Recently, my team at C.Fox Communications produced a two part PR + MKTG BOOTCAMP event series for the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County. The first event on February 25 was an intense workshop on how artists and local arts organizations should leverage the advanced tools in their social media toolbox. A quick recap of that workshop is on our Facebook page. The second event was a Blogger Brunch on March 18. As the moderator, I was really excited about the event since we had an all-star panel of bloggers and online journalists joining us to discuss the rise of blogs, user-generated content, and social media.
Carrie Fox is founder and president of C.Fox Communications and a 2010 WWPR Emerging Leaders Awards honoree.
Our lineup for the day included:
Christie Garton, USA Today philanthropy writer and blogger for USA Today’s Kindness Blog Mike Grass, assistant managing editor at Washington City Paper Maura Judkis, arts and entertainment reporter at TBD.com Amy L. Kovac‐Ashley, regional editor of Patch.com Jessica McFadden, founder and blogger of the popular mom blog, A Parent in Silver Spring Greg O’Neill, founder of Greg’s List Jackie Trescott, arts reporter for The Washington Post
The Writers Center in Bethesda hosted us for both events, and we kept the conversation going online via twitter using the #creativemoco handle. Click here to read a complete Twitter archive of the conversation.
I broke the conversation into five key areas, and have highlighted a few takeaways from each section which may be of interest to WWPR members.
Following Trends and Collecting Story Ideas:
The majority of panelists noted that they follow Twitter for story ideas, and pay close attention to hashtags that are relevant to their reporting. Some suggested that you invite them to your events via Facebook instead of traditional invites so that it remains on their calendar.
Creating Remarkable Stories:
As Mike Grass pointed out, simply building a website or blog won’t make people come. You need to do your research, knowyour audience, engage them personally and give them reasons to follow you.
Personalize your outreach to bloggers. No journalist wants to feel like they are receiving the same information as every other reporter in town. To create a remarkable story, offer backstage access, or ask a blogger to come and “embed” with your dance troupe, for example. Offer unique opportunities, and the coverage will reflect it.
Credibility:
Catching the attention of a blogger or journalist can be hard enough, so when you do, be sure that you’re driving them to a website where they’ll be able to find everything they need to know about you. It’ll not only reinforce your credibility but will help them in their reporting. Big takeaway: Make sure you have an “About Us” page on your website.
Be realistic that journalists may not always follow your blog, but if you have a good, strong press room where you publish upcoming events, they may subscribe to your RSS feed. Takeaway: If you don’t already, be sure to set up an RSS feed in your online newsroom.
Building Community:
If you’re looking to break in with mommy bloggers, think about the end user…Parents like discounts and they like free things. Offer a mommy blogger four free tickets to your family performance next month and ask her to host a giveaway to her readers. Not only will you raise awareness for your event, you may pick up some new loyal fans in the process.
Starting a Successful Blog:
Pay attention to Google Analytics, and spend some time learning the keywords that are important in your industry. Embed those keywords in your site, and use them to inform your digital advertising.
It’s OK to be creative when coming up with titles for your blog posts, but don’t forget about keywords. If worded correctly, with the right use of keywords, your blog titles can also help drive traffic back to your blog post.
Have additional questions on working with bloggers, or developing a successful blog? Tweet us @cfoxcomm or post it to Facebook. If you have tips on getting user-generated content placed or leveraging social media to attract online media – leave it in the comments section below!
If you are a member of WWPR, you can receive a 25% discount on the Women in Boardroom executive leadership event on April 4th at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Bethesda, MD. This event is designed to prepare you for board service – better qualifying and connecting you with the right resources.
The event begins with a two-hour panel presentation and Q&A. Topics of discussion include:
Role of being a director
Differences of a non-profit, private and public board
Panelist Cindy Atlee kicked off the WWPR March Professional Development Brown Bag, The Art of Story-Telling: Selling Your Company, Your Product, and Yourself through Stories, by having the audience choose a characteristic that describes themselves. This exercise was used to open up the discussion and to remind people that telling stories is the most interesting way to get your message across to your audience.
