One Year in PR: Three Major Lessons

Today marks my first anniversary as a full-time employee at Communiqué PR. Although I interned with the company off and on throughout my time at the University of Washington (go Huskies!), transitioning from interning to working full time has provided a few valuable lessons. For anyone embarking on their first year in the industry, or […]

Is Word of Mouth Enough?

In order to celebrate one of our colleague’s embarking on a journey to San Francisco, the whole Communiqué PR team recently visited Seattle’s Fremont Brewing Company. It was my first time there, but before I even walked through the door, I could feel the energy from the outdoor seating area. It was full of smiling […]

Tips for Better Communication and Collaboration

Over the course of my communications career – too many years to mention, practicing in both agency and in-house environments – I am often surprised by the lack of communication among communications professionals. While we strive to develop strategic and effective communications for outward facing audiences, all too often we fail to communicate within our […]

AOL Closes 150 Local “Patch” Blogs. What’s Next?

For several years we have heard a familiar refrain: Print journalism is on the decline, large news organizations are struggling, and much original reporting and storytelling is shifting to online-based outlets and blogs. In mid-August, though, news broke that AOL planned to close a number of its Patch blogs, which had promised to deliver news […]

PR Pro or Politician? How to Build Trust With Journalists

An unfortunate report from the Oriella PR Network recently revealed that, quantitatively, journalists trust PR professionals slightly less than politicians. Yes, you read that right—even politicians come across as more trustworthy than PR pros. Much of it likely has to do with the changing media industry—as it becomes digital and fast-paced, journalists face incredible pressure […]

Lean In – Practical Advice for All Genders

I recently finished Sheryl Sandberg’s provocative book, “Lean In,” about gender differences in the workplace and her perspective on how to help right the inequalities. I am about the same age as Sheryl, and while our backgrounds are different, many of her points resonated with me. I find it astounding that there are only 21 […]

Kaidel Coverage

It is always a treat when we get the opportunity to work with a client whose product meshes with our own personal passions. This spring and summer we had the opportunity to work with Kaidel Sportswear, a Seattle-based sportswear company that designs Pacific Northwest-specific running and biking gear. I am very passionate about running and […]

The Power of a Blog in a Crisis

Communications professionals (including the Communiqué team) often tout corporate blogs as a way for businesses to create a voice, connect with their audience, drive thought leadership and increase website traffic. While this is all true, corporate blogs can become especially handy when a company has a crisis on its hands – especially if the company […]

Car2go, the “Sharing Economy” Trend and Young Professionals

In the PR industry, we hear a lot about trends. Editors are looking for “trend pieces.” We check what is “trending” on Twitter. How many pitches have you written to capitalize on a trending news topic? A good story often combines a newsworthy item with a larger trend, showing readers the big picture and the […]

Puttin’ on the Blitz

As a PR professional working in an agency environment, I’m fortunate to work with a variety of clients from different industries. Each new client brings an opportunity to learn something – whether it be a new product or a technology I’ve not used before, or even learning about the culture of the targeted audience – […]