Reveal
Peek into our daily lives with entries on trends, events, tips, timely topics, client campaigns, and snappy musings that reflect what's going on in our world.
Tuesday, February 21st, 2012
Want to know how we put the PRO in PR? Morning reading, afternoon reading and more reading before bed. From scouring local and national newspapers at dawn, to scanning daily business headlines on the morning commute, to staying fresh on client industry newsletters at lunch, and throughout the day keeping tabs on the latest trends in social media and PR on Facebook and Twitter, our team is made up of media scavengers. Think we’re a bunch of nerdy bookworms? Thanks for the compliment!
Check out this list of our favorite news, PR, pop-culture and social media must-reads:
Vanity Fair – “Fan Fair”, celebrity cover stories, articles like “What’s wrong with NPR” and coverage of the Murdoch phone-hacking mess, and in-depth and analytical pop-culture and economy pieces keep us entertained AND on top of trends.
PR Couture – A great Facebook page for broad PR trend-spotting… and fun fashion-spotting too!
Mashable – Perhaps the most important daily newsletter we receive! A must-read for social media marketers and technophiles everywhere.
Puget Sound Morning Call – Add your local business journal’s daily rundown of local business news to your essential reading list. Not only do local industries provide a glimpse into big picture business trends, but they also keep you keen on what stories are hot for local reporters.
PR Daily – The ultimate source for social media analysis, crisis communications case studies, writing and grammar tips, and media relations and marketing trends. Work in PR? Sign up and open this email daily.
The Daily Green – Keep tabs on the top stories on organic food, healthy living, eco-friendly practices, new green products, and other sustainable topics.
The New York Times – This paper has been at the forefront of breaking news for 160 years. Subscribe to the digital issues for all-access, you won’t regret it.
All Facebook – Facebook isn’t going anywhere and its design and marketing capabilities are ever-changing. With Facebook and social media such integral components of any PR campaign, staying on top of updates are a must!
Social Media Examiner – Another fantastic resource for news on social media platforms, third party applications, product updates, and smart and savvy business tips for social media marketers.
What’s on your daily reading list? Share your top picks with us on Facebook!
Tuesday, February 7th, 2012
In our ongoing interview series with reporters to get the inside scoop on how to be a great PR resource to them, we’re interviewing Ali Brownrigg, former fashion columnist for NWSource.com, and current Seattle magazine columnist, writing the “Parental Guidance” column. We’ve been pitching Ali for five years and decided it was time to get a fresh perspective on what makes something ‘special’ enough for her to cover it in her column, the three elements that should be in every pitch, and her favorite local fashion and kid finds.
When you are receiving a pitch about a new product, event or service, what sets a good pitch apart from a not-so-good pitch?
Relevance. I really appreciate it when I’m pitched something that is relevant to my beat. It means that the PR person really did their research and cares enough about the product, etc. to send the release/pitch to the right person.
What three pieces of information should be in every pitch?
A photo! Especially for bloggers, a photo is key to getting a mention – the less work I have to do to track down an image, the better. Ditto for photo credit – I love it when that’s included in the pitch, as well. A website. You wouldn’t believe how many times I’ve received a pitch that doesn’t include a website. A relevant angle. This is especially key with a product that’s been on the market for a while. Why should I care about this? What’s new about it?
When receiving information about a new product or event, do you prefer a traditional press release or pitch?
I prefer a pitch with the release attached for extra information. If it’s from a PR person I’ve worked with in the past, I’m totally fine with a more casual pitch asking if I’m interested in hearing more.
Are you open to receiving communications from PR pros via your Twitter handle?
No. I’m not that into Twitter and prefer my communications to come via email whether I know the PR person or not. I do sometimes get leads from people who follow me from Twitter, like when a new store follows me, but really, I tend to ignore Twitter.
Having written about so many great local labels, stores and products, you are pretty much an expert. What are you top local fashion finds?
There are dozens of stores that I love in Seattle, but I do tend to shop at just a few on a regular basis. I love Driftwood in Madrona for amazingly affordable designer finds; Juniper, also in Madrona, and Merge in Fremont for effortlessly chic basics; and Totokaeolo for inspiration (I can only afford to shop their sale, though). I love Momo in the ID for unusual pieces; Meadow on Queen Anne for affordable trendy items; Essenza for their jewelry; and A Mano for their incredible selection of splurge-worthy, yet practical shoe and boot selection. And I always make a point of checking out what my neighborhood shops have, especially Clementine shoes. (That’s an unsolicited plug!)
How about your favorite local finds for kids.
I tend to shop consignment stores and thrift stores like Value Village for my kids since they’re so rough on their clothes, but I love City Mouse Studio and Store, also in West Seattle for their clothing and gifts – they’ve got a great selection of Tea and Tiny Toms.
