Archive for April, 2010

How-to Tip from Greg Phillips Media (along with my two-cents): Here’s a solid reminder to prep your clients to serve as terrific on-air guests that won’t be known as “talking heads.”  Instead, with the right tools, producers will be seeking your clients to come in for segments again and again.

Provide Demonstrations
Instead of just being what is known as a “talking head” in the television news business, think about what you can demonstrate.  Depending on the interview and your profession, consider a “show and tell” demonstration. 

Show off the latest and greatest product – don’t just talk about it.  Whether it’s live or on tape, chances are the interviewer will welcome it. 

Demonstrate Sincere Passion
The key is to sound passionate about whatever you’re talking about and have fun.  If you have fun, you look relaxed (even if you aren’t), the interview will almost always turn out a lot better. 
Read the rest of this entry »

Q: Exclamation mark and question mark – inside or outside of quotation marks? Thanks for the expert advice. THIS will settle an argument.

– Steve

Now this is an AP style rule that I see written incorrectly all the time. And it can be a tricky one.

The easy rule is that the period and comma always go within the quotation marks. (e.g. Billy said, “Don’t go to the store.”) Read the rest of this entry »

This month, the inaugural InfluenceSD awards highlighted some of San Diego’s top social media mavens.  One of the most exciting battles was top agency, with a number of PR, advertising, and social media agencies vying for the top honor.  Bolt PR, a Carlsbad-based public relations firm, accepted the agency award.   We took the opportunity to delve a little deeper into their social media strategy and achievements.

SCPB: Please give us some history on Bolt PR. Who founded it? Who are some of your clients? What are your specialties?

BPR: Founded in 2007 by Caroline Callaway, Bolt PR is a boutique public relations and social media management agency based in San Diego.  Rather than focus on one industry, our specialty is generating exposure for small businesses and start-ups.  Our clients range from tech start-ups and restaurants, to a private school and small healthcare company.

Read the rest of this entry »

One of my favorite media trainers who is also known well as a familiar face on southern California news stations, Greg Phillips, has tons of tips that I’m happy to share with clients and contacts about how to nail the pull-through needed to get your message accross during  TV interviews.   As part of a series of blog posts, we will share tips and tricks of the trade that are solid reminders for all PR pros to make the most out of the 2-4 minute air times we work so hard to secure.  Today, we kick off the series with a special focus on how clients may appear relaxed on camera:

Use Your Hands and Other “Non-Verbals”
An easy way to look natural and relaxed in front of the camera is to use your hands.  A dead give away that someone is nervous when they’re on camera is they keep their hands by their sides.  Think about it.  Usually when people talk they use their hands.  Some more than others.  So use your hands to gesture when it feels natural.  Read the rest of this entry »

The fact that technology is changing how we work is old news for today’s savvy PR pros. Perhaps nothing articulates the industry-wide shift better than this statistic: A recent survey found that 89% of journalists rely on blogs when researching stories, while 65% turn to Facebook or LinkedIn, and 52% get information from Twitter.

In addition to helping PR pros connect with journalists, technology can also improve productivity (check out these mobile apps!), as well as client communication. At Glasscubes, we work with customers – many of whom are solo and boutique PR firms – every day to improve efficiencies, workflow and collaboration. Based on that first-hand experience, here are three tips to help PR pros leverage technology to get more out of each day.

1. Pick a suite of tools that work well together. There are countless apps, online services and software packages on the market. As you consider incorporating a new tool, don’t forget to check if it’s compatible with your “main” modes of communication and organization. For example, if you run Gmail and Google calendar, you shouldn’t pick a service that only works with with Outlook. Likewise, if you prefer Google Docs, avoid incorporating a tool that only works with Microsoft Word. The interplay between services and apps is key to increasing productivity … and decreasing time wasted.

Read the rest of this entry »

San Diego Journalists Celebrate April Fools Day

Our journalist friends encounter some incredible situations from time to time. Here are just a few of what occurred this morning in celebration of April Fools Day! Enjoy!

NBC San Diego’s Marianne Kushi Fooled by Prank

San Diego 6’s Ruben Plays April Fools Prank on Lynda Martin

Denise Scatena is a founding partner of Scatena Daniels Communications, a boutique marketing communications agency focusing on connections, creativity and results based out of San Diego, Calif., as well as one of the founding editors of SoCalPRBlog. Follow her on Twitter.