Spotlight on Marketing

So You Want to Write a Media Release and Influence a Journalist? Part 15

Posted on 21 December 2011 | No responses

This is Part 15 in a series of blog posts I’ve compiled about how to write effective media releases and pitches, and how to influence journalists and bloggers (with integrity, of course) so you get the publicity you want.

Each part in the series lists 10 (or sometimes more) articles, videos etc. by various people. For a list of links to Parts 1-14, see the Media Relations category on this blog.

Here are the latest 10 resources:

1. “5 bad PR practices that will frustrate journalists” by Gil Rudawsky (@GilComMedia on twitter)
2. “How not to treat bloggers and how not to pitch blogs” by Chris Abraham (@chrisabraham)
3. “8 tips for writing press releases that journalists (and bloggers) read” by Jeremy Porter (@jeremyporter)
4. “How to write a press release that works” by Sarah Shaw (@entreprenette)
5. “Attention PR People: Here’s How To Pitch A Writer” by Mitch Joel (@mitchjoel)
6. “One Strike and You’re Out: In Relationship Era, Bad PR Pitches Will not Be Tolerated” by Bob Garfield in Ad Age (@AdAge)
7. “Detailed analysis of the perfect blogger pitch” by Chris Abraham (@chrisabraham)
8. “33 things the media wish PR people knew” by Jackson Wightman (@jacksonwightman)
9. “The anatomy of a pitch email” by Laurie Moon (@LaurieMoonPR)
10. “20 things PR clients should know” by Elizabeth Friedland (@Efriedland)

Would you like to recommend any other good resources on this topic? Please post a comment or send me an email. I won’t list EVERY article I see; I’ll only recommend articles that I think are well written and that add something useful to the debate.

Kay Ross
http://twitter.com/kayross

Twitter Tips and Resources - Part 63

Posted on 4 December 2011 | 1 response

This is Part 63 of an ever-growing blog series, with each post featuring links to 10 useful, funny and/or provocative articles/lists/blog posts/videos/sites I’ve come across about how to use twitter more effectively (and how NOT to use it).

Here are the latest 10:

1. “The Ultimate List of Twitter Tools” by Matthew Tommasi (@socialguide on twitter)
2. “The Big List of 77 Twitter Mistakes: Which Do You Make?” by Leo Widrich (@LeoWid)
3. “15 ways to attract Twitter followers” by Heidi Cohen (@heidicohen)
4. “9 Strange Things About Tweets, Retweets And DMs Every Twitter User Must Know” by Dave Larson (@TweetSmarter)
5. “How To Change From A Social Media User Into A Social Media Leader” by Dave Larson (@TweetSmarter)
6. “Has Force-feeding Your Twitter Account Made You Irrelevant?” by Susan Cooper (@BuzzEdition)
7. “The Beginner’s Guide to Twitter” by Michael Hyatt (@michaelhyatt)
8. “HOW TO: Change Your Twitter Handle” by Lauren Indvik (@laureni)
9. “Avoid these 10 time-wasting tweets” by Lisa Barone (@LisaBarone)
10. “Brand Equity - Top Ten mistakes brands make on twitter” (video, 7m 13s) from Brand Equity (@brandequitylive)

For a list of links to Parts 1-62 in this series (which was born on May 19, 2009), see the Twitter category on this blog.

Would you like to recommend any other good twitter resources? I certainly don’t list EVERY article about twitter that I see – I might recommend an article that I disagree with, if I think it contributes something useful to the debate, but I won’t recommend an article that I think is badly written.

Happy tweeting!

Kay Ross
http://twitter.com/kayross

Twitter Tips and Resources - Part 62

Posted on 7 November 2011 | No responses

This is Part 62 of an ever-growing blog series, with each post featuring links to 10 useful, funny and/or provocative articles/lists/blog posts/videos/sites I’ve come across about how to use twitter more effectively (and how NOT to use it).

