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You’ll also find BizWireTV, our twice-weekly video series focused on startups, industry disruptors, product launches and hidden gems that cross our wire.

Visit us at Tempo today!

Maximizing ROI: How to Share Your News Release on Facebook

By Jahana E. Martin, Newsroom Supervisor

Whew! The news release you’ve worked on for weeks just hit the wire. Job done, right? Well, not if you want to maximize the return on your investment (ROI). A recent study reveals that 46% of social network users share and discuss news on social platforms, with 64% of U.S. adults — 30% of the U.S. population — receiving their news via Facebook.

Facebook makes it easy to share news, but simply posting your release to Facebook versus having an actual strategy will mean the difference between reaching your intended audience and being Facebook roadkill.

So, what steps should you take to maximize your ROI?

Start crafting your post.
The first thing to do after distributing your press release through a newswire service and monitoring it online is to insert the URL to your release into a new Facebook post.

What will make your readers pause in their timeline to read your press release?
Simply put: your headline. Make it good.

After you insert the URL, your article will be visible in the post. Replace the URL with a headline that grabs readers’ attention and makes them want to share it. The Social Media Handbook for PR Professionals suggests a good length for a Facebook headline is 90 -120 characters because it is easier to share and can be rapidly scanned as an email subject line.

Here are some tips to tailor your headline for Facebook.

• Solve a problem.
  • “MEGA Shows How to Triumph in the Digital Revolution“
    “Tips to Triple Your Followers in 10 Days “
• Pose a question.
  • “What is responsive design and do you really need it?”
  • “Why Do Start Ups Fail?”
• Create a sense of urgency.
  • “10 Things you must do Today to Save your 401(k) “
  • “Before you go the ATM, Know This”
• If you’re in a pinch, and don’t have time to craft a new headline, just use your news release subhead.

Many times, the subhead is more specific and could be more useful for your social media audience.

• Headline: “It’s Time Again For Our Summer Loan Sale-a-Bration”
• Subhead: “Refinance your mortgage at an unbelievable 2.85%!”

Is your multimedia compelling for social media?
If you want to change the image that uploaded with the post, now is a good time to add the new image with the “Upload Image” function. Your picture, graphic or video should be engaging and relevant. Links with thumbnails and teasers receive 20% more clicks than links without. Which leads me to my next tip…

Be a Tease.
Your headline made an impression, but viewers must want to read your release, so give them a little teaser.

Here, under your new headline, add the most compelling data right up front to increase activity and shares. This allows you to tailor your content for your targeted Facebook audience and show why your press release is relevant to them.  The reader is now incentivized to click on the link back to the press release and also to share it with others.

Find your audience.
Your content is ready, now it is time to pinpoint your audience. For a fee, take advantage of Facebook’s “Boost Post” feature. First, you need to answer for yourself: Who is your ideal reader and what is your goal?

• Goal: Enhance your existing audience. Use the “People similar to people who like your page” boost.
• Goal: Find new supporters. Use the “People you choose through targeting” boost to select the location, age, gender and interests of your target audience.

You can use your Insights (explained below) to select the age, gender, location, relationship and educational status, language and interests of the user you want to reach.

Perfect timing.
This seems obvious: The perfect time to post on Facebook is when your audience is on Facebook. Paying attention to timing pays off. Posting on Facebook between 1 – 4 p.m. can result in the highest average click through rates. So, how do you find out when your audience is on Facebook?

Best times to post for your existing Fans
Once your page has accumulated 30 likes, you are able to use the “View Insights” tool located at the top of your Facebook page.  Click on the “Posts” tab, then the “When your Fans are Online” tab.  You can use this information to pinpoint the days and times your fans are online.

Best days to post in general – what the experts say
According to What are the Best Times to Post on Social Media:

Best day to post:

• 86% of Facebook posts are published Monday – Friday, with engagement peaking on Thursday and Friday;
• Engagement rates fall 3.5% below average for posts published Monday – Wednesday

Best time of day to post:

• In general, the optimal time to post is early afternoon in your target’s time zone.
• To get the most shares: 1 p.m.
• To get the most clicks: 3 p.m.

You don’t have to schedule your days and nights around Facebook. Simply schedule your posts at the optimal time for your target audience and watch the results.

Using Facebook to reach your target audience with relevant, shareable content at the right time is an easy, effective way to get more out of your press release.  A user that promotes your brand by sharing your post can spend 13% more than the average customer, and 84% of consumers trust earned media.

You can’t afford not to have a tactical approach when you share your news release on Facebook. So, what’s your strategy?

Click here to share this post with your Twitter followers: http://ctt.ec/pFm48

Maximizing ROI: How to Share Your News Release on LinkedIn

By Jahana Martin, Newsroom Supervisor

LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network, so chances are you already have a LinkedIn profile and use it to network with colleagues and prospective employers. You probably have read articles that your connections have shared or shared your own industry news.

Its popularity is no surprise when 93% of business-to-business marketers have rated LinkedIn as the top business-to-business social media lead generation source. If you issue news releases, you should use LinkedIn to increase the visibility of your company’s news, increasing the opportunity for internal and external audiences to see and act upon it.

How to Publish News Releases on LinkedIn
The first thing to do is log in.  Then get the URL of the news you want to share, and an image you can use to catch the eye of LinkedIn users.

On your LinkedIn page, click “Share an update.”  Copy and paste the URL of your published press release into this box.  LinkedIn will automatically insert the news release headline in the Title field, the beginning of the release text in the Description field and to the left, the first picture associated with your news release.

You could push publish now, but to drive even higher interest in your news, try the following tips.

Instead of simply pasting the URL into the box, craft an introduction or teaser to your news release in this section. Use the title of your news release, or customize the title to be more relevant to this specific online community.

