PR Job Coach

JULY 1, 2012

'If your heartstrings are resonant with the folks mentioned in this New York Times article Lost in Recession, Toll on Underemployed and Underpaid you no doubt understand the challenges inherent in job search. Landing your next gig in your own field is tough enough but changing careers or fields is not for the faint of heart or mind. That said it is possible to change horses mid-stream but it is going to require diligence, patience and endurance.

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Waxing UnLyrical

NOVEMBER 30, 2012

Your child has come down with a rasping cough. You put on your Dr. Mom hat, jump online and feverishly Google their symptoms, you check social media to see if any of your friend’s children are sick. Overwhelmed by the multitude of potential diagnoses, you decide to wait and see if the cough subsides before scheduling an appointment. But what if you could connect with your doctor using social media ; asking for advice via a quick Twitter or Facebook message?

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Social Media Communications Healthcare Insurance 111

Bad Pitch Blog

OCTOBER 14, 2012

'Part of my presentation on media relations at #PRSAICON focuses on the news release paradox. It''s seemingly got its own gravitational pull as one of the most mentioned tools in our industry. Yet it''s little more than a simple format that hasn''t changed much -- in more than a century. Thousands of releases are distributed daily and we can''t even agree upon what to call the format.

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Infographics Tools Media Relations Industry 89

Journalistics

JUNE 18, 2012

Why are we still writing press releases? If press releases are part of your work life, you’ve probably asked this question once or twice in the past year (or more). Really though, press releases require a lot of time and effort to produce and distribute. There are hard costs associated with the process. And I’ll go out on a limb here and challenge the return on investment from press releases – the results tend to be pretty lackluster, even from those fancy multimedia or social news releases.

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Blogging Writing Engineering Video 52

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Internal

PR Job Coach

AUGUST 30, 2012

'You have worn a furrow deep into the carpet as a result of pacing back and forth in your office pondering how to prep for the upcoming job interview. You struggle mightily understanding the company’s balance sheet and profit and loss statement. Your brain is filled with facts and figures on the company’s business strategy as you try to memorize the biographies of the company’s C suite.

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Interviews How To Strategy 173

PR Job Coach

MARCH 29, 2012

'The revelation that companies are asking potential employees for Facebook passwords got me thinking about how Facebook has rapidly evolved as both diary and biography. Given the addition of timeline to Facebook’s configuration, people on the hunt would do well to make Facebook work for them instead of the converse. While there are other solid platforms like LinkedIn that are a source of rich C.V. type information, Facebook is fast becoming a treasure trove of great data about the 850 million pe

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Facebook How To Construction Insurance 160

PR Job Coach

FEBRUARY 24, 2012

'There is no debate what so ever, networking is the chief avenue to landing a new job , hands down. And the plethora of tips, tactics and tricks to network are limitless on the web. Just Google the term networking and you are likely to be inundated with information on how to do it and profit from it. My cursory search found 127 million inks. In thinking more deeply about the nature of working your contacts and connections, here are several ideas to get you started to use networking to get workin

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How To Web Groups LinkedIn 141

PR Job Coach

JANUARY 30, 2012

'So you finally passed muster in the 15 interviews you endured at ABC Company over two weeks. You are exhausted. You lost about eight pounds, sweated bullets and are in the final throes of that seemingly elusive job offer. Now comes the hard part. Who and what references can you provide that will help seal the deal and pave the way towards the job offer that has had you in the waiting room for what appears to be a lifetime.

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Insurance Insurance Enterprise Ethics 141

PR Job Coach

NOVEMBER 11, 2012

'In this age of personal branding and virtual knowledge, we all struggle with how to best describe our value, and the talents and abilities we bring to the party. And as we know instinctively, no amount of hyperbole or word inflation will mask our true character to people we know and who know us. Honesty, authenticity, and simplicity are the rules of the day when it comes to describing ourselves, our values and, most important, our value.

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Banking Government How To Examples 133

Journalists receive an overwhelming number of press releases daily, making it hard for your news to stand out. While some news is valuable, most is not.

