Lori Bittenbender Public Relations 2008 Year in Review

I'm taking advantage of the slower work week to do some New Year's de-cluttering. I went through our entire house and filled 6 bags of items and donated them to Goodwill. Gotta donate them for the 2008 taxes!

Yesterday I tackled my desk. I'm enjoying the clean, organized energy.

I went through my filing cabinets and tossed a ton of paper work. Shredded a ton of stuff. Most things are electronically filed today anyway.

My bookcase is cleaned and organized.

This morning I updated my 2008 taxes.

I'm ready to start 2009!

But before we head there, here's a look at what I accomplished for my clients in 2008.

• I secured almost 50 media hits!
• Posted close to 170 blogs.
• Created and distributed more than 30 electronic newsletters.

I've only lost 1 client due to the economy, but gained three more!

God has truly blessed me and my family. I'm so thankful to be able to work from home and still be with my daughter.

Here's to a successful 2009!

You Know You're a WAHM

You know you’re a WAHM…

Whew! A series of events happened all at once yesterday. Things get done with a WAHM, just not in the traditional sense of working 8 – 5, behind a desk while the kids are with a care-provider.

• I’m experiencing my first sinus infection with throbbing pain in my numb, sensitive teeth. The pain radiates up to my cheekbones, temple and ear.
• I get a call from a colleague/client who is on vacation. She needs my emergency help to coordinate some interview questions for a reporter and the client I assist her with. I’m glad to help out.
• I leave messages with both the reporter and client.
• My daughter breaks out in hives for the 5th time in 3-days and the doctor says to call their office if it happens again. I call the office. They have an appointment in 45 minutes. I vow to make it.
• I look out the garage and hubby has the truck with the car seat.
• Get me and daughter bundled up.
• Call fitness center and ask them to tell hubby to come home.
• Race out the door with daughter and instructions to have reporter/client call my cell phone.
• Have to cover the seat with a random towel in the car because of hubby’s sweat puddle.
  Make it to the doctor appointment.
• Make it back home. In laws have arrived and let them admire the daughter while I check voicemails and emails.
• Reporter’s deadline is immediate so I call client and get questions answered.
• Type up responses and send them to reporter.
• Call colleague/client who is on vacation to tell her all it well and reporter should have everything she needs to complete her story.
• Go give daughter hugs and kisses for bed. Daddy and in-laws have done bath and book duty.
  
  Whew! Made it!

You Know You're a WAHM

When your daughter, who is not quite 2, announces to her play group that she has a meeting.

She's not even 2 and knows the word "meeting!"

When mommy has a meeting Daddy and daughter get to eat "fun" food like Sonic or chicken strips and baked beans.

I feel very blessed that my work breaks can include play time with other kids and moms.

Have a "You Know You're a WAHM" story? I'll be glad to share it along with a link to your website and your photo/logo. Email your story to me for consideration: lori at lbpublicrelations dot com.

Media Hit!

CBS Morning News, Tuesday, December 9, 2008

The Beauty Buzz, Hottest Skin Care Gift Ideas

I pitched, and pitched this segment thinking it was so relevant and timely. Everyone wants to look younger for the holidays! I was just about to put the pitch to bed, when I heard from two producers. Yeah!

This same segment was also featured on Saturday's NBC morning news. I'm thankful for clients who get up at 5 a.m. on a Saturday to do a TV interview!

Here's the segment from Tuesday on CBS.

You Know You're a WAHM

This is a guest submission from fellow work-from-home mom, Jessica, Creator of Mom Fuse.

Mom Fuse is a resource for moms and an online magazine. They feature recipes, provide honest product reviews, have lots of give-aways, showcase some fabulous finds, and help promote moms who own their own business.

You Know You're A WAHM When...

"When you're checking email and responding to them while feeding your child (in my case children. I have 4 month old twins) and listening to your husband ask, 'I'm hungry, what's for lunch?' Also in that time the phone is ringing, the dog needs to go outside, and you realize you've been watching the Disney channel all day."

To submit your WAHM story, please send an email to lori at lbpublicrelations dot com.

Happy Thanksgiving

Instead of sending my clients Christmas cards, I send them Thanksgiving cards. I am so grateful for their support in helping me to be a work-from-home mom. I express my gratitude in a hand-written note within a Thanksgiving card.

As a work-from-home mom, I am thankful for...

• My clients!
• Media professionals who interview my clients and invite them on air, or place their stories in print.
• Media professionals who offer honest feedback when my story ideas aren't going to work.
• Fellow PR professionals who I bounce ideas off of and share resources.
• My computer and Internet access!
• Quick recovery when the Internet goes down.
• Clients who pay quickly!
• HARO - for all the free emails from reporters looking for sources to interview.
• The opportunity to be creative through writing press releases, pitch letters as well as blog and print articles.
• God - for protecting my business and always providing hope.

Happy Thanksgiving!

How to draw traffic to your website

I recently received this email:
I'm not sure what is available to me as a WAHM with my own internet retail site. I do blog, and I do have a newsletter, but what else can I do to help me gain more traffic (it has been gaining traffic since I opened (in Feb 2008), but I'm thinking that I may have hit a wall lately. I do my own SEO work, but wonder if I'm missing a big piece of the puzzle?

Here’s my tips about drawing traffic to your website.

The great thing about internet marketing is that we no longer have to rely on traditional media (newspapers, magazines, TV) to publicize our message. We can now market directly to our customers. However, the internet is not a one-way marketing vehicle. Use the various sources within the internet to develop relationships and position yourself as an expert. Social marketing should be done on a regular basis. You can’t just create a blog or MySpace account and forget about them. You must use them regularly. Link back to your website as often as possible when creating and using all of these social media sites.

Blogs
If you have a blog (which all companies should have a blog), search other blogs, read them and make genuine comments. If you have a babywearing business, read and comment on the blogs of pregnant women and women with babies. If you have a cake company, read the blogs of chocoholics and those who love to bake. You can read more about the powerful marketing effects of blogging on my website.

Forums/Yahoo Groups
There are many forums and or groups within your community or in the internet world. Does your city have a forum? Mine has 380 Guide. My community has a forum specifically for moms. Whatever your niche or target market there is a web forum out there where people are talking about your type of products. I suggest you become a member and these forums or Yahoo Groups and participate in the conversations. Don’t use the forums to directly sell your product, but provide your expertise when members have questions pertaining to your industry.

MySpace/FaceBook
According to MySpace for Dummies, “A social networking site is a site that allows users to create individual profiles in hopes of making contact with other site users that share similar interests of goals.” Businesses that create profiles on MySpace or Facebook have an excellent opportunity to generate a lot of “grass roots buzz.”

Traditional marketing tactics have always been a release-it-and-forget it process: place an ad, run a TV commercial, post a billboard. With on-line media outlets like MySpace and Facebook, it’s a two-way communication process. You simply can’t just create a MySpace page and hope for friends. It’s important to use the “tools” within each site to build relationships. Ideas include commenting on your friends’ pages, creating your own videos and posting them on your profile page, sending your friends bulletins about upcoming events and articles of interest. Be careful not to spam. The on-line social participants expect to be able to comment, leave questions and are uninterested in one-way dialogs.

