When the local news website, Gothamist died (and all of its sister city publications) because its billionaire owner didn't agree with the editors and writers wanting to unionize, regular readers felt the fragility of local media. Suddenly, the news source showing and telling them what to do disappeared (it actually went dark - articles vanished). Writers of those articles pretty much collapsed onto the floor, because all of their work was gone, and any change they made through their articles was gone. All the proof they unearthed was gone (archives have since come back online, but still).
When this happened, the shock-wave through the community left Tin Shingle's owner, who is also the publisher of a local media blog, A Little Beacon Blog, was left with the realization that it's up to the people to get out information. What little number of journalists there are left in the industry can run with stories and investigate them, but research and investigations take time and money that many small publications don't have that much of. Citizens have been stepping up to do their own investigative work - Citizen Journalists.
Citizen Journalists are regular people who have been contributing to the local news scene by sharing their experiences via status updates, photos and speeches at public meetings. If citizens are taking on the role of informing, where their voices are heard and at times, taken as fact even if no fact was checked, what can these citizen journalist do to be even better and produce great news?
In this first installment of Citizen Journalism 101, we talk with Columbia School of Journalism graduate and top editor, Olivia Abel, who will reveal her training in Journalism Basics:
Who, What, Where, When, and Why: What's important for a story
Alright guys...You are going to fill that blog on your business website with content, because not doing so is hurting your business. Potential clients are looking at your blog once they check out your services pages, and don't see any of the great projects you've been working on. Even worse, however, is you keeping a secret about what you do from the media! The media is looking for dynamic businesses like yours to feature. Writing blog posts is the cleverest way - that is within your control - to showcase your business to reporters, editors and producers who are looking for stories.
During this TuneUp, we focus on your business "News" or "Blog" section on your website by covering these areas:
How to feed and tease the media with stories about your business: without even pitching them! (Hint: you'll be using Twitter as your pitching tool)
Using Tin Shingle's Blog Planning and Production Calendar Template: a must when committing to an article for your own blog and working with a team.
Epic vs Share It: Each blog post does not need to be epic. How to pick the details that will gain your business attention.
Branding experts told you that you needed a blog, right? But what are you going to blog about? Watch this TuneUp and come away with ideas galore. Tin Shingle's co-founder Katie will teach you how to identify an idea that is right in front of you, waiting to be blogged about to showcase your business and make people want what you sell. Also covered is the SEO value of your blog posts and how with little effort, in order to get your business in front of people searching the web, not just social streams.
COVERED IN THIS TUNEUP
Why blogging about your business is a part of your marketing plan.
Where to get easy ideas for great blog posts.
The #1 most important thing you must do on your blog.
Blog post ideas for a photographer.
Blog post ideas for a fine art printer.
Blog post ideas for a product designed to hold color tubes in hair salons.
Blog post ideas for a pottery studio that sells classes, studio space, and pottery.
Blog post ideas for the sexiest pair of yoga pants on the market.
HOW TO WATCH
Anyone can watch a Tin Shingle TuneUp from their computer, mobile phone or tablet. The process is different for premium members and the public.
MEMBERS OF TIN SHINGLE
Stream any TuneUp Webinar anytime with your Tin Shingle membership. No need to purchase it, this TuneUp is ready to play from this page! When you are logged in, you will see a big screen. Press play and start taking notes!
NON-MEMBERS OF TIN SHINGLE
Once you buy a TuneUp, you own it forever. The video or audio recording will appear on the TuneUp page that you just purchased from, and all you need to do is press play!
ABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTOR
Katie Hellmuth Martin is the Co-Founder of Tin Shingle and is committed to educating small businesses in common sense, yet sexy ways of marketing through search engines, and online branding. Small businesses from Main Street, to big business have relied on Katie for insight and forward thinking approaches to using today's technology to lock in online branding to increase sales. As lead producer and digital strategist at InHouse Design Media, Katie has developed e-commerce and content based websites, and devised SEO and social strategies for businesses of all types, including retail and service. She has managed the traffic flow and sales process for websites during features on The Today Show, Good Morning America, and Daily Candy. She is also the publisher of the local media source, A Little Beacon Blog. Katie speaks and teaches SEO and online marketing, and has been featured in Forbes, U.S. News and World Report, New York Daily News, and other publications. Connect with her on Twitter via @KJPixelated and @TinShingle, on Instagram @katiejamespixelated and @TinShingle and on Google+.
Tin Shingle's co-founder Katie Hellmuth Martin is not only a business owner, she is also a professional blogger, having her own lifestyle blog years ago when blogging was just catching on, followed by ghost blogging for business websites, and currently as the blogging publisher of a local online media source. Blogging can be the fastest, most colorful, most long-term way of getting the word out about your business, and Katie is going to share with you her secrets on this week's TuneUp.
How your business blog and your Facebook business page work together.
How blogs reach readers - those readers being your clients, customers, and new business prospects.
How a blog can get the word out about a new class, new product, or awesome-sauce that your business creates or provides.
Why a status update at your Facebook page is just a blip and misses opportunities.
Why blogs matter for social media.
How to think up new ideas for your blog to keep it fresh.
Easy tools for how to start a blog.
Newsletters vs blogs and how they work together.
Why Google will love your blog and recommend it to people.
Anyone can watch a Tin Shingle TuneUp from their computer, mobile phone or tablet. The process is different for Premium Members and the public.
MEMBERS OF TIN SHINGLE
Stream any TuneUp Webinar anytime with your Tin Shingle membership. No need to purchase it, this TuneUp is ready to play from this page! When you are logged in, you will see a big screen. Press play and start taking notes! Not a member yet? You really should be...
NON-MEMBERS OF TIN SHINGLE
Once you buy a TuneUp, you own it forever. The video or audio recording will appear on the TuneUp page that you just purchased from, and all you need to do is press play!
Katie Hellmuth Martin is co-founder of Tin Shingle and publisher of A Little Beacon Blog. Since 2005 when she hung her own shingle as a designer of websites and accessories, Katie has worked with businesses of all sizes to grow their digital footprints using newsletters, company blogs, user experience, social media, and a creative look at SEO performance. For Tin Shingle, she is lead designer, community membership nurturer, columnist, and director of partnerships and advertising.
If your business has a blog, is it currently getting you regular press and driving traffic to your website? If the answer to that was no, then this #TuneUp is a must-listen for you! With a just a few tweaks to your blog and to your outreach strategy, you can turn your blog into a press magnet! Putting your business into the limelight.
A substantial increase in relationships with influencers from your industry.
More traffic to your website, and even better: repeat traffic to your website
Organic buzz about your brand
In addition to the power blogging strategies this class covers, we're going to hook you up by sharing:
How to use social media to bring people over to that beautiful blog
Tips on finding or creating free images for your blog
The last sentence every blog needs to include to guarantee engagement
Having a blog on your company's website is as essential as having that website in the first place, but that isn't enough. If you're going to blog, you want that blog to work for you! This #TuneUp will make that happen! Also, download Tin Shingle's Blog Planning and Production Calendar to make this all a lot easier.
Anyone can watch a Tin Shingle TuneUp from their computer, mobile phone or tablet. The process is different for Premium Members and the public.
MEMBERS OF TIN SHINGLE
Stream any TuneUp Webinar anytime with your Tin Shingle membership. No need to purchase it, this TuneUp is ready to play from this page! When you are logged in, you will see a big screen. Press play and start taking notes! Not a member yet? You really should be...
NON-MEMBERS OF TIN SHINGLE
Once you buy a TuneUp, you own it forever. The video or audio recording will appear on the TuneUp page that you just purchased from, and all you need to do is press play!
