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Summary: Govt communicators should also see Media Relations Handbook
Review: All of Levinson's books are great, but government communicators should also see a practical book written by a Washington pro, Media Relations Handbook for Agencies, Associations, Nonprofits and Congress. The Handbook is written by Brad Fitch, who has more than a decade of Washington PR experience, with a Foreword by Mike McCurry.What others have said about Fitch's book (about which you can see more at MediaRelationsHandbook.com ): "Great advice for beginners and experienced media hands. If you are a media relations professional--either beginner or seasoned veteran--this is the book for you. Brad Fitch, who spent many years fielding reporters' tough questions on Capitol Hill, has written a timely, practical guide to handling media relations that is filled with solid professional advice. What goes into a press release? How do you develop a strategic message? You've got a digital camera and a fax machine, but what else does your office need to effectively handle the media? Before you start talking to a reporter, do you know the difference between 'on the record,' 'off the record,' and 'background'? When there's an immediate crisis in your organization, what are the eight mistakes that you absolutely must avoid? How do you handle your paranoid boss when he or she has to confront the press? You'll find the answers to these and many other everyday problems in this book. Fitch also gives valuable advice on how to set up an effective website and how to use e-mail for optimum communications. Excellent book for professionals who work in federal or state agencies, trade associations, non-profits, state legislatures or Congress. It's the only handbook you'll ever need."
-- Dennis W. Johnson, college professor and former Capitol Hill senior staffer "Provides valuable advice for those who flack for a living."
-- Roll Call "A superb blend of theory and practice, written by someone who uses words like Gallup uses polls."
-- Steve O'Keefe, author "Complete Guide to Internet Publicity" and Adjunct Faculty, Tulane University College "Uncertain how to interest the press in your pressing issue? Having difficulty preparing your media-unfriendly boss for a tough interview? Worried about the next communications crisis and how to handle it? Brad Fitch answers those questions and many more in this crisp, clear and completely useful book."
-- Tucker Carlson, Co-Host CNN Crossfire, author "A seminar from TheCapitol.Net is one of the best ways to learn from the experts about how Washington really works. Now all that insight and information has been packed into this invaluable volume. I suggest you read it, and become your own expert."
-- Steven V. Roberts, syndicated columnist, TV and radio analyst, college professor "Brad Fitch has performed an admirable public service by giving public relations students and professionals alike an indispensable tool. His book provides a road map on both the practicalities and principles of PR, and he shows that honest PR is not an oxymoron. Now it's up to all of us in the media and spin industries to keep our end of the bargain."
-- Ed Henry, Congressional Correspondent, CNN (formerly Senior Editor of Roll Call) "This volume is an invaluable road map to the mean streets of a city where information is power and power is everything. Brad Fitch has written a rich 'how-to' lesson for pros and for novices who must negotiate the competitive landscape of America's new media."
-- Ann Compton, White House Correspondent, ABC News "Media Relations Handbook is to political campaigns what The Art of War is to military campaigns: an essential strategic reference that winners should never be without."
-- James Carville, Co-Host CNN Crossfire, author If you are a government comunicator, you should get Guerrilla Publicity and Fitch's book, MediaRelationsHandbook.com , or search Amazon using the ISBN: 1587330032
Rating:
Summary: the definitive guide
Review: Anyone who claims to be a sales and/or marketing guru must have this book and read it. I consider it the definitive guide on the subject and for the price-to-number-of-pages margin (which I hold for guidebooks, not novels), comes up a winner. Really packs the punch.
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Summary: Packed with Knowledge!
Review: Co-authors Rick Frishman and Jill Lublin join Jay Conrad Levinson, author of the 1983 bestseller Guerrilla Marketing, in establishing the war plan for your guerrilla approach to publicity. You supply the planning and persistence; they'll supply the battlefield strategy. The authors take you into the newsrooms and show you how to generate publicity without making reporters dread your calls. You'll learn how to turn rejections into opportunities and how to muster every tool in your arsenal most effectively, from press releases to e-mail. It's a little too list-oriented, but this thorough manual does include plenty of sample materials, including bios, press kit components and printed promotional goodies. We from getAbstract recommend this book to savvy strategists who aren't afraid of wanting - and getting - attention.
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Summary: Powerhouse Information
Review: Guerilla Publicity is a powerhouse of information. As a business owner, I have used the techniques in this book to get the edge over my competition and brand myself as an expert.
I used to pay megabucks for advertising, but after reading Guerilla Publicity I have hundreds of creative low-cost and no-cost ideas to skyrocket my business.
This book should be standard reading for all public relations firms and entrepreneurs.
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Summary: Jay Levinson has done it again.
Review: I buy all the Guerrilla books that Jay Levinson works on himself. They are always worthwhile. I never fail to get many times the cost of the book in value.
Rating:
Summary: This is an amazing book
Review: I couldn't put this book down. Read it all in 2-days. I'd highly recommend this book for anyone who has no idea how to get publicity or for small businesses that can't afford to hire a publicist. An overall publicity plan is key and this book provides tips on how to build this plan as well as a media kit. This book also gives excellent tips on how to write a release depending on the media outlet you're going to target. Also, the authors recommend that persistence is key to becoming a media darling. It's not enough to fax or email a press release and wait for the media to call you. Unless you're Oprah or J. Lo, you'll need to follow up with the journalist in order to get attention. One piece of advice that I really liked in this book - even if the journalist or media outlet is rude to you or mispells your name in the article, take it with a grain of salt. The authors advise that you need to have thick skin because the media will hardly ever say thanks to you for a story lead, nor will they apologize to you when they make a mistake. Because the media control the means of distributing information to the masses, the book provides advice on how to bite your tongue when the going gets rough.