YouTube
Another social networking site that provides beneficial marketing opportunities for spas is YouTube. Simple and effective video cameras are very affordable these days. Short videos about the services you provide, product demonstrations, wellness tips from your technicians and tours of your facility require little editing. Sites like www.onetruemedia.com allow you to clip your videos and create montages which you can then post to YouTube. Once you’ve created and posted your videos, there many marketing opportunities within YouTube for you to reach customers: share it with the friends attached to your account; post a message on a bulletin board; and invite friends to subscribe to your account. Your YouTube videos can also be posted on your blog and within your MySpace and Facebook profile pages.

eMail Marketing/eNewsletters
I’m a big fan of user-friendly on-line email marketing programs like Constant Contact, which allow companies to easily and effectively create high-impact, professional quality emails. The key is to provide valuable content within your eNewsletters – don’t just advertise your products and services. Valuable content includes success stories; photos of customers using your product; and news about your company; I always recommend that customers have an “Over at our blog” section with links back to posts for customers who may not have read your blog.

Twitter
Twitter has many faithful followers who are loving the marketing results they are seeing with Twitter. I haven’t played around in Twitter very much. However, the blog for New World PR, writes about Twitter quite frequently. You may learn more about the marketing vehicle over there.

Media Hit!

For Plano Aesthetics and their Dr. TED Diet.

CBS 11, Dallas
November 5, 2008

"Diet Fools Body Into Thinking Woman's Pregnant"

Click here to see the segment.

Let thine heart take courage; There is no disappointment in the Lord

During the life of a freelancer, there are peaks and valleys with project work. With a slower economy, many freelancers are experiencing valleys. I'm not completely in a valley but, I do want to add some more project work.

Anyway, I came across this quote and it seemed to apply to my life as a freelancer as I try to market myself.

"During seasons when we wonder, “How did I get here and when can I leave?” it’s best to look for our God-given opportunities instead of focusing on the obstacles. That’s the way to do something with our nothing. — David C. McCasland"

My God-given opportunities are to provide excellent public relations service!

"Wait and, in waiting, listen for His leading; Be strong, thy strength for every day is stored. Go forth in faith, and let thine heart take courage; There is no disappointment with the Lord. —Anon."

I read this passage from "Our Daily Bread." I read this every morning. Later that afternoon, I got a call from a potential new client for some writing services! Thank you God!

How to Hire PR That Works

In her book, "Media Training 101: A Guide to Meeting the Press," author Sally Stewart provides some great tips on hiring quality public relations. Here are some questions she encourages you to ask...

Who is going to be working on My Account?
Be aware that senior consultants may be the ones to meet with you during the new business pitch but then may hand your project over to junior staff members who have little experience.

When you hire Lori Bittenbender as your PR freelancer, I can guarantee that I will be working on your account. I am a senior-level PR professional and I work daily in media relations. You will have the benefits of my 10 years of PR experience working on your account!

Do I really need a big firm?
If you have a small company, then a PR freelancer or a boutique firm can do excellent PR for you at about half the cost! Visit the services section on my website to see what I can provide your company.

How should you be billed for the work?
As Sally explains in her book, "it is most cost effective for the client to pay a monthly retainer which is arrived at by the agency estimating how many hours it will take them to do the work every month." I always provide my clients a very detailed report at the end of the month that explains all of my publicity services provided. Sometimes it can take me an hour to write each report!

How will I know it's working?
Sally explains it beautifully, "...you need to give your public relations plan time to work. Getting a story or putting out a press release always takes longer than you think it will. You need to be working on multiple stories at the same time to build up your pipeline of results. It takes media lists, phone calls and more phone calls and pitch letters to accomplish it." Sally says that at the end of three months, you should start to see results. I've always managed to get results for my clients within three months!

Lori Bittenbender Public Relations

I look forward to seeing how my creative publicity proposals will build your brand and credibility, as well as position you as an expert and influence your target audience.

Contact me at lori at lb public relations dot com.

You Know You're a WAHM

When it's OK to be interrupted from sending an email because there's something so exciting outside and we must look out the window!

The trash man has arrived!

I'd love to share your "You know you're a WAHM" story. Send me your name, company and story to lori at lbpublicrelations dot com for consideration.

Keep on pitching...

"There is a reporter for every story. It might not be the reporter or the publication that you would dream of enticing, but there will be reporter somewhere who is interested."

This is a quote from the book, "Media Training 101: A Guide to Meeting the Press" by Sally Stewart.

This quote is very inspirational for me as a publicist. As the book points out, even experienced story pitchers hear "no" frequently.

When I'm plowing through my media lists, studying and commenting on reporters' stories, I like to keep this quote in mind. It keeps me going until I find a reporter (or 2 or 3!) for my clients' stories.

"There is a reporter for every story...." Keep on pitching....

Lori Bittenbender Publicist/Public Relations Freelancer

I am a PR freelancer and welcome the opportunity to discuss your specific projects and assisting you with your communications efforts.

I specialize in media relations and public relations writing such as press releases, pitch letters, employee bios, blog articles, and newsletters.

My creative publicity proposals will build your brand and credibility, as well as position you as an expert and influence your target audience.

Visit my website to learn the benefits of hiring Lori Bittenbender, public relations freelancer.

You can also visit my website to learn more details about the public relations services I provide.

Courage Cards

I recently received a catalog from Courage Cards. Courage Cards is a nonprofit holiday greeting card company supporting the services of Courage Center. The fine art imprinted business holiday cards feature traditional holiday, city skylines, winter landscapes, whimsical and religious fine art cards.

Most of the artists who create the cards have disabilities.

Proceeds from the cards go to support the services of Courage Center – a nonprofit rehabilitation and resource center advancing the lives of people of all ages and abilities. Courage Center specializes in treating brain injury, spinal cord injury, chronic pain, autism and disabilities experienced since birth.

Many of the cards are quite beautiful. Your company usually sends holiday cards, why not order from Courage Cards and help advance the lives of people of all ages and abilities?

Media Hit!

A great week of media hits for my client, political commentator and author, Carol Platt Liebau.

She was in DC this past weekend for a speaking engagement so I pitched the DC TV and she was invited to be interviewed on the CW, 50. The "Weekend News with Chris Core" show.
Click here for the segment.

From an interview request from my subscription to Profnet:
Galveston Daily News, September 7, 2008
"Unwed teen mothers nothing new, but acceptance is"

Politcal commentary on KTLA, Los Angeles, September 3, 2008

Another Profnet media request:
OC Family Magazine, September, 2008Teen Years: sex and teenagers and shyness

Media Hit!

For my newest client, Carol Platt Liebau, who is an author and political analyst and commentator. She has been very busy lately blogging about the presidential campaign and the Democratic National Convention on both TownHall and the Huffington Post.