WWPR secretary Donna Savarese, director of communications, Innovative Solutions Group, moderated the panel following Atlee’s exercise; she set the tone for the luncheon with the question “What is a story, and how can it be used everyday?” Before letting the panel answer the question, she introduced the three building blocks of story telling: challenge, struggle and resolution.
“If the lion doesn’t tell his story, the hunter will,” explained Savarese. The panel used this to segue into the importance of using storytelling to support organizational messaging. Danny Harris reminded the audience not to forget the little pieces of the story; the broader story will not be as important if you don’t use the supporting elements. Nancy Belmont supported that and stressed always thinking about what emotions you want people to feel, and what central concept you want them to walk away with and pass on to a friend.
Storytelling Tips:
Add texture to your everyday stories
Create the “WTF” moment
Trigger people’s emotions
Look at your brand as your external image
You don’t have to tell an actual story to use the story mindset in communications Research your target audience through stories
One experience for one person could be a completely different experience for someone else
Begin at the end
Form bonds with your story
The power of the situation is increasingly important
Humans have a need to create meaning—take advantage of that
Don’t be afraid to use pictures
Take people out of their everyday environment when interviewing
Don’t completely resolve the story, but don’t leave your audience hanging either
Membership Survey Later this month, WWPR will be sending out a survey to our members and supporters to evaluate our current offerings. We are committed to making our organization one of the very best in DC and your thoughts are extremely important to us as we move forward this year. I encourage you to please take the time to complete our short survey and share your valuable insights with us so we can continue to make WWPR an organization that we are all proud to be a part of!
Should you have any suggestions in the meantime, please don’t hesitate to contact me at Kendra@wwpr.org.
Events Don’t Miss Out! Attend WWPR’s March 17th Brown Bag: “The Art of Story-Telling: Selling Your Brand, Your Product and Yourself through Stories”
Where: John Hopkins University at 1717 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20036 ***NEW LOCATION*** When: Noon – 2:00 p.m. Register: http://conta.cc/g1DYwo
Join us as the panelists below share their expertise:
Danny Harris, Editor, People’s District Danny Harris is the editor of People’s District, a website that shares a daily story and photo of a D.C. resident. Since launching in September 2009, he has collected and shared over 400 stories and his work has been featured on NPR, NBC, DCist.com, BLTWY.com, the Baltimore Examiner, and the Weiner Zeitung. He also works as a consultant to schools and neighborhood business improvement districts, helping them use storytelling as a lens to understand place and communities. Nancy Belmont, CEO, Belmont, Inc. Nancy Belmont, CEO and owner of Belmont, Inc., consults with clients on how to link their culture and brand for sustained business success. Nancy’s company leads culture-building, branding and communication efforts for public and private organizations, including the U.S. Army, the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center, The European Union, The British Embassy and United Negro College Fund (UNCF), to name a few.
Cindy Atlee, Principal, The Storybranding Group Cindy Atlee of The Storybranding Group has been fascinated with stories and how they shape identity since writing her first (and last!) novel at the age of 13. Instead of becoming a novelist, she channeled a passion for helping others understand and express who they are in the world into a 20+ year career as a strategist, facilitator and coach.
Get Involved with Woman of the Year Join the Woman of the Year Committee for our next meeting as we plan our signature Washington PR Woman of the Year event! When: Wednesday, March 30, 6:30 pm Where: Chlopak, Leonard, Schechter and Associates* 1850 M Street NW, Suite 800 Washington, DC 20036 Metro: Farragut North or Dupont Circle *Please call Laura Cilmi to let you in: (202) 491-3873 Conference Call in number: 1-866-410-8512 / Code: 2091365188
Meetings will typically be held the last Wednesday of every month. Please contact Emily and Laura at woy@wwpr.org with any questions.
2011 Washington D.C. Area Women in the Boardroom Monday, April 4 2011 – 3pm to 6pm (registration at 2:30pm) Hyatt Regency Bethesda (One Bethesda Metro Center/7400 Wisconsin Ave, Bethesda, Maryland 20814) Cost: $125 individual tickets. To register online: http://washingtondc2011.zapevent.com For information on the panel, visit the Women in the Boardroom website.
