Posts Tagged ‘Journalism’

Be Careful Out There! From Fake News to Fake Newsmakers—How to Best Protect Your Brand

Thursday, May 11th, 2017

content marketing, content management, newsjacking, social media, digital marketing, SEO, online marketingIn 2006, Sacha Baron Cohen’s Borat character burst onto the big screen and became a huge success in the United States. Borat – a scruffy, socially awkward “journalist,” ostensibly from the Central Asian nation of Kazakhstan – took a cross-country trip through the United States, mostly in the South, and interacted with and interviewed numerous unwitting participants who became fodder for Baron Cohen’s movie.

While Borat had been a staple of Baron Cohen’s Da Ali G show for years, the 2006 film marked the first time many Americans had been exposed to the character. From college students and driving instructors to rodeos and local news stations, many Americans were fooled into believing they were being interviewed for a cultural program for consumption in Kazakhstan, something that would not be seen in the United States.

Hilarity, embarrassment and lawsuits followed. (more…)

Thanks Google! Content Really is King Once Again.

Wednesday, August 12th, 2015

 

The world suddenly seems to have a voracious appetite for content as online marketers compete with each other in an attempt to capture the eyeballs and eardrums of current and potential customers. Not just any content, but high-quality, unique and relevant content.

It wasn’t always this way. The bottom kind of fell out of the writing industry back in 2008 as the recession hit full force. Media outlets were laying people off in droves, or closing entirely, and the demand for freelancers was rapidly diminishing. I know because I had been a freelancer for a number of years. Even while employed full-time, I made a very nice “extra income” from writing for a variety of trade and professional publications.

It was this extra income that I felt would help provide me with a cushion when I launched Strategic Communications in 2008. But I was wrong.

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A Wake-Up Call to the Newspaper Industry

Tuesday, November 11th, 2014

I had an experience recently that made me think: “Hmmm. Maybe this is one of the reasons the newspaper industry is struggling.”

After landing a new account recently, I began setting up my files and processes for gathering information about the client and sources of information that would help me stay on top of issues impacting them externally. This generally includes some combination of online sources, industry trade publications, etc. In this case, because of the type of business the client does, I decided to subscribe to the local paper because I wanted to add it to my morning reading ritual.

So, I went online to their website to subscribe. And that’s when the fun began. (more…)

Looking for Media Coverage? Stay Off the Phones!

Tuesday, September 16th, 2014

As someone who grew up shy and still has a strong aversion to “cold calling,” I was heartened to see the results of a recent Muck Rack poll of journalists regarding their preferred methods of contact. The good news?

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PR More Effective than Content Marketing? Probably! But…

Tuesday, July 1st, 2014

Nielsen recently released a report, commissioned by inPowered which indicated that content marketing (the current, go-to communication tool for many B2B and B2C marketers) is actually 88 percent less effective than public relations (PR).

The news has the communication community abuzz online with conversations taking place in many of the social media groups I follow. Many are expressing shock, some disagreement, over the results.

But, when you think about it, it’s really just common sense.

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Contributing Content: Big Opportunities in Content Marketing!

Friday, March 14th, 2014

There are big opportunities these days in content marketing. All kinds of organizations, from traditional publishers and media outlets to businesses hoping to gain online traction through organic search are looking for quality content. That means big opportunities for content creators of all kinds. It also means big opportunities for businesses and individuals hoping to get media coverage for themselves and their products and services.

Why?  (more…)

Do You Believe Everything You Read?

Thursday, February 27th, 2014

By now, just about everybody is aware that the news industry has been impacted dramatically by the ability of consumers to seek–and even generate–news themselves through a variety of online resources that may include their own blogs and social media accounts. When breaking news occurs, it is often shared first online where it grows and spreads exponentially. The problem is: it’s not always accurate! (more…)

PR Pro Thinks Blog Posts are the New Press Release — But, What do Journalists Think?

Thursday, November 21st, 2013

I read an interesting blog post today from Arik Hanson’s blog “Communications Conversations” titled News releases or blog posts: What is the future of media relations? In it, he suggests that companies and individuals hoping to gain attention through the media should give up on the outmoded use of traditional news releases in favor of blogs. Blogs, he says, offer many benefits including: (more…)

Decline of News Media Industry May Hold Opportunities For You: Here’s Why

Wednesday, March 20th, 2013

Pew’s recently released analysis of the state of the news media appears, upon first analysis, to be nothing but dismal. The report indicates that newspaper newsroom cutbacks left the industry down 30 percent since its peak in 2000–actually below 40,000 full-time employees for the first time since 1978! Instead of news as we know it, most of these “news” outlets are focused on reporting sports, weather and traffic. Even CNN’s news packages are down nearly half according to the report.

But, for businesses, business professionals and would-be thought leaders there’s a silver lining here.  (more…)

Can You Believe Anything You Read?

Tuesday, November 13th, 2012

I just finished reading Blur: How to Know What’s True in the Age of Information Overload  and thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s a topic that I’ve often pondered as I’ve watched the shift from traditional news coverage to the rapid expansion of information sources that allow literally anyone to have a “voice.” But how can we as consumers–or as journalists, which is a hat I often wear–separate fact from fiction from self-promotion.

The book offers some very in-depth insights and examples which I found fascinating–and helpful. In brief, the authors outline a process that involves asking the following questions: (more…)