This past week, I've secured her two media hits:

• She provided convention and Obama commentary on The Michael Reagan show (Ronald Reagan's son!)
• She was interviewed about McCain's VP selection on The Voice (An on-line Christian magazine that advances Christian life and culture.) Click here to read the post.

Media Hit!

WFAA - Good Morning Texas

I'm honored that I have a strong enough relationship with one of the producers at Good Morning Texas that she'll contact me when she has an opening. I suggested a "Get Organized for Back to School" segment with an acquaintance, Nancy Pelman of Helping Hands Personal Services.

Nancy provided tips on how parents can manage the mountain-load of paper work that follows kids home. She also provided tips on managing the family calendar and making school mornings less stressful.

Here's the segment.

Real Life Wonder Women: Mompreneurs

Traci Bisson of The Mom Entrepreneur blog and support group recently posted a six part article by Guest blogger: Christine Janssen (written with Erin Higgins), denken Research & Consulting.

“Real Life Wonder Women” is about Mompreneurs.

You can read the entire article on Traci’s Blog.

Here are some points that really stood out for me.

• In their own right, being a new business owner and a new mother are some of the greatest challenges any woman can face. Doing both at the same time requires a certain set of skills and characteristics including lots of determination, patience, and multi-tasking. A lot of prayer helped me!
• Today, a large percentage of new moms are highly educated, ambitious career women and want to be professionally challenged, so they are finding ways to stay connected with the business world.
• When asked to explain a day in the life of a mompreneur, we found these women to be extremely organized and they crammed an incredible amount of tasks into each day, constantly swapping hats. Most do this methodically; seamlessly switching from “mom mode” to “work mode.”
• ...the thrill of small accomplishments. Signing on a new client or finally grasping the ins and outs of SEO were positive reinforcements that they were moving in the right direction. Another one for me it's securing a media hit for my clients!
• Remind yourself that most people spend their lives in jobs/careers that they absolutely despise. Be grateful that you are wise enough to follow your heart and your passion.

I am very thankful for my husband and my clients who support me in being a work-from-home-mom!

Blogging Success Story: Author Carol Platt Liebau

On my personal blog, I reviewed the book, Prude: How the Sex-Obsessed Culture Damages Girls (And America, Too!).

Well, the author of Prude, Carol Platt Liebau, read my review and emailed me shortly after I posted that blog. I was so honored and amazed that the author contacted me!

Carol saw that I am a publicist, reviewed my website and professional blog and asked we could talk because she “had some projects in the works.”

After a few emails and phone conversations, Carol Platt Leibau is now my client!

What an amazing blog success story. I’ve been contracted to do some media relations for her and have already secured her a couple of interviews.

One of my first projects was to help Carol create an on-line press kit. You can click here to see all the media she’s already secured for herself and her book.

So, if you need an expert to comment on America’s sex-saturated culture, lessons the culture teaches girls (from Black Canary Barbie to "Gossip Girl”), Teen pregnancy including the Gloucester, Mass., pregnancy pact, contact me at lori at lbpublicrelations dot com.

Not only is Carol Platt Liebau a culture commentator, she’s also a political commentator. She has guest hosted the Hugh Hewitt national radio show and can provide the following

Political Analysis & Commentary:

• Presidential election 2008


• US Senate campaigns, 2008


• The Barack Obama I Knew


• Women in the Political Process 2008


• A New Agenda for Conservatives


• Rescuing the GOP

Prude: How the Sex-Obsessed Culture Damages Girls (And America, Too!)
Prude is an in-depth look at the forces telling young women that being sexy trumps intelligence and character every time. For those who aren't aware of just how sexualized teen-oriented fashion, reading, movies, television and music have become and why, it's a wake-up call. For parents who want their daughters to understand the physical, emotional and psychological dangers of giving too much, too soon, it puts all the facts at their fingertips. And for anyone who cares about the impact that teen sexuality has on America's economic and social life -- and believes it's time for a more wholesome teen culture -- it's a call to arms. http://www.prudethebook.com/.

Blog Success Story: KABOOST

KABOOST is a company that knows the power of social marketing.

Yesterday, on my personal blog, I wrote about how my 18 month old daughter would rather eat at the dining room table than in her high chair. Of course, her chin is just at table height.

I wrote how the KABOOST is a brilliant invention and now on my wish list. KABOOST is a compact and portable chair booster that raises the height of kitchen and dining room chairs so your child can sit at the table just like a big kid.

I also linked to the funny videos KABOOST has on their website. You can click here to see them. Creating videos using your products and placing them on your website, on YouTube and on your MySpace/FaceBook pages is another powerful marketing tool. KABOOST’s videos have been emailed to me from other moms.

I mentioned the “wish list” because we have a couple of family members who periodically send us care packages and this could be an idea for a gift.

Well, this morning I received this email from KABOOST. They obviously have a Google alert set up to let them know whenever their company is mentioned online. Your company should have one too. Click here to set it up.

Here’s the email:
"We saw your blog today and see that KABOOST is on your wish list. Well we want to make that wish come true and send you a complimentary KABOOST. All we ask is that we see “after” picts of your daughter using KABOOST. Your images would make great before and after shots. Please let me know where to send your KABOOST."

Of course I’ll be glad to post some before and after photos! What a brilliant company. Many moms read my blog and may be influenced to buy a KABOOST after seeing my post!

Thanks KABOOST!

Free Social Media Book

Paul Gillin is giving away free galley copies of his forthcoming book, "Secrets of Social Media Marketing. "

"We have 250 copies available for this special offer."

I just ordered mine.

Click here to receive your copy.

Webgrrls International Has a Great Blog Blogging Basics Document

I just downloaded this wonderful resource from Webgrrls International.

The PDF has links to learn things like...

• How to set up RSS feeds for your blog.
• How to increase your blog traffic.
• Tips for Blog Design.

Click here to download the "Blogging Basics FAQ Resource Document."

National Hug Your Kids Day!

Monday, July 21 is National Hug Your Kids Day!





As a WAHM, I'm so thankful to be able to hug my daughter any time during the day. I've been able to comfort her when she has fallen and when she's been teething or sick.

Sometimes there's nothing better during a stressful work-day than a hug from the little one!

Motivational PR Presentation

You know you're a WAHM, when you want to do something for yourself, it cuts into your sleep. I only had about 4 hours of sleep last night. I'm taking a writing class that gets me home around 10 p.m. and then I'm up at my normal time of 3:30. I had two meetings today that were rewarding. So, it has been a good day.

I started my day by attending the morning meeting of Success North Dallas. I wanted to hear Jeff Crilley speak. Jeff used to be a reporter at Fox News but 6 weeks ago he started his own PR firm, Real News PR. I wanted to make sure I reintroduced myself to him (we met two years ago), give him my card and let him know I'm available for freelance work.