Media

PR Job Coach

MAY 16, 2012

'Ignominious is how one might describe the latest Yahoo mishap , one of a long line of failures and foibles the company has endured over the last few years. The experience is rife with teaching moments for managements of traditional companies and soon-to-launch startups. Fact is, there are lessons for everyone if we just take the time to think and learn.

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How To Insurance Insurance Writing 130

Waxing UnLyrical

DECEMBER 7, 2012

Today’s been a big day for me. Because, as you read this, I will have packed up my stuff from MSL Washington DC , and getting ready to have a farewell refreshment with my colleagues, some of whom have become dear friends. You see, today was my last day at MSL, and effective immediately, I return to my independent strategic communication practice.

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Community Communications 111

Waxing UnLyrical

NOVEMBER 28, 2012

I’ve been dealing with a situation for the past few weeks involving a student who thought she wanted to “ ‘be’ in public relations.”. That is, until she found out that she was expected to actually do something besides sit at her desk or go to parties. To quote my hero, Homer Simpson, “D-Oh!”. Those of us who now work or have worked in the public relat. ions profession know there’s a boatload of stuff that comprises the field.

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Publicity Nonprofit Banking Ethics 110

Waxing UnLyrical

NOVEMBER 26, 2012

WTF? (for lung cancer). Earlier this month, Jennifer Stauss Windrum wrote a moving guest post on her campaign to generate awareness around lung cancer. If you haven’t yet read it, please do go read it, because she tells her story much better than I ever could. Long story short, her mom contracted lung cancer without ever having smoked. She is dying from this disease – yes, dying.

Social Media 110

Social Media Google Facebook Twitter 110

Speaker: Michelle Garrett, PR Consultant, Author, Speaker

Yes - press releases are still relevant in the world of public relations! 🎯 Ever wondered how to write a compelling press release, or what are current best practices for pitching your news to earn media coverage? In this exclusive webinar with Michelle Garrett, PR Consultant, we’ll cover tips and advice to help you get the most out of each piece of news you pitch!

Pitching

Waxing UnLyrical

JUNE 21, 2012

When it comes to staying on top of social media, one of the big challenges we have is to find the social media tools that will help us achieve a happy medium between curating, listening, engaging and producing content. Frankly, I think that medium isn’t all that happy. It’s tough to find, and when we do find it, it stays with us for a while before it goes dancing off into the sunset, leaving us to figure it out all over again.

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Waxing UnLyrical

MAY 16, 2012

What could a group of astronauts and the Holocaust possibly have in common? More than you think. And before you read further, there is an ask involved, to help get a very moving documentary to American television screens via PBS and Kickstarter. But do read further, because I think when you hear the story, you’ll see why it’s important to try to help.

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Film How To Television Storytelling 108

Waxing UnLyrical

JANUARY 11, 2012

Many of you are familiar with the Blue Key campaign that I’ve been working on since last year for my client, USA for UNHCR. There are so many things I’ve learned during the course of this campaign – about blogger outreach, about measurement and analytics, about Facebook Groups, about community building – there are probably a ton of posts waiting to be written.

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Twitter Analytics Community Facebook 108

Waxing UnLyrical

APRIL 10, 2012

Perhaps it was an episode of Extreme Couponers or the explosion of social commerce sites such as Groupon that sparked my addiction to a good deal, but either way, I’m hooked on them. One night in February I was perusing Groupon and found deals galore capitalizing on the upcoming holiday. As any good female friend should do, I reminded my clueless friend Steve that Valentine’s Day was around the corner.

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Small Business Customer Service Facebook Retail 108

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Brand

Waxing UnLyrical

NOVEMBER 20, 2012

After surpassing 1 billion users this past month, Facebook has become an institution that appears to have some staying power. But there is a lingering issue that threatens Facebook’s dominance even more than advertising revenue and stockholder discontent. When Kathy Savitt was named CMO of Yahoo, a lot was written about her obsession with Generation Z (the generation born post 1990 or so).

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Facebook Advertising Advertising Writing 108

Waxing UnLyrical

SEPTEMBER 27, 2012

Seems like I had only just written about “ little things ” that make a big difference for my own blog when I recently experienced an example of a small gesture that, to me, made a big impression. Margaret (my wife) and I recently had a “date” for lunch at Vlora , a terrific Mediterranean restaurant on Boylston Street in Boston. True to my abysmally disorganized self, I showed up early.

