Karen Snir is a junior majoring in public relations and minoring in Spanish. Karen says she views this internship is a great step forward. We agree. There’s nothing like learning by doing, and that’s what we offer college interns- a chance to apply what they learn in the classroom.

So far, Karen has helped out with promoting some events for one of our Lakeland non-profit clients, and she has increased her knowledge of press release writing. She’s a no-nonsense hard worker who comes in each day and gives us her best effort.

Originally from Re’ut, Israel, Hebrew is Karen’s first language. She also is fluent in English, and is conversational in French and Spanish. She loves to apply her worldly knowledge to her PR work.

Although she grew up in a small town, Karen always has wanted to see the world. Her family relocated to Washington D.C. when she was 13, and she attended a public school in Maryland for a year. From that point, she dreamed of returning to the U.S. to earn a college degree.

Karen isn’t just a student; she’s also a teacher. She teaches Hebrew at Temple Emanuel in Lakeland in her spare time, and she belongs to Kappa Delta Sorority, in which she takes part in a number of philanthropic activities.

When she isn’t studying, teaching or volunteering, Karen loves to travel. She visits different states during each of her school breaks, and she has visited more than a dozen countries.

“I love learning about other cultures,” she says. “I am hopeful that my education and experience will give me an advantage when the time comes for me to seek full-time employment.”

After college, Karen says she hopes to combine her love of language, culture and public relations to find a job in the international relations field. For now, she is focused on graduating from Florida Southern while having gained as much real-world experience during the process as possible.

Let me provide a bit of background here. Lorrie Walker Communications, Inc. provides article, press release and Web copy writing services for a couple of notable Internet marketing firms in the U.S., and St. Paul, MN Orthodontist Dr. Jennifer Eisenhuth is a client of one of these firms- Master Google, a Google SEO specialist.

In addition to recently gaining a new patient from the article found on the Internet, Eisenhuth enjoys a top-of-Google ranking for organic searches of her specific keywords, thanks to Master Google’s efforts.

Each month, I write keyword-rich articles and press releases for many of Master Google’s clients. These writings help Master Google position these clients at the top of organic search results for their keywords.

Ali Husayni, Master Google’s founder and SEO expert, has said for years that the bulk of SEO success is not accomplished internally on his clients’ websites, but externally via articles and press releases.

I repeat these words to my clients who inquire about SEO and how it might improve their websites’ visibility. To be clear, I do not profess to be an SEO expert. But by working with Master Google, I have learned a great deal about the topic and I have been privileged to witness first-hand how powerful it can be and how successful it can make a business.

If you are interested in learning more about how articles and press releases can work for you in your ongoing SEO effort, please contact me for more information (863) 614-0555.

If you are interested in more information about launching an SEO campaign for your company, please visit Master Google’s website: www.mastergoogle.com.

Walker was inducted into the organization at its June 16 meeting at the Lakeland Yacht and Country Club.

“I’m thrilled to be a part of FPRA once again,” said Walker, a Lakeland press release writer and public relations professional. “I was a member when I worked in the PR field prior to starting my own business, and I’m excited to be a part of this incredible group of professionals once again.”

Walker is hitting the ground running. She will serve as the organization’s newsletter editor for the 2010-2011 year.

There are many aspects of FPRA that are appealing to Walker, she said. The organization provides a great deal of networking opportunities with like-minded professionals. It also offers PR practitioners the ability to become accredited in public relations.

Accreditation is offered through the Universal Accreditation Board (UAB) to members of participating organizations, including FPRA, according to the FPRA website.

“I’ve considered accreditation for years, and now that I’ve become involved in the organization once again, I feel strongly about pursuing my APR,” she said.

Yet another FPRA benefit is the opportunity it presents for making media contacts throughout the state. For example, the Orlando FPRA chapter has partnered with the Public Relations Society of America’s Orlando chapter to present the 2010 Central Florida Media Roundtable and Luncheon on July 15 in Orlando.

“Attending this event puts you in contact with top editors, reporters, bloggers and TV producers from local to national media outlets,” Walker said, adding that having these contacts comes in handy when conducting public relations campaigns for clients.

Lorrie Walker Communications, Inc. has been in business since May 2007. Walker’s experience includes journalism, public relations and event planning.

For more information, please visit www.lorriewalker.com or call (863) 614-0555.

My first thought was, “Yikes! She’s sending a brochure?!” I mean, this Lakeland press release writer has written her fair share of brochure copy. I list it as a service on my site, even. But it’s been a day or two since a client has called and asked for that service.

