The Innovator's Mic

Blogging is a crowded world, and it's getting harder than ever to drive organic traffic from social and search to a website. So it's no surprise that newsletters and podcasts are gaining in popularity as publishers and businesses look for ways to reach consistent audiences.

In this episode of Hacks and Flacks, we talk to Tyler Morin, co-founder of The Water Coolest, a daily email newsletter and podcast that covers financial news. We ask Tyler about making the move from blogging to running a newsletter and podcast, and why it's important today to distribute content in a way that fits into your audience's life. Tyler also talks about the grind of the side hustle, and his journey building The Water Coolest around a full-time day job.

LINKS:

• Subscribe to The Water Coolest
• Follow March Communications on Twitter:@MarchComms
• Visit our blog: MarchComms.com/blog

Subscribe to Hacks and Flacks on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, or Google Play today. The show’s music is provided by Job Creators. Check them out at JobCreatorsBand.com!

Local TV news can be a great venue to tell a company's local story if you know how to reach the right person with the right pitch. In this episode of Hacks and Flacks, we speak to Marshall Hook, assignment editor at WHDH-TV Channel 7 in Boston, to learn the best ways PR professionals can pitch local broadcast media.

Marshall offers a primer on the dynamics and structure of a broadcast TV newsroom, explains how stories are typically evaluated for air, and deconstructs the TV broadcast so you can figure out where in the nightly news show your story might have a fit. He also explains the best time to pitch a local station, the criteria for what makes a good story for television, and his PR pet peeves.

LINKS:

• Follow Hacks and Flacks on Twitter: @hacksflacks
• Follow Hacks and Flacks on Instagram:@hacksflacks
• Follow our Facebook Fan Page: Hacks and Flacks Podcast
• Follow March Communications on Twitter:@MarchComms
• Visit the M+PR Nonsense blog: MarchComms.com/blog

Subscribe to Hacks and Flacks on iTunes, Stitcher or Google Play today. The show’s music is provided by Job Creators. Check them out at JobCreatorsBand.com!

In an interview with March Managing Director Cheryl Gale, Laura Tomasetti, CEO and founder of 360PR+, covers her path to becoming one of PR's top leaders, from her beginnings in ad copywriting, to her stops at agencies in Washington, D.C., and Boston, to her in-house experience at Hasbro.

They also talk about why PR is growing in importance as CEOs because more conscious and concerned about their own reputation, and the reputations of their brands. And they discuss the value of relationship building in communication, the intersections between content, digital, social, advertising and PR, and the skills they look for when recruiting for comms talent.

LINKS:

• Follow Laura and 360PR+ on Twitter: @Laura360 and @360PRPlus
• Follow Hacks and Flacks on Twitter: @hacksflacks
• Follow Hacks and Flacks on Instagram:@hacksflacks
• Follow our Facebook Fan Page: Hacks and Flacks Podcast
• Follow March Communications on Twitter:@MarchComms
• Visit the M+PR Nonsense blog: MarchComms.com/blog

Subscribe to Hacks and Flacks on iTunes, Stitcher or Google Play today. The show’s music is provided by Job Creators. Check them out at JobCreatorsBand.com!

March 8 is International's Women Day, and in recognition, we recorded a fun and insightful roundtable chat between March Director of Digital Services Caroline Black, Managing Director Cheryl Gale and Executive Vice President Jodi Petrie. They talk about navigating their careers in PR, covering the challenge of juggling work and life responsibilities, the journey to find confidence in the workplace, and the importance for young women to make sure their voices are heard. They also touch on creativity, authenticity, meditation and, most importantly, cocktails.

LINKS:

• Follow Hacks and Flacks on Twitter: @hacksflacks
• Follow Hacks and Flacks on Instagram:@hacksflacks
• Follow our Facebook Fan Page: Hacks and Flacks Podcast
• Follow March Communications on Twitter:@MarchComms
• Visit the M+PR Nonsense blog: MarchComms.com/blog

Subscribe to Hacks and Flacks on iTunes, Stitcher or Google Play today. The show’s music is provided by Job Creators. Check them out at JobCreatorsBand.com!

CES 2018 is history, and March Senior Account Executive Alex Jafarzadeh has a full report from Las Vegas. He tells us why this year's event was the "voice-controlled CES" and why, of all the major technology players in that space, Google was the biggest winner at the show.

We also talk about brands that made the wrong kind of impact and thus found themselves caught up in the sometimes-cynical coverage that surrounds CES every year. Alex offers advice for businesses that are thinking about showcasing at next year's event, explaining that the best comms strategy can ensure you leave the right impression on attending media and potential partners, while also helping you avoid sideways glances and social media mockery.

LINKS:

• Follow Hacks and Flacks on Twitter: @hacksflacks
• Follow Hacks and Flacks on Instagram:@hacksflacks
• Follow our Facebook Fan Page: Hacks and Flacks Podcast
• Follow March Communications on Twitter:@MarchComms
• Visit the M+PR Nonsense blog: MarchComms.com/blog

Subscribe to Hacks and Flacks on iTunes, Stitcher or Podbay today. The show’s music is provided by Job Creators. Check them out at JobCreatorsBand.com!

Inbound 2017, the annual marketing conference here in Boston, has officially wrapped up. March sent several team members to the show, including Content Manager Andrew Grzywacz, who wrote a blog post (http://bit.ly/2xLoEN0) summarizing his top content takeaways from the show.

Now Andrew's on Hacks and Flacks to share more thoughts from the event, including the science behind how stories stick in the human mind, tips on sourcing content ideas from Reddit, and insight into the future of podcasting.