At the meeting, Jeff was also supposed to talk about "How to take advantage of the social media (blogs, YouTube and Facebook)." Unfortunately, he opened his presentation up to the audience for questions and ran out of time to discuss this topic.

That's OK because I think Jeff is a brilliant guy and every time I hear him speak, I learn something I can apply to my business. It's like attending a motivational PR session.

Here are a few points I want to always keep in mind as I try to get my clients into the media:

• It's not about the press release, it's about the story.
• Stay away from self serving "commercial" press releases.
• What does the viewer need to know and why?
• What is the news value?
• Lead your story with the benefit to the viewers/readers.

Happy 18-Month Birthday to my Little Girl!

Just thought I'd share something personal. My daughter is 18-months old today. I'm so thankful to be able to work from home and be with her every day.

I'm so thankful for my clients who support me and trust me as a work-from-home mom.

I'm very thankful for God for blessing me and my business.

The Mom Entrepreneur Support Group

I belong to The Mom Entrepreneur Support Group. This is an interactive group that allows mom entrepreneur members to network with one another and share their stories and advice for balancing motherhood and running a company.

In addition, the group is strictly moderated. A list of rules has been established in order to keep members on track with the mission of the group. I hope you will consider joining us and contributing your experience.

Please visit this link to apply for membership.

A Day in the Life of WAHM - Baby age 1.5

3:20 a.m. Alarm goes off. Even though I’m a morning person, I don’t jump right out of bed. I get up at this hour, though, to work before my daughter gets up.

3:30 a.m. I allow myself to doze for 10 minutes then get up and head downstairs.
Feed and water the cat.
Turn on computer.
Eat my morning snack while I wait for my computer to warm up: a whole wheat tortilla with peanut butter.
Then I take my vitamins. I think a good multi-vitamin helps me get through my long days.

3:45 a.m. At the computer. I start my day with a quick on-line daily devotional and my Bible. I also read a page in my “The Power of a Praying Parent.”

3:50 Check my three favorite blogs and open all my email programs. (4!)

4 a.m. Officially working.
Blog for two of my clients. Blogging is a very powerful marketing tool.
Lots of writing this morning:
New product press release.
Send email questions for an article about the benefits of baby sign language.
Catalog copy.

5:30 Potty break, apply eye cream and sun screen. I keep them in the downstairs bathroom. They’d never get used if they were in the master bath.
I may only have another half hour of work to do so I get right back onto the computer.

6:45 My daughter will be waking up any minute. I make a new to-do list for the week.

7 a.m. Daughter still asleep. Make oatmeal and add walnuts, raisins and a banana. Eat it while I cruise through a couple more of my favorite blogs. I find an idea for my own blog and quickly type up my favorite things about summer. I post to my personal blog every day so that our family and friends who live across the country can get updates on our daughter.

7:15 Daughter awake
Change diaper. Get dressed
Go to mommy and daddy’s big bed. Say hi to Daddy, nurse and mommy gets dressed.

7:40 Outside to get the paper. Encourage Kate to try and ride her new bike. There are no pedals so she scoots backwards.

7:45 Breakfast for baby: A carrot muffin I made over the weekend and a bowl of bananas and blueberries.

Cut some grapes for daddy to give to baby for later when I head out for a meeting.

7:50 While baby eats breakfast, I gather supplies for our morning walk: water bottles, shoes, raisins. Quickly send my friend an email to see if she can join us.

8 a.m. Head out the door for our walk. Go right back in because I forgot to wash babies blueberry stained face.

8:07 Back in the stroller. Kate brings along, “Good Night Gorilla” and looks up at me to read along as she turns each page.

8:19 Arrive at the first park. Put my hair up in a pony tail as it’s already started to get hot. Kate wants me to sit on the wet playground equipment with her and so I do even though it will look like I wet myself.

8:38 Arrive at the second park. Take her raisins away and encourage her to go play.

8:50 Still obsessed with the raisins so I give them back to her and we head home. Walk by the farm with horses on the way home. They come right up to the fence. Make a mental note to buy some carrots.

9 a.m. Arrive at home. Daddy is up and putting the dishes away.

9:05 Quickly scan email.
Play time! Read books, nurse, look at photo albums, attempt the bike. Realize the living room floor needs vacuuming. Daddy offers to vacuum and ends up using an attachment to go along all of the baseboards. Nice!

10:30 Kate down for her nap.

10:45 Phone meeting with a potential client. We really hit it off and I promise to send her a PR proposal.

11:40 Call ends and I share the exciting conversation with hubby.

12:30 Kate taking a long nap so I take advantage and continue working.

12:40 Kate awake
Change her diaper. Take her into our room. She plays with picture flash cards while I iron my clothes for my meeting that afternoon.

1 p.m. Daddy home from the gym. We all have lunch. Chicken salad with lots of veggies for me. For baby: chicken quesadilla, black beans and corn and a veggie mix of broccoli, cauliflower, green beans and carrots.

Afternoon play. Read books, wrestle, sing. Take a few moments to post to my personal blog.

3:15 Daddy takes daughter to the pool. I get dressed for my meeting. Read through my emails which include a query service from reporters looking for experts to interview. I see one that applies to the new potential client. Type up a response, send to potential client, she loves it, send it to the writer.

4:15 p.m. Head out to the meeting. Catch up with a friend along the way. Schedule a sand box play date as well as a date to trade a photo shoot for a massage. (I need a professional portrait for my website and she needs a massage!)

4:45 p.m. Arrive at meeting. I’m on the board for Women of Visionary Influence, WOVI We plan future meetings and discuss various items.

6 p.m. Monthly WOVI meeting begins. I enjoy this mentoring group because it’s not your typical networking group. At the end of each speaking presentation, we are given a question to discuss with the woman at our table. We end up connecting with each other and providing feedback or applause with whatever we discuss that night.

8:30 Head home. Even though I’ve been up since 3:30, I always leave WOVI meetings energized.

8:55 Arrive home. Talk with hubby to get details of his afternoon with our daughter. He built sand castles and she enjoyed “crashing” them.

9:30 Check on Kate and she wakes up. That’s OK. I haven’t seen her in 6 hours. We nurse and she wants to go back to bed within a few minutes.

9:45 Wash my face.

9:50 Get into bed. Two hours past my normal bed-time. Hopefully I won’t be too tired the next day.

Benefits of a WAHM Being Married to a Teacher

As a work-at-home mom, I feel very blessed to have a husband who is a teacher with two-and-a-half months off during the summer. Here are the benefits:

Professionally
I can schedule a conference call during any time of the day – not just during nap time.

My availability to attend meetings increases dramatically during the summer.

I’m going to attend two additional networking events this summer.

I’m also going to take a writing class in July!

Personally
I love having him around to help with the grocery shopping.

I’ve scheduled various doctor and dentist appointments while he’s home. I’ve even snuck in a spa treatment for myself.

We also get to head to the pool in the afternoons when mommy is done with work for the day!

Blogs I Blog For

Click here to read about the benefits of blogging for business.

Here are two of my clients' blogs that I post to regularly.

