Alyssa Meyers

Every paragraph in this article about headline writing is terrific. Not a word more or less than needs to be said. It's a testament to clear, actionable writing. So read it for the sake of understanding what a great article looks like, but also read it for the takeaways about headline writing for journalists...because the insights are also applicable to the corporate journos[1] among us. In short: Recent research suggests that keeping headlines straightforward can significantly boost reader interaction and comprehension. 1. Simplicity Wins: Headlines with simple, common words and a narrative style receive more clicks. For example, using "job" instead of "occupation" can increase engagement. 2. Reader vs. Journalist Preferences: Typical news readers prefer simple headlines, while journalists do not. (This is often *my* problem.) 3. Engagement and Recall: Simple headlines attract more clicks and improve reader recall and engagement with the article's content. https://lnkd.in/gwMKEsic

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This upcoming webinar from The Association of Health Care Journalists promises to be informative and helpful for anyone looking to learn more about health care costs

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💥 This email will self-destruct in 48 hours. 💥 There’s nothing wrong with telling a journalist that they need to respond by a certain deadline if they’re interested in your story. We spend so much of our time trying to accommodate journalists, but you need to be respectful of your own time, too. If you don’t set a clear deadline for when a response is needed, you could sit around forever waiting for a reply that will never come. If the journalist doesn’t reply in time, move on to the next person on your list. Don’t let a lack of response from someone cause you to miss out on telling your story.

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One of my favorite things about the new Remote PR Jobs is the sophisticated, searchable database. Here is a screenshot of it ⬇️ You can search by TYPE of communications job, remote/hybrid, years of experience, and keyword by industry. Within the search results, you will also see the 💰 compensation as well. Grab your first several hundred job leads for FREE here: https://lnkd.in/dmFXHYF9 Feedback or questions? Please put it below 🎉

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Public relations professionals, from someone who receives dozens of your pitches on a daily basis, I beg of you; please stop referring to the analysis or raw results of your internet polls as "studies." Claims like "XX% of Americans prefer this...." based on your polling are similarly going to get your email address blocked very quickly. It's pseudo-science that the caliber of journalists you want to work with have no interest in dispersing. A legitimate study may use surveying, but it's far more sophisticated than throwing up a series of multiple choice questions online and hoping you get some responses. Real anthropologists and sociologists deploy methods so that in their evaluation of their data, they can easily share with the community: Exactly who took part in the survey and exactly who didn't When the survey was conducted, how it was conducted, and whether people were compensated for their participation What the exact language of the survey questions were and why that language was chosen over other ways to state the same questions Why a specific study group was used in a particular survey How they included a control group to measure the data from the study group against and what was different in the control group's experience How they accounted for people misrepresenting their actions or opinions in the survey along with the perceived biases of the groups that took part in the survey If your process wasn't at least that vigorous, you didn't conduct a study. That doesn't mean your work has no value. It simply means that you need to be honest and transparent about what you are sharing. If it's just an online poll that was open to the public for a few hours, please don't embellish it. You'll get a lot farther with the journalists you want to work with in being honest about what you are presenting than trying to sell them the digital equivalent of snake oil.

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When executed well, embargoes are a great way to build trust and rapport with the journalists you work with most often and establish relationships with new contacts. When used incorrectly or too often, it could hurt your credibility and waste journalists’ time. Get more tips in my latest blog 👇

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I’m very worried about the future of journalism. 😩 Poor pay 😲 Media outlets shutting down 🫣 Growing skepticism in audiences 😱 PR pros outnumber journalists by 6-to-1 🫨 A relentless news cycle that is causing journalists to burn out 😖 Questions about whether AI will help or hurt them 😬 … and much more Even though journalism is in the most precarious position I’ve seen it in during my 20+ year career, it’s not all bad news. In fact, here are two reasons to be optimistic: ⭐️ Journalism always finds a way to keep going - Despite all of the difficulties that come with the job, journalists always find a way to do their best work and get their stories out there. The media outlets and audiences may change over time, but the stories never stop coming. ⭐️ Journalists are finding success on their own - Many journalists have dabbled in starting their own media brands or newsletters and found that the money they’re making doing their own thing is more than what they made working for a media outlet. Not only that, but they also have full creative control over what they cover and how they cover it. Journalism will continue to change with the times as it always has. No matter what happens next, we know there will be journalists covering it.

