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…

{Today’s guest post comes from my hubby and Web guy, Dave Newman, who shares three things PR folks should know (and practice) if you want to get your arms around the Internet.}

1. Stop trying to control where your message lives. The biggest mistake we can make concerning putting our stuff on the web is trying to rebuild what’s already working. Let’s use video as an example. YouTube has WAY more hits and searches than your site is ever going to have; they know how to deal with traffic and streaming rates; their file hosting is free and putting your video there improves your search ranking. Why would you ever try to do it another way? This guy agrees.

2. Always try the new free social network/web tool/app. I know, there are a million new apps out there every week vying for our attention and begging us to upload our fun little pictures to. How do you keep up and how do you know which to try? It’s easy. Try all of them that either you are interested in or your friends/clients/enemies are interested in. You never know what will catch on but signing up for all of them – even if just to try them – will never hurt your search ranking, exposure or how knowledgeable you’ll seem to your clients and friends. 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…

Warning: this video (by @sohear) drops a few f-bombs. But man, it’s hilarious. And spot on. If you’re wondering what the heck they’re talking about see: embargo; see: b2b; see: social media. Read More…

{In today’s guest post, Nashvillian Mary Beth Ikard offers up a friendly reminder about the advantages of being an approachable PR pro.}

Of all the characteristics you’d like included in your reputation as a PR practitioner: great writer, strong sense of news value, deadline-oriented – you wouldn’t want ‘unfriendly’ among them, right?

As spokesperson for myself and my organization, I want each person with whom I interact to walk away saying –to quote the Beach Boys– “I’m pickin’ up good vibrations.”

Obviously, being a “people person” doesn’t make you default-qualified to work in PR. But there’s great joy to be found in being open, in fostering an ability to relate to the publics you seek to address on behalf of your organization and cause. Read More…

Oh, boy! Looks like more folks are discovering public relations truths via Google. This recent Flackrabbit search query needs no introduction…

…but it does need an answer. Here, let me: Read More…