A Writer’s Coach: Learning How to be a Good Writer

Over at Verve in Bloom, my agency blog, Michelle Pera posts on writing tips from Jack Hart of the Oregonian. Check it out.

Interactivity is Fun!

The new Pet Moustache site from Burger King is the latest in a growing trend of interactive Web sites that give customers more ways (and reasons) with which to engage a brand.

Pet Moustache, launched to promote the BK Cowboy Burger, lets you upload a photo and well, grow a pet moustache. Here’s my attempt: (I’m not such a good virtual moustache groomer – note the score of 31)

Become an M&M has been around for a while, but that doesn’t diminish the fun. And hey, you’re much more likely to find me eating M&Ms than a BK Cowboy Burger. This is my ode to summer break (and yes, you know I’d have a latte even in paradise).

A couple of other fun sites. Kohler (as in the toilets) has Jo’s Plumbing. At the site, an attractive brunette “plumber” will flush various things around the bathroom (including dog food, trial shampoo bottles and marbles among others) to show you the power of the new Kohler toilet.

Finally, GEICO let’s you visit the Caveman’s Crib with a fully interactive site designed to represent the Geico Caveman’s apartment. You can watch TV, change the music on the iPod, read magazines or just hang out. The site barely mentions GEICO.

What do you think? Do you feel more loyal/connected to a brand when you participate in sites like this? Are there others you know of?

Writing in a Human Voice

I’ve been talking a lot this year about writing with a human voice. Drop the lingo, leave the jargon and edit out the “corp speak.”

Whether you’re writing a letter to employees about a company shake-up, writing compelling public relations materials such as releases, backgrounders or fact sheets, or penning a speech, it’s becoming more vital to communicate in a human voice.

This terrific example from Nedra at Spare Change is from Zichron Menachem – The Israeli Association for the Support and Assistance of Children with Cancer and their Families. The letter has been translated from the original Hebrew. An excerpt…

I want to thank you for your partnership with Zichron Menachem — for helping make a very difficult time, a bit easier. And I want you to know that how successful your effort is, every time I see a bashful smile from those mirrors, trying to love what they see. And they succeed.

This letter is amazing. The emotional (and human) connection of the words on the page not only reinforces the donor’s decision, but paints of picture of those who the precious gift of hair will serve.

Yes, Social Media is the Real World

Some of the biggest PR firms (Fleishman, Edelman) and companies (IBM, MTV, Verizon, and Yum! Brands) are searching for social media managers. What, do tell, does a social media manager do?

• manage and implement social media strategies such as social networking
• manage a variety of content in a deadline-driven environment
• understand and implement consumer generated media initiatives.

If you consider yourself and expert and are thinking about a social media job, what do you need to know from your employer?
James Durbin of brandstorming asks these questions of Fleishman-Hillard’s St. Louis office. Fleishman answers here.

The job descriptions associated with “public relations” positions are changing. Are you keeping up?

PR Major Poll

Please look to the right and take my “PR Major Poll.” What do you think? As we look at curriculum reform in the School of Journalism, are there courses we should add?

Interview Tips from a PRo

Guest post from Sally Garner. Undergraduate academic adviser at the School of Journalism and Communication, newly designated Master and grad student in my J454: PR Campaigns class.

Marilyn Hawkins of Hawkins & Company PR, LLC handed out some great tips onjob interviewing last week. “Be pumped for every interview,” she writes. “Get a good night’s sleep before and consume a limited amount of coffee, soda or other stimulants.”

Great advice but I’d go one step further: Have a good solid breakfast.Whether or not you believe it’s the most important meal of the day, eat something hearty before your interview, especially if you’re in for one of those hours-long marathon interviews that are becoming more and more popular.

Trust me: it takes fuel to remain “on” for hours on end. You’ve got enough to worry about that day; you don’t need hunger pangs or a growling stomach to distract you. Bonus tip: stash a granola bar in your bag or briefcase. In between interviews, take advantage of the restroom break to take a quick bite. Your mom will cringe but you’ll feel better after the quick refuel.

(This is true even if you’ve treated yourself to T-Bone Steak and Eggs at IHOP that morning. Your adrenaline will sap up your reserves faster than usual.)

One of things the handout doesn’t mention is how to handle yourself on a phone interview. HotJobs has some great tips.

Phone interviews are rough for reasons most of us are familiar with: no visual cues, everything must be relayed via voice alone and you never really know who’s in the room on the other end.

One tip that isn’t mentioned here: make sure your phone line is reliable. In this day and age of “I only have a cell phone,” make sure your phone is fully charged and you are in a spot that doesn’t provoke static. You might even check with your cell phone provider to see if there’s a way to turn off your call waiting function for the duration of the interview.

Work is Hard: Tips for your First Job

Recent grads are eagerly anticipating the first day on the job. And my students are no exception.

