Archive for the ‘News Tips & Events’ Category
Friday, July 20th, 2012
As PR pros, we are constantly consuming news. Whether local or national, trending on Twitter or from an industry blog – we’ve got a pulse and always an opinion. Here are a few that caught our eye this week.
This tweet from the NRA is an example of just how important it is to keep up on the news. After last night’s devastating shooting in Colorado, we’re sure they didn’t want to appear insensitive to victims, but unfortunately, that’s what happened.
Facebook just rolled out the ability to edit recent activity on your mobile device, a feature previously available only from a computer. This confirms two things for us – 1. Facebook is continuing to evolve quickly, and 2. The need to make social media campaigns compatible with smart phones.
A disgusting photo posted by Burger King employees made us glad we don’t frequent the restaurant, but we’re impressed by how quickly their PR team squashed the situation. Acting immediately instead of taking days to respond was a smart move.
Yesterday, Seattleites went crazy over Will Ferrell and Zack Galifanakis, who were serving coffee downtown to promote their upcoming movie. This fun promotional stunt inspired us to think outside the box for upcoming campaigns, too.
Which news stories got your wheels turning this week? Tell us on Facebook!
Images 1, 2
Sunday, June 10th, 2012
Our fabulous client Clementine Shoes is asking Seattle women to pull out those only-been-worn-once shoes in the back of their closets and give them to someone who will use them as more than just a dust collector! Come on ladies, we’ve all been there, whether they were half a size too small, too good of a deal to pass up or a gift that just wasn’t your style, those lonely shoes are ready for a new home.
Bring your gently worn shoes in all sizes to Clementine starting today, June 10th, through next Sunday, June 17th, and the stylish shoe boutique will donate them on your behalf to the Jubilee Women’s Center, which supports women experiencing poverty to build fulfilling and stable futures.
And as an added bonus, pick up a new pair of summer favorites, like this adorable pair from Miz Mooz, at a nice discount! Clementine is offering 10% off one item for those who donate 1 pair of shoes, 15% off one item for those who donate 2 pairs, and 20% for those who donate 3 or more.
So let’s go ladies! Get to cleaning out your closets to make room for a new pair of shoes (or two!) that you love while donating to a great organization.
Monday, April 30th, 2012
For the past few weeks, our newsfeeds have been splashed with stories and comments about Facebook’s purchase of Instagram. While this is a big milestone for both companies, it proves something PR pros have known all along – the power of photographs.
One of the most relevant articles we’ve read on the acquisition was by Adam Vincenzini, who makes some important points, including:
• Text and audio content take time to enjoy. Video requires a decent wireless connection, but photos provide effortless engagement.
• We need to take notice of photo-based online destinations, for example the recent explosion of Pinterest.
• Think imagery first for blog entries and press releases.
While we don’t think the written word is a disappearing art form, we can attest to how powerful pictures are in both social media and media relations. Photos receive increased ‘likes’ and shares on Facebook and journalists always appreciate receiving imagery without having to ask for it.
What are your thoughts on the recent acquisition of Instagram? Tell us on Facebook!
Wednesday, April 11th, 2012
Here at Rev, we love to give back to our community, especially when that means hanging out with our friends and family and having fun at the same time. We’re especially excited this month as our favorite charity event of the year is upon us – The Sleep Country USA Pajama Bowl for Foster Kids!
What’s the Pajama Bowl you ask? Sleep Country’s annual fundraiser – a bowling event in Washington and Oregon where teams of 4-5 raise money for local foster kids, all while bowling in pajamas and competing for awesome prizes. 100% of the funds raised support foster kids ‘little wish’ programs like taking music lessons, playing sports, or attending summer camp to reunite with a sibling.
The Sleep Country Foster Kids Pajama Bowl is in its seventh year and we’ve had the pleasure of watching it grow over the years into an uber successful fundraiser for local foster children. Last year the event raised over $125,000! Check out our team photo from last year, we were 70s-themed!
Ready to join in the fun? There are still a few days to get registered for both the Oregon Pajama Bowl (Sunday, April 15th) and the Washington Pajama Bowl (Sunday, April 22nd). For more details visit http://www.pajamabowl.com – you can even support the cause directly on the website if you won’t be able to make it to the bowling lanes.
Join us in making this year’s Sleep Country Pajama Bowl the most successful yet!
Wednesday, April 4th, 2012
It’s official! Facebook brand pages have now converted to the new Timeline format. Now the question is, how do you cut through the noise to tell a cohesive, memorable, and interesting brand story to your fans? Here are some examples of our favorite Timeline pages thus far, and some tips for achieving them.
History:
The Timeline provides a fascinating look at the rise, achievements and memorable events for brands and companies. Whether your brand is one year or one hundred years old, fans will appreciate learning about the birth and growth of your business.
