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April is National Poetry Month

April 29th, 2014 | Posted by Sara in Uncategorized - (0 Comments)

Happy Poetry Month!

In many ways, poetry is a dying art.  Our poets do not get the attention of Dickinson, Longfellow or Byron.  There are beautiful poems that make our world more beautiful.

One of my favorite poets is actually one of my clients.  Ute Buehler is a Stillwater resident and native of Germany.   Her poetry book is, Fly With Me: A Fusion of Images and Poetry.

The book includes numerous poems about nature, love, loss, fear and life.  The book includes Buehler’s photography as well.  The images are in full-color and include images of coffee shops, blue skies and demonstrates her love of life.

Go to www.buehlers.net for more information about Buehler.

Sara

Earth Day!

April 22nd, 2014 | Posted by Sara in Uncategorized - (0 Comments)

Happy Earth Day to you all!

To celebrate Earth Day, Scarletta released Garden To Table about producing and harvesting vegetables in your personal garden.  Authors Katherine Hengel and Lisa Wagner write about vegetables such as carrots, lettuce, tomatoes and basil.  Then they discuss 10-12 recipes.  The book is geared toward children.

To cook with Lisa go to Whole Foods at Lake Calhoun.  She is hosting a demo on Saturday afternoon at 2.

I’m on vacation starting Thursday so I’ll see you next week.

Sara

Getting quoted

April 17th, 2014 | Posted by Sara in Uncategorized - (0 Comments)

I read this article and loved it.  It offers some great advice about getting quoted in the media.

http://prdaily.com/Main/Articles/16433.aspx#

1. Be prepared to start from zero. Given the hectic pace of the news business, be prepared for a reporter to begin with, “What do you have for me?” You’ll be lucky if he or she has done any advance research. This is an opportunity for you to shape the discussion. Being a kind, knowledgeable, and helpful source is the best way to build a relationship with a reporter.

2. Know what the reporter covers. Look at the most recent stories the reporter has written, and make sure your comments are relevant.

3. Know what’s happening in the news. If you’re in the wearables market and Facebook acquires Oculus for $2 billion, you’re going to get asked about it if you happen to have a press call that day. If you prepare a comment in advance, you could get quoted in two stories: once on the breaking news item and once on the original topic of your call.

4. Anticipate the questions. Write down the five most likely questions you think the reporter will ask. Then write down the two questions you hope she or he will not ask. Prepare for all of them.

5. Write your answers. Write two- to three-sentence answers to each question. Then rework them until you have crisp sound bites. Print them out and refer to them before answering any question. Spend the most time on this tip.

6. Practice. Speak your answers out loud. Do they sound like you? Do they trip you up? If so, rework them so they feel natural. Then practice again.

7. Use pauses and silence well. Don’t fill the space after you’ve answered a question. Mindless chitchat is how misquotes happen, and often how major scoops happen. Answer the reporter’s question; then, let him or her take notes and ask you another question.

8. Be yourself. Reporters are people, too. Make a connection and build a relationship. This mean you have to be your natural self.

9. Clarify. If you think the reporter misunderstood your answer, ask. Then clarify.

10. Follow up. Send the materials you promised to supply. This gives you an opportunity to clarify any points of concern. Send a crisp note with the materials and your clarifications, which makes it easy for the reporter to cut and paste the quote you provided.

Facebook Engagement

April 15th, 2014 | Posted by Sara in Uncategorized - (0 Comments)

Happy Tax Day!

Many in the PR business look to social media to reach readers.  It may be Facebook, Twitter, Pintrest or Instagram.  I read an article yesterday in Ragan’s PR Daily about Facebook and how to engage.  Many times readers will post something and wonder why no one responds.  This article details how to engage users:  http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/16473.aspx#

The author, Kevin Allen, details simple ways to connect:

1. Use Photos.

2. Be Concise.

3. Use Emoticons.

4. Ask Questions.

5. Use Interesting Content.

6. Post on Thursday or Friday.

7. Give coupons and discounts.

Happy Posting!

Ellen Prager on Today

April 10th, 2014 | Posted by Sara in Uncategorized - (0 Comments)

Good morning!

Watch Scarletta author Dr. Ellen Prager on Today.  She appeared on Tuesday to discuss the Malaysian plane disappearance.  Dr. Prager is the author of The Shark Whisperer. 

http://www.today.com/video/today/54895631#54895631

Go to www.ScarlettaPress.com to read more about her upcoming release.

 

Tomorrow on Today

April 8th, 2014 | Posted by Sara in Uncategorized - (0 Comments)

Good afternoon.

Look for oceanographer Ellen Prager on the Today Show tomorrow morning.  She will discuss the Malaysian plane rescue.  She is also the author of Scarletta’s The Shark Whisperer.  http://www.amazon.com/Shark-Whisperer-Tristan-Hunt-Guardians/dp/1938063449

Also, we lost a wonderful talent on Sunday.  Mickey Rooney passed away of natural causes at 93 years old.  He and Judy Garland were my favorite MGM performers.  Here is a list of my favorite Rooney movies.

1. The Human Comedy: One of the most underrated dramas.  Rooney is not singing or dancing and he is a wonderful dramatic actor.

2. Babes in Arms:  Wonderful fluff musical about “Putting on a Show.”

3. The Black Stallion/ National Velvet:  Movies about horse racing.

4. All the Hardy Movies

5. A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Thank you for all the enjoyment you brought to my life Mickey!

Good afternoon!!

Last night I attended a wonderful book lecture and signing by David Allen Sibley.  He just released a second edition of his Sibley Bird book.  The book is a beautifully illustration resource of every book in North America.  It contains about 900 birds species.

The event took place at the University of Minnesota’s Bell Museum.  This is a wonderful museum that contains many original pieces of artwork from Bob Hines and Audubon.

Sibley spoke in front of an audience of 150-200.  The audience was very interested in drawing and how Sibley finds the birds.  Although I would have been interested in seeing him draw, Sibley discussed his beginnings and a bit about his technique.

As a book publicist there were some things I would have done different.

1. Have him draw.  He is a wonderfully talented artist.  Have him draw a few images.

2. Have a basic outline for a speech.  What are the most interesting aspects of the book and discuss them?

3. Make sure the PowerPoint presentation is interesting and colorful.

4.  Discuss his writing and publishing schedule.

5. Discuss his future.

The book is wonderful and I will enjoy finding birds in Minnesota this summer.  Thank you Mr. Sibley!

According to Nancy Pelosi, more than seven million Americans have signed up for health care via ACA.  Yesterday was the deadline to sign up for health insurance.  Staying on the health care subject.  Best Home Care, located in Saint Paul, MN just released an app called Home Care Timesheets App-http://www.homecaretimesheetsapp.com/

The app is for personal care assistants as well as home care businesses in Minnesota.  The app helps PCAs submit their timesheets in a simple and fast manner.  Best Home Care is an innovator in going paperless in the health care industry.

One can download the app from iTunes now or Google Play in the future.

www.BestHomeCareMN.com