BabySlingBlog
What do I post?

• Babywearing photo contests
• Promotions
• Babywearing/natural parenting tips
• Media hits

Plano Aesethitics Blog
What do I post?

• Promotions
• Patient success stories
• Product spotlights
• Interviews with their mineral makeup rep
• Media hits

Media Hit!

Client: Peppermint Baby Boutique

Media: Fox Good Day - Save Me Steve! Steve Noviello included a Skip*Hop Diaper Bag in his gift ideas for Father's Day.

Click here to see the segment.

Holiday Gift Lists

Any publicists out there ever used or purchased a holiday gift media list? Have you ever done a holiday gift idea media campaign?

I’m debating on buying this holiday gift list. It’s expensive. However, I know, now is the time to start pitching gift ideas.

You Know You're a WAHM

When you bring the only radio in the house (a very large boom box) down to the dining room to feed your daughter and listen to your client being interviewed on a morning radio show.

Always Take the Meeting

One of the rules by Peter Shankman in his book, “Can We Do That? Outrageous PR Stunts That Work and Why Your Company Needs Them” hit home with me.

“Always take the meeting. You never know where the next client, next big project, next crazy idea, next new job, next promotion, raise or shot at glory is going to come from. Always take the meeting.”

I am currently the publicist for Marni Matyus who owns The Sling Station, Peppermint.com and Peppermint Baby Boutique.

About a year ago, she put out a notice on the DFW Babywearing Yahoo group that she needed models (moms and babies) for a photo shoot for her advertising. I agreed to help out.

But the day of the event, I debated on going. My daughter was about 5 months old at the time and a mama’s girl. I knew she wasn’t going to let Marni hold her to take babywearing photos. My husband encouraged me to go since I gave my word.

True to my gut feeling, my daughter screamed her head off whenever we placed her in a baby sling Marni was wearing.

Afterwards, when I was nursing my daughter to calm her down, I got to talking to Marni about her business. I really enjoyed wearing my daughter in a sling and so her business was very intriguing. I asked her about her PR/marketing efforts. She wasn’t doing much in terms of PR and was very interested that I was a PR freelancer. We exchanged cards. Had a lunch a few days later and now Marni is one of my most favorite clients!

Always take the meeting – or in my case, attend the photo shoot!

May: National Revise Your Work Schedule Month

Being a WAHM, my work schedule definitely doesn’t fall into the traditional 9 a.m. – 5 pm. routine.

I’m up at 3:15 a.m.
Work until about 5:30 a.m. and then get hubby up and help him get ready for his day.
Daughter usually wakes up around 6 a.m.

Back to work around 10 a.m. when daughter goes down for a nap.

Work until about noon.

Back on the computer around 6 p.m. for final email checks and tie up any remaining work.

I’ve never liked the structure of having to stay at a job until a certain time. I always preferred to get to work early and leave early.

In high school I worked at a steak booth at the local Renaissance Faire. I loved being the first one at the booth and getting the kitchen set up for the day. Because of this, I was always the first to get to go home.

At the PR agency, I was always the first to arrive - usually an hour before anyone else. I would bring in the newspapers, make coffee and have a quiet start to my day. Everyone else would stay late at the office. I would leave promptly at 5:30 when the office hours were closed. Co-workers would say, “You leave early.”

“No, I leave on time.”

Working out and family time was more important to me then staying late at the office.

So, in honor of National Revise Your Work Schedule Month, I celebrate and appreciate being able to work from home where I can work when my daughter is asleep and when she’s awake, go for walks, soothe her cries, play chase and read books.

Happy Mother's Day

NAME: Lori Bittenbender

POSITION: Work-from-home-mom. Publicist. Public relations freelancer.

COMPANY & URL: Lori Bittenbender Public Relations www.lbpublicrelations.com

BEST ADVICE YOUR MOM EVER GAVE YOU THAT YOU NOW USE IN YOUR PROFESSIONAL LIFE: “The work will always be there tomorrow.”

A SITUATION AT WORK THAT YOU THINK YOU HANDLED LIKE A MOTHER - GOOD OR BAD: No particular situation comes to mind. Like a mom, I keep an organized to-list for all my projects. I am patient yet persistent when my clients are too busy to call me back.

HOW DOES BEING A MOM HELP YOU AT WORK? I have compassion for clients when their kids are sick. Being a work-from-home mom, I know I can’t get everything on my to-do list accomplished in one day so I prioritize and tackle the major items first.

HOW DOES WORKING HELP YOU AS A MOM? It gives me another sense of fulfillment. I enjoy writing and get to write press releases, articles and pitch letters for my clients. I enjoy being creative and appreciate brainstorming publicity ideas. I enjoy a “media high” when I get my clients in the news.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Book Recommendation: "Can We Do That?"

To help me continually evolve, learn how to run my business successfully, and learn from other business owners, I enjoy reading business books.

I just finished, “Can We Do That? Outrageous PR Stunts That Work and Why Your Company Needs Them” by Peter Shankman.

This is a must-read for anyone in the PR industry. It’s also an excellent read for anyone who relies on creativity for their job.

First of all, this book was like a great novel that I couldn’t put down. I was so eager to read about the brilliant ideas the author (who owns The Geek Factory, Inc. a marketing and PR strategy firm in New York) and his team came up with and then to see how successful they were. It reminded me of my early PR days at an agency in Southern California. We once got to coordinate a home-run hitting contest for Coors Brewing Company that put me right down on the field for the San Diego Padres. It was also fun to coordinate a faucet design contest for student designers for Price Pfister.

You have to read the book to learn how his team helped a mom/pop yarn shop outside of New York City garner national media attention. Note, they worked with the creators of the Oscar Meyer wiener mobile.

It was good to be reminded why boring pitches never get any media response. This has been good for me to counsel professionals who have already written their release and they just want me to use my media list to distribute it. I was able to explain to them that the media probably wouldn’t pick it up. He then provides excellent examples of how to spice up boring/typical news announcements.

People pay me to be creative. Many people have said, “Lori, you’re so creative. I’m not creative at all.” As the author explains, “everyone is born creative. We just have to allow ourselves to be creative.”

Peter provides some excellent tips to stimulate creative ideas to avoid PR complacency. Note, I need to get my running shoes back on to “up my endorphins and get a fresh brain.” This will also help me in my desire to write more and have essay and blog ideas come to me.

The last chapter is very inspirational for anyone to read. He provides tips for getting out of a rut (don’t we all need a kick in the butt every now and then when we start acting complacent?) It’s especially hard for moms to get out and do something for ourselves. But this chapter in the book has inspired me to take a class to learn something new and to do things differently to “stir up creativity.” As Peter explains, “everything we do…has implications on how you work, how you become creative, how you do things differently than the masses.”

Peter Shankman recently created a free service called Help a Reporter. All publicists should sign up for it because writers, reporters and journalists use it when they need to find experts to interview. You’ll get 2 – 3 emails from Peter a day with the queries. I enjoy the queries because of the funny tid-bits Peter provides about his day.
http://www.helpareporter.com/

Media Hit!

