History lesson: The first news release published

Tiffany Cunningham

On Oct. 28, 1906 (108 years ago), public relations expert Ivy Lee wrote the first news release to journalists about a tragic train accident that happened on the Pennsylvania Railroad. Fifty passengers were killed when a three-car train of the Pennsylvania Railroad's new electric service jumped a trestle at Atlantic City, N.J., and plunged into the Thoroughfare creek.

According to About.com, Lee convinced the railroad company to release the news to journalists before any rumors were spread or reported on about the accident. The New York Times printed the news release, word-for-word, on Oct. 29, 1906. 

On the left is an image of the printed version of the news release in The New York Times. Since 1906, there have been two major changes to news releases: distribution and multimedia platforms. Distribution methods evolved along with technology. Today, there are four main points of distribution: email, wire service, post on website, and social media platforms. There are many things added to the distribution of a news release, i.e. SEO keywords, videos, photos and links to websites, but the core messaging in a news release have not changed that much over time. Technology has helped news releases to transition as a modern tool while still maintaining its original roots. 

News releases are simply written public relations announcements made to draw media attention to a specific event or product launch that is newsworthy for readers and viewers of various outlets. Never forget your “five W’s” for a release and always research the writer, editor or blogger you would like to send the release to before actually clicking send in your email box. 

Have a question about news releases or insight into writing a great release? Comment below!

Conscious Capitalism: Have you heard of it?

Crissy Lintner

I’m fascinated by a movement happening in the business world right now. It’s called Conscious Capitalism. Ever heard of it? Many of you likely have heard of or read the book, “Conscious Capitalism,” by Whole Foods founder John Mackey and Raj Sisodia. The movement is gaining momentum in the corporate landscape with companies like The Container Store, Whole Foods, Southwest Airlines and Interstate Batteries at the forefront. 

I recently had the opportunity to meet with the culture ambassador from Interstate Batteries. Yes, that’s right – culture ambassador. Cool, huh? Jennifer Bowes’ career is focused on building a corporate culture centered around a purpose statement that is crystal clear: “To glorify God and enrich lives as we deliver the most trustworthy source of power to the world.” 

I’ll let that sink in because it is powerful. The complementing values are just as impressive – and the process by which Jennifer and her team gathered insight and developed this list of values made this PR nerd want to jump up and down in excitement. The focus groups, surveys and interviews gave such amazing insight into what employees thought about the brand; what customers thought or how they perceived the brand; and where they wanted to see the company go in the future. 

I’ve been spending my personal time reading “Conscious Capitalism.” I’ve attended an event hosted by the Conscious Capitalism Dallas Chapter and Social Venture Partners Dallas Chapter that discussed the movement. I’ve also been working with a nonprofit organization in planning our fall speaker series focused on – you guessed it – Conscious Capitalism! In Dallas, this movement seems to be digging its claws into my circles. People like Jennifer and Interstate Batteries CEO Scott Miller are taking the leap to unapologetically reinvent their culture to become one that is focused on a higher purpose, incorporates insight from their stakeholders (employees, customers) and that encourages conscious leadership and an overall conscious culture – the four pillars of Conscious Capitalism. 

If you haven’t read the book, I recommend it. I will likely write more on this topic in the coming year ahead, but for now, I just wanted to encourage you to dive in because this movement may just be the saving grace of American business and for our culture as a whole. 

You can learn more about the movement at www.consciouscapitalism.org and find a local chapter to get involved with in your city. 

Saying ‘Strategic’ May Be a Cliché, but Thinking Strategically Isn’t.

Thomas Whitehead

During this past holiday season, I received an email from LinkedIn with a headline saying something along the lines of, “Thomas, you have the word ‘strategic’ in your bio. More than 35,000 other people use this word. Stand out now by upgrading your account.” 

So, this got my attention. Without providing a full chart of my strengths and weaknesses as a professional, I have always prided myself on strategic thinking being a vital strength of mine. But, it made me think. If everyone considers strategy to be a strength, is it really an important trait today, or is it something that everybody has and is almost expected to know?

Then, two public incidents happened almost simultaneously that made me reconsider how common or often strategic thinking is a part of our day-to-day decision making. 

