Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1899-05-05
OUR NEW YORK LETTER.
Getting Publicity Through Press
Agents and Otherwise.
Work That Seems skiIIfuI. hut Re-
ally Is BunglinE-How n Publisher
and n Portrait Painter Discounted
the Press Agents.


and n Portrait Painter Discounted
the Press Agents.
NEW YORK, May 4.-[Speclal l-Sensa-
tional journalism has rarely had moro |
satisfactory bit to offer the public than the |
story reported all over the country the |
other day detailing the alleged imprison-
ment in Morocco of woman who used to |
be we'll known here first as chorus singer |
and later as the wife of well known !
manager from whom she was subsequent
ly divorced
1t was a good story. Its promulgatoTs
furnished many details that gave it an at
tractive verisimilitude and the newspapers
generally accorded space for its publica-
ton. But it seems to have been q press
agents yarn got up for advertising pur-
poses only after all. In other words, the
woman is not and has not been impriS-
oned in Morocco or anywhere else, though
it is understood that she is now on the
other side of the water.
"PubIicity, Publicity, PubIIcityr
Free advertising of this kind is not so
easily worked nowadays as formerly, yet
there is still lot OF it done in behalf of
all sorts of persons and enterprises, and a
host of schemes have been put through or
at least brought well before the eye of the
public by the festive press agent. Thus
those who ought to know aver that the
late Nine. Blavatsky, high priestess Of
theosophy, owed most of her vogue in
America to the clever writings of two
| newspaper men with whom she became
| acquainted soon after landing on these
| shores, and the two electrical inventors
| best known to the newspaper reading pub
| lie are said to have awaited themselves ex-
| tensively Of the press agents good offices.
There is no reason in the world why any
one who believes publicity would be ad-
vantageous to him should not employ a
| press agent, yet there is nothing most pub
licity seekers possess greater misinforma-
ton about than press agents limitations.
The two electrical inventors alluded to
furnish an excellent case in point. Both
have succeeded in being talked about the
world over, yet only one has become rich.
| Nearly all his inventions are of great praC
tical utility. They would have been
money winners had they never been boom
ed by press agent though undoubtedly
| the profits on them have been much aug
mented by the publicity they have enjoy
ed. The other inventors devices have I'M
doubtedly been more ingenious than his
rivals, and of the two he has of late re-
ceived the more attention in print, but,
with one exception, his inventions have
not been practically useful. From the cX-
ception he derives n good annual income,
but he will never reach the plane of real
financial Independence till he deviscs
something that all the world can make
use of no matter how many press agents
exploit his work.
The woman who was recently reported
prisoner in Morocco may find her press
agents work boomerang and nothing
less, since the newspapers may dght shy Of
printing her name at all in future.
DiscOuntinE the Press Agents.
Hiring press agent by the way, is by
no means the best way to secure publicity.
Doing something that interests the people
SO that the newspapers must take you up
is !, 200 per cent better. This has never
been more satisfactorily demonstrated
than by the editor of a once popular comic
newspaper some years ago.
This man started his periodical in q
western town. The paper had enough
merit TO win some measure of success, and
he moved its publication office to this
town. To the publishers surprise, the
circulation of the paper and his own per
sonal vogue fell of at once and percep-
tibly. Expenses were much heavier here
than they had been in the west, and fail
ure seemed imminent unless he could dc
something to start talk about him in the
newspapers. He thought of the press
agent racket, but it was altogether toe
expensive for his pocketbook. His &C
quaintances in New York were few, but
one of them was portrait painter, who
he CHANGED TO learn, had been unable tC
attract attention here. They were talk
ing the situation over one day when al
idea presented itself. Nerve was required
to carry it out, but they We're in straits
This braced up their nerve, and they de
termined to risk it.
Some time the next day the police authori
, ties were given the tip that Mr.. So-and
, so, the publisher. had challenged Mr. This
and-that, the painter, TO n duel. The
quarrel had arisen over portrait of tn,
: publisher made by the painter and by hin
pronounced good, but considered hopeless
" bad by its original. Their friends hateC
TO see bloodshcd, but could do nothing
and therefore asked the police 10 stop it 10y
appearing on the ground and arresting tn,
principals. OF course the police told tn
newspaper reporters. Publisher ant
painter were both duly arrested. and tn,
next morning every sheet in town had
big story about the whole business. Mos
of the papers treated it humorously, bu
neither publisher nor painter cared 70
that. They wanted publicity and wer
getting il and getting it cheap All un
pleasant results were avoided by each Civ
ing bonds TO keep the peace in the pres
ence Of the reporters, which, OF. course
meant more publicity. The scheme work
ed well for the publisher, for his paper 90
the very best kind of advertising in biz
chunks at virtually no cost, and, beinl
not half bad, its sales and advertising
jumped at once. With the painter it wa
different, for his portraits were poor art
but had they been otherwise he, toe
might have reaped big financial rewar
for his ingenuity and his nerve.
Ingenious Press Agents.
The most ingenious press agent on rec
ord is a reporter who earned a big fe
some years ago by getting a number @
papers to print an article setting forth tn
great fortune surely awaiting whoeve
could invent a certain device AS a mat
ter of fact, the device was already invent
ed and patented and its manufacture we
under way. The publication Of the al
T ticle calling for such a thing paved tn
way for phenomenal sales, the profits froI
which laid the foundation of a substaI
tial fortune.
The strangest press agent now opera
ing in this town is a newspaper man VIII