Learning SEO For PR? Master These Top 3 Best Practices
May 11, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Learning SEO For PR? Master These Top 3 Best Practices

(No time to read? Listen to the podcast here.)

If helping our clients be more visible is the heartbeat of public relations, then learning to integrate basic SEO skills into the work we are doing is key in keeping that heartbeat strong. SEO for PR is a “must know” skill.

Every senior-level PR and content marketing professional should have a solid understanding of how SEO works and how it applies to their own work.

For the overall agency or company, SEO should be part of the standard writing and proofing processes as content is filtering through production, and included as a basic skill integrated into the continued learning culture of the organization. It should also START the content creation process, not be wrapped in at the end.

If the organization is large enough to have SEO staff, partnering with them can identify a surprising similarity in goals and effort. Starting cross-departmental conversations and working together on joint goals can also make BOTH departments extremely successful.

During the May #PRprochat on Twitter, we were lucky enough to have Ken McGaffin as our guest – former CMO of WordTracker and an expert in SEO.

“The TOP 3 SEO SKILLS that PR pros should have are keyword research, link building and blogger outreach.” ~ Ken McGaffin

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Filed Under: Digital PR, SEO Tagged With:
Once Upon A Guitar… Storytelling Tips From Jimi Hendrix’ Ghost (aka Mark Hermann)
April 30, 2013 By 11 Comments

Once Upon A Guitar… Storytelling Tips From Jimi Hendrix’ Ghost (aka Mark Hermann)

Grrrrr! The tent walls shook with ferocious growls coming from outside as I dove under my sleeping bag, shivering with delighted fear as only a 7-year-old can do. .. Okay, maybe it was just my dad stalking outside of the tent, but  still… When I was a little girl camping in the shadow of Mount Rainier, nothing could compare with flaming marshmallows and telling ghost stories.

Not much has changed despite our ages, since storytelling has exploded in the marketing profession like that same marshmallow tossed in a microwave (don’t try it).

I can see why. Done right, sharing information through stories makes a message sing like NOTHING else can do.

On a mission to improve my own skills, I stumbled across the Rock and Roll Zen blog the other day by Mark Hermann – music producer turned storyteller. Inspired by his bio page, I shot him an email to pick his brain for bits of wisdom to share.

Here’s what he had to say.

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Filed Under: Content Marketing, Digital PR, Marketing, Public Relations Tagged With:
What is Digital PR?
April 20, 2013 By 6 Comments

What is Digital PR?

Last week, I was honored to be a featured guest on the national PRSA New Pros Twitter chat, talking about digital public relations and how it impacts the PR industry – one of my favorite topics.

One of the first questions that was asked was this:

How do you define digital PR and what strategies are vital for success?

growth-of-digital-prPR has changed massively; it isn’t just about media relations and churning out press releases like it used to be a decade ago.

Digital PR is all about combining traditional PR with content marketing, social media and search: transforming static news into conversations and bypassing media to speak directly to your target audience online.

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Filed Under: Digital PR Tagged With: ,
Facebook Tests Another New Feature: “Subscribe to Updates” & Like Buttons for Hyperlinks
April 1, 2013 By

Facebook Tests Another New Feature: “Subscribe to Updates” & Like Buttons for Hyperlinks

After all the negative hoopla about Facebook advertising changes, I stumbled on a new feature today that is FANTASTIC!

When I pasted a hyperlink in my post, Facebook pulled in more than just a descriptive (rich) snippet along with the link.

It actually included a like button FOR THE ORIGINAL PUBLISHER’S PAGE, and the ability to subscribe to their updates!

Not for my page – for the source publisher of the hyperlink I put into the post. (tweet this)

Do I want to get updates from the Arizona Republic page? Yes! Do I want to like their page? Yes!

Now THAT is uber user-friendly and social. Atta boy, Facebook!

FB hyperlink details

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Filed Under: Social Media Tagged With:
Submit News Story Here… 3 Crazy Simple Ways to Increase Online PR Using Google
March 28, 2013 By

Submit News Story Here… 3 Crazy Simple Ways to Increase Online PR Using Google

Lean in to your monitor. No, a little bit closer. More…

There you go. I’d like to let you in on a secret MOST PR PROS DON’T THINK OF:  some of the easiest placement opportunities you’ll EVER land for a client (or your employer) are found using the most common online tool you can think of.

