As public relations professionals, we wear a variety of different hats for our clients. On a normal day, we can assume anywhere from five to six brand identities and write social posts for multiple industries – all while maintaining a consistent posting rhythm and prioritizing innovative content generation. While there is not one secret ingredient to boosting engagement metrics, there are helpful practices to implement and social media gurus to learn from. Speaking of social media gurus – Erica Schneider...
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Jack Gorman is no stranger to change. In fact, you might even say he thrives on it. Originally from South Lake Tahoe, California, Jack has spent his life moving from coast to coast. After receiving a degree in political science with a public service emphasis from the University of California, Davis, Jack began his professional career as a federal lobbyist in Washington, D.C., where he spent five years before moving to Seattle, Washington. Following this, Jack moved between California and...
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I was talking the other day to a longtime journalist who, about a year ago, came over to the “dark side.” He took a position doing public relations for a nonprofit organization. His role as head of communications is not atypical – media relations, writing content, organizing webinars and a dash of community relations thrown in. Like many journalists, he has made the transition seamlessly, and the skills that he had as a reporter have translated well to PR. He’s...
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I spent the first half of my career – if my math is right, about 22 years – on the client side, toiling in our profession in the government, at corporations and with startups. Most of that time, our communications resources were pretty self-contained – that is, we did what we could with the staffs and budgets that we had. There were occasions, however, when we looked beyond our walls for some added assistance. And there were three primary reasons...
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According to Statista, there were four billion email users across the world by 2020 and 99% of them check their email at least once per day. That's why if you aren't leveraging email marketing as a client offering, you're doing yourself a disservice. Email marketing may not be one of the first things you think of under the rubric of public relations, but it can be an important tool to increase brand awareness, re-engage audiences and repurpose and share original...
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Content creation is important, but we understand that for some, it can be daunting. Take inspiration from a few of our favorite brands to take your Instagram feed to the next level. After all, everything can be a learning moment with the ever-changing nature of social media platforms. Brand Essence: @Glossier – 2.7 M Followers As soon as you visit Glossier’s Instagram page, you are transported to a calm, cozy and soft utopia. This social media experience is exactly what...
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With an aptitude for making connections and an instinct for digital marketing, VCU graduate Alejandro Leon is the latest former-intern-turned-Hodger to be welcomed back to the team. After interning with The Hodges Partnership and graduating from VCU in 2022 with a degree in public relations, Alejandro found himself back at Hodges after working with Velocity Marketing in Northern Virginia for the last year.Call him a “triple threat” with talents for branding, public speaking and writing, Alejandro brings great passion to...
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After more than five years of employing the EOP (earned, owned, paid) public relations model – for our clients and ourselves – I set aside some time to contemplate whether the paradigm had run its course, whether it was time to move on to new strategies and new ways of thinking. Short answer: It’s not. The EOP model (some call it the PESO model by adding “shared” into the mix) is every bit as effective today as it’s ever been....
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If one of your 2023 resolutions is to decipher and comprehend your quarterly social media report, consider this blog your cheat code. Understanding social media metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs) will help determine if you’re meeting your goals and objectives, discern how impactful your campaign is and help create a roadmap for future marketing efforts. While your social media goals will determine which metrics you use to measure your success, it’s beneficial to recognize and define all the data...
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We love everything about crystal ball predictions. And so, we asked our diverse group of Hodgers to stare into their crystal balls and share some of what they foresee for the year ahead. Strap in – it could be a bumpy ride in 2023! Media relations trends “Affiliate marketing will continue to impact media relations, particularly when it comes to product placements. We’ve seen examples of this in the last few years, but it’s a space that only continues to...
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As we unwrap our new planners and flip the calendar to a fresh year, our agency is embracing a theme that is customizable and flexible as we make our way through the year: The Year of “Re,” (as in RE-start, RE-energize, RE-juvenate). When you think about it, by adding that simple prefix to a root word, the possibilities are almost endless. Our team is prepared to come to our start-of-the-year meeting with a “re” word to help ground our work...
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EDITOR’S NOTE: Unless you’ve been living under a rock the last few months, you’ve probably seen an influx of AI-generated social media posts and news stories by software like DALL-E and ChatGPT. We have a feeling that this is going to be a big topic in our industry in the months to come, so we thought it was fitting to go right to the source to find out more about the potential impact. Below is ChatGPT’s take on what AI...
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