by Chris Nerney | Mar 3, 2021 | Blog
Podcasting has entered the mainstream. More than one-third (37%) of Americans age 12 and over listen to podcasts at least every month and 24% listen weekly, according to Edison Research. Given that this data is from a report published last March, you can be assured the numbers today are higher.
My colleague Brandon Glenn wrote an excellent post in May 2018 offering tips to healthcare professionals who may be appearing as guests on a podcast. While that advice still stands, these days your company may be considering launching a podcast of its own.
That’s what one of Amendola’s clients recently did. And that client, the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress (F4CP), has done an outstanding job! F4CP is a non-profit organization dedicated to educating the public about the benefits of chiropractic care.
Its podcast, Adjusted Reality, debuted in late December and had 1,000 downloads in the first five days. In a world where most podcasts don’t survive past seven episodes, that’s an extremely successful launch.
So what did F4CP do right? A bunch of things.
They have an engaging, upbeat host in Dr. Sherry McAllister. They settled on a format that works for them (interview). They snagged high-profile guests for their first three episodes, including Dr. Deepak Chopra.
And they have a clever name for the podcast. (Actually, Amendola VP Tara Stultz gets credit for coming up with the title Adjusted Reality, while an F4CP intern came through with the equally clever tagline, “Trusted by the Adjusted.”)
There are other things F4CP did well, including a smart launch strategy and effective promotion. But what I want to focus on in this post is the most important element of all in ensuring your podcast can attract and build an audience: quality content.
Podcasts are no different than any other medium of communication. If you have nothing to say, or don’t know what to say, you are doomed to failure.
The good news is that your business already should know what it wants to communicate, and it also should know its target audience. Both of those will help you devise a winning content formula for a podcast.
It’s also critical to tie your podcast content strategy to your business strategy. That should be easy.
You want to raise awareness of your brand in your target audience. You want to position your company as a thought leader and trusted source of information.
And you want to establish a relationship with your target audience. All of these eventually will pay off in revenue and business growth.
Podcasts are particularly effective in helping establish relationships and positioning yourself as a thought leader because they are a very human form of communication. The voice is a powerful instrument for connecting with other people.
We’ve all been drawn in by charismatic speakers, whether we heard them in person, on the radio, or television. Podcasts also leverage the power of the human voice.
But only if that voice has something to say that resonates with your intended audience! Which gets back to your content.
Your podcast can’t be a sales pitch. All that will accomplish is to drive away listeners.
Instead you want to address their needs and concerns in a way that is helpful to them. In other words, provide value. That’s the same strategy you would use in crafting a thought-leadership piece or an op-ed.
Podcasts are a dynamic way to reach your target audience. They can be a lot of work, but there’s a real payoff when you realize you’re making a connection with people and building a reputation as a trusted authority. But it all starts with your content strategy.
by Brandon Glenn | Feb 17, 2021 | Blog
Of all the deliverables we routinely encounter in public relations, none presents as much of a challenge as the humble byline.
Press releases are necessarily to-the-point and formulaic. Blog posts are often quick-and-dirty shorter pieces that are meant to quickly touch on a specific topic, rather than delve in deeply. (White papers don’t qualify as “routine” as they should be employed sparingly; once per quarter, at most, and even that may be pushing it.)
Bylines, however, are altogether different. To craft a coherent, well-reasoned, nonpromotional 800 to 1,000-word article that offers background, explanation and possible solutions on a pressing industry issue is difficult for a writer to do even in his or her own voice. Add to it the PR writer’s challenge of crafting the piece using the client’s thoughts in the client’s voice and the exercise becomes significantly more arduous.
In that spirit, following are three quick tips for writing a better byline.
Develop a written plan before any phone calls: To make the best use of subject matter experts’ (SMEs) time, start planning your byline long before any phone calls. What’s the major theme or “angle” you’re looking to convey to the reader? Start by brainstorming potential headlines, and then after you have a few, write out what could be the first couple sentences of the article. If you’re unable to get this far, it’s a strong sign your plan for the article isn’t solid enough, and it’s time to refine or rethink the angle.
Do your research: It’s fairly rare to find an idea that is completely new. In other words, whatever you’re planning to write about, it’s likely someone else has written about the same, or a similar, topic previously. Do a few variations of Google searches around the topic you’re planning to write about to evaluate what’s been said before. This will provide an idea of the well-trodden ground that’s been discussed ad nauseum and is better avoided, as well potentially spark ideas for new angles. Further, avail yourself of the research that other writers have performed. Good reporters will “show their receipts” in their articles with links to studies, surveys, data and other articles that can provide helpful background. Save time and boost efficiency by taking advantage of the work that’s already been done.
Come up with a targeted list of questions: Also filed under, “Don’t waste SMEs’ time.” Draw up a list of targeted questions for call participants to review prior to the call. In my experience, the top reason byline intake calls go off-the-rails is lack of preparation. Following a list of predetermined questions enables participants to remain focused and helps keep the call running smoothly. If you’re lucky, the SME will even read over the questions prior to the call and ponder potential responses, which generally helps immensely to boost a byline’s quality in the end.
