Do You Care About Al and Tipper?

I tweeted yesterday about how the news of the Gore break-up presents authors who are relationship or divorce experts with an opportunity to pitch themselves to the media as talk show guests or article resources. It also provides local therapists and counselors with an opportunity to provide local commentary on a national story with their local media outlets. Publicity is -- like it or not -- all about being opportunistic. Why let your competitor do that noon TV talk show interview about why marriages end after 40 years when you could be doing it? It's a sad situation, but it's a business opportunity for some.

I was surprised, then, when a usually savvy author of books on other topics commented on my Facebook page, "Like who cares? . . . There are a lot more important things to worry about." Well, yeah, of course there are. What to have for lunch today is one of them. But his question made me realize that I care. While other recent high-profile breakups haven't moved me much, this one has left me sad.

Here's why this one bothers me. If those lip-locking love birds can't stay married, who can? I haven't been able to pull it off, but people like the Gores made me feel that is is possible. When I saw all that they've endured and accomplished as a couple, I was reassured that living happily ever after with a spouse is possible.

Oops -- maybe not.

And while some are wondering if Tipper gets half of the Internet, I'm thinking about couples and happiness. Sure, they've grown apart blah blah blah and maybe splitting gives them the opportunity to find happiness with a new soulmate yada yada yada. I get it. But still, I feel like somebody has popped a balloon in front of me. I want to believe that when you stay married that long, you will pick out a long-term care facility together, too. You'll always have somebody watching your back . . . or wiping the drool off your chin.

Where are you on this? Do you care, or, like my author friend, are you completely unmoved by the end of this marriage?

Beer Summit Brewhaha: U.S. Brewers are Crying in their Beer

The nation's brewers have done an excellent job of turning this week's news story about the "Beer Summit" at the White House between President Obama, Harvard professor Henry Gates, and Cambridge police officer James Crowley, into a publicity opportunity.

Gracious host that he is, the President provided his guests with their favorite brewskis. It was one small way to make them feel comfortable and welcome as they discussed a topic that has created tension nationwide -- while they talked about it in an incredibly intimidating environment.

As soon as the favorite brews of participants were revealed, domestic brewers pounced on the opportunity to create headlines by complaining that the selection of imported brands was anti-American. One of them was a company in my own backyard, Genesee Brewery, which issued a whiney statement about how the summit beverages were not American-made.

I love how so many brewers responded so quickly with the same "we've been screwed" comment. It makes me wonder if all of their PR people had a conference call to talk about whether they would get more attention by all whining to the press separately, or by leaving it to an industry group to speak on their behalf. ("You make the comment about how the beers should have been brewed by American workers and you talk about the evils of foreign domination!")

I hope much of the fussing is tongue in cheek, though. The point of this summit was to help open a dialogue. It's hard to get people comfortable enough to do this if you over-orchestrate every detail. These gentlemen were in an awkward position -- let them at least enjoy their favorite brew. If it's not your brand, try to convert them now by delivering a case of your best product to their doors. It's not like you don't know where Gates lives.

One of the keys to ongoing publicity success is your ability to be opportunistic. There are two great local media exposure opportunities jumping off the front page of most daily newspapers today.

The first is the arrest of Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich on corruption charges -- clearly, another case of a powerful person who believes the rules don't apply to him.

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Rod Blagojevich Is a Jagoff

Barack Obama Interview
John McCain Interview

Sarah Palin Video
Funny Election Video

Local media outlets will be looking for the local angle to this story and will need both local and national expert sources for their coverage. Contact your local media now if you're an ethicist, politician, futurist, a "watchdog," or just plain paranoid about politicians.

The other opportunity comes from news that cancer is expected to overtake heart disease as the world's top killer by 2010. Are you an oncologist, cardiologist, affiliated with the local office of the American Cancer Society, health care provider, hospice worker, author of a book on a related topic, or have some other type of connection to this news? Make something happen with your local media outlets today before this disappears from the front page.

How One Business Got Opportunistic

Whether I'm speaking to a group about how to generate publicity or teaching my book promotion e-course, I always nudge people to capitalize on the day's headlines to create buzz for their charity, business or book.

One of my "Book Publicity 101: How to Build Book Buzz" students did this recently, placing an essay about her book's topic in today's Christian Science Monitor. Meagan Francis, author of Table for Eight: Raising a Large Family in a Small Family World, leveraged the buzz around Sarah Palin's five children and Angelina Jolie's ongoing comments about adding to her family to place Thanks to Angelina Jolie, having lots of kids is hip. It's a well-written piece that tells us more about why Meagan has four children and another on the way -- and one that I shared with my mother, who had seven children in 10 years back when that was more the norm than the exception.

Meagan's high-profile success is just one example of the kind of exposure your company, organization, product or service can enjoy by reacting quickly and effectively to the day's news. Most of us will have the most success by adding a local angle to a national story (a TV station in my area interviewed "local Joe the Plumbers" last week), but we can also score a big one -- as Meagan did today. Great job, Meagan!

Calling All Relationship Experts

If you're a divorce or relationship expert, take advantage of all the media hoopla surrounding the current celebrity divorce dramas. Those with a national platform should be contacting the national media outlets to provide expert commentary and advice while those looking to generate local publicity should be doing the same with their local media outlets, particularly TV news departments.

Here's how to get started:

• Create a brief narrative biography (not a resume) that summarizes your credentials and answers the question: Why are you the best person for us to interview on this subject?
• E-mail or fax that bio to appropriate media contacts (see next point) with a note or cover letter offering your services as an expert commentator on these high-profile divorces. In your note, tell the media gatekeeper what advice you would offer in an interview -- tips for protecting the children in a divorce, insight into why the current situations are playing out the way they are, advice for making sure your marriage doesn't end in divorce court, how to resolve relationship conflicts peacefully -- the tips should be relevant to your particular expertise. The point is: Show that you have valuable information to contribute.
• For national TV shows, use media directories, available at most library reference desks, to figure out which producers to contact (I like Bacon's) -- but do it NOW. This story will fade soon.
• For local media outlets, contact the news assignment editors at TV stations, the morning and afternoon radio drive time show producers to get on the air during high-listener commute periods, and the relationship reporter at the daily newspaper. Your local angle is: What can the rest of us ordinary people learn from these high-profile cases?
• Remember: Publicity begets publicity. One interview that's available online can be found by reporters and producers using search engines to uncover qualified resources. (And, of course, make sure you have a media friendly Web site.)
• Subscribe to Help A Reporter so you can respond to any reporter queries on the topic.

Have you been interviewed lately about the Christie Brinkley or Madonna marriage dramas? Tell us how it happened.