LinkedIn allows 600 characters, so try to incorporate a question or a call to action, and a relevant keyword or two. Some examples include:

• Why do #PR Pros use Business Wire? Watch and find out. (Business Wire)
• It’s CPI day! Use the Atlanta Fed’s myCPI tool to find out how you compare to the national average. (Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta)
• Do you see a lot of recruiter traffic in your LinkedIn inbox? How do you manage your current employment during a LinkedIn job hunt? We’re asking these questions and more on Twitter! (The Coca-Cola Company)

To find relevant keywords that are meaningful to your connections, observe the news for the week, what’s trending, and hot topics on your company (and your competitor’s) blog and online newsroom.    Use the words and phrases your clients and prospects would use when describing your news to increase the impact and potential shares and inbound clicks from your LinkedIn update.

Next, if necessary, revise the description and photo that LinkedIn automatically pulled in from your article URL.

Description:  In this section, you want to revise the text that LinkedIn automatically pulled in to drive even more interest in your news. Some suggestions would be to craft a new lead in or to copy and paste the sentences from your news release that most succinctly tell your story. Be brief, as LinkedIn does limit the amount of text you can add in here.

Picture:  If there is a graphic more suitable for LinkedIn than what was distributed within your press release, you can swap out your multimedia asset by clicking the “x” next to the current graphic and uploading your new image. Your photo should be no larger than 100 MB and you can’t resize it.When to Post on LinkedIn
Because LinkedIn is mainly for professionals, most users post on weekdays during business hours. There are a variety of studies outlining what time is best for news sharing on LinkedIn.  The consensus is weekdays are best:

• Midweek posting is optimal from 5 – 6 p.m.

or

• The best times to post are Monday – Friday between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. – 6 p.m.

or

• The most clicks and shares occur on Tuesdays between 10 and 11 a.m.

If 19% of U.S. adults use LinkedIn, and consumers who refer friends spend more and refer business equal to 45% of the money they spent, then it makes sense to have those users sharing your news on LinkedIn.

Follow these small steps to see big impact in the reach and action of your news release within this business oriented news site. Try these steps with your next release and let us know how much more activity you receive!

Click here to share these LinkedIN tips with your Twitter followers: http://ctt.ec/bHcX7

Maximizing ROI: How to Share Your News Release on Twitter

By Jahana E. Martin, Newsroom Supervisor, Atlanta

A survey recently found that nearly six of 10 Twitter users use the social networking site to keep up with breaking news. The use of Twitter as a news source increased from 55% to 67% for users under 36, and from 47% to 59% for users over 35.

Are you tweeting your press release? If not, you are missing a great opportunity to expand your reach and brand. After all, your Twitter followers are following you because they want to learn more about your business.  This is the perfect audience to activate by sharing your news.

If you are tweeting your press release, then consider the following questions: Are you tweeting at the right time? Are you including multimedia in your tweet to increase visibility and shares? How did you craft the Twitter version of your news release headline? Did you use hashtags? How many? How did you choose your hashtags? If you haven’t asked yourself these questions, then now is a good time to start working on your strategy to use Twitter to amplify your next press release.

Here are four ideas to get you started.

1. Your News Release Headline: Make it Twitter-Friendly

Your press release headline may be amazing for the newswire, but chances are you will need to make some modifications for it to rock on Twitter.

Write several tweets
Twitter is a real time, news distribution service. You will need to share your news many times to ensure broadest reach.  News releases and subsequent news coverage should be shared as many as 15 times or more to activate your entire audience.

Make your news release tweet interesting
This is a fantastic opportunity to speak directly to your company’s end user. Use your Twitter headline to highlight key points directly of interest to each of your various audiences.

Make it shareable.
Help your followers retweet easier and faster by leaving them enough space to promote your brand.

Twitter allows you 140 characters, but you want people to share your tweet. Consider crafting 96 character tweets to be able to include links (22 characters, regardless of length of link) and multimedia (also 22 characters)

Testing. Testing.
You have an idea about the length, but now what about choosing that headline? Sometimes it can take a little practice and you may have to do some testing.

Buffer outlines the A/B experiment where you write and tweet two different headlines at least one hour apart. Then you compare the data and responses and choose which headline performed best.

Optimize.
Some keywords garner more attention than others, and you should use popular keywords that are relevant to your news. If you want to do a bit of competitive analysis and Twitter research, check out what keywords your competitors or industry influencers are using by taking a peek at their Twitter feed. Is there a recurring keyword that you see appearing in retweets? Try it.

There are many resources available to help you find the most popular words to use in your Tweets and headlines. You can find extensive analytics to boost your SEO and a good place to start is Twitter.

 Call to action:  Just ask.
Assert yourself and ask for what you want. 

• ASK for a download. Promoted Tweets in timelines that explicitly ask people to
  download material accompanied by a link increase URL clicks by an average of 13
  percent.*
• ASK for a retweet. Promoted Tweets in timelines with an ask to retweet increased Retweets by an average of 311 percent.*
• ASK for a follow. Promoted Tweets in timelines that asked for a follow increased follows by an average of 258 percent.*
• ASK for a reply. Promoted Tweets in timelines that highlight an ask to reply increased replies by an average of 334 percent.*
  ^{*Tweet tips: Most effective calls to action on Twitter}

2. What time is good for you?
There are a myriad of studies analyzing the best times to post on social media. First, you must identify your demographic so you can choose the best time to reach it. You can be as broad or as specific as necessary. For example:

• Are you reaching businesses or consumers?
• What is the age of your audience?
• Are they parents? Are they teenagers?
• Where do they live – what time zone?
• Do they work a 9-5? Do they commute to work?
• What is their average income?

