This should have been the title for my session on corporate blogging at SoCon11 on Saturday. That’s the greatest frustration for bloggers. Forget getting people to care and engage. The question on everyone’s mind: How do I simply attract a meaningful audience? Here’s the deck that framed the SoCon11 session on blogging. The words “Content …more
One benefit from 20+ years of operation is the amount of historical information allows you to see clear patterns. Along this line, I went through the exercise of scrutinizing what causes a client relationship to end. Obviously, some variables are out of our control. In this era of consolidations, a merger or acquisition typically causes one …more
It’s been a good year for Ishmael’s Corner. Readership is up and WordPress still doesn’t charge. No question, Steve Farnsworth’s invitation to participate in the #444PR forum (answer four questions over a four-week period) along with Paul Roberts and Todd Defren proved to be the biggest boost to bringing more folks to the site. Reflecting on the …more
I write a column on Silicon Valley for a tech publication in Korea called The Electronics Times. The editor asked me to take a shot at predicting what will happen in Silicon Valley in 2011. Here’s what got edited out of the column (apparently storytelling techniques with a touch of levity don’t resonate overseas): The …more
Want the media to pay attention? Offer a compelling story. Want the media to really pay attention? Deliver a really compelling story. I get this concept. But to say Julian Assange dominates the headlines because WikiLeaks is a world-shaking story shortchanges Mr. Assange’s PR savvy. As Reuters pointed out, Assange “has masterfully manipulated elite media outfits.” Digging deeper, Assange …more
We’ve discussed how storytelling techniques can open doors in the business and mainstream media. HP provides a good Exhibit A. By packaging a story on how the University of Minnesota took proceeds from licensing the “code” from Honeycrisp apples to help pay for a supercomputer, they secured interest from Ashlee Vance at The New York …more
I got the SlideShare religion back in June. The medium allows you to craft a story that the audience can consume in a few minutes. Plus, you gain another digital touch point that easily integrates into your overall social media strategy. We’ve used SlideShare as a tool to evangelize the power of storytelling in the deck “Aligning …more
I was honored that Kathy Hansen invited me to participate in her Q&A series. She asked me to share one piece of advice or wisdom on storytelling. My response – The story is always there. I truly believe this. Every company has something compelling to say. But like discovery in the legal sphere, it can …more
This guest post comes from Sheri Baer who heads our broadcast practice. She shares a behind-the-scenes look at one particular client’s story and how the humanity played out in both print and broadcast media. As broadcast director at The Hoffman Agency, it’s my job to get executives on TV. I spent 13 years working on …more