I want to offer a few first-days-on-the-job tips. I’ll preface this by saying that your first job will not make or break you. You can take a risk, follow your heart (or your wallet) and you’ll be just fine.

So, say you’ve landed that first great job. You’re eager to make a good impression, to make your mark on the industry and to move up the agency or corporate ladder. But what can you expect?

Your education is only the beginning.
I see three parts to this piece of advice – the logistics of work, the tasks and the personalities.

Education doesn’t prepare you for a 8 – 5 schedule. And believe it or not, it’s hard. It’s hard to be at work by 8 am and stay active and engaged for 8 hours. It’s hard and it will take some time to adjust. And don’t let work consume you. Easier said that done that first six months or that first year – but remember to exercise, to spend time with family and friends and to have some fun. It’s called work-life balance.

ZenHabits has lots of great tips for all these things. Here’s a nice post about being more productive.

My piece of advice for learning office personalities and politics is – stay out. Stay out for a year if you can. You don’t want to “side” with the wrong person or issue because you don’t know any better. Just stay out. And don’t gossip. You probably won’t get fired. But you might damage your relationship with your employer. Better to stay out.

Find a mentor.
Look around. Who in your office is doing good work and is well-liked and well-respected? Tell them. And ask if you can go out to coffee. A mentor relationship doesn’t have to be a formal one. But having a senior person to go to with questions or of whom you can ask advice is invaluable.

I met my mentor through a volunteer project with a nonprofit organization and, while we don’t work together often, or even see each other more than once every couple of months, I know I can always ask her advice. Not only do I know I can ask. I know she’ll be honest with me and give me good feedback.

Seek challenges.
You come to the table with outstanding professional skills and a background to be able handle much of what’s thrown your way. Seek out challenging assignments. Look at the basic assignments you’re given and figure out how to do it better or faster. Make recommendations or suggestions for programs that will add value for your organization or your client.

By seeking challenges, accepting more responsibility and making yourself more visible in your organization, you’re likely to zip up the proverbial “ladder” in no time.

For my readers who are new professionals – what would you add?

Keep networking.

Linky Love

A few posts for your blogging pleasure:

Gerald Baron, a.k.a. Crisisblogger, posted this week about reputation and how much reputation really matters. And asks how companies like Dell overcome headlines like “Dell Hell.” The post is interesting in and of itself, but also interesting is that Dell responds! Jason at Dell leaves a very thoughtful comment (take note, my students for your blogging strategy assignment).

Is this dialogue? Or marketing speak?

Over at Media Orchard, guest blogger Joy Jennings lists 10 dumb things smart communicators do. My favorite (because I saw this all over the place on the last assignment) is number 3 – capitalizing the name of your industry or other non-proper names. (excerpt:)

Do you promote your company’s role in the Fitness market or the Mainframe Maintenance space? Do your press releases quote the Vice President of System Push – CRM Resource Adjunct? Just stop. The names of industries are not proper nouns and neither are job titles.

Have you been guilty of any of the “dumb things”? What would you add to the list?

[shameless self linky love] At In Bloom, my account exec, Michelle, talks about how a product she loves has turned her into a customer evangelist. I must admit, I’m one of the evangelized and the product she mentions is en route. How about you? Ever been an “evangelist”? What product/service/idea did you just want to spread the word about?

SHIFT Communications has a new blog written by junior staffers called Unspun. Danielle Mancano has a great (GREAT!) post about PR people serving as boundary spanners. First of all, huge props (is that still the right slang?) to Danielle for using the terminology that I’m sure her PR profs would be proud of. Beyond that, Danielle has clearly taken the classroom/textbook language and figured out how it applies to her at SHIFT in the job that she needs to do everyday. (excerpt):

We are the researchers, the eyes and ears, the spokespeople and the counselors. No aspect of this role should be taken lightly, as it is a great responsibility. Not to sound as though we’re curing cancer, but public relations is much more then adding spice to a young start-up’s marketing mix or getting a socialite’s name on Page Six.

What do you think? Does Danielle get it right, or is she have a little case of rose colored glasses?

Finally, ChemNurta, the company that imported tainted ingredients for pet foods has hired two crisis public relations companies and started a “blog.” B.L. Ochman of Marketing Profs takes issue with the “blog” label. It appears, she says, to be a repository for press releases, not a forum for dialogue. What do you think? Is this effective use of “Web 2.0″ technology or just a tactic, as Ochman suggests, of “crisis flacks.”

Students are Interested in Cocaine

As part of their blogging assignment, students are required to respond to a prompt that I send. This week, I sent this post about the PR fallout around the “energy drink” called Cocaine.

Lindsay says that Cocaine has more problems than just its name.
Jessica chimes in and says she’d be embarrassed to be seen drinking it.
Finally, Chelsea suggests that any company inclined to name its product “cocaine” is not likely to bow out gracefully of any fight, despite the recommendations of PR Week.

What do you think?

A Web 2.0 World?

Hat tip to Ashley.