In celebration of Earth Day, I wrote a "Green Babies" pitch letter for my client who sells organic, natural and eco-friendly baby products. Well, my client was interviewed twice on Earth Day by two different media outlets. I don't know if I've ever had a client on the media twice in one day. Talk about a media rush!

Here is the clip from Marni on Good Morning Texas, channel 8. Marni was interviewed by Paige McCoy Smith of the "Not So Perfect Parent" segment. She talked about the increase in organic baby products available to parents, the benefits of raising a green baby and she was able to showcase a variety of products she sells in her store to keep babies healthy, safe and eco-friendly.

The segment is here.

Green Media Tour

In celebration of Earth Day, I wrote a "Green Babies" pitch letter for my client who sells organic, natural and eco-friendly baby products.

Well, my client will be interviewed twice tomorrow (Earth Day!) by two different media outlets. I don't know if I've ever had a client on the media twice in one day. Talk about a media rush!

Marni Matyus
Peppermint Baby Boutique

Tuesday, April 22
6:30 a.m.
Mix 102.9
Marni will be featured in the celebrity segment. The hostess, Victoria Snee will talk about the baby boom in Hollywood and and how celebrities love organic baby products. My client will bring a variety of organic baby products to talk about on air.

Later that morning at 9 a.m.
Good Morning Texas, channel 8
Marni will be interviewed by Paige McCoy Smith of the "Not So Perfect Parent" segment. Marni will be interviewed about the increase in organic baby products available to parents, the benefits of raising a green baby and she will once again be able to talk about a variety of products she sells in her store to keep babies healthy, safe and eco-friendly.

Blog Success Story: Dentist

I subscribe to the weekly E-Centric newsletter from Chief Marketer. You can subscribe by clicking here. I enjoy the articles about social marketing.

In this week's newsletter they featured a story by Beth Negus Viveiros called "Tooth in Advertising: Blog helps Dentist Bite into Search Rankings."

It was about a group of dentists (Comfort Dental) who receive about 5 - 8 new patients a month because those patients found them through their blog!

Here are some highlights from the article...

"It seems like every dental practice on the planet now has a Web site," says Dr. Dean Stratman, owner of Comfort Dental. "A blog was a way for us way to differentiate ourselves."

"...we saw blogs as the easiest way to get at the top of Google listings," he says. "If somebody types in 'dentist, Anderson, IN' I want to be on the first page."

The dentist are getting questions via e-mail from patients and prospective patients. "It helps them to feel like they have a relationships with us before they walk in the door."

Congrats Comfort Dental! This is a wonderful story on the power of blogging!

Click here to read the full article.

Help A Reporter

Sharing with you today a great resource. You'll want to tell the PR people, marketers, publicists, editors, and journalists you work with about it too, because it's all about them and their needs.

If you're not already using http://www.helpareporter.com/, check it out. It's a service much like that other one that connects PR people and journalists looking for sources, but this one is free. It used to be on Facebook, but grew too large for it. Once you subscribe, you receive about three (sometimes two, no more than four, ever) emails a day with reporter, editor and freelance writer queries, written so you can quickly and easily scan the topics for relevance.

If the topics do not apply to you or your clients, just hit delete. If they do, you may contact the reporter or editor directly, as instructed.

Note that Peter Shankman, the list facilitator, is very strict about helping out these reporters.

Respond only if your information (or your client's info) is relevant and on target.

If not, and you send non-relevant emails more than once, you'll get bumped off the list.

Quickly.

I've seen it happen.

He's a big believer in good Karma, and he's also quite funny, and tends to also include a link to a fun site, or a funny story about his day in the emails. It's a nice refreshing change from the boring, non-funny emails we usually deal with.

Reporters can post queries at www.helpareporter.com/press, and sources can sign up at www.helpareporter.com

As I said, it's free. Peter asks that if you find it useful, then you make a donation to any animal rescue charity or animal hospital. You can forward the queries to others who are a fit, but do not post any queries (or the editor/reporter contact info) on any blogs or public websites.

I received permission from Peter to send you this note, since this is a private group and I'm helping to spread the word to both subscribers and media to sign up. www.helpareporter.com -

The more people who use it, the better it becomes.

I Recommend WOVI

I've attended many networking groups. Many are clique-ish (co-workers stick together), some can be intimidating and many are very surface-level - "What do you do? Oh, that's great."

I have finally found a networking group that has truly benefited me: Woman of Visionary Influence, WOVI. I attend the Frisco Chapter that meets at Solare Spa and Cafe the 4th Monday of every month.

Here's what I love about WOVI.

• All different kinds of women attend the meeting: from stay-at-home moms to professionals in the workforce.
• It's within a reasonable drive for me - less than 20 minutes. No need to go downtown!
• Since I work from home with my daughter all day, it's nice to get out and do something for me.
• It's more of a mentoring group. Every week we have dinner and a speaker. Then, everyone is given a sheet of paper with two questions on it. After writing down your answers, everyone at your table shares their answers. In the next round, everyone at the table comments on your answers, providing insight and suggestions from their own experiences. There's a time limit to this exercise, but when you can imagine the intensity of getting women together to talk about issues. There's always "Two more minutes" pleas heard around the room when coordinators try to wrap things up.
• For example, at the most recent meeting the theme was, "What are your struggling with right now and what can you do to overcome this?" For me it was something as simple as getting back into yoga. I miss it. I know it would help me be a better mother, wife and business owner. Sometimes I think I'll have more time when Kate goes to school, but as one mother warned, it's actually harder to do things when the kids get older. The more they get older, the more involved their own lives become, causing mom to juggle even more. The point hit home with me.
• I was able to offer advice to a mom who wants to work from home with her own daughter. Advice to a woman who wants to start exercising and advice to a mom who has been at home for 10 years and is thinking about getting back into the workforce.
• These exercises are called "Mento Rings" and they allow woman who have never met each other before, to build relationships, learn from each other and mentor!
• I come away from these meetings energized and uplifted.

You can click here to learn more about WOVI and find your local chapter in the Dallas area.

You Know You're a WAHM

When you are serving baby green beans and the phone rings. It the talk show host of a major morning radio show who wants to interview your client!

Woo hoo!

Then, later in the day, when you're trying to get sunscreen and shoes onto daughter to go outside, there's an email from a producer at a morning TV show who wants to do a segment on the same client.

One media hit is a rush - two in one day! Wow!

Then later in the day, you know you're a WAHM, when you are in your professional clothes but have to put baby in the sling to keep her occupied while hubby finishes making his dinner and can take over parenting duties so that you can head out the door for a networking meeting.

Babies in the Workplace

In yesterday's Dallas Morning News, there's a story about the pros and cons of having babies in the workplace. ChildCare Group of Dallas is the focus of the article because they allow employees to bring their babies up until they can crawl. In fact, more than 80 companies nationwide allow babies.

