Hi Simon,

I think you come up with some very interesting ideas.... :)

I guess the whole point of a news release is to have something newsworthy. Even if it's not directly about your product!

Here's what Joe Cossman and Bill Cohen say are the 3 things you need for effective publicity.... In a nutshell, they say:

1. It's got to be news! You can give your product a twist and make it newsworthy -- this is the sort of thing you've been getting at, Simon, with some great ideas (in my opinion). :)

2. You must appeal to a specific market segment or target audience. So, be sure to target the right people who are likely to be interested in your product or service.

3. Use the right outlet for your publicity. That means contacting the right business or consumer magazine, newsletter, radio, or TV show, which will reach your target audience....

I've summarized this from "Making It!" by E. Joseph Cossman and William A. Cohen, pp. 138-139.

I believe that Joe Cossman is the genius on coming up with a new "twist" on a product or publicity release. He's even managed to succeed greatly with products that others had failed with, but coming up with a completely new "twist." (Though not with everything -- like everybody, he had his failures too....)

Joe Cossman tells some great stories about how he's come up with new "twists" for both his publicity and his products.

One story concerns a product he was exclusively promoting, called "Fly Cake." It was a block of substance that attracted flies, and killed them once they landed on it.

Just after he started to promote Fly Cake, Joe Cossman read a feature article in the Wall Street Journal. The article described how the US Army was getting rid of flies -- by de-sexing them so they couldn't breed.

After reading that, Joe Cossman wrote a tongue-in-cheek letter to the Wall Street Journal. It was very indignant. Part of what Joe Cossman wrote said,

"Why take away the flies' last pleasure? Let them eat cake, Fly Cake, before they die!"

His letter appeared on the front page of the Wall Street Journal -- a great piece of free publicity for his product!

You can see Joe Cossman's web site at www.cossman.com -- but be warned, it's pretty basic. It looks like Joe Cossman's products are now being handled by his son Howard....

Thanks, Simon!

Dien