I understand that we obtain news through a controlled filter. The press control what we are exposed to, good or bad. There are already 78 million viewers who tune into CNN each month to receive hard news. The point is, Americans ARE tuning into various news outlets. What messages are they receiving? Is it consistent among all levels? How much do you trust your news source? We already use tools like Hootsuite or Tweetdeck to filter our news and social media profiles for us, it is hard even then to keep up with all the information. The press do a great job of covering relevant stories, yeah some are biased or modified, but what do you expect? This is the way our world works, and to get good press you need to focus on media relations. I do not blame the press for one second for not covering every Senate hearing. Do we really need to know everything?

Representative Kennedy’s outburst had a point, however it seems like he does not understand his audience. The American public should be the audience for all government related issues. As citizens of the United States, it is our right to vote and with that right we should stay tuned with all issues affecting us directly. The war, in theory, affects the entire country, but who is actually affected by it each day? Every issue our government debate is relative to each individual.

I will leave you with this food for thought: As a PR professional, do you think it is harder to pitch the “feel good” stories nowadays? I know we are not accustomed to pitching negative stores, as the saying goes “Not all press is good press”.

Photo Courtesy of: Business Insider

If you would like anymore details, please feel free to contact me sarah.geiger27@gmail.com

• Create a name that people will most likely recognize you by, for instance, my Twitter username is  @AlixSteinPR, my name plus my profession. Pretty simple.
• Start adding people that you already know use Twitter. For example, some of the first people I added were my lovely ex-colleagues from David & Sam PR, @sgeiger27, @magpie247, @abbygilmore, @amandamarker & @jennmcphee
• Once you’ve added people that you know, decide if you want your tweets to be private or not.

My advice is to keep your tweets private if you are ONLY going to be using Twitter as a personal account, like many with Facebook. Otherwise, having a public Twitter account means that you are tracked by the topics that you discuss using the # hashtags or just simply by the words you use. Just remember that if your Twitter account is not private, anyone can look at your tweets, this includes: Your mom, your boss, your co-workers, etc…So keep that in mind whenever you’re posting something on Twitter. Many people have chosen to make their Twitter accounts private because they don’t want their bosses, moms, or co-workers to see what they’re talking about. It’s completely up to you, but realize that anything you tweet about means that you are representing the company you work for. Even if you think what you’re tweeting is harmless, it can have a ripple effect and get back to people that you don’t want it to get to. I speak from personal experience.

Basically, have fun with it. But if you’re going to swear, talk about your dirty laundry or talk badly about your co-worker that breathes too loudly during staff meetings, then you should probably protect your tweets and keep your account private.

Feel free to add me on Twitter.

Signing off now,

@AlixSteinPR

Photo Courtesy of: Model Supplies

As PR professionals, there are a number of activities which we have a heavy hand in that affect the SEO of a website OR the SEO of an organization (brand) via the content that is distributed online in their name.  SEO is basically a set of methodologies that make it easier for search engines to find, categorize, index and ultimately rank web content.

Many of your PR efforts can benefit from the integration of some simple search engine optimization tactics and a basic understanding of how search engines work. Most PR professionals create press releases, letters to the editor, corporate blog posts, white papers, compelling web copy, newsletters, and journalistic interviews for their clients: all of which are published online.  It’s important to remember that to get the most bang out of these efforts you must look them over with SEO in mind to make sure that search engines will find, index, categorize and RANK them well.

That beings said, let’s go over the top 4 simple things that you can do to your PR copy before it goes out the door which will help search engines find your content easier:

1.)   Keywords, keywords, keywords! Remember that keyword phrases are the core of search engine optimization. Make sure you understand what keywords the client wants to focus on.  It can often be as simple as asking the client what related keywords they use for PPC or SEO purposes and making sure that they are incorporated in the copy.

2.)   Keep in mind the search engine is just a robot and simply can’t “see” images, videos or slideshows. Don’t let this deter you from adding these things to your content. Instead, just keep it in mind and know that search engines CAN see alt tags and descriptions that you associated with your video, image or other supporting material.

3.)   Again, search engines are limited by the fact that they are just programs so understanding the basics of onsite SEO of a page can be really helpful in this process. The most important places to put keyword phrases are: title, summary/description, first paragraph, and last paragraph, no matter what type of content you are composing.