The story explains the benefits of bringing babies to work:

• It boosts morale and helps retain and recruit employees.
  
• Parents have extra time to bond with their babies while getting their work done.

Here at LB Public Relations, babies are always welcome! When my daughter was a young infant, it was easy to have her take naps on the Boppy Pillow. Now I get up very early in the morning and work while she's still asleep and during her naps.

You Know You're a WAHM & Media Hit

You know you're a WAHM when you're trying to get your kid's shoes on and head out to Walgreen's when the phone rings. It's a reporter wanting to interview your client for a news story!

Woo hoo!

This will be the 4th media hit for me for my Ali Cardaropoli/Fairhill School pitch.

I do PR for Solare Spa and Cafe in Frisco. The owner, Rosanne, really believes in me and my work. She's an incredibly generous lady. Anyway, her daughter attends Fairhill and is in the drama department. Stay with me....Rosanne is very impressed with the drama instructor and wanted me to try and get some PR for her.

Well the drama instructor is a wonderfully hard working and dedicated teacher. Great woman. But in media terms, so what? Not much media meat there. So when I found out that one of the other drama students, Ali, couldn't read 5 years ago, and is now going to be her class Valedictorian, the media bells began chiming. To tie it all back to the drama teacher, Ali recently wrote and directed her own play which will be performed at the Eisemann Theatre on April 10.

The Dallas Morning News did a wonderful story on Ali and it ran on the front page of the Metro section on Easter Sunday. Two community newspapers are running a story I wrote about Ali and the latest call was from Plano Star Courier who will interview Ali and her mom for their story.

I am honored to have been able to pitch Ali and her inspirational story. Click here to read the Dallas Morning News article: Plano teen overcomes learning disabilities to graduate as valedictorian

Log Cabin Blogging

My family and I just spent five nights at a cabin in the towering pines of Broken Bow, OK. Log cabin owners who rent their places should have a blog. It would be such a powerful marketing tool – like an on-line guest book!

This cabin did have a traditional guest book, but all the entries sounded the same: The cabin was great….We loved the hot tub….We loved the deck…etc.

Create a questionnaire to probe their minds and really learn what they liked about the cabin and about the area. What did they do on their vacation? Let them know that their answers may be used on your blog (have them sign the form for permission to use their answers for marketing purposes). Also provide the guests with your email and encourage them to send you a vacation photo.

You’re not just renting a log cabin, you’re providing relaxation, family time and vacation memories. A blog will bring the cabin to life and will really give potential guests a sense of what it will be like to stay at your cabin.

Here are the questions I came up with and they are categories I would use to organize the blog. I also provided my answers based on my experience this past week.

What I wish I would have brought…a high chair! My daughter was walking around dropping her food on the floor. We bought a portable high chair at the Wal-Mart the very next day!

What I wish they would stock in the cabin…A first aid kit and a phone number/directions to the nearest hospital. We didn’t need either, but the idea crossed my mind. (Log cabin owners could respond/improve their cabin with these suggestions.)

Thank goodness they had…Pickles! We forgot our jar! We love pickles on our burgers!

During our stay, we really enjoyed _________ at the cabin. The hot tub! Especially after hiking.

In Broken Bow: The library – what a charming place! My daughter loved holding the baby dolls and stuffed animals they have for kids.

At the State Park: The Natural Trail Hike – It’s fairly flat and follows the river. It was very manageable with our 14-month old daughter.

Tell us about your trip. What did you see and do? Where did you go? What did you think of it all?

Tell us something funny that happend during your stay.

Then, as the cabin owner, I would blog about the following to further provide detailed information for future guests:

Things to do in Broken Bow (or whatever city your cabin is in).
Restaurants (talk about your favorite meals, don’t just give a general description.)
Broken Bow State Park Stats (or whatever area your cabin is in)
Bios of the log cabin owners
Stats about the log cabin
Reservation contact information

Need a blog for your vacation property? Contact me at lori at lbpublicrelations dot com.

A Brilliant and Blessed Blog Campaign

I learned about the Compassion International blogging campaign from BooMama.

I periodically read her blog – she’s hilarious!

Compassion International invited a dozen influential Christian bloggers on a trip to Uganda. The bloggers journaled their trip and wrote about Compassion at work in the lives of impoverished children and their families.

Every time I checked back onto BooMama’s blog to get an update on her journey in Africa:

I felt her love for the kids;

I felt her love for the Lord and his love for these families of Uganda.

I got to see the adorable faces of the precious children and read first hand account of their reactions to their sponsors.

I got to share in BooMama’s shock at the absolute, deplorable poverty some of these kids live in.

BooMama would post the photos of children who still needed sponsors and the next time I logged on, they had been sponsored!

I got to see BooMama evolve as a person as well. She’s not used to hiking, sleeping where monkey’s can invade your room or being away from KFC. Here’s a quote from her blog:

“Perspective. It’s a mighty good thing. And that day - in the middle of a remote Ugandan village that has no power, no running water, no telephone lines and no cable television - I found tons of it.”

According to Compassion’s website, they started the blog for “emphasis on social networking and increased communications avenues.” They wanted to “energize sponsors and donors to become active advocates for children in poverty energize sponsors and donors to become active advocates for children in poverty.”

Congratulations Compassion on such a brilliant and blessed blogging campaign!

Click here to see BooMama’s Uganda journey.

You Know You're a WAHM

When you allow this to happen just so you can check and respond to a few emails.

I'm Published!

I am officially a published author. A professional writer!

Chesapeake Family Magazine published my babywearing article in their March, 2008 issue.

I have been querying regional parenting publications for my client, The Sling Station and Peppermint.com. The query proposes a feature article will teach readers about the benefits of babywearing and will guide them in choosing a carrier. I tell each editor that I will interview local parents who have successful babywearing experiences and will provide a list of local babywearing resources.

Well, the editor of Chesapeake Family Magazine accepted my query! I had a lot of fun interviewing local Maryland moms. I love reading babywearing success stories!

My client is listed in the resources and provides expert commentary throughout the article.

A few other goodies:
The cover of the magazine teases the story inside: The Benefits of Babywearing

In the “From the Editor” section: “And anyone who can’t figure out how they’re going to get anything done when their newborn insists on being carried everywhere needs to read Lori Bittenbender’s great piece on babywearing.” Ha! Yeah! That’s me, Lori Bittenbender.

You can click here to read “The Benefits of Babywearing” by Lori Bittenbender.

Media Hit! Baby Sign Language

I had a wonderful media hit for my client, Peppermint Baby Boutique, on Good Morning Texas today.

My client hosts parenting classes so I pitched a segment to talk about the benefits of learning baby sign language. The segment was 8 minutes long! The sign language teacher did a great interview in the first half and then we went live with three babies in the second half! Me and my daughter actually helped out with this segment. We are thrilled that all three babies signed one word each on cue, on camera!

Click here to view the segment.

Media Hit!

