Image by The Next Web via Flickr

If you are a news junkie and a Twitter fan, you will want to check out this directory of journalists on Twitter, listed by their media outlet. It comes from Muck Rack, which follows what journalists are reporting and talking about on social media. It also ranks the most active journalists on social media on the Muck Rack Leaderboard, which is a great way to follow trends and developing news.

Muck Rack is a fantastic source for anyone interested in news and communications. It was started in 2009 with about 150 journalists on Twitter and now lists thousands of reporters and editors who are active on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Quora, Google+, LinkedIn and more. What’s best is that the list is actually fact-checked by a team of editors, so you know you’re getting great info.

If you want to get even closer to the action, subscribe to the Muck Rack Daily email to learn on a daily basis what journalists are saying. This is a great resource for anyone who is trying to promote their own business, or who is doing PR and Media Relations on a shoestring!  If you subscribe, let me know what you think.

This is a great time to say thank you for following my blog and participating in great conversations that (I hope) have helped you realize your PR goals and your business dreams.

This year has been tough for nearly every organization seeking to boost sales or increase awareness through traditional media such as print and broadcast, or word-of-mouth platforms like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

In 2011, professionals were faced with a double whammy: shrinking marketing budgets and trying to follow and adapt to an ever-changing media landscape. We’ve all had to learn a lot of new rules and tools to stay on top of social media marketing.

As my way of saying thanks, I’d like to share a few timesaving tools and resources that kept me on top of my game this year:

1.    PR Daily: A fantastic eNewsletter for PR and marketing professionals following traditional and social media trends and topics.

2.    LinkedIn’s Answers: Saves countless hours researching an infinite number of topics or challenges. Why start from scratch when you’ve got experts eager to help on any topic for any industry.

3.    Google Docs: Invaluable for collaborating on projects. Edit or create documents on a Google Doc and use Google’s chat tool for instantly discussing or improving upon your changes. It’s simple and elegant.

4.    Join.me: Share your computer desktop view with others remotely for presentations or collaboration. Others can view your desktop presentations or follow as you navigate web sites by simply clicking on a link to Join.me.

5.    Highrise Contact Management: Following-up with the reporters you pitch, or the prospects you’re trying to reach is easy with Highrise. It helps you track all emails and phone calls and sends reminders about the tasks related to those contacts. An easy way to create, organize and monitor all your customer info, emails and notes.

Give these free tools a try and tell me what you think. And if you would like to review your PR efforts this year, or want to discuss your 2012 strategy,  don’t hesitate to contact me through the form here on my blog or at michelle at michelledamico dot com.

Wishing you happiness in the Season of Giving and lasting prosperity in 2012.

Enjoy these photos as a gift from my personal collection. 

Gifts from an ice storm, by Michelle Damico

A visual feast is often the next best thing, by Michelle Damico

Your passion will take you there, by Michelle Damico

Go with your  instincts — that’s the simplest rule I followed as a reporter looking for a story for WXRT newscasts  and now as a PR/marketing professional working on behalf of clients.  My instincts never seem to fail me. Here’s proof — this past week.

My client, Ambrosia Euro American Patisserie is having a fundraiser this Saturday, May 21st at their cafe in Barrington. Deborah and Richard Rivera are hosting Sweet Relief for Chef Rob Macey, a respected restaurant owner and food service pro who is burdened by medical bills following a very risky brain surgery this year.

The Riveras and Macey are rock stars among foodies here in the northwest suburbs of Chicago and downtown as well–they have a huge following of foodies and industry professionals. So when Debby and several of Rob Macey’s friends decided on a fundraiser, the entire restaurant community responded with generosity, as did their many customers. The donations for help and silent auction items have been pouring in from Ambrosia customers as well as the vendors who serve some of the Chicago area’s finest restaurants. Rob Macey himself has been so humbled by the outpouring that he is insisting on preparing some of the buffet dishes himself in Ambrosia’s kitchen. Two local musicians will be performing in the bakery/cafe.  I had a strong hunch this would attract many local journalists. Why?

It’s a great story about

• great people and their passion to help others.
• how food drives passion and devotion to  excellence
• loyalty and friendship, sacrifice and taking care of each other.

I told Debby that this is more than your typical, run-of-the-mill fundraiser and suggested that we reach out to local media to help us spread the word. Every reporter I contacted wanted interviews with Rob and Debby. See the coverage, which all occurred this past week.

Fundraiser aims to help local chef recover, Daily Herald, Sunday, May 15, 2011

Friends cook up fundraiser to help chef, Chicago Tribune, Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Friends Rally to help Ailing Chef, Patch.com/Lake Zurich,  Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Of all the great quotes that came out of these stories, this is the one I love the most:

What the heck did I do in my life to have so many friends and people to offer to help?