Here are the latest 10:

1. “70% of Companies Ignore Customer Complaints on Twitter” by Jay Baer (@jaybaer on twitter)
2. “When It Comes To Twitter, Marketers And Companies Still Don’t Get It” by Steve Olenski (@steveolenski)
3. “6 Ways to Boost Return on Twitter” by Heidi Cohen (@heidicohen)
4. “I love Twitter lists.” by Kirsten Wright (@kirstenwright)
5. “Laughable Social Media: The Great Twitter Purge” by Daniel Newman (@DanielNewmanUV)
6. “5 Reasons Why Your Twitter Efforts Aren’t Working” by Leo Widrich (@LeoWid)
7. “How Misunderstanding Retweets Can Get You Suspended From Twitter” by Dave Larson (@TweetSmarter)
8. “50 Kloutless Ways To Get Value From Twitter” by Lisa Barone (@lisabarone)
9. “Trick or Tweet: Top 8 Twitter Pet Peeves” by Megan Leap (@MeganLeap)
10. “3 Reasons Why You Should Not Auto-Synchronize Social Media” by Arthur Catalanello (@acatalanello)

For a list of links to Parts 1-61 in this series (which was born on May 19, 2009), see the Twitter category on this blog.

Would you like to recommend any other good twitter resources? I certainly don’t list EVERY article about twitter that I see – I might recommend an article that I disagree with, if I think it contributes something useful to the debate, but I won’t recommend an article that I think is badly written.

Happy tweeting!

Kay Ross
http://twitter.com/kayross

Twitter Tips and Resources - Part 61

Posted on 8 October 2011 | No responses

This is Part 61 of an ever-growing blog series, with each post featuring links to 10 useful, funny and/or provocative articles/lists/blog posts/videos/sites I’ve come across about how to use twitter more effectively (and how NOT to use it).

Here are the latest 10:

1. “Business 101: Social Media Etiquette – Good Intentions or Not, Spam IS Spam” by Grandma Mary (@grandmamaryshow on twitter)
2. “A to Z of Twitter Etiquette” by Nicky [surname not given on her blog or on twitter] (@rocksstar10)
3. “How I Tweet in a Nutshell (55 Behaviors from a Twitter Nut!)” by Pam Moore (@PamMktgNut)
4. “A Twitter Band-Aid Can’t Save Your Business” by Charlene Kingston (@SocialMediaDIY)
5. “Twitter’s Mad Men Moment” by Brian Solis (@briansolis)
6. “How To Get Twitter Followers (ethically)” by an un-named author on the twiends website (@twiends)
7. “20 of the world’s most clever Twitter bios” by Mark Schaefer (@markwschaefer)
8. “Bad Twitiquette: 10 Ways To Lose Your Twitter Followers, Fast!” by Niall Devitt (@nialldevitt)
9. “Twitter is dying—and it’s all your fault” by Neicole Crepeau (@neicolec)
10. “9 Ways to Get the Most from Twitter” by Jamie Turner (@60SecondTweets)

For a list of links to Parts 1-60 in this series (which was born on May 19, 2009), see the Twitter category on this blog.

Would you like to recommend any other good twitter resources? I certainly don’t list EVERY article about twitter that I see – I might recommend an article that I disagree with, if I think it contributes something useful to the debate, but I won’t recommend an article that I think is badly written.

Happy tweeting!

Kay Ross
http://twitter.com/kayross

So You Want to Write a Media Release and Influence a Journalist? Part 14

Posted on 28 September 2011 | 2 responses

This is Part 14 in a series of blog posts I’ve compiled about how to write effective media releases and pitches, and how to influence journalists and bloggers (with integrity, of course) so you get the publicity you want.

Each part in the series lists 10 (or sometimes more) articles, videos etc. by various people. For a list of links to Parts 1-13, see the Media Relations category on this blog.

