Help A Reporter

Sharing with you today a great resource. You'll want to tell the PR people, marketers, publicists, editors, and journalists you work with about it too, because it's all about them and their needs.

If you're not already using http://www.helpareporter.com/, check it out. It's a service much like that other one that connects PR people and journalists looking for sources, but this one is free. It used to be on Facebook, but grew too large for it. Once you subscribe, you receive about three (sometimes two, no more than four, ever) emails a day with reporter, editor and freelance writer queries, written so you can quickly and easily scan the topics for relevance.

If the topics do not apply to you or your clients, just hit delete. If they do, you may contact the reporter or editor directly, as instructed.

Note that Peter Shankman, the list facilitator, is very strict about helping out these reporters.

Respond only if your information (or your client's info) is relevant and on target.

If not, and you send non-relevant emails more than once, you'll get bumped off the list.

Quickly.

I've seen it happen.

He's a big believer in good Karma, and he's also quite funny, and tends to also include a link to a fun site, or a funny story about his day in the emails. It's a nice refreshing change from the boring, non-funny emails we usually deal with.

Reporters can post queries at www.helpareporter.com/press, and sources can sign up at www.helpareporter.com

As I said, it's free. Peter asks that if you find it useful, then you make a donation to any animal rescue charity or animal hospital. You can forward the queries to others who are a fit, but do not post any queries (or the editor/reporter contact info) on any blogs or public websites.

I received permission from Peter to send you this note, since this is a private group and I'm helping to spread the word to both subscribers and media to sign up. www.helpareporter.com -

The more people who use it, the better it becomes.

I Recommend WOVI

I've attended many networking groups. Many are clique-ish (co-workers stick together), some can be intimidating and many are very surface-level - "What do you do? Oh, that's great."

I have finally found a networking group that has truly benefited me: Woman of Visionary Influence, WOVI. I attend the Frisco Chapter that meets at Solare Spa and Cafe the 4th Monday of every month.

Here's what I love about WOVI.

• All different kinds of women attend the meeting: from stay-at-home moms to professionals in the workforce.
• It's within a reasonable drive for me - less than 20 minutes. No need to go downtown!
• Since I work from home with my daughter all day, it's nice to get out and do something for me.
• It's more of a mentoring group. Every week we have dinner and a speaker. Then, everyone is given a sheet of paper with two questions on it. After writing down your answers, everyone at your table shares their answers. In the next round, everyone at the table comments on your answers, providing insight and suggestions from their own experiences. There's a time limit to this exercise, but when you can imagine the intensity of getting women together to talk about issues. There's always "Two more minutes" pleas heard around the room when coordinators try to wrap things up.
• For example, at the most recent meeting the theme was, "What are your struggling with right now and what can you do to overcome this?" For me it was something as simple as getting back into yoga. I miss it. I know it would help me be a better mother, wife and business owner. Sometimes I think I'll have more time when Kate goes to school, but as one mother warned, it's actually harder to do things when the kids get older. The more they get older, the more involved their own lives become, causing mom to juggle even more. The point hit home with me.
• I was able to offer advice to a mom who wants to work from home with her own daughter. Advice to a woman who wants to start exercising and advice to a mom who has been at home for 10 years and is thinking about getting back into the workforce.
• These exercises are called "Mento Rings" and they allow woman who have never met each other before, to build relationships, learn from each other and mentor!
• I come away from these meetings energized and uplifted.

You can click here to learn more about WOVI and find your local chapter in the Dallas area.

You Know You're a WAHM

When you are serving baby green beans and the phone rings. It the talk show host of a major morning radio show who wants to interview your client!

Woo hoo!

Then, later in the day, when you're trying to get sunscreen and shoes onto daughter to go outside, there's an email from a producer at a morning TV show who wants to do a segment on the same client.

One media hit is a rush - two in one day! Wow!

Then later in the day, you know you're a WAHM, when you are in your professional clothes but have to put baby in the sling to keep her occupied while hubby finishes making his dinner and can take over parenting duties so that you can head out the door for a networking meeting.

Babies in the Workplace

In yesterday's Dallas Morning News, there's a story about the pros and cons of having babies in the workplace. ChildCare Group of Dallas is the focus of the article because they allow employees to bring their babies up until they can crawl. In fact, more than 80 companies nationwide allow babies.

The story explains the benefits of bringing babies to work:

• It boosts morale and helps retain and recruit employees.
  
• Parents have extra time to bond with their babies while getting their work done.

Here at LB Public Relations, babies are always welcome! When my daughter was a young infant, it was easy to have her take naps on the Boppy Pillow. Now I get up very early in the morning and work while she's still asleep and during her naps.

You Know You're a WAHM & Media Hit

You know you're a WAHM when you're trying to get your kid's shoes on and head out to Walgreen's when the phone rings. It's a reporter wanting to interview your client for a news story!

