A headline can make or break a written piece. Too weak, boring or wordy, and you risk getting skipped over, but a strong, captivating and concise headline can draw readers in and generate traffic. In fact it is one of the most important elements of any blog post, article, press release or heading for newsletter content.

How do you write a strong headline? When writing a headline keep in mind there are two primary goals: to capture attention and to preview your content.

• Audience – Start by determining your audience and the platform you are writing for. If it is going online, you will want to take into consideration keywords. This will help search engines find your content in the first place.
  • Always keep your target audience top of mind. A headline that might work for a press release geared towards a journalist will be wildly different from a headline in your company newsletter.
• Reread – Review your content again then write a few different versions down – keeping your keywords in mind. This will help get your creativity flowing.
• Action – Be sure to use strong action words.
  • Weak: The Cardinals Gain a Win Over the Broncos. (Not a horrible headline, but it can be stronger with action verbs.
  • Strong: Cardinals Defeat Broncos.
• Avoid Being Passive – The new Yahoo Style Guide gives a good example on passive v. active
  • Passive: Hare beaten by tortoise in footrace.
  • Active: Tortoise beats hare in footrace.
• Avoid Jargon – Words that may be basic to you or people within your industry may not translate to those on the outside. If you want to have broad appeal, don’t use jargon.
• Be Clear and Concise – Brevity is important but not at the expense of making it incomprehensible. Be sure it is clear. If you have time, get another set of eyes to review your headline.
• Punctuation – Avoid most punctuation in headlines. The only exceptions are commas and questions marks.  Of course your company newsletter will afford you more freedom, so if you feel it’s necessary and appropriate to use an exclamation point, go for it.

For blog and newsletter headlines, a good test is to draft several headlines for the same content and see which drives the most traffic or gets the most click-throughs. Over time you will begin to learn what resonates most with your readers. There are loads of resources out there on headline writing. One quick and dirty resource is the new Yahoo Style Guide. There are more resources listed below, but the best way is to practice and test, then repeat.

Question: What tips do you have on headline writing? Any tricks you employ?

Resources:
1. Yahoo Style Guide
2. “The Copywriter’s Handbook” by Robert Bly
3. “How to Write Headlines that Work” by CopyBlogger.com
4. “Why less is more when it comes to headlines” – Communications Conversations

For more marketing and PR tips and tools check out JetPack Radio.

Enclosures: MP3, M4V

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It may be safe to say blogging has hit the mainstream. There’s a blog – and in some cases hundreds – on any and every topic conceivable.

Blogs are great outlets for voicing opinions, educating, expressing creativity and, of course, as marketing tools. They provide you or your organization a global platform and an opportunity to create a more meaningful relationships with a niche audience. If you don’t have a blog and you’re thinking about starting one, or maybe you do, but have hit a wall with creating fresh content, there are a few things you can do to get started or overcome creative block:

• Research – what is already being done in this area? Can you fill a niche not currently being filled or approach a common topic from a fresh angle? Discover that and you will have a leg up on the competition.
• Passion – what are you most passionate about? Base your blog on something you are passionate about and it won’t feel like a chore. Topics will come easy, and you’ll be excited to constantly create and share your passion with the world. In turn, you will create better content, because it won’t be forced.
• Voice – find your voice. Your passion will dictate this too, but also think about whether you want your blog to be written, video or audio as a podcast. Blogs are not just limited to the written format. If you hate writing, maybe audio is the route to go. Make it fun.
• Curating content – create an editorial calendar with at least a month or two of topic ideas so you are not scrambling each week. Check in with your audience. What are they talking about? Ask them what they want to know or see in your blog. Crowd source!

A good example of someone rocking the blog world is Liza de Guia of Food Curated.com. She started by analyzing what else was being done in the food blog world, found a void in the online food documentary arena, then determined how she could take her documentaries to the next level.

Though there’s no shortage of food blogs, de Guia managed to create a name for Food Curated and a following by doing something different. See the interview below in which de Guia provided some great tips for rising above the fray and finding your passion.

Hopefully this gets you thinking about what you can create. Just remember to be relevant, have fun, find your passion and make it special.

Question: Have you found a new approach to blog about a common topic? If so tell us about it and share a link your blog.