• First, Bridget Anne Kelly, the deputy chief of staff for New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, was fired from her job for her direct involvement in closing traffic lanes as part of political revenge on a local politician. The closing of the lanes shut down the George Washington Bridge, causing complete gridlock and even prevented medical authorities from reaching a 91-year-old woman who had a heart attack and died. 
• Secondly, at right about the same time, Justine Sacco, the PR director for New York media conglomerate InterActiveCorp was fired after she posted a tweet right before she took off for a transcontinental flight to South Africa saying, “Going to Africa. Hope I don’t get AIDS. Oh, wait I’m white.“ This was not the first controversial tweet she had posted. 

It really caught my attention that, within the span of a week, two highly successful communication professionals were in the middle of controversies that could have been prevented if they had utilized strategic thinking about how their actions may affect their careers. 

I am not going to stand here and proclaim that I have never made any mistakes. Both professionally and personally, there have been decisions in my life that I regretted making. The good thing about the mistakes that I have made in my life is that I took those moments to learn from them and make sure that I become a better person from them. 

And, I have to give both of these professionals the benefit of the doubt that they will learn from these highly publicized incidents and return with a sense of self-awareness as they continue their careers. 

But, in light of these incidents, I think LinkedIn may want to reconsider trying to alarm me about how many people describe themselves as strategic. Thinking in terms of long-term, big-picture focus helps us in the small decisions of our lives. Trying to decide if our actions will lead us closer to or further away from these plans is vital to being strategic, whether it is for you, your company, your family or your clients. 

Three Questions to Consider When Writing Social Media Posts

Jenn Taylor

Throughout my internship at Obsidian, I have been given various assignments. From the basic intern-type tasks, like collecting the newspapers in the morning, to the more in-depth tasks, like formulating a media contact list, there is one particular task that I feel has grown on me quite a bit. Researching content for social media posts is an assignment that I consistently do every week. While working on these projects, I have learned that there are three very important questions everyone should ask when writing these posts. 

The three questions are: 

What audience am I trying to reach? 

I believe this question is the most important of all because if we do not know to whom we are speaking, how could we possibly know what content would be of interest? For example, we would not want to write about fashion or about celebrity updates for an accounting firm. The update on the latest E! network show, “Eric and Jessie: Game On,” is probably not going to be beneficial to the firm’s current and future clients. Considering the audience not only shapes the message, but also the tone of any post we craft. 

What is relevant, and what is currently trending? 

Something that I did not think about when I first started writing social media posts was that, yes, we need to ultimately use the company’s information and updates to write the posts, but we need to also remember that important events and holidays are occurring outside of the company. This approach helps pull in your followers who may not be completely invested in the company’s everyday posts but could easily relate to a general “Happy President’s Day” post. If anything, the most basic and timely posts can help keep those followers engaged through a possible retweet on Twitter or a share on Facebook. 

What is the overall mission/message the company wants to communicate? 

We have all visited our fair share of company websites to learn more about a company. Usually, one of the first things we read about or notice on the website is the company’s mission statement. The mission statement lays out the purpose of the company or organization and its reason for existing. It is vital to understand the mission statement of the company you are writing for to ensure consistent implementation of the company’s values and beliefs into the content. This will also help connect to an audience that may be alike in those values and beliefs. 

With social media becoming a popular communication channel for businesses and organizations of all types, I believe this newfound knowledge will be useful to me in my future career in public relations.

Public Relations is like…

Daniel Wade

We begin today’s discussion with a well-known brand. Ladies, help me out here. When considering a luxury brand such as Tiffany’s, what comes to mind?

Forget diamonds – have you seen their new leather collection? 

If we must speak about diamonds, did you know you could get an 18-carat white gold brooch with “Love” written in diamonds? All for today's low price of $40,000!

Remember your “normal” watch? How about a Tiffany’s cocktail watch in 18-carat white gold lined with diamonds for a cool $75,000? Good news: it’s water-resistant up to 30 meters. 

Have you ever worn something from Tiffany’s? Dare I say owned? What do you think about Tiffany’s? More importantly, why do you feel the way you do about this established brand? 