Woo hoo!

This will be the 4th media hit for me for my Ali Cardaropoli/Fairhill School pitch.

I do PR for Solare Spa and Cafe in Frisco. The owner, Rosanne, really believes in me and my work. She's an incredibly generous lady. Anyway, her daughter attends Fairhill and is in the drama department. Stay with me....Rosanne is very impressed with the drama instructor and wanted me to try and get some PR for her.

Well the drama instructor is a wonderfully hard working and dedicated teacher. Great woman. But in media terms, so what? Not much media meat there. So when I found out that one of the other drama students, Ali, couldn't read 5 years ago, and is now going to be her class Valedictorian, the media bells began chiming. To tie it all back to the drama teacher, Ali recently wrote and directed her own play which will be performed at the Eisemann Theatre on April 10.

The Dallas Morning News did a wonderful story on Ali and it ran on the front page of the Metro section on Easter Sunday. Two community newspapers are running a story I wrote about Ali and the latest call was from Plano Star Courier who will interview Ali and her mom for their story.

I am honored to have been able to pitch Ali and her inspirational story. Click here to read the Dallas Morning News article: Plano teen overcomes learning disabilities to graduate as valedictorian

Log Cabin Blogging

My family and I just spent five nights at a cabin in the towering pines of Broken Bow, OK. Log cabin owners who rent their places should have a blog. It would be such a powerful marketing tool – like an on-line guest book!

This cabin did have a traditional guest book, but all the entries sounded the same: The cabin was great….We loved the hot tub….We loved the deck…etc.

Create a questionnaire to probe their minds and really learn what they liked about the cabin and about the area. What did they do on their vacation? Let them know that their answers may be used on your blog (have them sign the form for permission to use their answers for marketing purposes). Also provide the guests with your email and encourage them to send you a vacation photo.

You’re not just renting a log cabin, you’re providing relaxation, family time and vacation memories. A blog will bring the cabin to life and will really give potential guests a sense of what it will be like to stay at your cabin.

Here are the questions I came up with and they are categories I would use to organize the blog. I also provided my answers based on my experience this past week.

What I wish I would have brought…a high chair! My daughter was walking around dropping her food on the floor. We bought a portable high chair at the Wal-Mart the very next day!

What I wish they would stock in the cabin…A first aid kit and a phone number/directions to the nearest hospital. We didn’t need either, but the idea crossed my mind. (Log cabin owners could respond/improve their cabin with these suggestions.)

Thank goodness they had…Pickles! We forgot our jar! We love pickles on our burgers!

During our stay, we really enjoyed _________ at the cabin. The hot tub! Especially after hiking.

In Broken Bow: The library – what a charming place! My daughter loved holding the baby dolls and stuffed animals they have for kids.

At the State Park: The Natural Trail Hike – It’s fairly flat and follows the river. It was very manageable with our 14-month old daughter.

Tell us about your trip. What did you see and do? Where did you go? What did you think of it all?

Tell us something funny that happend during your stay.

Then, as the cabin owner, I would blog about the following to further provide detailed information for future guests:

Things to do in Broken Bow (or whatever city your cabin is in).
Restaurants (talk about your favorite meals, don’t just give a general description.)
Broken Bow State Park Stats (or whatever area your cabin is in)
Bios of the log cabin owners
Stats about the log cabin
Reservation contact information

Need a blog for your vacation property? Contact me at lori at lbpublicrelations dot com.

A Brilliant and Blessed Blog Campaign

I learned about the Compassion International blogging campaign from BooMama.

I periodically read her blog – she’s hilarious!

Compassion International invited a dozen influential Christian bloggers on a trip to Uganda. The bloggers journaled their trip and wrote about Compassion at work in the lives of impoverished children and their families.

Every time I checked back onto BooMama’s blog to get an update on her journey in Africa:

I felt her love for the kids;

I felt her love for the Lord and his love for these families of Uganda.

I got to see the adorable faces of the precious children and read first hand account of their reactions to their sponsors.

I got to share in BooMama’s shock at the absolute, deplorable poverty some of these kids live in.

BooMama would post the photos of children who still needed sponsors and the next time I logged on, they had been sponsored!

I got to see BooMama evolve as a person as well. She’s not used to hiking, sleeping where monkey’s can invade your room or being away from KFC. Here’s a quote from her blog:

“Perspective. It’s a mighty good thing. And that day - in the middle of a remote Ugandan village that has no power, no running water, no telephone lines and no cable television - I found tons of it.”

According to Compassion’s website, they started the blog for “emphasis on social networking and increased communications avenues.” They wanted to “energize sponsors and donors to become active advocates for children in poverty energize sponsors and donors to become active advocates for children in poverty.”

Congratulations Compassion on such a brilliant and blessed blogging campaign!

Click here to see BooMama’s Uganda journey.