Neil Patel’s study distinguishes peak times between Business-to-Business (B2B) and
Business-to-Consumer (B2C):

• B2B: Weekdays provide 14% more engagement than weekends.
• B2C: Engagements and Click-through Rates (CTRs) are highest on weekends and Wednesdays.

In general, Patel says the best time of the day to tweet is 5 p.m. The peak times for CTRs are 12 p.m. and 6 p.m. SurePayroll  highlights the best, peak and worst times to tweet:

• Best times to tweet:   Mondays – Thursdays from 1-3 p.m.
• Peak times to tweet:   Mondays – Thursdays from 9 a.m – 3 p.m.
• Worst times to tweet: Every day after 8 p.m. and Fridays after 3 p.m.

Their advice? Schedule tweets for lunchtime when audiences have time to consume your news.

Considering these factors will help you choose the best time to reach your followers and potential followers.

3. Use Your [Multimedia] Assets
Multimedia in tweets have been shown to increase engagement rates by 3-4x over messages without multimedia. Include multimedia in every tweet to increase reach, actions and overall ROI.

To do this, after you compose your tweet, click Add Photo. Your thumbnail image or filename will appear as an attachment. This is a real chance to maximize on the opportunity to include an image because you can add up to four pictures.

To add video, follow the same steps and then select the 30-second clip you want to emphasize in your tweet.

Ideas for good Twitter images
Hootsuite gives great examples of Twitter images that get shared. Here is a short summary of their tips:

• Use text/graphic combination. Your words are limited in your Tweet, but you can include more text within your picture. You may gain an extra few seconds of additional engagement because readers may stop to actually read the text within your image.
• Use gifs. Although gifs will not play automatically on Twitter, people are still curious about the video, which earns you a few extra seconds from your audience.
• Use video. Twitter now allows you to upload videos with your Tweets. Select the 30 seconds you want to feature, and let the reader watch your news.
• Use images that work. Humorous memes, food and cute animals are popular. Twitter users love to share news that delights them. Surprise them by using humor to get your point across.
• Follow your followers. If there are images that your followers consistently share, you should get onboard. Post the types of images that your followers like to share.

Your best photos
Keep in mind Twitter’s photo specifications:

File size:  Photos can be up to 5MB; animated GIFs can be up to 3MB (Your file will be automatically scaled for display in your expanded Tweet and user gallery.)
File type:  GIFs, JPEGs and PNGs are accepted; BMPs and TIFFs are not.

Tip: To achieve even greater visibility, you can make your image tweetable. There is a good set of instructions here.

4. Hashtags: Do Your Research
Why should you add hashtags to your Tweets?

Think of a hashtag like a label or filter for your topic. The goal is for as many people as possible who are interested in that topic to see your tweet and hopefully share your news. Reporters frequently use hashtags to view the entire discussion on a particular topic, a great way to see what consumer sentiment is before crafting coverage pieces. To exponentially expand the reach of your communication, you should be using hashtags with almost every tweet.

There are plenty of tools you can use to research, analyze and manage hashtags, but the easiest way to see what’s popular is free! Start with Twitter and look at “Trends” and “Moments.”  Those topics are insanely popular at the moment, so if you see something that is relevant to your news, use the hashtag to expand your reach.

If trending hashtags are not relevant, is your news about a particular theme? If so, add them in to allow reporters and interested parties to not only see your news, but understand the larger impact and context.

Are you:

• Presenting at a tradeshow or conference? They probably have their own hashtag, find it and add it to your news to ensure broadest reach. #CES2016 #BWCHAT #MWC16
• Targeting holiday consumers? Try #BacktoSchool #Halloween #TrickorTreat #Thanksgiving2015
• Discussing current events? #Benghazi #ACA #GOPdebate

Congratulations!
By following the above steps, you are increasing the visibility and impact of your news release. You are now armed with tools to increase your ROI by posting your news release on Twitter.   Do you have any tips for increased engagement on Twitter? Share them in the comments below, we would love to hear them!

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PR Updates From Around the World for the Week of January 18

By Denise Grayes, Business Wire, Nashville

Each week, Business Wire brings you the latest changes and updates in the PR industry.  To learn more about each news item, simply click the hyperlink.  Have your own update to include?  Let us know!

Boston
Natixis Global Asset Management has hired Ted Meyer as senior vice president of global public relations and communications. Article

Hollywood Public Relations has added new clients including: NorthPage, a leading digital marketing intelligence company; BoardProspects.com, a board recruitment network; and HBX, a digital learning initiative from Harvard Business School. Article

RF|Binder announced it has appointed Scott Beaudoin as Chief Strategy Officer and Executive Managing Director of Corporate & Brand Purpose. Article

Charlotte
Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated has named Kimberly Kuo as senior vice president of public affairs, communications and communities. Article

Communications professionals in the West Virginia Tri-State area now have a professional organization of their own to call home. The Public Relations Society of America-River Cities Chapter was formed in December 2015. Article

Chicago
C Henson Consulting has named agency veteran Kris Garvey as Senior Strategist and Director of Operations. Article

United has hired James Olson to lead communications. Article

Fresh Thyme Farmers Markets has named Zapwater Communications as its Public Relations Agency of Record. Article

Frequency540 (FQ540) has hired Larry Byrne to lead the digital agency’s production practice. Article

Northern Illinois University announced the appointment of Lisa Miner to the position of Director of Institutional Communications. Article

Cleveland
An Indiana-based marketing group has announced the launch of a totally new concept in restaurant marketing. Known as The Restaurant Marketing Department (TRMD), restaurant owners will now be able to have a professional marketing department for as long or as little as they need one, without the costs associated with hiring a full-time staff. Article

Dallas
The Greater Fort Worth Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (GFWPRSA) has named its officers and board of directors for 2016.  Article

DC
JPA Health Communications is positioned to continue strong growth with the addition of Michael O’Brien as executive vice president and head of its Washington, D.C. office. Article

