2011 Blog Wrap-Up: A Look Back at the Year in PR

As we wrap up another busy year, we thought it would be interesting to take a few moments and look back through what happened in the world of PR and social media. From content inspiration, to embargo issues, and exciting new outlets to share company stories, we highlight a few of our favorite blog posts from 2011.

What to Blog About

You’ve started a blog: a small step effort-wise and a giant leap towards social media immersion. Now, what do you write about? Blogging continued to grow in popularity this year and we offered some tips to get the ball rolling here.

Once Upon a Time There Lived a Plot: The Importance of Storytelling

Did that last post spark a great idea but you’re unsure how to make your audience care about that idea? Meg encouraged companies and marketers to take a page from childhood fairy tales to create a real plot, as she shared her five elements of a good company story.

Twelve Common Mistakes of AP Style

Now that you have fantastic content, you’ll want to make sure that your message is not clouded by glaring typos. Steve helped you avoid these grammatical “don’ts” by revealing common AP Style mistakes in this post.

The Art of Pitching the Media

Once all parties are comfortable with the company story, the PR professional’s next job is to pitch it. Over the years, pitching tactics have changed dramatically with the ever-evolving media landscape, and today, we have a plethora of tools at our fingertips that enable us to press one button and reach thousands of reporters. But is this the best tactic? From simply picking up the phone, to leading with the news, we offered tips for making the media take notice.

How to Write a Press Release People Will Read

In the past, press releases were thought of as strictly the “currency” between PR professionals and the media. Today, social media, RSS feeds, and blogging have given the press release new purpose. As bloggers and reporters race to pump out news stories, we are seeing our press release content printed, often verbatim. This is good news for companies, but it also means that we must change the way we write press releases…so people will actually read them.

The Embargo Lives, for Now

Before that press release is widely distributed, you may consider offering the news in advance under embargo. Certain risks are inherent to embargoes, but, when used appropriately, this strategy can still be rewarding for journalists and PR practitioners alike. This year, some reporters proclaimed that they would no longer work under embargoes, which sparked a larger discussion about their effectiveness: the pros, the cons and alternatives. 

Twelve Great Free Tools for Social Media Monitoring

Now that you have people talking about you and your company, how will you know about it? Social media is constantly in flux, and is, in some sense, uncontrollable. Luckily, there are tools to help monitor this constant barrage
of media and we highlighted just a few of the many free tools that can be leveraged to create an effective social media monitoring process.

Tweet Like It’s a Networking Event

In many posts this year, we focused on social media darling, Twitter. It may be hard to believe, but 140 characters are more than enough to get you in trouble, causing “unfollows,” breaking those connections you worked so hard to cultivate. In an earlier post, we advised twitterers to “Tweet Like it’s a Networking Event.” While we’re not suggesting a dress code or limiting your cocktail consumption, many of the same principles apply.

When to Speak Up and When to Shut Up

This past year brought the tenth anniversary of 9/11 as well as multiple riots across the globe. While good PR people spend their days looking for relevant breaking news, the prospect of press can sometimes blur the line between offering expertise and shameless self-promotion. My mom didn’t cover PR issues when she taught me manners and right from wrong, so luckily, Beth advised us when to speak up and when to shut up.

Six Ways PR Has Changed for the Better

Our addiction to email and social networks has fundamentally changed the way in which PR professionals connect with reporters. Physical press kits are nearly extinct and the invention of caller ID put an end to “stalker-style” PR. Relationships, research and quality content matter now, more than ever and we have to be more creative to stand out. This is a good thing. Need more convincing that PR has changed for the better? This post is for you.

Making Space for Creativity

If you’re like us at InkHouse, you feel as though you blinked and 2011 was coming to a close. Between answering emails, making phone calls and checking status updates, people in the communications industry are on multitasking overload. As Beth put it, “We live in a world that places value on busyness.” If this is the case, how do you remain successful while preventing your creative juices from drying up? In this post, we offered a few tips for making space for creativity.

At InkHouse, we are excited and prepared to apply what we’ve learned to be true in the past to the new opportunities of the New Year. Wayne Gretsky once said, “I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.” While I’m not a huge hockey fan, I have to admit that Mr. Gretsky is on to something. Wondering what 2012 will bring in the PR industry? Beth has a few ideas.