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The Tip Sheet
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issue of : December 2004
- Quotation of the Month
- PTA - PTA Prepares You to Play: Media Preparation/Presentation Skills (NEW)
- Surfin' - Great websites - Reference Site, How Stuff Works, Statistics for Press Releases, Elements of Style
- What Have You Done For Me Lately? - Our latest media bookings
- Tips From the Top - Our monthly advice column: Networking Magic
- Look What's Coming Up - A calendar of upcoming events
- Meet Producers from Top National Media - January 26th -29th in New York City
- Putting a Face on PTA - An interview with PTA team member Heather Williams
Quotation of the Month
"I take the view and always have, that if you cannot say what you are going to say in twenty minutes you ought to go away and write a book about it."
—Lord Brabazon
If you've got a great quote you want to share, send it to us at kohand@plannedtvarts.com. Thanks!
PTA
From the press release to the pitch, PTA's expertise is in knowing what the media wants and how to package it. Securing the media, however, is only half of the battle. Then you or your author/spokesperson has to actually do the interview. How prepared are you? Can you complete the ultimate goal of a book sale or convincing the audience of your message?
Ensure your success with media training. David Thalberg, Senior Vice-President with P.T.A., has media trained many authors and corporate spokespeople: those preparing for a media tour, an executive board meeting, sales presentations and more.
We offer four different programs depending on your needs:
- FULL DAY PROGRAM - This is an intensive program that will cover all elements of media and presentation training, including developing and clarifying key message points.
- HALF-DAY PROGRAM - A three-hour session is designed to improve media and/or presentation skills of your author/spokespeople. Focus will be on how to best present your key messages and to keep the attention of your audience.
- TWO HOUR INTENSIVE SESSION - A program designed for one participant.
- ONE HOUR TRAINING SESSION VIA TELEPHONE - A general refresher for a spokesperson not traveling to New York City
Remember, it's our reputation on the line as well.
For more information, contact: David Thalberg @ 212.593.5875, Thalbergd@plannedtvarts.com
Surfin'
Talk about one-stop shopping! www.refdesk.com has it all. This amazing site links to just about everywhere. Need to locate the top 10 U.S. Newspapers, a political cartoon or headlines of the day? What about locating the National Do Not Call Registry, the BBC or a Thesaurus? Or maybe just ask the Fact Site Desk a question you need answered? They call themselves the "single best source for facts on the NET." We believe them.
For the insatiably curious or for those of us with inquisitive kids, www.howstuffworks.com is incredible. This eye-pleasing site is easy to navigate and very, very interesting. We went to look up "How radio works?" and an hour later we'd discovered "How pop-up turkey timers work", "How a new pill from France fights obesity and smoking", "How hangovers work", and "How instant messaging works." All in the name of "How the Tip Sheet Works!" So the next time your boss says, "How does this *#$% copier work?" You know where to go for the answer.
Are you in need of a statistic to jazz up a press release? Try www.census.gov. It's a natural place to start your search. They have quite a lot of information available including statistics on Hispanic and African American cultures, economic and business statistics. Just be careful when quoting the stats, some of the information is a few years old.
At times, the spelling and grammar checks on your computer are not enough to answer questions about writing style. The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr., is a classic guidebook for writers. It is available online at http://www.bartleby.com/141/index.html.
What Have You Done For Me Lately?
Here's a sampling of our latest bookings. They do not include all of the bookings for each campaign just the highlights.
In Style: Getting Gorgeous (Time Inc. Home Entertainment)
People Magazine
Washington Post
Arizona Republic
New York Daily News
Overachievement: The New Model for Exceptional Performance by John Eliot, Ph.D. (Portfolio/Penguin)
Wall Street Journal
We Got Fired! by Harvey Mackay (Ballantine Books) In addition to the bookings we posted last month we have also now secured:
USA Today
CNBC, "Power Lunch"
SantaKid and London Bridges by James Patterson (Little Brown and CO.) The following are some bookings from the Satellite Television Tour:
| Detroit, MI | WJBK-FOX |
| Minneapolis, MN | WCCO-CBS |
| Denver, CO | KUSA-NBC |
| Milwaukee, WI | WISN-ABC |
Tips From the Top
An excerpt from Rick's new book NETWORKING MAGIC: Find the Best - from Doctors, Lawyers, and Accountants to Homes, Schools, and Jobs by Rick Frishman & Jill Lublin.