Sabina Ptacin Hitchen is the co-founder of Tin Shingle and the President of Red Branch Public Relations. She has been practicing, teaching and lecturing on all things public relations for over eight years and specializes in lifestyle public relations for small businesses and entrepreneurs. Sabina's clients have appeared everywhere from the Today Show, Good Morning America and CBS This Morning to Entrepreneur Magazine, Inc.com, O the Oprah Winfrey Magazine, People StyleWatch, E! News and more. She is a true believer that "it's PR not ER" and that every small business given the right skills and tools can excel at managing and understanding their public relations campaign.
There's a new phenomenon in blogging, and it's becoming a visibilty and revenue booster for businesses big and small. Personal Style Bloggers have emerged as their own brands and are driving fashion and accessory sales as well as engaging in brand partnerships in a major way. They are the new celebrities and thousands of followers as well as traditional media are covering their styles in stories. So how do you get your brand onto a Personal Style Blogger's blog? And what should you expect once that happens? We'll tell you in this class!
What are Personal Style Bloggers and what type of content do they create?
What is the power and influence of this type of new “media”? Why should fashion and accessories brands be paying attention to and growing relationships with these bloggers?
Does the influence of these bloggers extend beyond their blogs into social media and other places?
How can a brand who hasn’t worked with a blogger like this before figure out how to find the blogs that would “match” their brand?
Is there a general rule of thumb as to how many of these bloggers should a business should work with?
How do you decide when to pursue more bloggers, or do you do it on a case by case basis?
Once a brand has picked a couple style bloggers to connect with, how do they begin their outreach? Email? Social Media?
Does a business need to "woo" a personal style blogger? Is there a strategy to approaching them? Do you recommend diving right in or are there other steps you should take before you reach out (follow them for awhile, tweet with them, etc.?)
What items do you need to have prepared and read to send to a personal style blogger in just a few clicks? Does a business need linesheets, samples or other tools?
What should an initial pitch to a style blogger look like? Is it the same as pitching any other fashion or accessories blogger?
Should a business expect to have to send product/sample to a style blogger as they’re hopefully going to wear it in photos? And will that blogger keep it?
If a business pitches a style blogger, and doesn't hear back right away, is that silence the answer of "no"? Do you keep emailing them? Does a brand wait months for them to follow up and respond? Should a business take their outreach to Twitter? What would you recommend? (RELATED: For tips on best ways to communicate with stylists and celebrities on Twitter, click here to learn about our class, Using Twitter and Social Media to Boost Your PR Success)
After a brand gets press from a personal style blogger, what is the next step in growing the relationship with the style blogger? Do you send a thank you note? Gift? Email?
How do you recommend leveraging this style blog post for maximum impact?
How often can a business pitch a style blogger after they've landed a placement on their blog?
Is there a pay-for-play format with style bloggers for coverage on their blog?
Anyone can watch a Tin Shingle TuneUp from their computer, mobile phone or tablet. The process is different for Premium Members and the public.
MEMBERS OF TIN SHINGLE
Stream any TuneUp Webinar anytime with your Tin Shingle membership. No need to purchase it, this TuneUp is ready to play from this page! When you are logged in, you will see a big screen. Press play and start taking notes! Not a member yet? You really should be...
NON-MEMBERS OF TIN SHINGLE
Once you buy a TuneUp, you own it forever. The video or audio recording will appear on the TuneUp page that you just purchased from, and all you need to do is press play!
Jamie Werner is the PR Director at Moderne Press, a San Francisco based boutique public relations agency, that represents brands in the fashion, home décor, and lifestyle industries. The media strategists at Moderne Press feel passionately about working with boutique and small business brands, and value establishing the brand's voice in order to heighten that brand’s visibility. Moderne Press has placed clients in a variety of media such as People StyleWatch, Real Simple, Elle Décor, House Beautiful, Martha Stewart Living, Better Homes & Gardens, Brides, InStyle, Good Morning America, Vanity Fair, DailyCandy and Apartment Therapy among many others. Follow Moderne Press on their website, www.modernepress.com, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.