4.)   This might seem very elementary, but don’t overlook the fact that search engines see hyperlinks and anchor text used within content as a sort of recommendation for the site they are directing the reader to. If you use a link in the copy, do your best to use an appropriate anchor text with the hyperlink instead of saying something like “click here” or just listing the website address.

Integrating these simple steps into your public relations writing practices can profoundly affect the results of your efforts. After all, the fundamental benefits of optimizing news content makes it easier for journalists researching stories to find yours, expands the organization’s brand and online footprint, contributes to a proactive search result reputation, as well as assists in fueling the sales pipeline.

After all, we consider the target audience first and foremost when we are writing. In this case, if your content will be distributed online take the time to consider the search engines. Search engines are one of the prominent audience members, and keeping this mind will put you well on your way.

Elise Redlin-Cook

@redlincook

www.verticalmeasures.com

At our last meeting we introduced the idea of guest blogging on our AZPRC site. The goal is to gather a ton of information on recent trends and share it with our readers. Remember, “content is king”, or so they say.  Over the next few weeks we will be posting blogs from experts in the community. We would like to share information on a variety of topics from SEO to writing tips. If you have any ideas, or would like to post on our site, please contact me at sarah.geiger27@gmail.com.

Below are some key points Jeff went over personal branding:

• Twitter is a new tool to brand yourself, but you still need old school traditional tools too (phone, coffee dates, lunches)
• Work on your elevator pitch – Realistically, you only have  6 seconds to make the first impression. The goal is to get your foot in the door and get them to learn more about you. Work your way up to 30 seconds.
• A great way to brand yourself/network is to work the registration table at a local event.
• Know your audience, do your research before going to a networking event (with branding in mind)
• People will invite you into their house but not necessarily in their bedroom (Facebook Policy). You can add people onto your Facebook, but certain people should only have access to certain things. Keep what is personal, personal.

Thanks to those of you who came @cliquekaila @magpie247 @amandamarker @RedlinCook @CCPolitico @JennMcPhee @AlixSteinPR @abbygilmore @AshleyOakes @JeffHechtAZ

• Words are fire: Don’t say anything you wouldn’t want the entire room to know about, word spreads quickly in this industry. (People tweet during events)
• You’re not a machine: Don’t try to meet the entire room. You will exhaust yourself. Meet 2 to 3 quality people and call it a night.
• Don’t pitch me: If you really want to “sell” your product or whatever you’ll need to do that later on into the social relationship (i.e. meeting for coffee or lunch).
• Follow up: whether it be LinkedIn, E-mail, Tweet or Facebook just make sure you acknowledge meeting that person.
• Brag a little: Make sure you have a little :30 second bio about yourself ready, don’t make it seem memorized or cheesy just be yourself. Trust me your first one will be a disaster but with practice it will get better.
• Stare at their nose: Eye contact is key. Make sure you are not staring off into space when you are talking to someone, it may seem like you are not interested. If you are uncomfortable gazing into the eyes of a stranger stare at their nose.
• Don’t cut people off: In the parking lot or driving there, that is. It could be your next big client or job opportunity.

Anyone have anything else to add?

-Mags

Mark your calendars for the next AZPRC meeting coming up on 2/16. Remember, we switched the date to the third Tuesday of every month so our group could still attend other events (AZIMA, PRSA Phx New Pros). Please join us on the 16th around 6:30pm, at D’lish Coffee House. We are still trying to find a venue that is large enough. Also, Jeff Hecht will be speaking to our group about personal branding tips so please come with ideas and questions!

See you all soon!

Sarah

Happy Hour + Technology

Tuesday, February 2, 2010 5:30 – 7 p.m.

Many employers assume that because we are young and live most of our lives online that we are born Internet and computer savvy, which is just an over-hyped myth. Come join other New Pros, and learn how to improve your employment desirability by knowing the skills communication employers are seeking. George Couch, Phoenix PRSA Technology Co-Chair, will speak on the benefits of learning Adobe software and include some tips on the programs. (Please RSVP to Sommer Caraway atsommer.caraway@smithgroup.com; Cost: FREE for PRSA/PRSSA members, $5 for non-members – cash only)

If you are interested in signing up for PRSA Phoenix Mentor program please check out this blog entry from the Valley PR Blog. The program is a 4 month time commitment, starting in February. This program was not widely announced so be prepared to submit your paperwork to Sommer Caraway (sommer.caraway@smithgroup.com), the deadline is January 27th, 2010.