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🚨 Public Relations JOB ALERT 🚨 Crackle PR is hiring a U.S.-based B2B tech Account Manager or Senior Account Manager. Location: FULLY REMOTE [Required: experience in b2b tech PR] Now, instead of rambling on and on about what *we* need, let me know if this is what *you* need: 1. The ability to “commute” from your bedroom to wherever you’re most productive working? ☕️ 2. A PR career focused on outcomes vs outputs? (We don’t track hours)👍 3. A PR agency that only works with demonstrably good companies? 😇 4. A small but mighty team that’s poised to grow in 2024 🚀 5. An inclusive culture that cherishes diversity and equity and shuns ignorance? 🤦🏾‍♀️🤦‍♂️🤦 6. Unlimited vacation time? 🌴 7. A chance to escape the “big agency” hamster wheel 🐹? If this sounds like you, DM me and we’ll tell you the *salary range* during our first conversation. We aren’t as rich as the largest agencies — but neither do we have the politics, the bureaucracy, the cubicles or the mandate to work on every client that knocks on our door. 🚪 We’re choosy: No sucky clients! #careergoals This is hiring transparency. This is your time. This is our time. This is the way ✊ #prjobs #publicrelations 👇

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Has the U.S. Election Affected Your PR Efforts? Here’s What I’ve Noticed: After speaking with a few contacts in the U.S., including journalists, I’ve observed a shift. Those who typically cover general news or data-led stories are now turning their focus to election-related topics - reporting on everything from economic impacts to social issues across the U.S. So, how can you still achieve PR success during this unpredictable time? Here are my top tips: Strategic Linking: You might not secure the same volume of links, but ensure the ones you do get align with your SEO team’s objectives. Quality over quantity is key. Niche Publications: The U.S. media landscape is HUGEEEEE. Tap into diverse channels like TV, radio, and newspapers. Explore blogs, fan sites, local, hyperlocal and county to diversify your outreach opportunity. Be Patient: It’s easy to feel discouraged - I've found myself saying, "Maybe I don't know how to build links anymore" several times this week. But with so much happening in the U.S., some topics are naturally taking a back seat. Instead of panicking, communicate. Talk to your client, explain the current news cycle, and reach out to journalists. It’s not always about building thousands of links! Sometimes, a well-placed link that’s directed to the right page or product can deliver far more value. It’s about balancing quality with quantity. #Election #USpresident #DigitalPR #internationalPR #Debates

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PR isn't expensive if you're rich. How do you become rich? Make more sales. How do you make more sales? Get people to love you. How do you get more people to love you? Get good at PR.

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I keep seeing PR agencies make the mistake of hiring prompt engineers with no experience actually doing PR work. Whyyy? 1) Prompt engineers are no longer relevant - LLMs can write their own prompts better than any human can. 2) Unless you deeply understand the use-case, what is the point of someone who knows how to prompt AI to get a broad range of results. It's AI + a narrow focus that delivers value not AI + general use case humans. 3) Just hire smart, capable, problem solvers that are also PR consultants.

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What is the biggest PR storyline you see on the horizon for 2025? Responses may be used in a PR Daily story.

