Posts Tagged ‘press release’

Strategic Marketing & Charleston PR is providing pro bono services to help Andi Mills find her carpool so that she can go back to school. Please share her story and help her find a ride. The Greenwood Index Journal wrote up her story and while Andi has had some good comments, she still does not have a ride.

Loosing sight no deterrent to living life

Former truckdriver, avid horsewoman Andi Mills only ‘sees’ the positive side of life as she heads back to school

Charleston, SC, December 3, 2009—“I don’t beat on closed doors,” says Honea Path resident Andi Mills. “I find the open ones and go through them.” Mills, who lost her sight in 2008 as a result of congenital factors, has every right to feel bummed about life. But she chooses to continue to live positively, recognizing the abilities she has. Part of her plan for her new life includes attending Lander University to earn a degree; that is if she can find a daily carpool to Greenwood. Mills said, “When I found out that I would be blind and there was nothing I could do about it, I decided to be the best, most productive blind person I could be. Going back to school is a way for me to be productive and help others.”

Greenwood's Index-Journal wrote this story about Andi.

Mills who is no stranger to accomplishing her goals and who in 2007 rode her horse a total of 1,528 miles to advance “Stroke Awareness and The Value of Early Detection of Strokes,” is determined to keep on living. “I’m going to be the best blind person I can be.”

She spent the first five months of 2009 at the South Carolina Commission for Blind learning the adaptive techniques and technologies she needs to live without sight. “My computer talks to me; I have devices that tell me when a cup is full and a one foot by one foot kitchen timer. My washer and dryer have Braille on them and now I have Mr. Tibbs.” Mr. Tibbs is her yellow Labrador Retriever guide dog who in Mills’ words, “gave me back my freedom and independence.” Mills spent one month earlier this year at Guide Dogs of America in Sylmar, California learning to work with Mr. Tibbs.

With Mr. Tibbs, her training and adaptive tools, Andi is now ready to earn her degree in English. The University will set up a place for her to study between classes, allowing her to have a comfortable place to study between classes.  But she needs to get back and forth daily to Lander. Andi is hoping to meet someone from Anderson or Honea Path who commutes daily to Greenwood and who will allow her (and Mr. Tibbs)  to carpool with them.

Mills reached out to Nelson Ohl of CarolinaCommuter.com who is committed to helping her find transportation.  Referring to Mill’s inquiry received through CarolinaCommuter.com., Ohl says, “Over the last year I’ve been wrapped up in the obvious reasons for carpooling, environment, congestion, etc.; and then along comes a sincere call to share a ride that, well, hit me like a freight train.” Ohl is convinced that someone is “out there” who will help Mills by forming a carpool that includes her.  Mills’ story has been made public through CarolinaCommuter.com’s blog (http://carolinacommuter.blogspot.com/2009/09) and by his personal e-mail campaign to friends and now he’s taking the call to the public media.

People who would like to assist Mills can reach Ohl at nohl@carolinacommuter.com or by phone at 843-870-0821.

Is a press release any good anymore?

Depends.

If you are pitching a national story with strong news interest and relevance, you can use a release to make sure those outlets and journalists you pitch have all the information they need. However, if you are just using it like a message in a bottle, casting it out on the water just to see who answers; not so much.

The use of press releases has evolved. They are a great tool for reaching your many customers. Self publishing them to your blog or newsroom is critical. Releases can help you deepen content on your website and are great when optimized well to bring interested customers to your site.

The days of mass blasting of a news release are gone. What is critical these days is a planned pitch to bloggers, social media followers and interested journalists with whom you’ve developed relationships. Ask for permission to send a release or know that they are open to receiving your release before you send it. Make sure to send it in the manner that they request. Some no longer wish to receive pitches via e-mail and have returned to the days of snail mail.

Don’t wait to get to know bloggers and journalists; develop your following early and in the sectors in which you have the most knowledge. After you pitch them, then if they are open to it, you can send them a release.

Flickr creative commons photo courtesy of Mykl Roventine

A desperate prospective client called a couple of weeks ago begging us to write a news release about his recently opened company that he could post on PRWeb. He said a colleague claimed that PRWeb was solely responsible for the colleague’s company’s success. The prospect then related exactly what he wanted in the release. All well and good, but what the prospect wanted in the release was mostly the old rant, “We’re great, We’re great!” There was not much of substance that he wanted to offer for end user. These days news releases must contain information that is useful, needed and pertinent to the end user. This is confirmed by other practitioners.

In a survey released recently, 420 marketing and PR professionals were asked how they use online press releases. Their answers are in the charts here.

The number one audience for online releases according to this group is traditional media with bloggers and new media coming in second. We’d answer that for us, the number one audience for press releases are consumers (whether that is B2C or B2B).

We concur with the second group of findings. The number one goal for one’s online press release is increasing visibility and credibility with audiences. Announcing news is second. What a change this represents from the old days!

The final significant finding is that the criteria for measuring success of online releases demonstrates the level of sea change in the world of PR. The number one criterion for measuring success is that the news release is republished on websites and what might have been number one a few years ago, an article based on the news release is number three.

We did not agree to write the release for this prospect (for many reasons.) However, we do agree that online releases are a vital way to provide information to businesses’ propsective customers. Just remember that is is more important to provide useful information, not just “We’re great!”

The days of sending out volumes of press releases are dying on the vine…or at least they should be. Today, PR pros (and I did say pros) are using refined lists to deliver a message to targeted journalistic outlets. BTW–If your company insists on spamming journalists who don’t cover your company’s product or service area, it’s time for a review of their services.

One of the new ways to send out rich content releases is to use rich media releases that go out to your social network and the wider world. Pitchengine is one site/service that is offering the opportunity to add, images, video, and release via social media networks quickly and seamlessly. The site is easy to use and offers the best vehicle I’ve found to distribute to social networks.

Rather than scatter video on Google or YouTube, you can embed it in this template and have it together with all your other information.

I have to say, I do love new technology!