Did you hear? Google is going to start giving you some SEO love for your Instagram posts. Itāll read your caption, listen to your audio, and all the things to serve them up in search results. So, will this change the way I post? Uh, probably not ā but good to know. Speaking of Instagramā¦ Every once in a while, Iāll boost a post on IG to āfemale fiction book loversā for $15 over three days. The goal is to get more engagement for this new(ish) niche. This gets me 1,000-2,000 more views and...
1 day agoĀ ā¢Ā 2 min read
Itās been a while since I shared some media opportunities with you. Hereās a tip on responding: Give the journalist everything they need in the emails. Make the subject line the keywords in the pitch. Offer as much advice as you can based on the little information you have below. Then, share a 2-3 sentence bio on why youāre the perfect person to site with a link to your website as well as your contact information. Good luck! Aly Walansky is looking for three sources for these articles: For...
8 days agoĀ ā¢Ā 1 min read
Wow. Itās been a minute, huh? Thatās because I took my first real vacation without a laptop to Italy, France, and Spain. It was amazing! But now, weāre back at it, friend. Work shouldnāt feel hard. And yet, so many of us are set up to fail. Not because we suck... but because our environment does. A couple of years ago, I was reporting for a nonprofit in Palm Beach. Every month, I had to send a newsletter, but it needed the CEO's approval first. She never approved it on time. I was also...
15 days agoĀ ā¢Ā 1 min read
"We want PR to drive sales." Big red flag. Massive misunderstanding. Hereās the thingā¦ PR ā Marketing ā Branding. They work together, but theyāre not the same. Letās break it down (like you're five): PR builds belief. It earns trust. Shapes perception. Boosts credibility. Not clicks. Not conversions. Credibility. Marketing moves money. Itās campaign-driven. Action-focused. Think: sales, leads, sign-ups. Branding builds the backbone. It's your vibe, voice, values, and visuals. Without it, PR...
about 1 month agoĀ ā¢Ā 1 min read
Ever pretended to be āliveā outside a courthouse thatās been closed since lunch? Or a crime scene that's been inactive for days? Welcome to local news, where the "LIVE" banner matters more than the actual news.Hereās one of my favorite (read: infuriating) stories from my time as a reporter...I told my executive producer, a full week in advance, that I needed to leave at 5:15 PM on a specific day.Not for a mani-pedi. Not for a hot date.To pick up my daughter from daycare by 6:00. Basic...
about 2 months agoĀ ā¢Ā 1 min read
A writer I follow did this desk tour thing on Substack, and I thought - Thatās pretty cool. So, if I think itās cool, maybe you will too. Welcome to my office. Q: Describe your workspace. This used to be my sons room (sons as in TWO boys with bunk beds). Then, we added two bedrooms and a bathroom onto our houseā¦ and now itās my office. Iām going with the ostrich feather vibe on a wall and with a floor lamp. I also have fun office sayings on the wall, like defining āper my last emailā as...
about 2 months agoĀ ā¢Ā 2 min read
I did a viral thing on LinkedIn again. Last time, it was about working for a narcissist. This time, it was about ice cream that looked like a used feminine product. God forbid I go viral for anything that would actually help me career-wise on a career-focused social media platform, right? Anyone know anything about Substack? So, Iāve been posting my bookish content on Substackā¦ and Iām realizing itās like another damn social media platform. It looks like to grow there, you need to be active...
2 months agoĀ ā¢Ā 1 min read
Let's get real for a hot second about that media relations strategy you're pouring hours into... it might be time to pull the plug! Let's be honest: Your CEO's name in that industry magazine? crickets That press release you spent 3 weeks perfecting? Probably got 6 views Those media relationships you've been "nurturing"? The reporters changed jobs... again Why Your Media Strategy is Like a Flip Phone Journalists are jumping ship fast Everyone and their dog is now an "independent creator" Trust...
2 months agoĀ ā¢Ā 2 min read
We all belong in the creator economy. You don't need millions of followers or fancy equipment to make an impact. Every single one of us creates content naturally: š©š»š³ When you share a cooking hack? That's education! šļø When you post your vacation pics? That's inspiration! š¤ When you make your friends laugh? Pure entertainment! We're all potential influencers when we share what we care about. We're all creators when we express our unique perspective. We all have expertise in something worth...
3 months agoĀ ā¢Ā 1 min read
One of my clients had this lovely little email list just sitting there, collecting digital dust. No newsletters. No updates. Nada. So I said, āLet me take this off your plate.ā But of course, then came the question: What the heck do we send? We landed on a rhythm that feels just right. Every newsletter follows the same format. Readers know what theyāre getting, and I know exactly what to create. Hereās the simple five-part formula: Share the news ā Whatās happening in her world or in her...
3 months agoĀ ā¢Ā 1 min read