Here are the latest 10 resources:

1. “The 10 commandments of media outreach” by Gordon Platt of Gotham Media (@gothammedia on twitter)
2. “4 ways to improve quotes in press releases” by Laura Hale Brockway (@lhbrockway)
3. “Journalist explains when and how to follow up a pitch” by Amy McCarthy (@aemccarthy)
4. “An Open Letter to (Bad) Publicists and (Uninformed) Authors” by Jessica Lawlor (@jesslaw)
5. “5 Reasons Why Nobody Cares About Your News Release” by Laura Finlayson (@lauramfin)
6. “8 tips for writing press releases that journalists read” by Jeremy Porter (@jeremyporter)
7. “How to get quoted in a trend article” by Ian Pierce (I don’t know his twitter handle)
8. “How To Pitch Anything To Anyone” by Maureen Henderson (@GenerationMeh)
9. “Top Online Press Release Blunders: Are You Guilty?” by Tara Geissinger (@TaraGeissinger)
10. “5 examples of offbeat press releases” by Michael Sebastian (@msebastian)

Would you like to recommend any other good resources on this topic? Please post a comment or send me an email. I won’t list EVERY article I see; I’ll only recommend articles that I think are well written and that add something useful to the debate.

Kay Ross
http://twitter.com/kayross

Why Are You In Business?

Posted on 20 September 2011 | No responses

I watched a video blog post by Marie Forleo about how to deal with refund requests and unhappy customers.

A viewer/reader commented on Marie’s blog: “It’s always better to give your customers what they want. Even if it means NOT getting their money. We’re in business to serve…”

Hmmm, I’m not so sure about that. I’d say that we’re in business to make money, and the way we do that is by being of service. If we consistently do NOT “get their money”, that means we’re not in business - we have an expensive hobby or we’re running a charitable foundation that gives away money to worthy causes. And it seems to me that always giving customers what they want even if it means not getting their money is a sure-fire recipe for going broke.

Here’s a definition of “business” that I found online:
“An economic system in which goods and services are exchanged for one another or money, on the basis of their perceived worth. Every business requires some form of investment and a sufficient number of customers to whom its output can be sold at profit on a consistent basis.”

What do you think? Where do you draw the line between “always giving customers what they want” and “getting their money”? It’s a tricky balance, and I can’t claim that I always get it right.

Twitter Tips and Resources - Part 60

Posted on 12 September 2011 | No responses

This is Part 60 of an ever-growing blog series, with each post featuring links to 10 useful, funny and/or provocative articles/lists/blog posts/videos/sites I’ve come across about how to use twitter more effectively (and how NOT to use it).

Here are the latest 10:

1. “150+ Ultimate Round-Up of Helpful Twitter Articles” compiled by Diana Adams (@adamsconsulting on twitter)
2. “Twitter Dictionary | 35 Twitter Abbreviations” by Diana Adams (@adamsconsulting)
3. “Eleven Things NOT To Do on Social Media” by John Lusher (@JohnLusher)
4. “How Do You Manage Problem Followers On Twitter?” by Shea Bennett (@sheamus)
5. “Using social media at live events: best practice tips” by Tamara Littleton (@tlittleton)
6. “Twitter Stats That Will Get You (and convince your Boss) to Tweet Your Brand” by Marsha Collier (@MarshaCollier)
7. “The Myth Of Reciprocity And The Social Life Of Brands” by Mitch Joel (@mitchjoel)
8. “12 Most Likely Reasons I Am NOT Following You on Social Media” by Mark Babbitt (@YouTernMark)
9. “The do’s and don’ts of Twitter hashtags” by Sherilynn Macale (@heycheri)
10. “Twitter 101: 55 Tips to Get Retweeted on Twitter” by Pam Moore (@PamMktgNut)

For a list of links to Parts 1-59 in this series (which was born on May 19, 2009), see the Twitter category on this blog.

Would you like to recommend any other good twitter resources? I certainly don’t list EVERY article about twitter that I see – I might recommend an article that I disagree with, if I think it contributes something useful to the debate, but I won’t recommend an article that I think is badly written.

Happy tweeting!

Kay Ross
http://twitter.com/kayross

Twitter Tips and Resources - Part 59

Posted on 3 September 2011 | 6 responses

This is Part 59 of an ever-growing blog series, with each post featuring links to 10 useful, funny and/or provocative articles/lists/blog posts/videos/sites I’ve come across about how to use twitter more effectively (and how NOT to use it).

