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Did you know that many companies don't apply for awards simply because they are s NOT aware of them. Awards bring prestigious and positive recognition to all types of businesses. Awards are the ideal confirmation of your quality of work and professionalism. Becky Wilson, WDS Marketing & Public Relations, in Overland Park, Kansas has shifted her focus and has now helped her clients win over 300 awards. That's right, over 300 awards. Listen as she explains how to submit successful entries, how to ...

Sustainability issues are being addressed all across the nation and around the world. How are U.S. public relations professionals getting involved, contributing to this very important issue. Piia (Pea-a)_Aarma, CEO of Pineapple Tweed, Honolulu, Hawaii provides insight into local sustainability issues and her involvement. She articulates about the particular projects in Hawaii, the goals for projects and how she helps these projects become successful. This episode provides an overview of her effo...

With the complexion and growth of the United States population pointing toward people of color one would think public relations firms, government agencies and others would develop plans to reach these populations--particularly African Americans. Estimates suggest than people of color will become the majority of the U.S. population somewhere around 2040-2060, if not sooner. People of color will constitute 57% of the population with African Americans reaching about 14% percent of the population by...

Developing your strategic communications plan is not a quick & easy process. Jessica Graham, APR, Fellow APR, Fionix Consulting, Charlotte, NC, provides useful guidelines to help you better understand context and content needed to produce a successful strategic communications plan for your clients or office. Jessica outlines how she proceeds both as a "front and center" consultant or a member of the client's team to provide the needed services. Her holistic approach could be valuable to you. If ...

With over 25 years of solid public relations experience at senior levels Betty Galligan was constantly aware too many younger people entering their public relations job were still not equipped to handle any serious projects. In addition, there are folks with some experience that could benefit from some additional skills and advanced/refresher public relations courses to justify job growth. Enter, the "Public Relations Finishing School," a 10-module online curriculum that provides the guidance an...

After many successful years in PR, Nicole Morgan, CEO of Resolute Public Relations in Tulsa, OK decided to launch her own agency. While her knowledge and experience with digital marketing served its purpose working for an agency she knew that to be successful with her new agency she had to have top level digital marketing talent on staff. In this episode Nicole is honest with realization that a distant digital staff member could not deliver the nut & bolts details than an on-staff person could p...

What are some of the common mistakes made when writing a press release? What are the most important points you need to know to make your release more acceptable to the media? What creative ideas can help elevate your press release acceptance? Mickie Kennedy, Principal of eReleases, Baltimore County, MD, offers knowledgeable guidance based on proven experience to boost your release placements. How many characters are optimal for headlines? What are the TWO most used action verbs used in headlines...

Enough is enough! Tired of the snubs. Done with non-acceptance! Although her work was stellar being a gay female limited her acceptance into the company culture. After 10 years of being on the outside in her silicon Valley PR jobs Evie Smith Hatmaker decided to take her "Michael Jordan level of experience" and become a solo practitioner. Things were going well. After her successful experiences with several non-traditional clients the light came on. Too few PR firms were prepared to represent co...

A major university, Georgetown University, describes Social Impact Storytelling: "History has shown that stories are inextricably linked to what it means to be human. Before there was formal communication, there were stories. It should come as no surprise, then, that social movements and organizations like nonprofits, foundations, and socially responsible businesses are now working to leverage stories as a strategic tool to advance important missions. Effective stories are powerful because they ...

Many public relations professionals have often written op-ed pieces for our clients hoping to successfully placed either in the local newspaper or in one the nationally recognized newspapers. Unfortunately, when it comes to the more recognized newspapers the op-ed placement rate becomes abysmal. Why are many op-ed pieces being rejected? My guest Bob Brody is a Public Relations consultant, a veteran of Weber Shandwick and Ogilvy. He also contributes to The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times ...

Public relations firms are often call upon to help produce a campaign to either help get something done or to prevent something from moving forward. This is NOT the time for beginners. Sarah Erkmann Ward has a very successful record working in and developing campaigns. Her Anchorage based Blueprint Alaska Public Relations firm is battle tested and provides listeners with a "blueprint" for creating an effective campaign. Most organizations needing a campaign to achieve their desirable outcome wil...

On occasion an organization may have a massive project, be understaffed or simply lack the skills to produce an important event. This is when hiring a public relations, marketing or digital firm may be the answer to successfully complete your project. Do you ask your cousin for guidance? Perhaps you met a PR person at a business meeting! How can you feel confident you can identify the optimal firm to get this project completed successfully, without complications and that they clearly understand ...

