PR | Strawberry Communications: Writing & PR

6 Things Every Media-Savvy Small Business Owner Should Do

May 3, 2016 By Johanna Baker-Dowdell Leave a Comment

Photo: unsplash.com

This post is not about the skills you should have to run a business; it’s about what you need to do if you want media attention.

Unless your business revolves around something we absolutely must have, like water or you’re an expert in a medical specialism, you will need some level of publicity to survive. Often that publicity comes in the form of media interest – both from traditional outlets like a newspaper, or newer platforms, like social media.

If you want to get media attention then you need to be media savvy. Here are some tools and tricks to help you along the way:

Be photogenic

Whether a journalist has called asking for your opinion on a big story or you’ve been invited to speak at an event, you will need a good quality, high-resolution photo available. Get it done now, and then when they ask for it you’ll have one ready to send immediately. For more on photos for business PR, read my post A Pictures Tells a Thousand Words.

Reflecting on 2015

December 23, 2015 By Johanna Baker-Dowdell Leave a Comment

Reflection for me is something I don’t spend a huge amount of time doing, however at this time of the year I do like to look back over what has happened in the previous 12 months before planning for the New Year.

So, in the spirit of welcoming a year anew next week, here is my 2015 reflective post. I hope you’ll join me and share the highlights of your own year too via a comment here or on social media.

I set “focus” as my word for the year. While I’ve been very focused in some areas (training and trekking in Peru), I’ve let a few other aspects slide more than they should (I wanted to write more for pleasure and my PhD supervisor is nodding about now). So I’ve got some work to do to catch up in the next year, but here’s a run down of what did happen in 2015.

Johanna interviewed for The Mumpreneur Show

September 3, 2015 By Johanna Baker-Dowdell Leave a Comment

I was recently interviewed by Petra Jones for her Mumpreneur Show podcast about generating PR for small businesses, writing Business & Baby on Board and running a business with a family in tow.

Listen to the full podcast by clicking through below.

Filed Under: Business PR Tagged With: business, Business & Baby on Board, Business PR, Johanna Baker-Dowdell, Petra Jones, PR, small business pr, Strawberry Communications, The Mumpreneur Show, writing

Using Video Marketing to Promote Your Business

September 26, 2013 By Johanna Baker-Dowdell Leave a Comment

I have been reading a lot about using video to promote small business recently so thought it was about time I got a bit more proactive with this medium. As you can see from my YouTube channel I have recorded video before, but not as much as I have written words to share information (the written word is my comfort zone after all).

So, here goes. I’ve recorded a 60-second clip on my phone for you about why video is good PR for your business.

And just to make sure you really got those tips, video works because:

Mastermind: The Meeting of Great Minds

August 29, 2013 By Johanna Baker-Dowdell Leave a Comment

I first wrote about mastermind groups when I joined one formed with local Launceston business owners a few years ago. I have since joined Sarah Prout’s Sprout Mastermind and thought it was worth revisiting the idea of the benefit of masterminds because together we can achieve great things.

While it has now disbanded, several of the members in the Launceston-based Motivational Minds have since worked together on projects and in new businesses, so it’s clearly a powerful melting pot of possibility. I loved the opportunity to stretch my skills, be challenged by other members and consider new ways of doing things. And once the members of the mastermind group understood each other’s offerings, they became great ambassadors for the member’s brands.

So here’s my list of why mastermind groups work:

A Picture Tells a Thousand Words

December 5, 2012 By Johanna Baker-Dowdell 7 Comments

Sally James

Last week marked the halfway point for the online group PR program Make Me a Star Strawberry Communications is running, and one of the popular topics discussed was using photos in media pitches.

There is something incredibly powerful about a fantastic image (as you can see from the shot of chef and author Sally James to the left), which is why you should always consider sending a photo when pitching a story to the media. It can make the difference between the story running on the front page or, sometimes, not at all.

Here are five tips on sending photos to the media:

Put a rocket up your PR with the Make Me a Star program

November 4, 2012 By Johanna Baker-Dowdell Leave a Comment

Strawberry Communications founder and owner Johanna Baker-Dowdell has launched a six-week online group PR program to help business owners generate their own publicity.

When “…nearly 55% of stories analysed were driven by some form of public relations,” (Source: Crikey – Over half of your news is spin) business owners should be asking themselves if their stories fall into that category and, if not, what are they going to do about it, Johanna asked.

“If business owners aren’t selling their story to the media, their competition definitely is,” she explained.

Finding the Right Media for Your Business

April 15, 2011 By Johanna Baker-Dowdell Leave a Comment

The term media goes beyond the traditional broadcast mediums of print, radio and television, to include more interactive mediums like phones, computers, CDs and DVDs, blogs, vlogs, websites, online magazines and self published books.

When I first started working in the media 15 years ago, the Internet was not a research tool and I wrote articles on a small computer monitor with green text on a black screen. Things have changed so much in that time – some publications, such as Brisbane Times, are now published online only.

Editorial vs Advertising

March 10, 2008 By Johanna Baker-Dowdell Leave a Comment

When considering the best marketing strategies for your business, advertising will almost certainly crop up as an option.

Advertising works better for some businesses than others, but as a public relations practitioner I tend to advise my clients to use advertising sparingly. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business PR Tagged With: advertising, advertorial, Business PR, editorial, journalist, PR, public relations

Reflecting on 2015

Johanna interviewed for The Mumpreneur Show

Using Video Marketing to Promote Your Business

Mastermind: The Meeting of Great Minds

A Picture Tells a Thousand Words

Put a rocket up your PR with the Make Me a Star program

Editorial vs Advertising

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