Check!

I am often guilty of speeding through a news release, without paying attention to the nitty gritty details. Bad. Yesterday, however, I came across a great checklist to use post-release writing. Check it out:

1. Is my headline specific? Be sure that your headline matches your content. While this may seem obvious, your release will bode better if you pull specific words and terms from your release to use in your headline. Not only will this give you a more specific headline, but it will also be more  effective, thanks to search engine optimization (SEO). 
2. Did I use active voice? I am especially guilty of this. Tone down the extra words and phrases in favor of more direct statements. Instead of "Jane Doe has been awarded Grammy Award for excellence in songwriting," try "Grammy Awards select Jane Doe for Best Songwriter." This serves as a more impactful statement.
3. Can I chop three words from my headline? Remember: short, sweet, and to the point. Eliminate useless fillers that garble up your headline, instead chop off 3 words from your first headline. Of course, be mindful that your headline is still coherent. The point is to be brief yet effective.
4. Does my release answer the five Ws? I always advise other students to answer the 5 Ws in the lead paragraph of a release. Who? What? Where? When? Why? The rest of the release should focus on details, relevant quotes and resources.
5. Did I do a five-step proofread? 
1. Read out loud: I swear by this. Just reading things in your head will not help you very much. Reading out loud will give you a sense of how you actually sound, and help you with grammar, tone and syntax. 
2. Get a second pair of eyes: No matter what you are writing, this is strongly recommended. A second opinion never hurts, and a fresh set of eyes will do wonders for your release because your release may make sense to you, since it is your expertise, but it may not be in layman's terms.
3. Read your story backward: If you want to be extra vigilant, try reading your release backwards. Because you are not accustomed to reading this way, it will be that much more obvious for you to catch a mistake.
4. Focus on the numbers: Triple-check your dates, times, data, etc. It is a HASSLE and honestly a crack in your credibility if you are publishing incorrect information.
5. Print it out: We receive so much information via the computer screen that we are used to just scanning a page. Try the old fashioned way and just print your piece out and take a red pen to it. Guaranteed you will find something that your eyes glazed by.

Do you use any of these methods when proofreading your release? Have any additional suggestions? Let us know!

Avoid Being A PR Grinch This Holiday Season.

‘Tis the season for holiday gift guides! Every year, media outlets across the board generate gift guides – a medley featuring their recommendations of products for their target audiences to purchase as holiday gifts. Impressing the media and securing coverage for your client during this time of year is competitive and crucial to raise awareness. For this reason, crafting the perfect pitch is instrumental. The following are tips and tricks to make your pitch stand out:

1. Start Early: Blogs, magazines and other online media outlets have different deadlines. It is essential to identify your product ahead of time and start early, as many print publications have 90 day lead times. However, outlets like blogs do not even begin to consider gift guides until December. Do your research, and start by targeting the media with the longest lead times.
2. Tend to the Details: Be sure your product is applicable to the outlet you are pitching. If you know the reporter you are sending is vegan, pass on sending them a pitch about your client’s fab leather jacket. Many reporters are searching for certain themes such as eco-friendly, style, electronics and more. It can be helpful to create categories to make it easier for editors to find where your product may fit in their gift guide.
3. Non-tangible Gifts: Not all gifts need to be tangible items. Consider pitching gift guides for your non-profit or philanthropic clients by turning their service into a giftable item. For example, Plant One Million – a fundraising campaign to raise money for tree planting and more – offers an opportunity to make a donation in someone else’s honor. In return, the recipient is sent a certificate of the gifted tree. Cue the warm and fuzzies!
4. Impress the Reporter: Our friends at Philadelphia’s leading lifestyle communications firm, Matthew Vlahos Public Relations, say, “Gifting is never a bad idea.” Prove your client’s product is worthy by sending or hand delivering the product you are pitching. Who doesn’t love free stuff?

Follow these tips, and your clients will adore you. Are you gearing up to pitch holiday gift guides for your client? Share how you make the best of your pitch!

This guest blog post was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Samantha Miller

AP Stylebook: Rules For The Holiday Season

As we enter the holiday season, I thought it would be a great time to brush up on holiday style – AP style, that is. Below are terms that stood out to me as ones I would be likely to slip up on when writing. For instance, it’s general knowledge that seasons are not capitalized, but “winter” does not officially begin until Dec. 21 and therefore should not be used to describe dates before this.  It’s also a common AP style rule to only spell out numbers 1-10, but when writing about the Christmas carol “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” the numeral should always be spelled out.

• Kriss Kringle: Not Kris. Derived from the German word, Christkindl, or baby Jesus.
• yule: Old English name for Christmas season; yuletide is also lowercase.
• Christmastime - One word.
• Xmas - Don’t use this abbreviation for Christmas.
• “The Twelve Days of Christmas” - Spell the numeral in the Christmas carol.
• Black Friday - Capitalize both words and don't use quotes.
• Cyber Monday - Same as above. And just in case there's any confusion about this day, it's the Monday after Thanksgiving.
• gift card - Two words, not one.
• autumn, fall, winter, etc. - Seasons are not capitalized. And winter does not officially begin until Dec. 21.
• Pilgrims – Capitalized. 
• turkey day - Not capitalized.
• Don't capitalize happy in "happy Thanksgiving" or "happy holidays."