Susan Davis International has named Daniel Gregory as vice president. Article

Joe Lockhart has joined the National Football League as executive vice president of communications. Article

Linda Roth Associates, Inc. announced this month the expansion of its client portfolio with new, notable clients in the agency’s hospitality, special events, and real estate practices. Article

Philippe P. Bartholin has joined Global Communicators as senior account executive. Article

Los Angeles
ANTHEMIC announced that Haufe has tapped its PR division as their agency of record. Article

Castillo & Ruig Communications has been appointed to lead the strategic public relations campaign for Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts in the Unites States and Canada. Article

Ek & Sunkin has added a new partner, Matt Klink, owner of public affairs and political consulting firm Klink Campaigns. The new firm, Ek Sunkin & Klink, will offer clients a full suite of public affairs, public relations and government advocacy services. Article

PMK*BNC execs Joseph Assad and Lewis Kay have started a new firm – Kovert Creative – in partnership with WME-IMG, that offers marketing, branding and digital, and publicity services. Article

Mirrored Media announced the addition of Syfy to its roster across multiple marketing services. Article

Miami
Cohn & Wolfe has acquired a majority stake in Grupo Máquina, one of Brazil’s largest independent PR firms. Article

Hemsworth Communications announced it has been selected to handle trade and development public relations for Best Western Hotels & Resorts. Article

Nashville
FleishmanHillard has promoted J.J. Carter to the role of global chief operating officer and Americas president. Article

Newport Beach
Driven Public Relations has formed a strategic partnership with StockPKG. Article

Powerhouse Public Relations has opened its doors in Santa Ana. Formerly operating as Morgan Marketing & Public Relations, the agency’s clients, along with its 25 years of resources transitioned to Powerhouse Public Relations. The change took effect on January 1, 2016. Article

New York
Intermarket Communications has added Michael Kingsley as a senior account supervisor. In addition, Eleis Brennan has taken on the role of senior account executive and Benjamin Sheng joins as an assistant account executive. Article

M Booth has added two food clients to its roster: Vega, recently acquired by WhiteWave Foods and a leader in plant-based natural health and performance products; and House Foods America, one of the largest makers of tofu in the US. Article

Nancy J Friedman Public Relations has been named the agency of record for Proper Hotels in Los Angeles, California and The Plymouth Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida. Article

Magrino announced a new client, Barton & Gray Mariners Club. Article

Stephanie Gotch PR has been selected to represent Overthrow NYC. Article

Heyman Associates has promoted Jessamyn Katz and TR Straub, both to the position of senior vice president. Article

Publicis Worldwide New York has promoted Carla Serrano to CEO, effective immediately. Article

Active International announced it has named Lou LaTorre to lead a new global agency advocacy group. Article

Doug Satzman joined Le Pain Quotidien as US CEO. Article

Alice Rutkowski joined SAGIN LLC as EVP Communications. Article

Philadelphia
M studio announced it has been awarded the 12-month integrated marketing contract for Troy Container Line for the fifth year in a row. Article

Slice Communications announced that it has promoted Victoria Lee and hired Scott Kessler and Nick Ricci as its newest members of the team. Article

Phoenix
Caesars Entertainment Corporation has appointed Richard Broome as executive vice president of public affairs and communications. Article

Scientific Games Corporation has named Susan Cartwright vice president of corporate communications. Article

Sacramento
Sierra-at-Tahoe announced Steven Hemphill as the new Director of Marketing and Sales as of January, 2016. Article

San Francisco
Edelman‘s US Western region COO Kristine Boyden has been named president of the region. Article

Fineman PR has promoted Travis Taylor to executive vice president. Article

Seattle
Rocket Fuel announced the appointment of Eric Duerr as the company’s Chief Marketing Officer. Article

Frankfurt
Travel Lifestyle Network has added three new members: Girafe Communications in Quebec, which will represent the network in Canada’s French-speaking markets; B4TComm, which has offices in both Brazil and Chile; and Travel Studio in Mexico. Article

Hong Kong
Golin has been appointed by Nespresso Singapore on a retainer basis for a period of one year. Article

Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group has appointed Camilla Chiam as vice president of PR and communications for Asia Pacific. Article

London
Ketchum has signed an exclusive affiliation agreement with RED Communications, a leading communications agency in Azerbaijan. Article

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has appointed Threepipe to help drive social reach and engagement around key consumer facing campaigns. Article

Burger & Lobster has brought in Manifest London to help educate customers about the provenance of its products and establish the brand internationally. Article

Olio has appointed Marlin PR to help drive brand awareness as the company looks to grow its user base. Article

Liberty Communications announced that is has been selected by CloserStill Media to launch Smart IoT London, the world’s largest IoT event, taking place on April 12-13, 2016. Article

Narrative Integrated Communications has won more than £250,000 of work across its core service areas, which include PR, creative work, advertising, digital media and marketing strategy. Redcar & Cleveland College has called upon Narrative to create and implement a social media campaign; recruitment firm TechConsult and business skills specialist KF Training have been added to the PR client portfolio; and a media buying campaign for Reds Hair and Beauty Salon is now underway. Article

Weber Shandwick has been appointed by British Gas as its new retained agency for consumer and B2B PR, following a keenly-contested pitch. Article

AkzoNobel is restructuring its global communications approach, as part of a broader transformation that is underway at the €15bn Dutch MNC, which owns Dulux along with numerous other paint, performance coating and chemical brands. Article

Teneo has been appointed to advise Australian retail giant Wesfarmers on its proposed £340m acquisition of UK DIY chain Homebase. Article

Paris
TRACCS has appointed Stephen Marney as vice president of strategy and development. Article

EUROPEN appointed Gwendoline Riou as its EU public affairs and communications manager. Article

AMEC will provide an advisory service for the research and measurement categories of the PR Lions awards, part of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Article

Wix.com has revealed more details about the creative direction of its second Super Bowl spot that will air during CBS’ broadcast on February 7th. Article

Sydney
WPP-owned Professional Public Relations Worldwide has launched in India, with offices in Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru. The PPR team will be led by Vandana Sandhir, country lead; Bhuvnesh Chawla, business lead; and Mona Puri, managing partner – North. Article

MSL has appointed Srinivas Krishnan as senior advisor to its auto practice. Article

Each week we share information relevant to modern communications strategies and tactics.  Stay up to date with the latest news and trends impacting today’s communications programming. Join our mailing list today!

