Category: Uncategorized
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When you receive an assignment, determine the real deadline
We’ve all been there. Your supervisor gives you a writing assignment and sets a deadline for completion. But problems can arise. Sources are hard to reach, don’t get back to you, are ill, or are on vacation. You’re just not able to gather the information you need to finish the piece. You start sweating as…
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Don’t put all your effort into just one story pitch
Public relations professionals can learn a lesson in pitching stories from Major League Baseball pitchers. There isn’t a professional baseball pitcher in the world who would succeed if he only threw curves, or fastballs, or sliders, or changeups. Batters would quickly realize it and be able to hit him. After working decades in media relations…
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Why effective business communications is difficult for some pros
The writing we all did in high school and college is vastly different than the writing we need to produce in the workplace. And yet, some things remain the same. I had an epiphany about this first while editing pieces written by my two children when they were in college and then later while working…
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Studying Olympics coverage can make your pitch a gold medal winner
If you want to successfully pitch news stories, you need to think – and write – like a news reporter. That’s one of the strategies I’ve used during my 30+ year career in public relations to place countless stories. And reading some of the news stories coming out of the current Olympic Games in Tokyo…
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Three tips for successfully navigating the approval process gauntlet
You’ve interviewed multiple sources for that news release, speech or internal communications newsletter article. After you write a great draft, you send it out to your reviewers for approval. And you wait… And you wait… You send out a reminder email. And you wait… And your deadline starts getting closer… What should you do? It’s…
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Transparency a key factor in high impact internal comms
A new client recently asked me to present a virtual workshop on internal communications to its comms team. In preparing my presentation, I came up with five characteristics of what I believe constitute a high impact (high quality) internal communications program. I was delighted to read the new issue of American Banker magazine (April 2021),…
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Capt. Tom’s lesson: your most valuable possession is not fortune, fame
The death of beloved Capt. Tom Moore on Feb. 2 at the age of 100 reminds us that our most valuable possession is not fortune or fame. If you’re not familiar with Capt. Tom, last year this World War II vet and British resident set out to raise 1,000 pounds for the healthcare workers in…
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Churchill said it best: Make it brief!
I’m reading the latest book by one of my favorite authors, Erik Larson. In The Splendid and the Vile, Larson recounts the many challenges Winston Churchill faced as prime minister of the United Kingdom during World War II. Germany had already conquered Poland and Czechoslovakia. On Churchill’s very first day in office, Germany invaded Holland…
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Lessons to be learned from the recent presidential election
Regardless of your political affiliation, the recent presidential election holds some major lessons when it comes to news writing and media pitching. Here are just four of them: Timing – The news media usually does not plan ahead. It typically reports on the daily activities of the world around it. But there are a few…
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Word to the wise: Keep your opinions to yourself
This advice goes out to the newer and younger professionals working in corporate communications, public relations and media relations because I’m assuming old dogs such as I already know this: Keep your personal opinions to yourself. I was reminded of the wisdom of this advice yesterday when I read the CNN article that stated, “A public affairs…
Recent Posts
- When you receive an assignment, determine the real deadline
- Don’t put all your effort into just one story pitch
- When you should not send out a communication
- Maintaining consistency is a must in your business writing
- Four keys for comms pros to win the trust of senior executives
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Comments
I view this blog as an outlet for me as an individual to express my opinions and offer advice about…
Great advice, Unger! It's way too easy to treat writing like a task and move on to the next item…