Join Ann Wylie for her online training session, “Anatomy of a 2.0 Release: Write Releases That Get Posted on Portals, Help Google Find Your Site, Reach Readers Online and More,” on June 28, 2012 3–4 p.m. This public relations writing training sesssion is free to PRSA members.

Fourteen percent of Americans can’t read well enough to search for programs in a TV guide, according to the U.S. Department of Education’s 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL).

Meanwhile, more than four out of 10 Americans have basic or below-basic prose skills, according to the study. That means they can sign forms or compare ticket prices for two events. However, they have trouble finding places on a map or calculating the cost of office supplies from a catalog.

So how well are they reading your blog post, Web page or news release?

Continue reading " To Reach Real Readers, Write Copy that Connects "

Join Ann Wylie for her online training session, “Writing for Social Media: How to Write Blog Postings, Tweets and Other Status Updates,” on April 24, 2012, 3–4 p.m. EDT. This public relations writing training sesssion is free to PRSA members.

“A story should be a verb, not a noun,” Byron Dobell, a former editor of Esquire, once said.

And when it comes to your headline, the verb is the story. The sexier the verb, the sexier the story.

Here are five ways to verbify your own headlines to make them stronger and more stimulating:

Continue reading " Five Ways to “Verbify” Your Headlines and Make Them Stronger "

Join David Rockland for his online training session, “Demonstrating the Value of the Work You Do — Part 3,” on March 20, 2012 3–4 p.m. EST.  This public relations measurement training sesssion is free to PRSA members.  

Jessica was back. This time she brought her boss Alana, a vice president.

“We have a problem,” Jessica began. “We’ve convinced more clients to stop using AVEs, but they keep asking what to replace them with.”

“And now we are planning for one of our largest global accounts,” added Alana. “The client wants goals with specific key performance indicators and a measurement plan. But the work we do for them covers everything from employee engagement to public affairs to CSR to brand marketing. How do we decide what the right success factors or KPIs are?”

Continue reading " After AVEs: Valid Public Relations Measures "

Join David Rockland for his online training session, “Demonstrating the Value of the Work You Do — Part 3,” on March 20, 2012 3–4 p.m. EST.  This public relations measurement training sesssion is free to PRSA members. 

Jessica was back with a big smile on her face. “Last month,  I almost got fired for a media analysis of the Bon Jovi party for the ‘Loved Ones Alarm Clock,’ showing a ‘return’ of $20 million in Advertising  Value Equivalents (AVEs).

“After we talked, I measured the quality of the clips and message delivery to the target audience: people who sleep alone.  And, we added questions to the client’s tracking survey to figure out increases in awareness and actual purchase. The client was so happy,  I got promoted to account executive!”

“Congratulations,” I told her.  “What’s up now?”

“This AVE thing won’t go away,” she replied.  “A different client is insisting we use them and multiply the results by 2.5, which she says is the ‘standard’ industry multiplier. I explained that AVEs are not the value of public relations. But the client doesn’t want to change what they’ve been doing for a long time.”

This has been a common conundrum following the PR community’s adoption of the Barcelona Principles in 2010 that called for an end to using AVEs. Here’s what clients and PR practitioners need to know:

Continue reading " Advertising Value Equivalency (AVE): What PR Practitioners Need to Know "

Participate in PRSA’s online training session, “Getting Ready for the Readiness Review,” on Feb. 14, 2012 3–4 p.m. EST. This public relations accreditation training sesssion is free to PRSA members.

I had never been so nervous about clicking a mouse.

After spending nearly four hours taking my computer-based Examination for Accreditation in Public Relations, I was about to learn the unofficial results and see if all the effort I had devoted to studying had paid off.

The process began nearly a year earlier when I mailed in my APR registration form. Although I’ve worked in public relations for more than 20 years, S&A Cherokee is the first company I’ve worked for that promotes the value of Accreditation and encouraged me to pursue it.

I never studied public relations in college, but was confident in my ability to learn and demonstrate my knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs). The major obstacle for me was time.

Continue reading " Make Time for Accreditation "