If my post from May 14 mated with the post from July 9 and June 4 - the mash-up of professional karma, being your own media, and the power of serendipity would result in the week my O-so-creative business partner Steph Worrell had last week. Bear with me, but here is the convoluted story…
In her ode to all things O would appreciate,Steph had been blogging for a few months on a wide range of topics that are all held together by her witty humor writing and the common theme that these are things Oprah should know about.
Enter the fantastic HelpAReporterOut group that I’d been part of since the spring. (If you are reading this and don’t get the HARO emails – go there right now and sign up!) A cloaked query from a journalist came thru the email in early July – asking for examples of Staycations. Since Steph had blogged on the very topic – she replied.
Turns out – the cloaked query was from the Wall Street Journal. Turns out – the reporter wanted to include her in the story – which was published last week with the title Postcards from the Hedge: Faking a Vacation from Home.
Well – the producers at Good Morning America apparently read the Journal for story ideas (who knew? ; – ) They called, asked for photos, did a phone interview, and on Friday the segment aired on ABC’s morning show (cute photos – but a bummer that they said they were from OHIO instead of IDAHO – our state gets no respect!)
Add to that – the Statesman adding OShouldKnow to their blogroll and blog source for their editorial pages and KTVB having Steph share some PR expertise for one of their stories on Baby Borrowers.
So, besides Steph using up her 15 minutes of fame and getting to brag about a week of being a media darling – what’s this entry about?
Basically – reminding you to seize those chances to showcase yourself, your personality, and your talents whenever the opportunity arises. It doesn’t all have to relate to what you preach about professionally, what you charge your hourly rates for, or a client you are promoting. What makes you, you is equally important when burnishing your reputation and raising your profile. It’s about showing your soul, your chutzpah, your voice; pumping up your chest and jumping into the fray to share your expertise or give an opinion (via blog commentary, twittering, or the traditional media route)
The burnishing of Idaho’s image will start with raising the profile of those who live, work and play here.
Sharing our voices, and proudly including where we hail from, will be the groundswell that raises our state’s stature. Talent lies within Idaho’s boundaries – and we’ll all benefit from the spotlight shining on each of us.
-Jess
Jess, Great post! I think this is the way it’s all supposed to work (if we numbskulls will just get out of the way of the Universe!). Thanks for sharing!
Comment by Patti Murphy — July 22, 2008 @ 12:43 am |
Please help me understand why PR professionals should attend a press club function? In the past, I’ve found that my presence as a pr person at such a function was looked down upon by the press in attendance. I felt like an intruder in their inner sanctum. It’d almost be like a journalist crashing a PRSA function. Yes, we work together. But we truly have different approaches, different goals, different biases.
Comment by Juli Gregory — July 28, 2008 @ 2:55 am |