As a multimedia producer helping clients building Social Media Releases I’ve seen plenty of successful releases… and others that could be improved. I thought it would be good to share some of the most important SMR features that are often overlooked.

Here are some advices and tips on what NOT to do with your next release.

Ignore Twitter:

The “Share This” and “Tweet This” buttons available on most websites offer viewers an extremely easy …

Read more

Public relations and communications practitioners know there are lots of benefits to issuing a news release. From media coverage to SEO, they are the tried, tested and true backbone of the industry.

However, when it comes to crafting a news release, it’s important to ask yourself “is this news?” Beyond meeting disclosure requirements for a publicly traded company, here are a few examples of what might be considered newsworthy:

Product launches
Speaking opportunities
Research and …

Read more

Our quick turnaround times are one way CNW stands out next to the competition. However, the format of the content you submit for a Social Media Release can help get your story out faster. Keep these tips in mind the next time you’re preparing to submit a Social Media Release.

News releases: Submit your news release in a Word format and include any links within the text by creating hyperlinks. (Underline the text, right click, choose “Hyperlink” and insert the desired …

Read more

CNW Webcasts are a simple and effective way to broadcast communications to a wide audience. As with any audio or video streaming, technical issues can arise during a live event, but we’ve found that many of these problems can be detected and resolved beforehand.

If your company is webcasting an event or announcement (or if you’re accessing one for the first time), preparation is the key to ensuring your message reaches the most amount of people in the most effective manner. …

Read more

On June 20th 2011, Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism distributed this magnificent landscape picture to encourage tourism in the region.

Color is what makes this a great image.  The colors are slightly underexposed so they appear more vibrant. The blue of the sky and the blue of the sea frame the big rock on the left with some orange and green toned plants. Blue and …

Read more

Ah, the viral video.

Elusive in pursuit, amorphous in appearance, promiscuous in meaning – it’s the Holy Grail (and all too often the Great White Whale) for those who work in online video.

So how do you make one?

Well, there’s the rub.

Everyone wants one, they just can’t tell you what one is. When asked, people will often describe the hoped-for reaction to the video, rather than the video itself. Others confuse “viral” with a certain style or budget.

Saying you’re going to make …

Read more

Online measurement is challenging. There is a lot to consider when measuring impact and ROI, and it can be overwhelming. When starting out with measuring your communications campaigns, it’s best to keep these three points in mind.

What are your goals and objectives?

Before you can measure you impact or results you must have clearly defined goals. For example, if you receive 150 hits on your latest news release is this good? That depends on a number of factors. Was your goal …

Read more

In 2009, CNW and Leger Marketing conducted the first Social Media Reality Check survey, exploring professional communicators’ use of social media compared with consumer opinions about social media influence on their purchasing behavior. Two years is a long time in the online world, so this spring we teamed up again with Leger for the Social Media Reality Check 2.0, expanding the scope of the survey to include investor relations professionals and …

Read more

Back in the pre-digital world when I was a journalist based in Copenhagen, I’d often get requests from a US radio network for a package of 15-30 second spots, with each one telling another side of a major breaking story, such as a general strike or national election. The idea was to keep listeners glued to the station by presenting something different on every hourly news broadcast.

And the idea is …

Read more

Here’s what we found worthy on the web in public relations, investor relations, social media and communications this week.

Attention new grads! Here is the PR/Social Media job-hunting secret you need to know!
How to effectively leverage LinkedIn – resources compiled by Leona Hobbs for #mesh11
Spring cleaning? Try these tips for organizing your digital content.
Five reasons the reporter didn’t quote you
How journalists are using Twitter
A few alternatives to “no comment” from @Journalistics
The “new normal” of work includes social media
Make your Twitter stream …

Read more