The New York Times makes excellent use of the Timeline’s historical significance, showcasing real newspapers from memorable events throughout its 160+ years.
Proving your Timeline doesn’t have to be taken so seriously, Old Spice plays on notable events in history and embraces their brand’s lighthearted, humorous personality.
Cover Photos:
In the new Timeline layout, profile cover photos must be strictly photography/art focused with no explicit calls to action, sales or promotional language, or direction for users to ‘like’ the page. This is both good and bad news for page administrators who must now rely on creative use of this prime page real estate. Check out a few of our favorites so far, and be inspired.
Nylabone’s cover photo is an interesting collage of cute dogs with their Nylabones, and showcases exactly what this brand is all about.
Fanta’s cover photo melds seamlessly with its profile photo, and their profile picture can still stand alone. The bright colors make us happy too!
Manchester United’s cover photo is inspirational, exciting, and emotional… exactly what ‘football’ is all about.
What are your favorite Facebook Timelines? Tell us on our Timeline.
Wednesday, March 21st, 2012
Valentine’s Day this year really sparked our sweet tooth for chocolate, and it’s been strong ever since. Now, with a marketing push for Easter and Mother’s Day after that, we’re giving ourselves another two months to indulge in the best, locally crafted in Seattle chocolate. Here are our favorites so far:
These soft, melt-in-your-mouth caramels are so good they are our go-to box of chocolates for mom. We buy ours at Pharmaca.
High-quality chocolate and good fortunes make these such a fun treat.
This new Parisian bakery recently opened just two blocks from our office and we can’t stay away. Seattle Met loves the Macaroons, and we do too, but the Pain Au Chocolate takes us to Paris.
The Royale with Cheese, Triple Threat, we love them all, but the new red velvet cake pop is what blows our mind right now, and is beginning to blow our waist line.
Chocolate Coconut Bar, Zing
High in protein and fiber, this healthy bar beats many chocolate candy bars in the grocery aisles. Its nutrition facts are just a bonus.
We believe all dark chocolate is healthy, but this chocolate really is. Packed with Omega-3s, Calcium and Vitamin D, we can eat these even after we start our summer diet! The Peanut Butter Sunshine is our favorite.
Thursday, September 29th, 2011
As PR people we are consistently trying to get the attention of media. Most of the time we’re successful, but there are those times where our ‘big news’ is met with a radio silence that leaves us baffled. What went wrong? Was it not newsy enough? Did our subject line shove us into the junk mail box? That’s why we’re embarking on a journey of learning from media about what they are looking for and the tips we might employ for increasing our success in getting them to cover our client’s news.
To kick if off, we’re interviewing Seattle-based food reporter, blogger and new author of the cookbook, “Top Pot Hand-Forged Doughnuts: Secrets and Recipes for the Home Baker”, Jess Thomson.
What is the number one reason you’ll read an email from a PR person?
I’ll read the email if I trust them.
Does no response always mean no interest?
No, not always. I’d say half the time it means I’m not interested. Half the time it means I haven’t decided if I’m interested, or I’m interested but will only give it my time if/when it becomes applicable to my work, or I simply fail to respond.
How important is the subject line?
The subject line is crucial. Same with the lead-in sentence. Regardless of the topic, there are a few no-brainers: Spell everything right, especially my name. Never ask me if you can peak my interest instead of pique it, or if a chef can show me there interesting new dish instead of their interesting new dish. Back to PR boot camp for you. I think PR folks are blissfully unaware, in general, of how many mistakes they make (no offense).
Can you share a couple of tips for the best way to get results from a reporter?
First, the press release must be applicable to the writer or reporter in question and be familiar with his/her media outlets. If someone sends me a plea to include a product review on my blog, they’ve clearly never read my blog; I don’t do product reviews. If they ask me today to write up a holiday event for Sunset Magazine, they clearly aren’t aware that the December issue has already gone to press, and that my December deadlines passed 2 months ago. PR folks get best results if they customize a press release to a writer and to the topics they cover, and to send it in a timely fashion.
Example: If you want me to write up a great new dish for Sunset Magazine, do your reading first, so you know that a) Sunset doesn’t feature specific chef recipes and b) I only write travel pieces and upfront pieces for them. (But kudos to you for realizing I haven’t written for Seattle Weekly for 3 years.)
What’s the rule of thumb about offering free experiences and items?
It’s important to be sensitive to the fact that while some writers take free items/experiences, others don’t. Don’t push. If you have them to offer, offer them as an option.
Wednesday, August 31st, 2011
At Revolution PR, we love to strategize and run a good social media contest. Here are a few lessons we’ve learned for creating a successful social media promotion and watch your social communities grow!
How to run a social media contest in 5 easy steps
Determine Your Goals.