Hope to see you at Ambrosia this Saturday night!

Yes, you can be your own PR agent.

If you’re like many entrepreneurs launching a small business, a budget for PR is often last on the priority list. That’s unfortunate, because we’re all news providers these days, hungry for great news content for our own Facebook page, YouTube Channel, Twitter feed and other social media platforms. Having your story told through word-of-mouth marketing or in traditional media such as newspapers, radio, and TV is one of the most effective ways to attract new customers and build your business.

While it does require effort and learning, it’s possible to wear another hat and become your own PR rep. Like anything, you need to keep at it, even if you don’t see instant results.

I recently was interviewed about DIY PR for business people by Catherine Morgan, Transition and Entrepreneur Coach from Point A to Point B Transitions. Please take a listen and let me know if I can help you get started. Email me: michelle at michelledamico dot com!

Farmers are proud of what they do! Photo by Michelle Damico

Today the Chicago Tribune wrote a wonderful story about farmers using social media in northern and northwestern Illinois and mentioned the workshop I presented to encourage other farms to jump on the social media band wagon.  The story is headlined: Farmers plant seeds on social media.

A few of my friends have asked me for links to the Farmer’s pages on Facebook. From FB, you should be able to find their web site as well!

• Twin Garden Farms Web Site, Facebook Page Gary Pack at Twin Gardens Farms has a fantastic web site as well as a YouTube channel. He puts his heart into social media, as well as his delicious Mirai corn, which is sold at Chicago Farmer’s Markets.

• Klein’s Farm and Garden Market — they launched their FB page just after  attending my social media workshop. Follow them and spread the word. They are wonderful people.
• Stade’s Farm – if you live in McHenry County, no doubt you’ve visited Stade’s. Sign up for their newsletter too! And don’t miss their apple cider donuts come harvest time!
• Heritage Prairie Farm – Their social web properties will knock you out! Just amazing work. These folks know social media. You’ll find them on Flickr, FB, YouTube, etc. Plus they host these all natural farm dinners throughout the summer and fall. You will be so impressed.
• Woodstock Farmers Market – I love Woodstock’s market for the variety and for the farmers.
• Chicago Farmer’s Markets – one of the best cities for farmer’s markets anywhere!

Those are just a start. I’ll add more as I think of them.

If you have a favorite that’s not on my list, please share with us by leaving a comment with the link.

Thanks everyone!

Image by DFID - UK Department for International Development via Flickr

It’s the payoff for all your hard work—a news reporter has discovered your company’s fantastic new product or service. She wants to learn more about you. You’re torn between feelings of thrill and terror. Done right, mass media coverage can boost your credibility, increase awareness and lead to a spike in leads or sales. Done wrong, you may miss the chance to communicate the benefits of your product or service and fritter away your 15 minutes of fame.

Being questioned by a reporter is challenging for the inexperienced and unprepared. When I was a news reporter for WXRT and WBEZ in Chicago, I conducted hundreds of interviews every year for 15 years. I could easily discern the skilled interviewee from the newbie. For the skilled, the interview is a tango – a dance full of bold yet graceful moves, with accents on the appropriate twists and turns.  For the unskilled, an interview is like sitting through dental work without painkillers.

The key to mastering any interview is being in control and doing the advance work that inspires confidence. So park your jitters and skepticism at the door. This is the first in a series of tips on preparing for and controlling a media interview.

“Control” doesn’t mean manipulate. It means crafting a compelling message for your target audience and using the tactics and discipline needed to make sure the reporter understands and repeats that message in the story.

Just as the first step in the sales process is to understand the customer’s needs, the first step in the interview process is to know what the reporter needs and to whom he/she is communicating. Even before scheduling your interview, find out details so you understand what the reporter is looking for. Learn about their beat, media outlet and its audience.  As you coordinate scheduling, don’t hesitate to ask the following:

• What’s your story about?
• Do you have a specific angle in mind?
• Will you conduct the interview in person or by phone? (Many now will send questions via email, which is great because you have more time to think about your answers, and you have a written record if you’re misquoted.)
• Who else have you talked to?
• How did you hear about me/my company/product?
• What is your deadline?
• When will you run this story?

I advise clients not to ask to review or approve the story before it runs. Allowing a source to edit his/her own story is viewed as an attempt to control coverage. Reporters may follow up with you to check their facts. But no respectable media outlet would allow you to edit (or in their view, censor) a reporter’s work.