Google.

It’s completely under-appreciated as a PR tool.Google-logo4w

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Filed Under: Digital PR, Public Relations Tagged With: , ,
The Blog Editorial Calendar: Taking Your Client’s Blog From Blah to Incredible
March 20, 2013 By

The Blog Editorial Calendar: Taking Your Client’s Blog From Blah to Incredible

With the exception of corporate blogs that do little more than pickups of its press releases and product promos – blogging is hard. VERY hard.

It’s all about tempting visitors to subscribe through GREAT content.

Not only do you have to understand your target audience and write posts that connect their needs to your client’s product or service, but you have to write A LOT.

Especially if content marketing is a priority and your goal is one-to-three posts per week.

Many people simply conjure up a post idea when they are ready to sit down and write – clients and PR pros alike – but I’d like to share a better strategy that will amplify the level of your posts. It involves something you probably already work with on a regular basis -  the editorial calendar.

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Filed Under: Social Media Tagged With: , ,
Celebrate Digital Marketing Day with 5 New Digital PR Tactics
February 27, 2013 By

Celebrate Digital Marketing Day with 5 New Digital PR Tactics

(This post also ran on Social Media Today)

Get out your party hats, today is Digital Marketing Day! How am I going to celebrate? By spending hours on tasks related to digital marketing, of course! Well, that’s actually every day…

So what are a few ways YOU can celebrate this dubious holiday by getting your feet wet with a few new digital strategies or tasks? For many – senior pros and newbies alike – you may have barely dipped your toe in the waters of digital PR. Try one or two of these ideas to get the ball rolling:

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Filed Under: Digital PR, Public Relations Tagged With:
3 Ways to Integrate Inbound Marketing Tactics into Traditional PR
February 19, 2013 By

3 Ways to Integrate Inbound Marketing Tactics into Traditional PR

In the past, public relations has revolved around pushing a message out to a targeted audience to build awareness and drive sales. As traditional public relations continues to migrate to digital PR, content marketing and inbound marketing – every PR professional worth their salary is aggressively learning new skills and adapting their processes to fit the changing environment.

The ability to integrate inbound marketing tactics into the public relations mix has never been more important.

Instead of letting the massive changes to our PR industry intimidate you, it can help to break them down into digestible strategies you can apply one at a time – and remember that some things DON’T change. It’s like a shoe with a broken shoelace. Instead of tossing them into the nearest garbage can and heading to the mall for new shoes, you simply need to replace the laces and interweave them into the existing shoe.

The same applies here – your existing skills have enormous value, and you simply need to weave new skills into the existing ones. It’s a win-win for you and your clients.

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Filed Under: Digital PR, Public Relations Tagged With: ,
3 Social Best Practices for Building a Media List That Rocks The House
January 10, 2013 By 10 Comments

3 Social Best Practices for Building a Media List That Rocks The House

(This post also ran on Social Media Today and Convince & Convert)

Ever land a cover story from a Twitter pitch? Newsjack breaking news from a Facebook feed? Secure a blog column on a critical e-zine website?  If not, it’s time to kick up your PR skills a notch or two.

The PR industry continues to shift like Tony Stewart at a Daytona race, and it impacts EVERY area of our job: pitching, monitoring, placements, bylines and media relations. If you aren’t scrambling to keep up and constantly learning new skills, there’s no time like the present to jump in – and a fantastic starting point is evaluating how you build your media lists.

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Filed Under: Digital PR, Public Relations Tagged With: , ,
25 Tips on How to Build a Better Media List
December 11, 2012 By 3 Comments

25 Tips on How to Build a Better Media List

Want to breathe a little magic into your PR results? Put some of these best practices into play for building your media lists – and using them to maximum benefit.

AVOID SHORTCUTS

Public relations is not easy – there’s a reason it is one of the most stressful jobs in the nation – and there are very few shortcuts… especially when it comes to building a media database. Speaking as someone who has been in the industry for almost 25 years – many public relations professionals build their lists wrong, even at the agency level. (tweet this)

Done correctly, this takes several days, and dozens of hours. There aren’t any shortcuts, but THERE ARE ways to build them in a way that brings better results.

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Filed Under: Digital PR, Public Relations Tagged With: ,
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