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Customer Service Banking Nonprofit Facebook 108

Waxing UnLyrical

MAY 18, 2012

Erin Feldman is the marketing communications manager at TouchSystems , a touch screen company based in Hutto, Texas. Her background is in marketing and creative writing, and she riffs about writing right at her blog, Write Right (so write right, don’t make her use her red pen). She spends the rest of her time writing poetry, drawing, reading, and running.

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Writing Creativity Blogging Marketing 107

Waxing UnLyrical

MAY 20, 2012

It’s official. The biggest news in the history of social media took place Friday when Facebook had its IPO, becoming the biggest social name ever to join the public market. Its $108 Billion offering came in as the 3rd largest ever (behind Visa and Enel), so the day was significant not only for social media types but also for market watchers. What has surprised me a bit is the amount of negative comments in the Facebook conversation.

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Facebook Social Media Media Google 106

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Crisis Management

Waxing UnLyrical

OCTOBER 24, 2012

Guest post by Kate Endress. Facebook has been struggling since its IPO in May. Its stock has been almost cut in half, GM dropped a $10M ad deal, and Google is nipping at its heels with the purchase of Wildfire. Facebook was not initially built to monetize; it was built to go viral. The company is betting on huge advertising growth in the next five years, and many people, including myself, are skeptical.

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Facebook Mobile Google Viral 106

Waxing UnLyrical

SEPTEMBER 28, 2012

I got an interesting question from someone I know (name withheld on request) recently. I was asked: “I would like to reach out and connect with a professional contact that I have made via Twitter/Facebook /LinkedIn. Do you have any suggestions on how to approach a such a contact without appearing to be ‘Facebook stalking’?” Hmm, I thought to myself.

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Social Media How To Media Facebook 106

Waxing UnLyrical

OCTOBER 2, 2012

So what did you do last weekend? Partied? Slept all day? Relaxed? Took the kids & wife to the Mall? I’m sure whatever you did was interesting but I… … I attended Startup Weekend in New Delhi. Startup Weekend is a global network of passionate leaders and entrepreneurs on a mission to inspire, educate, and empower individuals, teams and communities.

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Mobile Pitching Twitter Social Media 105

Waxing UnLyrical

MARCH 26, 2012

One of the most fun projects I’ve worked on recently was Oxfam America’s (OA) International Women’s Day (IWD) 2012 campaign. The project. You might remember my telling you about this ; long story short, we were asked to provide digital support for the campaign; specifically, to engage bloggers with the goal of raising awareness for the campaign and the work that OA does to empower women around the globe.

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Case Study Internal International Study 105

Speaker: Shawna Bruce, Director of M.D. Bruce & Associates Ltd.

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Crisis

Waxing UnLyrical

OCTOBER 12, 2012

Monday, Oct. 15, will see me complete six months since I started at MSL Washington DC. I know many of you have wondered how I’ve been doing, and honestly, there’s no short answer to that question (though if you pressed me, I’d say “mostly good”). I’ve been (am) busy, and tired (oh, so tired!). And a few realizations keep coming to me, as I continue to settle into my new life.

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Social Media Publicity Media Conference 105

Waxing UnLyrical

OCTOBER 9, 2012

As public relations professionals, there are a lot of different kinds of things we have to do, and not all of them are fun. But last week, I had the opportunity to attend (completely by accident) a World Food Programme event at the State Department , where Hillary Clinton, Christina Aguilera and David Novak (Yum! Brands… and how ironic is it that he’s the only person for whom I felt the need to attach an affiliation?

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Waxing UnLyrical

JUNE 4, 2012

I don’t believe in ghosts. I know, that seems rather snappy and off-handed to say, so immediately like that, but I don’t. I’m not saying I don’t have views on the universe, spirituality, whatever …. I just don’t believe in ghosts. So I’m not the kind of guy who says that you will be able to reach out and posthumously communicate with people… unless, of course, I thought that there was really a way to do something like that.

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Social Media How To Media Twitter 104