Churches often have exciting events and initiatives, but it can be challenging for them to land media coverage. Why? A number of factors. There might not be enough volunteers. The volunteers might not know how to reach out to the media. (I suggest my public relations book for insight.) The event or initiative might not appeal…
By Kate Makowski For me, this past summer has been all about graduation. With only one semester left as a University of Minnesota Gopher, anticipations and anxieties of “the real world” are setting in. I’ve contemplated post-graduation life before this summer, but now that it’s so close, I’ve found myself investing copious amounts of time…
The proactive media relations process can be long yet exciting. From creating the media list to developing the pitch to placing the story, it takes a lot of effort. Once the story runs, you need to make the most of the opportunity. Here are some ways to leverage media coverage: Internal communications. Your employees take…
By Kate Makowski As we walked across the park from the Bud Light to the Samsung stage, streams of music from bands playing at nearby stages passed through our ears. Thousands of happy teens and twentysomethings danced in the grass or sat on the side of the road, taking pictures and watching videos of artists…
A group of approximately 25 public relations professionals relished the opportunity to grab coffee and glean public relations career wisdom from Lynn Casey, APR, chair and CEO of Padilla CRT, at a recent Minnesota PRSA event. Casey sprinkled her talk with anecdotes from her public relations career, words of wisdom and recommended books to read.…
By Kate Makowski I remember scrolling through my Facebook feed this past semester, and seeing posts about a high school friend covering the terror attacks in Brussels, Belgium. Her name is Hanna Knutson, and she was there on March 22, reporting from the Brussels airport. Apart from the sadness and shock over the attacks, I…
By Kate Makowski Last week Joe Truncale, CEO of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), visited Minnesota chapter members in downtown Minneapolis. Spong PR hosted the event. In his presentation, Truncale explained what he had learned about PRSA’s infrastructure after becoming CEO, and discussed upcoming changes in the organization. His most important learnings were: the areas…
By Kate Makowski At MnSearch‘s “Challenging the Assumptions in SEO & SEM” event last month, Ryan Berkness (founder of PR Caffeine) and Claire Wyatt (senior analyst of measurement and activation at Ovative/group) addressed pressing search engine marketing issues. Berkness and Wyatt used their personal speaking styles to relay their brand’s ideas. Berkness, with an engaging…
By Megan R. Auren Every month Minnesota Search Engine Marketing Association, aka MnSearch, hosts an event dedicated to search marketing. Most recently the event took place on May 25 at Spyder Trap in Minneapolis and the topic of discussion was “Challenging the Assumptions in SEO and SEM.” Industry leaders from PR Caffeine: Home of EspreSEO…
At some point in the press release development process, you’ll want to think about where to send press releases. After all, you want to ensure that your press release lands in the hands of the appropriate media contacts who can help you communicate with your target audience. So what’s the best way to do that?…