Pro Bono Update Thrive DC: Need for Travel Size Toiletries Thrive DC, WWPR’s pro bono client, has an urgent and ongoing need for travel size toiletries. Most of Thrive DC’s clients must carry these items with them and have very little room for regular size toiletries. WWPR will have a collection point for these items at our professional development brown bag lunches. You are also welcome to make donations at Thrive DC, 1525 Newton Street, NW (Columbia Heights Metro).
Donate to Thrive DC from Now Until April 30, and Your Donation Will Be Matched! For the 14th consecutive year, the Feinstein Foundation will divide $1 million among hunger-fighting agencies nationwide. This money is a match for any donations or pledges received by April 30th. This program has helped thousands of agencies, like Thrive DC, raise over $1 billion. Donate today!
For more information about Thrive DC, visit their website at www.thrivedc.org, “like” them on Facebook, or follow them on Twitter (@thrivedc).
Website Update The website committee is actively recruiting new members! Whether you’d like to contribute content, help manage existing content, or provide strategic input on website features and functionality, we’d love your help! We hope you’ll consider contributing to the WWPR blog, and any suggestions for topics or guest bloggers would be great! For more information or to contribute, please contact Website Chair Kate Barrett.
Membership News New and Returning Members – Susan Ahearn-Pierce – Micah Azzano – Denise Benoit – Laura Berry – Stephanie Block – Kate Connors – Rebecca Geraghty – Elinor Kinnier – Stepheny Kucera – Leslie Rutledge – Casey Savio – Jennifer Scott – Joy Stevenson – Monda Webb – Kristen Youngblood
Membership has its benefits! Members do not pay for most WWPR monthly professional development brown bag lunches. To learn more, please contact Leslie Rutledge, membership chair, at membership@wwpr.org.
WWPR member and new small business owner Kate Kennedy is the owner and chief creative officer of Rua Creative (www.ruacreative.com). Kate recently branched out on her own to create a new media company with a mission to tell great stories through strong branding, engaging video and innovative social outreach.
Kate Kennedy
As a small business owner, Kate loves that she wears all of the hats. “It’s busy and challenging, but highly rewarding,” says Kate. “If you need something done, you have the choice to either do it yourself, or outsource. It’s a fun balance of deciding what you are best at and what you should hire someone else to do. I like to do as much as I can myself and that leads to many learning experiences.”
For example, Kate wanted to re-design her website, and because she is not a coder, she needed to either find a work-around or hire a design firm. Kate really wanted to take this project on personally, so she found a great resource to help her design the look online without the CSS/HTML coding. Now she has the site up and running and can very easily update to refresh the content frequently herself. “As a small business owner, you are constantly learning new skills and challenging yourself,” says Kate.
Kate pursued a career in communication because she had a passion for the entertainment industry since she was a child. “At eight years old, I performed celebrity impressions for my family and hosted variety shows at family functions. I then got into acting with a local young performers group. From there I booked professional acting gigs with MTV, Sears, TV Land, and even Saturday Night Live, where I had the chance to meet and talk with Molly Shannon. She told me about how much she loved her college experience. It really excited me since I was in the midst of applying for college at that point,” recounts Kate.
Instead of majoring in acting, Kate chose to pursue a degree in television production at the Roy H. Park School of Communications at Ithaca College. Upon graduation, Kate was inducted into the Ithaca College Television Hall of Fame and won a collegiate Emmy award. Kate adds: “Since then I’ve worked with great TV shows, including most recently with the show, ‘America’s Most Wanted.’ Now I am thrilled to own my own company and look forward to many more exciting opportunities to come!”
WWPR Event Recaps Starting, Growing and Optimizing Your Business Recap By Stacey Price, Professional Development Co-Chair
“85% of small businesses owned by women are sole proprietorships, probably because we like to do things ourselves,” explained Kate Perrin, CEO of PRofessional Solutions, LLC and moderator of the February WWPR Professional Development Brown Bag Panel, Starting, Growing and Optimizing your B
February Brown Bag Panelists (Photo credit: Lisa Newman)
usiness in 2011. More than fifty people gathered at the Haworth Showroom to listen as panelists described their experiences; and emphasized the importance of not trying to be “chief officer of everything,” looking at the big picture and just taking a chance.