Resources:
• FoodCurated.com
• Tumblr.com
• WordPress.com
• “Top 5 Business Blogging Mistakes and How to Avoid Them” ~ by Josh Catone via Mashable

For more marketing and PR tips and tools check out JetPack Radio.

Enclosures: MP3, M4V

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It’s happening with greater frequency – traditional media using social media not only to share their stories, but also cultivate new stories and sources. As an added benefit, they are also deepening relationships with their audience and creating more loyalty.

While some organizations have been slow to adopt social media, others jumped in feet first – treading new territory and figuring it out as they go, just as the rest of us are. One news outlet that has integrated social media into the show format is the Today Show with Kathie Lee and Hoda Kotb. Though it was a collaboration among producers and talent, Today Show correspondent Sara Haines has become the unofficial social media correspondent for the show and is doing a lot to deepen interaction with viewers.

During the show, Haines regularly reads comments and questions from the Facebook page, and tracks trends and feedback to help shape the direction of the show. Now, more so than ever, viewers are helping source content and coverage.

“Whether they specifically lead to an idea or shape the route I’m taking….they (the viewers) contribute everyday,” Haines said. “It happens everyday in every post, it influences what we’re thinking and which way we’re leaning.”

This is completely changing the way we communicate with mass media. For the first time, we are seeing more opportunities for two-way interaction, rather than the one-way street we’ve grown accustom to.

“Having people ask questions, and knowing you can give it back, means it’s not a one-dimensional thing,” she said. “Back in the day we could feel we knew someone just by tuning in each day. Imagine if you tune in each day and now you talk with them. It just deepens the bond.”

While not all news institutions monitor and utilize their social networks like the Today Show, more are seeing the value. So what does this mean to you?

You now have the potential to have your voice heard, either by sharing a story idea, interesting news or trend you think journalists and producers would be interested in; joining the conversation – you could have your comment read on air; or you could even be called on as a source for a feature story. Take advantage of the fact that this barrier is slowly coming down and start interacting with the media…but remember to keep it relevant, because spamming will work against you.

**For the entire interview click the video below or download the audio version.

Question of the week:
What online tools are you using to connect with traditional media?

For more tips and tools check out JetPack Radio.

Enclosures: MP3, M4V

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The idea of personal branding may not be new, in fact it can be traced back to the 1980s when it was introduced by Al Reis and Jack Trout in “Positioning: The Battle for your Mind.” Despite how you may feel about personal branding, social media has made it a part of our fabric. Not only is it important to be a part of the conversation, it’s also imperative to be consistent, relevant and distinguished.

Whether you post personally or professionally, you are establishing a voice for yourself and your audience will come to rely your tone, quality of posts and style. Why does this matter? You are building a brand that potential employers, clients, members of the media and your audience is watching and can reference at any time. You have an opportunity to build a greater audience, set yourself apart and develop more meaningful relationships.

So how do you ensure you put your best foot forward?

• Become an invaluable asset – build your network and continually provide them with resources and information they can’t get anywhere else.
• Find your niche and spread the word – what do you do particularly well? What are you passionate about? Use a blog and your social networks to position yourself as the go-to-person for a specific skill.
• Build equity – create consistency and post regularly. How often do you engage your audience? Do you have a signature blog post or style that keeps them engaged?
• Build your database through layers – as you generate more content, be sure you hitting on multiple touch points: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, RSS, email, etc. As you build your networks in these individual platforms, be sure to integrate them. Find people in your email database that may also have social networking accounts.
• Be visible. Be remarkable. Be everywhere.

Michele Laudig, food editor at the Phoenix New Times and blogger at Chow Bella, has used social media to help develop her voice, and inherently build her “brand.” She also recently added another layer when she began posting her popular “What I Ate” depictions…yet another differentiator. Here is Michele’s take on the issue:

Q. Has social media helped you build your personal brand and Chow Bella’s? If so, how?

A. As a writer, I don’t think so much about my “personal brand” as much as my “voice.” And social media, especially Twitter, is just other place to express my voice. But it’s also been a fun way to interact with readers and people who are interested in restaurants, and it’s been useful for share links to the blog. I like having instantaneous feedback, and I like the community feeling. Twitter is like one big digital cocktail party.

Q. How do you think it has helped you carve out your niche?

A. I think I carved out my niche back when I first started doing the blog a few years ago. Social media has helped bring attention to something I was already doing by giving me a way to immediately reach people who want to know about breaking news, or who are curious about random dish I decided to sketch. So much content goes up on the blog every day that it has been a way to pick and choose what I want to personally emphasize.