NOTE: Due to a temporary technical problem the podcast was recorded via conference call then edited with Audacity. Media monitoring is an ongoing service that public relations professionals often need to demonstrate effectiveness of project outreach, penetration, etc. Brian Council, President of Metro Monitor in Birmingham, AL outlines their extensive network available to collect primarily broadcast data nationwide for clients. However, they also have the capacity to monitor 40,000 online news s...

Public Affairs Officers are the PR professionals in the government and the military. Samuel House served in both. Listen as he explains his duties while in the military and federal government. Very interesting is the compressed training he received in the military to learned the public relations functions in a limited time. His travels in foreign nations help him prepare for later experiences. He also explains how he reached his differing audiences depending on his location and projects. Conside...

No doubt many of you have seen press secretaries for the president, state elected officials, mayors holding TV press conferences. Once that job ends these same former press secretaries are now communications vice presidents at colleges major corporations, the heads of PR firms and other major organizations. You have your degree in communications, how can you get one of those high powered jobs? Answer: Working in a political campaign or for elected officials office can be a major launching pad to...

Listen to this description of how Native American Randy'L Teton, Public Affairs Manager for Idaho's Shoshone-Bannock Tribe describes her climb to success in the PR world and how she has worked to help non-Native Americans remove their long held misunderstandings of Native American culture and life style. She mentions how more of her tribal high school girls need exposure and opportunities to intern in public relations organizations. She helps listeners understand how much Native Americans really...

Is your lack of public speaking skills holding back your public relations career? Afraid to speak at meeting and conferences? Want to develop into a confident public speaker? Consider this: "a lackluster speaker can make a solid product or proposal seem less than enticing, while a polished speaker can add allure to an otherwise mediocre proposition." This podcast episode is for you. Learn how to develop great speaking skills, boost your confidence and leadership skills. Janna Landry offers liste...

Public relations skills have a long reach. Anna Ehrgott, Communications Director, explains how her PR experiences helped advance the goals and outreach of the Mississippi Arts Commission. This is an opportunity for PR professionals and newbies to understand how your skills have useful application in other areas. Anna discusses her collaborations with other entities around the state and how these relationships increased the visibility and patronage for the arts in Mississippi. Request for listen...

Having been around since 1888 Burrelles certainly has experience reaching, monitoring and measuring media placements to determine the effectiveness of its efforts. Tressa Robbins, VP of Customer Onboarding, provides an overview of how the company helps customers achieve their individual goals from their investment with Burrelles. She outlines how they keep their 860,000 global media list up to date. She talks about the various platforms and technology employed to monitor the results of tis outre...

PR professional Cindy Miller, Cindy Miller Public Relations, Boise, Idaho, explains how her efforts for clients in the food & agriculture industry helps provide great information to the public about the importance of this industry to our health and national economy. She also helps farmers/ranchers communicate with the public and talks about misinformation spreading about the food industry. This Boise, Idaho firm is focused on insuring the public receives solid information on the work of this imp...

Former TV news journalist Lezli Luneckas-Broomhall, Luneckas Consulting in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, who transitioned into public relations, used her combined skills to help defeat legislation in Iowa that would have had a very negative impact on the general public healthcare mistakes. Listen as she outlines her team's strategy that generated ample public resistance to a bill that would have limited financial recovery that hospitals /doctors would pay for medical mistakes. How did they find former pat...

Jodi Amendola, CEO--Amendola Communications, provide a vivid overview of how she succeeded in helping healthcare technology firms benefit from professional PR expertise. The Amendola firm has won numerous awards for exceptional work to elevate the clients technology benefits and benefits to much better healthcare delivery. In PR healthcare arena? You should NOT MISS this episode from a multi-award winning CEO. Enjoy the episode? Leave a review & follow us. Thank you. Request for listener Revie...

Pitching your story to TV journalists requires skill and understanding. Not understanding the correct process can be very disappointing--particularly for your clients. Harriet Wallace, one of Nashville's seasoned TV reporters, provides detailed guidance to successfully placing a story with your local TV reporter. PR people need to research reporter's story history and learn exactly what a reporter needs to hear and receive from you to move forward. Listen and hear the mistakes unprepared PR peop...

It's true! Forbes Magazine says that more than 62% of Americans own pets and brand managers are taking notice. Jane Harrell, President of Cause Digital Marketing, helps you understand why major brand such as Travelers Insurance, Subaru, Toyota and other major organizations use pets and other domesticated animals in marketing campaigns. Pets help develop emotional connections with people and it pays off. Listen to this compelling episode to better understand why many more brands are using pets in...