Topics ranged from legal requirements in starting a business, to saving money to the type of experience that is necessary. Each of the panelists offered up their backgrounds and experiences to answer a variety of questions to help the audience with their new business endeavors.
To read a full recap and recommended resources by WWPR’s Lisa Newman, visit the WWPR blog.
YoungMC and WWPR Luncheon Recap By Lisa Newman, Sponsorships and Partnerships Chair
In early March, Young MC and Washington Women in Public Relations (WWPR) partnered to present a lively lunchtime discussion featuring Keith Blackman, principal of Blackman Media Solutions (BMS). This event took place at the National Press Club (NPC) in downtown, Washington, DC. Attendees learned about new strategies for effective media training, how to improve executive visibility, and had an opportunity to tour NPC’s Broadcast Operations. Thank you Keith Blackman, Young MC, and NPC for a fabulous event!
To read the full recap by WWPR Past-President Debbie Friez, visit the WWPR blog and also make sure to check out past event photos on our Flickr page.
Ogilvy, multiple openings. For more information visit http://bit.ly/hV3dvh. – Senior Account Executive, Business Solutions Group – Account Director, Social Marketing – Account Director, Business Solutions Group – VP, Specialized Communications Group
Join us as the panelist below share their expertise.
Danny Harris- Editor, People’s District Danny Harris is the editor of People’s District (www.peoplesdistrict.com), a website that shares a daily story and photo of a D.C. resident. Since launching in September 2009, he has collected and shared over 400 stories and his work has been featured on NPR, NBC, DCist.com, BLTWY.com, the Baltimore Examiner, and the Weiner Zeitung. He also works as a consultant to schools and neighborhood business improvement districts, helping them use storytelling as a lens to understand place and communities.
Nancy Belmont, CEO, Belmont, Inc. Nancy, Belmont’s CEO and owner, consults with clients on how to link their culture and brand for sustained business success. Nancy’s company leads culture-building, branding and communication efforts forpub lic and private organizations, including the U.S. Army, the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center, The European Union, The British Embassy and United Negro College Fund (UNCF), to name a few.
Prior to Belmont, Inc., Nancy worked at Freedom House, a multi-million dollar international non-profit that promotes democracy around the world. In 1999, she served as a volunteer for four months in Zagreb, Croatia transferring operational expertise to an emerging Croatian non-profit.
Nancy has served on the board of the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce and Alexandria Small Business Development Center and is a Leadership Alexandria graduate. In 2007, she brought Alexandria creative firms together to launch iMAGINE Alexandria, a movement to make Alexandria a national hub for creativity. Nancy lives in Alexandria with her three children, Max, Ben and Tess.
Cindy Atlee- Principle, The Storybranding Group Cindy Atlee has been fascinated with stories and how they shape identity since writing her first (and last!) novel at the age of 13. Instead of becoming a novelist, she channeled a passion for helping others understand and express who they are in the world into a 20+ year career as a strategist, facilitator and coach.
Cindy is currently principal of The Storybranding Group, a brand and culture consulting firm that helps clients define and give voice to what’s best and most distinctive about them–and use the power of story-based communications to create compelling brands, develop inspired leaders and deeply engage their workforces. Previously, she was Senior Vice President, Branding & Organizational Culture at the global public relations firm Porter Novelli and has held a variety of senior executive positions at mid-Atlantic advertising agencies and marketing firms.
Cindy’s innovative storybranding process and story-based communications tools have won multiple awards and been used by such organizations as Kashi, NASA, Volunteers of America, and Procter & Gamble. In addition to her consulting and planning work, she is a frequent speaker and workshop leader. She’s currently writing her first book, Discover Your StoryBrand: 12 Story-based Styles to Unleash Your Voice and Let the World Know Who You Really Are.
When she isn’t deeply engaged in her work, you might find Cindy art journaling, playing with her four cats, dreaming up her next creative adventure, or driving her husband crazy with yet another home design project.
What questions do you have for the panelists?
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way: Make sure you have an “About Us” page on your website.
