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Monthly Assessment: June 2012

Posted on July 2, 2012 by lwidmer

What’s on the iPod: In These Shoes? by Bette Midler Nice weekend. I can now say my birthday is officially over. For some reason, I had four days instead of one. Husband and I shopped for my gift (clothes, yes!) on Saturday, so the celebration wound up that day. Yesterday was much too hot and…

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The Process

Posted on June 29, 2012 by lwidmer

What’s on the iPod: You Wreck Me by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Super day yesterday. I finished a case study, an article, and got the sidebar nearly complete. Also, I took two client calls — one that sorted out future payment arrangements and another that outlined ongoing work and potential retainer arrangements. I was…

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Forging Ahead

Posted on June 28, 2012 by lwidmer

What’s on the iPod: Farther Down by Neon Trees What a nice birthday! I didn’t stay off the computer entirely — in fact, I spent more time on it than planned thanks to an unauthorized install of a Conduit search engine onto my computer when I downloaded an MP3 file converter software program. I uninstalled…

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Bring on the Cake

Posted on June 27, 2012 by lwidmer

What’s on the iPod: My Fault by Imagine Dragons Today is a holiday for me — it’s my birthday. My intention is to do no work whatsoever, but that may not be possible entirely. Still, I’m going to enjoy the sun and the summer before it disappears entirely. I’ve been stuck inside working so much…

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When Words Repeat

Posted on June 26, 2012 by lwidmer

What’s on the iPod: Helpless by Neon Trees I had a slower paced day yesterday and was glad for it. Since returning from Canada, I’ve been on fast forward. It was nice to have things to do, but not so much that I had to chart it all to remember it. I picked up a…

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Creating Client Partnerships

Posted on June 25, 2012 by lwidmer

What’s on the iPod: Better Together by Jack Johnson There’s something about that song on a summer day, isn’t there? Well, there’s something about Jack Johnson on a summer day — any song. His island life just rolls like waves through his lyrics. The start of a busy, but not crazy week. I have an…

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Things That Make My Head Explode: Part Nine

Posted on June 22, 2012 by lwidmer

What’s on the iPod: Freebird by Lynyrd Skynyrd (oh yes, it is!) What a hot day yesterday! I’d love to say I was able to get outside and enjoy it, but as it happened, I had an interview at 2 and I spent the morning researching a sidebar for an article. It took two hours…

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Truth in Your Own Advertising

Posted on June 21, 2012 by lwidmer

What’s on the iPod: Unbelievable by Diamond Rio Today is absolutely one of my favorite days. I look forward to it every year – it’s the longest day! That sun will be out (and in this case, blazing hot) until late. So will I. Once I get this work pile whipped under control, I’m giving…

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Things I Learned from Movie Mistakes

Posted on June 20, 2012 by lwidmer

What’s on Pandora: Put Your Records On by Corinne Bailey Rae Yesterday was another day of loads of work and loads of prioritizing. I framed in the next article, conducted two interviews, worked on client communications plans, collaborated on another client project, researched client blog ideas, and signed a NDA for another client project. Yet…

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Following Directions

Posted on June 19, 2012 by lwidmer

What’s on the iPod: Beautiful Day by U2 One article done! Amen. It was the smallest of the four, but one that had the most limitations. Two vendors, two parts. Ugh. That ties my hands, but hopefully I was able to keep it somewhat vendor neutral (not sure how that’s possible!). I sent out a…

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  1. Devon Ellington Avatar
    Devon Ellington
    June 19, 2012

    I host authors on one of my blogs. When I have slots open, I post on loops and I ask that they email me off-list (which is the norm) with their media kit and whatever other information I need for that particular slot (clearly listed in my call).

    I can't tell you how often I get, "oh, I don't know how to do a media kit. You can scroll through my website/blog/facebook page for what you need."

    No, I can't. I don't have time. I am hosting you, not charging you for advertising. Give me the information in the way I ask for it, or I'm not hosting you.

    These are the same people who whine about not getting any publicity for their releases.

    Reply
  2. Lori Avatar
    Lori
    June 19, 2012

    Devon, I had that once with a job I'd posted asking for help with a project. The instructions were clear — send me your resume/portfolio and two samples. What I got in every case but one was examples of why people don't get hired. One note said, "What do you need? Call me." That's it. Another was "I'm sure you know my work…." Another sent a sample (one) and no resume. Another sent the resume but no samples.

    One person followed directions to the letter. She was hired, and she was fantastic to work with.

    Reply
  3. Paula Avatar
    Paula
    June 19, 2012

    The flip side is when you use a service like HARO or ProfNet to find experts. In your query you spell out exactly what type of sources you need. Then you set a deadline.

    Yet people in non-related industries almost always reply (well, their publicists reply), stretching and spinning to try to sound even slightly relevant to the topic:"Your article is on helping college freshmen adjust to life on campus? My client, author of '100 Reasons I Don't Belong in Your Article,' once WENT to college! He can offer first person insights about adjusting to campus life!" Yeah, circa 1983.

    Oh right – they replied a full week after my stated deadline, too.

    Getting those bad matches remind me why it's so important to 1) only reply to job listings you know you're a good fit for, and 2) follow the directions as closely as possible. (I'm sure I've inadvertently overlooked a step or two over the years, but I try.)

    Reply
  4. Lori Avatar
    Lori
    June 19, 2012

    Paula, I hear you. It's a great lesson for us writers, for sure.

    Unrelated question: When you get multiple responses to a query, do you respond to everyone? I respond only to those whose expert fits. When I get twenty responses, I don't have time to answer them all, especially the ones that don't work.

    Reply
  5. Cathy Miller Avatar
    Cathy Miller
    June 19, 2012

    I have seen instructions that request links vs attachments. How many attachments do you figure they get buried with? 🙂

    Just my 2 cents (and recognize I don't go looking for experts because my ghostwriting brings them to me), I'd consider if it's a source you might want to use in the future-the old don't burn your bridges syndrome. They may just have a lousy publicist.

    Reply
  6. Wade Finnegan Avatar
    Wade Finnegan
    June 19, 2012

    What format do you use for your CV? Have you tried the resume that likedin produces? The classic resume is so yesterday, but it's hard to know what people are looking for.

    Reply
  7. Lori Avatar
    Lori
    June 19, 2012

    Cathy, I've not had troubles with that, actually. I've gone back to sources weeks, even months after they've gotten in touch and have worked well with them. I think it's pretty typical with the online searches to not have time to respond to everyone, but I keep names of those who are interesting.

    Wade, I'll send it over to you. It's pretty simple, really. I like to use Arial because it's cleaner to read, and I keep the "fancy" formatting to a minimum. Plus I'd say it's just heinous to use Tables in a resume. Having edited and rewritten a ton of resumes, I've found those to give me the biggest headaches. Sometimes they're unreadable, which isn't good!

    Reply
  8. Anne Wayman Avatar
    Anne Wayman
    June 19, 2012

    I have a credit list/resume on my website – if they want it in the body of an email I do that; if they ask for an attachment I do that… it's not rocket science… or maybe it is.

    It amazes me too, Lori, Devon, Paula… just amazes me.

    Reply
  9. Paula Avatar
    Paula
    June 20, 2012

    About replying to source queries – if there aren't tons of them I do try to reply. Sometimes I'll just reply with a vague, "Thank you for responding. I'll be in touch within a week if my editor and I feel your company is a good fit for the story."

    Knowing how frustrating it can be to have no reply, I do make an effort to respond. If I had 50 replies I'd probably only answer the most viable candidates – and the ones who aren't even close. I want them to know they are NOT a fit.

    Reply
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