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PR Updates From Around the World for January 11, 2016

By Denise Grayes, Business Wire, Nashville

Each week, Business Wire brings you the latest changes and updates in the PR industry.  To learn more about each news item, simply click the hyperlink.  Have your own update to include?  Let us know!

Atlanta
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has named Michael Torres Vice President of Corporate Communications, The Americas. Article

Brandware Public Relations announced the appointment of Ryan Deal as senior vice president of strategy and content. Article

Austin
Caitlin Rourk has launched Dynamis Strategies, a communication consulting firm. Article

Boston
Solomon McCown has launched a new government relations practice, a natural extension of the firm’s public affairs expertise, and has hired Daniel F. Cence as Senior Vice President to run the practice. Article

Tier One Partners announced communications veteran Sarah Mees has joined the agency as senior account director. Article

Charlotte
I Heart Keenwah announced its partnership with Groundswell Public Relations to oversee their media relations and strategically drive editorial content in the natural product and active lifestyle arenas. Article

919 Marketing celebrates its 20th anniversary this month with a series of milestones that accentuate the firm’s success with clients across a broad range of industries. Article

Chicago
Gagen MacDonald has promoted Sherry Scott to president, effective immediately. Article

Cleveland
P&G has concluded its extensive global PR agency review, consolidating PR support for all of its brands with five global agency groups: MMK+ (Omnicom), MSLGroup (Publicis), Citizen Relations (Blue Focus), DeVries Global (Interpublic) and H+K Strategies (WPP). Article

Dallas
Richard Maxwell has joined the staff of PAVLOV Agency. Article

DC
The Glover Park Group has added Jim Bognet as a senior vice president in the strategic communications practice. Article

The Society of Satellite Professionals International‘s Awards Committee has selected Penelope Longbottom, founder of Longbottom Communications and most recently president of Sage Communications‘ satellite division, to be inducted into the Satellite Hall of Fame. Article

Denver
Stephanie Stover has joined Greteman Group as a brand manager. Article

Meghan Smith, a graphic designer at Greteman Group, has been promoted to art director. Article

Northrop Grumman Corporation recently announced that its board of directors has elected Lisa R. Davis to take the role of Corporate Vice President, Communications, effective Feb. 29, 2016. Article

Los Angeles
Barry Ziehl has been named senior vice president, public affairs and strategic initiatives for Warner Bros. Entertainment. Article

Triple 7 Public Relations has been selected to represent Tami Pardee, owner and principal broker of Pardee Properties. Article

USC Annenberg and USC Viterbi are teaming up in a transformative, interdisciplinary partnership to launch programs that will shape new kinds of communication and technology professionals for the 21st century – equipped with education and training that combines the strengths of their fields. Article

1105 Media announced that Anne Armstrong has been honored at the CES Government Conference in Las Vegas. Article

Miami
Porter Novelli (PN) announced that Verónica González has joined its Mexico City office to lead the local Health and Wellness Practice. Article

Minneapolis
Tunheim has added Don Ness to its roster of strategic partners, helping the firm relationships with stakeholders and community leaders in the corporate, academic and non-profit sectors. In addition, Ness also announced the founding of Hillside Ventures, which will specialize in business and economic development, executive strategies, organizational development and public affairs messaging. Article

Clarity Coverdale Fury hired six new employees, including an Assistant Art Director (Becca Dietz), an Account Coordinator (Madeline Hasler), an Assistant Media Planner (Walter Kaplan) and Media Planner (Max Forster), Brand Development Supervisor (Robin Pfeifer) and Director of Business Development (Karen Schultz). Article

New York
SITO Mobile has appointed Joseph Wilkinson as senior vice president of investor relations. Article

Hill+Knowlton Strategies announced Nancy Fitzsimmons joined the firm this week as a senior vice president in the corporate and crisis practice. Article

Porter Novelli (PN) has appointed four new partners to the firm. Article

CRC has been named the agency of record for BeYu. Article

Investopedia has selected Vested as agency of record to manage its global communications. Article

Scott Beaudoin has joined RF|Binder as chief strategy officer and executive MD of corporate and brand purpose. Article

Bret Werner has joined MWW as chief client officer and EVP. Article

Brandstyle Communications announces its representation of CÜR Music. Article

Beautiful Planning Marketing & PR has been tapped as the new PR firm for online beauty retailer Beauteque. Article

WorldatWork announced Hill+Knowlton Strategies U.S. has earned its Work-Life Seal of Distinction for 2016, recognizing employers that demonstrate leadership in creating a culture that supports employees at work and at home. Article

Brodeur Partners announced that Beth Kwon has joined the firm as Vice President.  Article

ICR announced the appointments of Rob Sharp, Co-CEO and owner, Ramy Brook, and Joseph B. Kennedy, Managing Partner, Crystal Lake Capital, as the first members of ICR’s newly created advisory board. Article

Melissa Gliatta was promoted to COO, North America of Thor Equities. Article

Debra Hyman joined Greatist as SVP of Marketing and Partnerships. Article

Sean Gardner joined William Blair as Director in financial sponsors group. Article

