I’ve been in DC nearly a year and have learned that, much like my home town of Nashville, you never know who you’ll run into at any given moment and what that person may mean to your career.

That gal–the one who just asked for your business card, but you told her you didn’t have one–might be your future boss. Rather, she might have been your future boss, but she doesn’t have your number.

There’s a movement around town that I’m happy to see: recent grads,  laid-off folks, freelance PR pros and/or people like me who work for a company that understandably doesn’t want us mixing business with pleasure, are creating personal business cards.

Most folks’ cards are designed and ordered at places like Moo.com. If you’re me, you’ve got a talented hubby who designed them for you. Either way, this mini, paper you should communicate: Read More…

{This guest post comes from Joe Flood, who recently taught you how to make your blog look good on the iPhone. Today, Joe explains how to promote your cause and get results by playing nice with others.}

The DC Shorts Film Festival has rapidly grown to be one of the best short film festivals in the country.

I’ve volunteered with the festival for more than five years as a judge, screenplay competition manager, photographer and even sold t-shirts. With this front row seat, I’ve gotten to see what works – lessons for anyone promoting a product or cause.

Quality: DC Shorts has a commitment to quality that’s a reflection of the festival’s founder, Jon Gann. DC Shorts books top venues, like E Street Cinema. Marketing materials, from the web site to brochures, are professionally designed and branded. Great sponsors are wooed, such as Stella Artois and Clyde’s. The films and screenplays for the festival are selected by a rigorous judging process. Read More…

Yep. Another post about how you folks are too humble. Well, you are. Look, I’m not asking you to declare you are God’s gift to public relations. I’d just like you to admit you’re great at what you do and then give me an example or two.

Unless, of course, you’re not great at what you do, which is what the majority of your resumes tell me. They scream mediocrity. And you ain’t mediocre, so why is the paper version of you communicating that?

Each week, I receive a handful of resumes from strangers who find me through friends and the Internet. They ask me to read over them and give feedback, and I do. But I can’t help but think, “Is this really all you think you do? Because if you thought your boss thought that, you’d slap her. Is the fact that you didn’t include any successes on your resume mean that you didn’t have any?” I think not. But how would I know?

So I send back my edits and suggestions, but what I really want to say is this:

If you aren’t prepared to explain why you are fabulous, don’t bother asking a hiring manager to become your biggest fan.

Read More…

I’ve received a few emails from folks asking about my motivation for starting the DC Flacks happy hour, how I organize it, get folks to show up each month, and if they can copy the format in their town. Well, sure! And I’m happy to help! Here’s how DC Flacks came to be (feel free to plagiarize as much or as little as you want):

I like talking to strangers. Dave and I moved to DC last May. I was new to this city and needed a way to meet my fellow public relations and public affairs pros. So, I declared a happy hour and folks actually showed up. At first, there were just a handful of us. Then Twitter word-of-mouth took over; we had 40 folks in January and nearly 60 in February. Out of my purely selfish desire to meet new folks, DC Flacks was born. If you like talking to strangers, you’re gonna do great as a ___ Flacks host/hostess.

I heart Meetup.com. I had accompanied Dave on various adventures of the Nashville Photography Meetup that he founded back in 2006, so I was familiar with the concept. You don’t have to use Meetup to organize your happy hour, of course, but if you want to, here’s how: Read More…

Meekness is great when you want to inherit the Earth, but if you’ re trying to sell your first book, get elected or manage a public relations campaign, you’re going to need an incredible dose of confidence in your work.  I don’t mean a tiny flicker of belief that your creation, skill set or campaign is worth folks’ time. I’m talking sincere, this-is-the-best-thing-since-sliced-bread type of language, strategy and passion that builds momentum.

Momentum is the secret ingredient in any successful promotional effort, be it one you’re doing for yourself or on behalf of someone paying you. I say  it’s a “secret” because your to-do list likely doesn’t say “build momentum” anywhere on it, but that’s what you’re actually doing when you embark on a series of public events and actions.