Survey Says - Networking Don'ts
In our research for this book, we asked a wide range of experienced networkers what they thought were the most important things to avoid when networking. The most frequently expressed responses are listed below in no particular order of importance.
- Don't act desperate.
- Don't sell.
- Don't monopolize.
- Don't ask too soon for help.
- Don't solicit competitors.
- Don't show off or brag.
- Don't interrupt.
- Don't just talk about you.
- Don't play it by ear.
- Don't misrepresent yourself.
- Don't promise what you can't deliver.
- Don't pry.
- Don't linger with losers and "hangers-on".
- Don't overextend.
- Don't be discouraged.
Look What's Coming Up
These are dates that just might relate to a Morning Drive or Satellite TV Tour topic:
| African American History Month | |
| American Heart Month | |
| 1st | Car Insurance First Issued (1898) |
| 1st | First Session of the Supreme Court (1790) |
| 2nd | Babe Ruth voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame (1936) |
| 2nd | Groundhog Day |
| 8th | Jules Verne Birthday (1828) |
| 9th | Chinese New Year |
| 10th | "All the News That's Fit To Print" Anniversary (1897) |
| 11th-12th | FINA Swimming World Cup (New York) |
| 13th | AFC/NFC Pro Bowl (Honolulu) |
| 12th | Abraham Lincoln's Birthday (1809) |
| 14th | Valentine's Day |
| 15th | Baseball Spring Training Begins |
| 18th-20th | Luge World Championships (Park City, UT) |
| 20th | Daytona 500 (Auto Racing) |
| 21st | President's Day |
| 22nd | George Washington's Birthday (1732) |
March 2005
| American Red Cross Month | |
| Irish-American Heritage Month | |
| National Nutrition Month | |
| National Women's History Month | |
| Save Your Vision Week (First Week of March) | |
| 1st | Lindbergh Baby Kidnapping Anniversary (1932) |
| 1st | Yellowstone National Park Established (1872) |
| 2nd | Read Across America Day |
| 2nd | Dr. Suess (Theodor Geisel) Birthday (1904) |
| 14th | Albert Einstein Birthday (1879) |
| 17th | St. Patrick's Day |
| 20th | First Day of Spring |
| 20th | Palm Sunday |
| 25th | Good Friday |
| 27th | Easter |
| 30th | "Jeopardy" TV Premier (1964) |
Meet Producers from Top National Media
Wednesday, January 26th - Saturday, January 29th in New York City
Want Big-Time Publicity? Attend Steve Harrison's National Publicity Summit in N.Y.C., January 26th -29th and personally meet over 70 top writers and producers for major magazines and TV shows like ABC's The View, 48 Hours, CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, Family Circle, Alternative Health, Live With Regis & Kelly, Time magazine and more.
One of the people who attended last year got on MSNBC as a result of attending the Summit. Another got a photo shoot with Jane magazine only a few weeks later. Rick will be there and you should be too!
Go to: http://www.nationalpublicitysummit.com/info.html?10065 for more information.
Putting a Face on PTA
Senior Publicist Heather Williams has been with PTA for 5 1/2 years, coming from Bloomsburg University, where she majored in Mass Communications. You might see the tall and slender single gal on the softball field with the Killer Bees. This Manhattanite enjoys yoga, weight-lifting, music and reading. She sat down with The Tip Sheet for this interview:
What do you like best about your job/PTA?
I enjoy working with books. I learn different things everyday...topics I may not explore on my own. I also enjoy pitching. I have a love-hate relationship with the phone now.
What would you do if you weren't here?
Demolition???
If you could work for the news media, who would it be with?
WBAI-FM.
What do few people know about you?
I'm in bed by 11 pm ...and up at 5:45 am.
Biggest accomplishment professionally or personally?
Riding a bike in Manhattan.
Who is your hero?
I respect a lot of people, but I can't think of a hero.
Most embarrassing moment?
Right now, I'm blushing.
Thing you're most proud of?
My independence.
Please list a few major bookings? Big accounts you've worked on?
Recently, I was working with People Magazine and best-selling novelist Dean Koontz.