In this TuneUp e-class, learn how your business blog can spread your digital footprint and increase your branding opportunities. Tin Shingle co-founders Sabina Hitchen and Katie Hellmuth Martin take you through ideas and strategies you can start using today to breathe new life into your blog and bring it to the next level.
Brand Storytelling: Why your blog is one of the most powerful ways of creating your own brand storytelling to help it spread online.
Depth to Website: How a blog adds depth and action on an otherwise static website that doesn't change frequently.
Credibility: How your business blog creates validation of your brand.
Media Love Blogs: How the press will use your business blog if they are considering your business in a news story.
Facebook: Why blogging at Facebook isn't enough, and how you could be missing out on long-term exposure.
Plan Your Work - Work Your Plan! Sabina and Katie suggest easy ways you can plan out in advance what will be on your blog. (HINT: Use the Blog Planning Calendar that is mentioned in this e-class)
Key Ways to Create Killer Content: You can do it! You will learn strategies that even magazines use to create content that your readers, customers and clients will love.
Share It! Great ways you can lead people to your blog post and business website from Instagram and other social streams.
Anyone can watch a Tin Shingle TuneUp from their computer, mobile phone or tablet. The process is different for premium members and the public.
MEMBERS OF TIN SHINGLE
Stream any TuneUp Webinar anytime with your Tin Shingle membership. No need to purchase it, this TuneUp is ready to play from this page! When you are logged in, you will see a big screen. Press play and start taking notes!
NON-MEMBERS OF TIN SHINGLE
Once you buy a TuneUp, you own it forever. The video or audio recording will appear on the TuneUp page that you just purchased from, and all you need to do is press play!
Each week Tin Shingle hosts a live call-in e-class called a TuneUp that focuses on a featured topic in buzz-building. These classes can include PR, social media, SEO, blogging, newsletter strategies, and more. The e-class is recorded it to make it available as a podcast or video webinar. Our experts and special guests lead each class. We take real questions from real business owners and answer them on the spot. TuneUps are available to everyone, but are free for Tin Shingle members.
Sabina Hitchen is the co-founder of Tin Shingle and the President of Red Branch Public Relations. She has been practicing, teaching and lecturing on all things public relations for over eight years and specializes in lifestyle public relations for small businesses and entrepreneurs. Sabina's clients have appeared everywhere from the Today Show, Good Morning America and CBS This Morning to Entrepreneur Magazine, Inc.com, O the Oprah Winfrey Magazine, People StyleWatch, E! News and more. She is a true believer that "it's PR not ER" and that every small business given the right skills and tools can excel at managing and understanding their public relations campaign.
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$65.00
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Katie Hellmuth Martin is the Co-Founder of 
Katie Hellmuth Martin is co-founder of 
Sabina Ptacin Hitchen is the co-founder of Tin Shingle and the President of Red Branch Public Relations. She has been practicing, teaching and lecturing on all things public relations for over eight years and specializes in lifestyle public relations for small businesses and entrepreneurs. Sabina's clients have appeared everywhere from the Today Show, Good Morning America and CBS This Morning to Entrepreneur Magazine, Inc.com, O the Oprah Winfrey Magazine, People StyleWatch, E! News and more. She is a true believer that "it's PR not ER" and that every small business given the right skills and tools can excel at managing and understanding their public relations campaign.
Jamie Werner is the PR Director at 
Sabina Hitchen is the co-founder of Tin Shingle and the President of Red Branch Public Relations. She has been practicing, teaching and lecturing on all things public relations for over eight years and specializes in lifestyle public relations for small businesses and entrepreneurs. Sabina's clients have appeared everywhere from the Today Show, Good Morning America and CBS This Morning to Entrepreneur Magazine, Inc.com, O the Oprah Winfrey Magazine, People StyleWatch, E! News and more. She is a true believer that "it's PR not ER" and that every small business given the right skills and tools can excel at managing and understanding their public relations campaign.