Due to the nature of what we’re trying to accomplish with bylines, they’ll always be challenging to write. But there is a formula for success. Follow the three tips above to craft better bylines.
by Morgan Lewis | Jan 20, 2021 | Blog
COVID-19 left no industry unscathed in 2020 (well, except maybe Wall Street). One of the hardest-hit industries was healthcare, which is Amendola’s specialty. Throughout the year, we posted blogs with helpful advice about adjusting to the massive changes occurring in the economy and how to steer your organization when so much was uncertain.
Well, judging from the most-read blog posts from the year, it seemed our readers were more interested in writing tips than survival tips. This unexpected outcome, we hope, is a positive indicator that most of you coped well with working from home, virtual meetings and travel restrictions in 2020, and were simply trying to sharpen your written communication skills with the additional time on your hands.
So, without further ado, the following are the top 5 most read Amendola blog posts of 2020 in descending order.
5. The New Normal in Public Relations and Marketing
Our only post written in 2020 to crack the top 5 describes how various brands have responded to the pandemic and how there is likely no returning to a 2019 version of normal. As the post points out, while the world may have changed, the vision and mission of your organization should remain the same. Maintaining the status quo, however, is not an option and neither is giving up. Communicating strategically, i.e., not ignoring the seismic disruption caused by COVID-19, is essential and can help your company weather (and even grow) during this catastrophic time.
4. Simple Language and Communication Success
As a professional writer for more than 20 years, I can attest to how difficult it is to write with simplicity, especially about complex topics like healthcare and IT. As this post from 2017 reminds us: simplicity is often better. Keeping sentences short, avoiding jargon and using an active voice are important tips to remember for everything we write and across all forms of writing. It is no wonder that this post was among our most-read posts again.
3. The Importance of Feedback in PR From Media, to Writing to Client Relationships
Feedback, when appropriately delivered, makes us better at whatever we do, as this post written in 2018 reminds us. Feedback takes on an added dimension in PR because we need it from clients and colleagues, but also editors and other members of the media where we have deep professional relationships. Seeking feedback can certainly provoke anxiety in all of us, but, as the post assures us, it can motivate, improve performance and keep us focused on the right targets.
2. Health Care or Healthcare? Here’s the Answer You Won’t Find in an AP Stylebook
As a journalism major in college, the Associated Press Stylebook becomes your bible. Since Amendola has so many former journalists on our team (including yours truly) many of the manual’s terminology, abbreviation, punctuation and other rules are hardwired into our brains and fingers. (I still often write the word “percent” even though the AP ruled in 2019 that the “%” symbol is now preferred.) Publications and organizations often have their own style rules for content that differ from the AP, which is what this blog post from 2019 is about. At Amendola, for example, we write healthcare as one word, although the AP uses two. Curious readers (and writers) clearly wanted to learn more about the secrets of this vaunted manual, which is why it was in the top 5 most read for the second year in a row.
- Going in AP Style
Sheltered-in-place during the pandemic, many of us turned to self-improvement activities – exercise, healthy cooking, reading more books, learning a new professional skill — and were seeking online content and classes to help guide those activities. That is my highly non-scientific explanation for why four out of the five most-read blog posts from 2020 were about personal development, mostly improving your writing chops. Yet this blog post from 2018 was also the most read post of that year, as well as 2019, which makes me wonder if readers are on a self-improvement kick or they just don’t want to shell out $27 for an online subscription to the stylebook. Either way, this post is filled with helpful nuggets for writing a press release, blog post or any type of content.
Whether it is writing tips, strategic branding guidance, media relations best practices or any of the other many PR and marketing topics we cover, we hope that you’ll continue to visit our blog throughout 2021. Who knows… maybe we’ll even write about AP style again.
by Ken Krause | Jan 6, 2021 | Blog
Case studies (aka customer stories) are one of the most powerful tools in an organization’s marketing arsenal. And for good reason.
If you are an unknown or little-known company, a great case study that names the customer can provide you with instant credibility. Many (most?) organizations are fairly risk-averse, which means they’re reluctant to take a chance on a new solution no matter how much promise it holds. A case study often gives them the confidence to overcome those fears.
If you are an industry leader, case studies are a great way to demonstrate that your reputation is not just a product of marketing hype. You are a substantial company that continues to work hard to deliver value to your customers.
Of course, all of this assumes one key factor: you have actual results to show.
What do I mean by that? Of course you have results! You created all these materials, delivered all these widgets, documented all these exchanges, etc.
Nope, sorry. Those aren’t results. Those are activities.
So while all of those things are good and necessary, they’re just the table stakes. What your readers will really be interested in is what impact all those activities had on your customers, or their customers.
Here’s a quick healthcare example. If you produced a program to help a hospital’s patients with diabetes gain control over their HbA1c levels that’s great. The fact that you produced four YouTube videos, six pamphlets and three infographics gives the reader a sense of the scope of the program.
But those aren’t results. Results would be something like 60% of those who enrolled in the program got their HbA1c levels under 7.0 and 85% lowered their rates by at least two points in the first six months.