Are there any other AP style rules for the holidays that you’d like to share? Let us know!

This guest blog post was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Kyra Mazurek. 

The Social Media High School Yearbook

For most college students, high school seems like it was just yesterday. We all remember the cliques that made up the student body like the nerds, the athletes and the band geeks. Each group had their own interests and similar personalities that set them apart from the rest.

In the dawn of the social media age, I guess you could say that social media sites are the high school of the Internet.

Wix, a popular web desgin company, took a look at social networks and found out which site fit each cliche high school stereotype. Based on what we all are sharing, Wix developed this inforgraphic comparing each social network to a high school stereotype.

For example, YouTube is the drama enthusiast. Twitter is the Chatty Cathy. Instagram, naturally, is the flirt of the bunch.

Check out the rest of the social media yearbook to see where you fit in:

Can you think of any other social media stereotypes? Let us know!

Fakery on Facebook

Recently, the New York Times released an article about a hospital in North Carolina that became a victim of a pseudo Facebook Page. In October, a ‘fake’ page popped up and discussed the negative effects of “Obamacare”. The page quickly gained hundreds of followers, and the anti-Obama campaign picked up immeasurable number ‘likes’. Officials at the hospital attempted to take control of the situation, but as quickly as the page appeared, it disappeared. The article goes on to discuss fakery all over the internet, including Facebook.

Gaston Memorial’s experience is a lesson in the problem of fakery on Facebook. As the world’s largest social network, it is an acute problem, because it calls into question the very basis of the site. Facebook has sought to be viewed as the community where people use their real identities. The appearance of fraudulent accounts makes Facebook’s mission impossible and could cause users to question Facebook’s reliability.

Facebook says they are taking the problem very seriously and have recently stepped up their efforts to terminate ‘fake’ and fraudulent accounts. However, the problem has become almost impossible to manage. Hundreds of these fraudulent sites can pop up simultaneously and some even contain malware and other viruses. Additionally, ‘fake’ coupons form meals and other items are appearing on Facebook news feeds, aimed at tricking individuals into revealing their personal information.

Facebook says they first noticed an increase in the creation of fraudulent sites when pages were beginning to decrease in the monthly amount of likes. Additionally, the election season seems to have increased with this reported activity.

One public relations implication of the rise of fraudulent Facebook accounts is the declining opinion of the public. Fraudulent ‘likes’ damage the trust of advertisers, who want clicks from real people they can sell to and whom Facebook now relies on to make money. 'Fakery' also lowers the credibility of Facebook itself.  If users no longer feel secure or believe Facebook is reliable, the site may see a decrease in users and a lowering of stock prices.

Respect My Authority

The introduction and integration of bloggers have transformed the Public Relations industry, including new trends that are just now proving unique challenges for PR professionals in corporations.

As more sources of information begin to saturate news consumption, transparency and authority are becoming the forefronts of corporation’s information.

At the source-   The term “expert” is now being looked at more closely as consumers are becoming more skeptical of authors education and knowledge on a particular topic. More corporations are now providing biographies to prove authors authenticity.

Saturation of news- Now with so many avenues of interests, companies are now looking to be a source with a concentrated interest for consumers, such as the National Constitution Center, not just another opinion.

Consumers with control- As social media has become more prominent and now a part of our everyday lives, consumers hold the power to influence a brand. Social media strategists for companies are learning the importance of listening to consumer’s suggestions and implementing new ideas of engagement such as Lays potato chip new campaign, “Do us a flavor”.  

What do you think corporations are doing to show transparency?

 

 

 

Becoming A Successful Vlogger WITHOUT Learning The Hard Way

We have all seen those terrible, fly by night, want-to-be vloggers who log onto the internet armed with nothing but a camera phone and low quality bathroom lighting. Vlogging, or video blogging, is a great way to connect with an audience beyond the standard text-only blog post. Audiences love being able to put a face to a name or brand, and videos allow that and much more. Vlog posts give you an opportunity to let you true personality shine through to your audience. If you think vlogging is something you should try but you don't want to end up with videos like this one, keep reading for tips on becoming a successful vlogger.

Know your audience and talk to them: Be sure to speak and act in a way that will make whatever audience you are addressing feel comfortable. If you are aiming to target younger people, it may be better to take on a more relaxed tone. If you are targeting your superiors or other professionals, it may be better to speak in your "resume voice."

Quality over quantity: Viewers would rather see one video a week that is filmed on a decent camera and that has been edited correctly than a hundred low quality videos. Take the time to find the proper equipment to film your videos, or find someone to film them for you who knows what they're doing.

Keep it short: Don't bore your viewers with long, drawn out videos. Present the information to them in a fun, interactive, and interesting way. Try to keep your videos under 10 minutes to keep the audience engaged.

Look the part: Treat the days that you vlog like going to a film set! Make sure to put some work into your appearance and dress the part! It's your video, you should look like the star!

Have you ever vlogged before? What tips do you have for becoming a successful vlogger?