I have always liked event planning -- probably too much. Throughout my professional career and personal endeavors, I have planned anything from a 500+ person event to my own wedding. I love the hustle and bustle of events and created an atmosphere from scratch where audiences can come together for one specific purpose (when we could have mass events anyway). I love the little details and the overall vision, and seeing them work together is its own brand of magic.
Read MoreAt the beginning of the media-kit-creation process, make an outline to keep yourself on track and know what is needed throughout the creation of your media kit. These following checklist points will help you create an impactful media kit that will drive more engagement and get you the results you want.
Read MoreIn 2009-2010, I was a senior at Marshall University in the throes of my first-ever public relations campaign. While overwhelming and stressful at times, I can say that I enjoyed every minute of it. Along with my fellow students, I learned how to craft a campaign from start to finish, raising more than $10,000 for a local nonprofit organization along the way.
Read MoreAs much as many of us don’t like presentations, interviews, and the like, you cannot get anywhere in a communications field without having to do them at least sometimes. In today’s Back To Basics blog post, I will highlight six ways you can give an impactful presentation from start to finish.
Read MoreThis Thursday, I will give you more tips on how to create an effective presentation — at least how I do it. There are so many ways to craft a presentation, but I will help you find a method that works best for you. In this week’s Mental Health Moments blog post, I want to talk more about presentation anxiety. So many people I know have it or have experienced it in the past, so I want to share what works best for me.
Read MoreWhile I don’t interview and write articles EVERY day, it’s still an integral part of Hourglass Media. I still enjoy sitting down and talking with people. This week, actually, I am writing an inspirational COVID-19 story for a local magazine, so I am already in the groove of this process. Here are five tips to employ, from the research to the completion phases.
Read MoreOur publics need compassion and truth in the information they consume on a daily basis. In essence, all of us need storytellers more than ever. We need the truth in media and throughout the chains of commands in our organizations. We need stories, fiction and nonfiction, that reflect who we are and who we aim to be. Ultimately, silence isn’t golden in these situations. Communicate early and often with your audiences. Here are some ways communicators can ensure their publics’ stories are being told.
Read MoreHow do you lessen your social media usage as a public relations pro when you want to focus more on your mental health? After all, we are expected to manage our own digital footprints and those of others, so it’s challenging to not have some sort of social media persona. I feel so much happier because of this decision to not post as much. Here are some ways that you can use social media for business purposes but begin to “break up” with it personally.
Read MoreThroughout all the stressful days and what felt like endless nights, the Marshall University class of 2020 finally made it! Although we may not be able to walk across the stage with our classmates, it is still a time of celebration and reflection!
So as my time as a Public Relations student at Marshall University quickly comes to an end, I wanted to use one of my last blog posts as an intern at Hourglass Media to reflect on my experiences as a student.
Read MoreMy Capstone class has been especially hurt by this. With the goal of raising $20,000 for a local nonprofit by the end of April, we have been... struggling. As we were trying to adjust to our new normal, the question that came up time and time again was how do we fundraise during a pandemic? There are so many people unemployed, businesses are closed and the economy is hurting. Should we even go through with raising this money? Is it ethically right? Is this a time to be fundraising? These questions were hard to answer, but we eventually came up with a plan.
Read MoreIt’s a natural fit for us to blend our Lover and other brand archetypes into sentiment analysis. Sentiment analysis is when you analyze writings and other components to measure the emotional tone they convey. In essence, we want to know if our target audiences feel positively, negatively, or neutral about a certain topic. This tactic is used for reputation management, customer service, and crisis communications planning and execution.
Read Morehese past three months have been stressful, to say the least, as we all battle with the effects of COVID-19. This virus has hit families, communities, businesses, and just life in general VERY hard. So, we understand, it’s hard to stay sane during these trying times… But we must remember where our ethical obligations should stand, especially in the midst of a pandemic. So, here are some guidelines to keep your ethics in check.
Read MoreHappy 10th birthday Instagram! Just in case you missed the social media site’s “glow up” this past decade, Instagram has now reached over one billion active users. Pretty impressive for a ten year span if you ask me! Nonetheless, Instagram has become one of the most sought after platforms for building a brand in today’s world. However, Instagram doesn’t always make it that easy. Algorithm change after algorithm change, bans, and bots can cause drops in engagement, followers, and overall numbers.
Read MoreNow that all of us are practicing social distancing and staying home due to COVID-19, it's a good time to remain interacted with one another and *finally* host our inaugural workshop, Own Your Introversion. We’ll be coming at you live on our new Facebook group page every day at 2 p.m. from April 6 to April 10, with a recap session set for April 13 at 1 p.m.
Read MoreMany small businesses can still maintain operations during the COVID-19/novel coronavirus pandemic. While our normal ways of life and business have been disrupted, thinking outside of the box can aid small business owners as they still attempt to market themselves during this trying economic time. Here are three ways you can still operate your business and utilize strategies and tactics during the pandemic.
Read MoreComing into the third month of 2020, it makes me wonder what lies ahead for the PR world. What will be the next big thing in this industry? Public relations trends are ever-changing, as is the world as a whole. So as a PR professional, it’s always good to stay ahead of the game. So, here are some trends that I see changing the PR playbook in 2020.
Read MoreAs a small business owner, I have clients from several sectors, and some will be more heavily impacted from coronavirus ramifications than others. As a public relations practitioner to my core, I want to contribute to accurate information sharing and prevention of hysteria (as much as humanly possible) as this pandemic continues to spread throughout the nation and world. No matter where you fit into the grand scheme of things, it pays dividends to be prepared for any emergency your company, organization, or clients may face.
Read MoreWith the seemingly daily changes to Facebook’s algorithm, you may find your content (especially on business pages) to fall victim to more “popular” or paid posts. With the social media arena becoming more vital to our digital footprints, how can you make sure you are creating and sharing quality content that your followers want to read and calls to action that actually work?
Read MoreOn January 13, our team gained a new member! We are excited to welcome Abbey Vidrine, Marshall University senior public relations student to Hourglass Media! This week, we’re getting to know the newest face #behindthehourglass! Stay tuned — because Abbey will be at the helm of MANY blog posts during this Spring 2020 semester!
Read More‘Tis the season for wishlists galore and trying to finish high-priority work before the end of the year. Eliminate the extra stress by combing through this gift guide for communicators. From lipstick to expanding your skill sets, we have you covered!
Here are some gift ideas for the PR pro in your life -- or for yourself!