Now, let’s move to your business’ brand. Real estate is close to home for me, so I’ll use this as an example. There’s a difference in a real estate agent and a REALTOR^®. But, as a REALTOR^®, how do you communicate this difference? What’s the advantage? There has to be something more than the trademarked symbol. For those in this industry, this is their brand…just like Tiffany’s.

Here’s where public relations comes in. [What – you didn’t expect this?] Public relations is like the elevator button. When you want to go upstairs, you go to the elevator and push the button, and when it dings, you turn and walk in it. Very Pavlov. Follow me? REALTORS^® want to brand themselves so that when someone wants to buy or sell a home, they turn to a REALTOR^® and not just any old real estate agent. Make sense? More specifically (and here’s where we get competitive), when someone wants to buy or sell a home, they call your agency or better yet…you! Public relations works to accomplish this. 

Public relations is simply who’s talking about what you are doing. I’ve used the real estate industry as my primary example here, but this concept travels. Ideally, you want people to say: “I need to _____, so I’d better call ________.” Insert your law firm, photography studio or pre-manufactured metal building company, and you get the idea.

How can you begin to do this?

• Observation No. 1: Listen. 
• Do you read The Commercial Appeal, Memphis Business Journal or Memphis Daily News on a regular basis? Your clients are hearing things about your business and industry, and you need to be able to talk about that and provide perspective. 
• Observation No. 2: Find appropriate ways/areas to communicate your messages.
• Community Involvement – What a great arena in which to communicate in a grassroots manner about what it is you want to get across.
• Make it personal and credible – Advertising is not the way to do this. The praise of another takes on new meaning and legitimacy when it’s unpaid. 

You, and your employees alike, serve as ambassadors for your business and industry, whether you like it or not. Who’s talking about what you are doing? And what are they saying? 

Ding! Your elevator just arrived…

Springtime took its time, but it’s finally here! (Unless Mother Nature decides she wants one more dose of winter at some point this week.)

Kim Morrison

When Ned Stark proclaimed that “Winter’s coming,” he sure wasn’t kidding! Memphians were treated to a colder, icier and snowier winter than normal this year, so I think everyone is glad for the warmer temperatures and opportunities to get out and about and enjoy the city. In case you find yourself wondering about what to do first, here are 20 quick tips to get you out of the house and enjoying some of the great outdoor activities the city has to offer!

A photographer buddy of mine, Ariel Antonío of AleksWorks Photography, is having a photo scavenger hunt, with new clues every Monday over the next few weeks. The prize is bragging rights for getting your photos on his blog, but more importantly, you can get out there and get some fabulous shots of this awesome city we live in! (Before it gets to be 200 degrees Fahrenheit with 500 percent humidity. Ick.) 

Get out and walk, run or bike any of the wonderful local parks we have. (Riverwalk, Tom Lee, Overton, the Greenline, Shelby Farms, etc.)

Yes, warmer weather means patio time, and there’s no shortage of them around town, so grab some buds and enjoy their company at your outdoor patio of choice!

Check out a show at Live at the Garden…

Or at the Levitt Shell…

Or at the Snowden Grove Amphitheater… 

Or at the Mud Island Amphitheater. (Yes, we have LOTS of outdoor venues, so use them!)

Go take a ride on a riverboat.

Take a historical walking tour with local historian Jimmy Ogle. 

Visit the world-class Memphis Zoo.

Check out Trolley Night on South Main. 

Check out the array of events in the Broad Avenue Arts District. 

Go to Thursday Nights Out in Cooper-Young.

Did you know we have an outdoor skate park? Check it out by Tobey Park. 

Check out the art and view from the National Ornamental Metal Museum in Downtown Memphis. 

Get the kids out of the house and check out My Big Backyard at the Memphis Botanic Gardens.

May means Memphis in May and weekends full of music, food and fun galore! Check out the Memphis in May International Festival website for all the details on the festivities surrounding the International Salute to Panama, Beale Street Music Festival, World Champion Barbecue Cooking Contest and AutoZone Sunset Symphony.

If Panamanian culture isn’t for you, what about Greek? You can get a taste of it at the Memphis Greek Festival hosted by Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church.

If that doesn’t do it for you, you can get a taste of Italy during the Memphis Italian Festival.