Q. Has building your and Chow Bella’s brand helped increase awareness for Phoenix New Times?

A. I’m sure it must — at this point, they are probably one and the same because I don’t write for anyone else in town, and I use social media under the auspices of being the paper’s restaurant critic and resident food geek.

Q. It seems the “What I Ate” drawings have provided your followers another way to share your brand, did you anticipate them serving this purpose?

A. When I think about my “brand” in this context, it boils down to my personality. These drawings are just a funny thing I do, and I’m happy to share them. I honestly had no idea what to expect when I started doing “What I Ate.”

Q. Have social networks (Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn) helped build more interaction with readers or sparked more comments on blog posts?

A. Social networks definitely have helped build more interaction — it’s another forum for feedback, ideas, and even just socializing in the virtual world. And I do think that when I post a link to something from the blog on Twitter, it does get more comments.

Resources:
1. “10 Ways Personal Branding Can Save You From Getting Fired”
2. “Personal Branding 102: How to Communicate & Maintain Your Brand”
3. ‘Top 10 Free Tools for Monitoring Your Brand’s Reputation”

Question of the week:
What are you doing to create a need for your brand?

For more tips and tools check out JetPack Radio.

Enclosures: MP3, M4V

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Laura’s Gourmet Granola, a chef-created, artisan granola company out of the West, will make its debut at the 56th Annual Summer Fancy Food Show, June 27-29 at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York City.

The Fancy Food Show marks a milestone for Laura’s Gourmet Granola, as it is the first time the four widely popular hand-crafted varieties will be on exhibit at a show of this magnitude. Created by Chef Laura Slama in 2004, the company – with a flavor line-up of Vanilla Almond Crunch, Pumpkin Pecan Crunch, Honey Roasted Peanut Crunch and AppleLicious Crunch – was quick to gain West Coast recognition and is now prepared to take the brand nationally.

“We’ve successfully garnered distribution in specialty retailers throughout the Southwest and are now positioned to permeate the East Coast market,” Chef Laura said. “We currently ship nationwide through online sales, but the Fancy Food Show is an opportunity to present the product to a new crop of buyers and distributors, and let them experience the mouthwatering difference firsthand.”

Since Chef Laura began selling the granola in 2004, distribution has expanded to specialty retail stores throughout the Southwestern U.S. and shipment has increased to various markets across the nation. Distribution continues to grow each year and Chef Laura’s kitchen is in constant production, so much so she enlisted more help to manage the exponential growth and continue brand expansion throughout the country. Laura’s Gourmet Granola is exhibiting at booth #571.

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FoodiesLive, an interactive, web-based culinary show, will hit the Internet with its debut live stream of Chef Laura Slama Tuesday, June 15 at 3:30 p.m. at www.FoodiesLive.com.

FoodiesLive, hatched in Arizona, is a series of live culinary events broadcast in real-time online. Chef Laura, of Celebrated Cuisine, will prepare a full meal from beginning to end. Viewers are invited to chat online, ask questions and interact live through the chat room, Twitter and Facebook. FoodiesLive is an online community of live culinary-driven shows launched by the folks behind CreateLive, which brought mass communities together – online and off – around artists and their work. The goal is to bring together circles of foodies in the physical and online world, and tear down the barrier between on-air chef and viewer.

What: FoodiesLive: Live Culinary Show with Chef Laura

When: Tuesday, June 15, 3:30 p.m.

Where: Online at www.FoodiesLive.com. To be a part of the audience reserve as seat at http://celebratedcuisine.eventbrite.com/

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PHOENIX (May 2010) – Laura’s Gourmet Granola, a chef-created, artisan-crafted granola company, has expanded its presence in the Southwest, adding a resort and two gourmet retailers to its lineup.

Produced by Chef Laura Slama, the artisanal granola will now be sold at Oakville Grocery and Queen Creek Olive Mill in Arizona, and served in various dishes on the T. Cook’s menu created by nationally known Chef Lee Hillson. These purveyors join Fox Restaurants, AJs Fine Foods, Central Markets and Whole Foods, among others.
The retailers will carry all four flavors, which currently include Vanilla Almond Crunch, Pumpkin Pecan Crunch, Honey Roasted Peanut Crunch and AppleLicious Crunch. Queen Creek Olive Mill blended the Vanilla Almond Crunch in their “Corantina,” known as the healthy Elvis sandwich, and T. Cook’s has found various ways to include it on the menu.