After getting answers to those questions, do some simple research to learn a little bit about the reporter. A Google search will reveal the latest stories written by that person, as well as their interests, beats, and tone of their writing. Often news organizations will provide a reporter’s bio in the “Contact” or “Staff” directory of the outlet’s web site.

If none is available, keep digging. With so many media people on Facebook, Twitter and other popular social networks, you’re likely to find helpful information about a reporter’s background, personality and approach to his interview subjects.

Next tip: Preparing for the interview.

When customers and prospects visit your website, Facebook or other digital properties, do they see a memorable message about  your business and how it helps people or other businesses? In an elevator or at a cocktail party would someone understand your business value proposition in a minute or less?

If “NO” is the answer to both questions, you should consider creating or simplifying your business message or starting from scratch with a message framework.

It sounds easier than it is. Creating one short soundbite explaining what you do and why it matters to your target audience takes time, perspective and a willingness to dig beyond your mission statement and product/service description.

It also requires a kind of objectivity that’s difficult to practice when your business is your baby. The message development process can take hours, days or weeks, depending on your own and your customers’ experiences. My approach is to take it in baby steps; the first three are fact-finding steps.

• Know Your Audience — pinpoint their problem, and consider all the ways that problem keeps them worried or makes them lose sleep.
• List all the ways your product/service solves that problem. If you have a long list, put the top three in priority.
• Describe the most important features that you offer a customer and how those features specifically address that problem.

The final fourth step has more to do with your customer’s feelings or emotions. We all establish personal connections to a business. I choose a neighborhood printer versus going online for my letterhead and business cards because the manager of the Minute Man Press in my town makes me feel important. As a small business owner, that’s a good feeling and one that will keep me coming back.

So once you’ve done all your fact-finding in steps 1, 2 and 3, consider the emotional response from your client when you do business with him/her? Does he feel more secure? Trusting? Smart that he’s spending his money wisely? Protected because you’re watching out for her business?

Navigating this process requires your own review of how you’ve helped customers and the anecdotes they’ve shared about how you made a difference. It’s also best to conduct this messaging process with the help of a third party, someone who can be objective, who doesn’t live and breathe your business, and who can provide a different perspective of your business and your audience. The anecdotes you gather become the supporting points that bolster your message. These “proof points” also serve as conversation-extenders, since prospects want to hear about other customer experiences for a better understanding of how you’ll help them.

So let’s get a conversation started — What do you do?

As a follow up, it’s worth sharing that the Chicago Red Cross‘ “Voluntweeters to the Rescue” story that I blogged about previously got picked up today by Newsradio 780 reporter Bernie Tafoya. Here’s one of his reports that aired during this morning’s newscasts. http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2011/02/21/stranded-motorists-used-twitter-during-blizzard/.

I’m hoping the Red Cross experience with Twitter during the Chicago Blizzard will convince the City of Chicago to take a closer look at how Twitter can easily be used to respond to emergencies and disasters. Given that the Red Cross carried out its Twitter Blizzard Rescue with little to no budget, relying solely on a band of volunteers, it is a great lesson on the power of crowdsourcing and the right social media tools when disaster strikes.

This story is getting a lot of interest — just do a search of @ChicagoRedCross on Twitter to see the number of people tweeting about it. It’s definitely worth talking about. Hope you spread the word.

Image by chadmagiera via Flickr

Image by Wikipedia

Tweeting to save humanity is a pretty lofty goal, but it’s not beyond reach for Jackie Mitchell, Marketing/Communications Director of the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago. Mitchell (@Your_MsSunshine) had amazingly vivid and attention-grabbing stories about how the volunteer-driven (90% volunteers) Red Cross is using Twitter to literally try to save people when disaster strikes. She recently shared her account with digital PR professionals attending the 4th Annual Ragan Communications Conference for Social Media PR and Corporate Communications.

The Great Groundhog Day Blizzard in Chicago, Feb 1, 2011 pounded the metropolitan area with nearly 2 feet of snow in a matter of hours. Snowfall measuring 20.2 inches (officially at O’hare Airport) and heavy winds stranded hundreds of commuters in their cars on Chicago’s heavily traveled roadway, Lake Shore Drive.

All lanes were jammed with vehicles that were either stopped for or involved in accidents or had simply run out of gas.  As they waited in their lanes, blowing snow turned cars into giant snow drifts and left people stranded for more than 10 hours in some cases without food or water. The city urged drivers to stay in their cars, but offered little information about when and what kind of help would be coming.

Research by the Red Cross shows that 74% of those surveyed believe an emergency responder would hear an SOS tweet. “They believe you would respond within an hour –the public thinks your listening.  People think if they tweet about an emergency, than someone will come with help. The Red Cross is continually looking for ways to do things differently so we can respond.”  Mitchell said Twitter just happened to be the right tool at the right time.