Read Ali’s column “Parental Guidance” every month in Seattle magazine.
Thursday, January 19th, 2012
Impressive sales, over 20,000+ fans on Facebook, and partnerships with Walmart, Amazon.com and Drugstore.com has rocketed Seattle-based KIDS ‘N’ PETS from local little guy to big box clean-up crew. With zero advertising budget and no previous brand-name awareness, how did this small company find such success?
Simple. KIDS ‘N’ PETS has bypassed big brands the old-fashioned way – by word of mouth referrals.
Based on an ambitious dream to bring safe, eco-friendly, and effective cleaning products to families with small children and pets, founder Jon Latta developed the flagship product, KIDS ‘N’ PETS Stain and Odor Remover, in 2001. The product is an all-purpose powerhouse formulated with two major goals in mind, to effectively get rid of stains and odors (especially urine odors) and to be safe enough for a child to drink (accidentally).
Once the product hit local shelves, KIDS ‘N’ PETS was so sure customers would love its safe yet effective formula they initiated a first-bottle-is-free rebate program. KIDS ‘N’ PETS assumed once you tried it, you would be a lifetime user… and the experiment worked!
Today, the company sells roughly 100,000 bottles each month with a growing fan base built by the strength of referrals. Retailing for around $5, KIDS ‘N’ PETS non-toxic, biodegradable, safe and guaranteed effective stain and odor remover is a top choice for families and is available online at Amazon.com, Drugstore.com and Walmart.com and in the cleaning aisle at Walmart and grocery stores nationwide.
Through March 2012, KIDS ‘N’ PETS is also hosting a contest to say thanks to its loyal customers and urge an expansion of this already viral trend. The company’s ‘Pass it On’ Contest invites customers to tell their friends about the product, try the first bottle for free using a rebate and tell the company who referred them. (See video here) The person with the most referrals will win $5,000!
KIDS ‘N’ PETS is a great example of how a good idea can turn into an excellently formulated product that puts the customer first. This kind of business plan spells success!
Friday, December 30th, 2011
Photo contests are a favorite social media campaign in our office. They’re fun, engaging and garner a tremendous amount of new likes. But to be successful, they require more than just asking fans to submit photos. Check out the success of our recent “Show Us Your Shoes and Win” photo contest we hosted for Clementine Shoes and what it took to get there!
Promote, promote, promote!
A contest can’t be successful if no one knows to enter! We posted about the contest several times per week across all of Clementines’ social networks (Facebook, Twitter and blog), in addition to reaching out to local media and bloggers. And we can’t stress enough the huge importance of running corresponding Facebook ads!
Pick a good prize
The prize you’re offering must be on par with what you’re asking of fans.
Clementine Shoes’ photo contest offered the winner a $300 gift certificate to use on Clementines.com in exchange for a photo of their favorite shoes. If the prize is too small, and you’re asking too much of your fans, you run the risk of getting no participation, and ultimately wasting your time.
Here is the winner of our photo contest with her new bag and boots courtesy of Clementines.com!
Be strategic in how the winner is chosen
The goal of your photo contest should be to engage fans, increase participation and likes. Being strategic in choosing a winner is necessary to obtain these goals. Our favorite tactic is to choose a winner from the entries with the top 5 most votes. This ensues a little friendly competition and keeps your participants engaged, having them rally their own social networks for support in the contest. This strategy helped Clementine Shoes more than double its Facebook community with 802 new likes in less than a month!
Monitor daily
Your fans will have questions. The platform you’re using might have a bug. Or entrants might try cheating. Keep a constant pulse on your photo contest, so you can work out problems as soon as possible.
Oh, and as always, follow Facebook’s rules for running promotions!
Wednesday, December 21st, 2011
We love making New Year’s resolutions. Keeping them on the other hand…
That’s why we created this list of local companies that can help us all in 2012 to:
Go an an adventure: Hummingbird
Make a career move: Career Woman, Inc.
Sleep more soundly: Sleep Country
Get outdoors in all seasons: Mountain Safety Research
Explore a new neighborhood, like the Junction in West Seattle, Fresh Bistro
Get creative with your cocktails: Bakon Vodka
Clean without chemicals: KIDS ‘N’ PETS
Give cool, eco-friendly gifts for kids: Zomsters
Capture more sun: Silicon Energy
Eat less meat: Field Roast
Stay hydrated: Platypus
Learn something new: Take a class at the Herban Design Studio
Shower pets with organic love: DERMagic Certified Organic Shampoo Bars
Treat your feet: Clementine Shoes
What’s your New Year’s resolution this year? Tell us on our Facebook page!