“Local supporting local is key to the success of artisan producers right now,” Chef Laura said. “The support I’ve received from local gourmet retailers and chefs is incredibly encouraging. It also amazes me what these extraordinary chefs are creating with the granola.”

“We’ve incorporated it into our cookies, salads, breakfast recipes and even soup garnishes,” said Executive Chef Lee Hillson, T. Cook’s at the Royal Palms Resort and Spa. “Since Laura’s granola has such a natural and fresh taste, it lends itself to diverse recipe combinations.”

“When choosing products for our store or menu, it has to be local, and it has to be fantastic,” said Perry Rea, master blender and owner of Queen Creek Olive Mill. “Laura’s granola hits the mark on both accounts. The fact that she also uses our oil (as a chef) continues the farm to table theme and giving back to other local producers.”

Since Chef Laura began selling the granola in 2004, distribution has expanded to specialty retail stores throughout the Southwestern United States and shipment has increased to various markets across the nation. Distribution continues to grow each year and Chef Laura’s kitchen is in constant production, so much so she enlisted more help to manage the exponential growth and continue brand expansion throughout the country.

About Laura’s Gourmet Granola
Laura’s Gourmet Granola, an artisan granola company out of the West, was launched in 2004 by celebrity Chef Laura Slama. The company originally began selling Vanilla Almond Crunch to local retail stores, but soon added three additional flavors to accommodate demands. Today the granola is distributed to specialty retail stores throughout the Southwestern U.S and shipped nationwide. Chef Laura is a high-honors graduate of Le Cordon Bleu Scottsdale Campus, is the owner and Executive Chef of Celebrated Cuisine, providing cuisine and hospitality to corporate and private events, and currently serves as the Le Cordon Blue Scottsdale Chapter Alumni President and an Alumni Executive Leadership Board President. For more information, visit www.laurasgourmet.com.

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These days we’ve all been forced to do more with less, and the mass media is one industry where this trend is in full effect. This has, however, paved the way for finding new ways to operate more efficiently using the power of the social web.

What are you doing to make it easy for the media to find you?

When you think about the way in which you get your news, connect with your customers, or do research, how much of it takes place online and in social networks? Many of those in the news business are turning to the social web for the same purposes – to uncover new stories, conduct research, find sources and connect with their audience. With the changing newsroom and social media shaping how journalists find news and sources, it’s increasingly important for you or your brand to become searchable and make it as easy as possible to be found online.

Content-rich online newsrooms, blogs, social networking connections, and social and multi-media press releases are a few ways to get your information out there. It’s important to determine which best fits your company and the news you are releasing. A multi-media press release could be overkill in one instance, and incredibly useful in another.

Adam Kress of the Business Journal has embraced various forms of media – print, online, social networks and even radio to share his reports and cast a wider net. He also uses many online platforms to find information and sources, but says it varies based upon the news or the article he is writing.

“I’m looking at it as more of a sounding board – as an idea-generator as opposed to copying what may already be out there,” Kress said. “Depending on what you may be writing or reporting on, if it’s on a certain industry or certain topic, you can use Facebook and Twitter to try to connect with other people out there who may be involved in that industry.”

He said these networks enable him to reach out to potential sources he might not otherwise have access to without a major time investment. “It takes a very small amount of time to do, but it can pay off in that you may be connected with people very quickly.”

When it comes to online newsrooms, Kress said the more information the better. Fill your company site with useful and relevant news, press releases, and most importantly, contact information. For multi-media releases, however, tons of information could be overload if it’s not relevant.

“If you’re going to do those multi-media releases just make sure what you are putting in there is relevant,” he said.

Bottom line, do your homework. You have to know who you are pitching and how they like to receive information.

Hear the entire interview with Adam Kress below.

Resources:

• PitchEngine
• “Essence of Online Newsrooms” by Ryan Zuk
• “How to Connect with Mass Media Using Social Media”

Question of the week:
What online tools are you using to connect with traditional media?

For more tips and tools check out JetPack Radio.

