st century and get a blog going. It took a while for me to be convinced of the value of a blog, but I'm on the train now.

So, from time to time I'll be posting right here.

Most of the time I'll be talking about how to get publicity, write press releases, do media interviews and use the free publicity you get.

Sometime, though, I'll post some philosophy that I know will help you on your road to success.

And once in a while I may post an out and out rant.

Anyway you look at it, I'm going to keep this blog darned interesting.

Whew, I'm exhausted from writing this first entry. I gotta take a nap.

I'll be back with more soon.