Welcome back to another year of buzz building opportunities! I'm excited to connect with you all for another year of sharing monthly stories and hot topics you can incorporate into your PR campaign tha the press will find simply irresistible! I also wanted to give a shout out to all of you who I've seen taking ideas given during our TuneUps and using them to raise your visibility and connect with your current and future brand audience (customers, clients, newsletter readers, blog followers).  I've seen your posts and your udpates and your newsletters reflecting what you've learned and I'm so pumped you're taking action on all these ideas! Namely:

• RestoPresto created a newsletter campaign to run prior to and during the Golden Globes that promised free shipping if Jon Hamm (Don Draper from Mad Men). Well he won!
• Our very own co-founder Katie may pitch her local blog to local TV for a walking shopping segment for Valentine's Day gift ideas.

The best things not only come to those who try but those who DO SOMETHING!

Now to help you do something more for your publicity in 2015 here are a few "what to pitch" ideas to get your buzz building motors running!

AWARDS SEASON

Awards season is upon us.  You may have seen the Golden Globes last night and they kick off a season of awards, from Oscars to other smaller shows like the Independent Spirit Awards. That means that people are aflutter about all things Hollywood, movies, and big name stars. Whether or not your'e actually working with them directly in your business is not something that impacts where or not you pitch a story around Awards Season, your only limit is your creativity and your ability to create a story idea that makes sense in terms of the angle (don't make it too much of a stretch) and makes sense in terms of it being something that will produce press that benefits your business and bottom line. 

Here are some "short lead" examples of ways you can get publicity from Awards Season. Remember you're pitching to short lead press like blogs, TV and weeklies!

• Awards Season Fashion
• How to Get a Hollywood Hot Body
• DIY Awards Viewing Party decor and recipes
• Find a theme of one of the big movies making the rounds during Awards Season and tie your expertise or business to it. For example, a doctor could talk about the medical facts behind the movie concussion or how at risk high school football players are.
• Create promotional deals and offers tied to whether or not a certain celebrity wins an award.
• A mediatation or yoga expert could talk about how stars lower stress during Awards Season.

What happens when you successfully tie your business or expertise to a hot topic like Awards Season? Great publicity.  In fact, here's an example of it right now...Check out Brittney Levine, an in-demand on-air expert as she teased out (last night) her upcoming appearance talking about Golden Globes fashion on WPIX in New York City.  Learn from Brittney.  Be like Brittney. Brittney is a Buzz Building Baller.

VALENTINE'S DAY

Get All Up On Those Valentines' Day Topics

I know it feels like pitching Holiday Gift Guides just ended but let me tell you, as I can see from the Tin Shingle PR Leads that members are replying to this week, the blogs and television shows are already pulling products and experts for Valentine's Day stories.

This means that you have a gift idea, or a set of tips that are related to Valentine's Day now is the time to reach out and connect with the short lead press (television, online, newspaper, radio) that have an audience would would be interested in what you have to offer.  Here are a few more PR golden nuggets to help you land some great Valentine's Day publicity:

• If you have a product you want to get in an on-air gift guide (recommended products shared on air) be sure that you're reaching out to the on-air experts who are the ones creating and hosting those segments.
• Be sure the gifts you have to offer are actually suitable for Valentine's Day and not something you're trying to squeeze into a gift guide that is off topic.
• Have tips? Share them! Don't think your expertise is suitable for Valentine's Day segments? Here are story ideas I've seen get press in the past that might just prove you wrong!
  • Fashion expert talked about the perfect outfits for Valentine's Dates.
  • Psychologist talked about how to deal with feelings of loss after divorce and break ups around this holiday.
  • Doctor talked about the health benefits of kissing.
  • Event planner talked about throwing an Anti-Valentine's Day party
• Finally - don't leave your social fans hanging - offer them a Valentine's Day promo just for following your Twitter, Instagram, your Facebook or your newsletter!

THINK END OF SPRING & EARLY SUMMER

The long lead magazines who are sprinting 3 to 6 months ahead of the rest of us are already starting to close their spring issues and move onto early summer.  What does this mean to you buzz builder?  It means planning ahead and pitching ahead including story ideas about:

• All the new products you need for this change of season (from summer fashion and beauty to summer must-haves)
• Tips to keep you healthy, happy and better (in every and all ways) this summer
• For some magazines who are still at the end of spring you may be able to squeeze some Mother's Day pitches in - but act fast - those babies fill up fast!

Want to be sure you're always on top of what you should be pitching for the new month? Join us on our What to Pitch TuneUps which are held the first Wednesday of every month, online, on camera and are absolutely free!  Pencil it in your calendar!

TEMPLATES THAT MAKE PR PLANNING EASIER

Tin Shingle has two templates that make this PR planning a lot easier and actually fun:

• The Media Outreach Tracking Sheet Template
  This template helps you plot who you are going to pitch, and during which month of the year.
  Get it now
• The Blog Planning and Production Calendar
  Using your business blog to create your own content is a terrific strategy for creating buzz about your brand - using these very ideas you just read about! When people are Googling for things you have blogged about, it is the blog post at your blog that may come up for them, leading these people to buy from your website. We have collected over 250 ideas that will work all year, and put the in a monthy calendar that is organized by each month and day of the year. Brainstorm and plan ahead!
  Get it now