Enclosures: MP3, M4V

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Are you Googley? No matter what area of business you are in, being Googley can help differentiate you from your competitors, at least according to “What Would Google Do?” by Jeff Jarvis.

In the book, Jarvis examines how Google operates and its core values: creation, openness, connections, uniqueness, collaboration, invention and keeping it simple. In previous podcasts I talked about Googlefying your business – that series was more focused on utilizing the many platforms Google has created to help you operate more effectively and efficiently in many ways. But by becoming what Jarvis called “Googley” a company is in essence taking the core values that Google has employed to better serve their clients. Whether or not you like Google (good reads: “Google Whacked” and “When Google Owns You”) some of the core values Jarvis outlines in his book should be fundamental in any business.

Fundamental values:

• Listen and monitor – What are customers saying about you and your competition? Where are they saying it?
• Collaborate and link – What do you do best? Focus on that and refine it. Make quality the one thing you do then collaborate and link with others who have different specializations. Linking to other bloggers helps you get found and increases your Google (or Bing) juice.
• Join and distribute – Your audience will likely not come to you, so go to them. Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, YouTube…if this is where they spend their time, it’s also where you need to spend yours. Engage, interact and find out what they want. Think about how you can utilize these platforms, like Foursquare, in a different way beyond a special deal for the “mayor.” If you are a restaurant owner or chef, is there room for collaboration with other restaurants to develop a Foursquare-specific deal?
• Innovate – As Jarvis points out in his book, Google employs a 20 percent rule in which technical employees are encouraged to use 20 percent of their time innovating and working on new ideas, products and businesses. It has spawned many of the new ideas and features that come out of Google. Jarvis recommends spending time each week researching, learning, experimenting and inventing.

Get out there and join your audience, the conversation could be taking place without you. Create, and make it easy for your customers to share you or your product with their friends online. Remember, contributing, creating and linking will make you more searchable. Lastly, innovate! It will likely be one of the most liberating things you do in business.

Resources:
1. “Five steps to a Googlier you”
2. “What Would Google Do?”

Question of the week:
Do you implement the 20 percent rule? If so, has it spawned any great ideas that you’ve tested?

For more tips and tools check out JetPack Radio.

Enclosures: MP3, M4V

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How can you effectively build relationships with members of the media and increase the chances of them telling your story? Get social.

Whether you work in the media or public relations industry, own a business, or create some amazing gizmo, you should be using social networks to connect with storytellers – bloggers, journalists, broadcast and radio reporters and producers. You never know when you might be able to serve as a source for them or better yet, have your story told.

By now chances are a majority of people in the media have Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn accounts. They are using these mediums not only to promote their work, but also to connect and search for sources or story ideas. Being on the receiving end of their posts will help you network with some powerful voices and be in the know if they are looking for sources for their story or news report.

The social media platform has done a lot to tear down many of the barriers and bridge the gap between media producers and the community. So how do you connect? Join the conversation and start interacting, but remember many of the same rules apply here:

• Don’t spam or bombard them with irrelevant messages.
• If they ask for a source or topic for a story, be sure you truly fit the bill. If you pitch off-topic you run the risk of never getting one of your responses read by them again.
• Self-edit. While speed and brevity are the nature of social media, be sure you are sending accurate information. You want them to think of you as a credible source.
• Pay attention to their posts. See what they typically write about or report on. This will give a tremendous amount of insight on what types of story ideas they might be receptive to.
• Don’t always just promote yourself. If you have a connection to a source they are in need of, but it won’t necessarily promote you or your company, still let them know. Or if you come across a compelling story that doesn’t involve you, but they would be interested, share it with them. They’ll remember you for it and it’s just good karma.
• Don’t get discouraged if they don’t respond. Keep in mind they likely have at least ten times the number of followers as the average user and likely receive just as many messages. It would be near impossible to keep up with them all. Be diligent. Be relevant. And don’t give up. More often than not it will pay off…trust me.

How do you find these sources? Search the various networks and also check out the below links for a few lists. Once you find them, search their profiles. Who are they following and talking to? You may want to do the same…if it’s relevant to you.

• We Heard You: 10 More Media Tweeters to Follow
• Twitter: 25 Media Insiders to Follow Right Now

Question of the week:
How do you use social media to connect with various media outlets? Any surprising moments? Share a comment.

For more tips and tools check out JetPack Radio.

Enclosures: MP3, M4V

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