Andrew Levine joined Blue Latitude Consulting LLC as Managing Director. Article

Thom Hamill joined JCCA as Chief Advancement Officer. Article

Daniel Rhoads was promoted to Executive Director of Adveq. Article

Henry Johnson joined Northern Trust as Executive Vice President and Vice Chairman. Article

Ethan Vogelhut was promoted to Executive Director of Adveq. Article

San Francisco
Resound Marketing announced it has been selected as the 2016 agency of record for Palo Alto Software. Article

Current Marketing announced that Erica Archambault McCabe has joined the agency as an executive vice president. Article

George Pollington has launched a new, global event consultancy, RGE. Article

Sitecore announced that it awarded its US PR account to Eastwick as the company continues to promote its context marketing point of view which launched in October of 2015. Article

Denver & Minneapolis
Woodruff Sweitzer (WS) recently announced the addition of Lindsey Woolsey and Brandon Thomas to its Kansas City, Missouri, office, Cynthia Kotovsky to its Columbia, Missouri, office and Halli Kubes to the agency’s Red Wing, Minnesota, office. Article

Hong Kong
Burson-Marsteller has named Ruby Fu as the PR firm’s new CEO in China. Article

Jeffrey Yu has joined Edelman as CEO in China. Article

Geometry Global Malaysia has revealed key appointments in core divisions across the agency. Effective immediately, Jayesh Vyas has taken the role of Chief Finance Officer, Sean Lim has been promoted to General Manager for Brand Activation while counterpart Leong Siew Yee will head up the Shopper Marketing division as General Manager.  Article

London
Zoopla has appointed Brands2Life to handle its consumer PR. Article

StockWell Communications Group and Pendomer Communications have fully rebranded as Teneo Strategy. Article

John Morris joins Freshwater‘s London team bringing experience in stakeholder engagement, political communications and public affairs. Article

Ryanair has appointed Matthias Wenk as marketing operations director, overseeing all advertising, brand communications and sales and marketing functions. Article

Beattie has appointed Jessica McAndrew as digital communications director. Article

Bacardi has begun a review of PR agency support for key brands across Europe. Article

Adidas has hired Hope&Glory to work on its running and women’s performance categories in the UK. Article

Pepsico is reviewing its consumer PR agency roster across Europe. Article

The Academy is merging with Shine Communications, with Mitchell Kaye and Daniel Glover taking a majority stake in the new venture. Article

Huddle as brought in CCgroup as its first UK PR firm, as the UK startup steps up its growth plans. Article

Kinetic Worldwide has partnered with Endeavour Media to offer clients a brand new OOH opportunity: customizable interaction with all OOH inventory, both traditional and digital. Article

Paris
The International Olympic Committee has appointed Philip French as director of its public affairs and social development. Article

FTI Consulting has appointed Sir Philip Lowe as senior advisor in the public affairs practice. Article

Alessio Vinci has been named as senior vice president for corporate communications at Alitalia. Article

Sydney
Vistara has shifted its PR mandate after 18 months with IPAN H+K Strategies. Article

Toronto
Ireland + Hall Communications has added skin care brand Elabloom and renewed its contract with organic frozen food provider füdi, by DMR Foods. Article

Teneo Holdings has expanded to Canada, hiring three senior executives to lead its new operation in Toronto. Article

Each week we share information relevant to modern communications strategies and tactics.  Stay up to date with the latest news and trends impacting today’s communications programming. Join our mailing list today!

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Seattle Journalists Offer Insights; Pitching Advice at Media Roundtable

by Matt Allinson – Media Relations Manager, International Markets

Seven superb Seattle journalists assembled downtown on a gray December day for Business Wire Seattle’s media “speed dating” event. The event provided an opportunity for those who work with the media and/or who are interested in the media to have small group discussions with the journalists who matter to them most. The goal, as always, was to foster education and understanding between the media and PR/IR community (as well as with the public at large).

From L to R: Garrett Rudolph (Editor – Marijuana Venture Magazine); Taylor Soper (Reporter – Geekwire.com); Michelle Flandreau (Producer – KING5); Lauren Mang (Digital Editor – Seattle Magazine); Roger Nyhus (Moderator – President & CEO of Nyhus Communications); Sara Lerner (Reporter – KIRO Radio); Ashley Stewart (Reporter – Puget Sound Business Journal); Rachel Lerman (Reporter – The Seattle Times)

The journalists varied widely in terms of the media they work for, the industries and companies they cover, and the way they do their jobs. We had a marijuana industry magazine editor; a tech reporter for a start-up; a long time public radio reporter who recently switched to commercial radio; a television producer; a digital editor; a finance reporter; and a tech reporter from the state’s biggest paper.

The journalists offered many excellent tips for interacting with media and pitching stories. Here are some you should remember:

• Press releases are great … particularly those that include multimedia … but a personalized email pitch or a follow-up call that comes with it can make a big difference.
• Know who you’re pitching and what they write … take the time to form a relationship if you want the reporter to cover you now or in the future.
• Taylor Soper of Geekwire.com pulls two to three stories a week from Twitter. It’s increasingly becoming one of his favorite ways to find story ideas.
• Radio interviews … Sara Lerner of KIRO Radio always prefers an in-studio interview, but recognizes that short notice can make that difficult. A great alternative, she says, is to use Skype, because you don’t need a microphone and it resolves the problem of cell phone quality and the scarcity of landlines.
• If you live in a marijuana-friendly state, take note of the publications focusing on that industry. Marijuana Venture Magazine editor Garrett Rudolph said his magazine started as a 8-page black and white publication in the spring of 2014 and is now a 120+ page glossy.
• How does the Seattle Times‘ tech reporter Rachel Lerman find stories? For one, she scans Business Wire’s daily PressPass feed. She also has various alerts set up on all the companies that she covers.
• A major pet peeve amongst several of the journalists in attendance was lack of an available contact. Too many times, they say, have they received an interesting press release only to call the contact number on the bottom and get no answer. Lack of availability will often lead to a lack of coverage.
• One way to ensure reporters always have access to additional information, images and company contacts is to include a link to your organization’s online newsroom. These sites are crucial for reporters, as well as analysts and other decision makers when looking for more information about your brand.