LINKS:

• Read Andrew's Inbound '17 recap: http://bit.ly/2xLoEN0 
• Follow Hacks and Flacks on Twitter: @hacksflacks
• Follow Hacks and Flacks on Instagram:@hacksflacks
• Follow our Facebook Fan Page: Hacks and Flacks Podcast
• Follow March Communications on Twitter:@MarchComms
• Visit the M+PR Nonsense blog: MarchComms.com/blog

Subscribe to Hacks and Flacks on iTunes, Stitcher or Podbay today. The show’s music is provided by Job Creators. Check them out at JobCreatorsBand.com!

Two years after helping to launch Hacks and Flacks with our first interview, media watcher Sam Whitmore of mediasurvey.com is back again to talk about the big topics in media and marketing.

Major media brands are making big bets on video content, but Sam explains why he thinks vertical publications in tech and other industries likely won't be able to follow suit with similar initiatives. We also discuss:

• the future of Facebook Live
• the art form of content distribution versus the over-focus on content production
• the new ways publications view and seek contributed content from brands
• the increase in tech reporters being asked to report on politics, government structures, and policy

and the effect on all of the above on tech PR professionals and content marketers.

LINKS:

• Subscribe to Sam Whitmore's Media Survey: mediasurvey.com
• Follow Sam on Twitter: @samwhitmore
• Follow Hacks and Flacks on Twitter: @hacksflacks
• Follow Hacks and Flacks on Instagram:@hacksflacks
• Follow our Facebook Fan Page: Hacks and Flacks Podcast
• Follow March Communications on Twitter:@MarchComms
• Visit the M+PR Nonsense blog: MarchComms.com/blog

Subscribe to Hacks and Flacks on iTunes, Stitcher or Podbay today. The show’s music is provided by Job Creators. Check them out at JobCreatorsBand.com! 

TUGG Boston helps early stage, experimental nonprofits in the city earn funding and build their networks through multiple events and resources. Its annual Tugg Makes Boston fundraiser distributes more than $200,000 in funding to local organizations looking to solve challenges in their communities.

On this episode of Hacks and Flacks, we speak to TUGG Executive Director Elizabeth Dobrska, covering the resources TUGG offers to help its portfolio companies hone their message, and the biggest developmental challenge facing most nonprofits (hint: it's not fundraising).

We also talk about the potential for marketing innovation in the nonprofit sector, and the importance for founders to build genuine, long-term relationships with the media.

LINKS:

• Get involved in TUGG's Tech Gives Back on October 19, 2017 techgivesback.org
• Learn about Pledge 1% Boston pledge1boston.squarespace.com
• Learn more about TUGG Boston: tugg.org
• Follow Hacks and Flacks on Twitter: @hacksflacks
• Follow Hacks and Flacks on Instagram:@hacksflacks
• Follow our Facebook Fan Page: Hacks and Flacks Podcast
• Follow March Communications on Twitter:@MarchComms
• Visit the M+PR Nonsense blog: MarchComms.com/blog

Subscribe to Hacks and Flacks on iTunes, Stitcher orPodbay today. The show’s music is provided by Job Creators. Check them out at JobCreatorsBand.com!

Recruitment and hiring are cornerstones of any growing business. Whether you're developing an agency from the ground up or looking to bring fresh talent into an established organization, it's important to find people with the right skills and attitude to push your business forward. 

In building our agency, March co-founder Cheryl Gale and Vice President Liz Swenton Hosman have frequently tweaked their recruitment approach and philosophy in order to find and attract the right talent. In this episode of Hacks and Flacks, they share their perspectives on recruiting and hiring for a PR agency, along with tips for first-time agencies looking to build their team, and advice for aspiring PR and marketing pros hoping to get hired. 

LINKS:

• Connect with Cheryl on LinkedIn to get her thoughts on developing a PR agency: linkedin.com/in/cagale/
• Connect with Liz on LinkedIn to learn about opportunities at March: linkedin.com/in/lizswenton/
• Follow Hacks and Flacks on Twitter: @hacksflacks
• Follow Hacks and Flacks on Instagram:@hacksflacks
• Follow our Facebook Fan Page: Hacks and Flacks Podcast
• Follow March Communications on Twitter:@MarchComms
• Visit the M+PR Nonsense blog: MarchComms.com/blog

Subscribe to Hacks and Flacks on iTunes, Stitcher orPodbay today. The show’s music is provided by Job Creators. Check them out at JobCreatorsBand.com!

Michelle Cove has turned a career as a media maker into an opportunity to address that industry's most harmful effects. She's founder and executive director of MEDIAGIRLS, a nonprofit that gives young girls the tools to filter and think critically about the harmful sexist and biased messages communicated in today's media. 

In this week's Hacks and Flacks, Marina Askari and Manny Veiga talk to Michelle about her journey from filmmaker to startup founder, chat about the communications strategies she's learned on to grow MEDIAGIRLS and build the program, and ask for her thoughts whether brands, the media and the general public are finally making progress in the effort to curb harmful messages.

LINKS:

• MEDIAGIRLS: mediagirls.org
• Follow Hacks and Flacks on Twitter: @hacksflacks
• Follow Hacks and Flacks on Instagram:@hacksflacks
• Follow our Facebook Fan Page: Hacks and Flacks Podcast
• Follow March Communications on Twitter:@MarchComms
• Visit the M+PR Nonsense blog: MarchComms.com/blog

Subscribe to Hacks and Flacks on iTunes, Stitcher orPodbay today. The show’s music is provided by Job Creators. Check them out at JobCreatorsBand.com!