2014 AP Stylebook Updates – A Sign of the Times
It’s that time of the year again—last week, the Associated Press (AP) released the 2014 edition of its AP Stylebook, better known to many as the journalist’s bible. If you work at all with media, you’re undoubtedly well aware of the book’s unique style and grammar rules. As PR pros, we likewise abide by the […]
Leadership: How to Bring Your “A” Game
When you think about the employees in your company and on your team, what sets apart the “good” performers from the “best” performers? Aside from productivity and the ability to meet or exceed the duties and responsibilities outlined in their job descriptions, what leadership skills define your A-players? At Communiqué PR, as in other PR […]
Online Media You Should Know
The Pew Research Center recently released its “State of the News Media 2014” report, which contains some unsurprising information about the growth of digital news consumption and publishing. Consumption of news on mobile devices and via social networks is still trending upward: About half of Facebook’s users read their news on Facebook for instance, whether […]
Parting the Sea of Selfies: Tips on Creating Effective Content From PR Newswire’s Michael Pranikoff
Content today is produced and consumed at a mind-blowing rate. From news to blogs to social media and multimedia, just about anybody these days with an Internet connection can add their own content to the mix. At the heart of all this content creation lies the selfie. More than just your average duck or kissy […]
Infographics – A Powerful PR Tool
One of our clients recently created an infographic presenting data around the end-of-life support for Windows XP. It included a lot of nitty-gritty technical data that would typically make a reader’s eyes glaze over. But when the data was presented in a bold, brightly colored infographic it transformed into interesting factoids that caught our attention […]
Critical Networking Know-How
One of my goals in 2014 is to more regularly connect with former colleagues, clients and journalists. It is not always easy to find time to network, but to keep a pulse on the business community as well as to maintain personal connections with the people who have made a difference in my life, it […]
Don’t Be Fooled on April 1
April Fools’ Day is tomorrow and along with it will come a flood of pranks and hoaxes from many well-known brands and companies. You can always count on some brilliant spoofs from Google and one of my favorites from last year was Scope’s bacon mouthwash. When executed well, April Fools’ Day pranks are a great […]
Surprise! Science Provides Critical Insight Into Headlines: PR Pros and Hacks Can Realize Huge Increase in Content Sharing With Smart Word Selection
For many PR practitioners, describing our profession often includes some sort of caveat that PR is more of an art than a science. According to a recent article in Ragan’s PR Daily, this accepted understanding of the industry may be changing. In “Words that makes (sic) your headline more shareable,” writer Adrienne Erin shares a […]
Finding Your Audience
So you want to pitch a story. The modern public relations practitioner has thousands of ways to reach his or her audience. There are mommy blogs, industry blogs, analyst reports, social media, national dailies, niche market outlets and glossy magazines—not to mention your company’s or client’s own online newsroom. With so many options available, it’s […]
Social, Search or Direct? How Viewers Get to News Matters & What It Means for PR
According to a recent, particularly fascinating Pew Research Center report, the path that readers take to arrive at a news site reveals a lot about their level of engagement with the outlet and its content. In other words, the amount of time someone spends reading an article or browsing an online site depends largely on […]