For more tips and and to better understand the tools journalists are currently using, download the 2015 Business Wire Media Survey.

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“No business has ever failed with happy customers”

By Vilan Trub, Business Wire

When asked about competitive edge, Warren Buffett was quick on the trigger at the 2016 Business Wire International Sales Meeting. “No business has ever failed with happy customers,” he said to a room full of attentive eyes and ears, each set keen on absorbing every tidbit of insight. What Mr. Buffett was describing was the magical key to success and longevity, keeping customers happy. Business Wire, started over 50 years ago, is a company with many happy customers around the globe. How do we, as the industry’s leading news distribution service, keep all those customers happy? What is the secret we follow that can be perennially put into action to maintain this trend?

To determine why Business Wire is so successful when it comes to customer service we have to look at two things.  The first is understanding Business Wire’s commitment to customer service. The second is to talk to the clients that gave us our reputation.

When Lorry I. Lokey founded the company in 1961, he established a mantra of “put the customer first.” This is why more than 50 years later we are the only commercial newswires with more than 30 offices around the globe. We put the customer first.

When Berkshire Hathaway chose to purchase Business Wire – the people behind Business Wire were part of the package. Why? Because our team lives and breathes our initial mantra – put the customer first.  From product development, to customer education, every single day, from editorial to sales to operations, we look at our product and services from your perspective.

Do our clients notice the difference?

At the PRSA 2015 International Conference our clients described their experience using Business Wire and why they’ll continue using us as a news distribution tool in the future:

This testimonial and others can be found here.

Much has been said about the solutions that Business Wire offers to today’s professionals – whether they work for an emerging startup or a Fortune 100 company. From partnerships with the top five global newswires, to the Smart News Release and Picture and News Capsules to the newly launched BizWireTV, these products provide the public relations and investor relations spheres with tools to not only reach but exceed their news visibility goals. These are the tools that smart communicators leverage to transform an announcement into an engaging story for audiences to read locally, regionally or globally.

In the end though, what value do our local offices provide? What about our suite of news amplification tools?  None of these provide value to you if they don’t serve your needs as promised. Business Wire was founded on the philosophy of creating a relationship based on trust with those that choose our patented news distribution network. Success spanning five decades is as much the result of products offered as it is the public’s appreciation and value in those products. There is a circle that is created: the media, financial industry and public’s trust in the effectiveness of Business Wire’s toolkit, and rewarding clients’ trust with efficient and accurate service. This circle is the foundation for creating happy customers.

In Why Newswires? The Past, Present & Future of Trusted News, Business Wire President Gregg Castano outlines the importance of establishing a relationship rooted in trust, and how Business Wire builds that relationship every day.

If the key to maintaining a competitive advantage is happy clients, and according to #CustServ chat founder Marsha Collier and her 136k Twitter followers it is, then every employee of every company must make it their mission to identify not only the customer’s needs, but the most efficient way to meet those needs. At Business Wire we do just that. What makes a person a potential client is the presence of an obstacle. For today’s communicators that obstacle is the need to amplify their news stories to reach their identified audiences – in a world where news consumption rates are higher than ever. Business Wire continues to innovate and create new solutions for how to overcome this obstacle. That is why Business Wire has happy customers, very happy customers, and there is no scheduled change in the company’s course of action.

To learn more about the tools and solutions that keep journalists and other media professionals happy, visit our services page and our news page.

Click here to share Business Wire’s commitment to customer service on Twitter: http://ctt.ec/0bbv1

PR Updates From Around the World for the Week of January 4, 2016

By Denise Grayes, Business Wire, Nashville

Each week, Business Wire brings you the latest changes and updates in the PR industry.  To learn more about each news item, simply click the hyperlink.  Have your own update to include?  Let us know!

Atlanta
Strategic Vision PR Group has launched its Velocity PR Program designed for emerging companies and start-ups. The program provides traditional public relations, social media, and branding services at an accelerated pace, designed to meet the needs of emerging companies. Article

Porter Novelli (PN) announced that Melissa Kraus Taylor has been named managing director of the agency’s Atlanta office. Article

Austin
Drumroll announced that it has partnered with My Fit Foods to deliver outstanding customer experiences that play a key role in helping busy people lead healthy lives, to evolve the brand’s style and experience to reflect the evolution of the company. Article

Charlotte
DFPR announced that Hickory Tavern has joined its agency roster of partners. Article

Chicago
Cushman & Wakefield has hired Stefanie Murphy as vice president, global public relations. Article

Zapwater Communications announced that Visit Finland has appointed the agency as USA public relations agency of record. Article

Radio Flyer has named Current as public relations agency of record following a competitive review. Article

Olson Engage has named Jeff Olson to a newly created executive vice president role. Article

Cleveland
Gatesman+Dave has announced the addition of Emily Eischeid as Senior Media Planner and Buyer. Article

Dallas
CyrusOne recently partnered with marketing agency M/C/C for planning and management of the global data center company’s integrated media strategies and implementation. Article

DC
Northrop Grumman has named Lisa Davis corporate vice president, communications, effective February 29. Article

Airlines for America has named Penny Kozakos as vice president, communications. Article

Agenda announced national energy policy expert Jeff Crater as its new Senior Energy Advisor. Article

GYMR Public Relations announced internal promotions and new hires in its Washington, D.C. office. Article