Here are the latest 10:

1. “How to Become a Twitter Search Ninja” by Hartley Brody (@hartleybrody) from HubSpot (@hubspot)
2. “Why so many URLs are suddenly unclickable on Twitter” by Dave Larson (@TweetSmarter)
3. “Hate the new Twitter @Username tab? Here’s how to make it only show @Mentions” by Matthew Panzarino (@mpanzarino)
4. “7 reasons we don’t care that you have 10,000 Twitter followers” by Jackson Wightman (@jacksonwightman)
5. “5 Ways to Win Friends and Influence People on Twitter” by Daniel Newman (@danielnewmanUV)
6. “Build Twitter followers using the theory of everyone” by Chris Abraham (@chrisabraham)
7. “How Do You Decide Who To Follow on Twitter” - a short video by Misty Belardo (@mistygirlph) and Marty McPadden (@MartyMcPadden)
8. “How to Manage Twitter for Enterprise” by Jessica McLaughlin (@tendermuffin) on Sprout Social Insights (@sprout_insights)
9. “How to: Monitor your twitter followers – Part 1” by Patricia Garza (sorry, I don’t know her twitter handle) on the “Ask Aaron Lee” blog (@AskAaronLee)
10. “Twitter? Business Owners: Look Before You Leap” by Brad Friedman (@BradFriedman)

For a list of links to Parts 1-58 in this series (which was born on May 19, 2009), see the Twitter category on this blog.

Would you like to recommend any other good twitter resources? I certainly don’t list EVERY article about twitter that I see – I might recommend an article that I disagree with, if I think it contributes something useful to the debate, but I won’t recommend an article that I think is badly written.

Happy tweeting!

Kay Ross
http://twitter.com/kayross

Bad Marketing Pisses Me Off

Posted on 1 September 2011 | 2 responses

If you don’t make it easy for me to understand who you are, what you do and what you stand for…

If your messages don’t communicate a consistent, compelling story about your brand and your values…

If your messages are ambiguous, misleading or downright untruthful…

If your messages are full of meaningless PR fluff…

If your messages are full of impenetrable jargon…

If you don’t talk to me like a human being talking to a human being…

If you don’t speak to my heart…

If your staff don’t treat me (and everyone else) with courtesy…

If you can’t be bothered to learn anything about me…

If your salesperson cold-calls me and says “I’m not selling anything”…

If you don’t tell me what I want to know, when I want to know it…

If you make it difficult for me to do business with you…

If your actions don’t match your words…

If you don’t keep your promises…

If you can’t convince me why I should do business with you or support your cause…

… that’s bad marketing, and it hurts you.

And frankly, it pisses me off!

Twitter Tips and Resources - Part 58

Posted on 22 August 2011 | 2 responses

This is Part 58 of an ever-growing blog series, with each post featuring links to 10 useful, funny and/or provocative articles/lists/blog posts/videos/sites I’ve come across about how to use twitter more effectively (and how NOT to use it).

Here are the latest 10:

1. “Don’t Ask People to Like You, Give Them a Reason to Like You” by Liana Evans (@storyspinner on twitter)
2. “How to get your mentions view back after Twitter deletes it” by Dave Larson (@Tweetsmarter)
3. “Five indispensable lessons for Twitter success” by Mark Schaefer (@markwschaefer)
4. “The 100 Things You Need To Know About Social Media” by Niall Harbison (@NiallHarbison)
5. “Twitter users are more likely to impact your brand than any other social network” by Sherilynn “Cheri” Macale (@heycheri)
6. “Twitter Etiquette” by Dawn Foster (sorry, I don’t know what her twitter handle is)
7. “Twitter: we control your redirects” by Joel West (@openITstrat)
8. “DEBATE: Should you add ‘please retweet’ to your Twitter updates?” by David Meerman Scott (@dmscott)
9. “Why do some people use “via” instead of “RT?” for retweeting?” by Dave Larson (@TweetSmarter)
10. “Why so much research about Twitter is flat-out wrong” by Mark Schaefer (@markwschaefer)

For a list of links to Parts 1-57 in this series (which was born on May 19, 2009), see the Twitter category on this blog.

Would you like to recommend any other good twitter resources? I certainly don’t list EVERY article about twitter that I see – I might recommend an article that I disagree with, if I think it contributes something useful to the debate, but I won’t recommend an article that I think is badly written.

Happy tweeting!

Kay Ross
http://twitter.com/kayross

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