Without momentum, folks ain’t buying your book/running your story/hiring you/voting for you/attending your event. That’s why sending out one press release and calling it a day doesn’t get you much. You’ve got to have a strategy in place to keep the public talking about you. You know you’re succeeding when one day someone looks around and says, “Good grief! That person/candidate/idea/innovation is everywhere!” Read More…

{Today’s guest post by Katie Place jumps head-first into gender and public relations. Do you face gender bias as a female PR pro? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments.}

As a former communication professional, I knew nothing about gender, socialization or discrimination. I only knew one thing: My colleague, who was male and the same age as me, earned $8,000 more. And I wondered why:

Why is the PR industry nearly 70 percent women, yet women hold few leadership positions? Does gender affect public relations? What is gender? And how can women navigate gender expectations to find success?

To answer these questions, I interviewed 45 women PR practitioners across the United States.  Some women were hesitant to discuss gender; others were thrilled to share their experiences. Here’s what they shared: Read More…

Much like perfect is the enemy of good, a comma is the enemy of a good media interview. When a reporter asks you a question, answer it. Period. DO NOT start talking again just to fill up the space. If you have a hard time remembering that, try and think of your interview as a telegram:

In a telegram, the writer types a sentence and then adds the word “STOP” after it to signal the end of that particular idea. In other words, they end each thought with a hard stop. A period. Not a comma.

Have you noticed how your press person/handler looks like she is nervously squinting into the sun every time you speak with the media? She knows that your inherent desire to talk non-stop during an interview is the most common way to stick your foot in your mouth, have that error emblazoned in cold, black print and pixels, and end up as blog/TV fodder. Read More…

If you’re seeking more respect in the workplace, set for yourself clear, non-diva-like, grownup boundaries–and stick to them. I’m not really talking about work/life balance boundaries as much as I am work-approach rules. People respect people (and firms) with boundaries because we all like to know where we stand and how to effectively work with each other.

Setting office boundaries shows maturity and confidence. As does respecting the boundaries of others. Some folks think women have a harder time setting them. I’m not one of those women. Here are three of mine:

• I never put out a press release or launch a major announcement on a Monday. My reasoning: if you launch stuff on Mondays, you’ll actually be fretting/finalizing details/calling vendors in a panic on Sunday, which is never good. Fridays out bad for print media, so that leaves you with Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday.
• I don’t entertain yellers. Yell and me and I’m walking out. It’s no secret to anyone who knows me. Cussing is fine, crying is fine, throwing your Blackberry against the wall is fine, being so mad you won’t look at me is fine, but do not yell/scream/shout. It’s juvenile and has no place in an office setting. Read More…

Let’s cut to the chase here: public relations is not a 9-5 career. There are days you’ll arrive at the office at 7 a.m., not have time to eat lunch, and only leave your desk at 7 p.m. because you promised your spouse/child/roommate you’d be home for dinner. Before you go to bed, you’ll boot up and dig in to work once again.

You will be tired, up to your ears in email and tempted to dramatically relay your long, hard day to everyone you see. Don’t do it. Nobody likes the office martyr and you’re no different than every other one of your peers in a demanding communications position.

All PR pros will pull a late shift or five every now and then/weekly. The higher the profile your gig, the more hours you’ll be tethered to a phone, laptop and media source. Keep in mind that as a PR pro and communicator, this is what you signed up for–whether you’re the press secretary to the local non-profit or the President of the United States. Read More…

Blogging might not be your day job, but your posts are reaching folks from 9 – 5 and beyond. Traffic is picking up, referral links are rolling in. Heck, folks are actually using your contact form. Looks like you’re gonna need a blog content disclaimer.

A good disclaimer doesn’t require a lawyer, you simply need to post some thoughtful language that conveys your blog’s purpose, content ownership and what you intend to do with the information you’re collecting on your readers. Blog Herald provides some great samples here.

For about two years now, I’ve had in my footer a disclaimer that reads:  This is the personal blog of Margie Maddux Newman. The opinions, random thoughts, industry rants and emotions expressed here belong to her alone and are not those of her employer, husband, family or tea-cup poodle.

Today, with FlackRabbit’s rising traffic, the addition of guest bloggers, and due to the fact that more of you are using the contact form, this site now has a full legal page. On that page, you’ll find: Read More…