As explained on Monday, I’m behind schedule in publishing the best posts of H1 this year.
Here’s the second half of the list, and two posts related to President Trump made the cut. I believe the word you’re looking for is “restraint.”
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1. Will the Communications Industry Change Because of President Trump?
Since taking the throne, Trump continues to dominate the news cycle in a way that we’ve never seen before. Kim Kardashian looks like a slacker in comparison. The man says crazy things. He’s also established a direct pipeline to the public with his incessant tweeting, turning the old adage, “If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all” upside down. This post looks at the impact of today’s White House on the communications industry.
2. Visual Storytelling Tips for Communicators Steeped in Words
Communicators who typically come from the world of words need to add a visual dimension to their game. The increasing amount of information accessed on mobile means shortened attention spans. And people want an entertainment dimension to their information, even in the business sphere.
But that doesn’t mean communicators should return to school for an MFA. There are ways to embrace visual storytelling that don’t require industrial-grade design expertise. This post delivers 10 examples.
3. As a Public Service to the White House, a News Release Template to Announce Resignations
Here’s my second Top 10 post on the White House. Rather than complain about the missteps, misfires and lies emanating from Trump’s communications function, I decided to be part of the solution. This post should save the White House hours of time, allowing them to crank out resignation news releases in minutes. Shout out to John Kelly who I suspect might be using this for himself in the not-so-distant future.
4. Journalist Compares a Bad Pitch with One That Has a Fighting Chance
I attended a webinar presented by PR Daily and Muckrack which featured Pete Pachal from Mashable playing professor and walking folks through a dissertation on media pitching. I reached out to Pete for his OK to share the insights, and voilà, a post with concrete examples of how to win over a journalist or guarantee a click of the delete button.
I’ve noticed and admired the communications work from the Brookings Institution since 2016 when the organization went toe-to-toe with The New York Times in disputing a story. David had led this effort and was good enough to sit in the hot seat and field a range of a questions. It’s a revealing look at the use of owned media and what a progressive communications effort looks like in today’s world.
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If you had told me back in 2008 that I would be closing in on 1,000 posts, I would have thought that ludicrous. How could I possibly dig out 1,000 topics deserving — at least in my view — of becoming posts for Ishmael’s Corner?
It turns out the limiting factor is not subject matter. It’s time.
No doubt, the rest of 2018 and beyond will continue to deliver plenty of potential fodder for the blog.
I just need to find the time to write.