PR Strategies for SEO Success

                If you are looking for new ideas to improve search engine optimization then look no further than public relations professionals. They have used time-tested methods that have enhanced the branding of their various reputable clients. Companies usually have one authority figure who want to scream their accomplishments from the rooftops whether it be the CEO, CFO or COO. Here are some outlets to effectively leverage SEO.

                First, if you have great writers then arrange for your boss to guest write columns periodically for an online publication such as Salon or Forbes. Write about three articles and pitch to websites either directly or with the assistance of public relations firms. Use links sparingly to maintain the breadth of the content. Another strategy is to consider making donations a favorite charity of the company’s choice. Doing enough charitable deeds will garner enough of a human interest angle to get media attention. In addition, being creative in your efforts can help raise funds for the charity. SEO can make an impact on the organization than only changing rankings. An outreach campaign can promote the brand, create goodwill and boost sales. In short, looking at traditional PR agencies is a viable option when planning an outreach campaign.

9/11: Never Forget

Wednesday marked the 12^th anniversary of the day the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were attacked by terrorists on that infamous morning of September 11, 2001. I remember that day like it was yesterday. I was a high school freshman and had just got to school and was making my way to my first class of the day when all of a sudden there was a big commotion in the school cafeteria. I went downstairs to look at one of the TVs there when I saw the unthinkable. A plane has crashed into both towers within a 10-minute span and then seeing them collapse like a condemned building at a demolition. I was at a loss for words. In my mind I was like, “WTF is going on?” “Is this really happening?” “How does one process this tragedy?”

I often wondered how the media would have covered the incident if Twitter and other social media platforms were available. I honestly believed that the magnitude of the attack would have broke Twitter within one hour of it happening. There would be so many pictures of the chaos on Instagram. PR agencies that were used by the City of New York would struggle with trying to put out information that is beneficial to the public but also doesn’t offend the families who lost loved ones. Twitter would have been one of the easiest ways people could have followed the news in real-time without having to look for a TV. Social media have changed the way the media community reports, deciphers and transmits news to millions of people but it should be heavily relied on as a credible source. The misreporting following the Boston Massacre is a prime example.

The Art of Writing a Press Release

Many communications experts, journalism professionals and professors will tell aspiring journalists that in order to be successful in journalism you need to be able to write in different forms. The forms they speak of are news, broadcast (TV and radio), the online news and public relations. As I see myself as a strictly news writer who does everything according to the book of AP, I often wonder how does someone as a print person transition his writing style to public relations. Dictionary.com defines it as the actions of a corporation, government, or individual promoting goodwill between itself and the public, customers, and community.

PR is needed to put the image of the company one represents in a positive light or to make amends when the company makes a mistake. I can only imagine what the aftermath of the 2010 BP oil spill could have been if they took the time to have great PR amid the tragedy but I digress. The primary method of communication in PR is a press release. I believe companies take them for granted because they don’t make it a priority to share quality content with their customers which could decide if they stay in business or not. According to Wordsmith Consulting, the best press releases allow journalists to find story leads about your company and covers the 5 W’s (who, what when, where, & why). For more information, click here. In addition, make sure that all facts and figures related to the company are correct. Double and triple check if possible.  Oh and one other thing. Use Spell Check!!! That’s what it’s made for but don’t rely too much on it. It doesn’t catch everything. Once you have these things down you can be well on your way to writing press releases with no major errors and become that sought after PR professional. Maybe not like Olivia Pope but close enough. Lol.

Katrina: Eight Years Later

August 29,2013 marks the eighth anniversary that Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the port city of New Orleans, LA. The category 4 storm wreaked havoc on the city and destroyed businesses, homes, displaced families and resulted in over 1,800 deaths and $103 billion in damages. The storm was one of the worst natural disasters in U.S. history next to the 1900 hurricane that met the shores of Galveston, TX. A fellow classmate and Louisiana native Reggie Dominique (@iamReGGO ) tweeted how his family rode out the storm and had no running water or electricity for about two weeks. Despite the hurricane flooding 80 percent of the city, it wasn’t as disastrous as the governmental response and news coverage soon before, during and after the catastrophe. I remember discussing the coverage of the hurricane in my Intro to Reporting class while as a freshman at Texas Southern and we found it weird how the media depicted the Katrina survivors as “refugees.” I thought it to be rather crass and not in the best interest of the media outlets to refer to them in that manner. The following article from Real Clear Politics tells a vivid account of how the media let on that what actually happened. Here is the link. However, I can say that some of the coverage where reporters interviewed survivors and giving viewers a close-up account of the damage was superb. It was equally sad how the PR teams from the governor’s office in Baton Rouge handled it as well. I doubt there was a communication plan in place in case of a natural disaster of Katrina’s magnitude. The FEMA response was porous and President George W. Bush’s response to the tragedy was a defining moment in his administration aside from declaring war on Iraq. It took him four days to get to New Orleans to assess the damage but when hurricanes hit Florida a few years prior; he was there in a moment’s notice. The lesson learned here is to be prepared for all natural disasters big and small and for the media to just report the facts and not have a set agenda. 

Nelson Mandela: Inspiring change | The Dallas Examiner | Serving the African American Community

Nelson Mandela: Inspiring change | The Dallas Examiner | Serving the African American Community

Reaction after Zimmerman verdict

The not guilty verdict in the trial of George Zimmerman on July 13 sent shockwaves in communities across America. Reactions on Twitter displayed disdain and anger at the verdict and a failure of justice for Trayvon Martin's death. Some people, like myself, sobbed incessantly because of the reality that a Florida jury just granted an open pass for people to gun down Black youth without receiving any appropriate consequences. The ruling sent a message that Black males were expendable because of Stand Your Ground laws in Florida and its variants in other states. So I or any of my peers of color can't walk down the street minding our own business without being racially profiled? Is this the reality I have to face as a 26-year-old Black man? Seriously? Furthermore, hearing juror B37's interview on CNN's AC360 confirmed everything I knew leading up to the trial--- that white privilege is real and that the case was over when the jury was selected. It was eye-opening and disturbing to hear these truths spoken by B37. By the way, B37's book plans were voided after the agent dropped her following an online petition.
A lesson Americans can take away from this trial is that we should not take our right to vote for granted. We must register to vote, vote in all elections and fulfill our jury duty obligations. When we skip out on jury duty for frivolous reasons then people like B37 will take your spot. It is a shame that we will stand in line for Black Friday or for concert tickets but not to elect people who can change laws in their respective state and nation. Midterm elections are coming up in 2014 and we must exercise our right to vote so that the generation that comes after us can live in a country where laws like Stand Your Ground and its variants will cease to exist.

"The law has become paralyzed, and there is no justice in the courts. The wicked far outnumber the righteous, so that justice has become perverted."- Habakkuk 1:4 (NLT).

Children at risk for fireworks eye injuries | The Dallas Examiner | Serving the African American Community

Children at risk for fireworks eye injuries | The Dallas Examiner | Serving the African American Community