14 ways to get reporters to notice your pr pitches

By Chanda Temple

Do you know the editors, producers and reporters at your media outlets? You should.

Do you know the editors, producers and reporters at your media outlets? You should.

On a recent Tuesday night inside Birmingham’s Trim Tab Brewing Co., the beer was flowing and so were tips on how to get the media to notice your pitches from pr professionals.

Those doling out the info were Erin Shaw Street, deputy editor for Southern Living magazine; Rachel Lindley, news director for WBHM FM; David Magee, editor of Birmingham Magazine; and Walker Sorrell, associate publisher of Business Alabama. They were Trim Tab to participate in a panel discussion presented by the Alabama Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America and the Public Relations Council of Alabama, two organizations focused on giving pr professionals networking opportunities and tools to improve their craft.  (Today’s post is Part 2 of the PRSA/PRCA panel discussion. To see Part 1, go here.)

(more…)

Motivation Monday: Do you work your job or does it work you?

By Chanda Temple

Marcia and Marla Pruitte are motivational speakers, helping folks get their IT together. (Photo: Special)

Identical twins Marcia Pruitte, left, and Marla Pruitte are motivational speakers, helping folks get their IT (intimate truth) together. (Photo: Special)

In 2010, Marcia Pruitte thought she was working her dream job.

She had opened a natural hair salon in Jackson, Tenn., where things were good for business. But soon, she realized she wasn’t being fulfilled. She wasn’t a licensed cosmetologist, she just owned the salon. So if stylists didn’t show up to service clients, she didn’t make money. She didn’t like someone else having that type of control. To her, that wasn’t freedom.

Meanwhile, her identical twin sister, Marla Pruitte, was having a similar feeling about her cupcake business. Also in Jackson, Marla worked hard to make her bakery a success. But if customers didn’t come in, she could potentially have a bad week. Her store became more of a job than a dream. She felt trapped.

(more…)

How Elvis Presley can pump up your pr pitch

By Chanda Temple

An editor with a love for Elvis Presley was impressed by one pitch that highlighted the singer's hometown and more. Image by Play-R via Flickr/Creative Commons.

An editor with a love for Elvis Presley was impressed by one pitch that highlighted the singer’s hometown and more.
Image by Play-R via Flickr/Creative Commons.

Test time: You’ve emailed a national magazine’s deputy editor several times to invite her to profile your small Southern town and it’s connection to Elvis Presley. Although the editor has never responded, you don’t give up. The next time, you take a new approach.

Do you:

A) Pitch how Tupelo, Miss., the birthplace of Elvis, is an emerging, energetic Southern city with a lot of history and appeal

B) Provide a list of locals, with contact info, for the editor to use as a resource

C) Ask the editor to be a judge in an Elvis look-a-like contest

D) All of the above

For the woman pitching to Erin Shaw Street, Southern Living magazine’s deputy editor responsible for managing the publication’s travel and culture content, all three approaches worked. Why? It had a lot to do with timing.

(more…)

Mastering the art of a good handshake

353095388_5673aaa46e_z

What does your handshake say about you? Image by Jet via Flickr/CreativeCommons.

By Chanda Temple 

Earlier this year, I met a man running for public offie. I don’t remember his name nor the office he wanted. What I do remember is his handshake. It was clammy and sweaty.

After shaking hands, I couldn’t wait to wipe my hand. It was left kinda wet.

As I walked away, I wondered if the man knew what his handshake said about him. He may have been the best man for the job, but all I could focus on was that handshake.

Though it may seem small, a handshake is a big thing in politics and business.

(more…)

Motivation Monday: Why it’s important to follow your heart in business

By Chanda Temple

Trust yourself.

Trust yourself.

Traci Ann Moore’s parents had picked what they thought would be the perfect career for their daughter.

She’d attend college, study accounting and work as a CPA. Case closed.

But during Traci Ann’s junior year at the University of Montevallo, she had a change of heart. She wanted to study interior design after taking it as an elective.

Her mother wasn’t having it.

(more…)

When faking it is a good thing

By Chanda Temple

Image by Alrunia. Provided by Flickr/Creative Commons.

A trip to get my first pair of fake eyelashes reminded me to appreciate the small things in life:. Image by Alrunia via Flickr/Creative Commons.

When it’s your birthday, you feel like celebrating.

There’s cake, dinner with friends and presents.

But that wasn’t the case for Danyale Pickett, whose love of celebrating birthdays  disappeared in 2009, much like the smoke from blown birthday candles.

(more…)

Why Javacia Harris Bowser is good for your blog

By Chanda Temple

Javacia Harris Bowser, founder of See Jane Write

Javacia Harris Bowser, founder of See Jane Write

For more than a year, I talked about starting my own blog. But doubt always prevented me from making it a reality. I wondered: Do I have the time to blog? What would I write about? Would people like it?

Every time I found a reason to stay on stop, Javacia Harris Bowser found a reason for me to start. “You can do it. You’ll be good at it,” she said.

Her comments of support came often. But I always put her encouraging words on a shelf, saying, “I’ll get to it some day.” Well, “some day” finally came in early 2014 when I met Javacia at a local coffee shop and decided to take the plunge. After an afternoon of coffee and cake, I walked away, ready to launch http://www.chandatemplewrites.com.

(more…)

1 … 10 11 12 13 14