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Keep your Headlines Simple for God’s Sake! 😡 Do you love writing long, complicated headlines that make you sound like you’ve memorized the thesaurus? If so, please stop. A study by Science Advances proves you’re wrong, and let’s not argue with science, shall we? What the research shows: ▪️Headlines with more common and simple words like “job” instead of “occupation” get more attention. ▪️Shorter headlines perform better. ▪️Narrative-style headlines that include more pronouns compared to prepositions are more effective. ▪️General readers are more likely to recognize phrases from simpler headlines than from complex ones. Simpler headlines receive more clicks because: ▫️The news market is extremely competitive. ▫️It reduces a barrier between the public and important information. ▫️General readers are economical with their attention. Source: https://lnkd.in/gwpjYWKG #writing #PR

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Not getting responses from journalists? Try pitching stories about these topics: 💡 Lessons learned from failure 💡 Industry viewpoints that are surprising or controversial 💡 Data only you can provide Do that and journalists will start to care about what you have to say.

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Like every other tool in the PR toolkit, the role of press releases has changed dramatically over the years. A press release (aka media release) is a statement that offers information about a newsworthy event to members of the media. In most cases, the announcement is prepared by a communications professional. Media releases are often the springboard for a longer story — hopefully “starring” the person, event, or product featured in the release. Nearly 60 percent of journalists consider media releases the top “media asset,” according to in-the-know sources. (Other tools measured were direct media pitches, press kits, and contributed articles.) But here’s the rub: Journalists are drowning in content and they're constantly pressed for time. According to a study by the public relations firm Greentarget, 45 percent-five percent of journalists surveyed receive 50 or more releases per week, and 21 percent get at least 100 every seven days. (Whew….) In today’s media marketplace, a press release must work harder than ever to attract attention. Here are several tips: ·       Keep the release short — in most cases, no more than 500 words. · Provide valuable, objective information that can help journalists save time and establish authority when preparing a story (including social media posts) based on your release.   ·       Include photos, infographics, or other images to help the release command attention and increase its likelihood of being shared.  ·       Personalize your efforts. The days of mass generation of generic releases are (mostly) over.

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We need to stop suggesting youth audiences are impossible to reach. How Gen Z news media habits can inform your approach to designing and developing campaigns with and for youth audiences. https://lnkd.in/eqY7ejDE

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What do journalists want from brands? Not press releases, not foreign junkets, not gifts. They want: *Stories they can tell their readers with confidence.* This looks easy but is not. - This requires attention to detail. - This requires persistence. - This requires trust. But let's not lose the plot thinking about the nuances. Nuances can take care of themselves if we acknowledge the broader truth. In PR, good stories are everything. #PublicRelations #MediaRelations #StrategyVerse

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From Reporting to PR: Transitions in Journalism Careers Discover how journalists often transition to PR and communications roles, leveraging their expertise and relationships. Explore real-life examples and insights into this common career path. #JournalismCareer #PRTransition #CommunicationRoles #MediaIndustry #CareerDevelopment #JournalismSkills #PublicRelations #MediaTransition #CareerInsights #JournalismExperience

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Digital News Report, the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism flagship annual study, is out this week. Big-picture findings won’t come as a surprise, but it’s still a must-read. For The Fix Media, I picked a subjective list of three interesting insights from the report: 📍Video-first platforms are rising, and traditional media are struggling to compete with individual news creators. YouTube is a key platform for news, and TikTok has overtaken Twitter in news consumption for the first time this year. Unlike on Facebook & Twitter, traditional journalists are lagging behind individual news creators. Interesting examples from the report – Hugo Décrypte in France (who, across all platforms, gets more mentions than Le Monde or BFMTV) and TLDR News in the UK. 📍Paying for news isn’t becoming more widespread – and even existing numbers are skewed by heavy discounts. Last year 17% of people across 20 richer countries paid for online news. This year it’s still exactly 17%. One interesting addition in the 2024 report is the look at how heavy discounting might distort the numbers. “[W]ell over half of those in the US who are paying for digital news report paying less than the median cost of a main subscription ($16), often much less”. In Poland, over three quarters of respondents pay less than full price for their subscription. 📍Elections have had little effect on interest in news so far, but we’ll see full effect in 2025 Interest in news has fallen across much of Europe and other countries. It increased in the US but only slightly. But the surveys for this report were conducted at the beginning of the year. It will be interesting to watch the impact of elections throughout 2024, especially in the United States.

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