Denver
Chipotle Mexican Grill has parted ways with Edelman and is currently searching for new PR agency support. Article

Los Angeles
JMPR Public Relations has been named agency of record for Los Angeles Modern Auctions. Article

DKC Public Relations, Marketing & Government Affairs announced the appointment of Chris Regan as Senior Vice President, Film & Digital, joining the agency’s entertainment division. Article

Miami
JeffreyGroup has named Asher Levine as managing director at the firm’s Miami headquarters. Article

O’Connell & Goldberg (O&G) public relations announces the promotion of Sofia Garcia to senior account executive. Article

Minneapolis
Martin Williams Advertising was named agency of record for Horton, Inc. Article

Nashville
Weber Shandwick has expanded its healthcare capability by acquiring ReviveHealth. Article

New York
Eileen O’Connor has been appointed vice president for communications at Yale University. Article

Exposure America announced that it has been named public relations agency of record for Herschel Supply. Article

Child’s Play Communications has signed Insensi as its newest client. Article

CRC has been named the agency of record for House of Matriarch. Article

Evoke Marketing has signed Mochidoki as a new client. Article

Schafer Condon Carter has been retained by Stetson Dress Hats to handle all PR strategy, content development and media outreach. Article

M2M PR & Partnerships celebrates its five-year anniversary with the launch of a new production division. Article

Ray Kotcher is stepping down from his role as chairman of Ketchum, after 32 years. Article

Tom Johnson has been named chief executive officer of Abernathy MacGregor. Article

ELR Media Group announced it is representing Yumi Kim. Article

Taft and Partners announced that it has opened a new office in Newark, New Jersey. Article

Parasol announced the appointment of Sasa Nikolic to its executive management team. Article

Buzz Media Solutions announced the appointment of two prominent Capital Region business leaders, Gary Hughes and Dr. Clinton Ballinger, to the company’s newly created strategic advisory group. Article

IBT Media announced that Daniel Goodman has joined the marketing team as VP, Director of Marketing Operations. Article

Phoenix
Amendola Communications has added two health information exchanges to its client roster. Article

San Francisco
Abernathy MacGregor has named managing director Heather Wilson as head of its San Francisco office. Article

Michael Busselen, Seagate’s VP of corporate communications, has left the data storage company for ServiceMax, a late-stage software startup, also based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Article

Los Angeles & Seattle
DNA Response and Marketing Maven announced their strategic partnership to enhance revenue for consumer brands selling products on leading e-commerce marketplaces such as Amazon, eBay and Sears.com through the execution of public relations and social media marketing. Article

Hong Kong
Sinclair Communications has been re-appointed as agency partner for Singapore Tourism Board on a retainer basis. Article

Huawei has brought in WPP PR firms Ogilvy PR and H+K Strategies to work on consumer PR support for its fast-growing mobile device business, following a global review that took place last year. Article

Jessica Lee has departed her role as chief communications officer at McDonald’s Greater China to become Netflix‘s first regional director of corporate communications in Asia. Article

Ruth Rowan has moved into a global marketing job for Dimension Data. Article

London
Ed Davey will be joining MHP Communications to provide senior counsel to MHP and across the firm’s UK and international clients on sectors including energy, infrastructure and logistics. Article

Ryanair has appointed Cristian Samoilovich as its first head of public affairs. Article

Four Communications Group has launched Four Consulting, a proposition aimed at delivering key services for clients based on the need for “preparedness.” Article

Hill+Knowlton Strategies has been appointed strategic PR partner for Skipton Building Society following a competitive pitch process. Article

MAG has appointed Graeme Elliott as group public affairs director. Article

Cytec Industrial Materials has appointed EMG to raise its profile in the German and pan-European automotive and materials market. Article

Blue Rubicon has hired Jon Priestley to join its digital team as an associate director. Article

Good Relations has appointed Jesscica Schon as senior associate director in its corporate team. Article

Dynamo PR has launched a dedicated virtual reality PR division and has signed leader in visual computing NVIDIA as a founding client. Article

Lewis has been chosen to handle the PR for Dutch lifestyle brand HEMA, which has nearly 700 stores in seven countries. Article

Tancredi has been appointed corporate and financial communications adviser to Turquoise Partners, a leading investment bank in Iran. Article

Ali Perkins has joined AstraZeneca as global head of communications for the pharma giant’s R&D units. Article

InterDigital has handed international PR duties to CCgroup. Article

Sydney
Genesis Burson-Marsteller has named Ajit Sahi as director, public affairs; Sanjay Arora as practice chair, corporate and financial; Piyal Banerjee as managing partner, telecom and technology (consumer); Shivaram Lakshminarayan as managing partner, telecom and technology (B2B) and corporate and financial (South). Nikhil Dey‘s role has expanded as president, public relations and public affairs and Atul Sharma is promoted as chief operating officer. Article

Toronto
Hill+Knowlton Strategies Canada has acquired Acertys. Article

Each week we share information relevant to modern communications strategies and tactics.  Stay up to date with the latest news and trends impacting today’s communications programming. Join our mailing list today!

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Warren Buffett’s Surprise Visit to Business Wire

By Serena Ehrlich, Director of Social and Evolving Media

Earlier this month, the Business Wire team had the chance to meet with Warren Buffett to discuss his thoughts about Business Wire, the changes occurring in the newswire industry and even his love of the ukulele.

Scott Fedonchik, Business Wire’s Vice President of Marketing shares some of Mr. Buffett’s thoughts, as well as our own in this LinkedIN piece: Warren Buffett Shares a Coke and a Smile at Business Wire’s Global Sales Meeting.

Click here to read this piece and learn more about Warren Buffett and his views on Business Wire. And click here to share this blog post with your Twitter followers!