Think you missed all your chances for crawfish? Not quite, go check out the South Branch Lions Club second annual Crawfish Music Festival in Olive Branch, Miss.

Oh, these aren’t enough? No worries, go check out the event calendars at the Memphis CVB, Memphis Flyer, GetDown Memphis, Memphis Magazine, Memphis Parent, Go Memphis, I Love Memphis blog and tons of other outlets!

So what are you waiting for? Get out there and enjoy our town! Got some other good ideas? Feel free to share them with everyone in the comments below!

If it’s on the Internet, it MIGHT be true (according to this Internet blog post).

Kelli Eason Brignac

You’ve probably seen that commercial with the girl who believes everything she sees on the Internet. It’s a State Farm commercial, but no one talks about it for insurance. They talk about it because the poor girl believes everything she sees online. It’s funny, but it’s also sad because it frequently happens in real life! 

The Internet makes it really easy to get a lot of information. It also makes it easy for just about anyone to put information out there - whether it’s true or not – leading to more frequent incidents of people consuming untrue information as fact.

The trend now is intentionally putting content out there to see how far it gets. You’re probably familiar with Jimmy Kimmel’s elaborate pranks to keep the media honest, like the girl who set her apartment on fire while twerking. It went viral and made news headlines on several broadcast outlets and their websites. But did you know that before testing Internet gullibility was cool, I was doing it? 

Let me start by backing up. I’ve always had really cold feet and hands. My feet get so cold that even sitting on them makes the rest of my body feel the cold, rather than my feet feeling the warmth. My mom told me years ago that I just have “Durham Feet,” and it’s probably the same poor circulation she and my mamaw have. You see, Durham was my great-granny’s last name, and a lot of the women in our family have cold feet. But in 2006, after I explained my “Durham Feet” to a boyfriend, he said it sounded like a legitimate condition. Facebook was relatively new and Twitter didn’t exist, but he had recently learned how to create Wikipedia entries, so we decided to see if anyone would believe it. 

We created an entry for “Durham’s Foot, or cryopedis.” We developed a really nice, believable explanation for it. And it stayed there. It stayed there and it spread slowly across the Web for nearly five years. My mom, who was teaching college classes, used the article to show her students why Wikipedia wasn’t an acceptable source.

But apparently a lot of people seek explanations for their cold feet, because they shared “Durham’s Foot” widely. They shared it on Yahoo! Answers, wrote about it in Olympic blogs, discussed it on Reddit and posted it to other Wiki and dictionary sites. Wikipedia, as it becomes even more legitimate, is cleaning up its pages and has deleted the original entry. But “Durham’s Foot” has gone so far that I don’t even think I can get it back!

I do hope that anyone reading the article sought actual medical help if they needed it, as opposed to taking it at face value, but it does bring up an interesting question: How many people really consider the source or the content of something before they share it and believe it?

Consider these few tips when you read something online.

Who wrote it?

There are still people out there who believe a headline they read from The Onion. Even U.S. congressmen are susceptible to misinformation. That’s crazy to me, but not everyone knows that it’s satire. Know your source!

What does the whole story say?

The headline doesn’t always tell the whole story. Read the whole thing! You may find that the headline refers to one person’s opinion, not a proven fact. 

Can you verify it somewhere else?

Really big news is often reported by multiple outlets, from blogs to broadcast news networks. Sometimes news is specific to an outlet, though, and that’s OK. But if you’re really skeptical of what you’re reading, see what else you can find on the subject. Think of it like getting a second opinion if your doctor recommends a serious surgery. You want to make sure it’s right before you do it. When in doubt, there are sources like Snopes dedicated to outing hoaxes.

Are you sure you want to share it?

You may be familiar with the recent Facebook “no religion” rumor, which has spread like wildfire over the past few weeks as users bought into a hoax that their accounts would be locked if they openly discussed religion. (It’s false.) Savvy Internet users probably noticed that Mark Zuckerberg’s name was misspelled on the photo that accompanied the rumor, and critical thinkers realized it would be really bad strategy for Facebook. But many people took it at face value. Know your facts before you share it! 

Got any favorite Internet jokes or viral stories? Share them in the comments!