A.wordsmith | Portland PR & Communications

3 Tips to Create an Effective Media List

By Savanna Frimoth | Jul 13, 2016

The creation of an effective media list is an essential component to any PR plan. A media list is a compilation of media outlets including specific reporter contact information. As someone who is just beginning my career in PR, I find myself looking to the below tips when creating media lists from scratch. They have […]

Facebook Newsfeed Algorithm Updates – 3 Things to Know

By Natalie O'Grady | Jun 30, 2016

For a company not even two decades old, Facebook has done a fantastic job integrating itself into the daily lives of people around the globe. It quickly became a hot spot for brands looking to connect to a wide variety of audiences, and public relations professionals have been including the platform in their communications plans […]

Engage, don't broadcast: People hate social media ads

By Natalie O'Grady | Jun 2, 2016

Mallory Benham, a 23-year-old recent graduate, summed up the problem with social media ads in an interview for a recent Harris poll with a quote that’s likely to frustrate many marketing professionals. “I go on social media to see and know what my friends are doing. I don’t want to see ads clutter my news […]

How are you a thought leader? Answer these 6 questions to find out.

By Kelda Rericha | May 3, 2016

If you are reading this you likely already understand the value of thought leadership products. A thought leadership product is anything – written, video, multi-media – produced to help inform an audience on something you do really well. These products are especially critical for service organizations that rely on the smarts and unique capabilities of […]

Should Native Advertising Become a PR Tactic?

By Natalie O'Grady | Apr 15, 2016

Though marketing, advertising, and public relations all play in the same “sandbox,” traditionalists in the world of PR will tell you that the industry doesn’t have much to do with paid placements or marketing pieces. And for the most part, they’re still correct – public relations by definition is about earned media and public perception […]

Streamline Your Writing: Five Tips

By Christine Antles | Mar 28, 2016

Steve Jobs once said: “Simple can be harder than complex. You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple.” Throughout your PR and writing career, you have heard more than once to tighten up your pitches, your white papers or your press releases. While it takes practice, the result is worth […]

Public Relations in the age of the Internet of Things

By Natalie O'Grady | Mar 17, 2016

When I was finishing my undergraduate degree program several years ago, one of my communications professors introduced the class to something called “The Internet of Things.” He explained that in the not-so-distant future, we’d be living in what basically amounted to the home in that Disney Channel classic movie, Smart House – refrigerators which has […]

3 Tools for Staying on Top of News & Trends

By Natalie O'Grady | Dec 18, 2015

Working in public communications means you’ll likely spend a decent amount of time each week perusing news headlines, industry publications, and social media hashtags. In order to best represent your clients and find prime opportunities for coverage, you need to be aware of the top trends and breaking news. This includes public relations news, industry talk […]

Don't do this: the worst brand blunders of 2015

By Kelda Rericha | Dec 15, 2015

‘Tis the season for recaps of the year’s best and worst! In recent year’s past, it has been easy to blame brand blunders on social media. Fast twitch communications developed by junior-level social media staff will always be a recipe for disaster. But the worst of 2015 features a diverse blend of goof-ups, many of […]

5 Reasons PR Pros Can Be Thankful For Social Media

By Natalie O'Grady | Nov 26, 2015

As public relations professionals better understand social media metrics and analytics, we get better at proving these platforms’ worth to clients. Everyone knows social media is an integral part of a communications campaign now; even though the platforms shift and change, the need to have our clients on them remains. But necessity doesn’t mean social […]

Audience Analysis: Get the Right Message to the Right People

By Gretchen Hoffman | Nov 24, 2015

Not long ago, A.wordsmith manager Lisa Lavora-De Beule published a useful post outlining 5 steps to enhance your public speaking. Every effective speech, however, shares a common beginning, one that happens long before the speaker gets to the podium: audience analysis. Understanding one’s audience is one of the most important elements of effective communication. It […]

2016 Technology Trends: The Year of Apps, Video Ads and Virtual Reality

By Christine Antles | Oct 24, 2015

According to insight from Forbes, 2016 technology trends will bring tried-and-true developments with a twist, while novel tech advances take center stage. Video advertising will increase their presence on platforms such as Facebook, YouTube and even search engines. In fact, Google is planning to bring them to search results. According to experts in 2016 technology trends, video ads […]