“Chicago Red Cross started preparing for the blizzard because we knew everyone would be talking about it. By following popular hashtags such as #snOMG, #ChicagoBlizzard, @snowmageddon, #snowpocalypse and #snoprah – we immediately saw what people were talking about and then began engaging with them. Mitchell says the Red Cross has learned early on in their own Twitter presence that “to mobilize or move someone to act or donate, you have to understand what their shared value is. Our “voluntweeters” know that too and they began tweeting the dire situation to their followers.  We soon caught media attention. In some cases, reporters found the Red Cross tweets more timely than information coming from official sources.

“We found ourselves functioning like a news source, and later learned how many media outlets were referring to us,” Mitchell said. “When disaster strikes, it’s common for our social media conversation to drive the traditional media conversation.”

Providing information remained secondary to its main mission – helping those in need. Volunteers, many of whom were identified through Twitter crowdsourcing, converged on Lake Shore Drive, distributing water and food to those stranded in cars until warming buses arrives to take them to Red Cross shelters. More than 360 commuters were taken to shelters that night.

Mitchell says search and rescue during a disaster isn’t something the Red Cross typically does (most local aid goes to helping families displaced by house fires). But Mitchell says that matching people who wanted to help with people who could help was the right thing to do to “honor” their community.

“It wasn’t our niche, but it was our community. We honored community and they responded afterwards with gratitude by making donations, giving blood and offering to volunteer,” she said.

There are many lessons from the Chicago Red Cross’ Blizzard response. Donations and volunteers are the lifeblood of the Red Cross — without either the Red Cross would cease to exist. She says the Blizzard of 2011 proved once again, that finding those who need your help, mobilizing followers to act, and genuinely engaging with all audiences leads to real results. The proof? Mitchell says Red Cross tweets, news and updates generated so much good will and credibility among the community, that offers of cash, blood donations and volunteer assistance immediately followed the snow storm.

If you’d like to donate blood, cash, or your own time to the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago, go to http://www.chicagoredcross.org and Donate Now!

You can also go to the Chicago Red Cross Flickr stream or YouTube Channel to see volunteers in action on and following the Great Groundhog Day Blizzard of 2011!  Here’s a YouTube video interview of a Lake Shore Driver rescued by the Red Cross. He’s a teacher at Clara Barton Elementary School — an amazingly funny coincidence, since Clara Barton is the founder of the American Red Cross!

Bachrach speaks to students at Chicago's Julian High School

It’s ironic that I nearly said “No You Can’t” to Lloyd Bachrach, the founder of Yes You Can! Lloyd has an amazing story to tell about his success and personal achievements in spite of a birth defect  that made his legs unusually short. He had approached me in late December, asking to help him get coverage for his speeches before kids in Chicago’s most violent-prone public schools. Through a grant from the CME Group Foundation, Lloyd was going into the schools and encouraging kids to respect themselves and each other and to strive for greatness beyond their imaginations.

I discouraged him from doing PR during the busy Christmas season, initially telling him that getting  reporters out to the schools would be difficult. Plus, I feared administrators wouldn’t allow  for kids faces to appear on camera, plus some principals don’t like camera crews or reporters in their schools. I had an endless list of reasons for “No You Can’t.”

He accepted my advice, and I told him I’d be in touch after the New Year. Luckily I didn’t accept my advice and realized the huge mistake I made! How could I be telling this amazingly optimistic, inspiring human being that his story wasn’t ready to be told.  We started working with each other immediately. Loyd is a great speaker and a great performer. He had these middle school and high school kids in the palm of his hands! Finding ways to curb violence and bullying in Chicago Public Schools is a hot topic, because our schools have been plagued by kid-on-kid violence. So reporters, looking for a fresh angle heading into the New Year, were instantly interested.

Literally within days, I secured the first in a string of  interviews from reporters who wanted to talk to Lloyd by phone or in person at the events. Within a six-week period, Lloyd was featured on WLS Talk Radio, Chicago Tribune (print story and video online), the DeKalb Daily Chronicle, Living Lake Country publications serving Southern Wisconsin and  the Oak Leaves of the Pioneer Press. Other media are also interested in TV interviews or in having Lloyd write an article about how he helps steer kids away from violence.

Lloyd is one of the best clients I’ve ever had. Besides inspiring kids, he inspires me — A LOT!  He is always positive and funny. And he listens to my advice, always seeking constructive criticism. I’m so glad I went with my gut, and told myself Yes You Can to Lloyd. I’m also glad I had the honesty to admit a mistake and to follow my instincts.