What’s the difference? In the first example you did something that was necessary to success but it didn’t cause anything to change.
Had all those same materials been produced but not distributed there would have been no way of knowing whether they would be effective or not because they weren’t yet in the hands of the people who needed them. You might as well have blown up balloons with pictures of clowns on them.
In the second example, the materials you produced were distributed and produced outcomes among those to whom they were targeted. THAT is what your prospects want to know.
They’re not interested in your ability to produce slick materials in a variety of formats. They’re interested in whether the program achieved the intended goals.
This distinction between activities and results becomes particularly important when the case study is repurposed for a speaker application – especially a complex application for an event such as HIMSS.
While all the background and steps that were taken are important, having real results to speak to is critical. I’ve never been in the room where it happens, but I imagine that when HIMSS applications are received the reviewers immediately go to the results section. If all you have to show is activities, the application immediately gets sent to the discard folder.
I understand that securing customers to participate in case studies can be difficult, and often beggars can’t be choosers. If your only option is a customer that either isn’t tracking results (unthinkable in today’s digital world but apparently it happens) or doesn’t have quantifiable results to speak of yet, so be it.
But if that’s the case you need to recognize that the effectiveness of your case study (or speaker application) will be diminished. Prospects will leave a bit disappointed, the media will be reluctant to write their own stories about it, and event organizers will be likely to pass on your speaker application. Expectations for success should be set accordingly.
Case studies are wonderful tools, but their effectiveness is closely tied to the results you have to tout. Understanding the difference between activities and outcomes will help ensure you do all you can to deliver the best – and most effective – case studies to help your PR and marketing efforts.
by Philip Anast | Dec 9, 2020 | Blog
While our digital age has ushered in not a few changes with respect to the written word and how we communicate, there is a 100+-year-old book that still has something to offer our sophisticated new world.
The Elements of Style, written by William Strunk Jr. and later updated by E.B White, is a valuable reference tool – still on many writers’ desks, or digitally as an app on smart phones.
Strunk was a 20th Century Cornell University professor; E.B. White, a contributor to The New Yorker magazine and author of the children’s book, Charlotte’s Web.
The guide is just 85 pages in length. But therein lies its beauty, simplicity and clarity.
“Vigorous writing is concise,” Strunk writes. “A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts. This requires not that the writer make all his sentences short, or that he avoid all detail and treat his subjects only in outline, but that every word tell.”
Other reminders for PR pros in the business of storytelling:
- Use the active voice
- Write with nouns and verbs
- Do not overwrite
- Do not overstate
- Make sure the reader knows who is speaking
- Be clear
- Do not take shortcuts at the cost of clarity
Besides elementary rules of usage and principles of English composition, White included a section entitled, “An Approach to Style.”
“In the days when I was sitting in [Strunk’s] class, he omitted so many needless words, and omitted them so forcibly and with such eagerness and obvious relish, that he often seemed in the position of having shortchanged himself – a man left with nothing more to say yet with time to fill, a radio prophet who had outdistanced the clock,” White writes.
This is a keen reminder that while an unlimited resource, words should be used with care and as if there are only so many to go around.
by Jodi Amendola | Nov 23, 2020 | Blog
COVID-19 brought a year filled with uncertainty, change and lots of hardship. The impact of the pandemic has taken its toll on many of us.
With the election behind us, Thanksgiving around the corner, and 2021 ahead, let’s be grateful for the many gifts we have, the successful marketing programs achieved and both our personal and professional COVID bright spots.
In today’s fast-paced Zoom culture, we hop from one meeting to the next. We are so busy juggling and looking ahead, that giving thanks and showing gratitude is an obvious yet often overlooked gesture.
We frequently shoot a quick thank you text or email (if that) and check it off our “to-do” list. Remember the days when we actually went to the Hallmark store, bought a card and wrote a personal note?
Some of my favorite career highlights have been receiving hand-written notes from employees and clients, who took the time to express their gratitude and mail a personal, heartfelt thank you.
Thanksgiving Day simply isn’t enough to contemplate all there is to be grateful for — especially when adding our professional blessings to the mix, like the partners, colleagues and employees who contribute to our success.
In 2021 as the pandemic will still be a part of our life and change will continue to be the only constant, let’s promise to give thanks on more than just one day. Here are some thoughts to help you incorporate ongoing gratitude:
- Create and implement an ongoing appreciation program, which can have a tremendous impact on performance, sales and overall happiness.
- Put aside time and budget for personal notes/direct mail, emails and blog posts giving thanks and gratitude to your internal and external clients.
- Consider implementing an awards program, recognizing key accomplishments
- Donate money in your clients’ or team’s honor
Whatever approach you take, remember that a personal thank you goes a long way and will be remembered with appreciation.
Special thanks to each, and every member of Amendola team, who day in and day out make all the magic happen. Your hard work and dedication do not go unnoticed. I appreciate all of you.
Happy Thanksgiving, and a special thank you for all who have helped me and supported both me and Amendola Communications along the way! I am so grateful for my team, clients, prospects, media, analysts, and of course, my family.
With heartfelt appreciation, Jodi