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Summary: Great book.... no fluff, pure gold information....
Review: If you have read some other PR books you know they are 80% fluff and 20% content.... well, this one is 100% content and an easy read. Before you know it you'll be giving it a second read to make sure you didn't miss any of the juicy tactics provided. I bought it using a coupon from UnderTag.com, so it was almost free for me.
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Summary: Great Tool for Beginners; Good Reminders for the Experienced
Review: Jay Conrad Levinson has developed a reputation as a "guerrilla marketer," doing non-traditional things-along with the proven-to grab and hold the attention of the prospective buyer. Guerrillas are defined as "business operators who substitute time, energy, and imagination for money . . . small businesses who have big dreams rather than big bankrolls." Although his name as shown as the primary author, I don't think Levinson had much to do with writing this book. And that's OK. It's OK because the other co-authors are well-known and respected publicists who have achieved results for their clients for many years. They know what they're talking about. Personally, I don't think they had to hitch their wagon to Levinson's star; but the name and theme do add something to the book. Frishman and Lublin have written a book that addresses fundamentals. You'll read things like "Publicity never sleeps. It's an ongoing, 24/7 process that never stops. Since you're the product, you're also your own best marketing tool." Beginners who use this book (note my word "use," not just "read") will find a wealth of advice and technique in these pages. People who have built some experience over the years, promoting themselves or their product or service, will find refreshing reminders and some things they haven't thought about before. This "new stuff" aspect applies particularly to some of the ideas about using e-mail and the internet. There's even more that Frishman and Lublin didn't cover in this area, but once you get started, you'll find those new approaches. Their writing will stimulate your creative juices to develop more strategies. Their resource guide at the end of the book will give you more places to go for learning. Most of the book consists of over 30 short chapters, each addressing a particular aspect of publicity. Ideas and concepts are presented, developed, then summarized in a "Remember" paragraph at the end of the chapter. This pattern makes the book easy to follow and use as a tool to enhance your ongoing publicity campaign. The index will help you go back to find particular topics, so this book will remain on your shelf as a long-time reference tool. The easy-to-read title on the spine will make it easy to spot and retrieve. Appendix A provides almost fifty pages of sample promotional materials for books. Understandably, Adams Media, the publisher, is dominant. In this section, the authors could have included samples of promotional materials for other products and/or recognized materials from other publishers or publicists. The book also includes the obligatory worksheet, quotations at the beginning of each chapter, and a few proofreading errors. This is a book that you can read cover-to-cover, marking pages and highlighting. Take notes as you develop your publicity plan. It's a great tool for catapulting yourself to fame and fortune-if your product is worthy and you follow the publicity principles presented here.
Rating: 
Summary: 4.5 stars: packed with tips, a little too quick at times
Review: The creator of the guerrilla marketing concept stroke back once again in 2002 with a slight twist of his idea, focusing on publicity this time around. The book is packed with tips on how to obtain publicity the guerrilla way, sometimes at a minimal expense to your business, although Levinson does acknowledge the importance of devoting "a good chunk" of your marketing expense to this critical component. At times it could use more examples: it feels like a five-minute guide to all publicity topics (in fact, you WILL be able to complete the whole book in less than a weekend). However, some key ideas are still there: the importance of going slow, taking the time to do things right and planning ahead, to ensure effectiveness of your publicity initiatives. Overall, I found it useful, since I am not a PR person myself, but I don't see it being too useful to PR professionals.
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Summary: Publicity is a great tool for Guerrilla Marketers. Read on.
Review: The whole Guerrilla Marketing paradigm is based on using non-financial resources to do your marketing especially when you are strapped for cash as a small business. Read 'Guerrilla Marketing' by this author before reading this book on publicity as it is a precursor to any of the books in this best selling series. Since the Guerrilla Marketing plans are all based on a lot of imagination, intellect, and effort, Guerrilla Publicity is probably one of the best tools to use (it's free!). Publicity is defined by the author as 'the art of building favorable interest in your product or service. It's creating a buzz, an identity, name recognition, and getting your message across. Publicity is a part of public relations'. The hundreds of publicity ideas are summarized in about thirty three 2-3 page chapters that pull together related ideas. As with all of this author's books, this book is very easy to understand and implement. The only complaint I have is that the sections on Internet related publicity are a little weak. Even though there is no perfect book on the subject of Internet publicity, there are better books out there than this one. But even so, the Internet related sections are very good, just not at the same level as the rest of the book. Publicity as a marketing tool is probably one of the hardest things for a small business to master as most small businesses are formed out of technical competence before being forced to learn all the other skills needed for a successful business - marketing, sales, management, etc. After reading this book, I became even more committed to mastering the art and science of publicity as a marketing tool. No small business can avoid this tool on the path to success. Go ahead and invest in this inexpensive book. You won't regret it. Good luck!
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