2022 Most Gonged Blogs

Blogging is a two-way street. As much as you can busy yourself with plans for new, yet-to-be-written blogs and fill editorial calendars with content ideas, it’s just as useful to take a look in the rear-view mirror at some of your past blogs to see which ones are engaging your audiences most.

In that spirit, here are some excerpts from our top five most-read Gong Blogs from 2022:

1. Five Examples of Media Interviews Gone Wrong. Our most popular blog of the year actually was first posted in 2018, so the appeal of watching these interview trainwrecks has some staying power. One of the fumbling five was a CNBC Squawk Box interview with the president of Cadbury, who time and again refused to entertain any questions related to rising commodity prices. The blog concludes: “The media is looking for a story, for some kind of news… No, you don’t have to give away the recipe to your secret sauce, but when you are working with the media, it’s a give-and-take relationship.”

2. How to Host an Unforgettable Influencer Event. The world of influencers is still relatively new to most PR folks, so Julia’s blog chock full of tips garnered a high number of clicks during the year. Among the useful nuggets: “Events can sometimes be repetitive – especially if there isn’t anything for your guests to do other than socialize. A great way to break up the monotony of any event is to create experiential moments throughout the evening. Are there stations you can set up with items for influencers to gather images? Any recipe or product demonstrations? Maybe a fun “Instagrammable” moment like a mural or perfectly plated dish? Basically, anything that will take your occasion from just another influencer event to an unforgettable influencer event.”

3. Marketing Metrics for Earned, Owned and Paid. Another oldie but goodie, this blog delved into the important aspect of measuring the effectiveness of each leg of the EOP stool. “Encourage your team to take advantage of social reporting tools, marketing platforms and Google Analytics. Focusing on…KPIs…will help them take the guesswork out of earned, owned and paid media performance before campaigns end. That way, they can amp up what’s working and pivot where necessary to get the most out of each of your EOP marketing channels.”

4. Ten Tips for Mastering your Television Skype or Zoom Interview. The pandemic turbocharged the use of Zoom, and that includes the use of computer-based platforms among news outlets. Cameron offered 10 pointers for making the best of the opportunity, including this sound counsel: “When you’re being interviewed in a studio, you don’t have to worry about the lighting, but in a Skype or Zoom interview, it’s up to you put your best face forward. If you’re near a window, make sure it’s in front or to the side, not behind you. If possible, elevate the camera by placing your laptop on a stand or other surface. MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle recommends having the camera at or above your eye level. Also, keep in mind that most laptop webcams are substandard, and it may make sense to invest in a better camera.”

5. 2022 Social Media Marketing Trends on our Radar. Twelve months ago seems like an eternity, but we opined on the state of social media on the marketing front. One of the blips on our radar was the growing popularity of short-form video content. “The uptick in short-form videos on social media kicked off at the start of 2020 with the growth of TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts. In September 2021, Instagram launched Reels. According to HubSpot, more B2C brands will be investing this type of content to increase brand awareness, advertise products, increase revenue and increase engagement.” Fast forward nine months, and Forbes wrote: “Short-form video has even further accelerated the act of rapidly creating relevant content and ‘broadcasting yourself.’ Short videos with music and filters make it easy for anyone to produce and share content – and even add special effects – so that technology is not setting the creator’s limit anymore.”

Finally, a valedictory coda not from one of the most well-read blogs, but one of my favorites from among the 46 blogs of 2022 – Sean’s reflections on the agency’s 20 years, in which he concludes:  “It’s been a fun 20 years here at Hodges. Thanks to all the Hodgers who have made an impact along the way, and thank you to the hundreds of companies, nonprofits, schools and organizations we have worked with over the years.”

Josh Dare

Josh’s career in communications spans more than four decades. In addition to providing strategic counsel and crisis communications direction to clients, he is the resident Writer-In-Chief, regularly writing op-eds and bylines on behalf of clients that have been published in The Washington Post, The Richmond Times-Dispatch, The Philadelphia Inquirer and Huffington Post, among others.

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