Write Ahead, one of my followers on Facebook, recently asked:
This is such a good question that I decided to make a blog post out of it.
As a matter of fact, Write Ahead, there are a number of ways you can find out what stories journalists and media currently or will be working on.
Below are four ways to get you started.
You’ve probably heard by now that having a blog is a great way to boost your company’s online visibility and drive traffic to your website. When you blog regularly and post about something other than what you had for lunch, you build a community of fans and followers who will happily return again and again to learn from you and your business.
But do you know how to leverage your blog posts to get your company more media attention?
When you don’t have anything newsworthy to say about your company, your blog may be all you need to get your business some buzz or at the very least, keep you on a journalist’s top of mind. Read More→
One of the services that my PR company, Cross Border Communications, offers is event PR and marketing for small-scale events such as seminars to large-scale functions like conferences. In doing these events and also attending ones in the world of Web 2.0, I’ve noticed an increasing trend towards incorporating social media into event marketing strategies.
Social media can play a powerful role in the planning, promotion and execution of your event. Here are some ways you can integrate social media into your marketing activities: Read More→
The internet was abuzz last week over the latest hashtag fail: Entenmann’s, an American baked goods company, committed a Twitter faux pas when it decided to use the right hashtag at the wrong time:
As #notguilty was a trending hashtag being used in direct relation to the Casey Anthony trial, Entenmann’s landed itself in a PR firestorm after this tweet. The company has since apologized and claimed the hashtag use was unintentional; however, many accused Entenmann’s of taking advantage of a serious situation to advertise its products. Only time will tell how badly this tweet will affect Entenmann’s. Read More→
How do PR and social media intersect?
If you think about the big picture, if you’re in business, then you’re trying to sell a product or a service.
And they say that in sales, it takes an average of getting in front of your customer nine times, before they are ready to buy. They want to buy from someone they know, trust and like, and a relationship takes time to build.
When it comes to social networking, the choices are almost limitless–but your time and energy are not.
Therefore, it helps to focus your social networking efforts on the platforms that will give you the most results.
For starters, look at the three most popular social networking sites: Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. In this post, I’ll give you an overview of each one and some guidelines to help you decide which platform to begin with or focus on.
I’m a social media newbie. I’m not an expert, I’m not a guru, I’m not a leading authority. I wouldn’t even say I’m a blogger.
Having been a publicist (and often getting sidetracked with my own entrepreneurial ventures) for more than 18 years, last year I launched PR in Your Pajamas with the goal of helping entrepreneurs get the kind of publicity in newspapers and magazines usually reserved for corporate clients who can afford hefty retainers.
In other words, helping small biz clients get publicity in what you would call “traditional” or “offline” media. Very quickly, I got immersed in social media, which I consider to be an extension of “online PR”. Read More→
Most of the time when people think of getting PR, they think of coverage in traditional media like magazines, newspapers, TV and radio.
However, with the explosion of blogs, it’s definitely a form of media you can no longer ignore. Don’t get intimidated by consultants or agencies who pitch you on a “blogger relations campaign” in order to get pr for your small business.
Bloggers are people too, and I find them much more approachable than a reporter simply because they are not *usually* as overloaded on emails and voicemails. Newspaper reporters can field hundreds of requests a day, and your pitch can often be lost or buried if it’s not hard news.
Bloggers on the other hand, can be just as influential as a reporter and we often hear of news ‘breaking’ on the blogosphere.
How to get coverage on a blog? Pick a few favorite blogs to follow, make sure the blog targets the same audience you do, build a relationship by commenting and when the time is right, see if there is a way to be featured on that blog. Most likely the opportunity is a product review, interview, giveaway or contest or even a guest blog post or video post from you.
If you’re a mompreneur, a few Mom blogs I have been featured at lately are here. Contact these great mommy bloggers to see if there is an opportunity to help promote you.
By subscribing to Jessica Smith’s free Buzz Cooperative, companies or PR people can ask for bloggers to review their products (and vice versa where bloggers ask companies for particular products they want to review for their readers.
Also check out Stephanie Elie’s (@bizziemommy on Twitter) post on 10 Influential Mom Bloggers.
They say it’s always good to start from the beginning…
On Twitter today, @unmarketing asked the question, What’s a good definition of PR?
If I give you the textbook definition or what PR people say to each other, I’ll just confuse you. Which is probably why when I ask most entrepreneurs about startup PR, they give me a blank look. They know it’s important, but can’t really explain why. Many don’t use this secret weapon in building their business because there’s always been an aura of mystery around getting PR.
I think this is a simple definition of PR:
PR builds awareness and credibility for your company, product or service – which is critical for entrepreneurs and small businesses.
Awareness is built by sharing company news or information through your key influencers (let’s say reporters and bloggers), in order to reach customers, potential employees, joint venture partners, investors and anyone else who needs to know about you.
Credibility is built when the reporter or blogger writes about you in the paper, magazine or blog because they are an objective third-party reviewing and hopefully, singing your praises.
The resulting action is that people go to your website or store to evaluate the information for themselves, and perhaps join your company, pitch you on a potential partnership, invest as a stakeholder or buy your product or service. The resulting actions would depend on what your PR messages are, and how it’s delivered.
I hope that helps in lifting the PR mystery!
Anyone else care to share their thoughts on what PR is?
Today I had to renew my passport. With such tight security at the embassy, I was asked to leave my cellphone and computer behind at the front desk.
I was horrified! What will I do while I wait? Fuming, I grudgingly took out pen and paper and started making notes. In 90 minutes here’s what I achieved:
1. A clearer vision of company directions, products, status and next steps
2. A revised PR and Marketing plan for the next 30 – 60 days
3. Two blogposts written
4. One press release written
5. Most importantly, clarity on the bigger picture.
I’ve been stuck on a few things and having the time away without distractions of emails, calls, Twitter and my kids running afoot made space in my mind for ideas to come through and connect in a different way.
In terms of boosting productivity and time management, I learned sometimes the office is NOT the most productive place to get things done, especially as a WAHM.
I’ll be scheduling a “get out of the office day” with just pen and paper at least twice a month and looking forward to letting my brain “work out of the box”.
Won’t you join me?
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