My client, Peppermint, is celebrating their grand opening this Saturday. The media would never just mention a grand opening. They need more "meat" to the segment idea.

Since Peppermint will be hosting all kinds of classes, I pitched our baby sign language instructor to do a demonstration.

The producer liked the idea and this morning, Misty Felner was interviewed and taught the reporter 5 signs. Peppermint's grand opening was then announced at the end of the segment.

My family has personally benefited from learning baby sign language. We took Misty's class last summer and at one year old, my daughter knows 76 signs! There are numerous words she can't say, but she can sure sign them! It's thrilling to be able to communicate with her as well as see her pride when she is able to tell us what she wants.

You can see a listing of all of Peppermint's classes by clicking here.

Click here to see the segment on Fox.

A Pitch That Took One Year

Literally one year ago, I pitched Roger Moore, photographer, as a profile piece in Dallas CEO Magazine.

The editor was interested in his story (he was a financial consultant with Merrill Lynch who left corporate life to become a photography explorer who leads photo safaris). At the time she was wrapping up the April issue.

I followed up a couple of times and she wrote back, "We are still considering Roger for future issues. We will contact you down the line if we need to set something up."

I would periodically email the editor with updates on Roger - news about photography workshops he was presenting, etc.

Then our contract with Roger expired and he was no longer a client.

In January of this year, the editor at Dallas CEO contacted me to interview Roger for a profile piece! Yeah!

So here it is! A two-page spread featuring Mr. Roger Moore. Click here.

Dallas' Largest Baby Shower

I hope all my Dallas Mom-Friends will stop by the grand opening celebration for my client, Peppermint.

Peppermint Baby Boutique will feature a sling show room, parenting classes like pre/postnatal yoga, baby sign language and childbirth classes, as well as organic baby products.

We have all kinds of grand opening festivities planned. See below for details and I hope to see you on the 23rd!

Three blogs have/will posted details about this event. Dallas Child, North Texas Parents and APConnect.

I sent a release to the Richardson Neighbors and the Dallas Morning News and a photo release to the Dallas Morning News.

Saturday, February 23
11 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Peppermint Baby Boutique
1778 N. Plano Rd., Suite 100 in Richardson

1. A Special Sneak Preview of Ricki Lake's new movie, "The Business of Being Born"
Show times: 11:30 and 2 p.m. $5 or free with a baby item donation. The trailer for the movie is below.

2. A donation drive to support The Network of Community Ministries. Peppermint seeks donations of baby items including diapers, wipes, toiletries and baby food to support local infants in need. Come on ladies! We want to make a HUGE donation to this wonderful charity!

3. A baby fair with FREE demonstration classes such as pre/postnatal yoga, infant massage, baby sign language and sling demonstrations.

4. Peppermint Baby Mascot Contest – Guests are encouraged to get creative with dolls and/or craft supplies to create the Peppermint Baby. The top three most creative entries will win a $100 gift certificate. You could win a new sling!! I know many of you are creative! Get out those craft supplies!! Click here for more details.

Here's the trailer for "The Business of Being Born." I'm so excited to see this movie! We'll have two mid-wives at each screening to field questions about child birth. Tell all your pregnant friends!

Earning New Business with a Blog

My friend, who operates a photography business, has secured several photo shoots thanks to her blog. You can check the blog for Expression Photography by Andrea Hughes here.

While Andrea's website showcases some of her best work, it doesn't show all of her projects. That's where the blog comes in. Readers can really experience Andrea's passion for photography through her photos and comments. She posts photos from just about all of her shoots and provides inside details. One time a horse nearly ate her camera equipment when she was shooting a mother and daughter in front of a barn!

Andrea has never paid for an advertisement for her photography business but thanks to the free blog she created, clients have found her on the internet and hired her for work!

Finally, Andrea shares "industry" details about some of her photos as well. She explains things about the lighting, equipment that was used or things she did to edit the pictures. These details further establish Andrea as an expert and help to keep the phone ringing for appointments!

All photographers should have a blog. It's a wonderful medium to promote your work!

Media Hit!

Victoria Snee filmed a Trendy Tuesday segment at Plano Aesthetics. She did a report on their Dr. TED Diet. Patients are seeing amazing results with this diet that includes a mildly Ketogenic and Glycemic Index controlled meal plan and uses hormone creams and B-12/B-6 shots.

Two lifestyle reporters have jumped on this story. The medical reporters won't return my phone calls or emails. I even began pitching it back in December to get on the New Year's resolution/dieting/healthy eating band wagon. Dr. TED's book should be coming out soon and I'm going to read it to see if I can alter my pitch to be more medical to peak their interest. Any tips on pitching medical reporters would be appreciated!

You can see the Plano Aesthetics Trendy Tuesday segment by clicking here. The client emailed to say they've already had 9 calls this morning because of the segment. That folks, is the power of publicity!

Organized Blogging

Keeping an organized blog will help your readers read your past posts with ease and will give them a good idea of all the topics you write about. So, here’s how to create an archive like the one I have to the right.

In the dashboard area of your blog, go to the layout section.

Add a page element

Add “labels”

Edit your labels:
Title it the way you’d like.
Suggestions: Blog Archive, Topics I write about, Past Posts
Click “Sort Alphabetically”
You can either add categories now or add them after each post.
Save all your work

Before you publish a new post, be sure to type in the labels you want to categorize the subject of your post. (It's the bar at the bottom of the post screen.) Separate them with a comma. Categories you already have written and labeled will automatically pop up.

The archive function will automatically place a copy of the blog in each of the categories you choose to organize your post. Some blogs may have one category and others may have several.

I’m trying to organize my categories in a broad range of subjects rather than every little detail I write about.

Happy organized blogging!

You Know You're a WAHM

When you've got a pot of chicken soup heating up for the sick husband.

Baby is happily eating her butternut squash and black beans.

You go to check your email one more time for the night and there's an email from the local NBC station saying they want to do your client's diet segment!

Sweet! No need for dessert tonight!

Stay tuned for some excellent TV media hits!

You Know You're a WAHM

When you are sitting in the parking lot of your pediatrician's office with your daughter asleep in her car seat and coordinating the details of a video shoot with a producer from a local news channel.

Thank God for cell phones and virtual offices!

Send me your "You know you're a WAHM" tale for future consideration. lori at lbpublicrelations dot com.

Contests for Publicity

I am finishing up a successful campaign using a contest to generate publicity.

For The Sling Station, I came up with the idea to host a "Beautiful Babywearing" photo contest. We chose four categories:

Most Artistic
Best Baby Smile (see the winning photo - isn't she cute?)
Most Creative Location
Cutest Child Wearer

For the contest announcement, one newspaper and four bloggers announced the contest.

We received more than 40 entries!

When the winners were selected, I sent all of their hometown papers a press release and the winning photo. Three of the four hometown papers ran the winning photo and press release! Papers from all over the country: North Carolina, Illinois and Hawaii! All three papers ran my client's websites.

I'm very thankful this was a successful publicity campaign!