What is the purpose of your promotion? Are you looking to increase Facebook ‘likes’, add more Twitter followers, gain ideas for future product lines, increase awareness of a specific product or event? By determining your goals in advance, it is easier to evaluate the success of a contest campaign as well as design a contest strategy that aligns with your goals. Ideally, every social media contest will ultimately aim to increase community conversations and inspire your fans or followers to contribute information and engage on your Facebook wall or Twitter page.
Pick Your Prize.
What do you want to give away? What is the value you are willing to commit to this giveaway? On the scale of contest vs. prize, you must ensure that the prize is valuable enough to your community, such that they will feel compelled to do whatever it is you ask them to do in the contest. If the prize is too small compared to the entry requirements, you risk not receiving any entries. Really, the prize can never be too big, but if you are giving away a car or large sum of money, you may want to consider what sort of return you expect to make it worth it.
Craft Your Contest.
After determining goals and choosing a prize, think about how much engagement and what sort of information you will require from people in order to enter. The simplest contests are form entries where participants submit their name and usually an email address. For generating a database of emails this type of contest works well, however, there is low engagement on the part of contestants. Photo submissions and video entries tell a great story but require more effort from entrants. Again, look at your prize and your goals and map your contest back to correlate.
One of many great entries into our Therm-a-Rest photo contest
Another entry into our Therm-a-Rest photo contest
Look out for the law.
It is important to always consider rules and regulations of Facebook, Twitter, or whichever social outlet you are using to run your giveaway. For Facebook, third party applications allow you to safely host a promotion without the risk of getting your page shut down. Wildfire, Offerpop, and North Social are a few of the easy and affordable platforms available for social contests. It is also important to lay out general guidelines for the contest so you, your team, and/or your client are all on the same page and know how to handle tricky situations (rogue entries, people trying to ‘game’ the contest, etc).
Promote your Promotion!
Now that you set goals, a prize, entry requirements, and legal issues, it’s time to get started! In the business of contest promotion, too much is never enough. Spread the word about your contest through all your social outlets like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Send information to your consumer email database. Incorporate the contest into company newsletters, email signatures, fliers, and pamphlets. Include contest information on your business homepage. Consider creating Facebook ads which are affordable, easy, and stealthily targeted. Promote your contest wherever you see fit and watch your social community grow.
Happy contest-ing!
Thursday, July 21st, 2011
One reason we enjoy working in public relations is being the first to know what’s hot, and that includes fashion!
We can’t wait to rock one of fall’s biggest trends – leather! Here are a few ideas for making it work appropriate.
The easiest way to wear this trend is layering a leather vest over a thin turtleneck. Pile on layers of necklaces and pair with skinny jean s or trousers, and you’ve got an incredibly chic outfit. A black vest paired with a bright necklace makes for an edgier look, while this camel colored vest is a little more subdued.
If you’re feeling a little more daring, try rocking this trend on your bottom half with an all-leather pencil skirt. Keep the rest of your outfit soft with a silk blouse and delicate jewelry. If a leather skirt is still too much, try just a leather trim. Still cute and a little easier to sit in, too!
And just for fun, consider trying a leather dress! Since this shape is so classic you can really have fun with accessories – printed shoes, a bright watch and a choker necklace (another big trend for fall)!
Wednesday, July 13th, 2011
We recently had the pleasure of hosting Ruth Barr from one of Seattle’s largest and most respected search marketing firms Point It for an informational meeting on search engine marketing (SEM) and search engine optimization (SEO). As a results-driven communications agency, we are always looking for ways in which we can better serve our clients – whether it is through services we offer or recommending a different expert resource. And to do this, we realized we need to brush up on our knowledge of this topic.
We sought to gain a broad understanding of SEO and SEM and better understand how we might integrate it into our efforts, supporting other client vendors, and helping to achieve business goals for clients. It was an insightful, fun, interactive session and from it, we’ve captured and shared our top five tips for smart SEO/SEM.
Start with a clean (Website) slate:
- Create a Google Places page
- Make sure you have words on every page of your site – images are not words.
- Find and fix broken links
- Create a custom 404 page redirecting people to another page on the site versus leaving them high and dry
- Make sure each page on your Website is no more than four clicks away from the home page
Create good content:
- Write for your audience, not the search robots. People are the ones that have money and make buying decisions
- Speak to your audience in the same language they use
- Deliver the content your audience wants to find when they are searching – not the content you want them to find
Know and use key words:
- Use the same words used in searches for your business
- Use your key words in headlines, for file names and in image alt text
- For 300-500 words, incorporate 2-3 key phrases, for 500+ words, use 3-4 key phrases
- Be natural
Build links:
- Use press releases
- Create a blog
- Host links in contests and promotions
- Target competitors’ link sources
Engage in social media:
- Create high-quality shareable content
- There is a correlation between Re-Tweets and SEO
Thanks for your time Ruth! For more information on Point It and their search marketing services, please visit www.pointit.com.
