Dear Direct Response Letter Subscriber: Many years ago, when "gigapets" were popular, I bought one for my son Alex, who was just 7 years old at the time. www.theprwizard.com A gigapet is a little electronic device, about the size of a watch fob, displaying an electronic animal or "pet" on the screen. As the owner, you have to take care of your "pet" -- feed it, water it, walk it -- by pressing certain buttons on the device. If you don't take care of the gigapet, it "dies." Anyway, Alex was so excited about getting his new gigapet that within minutes, he took it with him to the bathroom ... and promptly dropped it in the toilet. I quickly fished it out. But the water damaged the electronics, and the device was ruined. Upon seeing this, Alex burst into tears. "Don't worry, Al," I told him. "I'll buy you another." "C-c-can we b-b-bury this one?" he asked me tearfully. Being a soft-hearted dad, I immediately took him to the back yard -- and with a shovel, we buried his dead electronic pet, using a brick for a headstone. Not one to waste a good PR opportunity, I went upstairs to my PC and quickly dashed off a press release about the event, with the headline: "Microchip Gardens, World's First Gigapet Cemetery, Opens in Northern NJ." www.theprwizard.com I sent it off to the local daily newspapers. My cost: a 32-cent postage stamp. A day or so later, a reporter from the paper called. He wanted to come see the "cemetery" in our back yard and interview me for a story. He did, and that weekend, on the front page of the feature section, was a large article about me and Microchip Gardens. The article also told about me and my freelance copywriting business -- and on Monday, my phone was ringing off the hook with calls from local companies wanting to hire me. Why am I telling you all this? First, to show you that, despite what some PR professionals tell you, press releases do work -- and can generate a ton of publicity for you at virtually zero cost. Second, to illustrate one of the most effective PR techniques: taking an amusing but -- in reality -- an unimportant event (certainly not news) and turning it into a major PR coup. In my home study course, "Do-It-Yourself Public Relations," I take you step by step through the Microchip Gardens campaign ... the Domino Pizza Meter ... "NJ Man Sells the Brooklyn Bridge, One Piece at a Time" ... British Knight's "smelliest sneaker" contest ... the Juiceman's million-dollar radio interview ... ... and dozens of other successful PR campaigns that cost almost nothing -- but made lots of money for the companies and entrepreneurs who created them. You'll also discover the 7 types of PR ideas that the press loves to write about ... and how to adapt them to promoting your product or service. For free details on my "Do-It-Yourself Public Relations" course, just click below now: www.theprwizard.com Sincerely, Bob Bly P.S. I've been a guest on CBS Hard Copy and CNBC ... dozens of radio shows ... even had full-page articles about me in publications ranging from Nation's Business to the National Enquirer. I tell you this not to brag, but to demonstrate that these PR techniques have worked for me -- and can work for you, too. I unconditionally guarantee it ... or your money back. If you are not 100% satisfied with "Do-It-Yourself Public Relations" for any reason ... or for no reason at all ... Just return the course to me within 90 days for a full and prompt refund. That way, you risk nothing. To examine "Do-It-Yourself PR" risk-free for 90 days, click below now: www.theprwizard.com Bob Bly Copywriter / Consultant 31 Cheyenne Dr. Montville, NJ 07045 Phone 973-263-0562 Fax 973-263-0613 www.bly.com Follow Bob:        I welcome your feedback! Did you like today's message? What other topics would you like to see covered in my e-mails? Please let me know at: rwbly@bly.com As always, please feel free to forward this e-mail to a friend! If you liked this essay, and want to read 75 more just like it, get my book "Don't Wear a Cowboy Hat Unless You are a Cowboy -- and Other Grumblings from a Cranky Curmudgeon," which you can order here: www.bly.com/KindleCowboy Disclaimer: The Direct Response Letter only recommends products that we've either personally checked out ourselves, or that come from people we know and trust. For doing so, we sometimes receive a sales commission.