Maintaining connections with journalists is old PR (and still important). Today companies need to maintain relationships with influencers. This is a larger scale. These influencers are more numerous and more varied than their journalist counterparts. There are A, B, and C list bloggers, Twitterati, Youtube Stars and the list goes on. Other marketing segments have a lot to learn in this arena. via jasonkeath.com Short but sweet. This post is reasonable and may provide some basic guidance to firms thinking about a social media campaign. Continue reading

Methods change and evolve over time. When I wrote my first “how to drive traffic” post about five years ago, the list looked a lot different. There was no Twitter, no Facebook, no social sharing buttons, and no retweet button. via www.socialmediaexaminer.com Excellent post that covers some core techniques for getting eyeballs on your content. Add all 19 to your social marketing to-do list! Continue reading

Kick cancer overboard! ...and cruise to Bermuda. Join cancer survivors, friends, family and supporters on this exciting Celebration of Life Cruise. Saturday, May 21, 2010 - Thursday, May 26, 2010 from Cape Liberty, NJ. Starting at just $525 per person (plus tax & port charges) We're still building the web... Continue reading

We're all about increasing your business, and as PR folks, well, we have a special place in our hearts for the tried-and-true press release. They have spurred countless stories, discussions and deals after being distributed and broadcast throughout the online and offline media world. Yes, press releases have been dissed in recent years by the "in-crowd" - usually the same crowd who work for firms or consultancies that want to soak you for thousands of dollars per month - but the power of the press release should not be denied. It is a great communications vehicle, a business standard and... Continue reading

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Check out this short but smart list of BlackBerry apps for PR pros. It features apps for client service as well as business administration. Helpful stuff for the mobile PR pro! Continue reading

Ashley Wirthlin has an excellent post covering 5 PR tools for small businesses. It's great stuff and well-worth your time. Here's one gem we were particularly pleased with: "Press releases. Though press releases are cost effective and often times free to distribute, the main thing to remember is that there is much more to PR than just the press release. A press release can help your SEO (search engine optimization) efforts on your website and on other online press distribution sites, but that's about as far as it will go. To get media attention and further coverage of your story,... Continue reading

Here's another few seconds from our upcoming first lesson, 5 Reasons Why Every Business Should Issue Press Releases. Reason #3 covers demonstrating leadership and expertise within your industry. Here's a sample: Continue reading

Reason numero uno: Create, contribute to or get in the story. Your #1 priority for distributing press releases should be reaching relevant media. Find the outlet(s) your audience tune into it, be it online and/or offline, and get your stuff into the hands of the people that create and publish the content at those outlets. Getting your relevant, newsworthy material included in stories can yield remarkable results in raising the credibility and visibility of your business or your brand. We'll get into the many other reasons why every business should be issuing press releases soon, but for now, keep in... Continue reading

Our first audio training will cover 5 reasons why every business should issue press releases. Reason #2 involves Google, search engine optimization and your business web site. Here's a snippet. The full lesson - over 30 minutes of public relations training - will be available by the end of the week...just in time for your weekend listening! Try bustin' this stuff out on Saturday night! Continue reading

Our first public relations audio training lesson will cover 5 reasons why every business should issue press releases. We're happy to report that the recording/mixing is almost done! We even have a brief audio snippet to give you a flavor of the offering. We hope you find it appetizing. Just click below. Continue reading

Our mission is to deliver effective public relations insight, expertise and bottom-line value to small businesses at an affordable rate. That's it. We want you to use the lessons to build your business. But, what do you get for your money? That's a fair question. You already know that you get portable, affordable PR lessons and training. Did you know that you also get my 13 years of experience? Did you know that you get PR training, insight and education from someone who has appeared on TV, the radio, all over the web and in publications around the world? Because... Continue reading

It’s becoming increasingly clear that Google didn’t launch a small addition to Gmail — no, it has dropped a nuclear bomb whose fallout will permanently alter the social media landscape via mashable.com Yep, Buzz is going to be huge. Are you digging in or still in denial? Follow me on Buzz here: http://www.google.com/profiles/cortland#buzz Continue reading

It took me more than 10 years to be experienced enough to offer large-scale public relations training. Sure, I provided in-house and client training on media relations, communications and marketing for years, but PortableFlack needs to appeal to and work for a much larger audience. There are few, if any, industries or businesses that couldn't be helped by a touch of smart public relations. But finding an effective agency and establishing a long-term relationship can be expensive, challenging and potentially fruitless. Public relations training resources on the web are slim and unreliable. This leaves many business owners, marketers and entrepreneurs... Continue reading

Bottom line: I've had a minor medical condition hold me back from the initial release of the public relations audio training product since January 2. I'm grateful to be recovering well and getting back to PortableFlack and other projects. It's amazing the perspective and ideas that forced downtime brings. The public relations audio downloads and other training resources will be updated as you would expect and hope them to be: on a regular basis. Thanks for your patience and for the well-wishes on Twitter and Facebook. We'll be right with you. We can't wait to make 2010 the best year... Continue reading

We don’t need to tell you that you need to be listening in social media, right? But perhaps you need a bit of help building out a listening program that’s sustainable, actionable, and actually helps you meet your business needs. via www.radian6.com Meeting business needs? Finally! Continue reading

A promotion like this is clever since it is also tied to something other than checkins and mayorships. The idea is that it will not only give other customers an incentive to compete and become the mayor, but also motivate customers to complete interesting tasks before redemption. via www.techcrunch.com Brilliant! Continue reading

We're thrilled to finally be coming out of our shell and preparing small businesses and organizations for public relations training and insight without the monthly retainer. Hiring a public relations firm typically involves costs of thousands of dollars per month. Not here. Our lessons are reasonably priced and focused on dealing with the top issues in marketing, communications and PR. We provide value without the big price tag. No retainer required. Want us to cover a public relations or marketing topic that you're having challenges with? Just leave a comment and we'll consider recording future lessons to address the most... Continue reading

As budgets shrink and headcounts freeze, there's greater pressure to do more with much less. In addition to managing traditional channels, marketers face the added challenge of learning to harness the power of new, low-cost social technologies - often with insufficient knowledge and resources. via livepath.blogspot.com Excellent article to kick-off your 2010 marketing efforts! Continue reading