The rapid advance of technology has resulted in the addition of many new and interesting words into our vocabulary that weren’t around even a few years ago. My favorites are the nouns that somehow become verbs. Here are a few examples: E-mail: Remember, this is an abbreviation for the noun electronic mail, which went out
Writing for Publications
I’ve blogged on Trade Secrets about finding the right media outlets for your company’s press releases. It’s no secret that the trade press offers tremendous value by allowing you to precisely target your message to an audience and establish yourself as a subject matter expert and thought leader. Odds are, there are multiple publications to
You can write a book!
In business today, it’s not unusual to hear conversations that start out with “Some day, when I finish my book…” or “You ought to write a book.” In fact, writing a book is on many professionals’ “wish list” and “authors” are filled with excitement and anticipation as they picture themselves on TV, radio or in
Finding the Right Media Outlets
I’ve blogged before about press releases and how important it is to find not only the right contacts within various media outlets, but also the right media for your message. It’s not uncommon for business owners, managers and even public relations professionals to have unrealistic perceptions about the media. (Media, by the way, is plural
High-Impact Press Kits
A press kit is a package of promotional materials that a business owner can hand to a reporter, magazine editor, or potential client that explains what the business is all about in a clear, concise fashion. It’s the answer to the questions, “Who are you?” and “What do you do?” Every business, large or small,
Picture Perfect
I’ve seen some bad photographers in my day. My grandmother used to take photographs with a battered110 camera that was held together with old, yellowed Scotch tape. Granny was famous for taking bad pictures. She would chop off her subjects’ heads, shake the camera just as she snapped the shutter, or her finger would get
Using Editorial Calendars to your Advantage
Magazines put together editorial calendars, generally on an annual basis. Here’s how smart marketers can use them to their advantage.
Writing a Great Press Release, Part II
Now that you’ve learned what goes in a press release in part I, here’s the secret to formatting a great release (drumroll, please): The secret is, there is no secret. That’s right. If you have great content like we discussed in part I, then you’re 90 percent of the way to writing a great press
Fall 2009 Trade Press Services Business Builders online
View the Fall 2009 Trade Press Services Business Builders! Or, view the archive.
Writing a Great Press Release, Part I
For an assignment in my news writing class in college, we were asked to attend a local “happening” and write a basic news story on it. Simple enough…but I couldn’t leave it at that. Somehow I managed to convince the professor to let me write a press release instead of a hard news story. Ever
Get your message out with a white paper!
How would you like to learn a great way to attract new customers to your business? You can—with a professionally-written white paper. You’ve heard the term tossed around, but what is a white paper, anyway? A white paper is a report that is intended to be the definitive statement on a particular topic or issue.
Advertorial content: The Frankenstein of print media
You may know what “editorial” means (that’s on the opinion page in the newspaper, right?), and you probably know what advertising is (the annoying stuff that interrupts my TV show!) But what the heck is “advertorial”? And why do you care? Advertorial content is the Frankenstein monster of journalism. Part news, part opinion, and part
The Death of Reading?
The popular PBS children’s show Reading Rainbow was canceled recently due to a lack of funding. It ended a 26-year run with host LeVar Burton (you may know him as Star Trek’s Geordi LaForge or Roots’ Kunta Kinte) during which the show taught children that reading could be a lot of fun. A recent AP/Ipsos
