Think about your favourite subject matter experts or a great interview you’ve seen recently. What is it about them that you like? The most successful experts are regularly invited back on shows, to submit columns, or given recurring guest spots because they’ve invested in themselves.
Read MoreArtificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing how we work and PR definitely won’t be exempt. As AI applications continue to rapidly evolve, powerful tools are emerging to help simplify many tasks, freeing up valuable time to focus efforts on the creative strategy and our bottom line -- driving results.
Read MoreI don’t know about you, but I am ready for a holiday break with a capital B! I plan to watch A LOT of holiday movies and be a couch potato for the last part of December. If those are your plans too, good for you. We all need to recharge before a new year begins.
Read MoreIf you’ve been following me for a while, you’ll know that I often refer to my GF Alison. Alison was a fellow publicist, a musical theatre junkie and the best friend I ever had. In 2015, we lost her to cervical cancer after she battled the disease on and off for nearly two years.
Read MoreWith a recession on the horizon and tough times for so many communities, it’s more important than ever for businesses to give back to the people who support them all year round. Any non-profit will tell you that donating money is always welcome, but if that’s not feasible for you, there are other non-monetary ways you can give back this holiday season.
Read MoreIf you’re in the finance industry and you want to take your talents to the media, being available and connected to the news cycle is the quickest way to get quoted or to get some airtime. If there is a particular publication you hope to be mentioned in, follow it closely and become familiar with the topics that get covered and those that do not.
Read MoreSmall Business Week is an annual celebration of entrepreneurship in Canada and I’m using this time to highlight some of my very favourite businesses – from high quality apparel and toys to sustainable practices and health and wellness services, there is hopefully a business here for you to support.
Read MorePromoting your book (and yourself aka your brand!) is an essential skill for writers. The more people who hear about your work, the better! It’s a worthwhile investment to put in the work and know what makes a great PR campaign and how to get the best results possible.
Read MoreA media campaign is a series of planned activities designed to give a business, client or brand publicity. Once you have a story/angle worth sharing, you can pitch to key media personal to secure press coverage and spread your message far and wide.
Read MoreTraditional media is still the most credible news source. There, I said it. It may be controversial, but it’s true. What’s also true is that social media is an incredible tool for brand awareness, growth and sales. But the most successful PR strategies use a combination of media and platforms to amplify their message, so, just like I tell my Publicity 101 students, traditional media should be one part of your strategy.
Read MoreThe end of summer means the real estate industry is slowing down, but if you’re an agent or broker, now’s the time for you to up your game so that you don’t take a hit. Here are a few suggestions to help you make your mark, even during the “off season”.
Read MoreA lot of small businesses underutilize PR, especially in the social media era. But if you choose to go the PR route, you have the potential to reach new audiences, gain more exposure and set up your brand as the go-to in your respective industry. If you want to get noticed and stay relevant, you need to build a digital footprint. How do you do that? By securing media coverage of course! If someone is searching for you or your company, it’s crucial that articles appear and it’s even better if they rank well.
Read More‘Tis the season to trade in your favourite slides for boots, but it’s not all bad, especially on the PR/marketing front. On top of having a new season to work with, you have a slew of festive angles to play up and you definitely want to make the most of it.
Read MoreIf you’re looking to garner attention from traditional media - newspapers, radio, magazines and TV, podcasts and digital publications – you’ve got to have a strong pitch game. Journalists can get upwards of 100 pitches day. By taking the following tips into account, you will hopefully avoid getting lost in the shuffle.
Read MoreThe sun is slowly setting on Summer which means, schedules, back to school/work and routines are about to become reality again. For health & wellness pros, this is a key time of year for you to reach new clients and a reinvigorated public wanting to fall back into healthier habits. With a public who is engaged, a PR campaign is a strategic way to build your credibility at this crucial time and promote your offerings to new customers. Consider these tips as you build your Fall PR campaign.
Read MoreSome of you may have seen a recent article about a Dog Rescue who has a policy of not letting families adopt if there is a family member who has autism. It caused a media firestorm and there was a lot of bad press. I won’t name the rescue; but you can always look it up if you’re curious. The backstory is that this particular rescue has had two violent incidents with families with kids on the spectrum. After those, they implemented a policy to not allow families with autism members to adopt from their rescue.
Read MoreWhen my sweet Christos Arthur was diagnosed with autism, I went kind of numb. Even though the doctors had told us they were testing him, I didn’t really do much research. I wanted to be sure before I dipped my toe in that water. Fast forward to the day we got the results, Jim and I came home and sat in silence in the living room trying to figure out what that meant for Christos and for our family.
Read MoreOne of my most favourite projects to work on was The Buried Life, an MTV show circa 2010. Although it was technically an MTV US series, we liked to claim it as our own because the talent - Dave, Duncan, Ben and Jonnie - was Canadian. The series was launching the second week of January. MTV was giving it a HUGE push and the guys were on one of the big NYE shows in Times Square. Everyone was bracing for it to be a hit.
Read MoreWhen I started in PR, I was fresh faced, unjaded and willing to do a lot of grunt work to learn and move up the ladder. It turns out, I wasn’t alone. Little did I know that I would meet my best ally/friend/GF, Alison on my very first day of working in television. We quickly became inseparable and worked on a lot of company projects together, always volunteering, partnering and cheering for each other when we had big wins at work.
Read MoreThe Olympic Games and I have a solid history. In 2003, I was living in Vancouver working at The Fairmont Waterfront Hotel. Having just graduated from university, I wanted some time without school to try and work my way up to their PR department.
As we were getting close to the announcement of the Olympic host city, rumours were on our side. A few of us who had gotten involved (and invested) decided to go to the official announcement.
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