Web copy? That’s another story. I just assumed that the times, they were achangin’, and public relations and marketing people were mouthing “he’s so 2000-late” behind the backs of clients requesting brochures.

What are others saying about the topic? Earlier this year, Mediasauce proclaimed the death of the brochure. But Matt Gonzales was quick to step in and say: not so fast.

Both sides have valid points. When you print a brochure, you run the risk of the information becoming dated. And what happens when the information is old and you still have 500 brochures left? Hello recycling bin.

The Internet, on the other hand, is instant. See a typo? Fix it. Need to change a name? Done. Business moved to a new location? You can update that in a flash. Discontinuing a service? Delete it.

I’ve mentioned before that the entire world seems to be on the Internet these days, and Generation Y and the Millennials barely know what a phone book is anymore. They search for everything online. So it makes sense to have a Web site and to post information perhaps once reserved for a brochure on that site.

But can the brochure really be dead? Matt Gonzales mentions a scenario in his defense of brochures, and I encourage you to read it.

I agree that there still are isolated instances in which a brochure is handy. I still grab the occasional brochure, particularly if I happen upon a booth at a community event and fear that I will forget the business name by the time I get home and want to look it up online.

So when I ask myself if the Internet has killed the brochure, I say: not yet. I firmly believe they still have a place in a company’s overall public relations campaign. But it’s important to consider these items when determining whether to design a brochure, or just simply add the info to your Web site:

- Consider your audience. It is possible that for some companies, their clientele are in an age demographic where brochures are a preferred method for information gathering.

- Timeliness of information. Information that is likely to change frequently probably isn’t best suited for a brochure.

- Budget constraints. Updating a Web site can be cheaper than updating printed materials on a regular basis.

If you feel as though you need to have something to give to potential clients, give them your business card- and make sure your Web site is listed on it. Now they have something to remember you by, and you have an opportunity to present far more information to them in the long run than you would have with a brochure.

When it comes to public relations, a good way for small businesses to garner publicity is to become known as experts in their fields.

That might be a difficult notion for some to buy into. After all, most of us were raised not be braggarts and to keep our self-confidence in check.

“Those in search of publicity have to get over those hang-ups,” said Lorrie Delk Walker, president of Lorrie Walker Communications, Inc., a public relations firm in Tampa and Lakeland.

For professionals to establish themselves as experts in their fields, they have to do a bit of self-promotion, and there are ways to look good without coming on too strong or making the wrong impression with potential clients, said Walker, an article and press release writer.

Walker shared these tips on how small business professionals can “take HEED,” when seeking to attain expert status by: Hiring a Professional, Education, Experience and Developing an effective Web site.

Hire A Professional
Getting your name “out there” as an expert may seem like a daunting task, and when in doubt, Walker recommends hiring a public relations firm to do the job right the first time.

“I’m a big believer in focusing your efforts on your own talents and hiring a professional with talent in the areas where you lack,” Walker said.

PR pros can offer a plan for assisting small business professionals in establishing themselves as experts in their fields. Some steps that Walker recommends include:

– Create a newsletter to send to interested readers.

– Add a blog to the company’s Web site and update it frequently with useful information.

– Join community and professional groups for networking purposes.

– Get involved in social media, such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Education
Educate yourself. Although a degree isn’t always necessary to be an expert, many people associate education with knowledge and expertise, Walker said. So a framed diploma on the wall may impress some. But there’s a lot to be said for education that happens outside the classroom.

“To become an expert in your field, you must make it your mission to absorb as much information as you can in your area,” Walker said. “Read books, publications, findings and Web sites dedicated to your field.”

Communicating with others in the same field also is helpful, because it enables professionals to learn of other viewpoints and become well-rounded on topics.

Experience
Some things take time, and you can’t become an expert in a field in which you lack experience, Walker said.

Look for opportunities to take on additional projects and gain experience in different niches within your field.

Develop an Effective Web Site
Having a Web site with helpful information allows small business professionals to share their expertise with visitors. Frequently updating and adding new information gives those visitors something to return to, Walker said.

“You never know when a journalist researching a topic may happen upon your site,” she said. “Once they find useful information, they are likely to call you for comments for their articles and to remember you the next time they write about a topic in your field.”

Learn More
If you would like additional information on how a PR professional can assist in establishing you as an expert in your field, visit www.lorriewalker.com for more information, or call (863) 614-0555.

Writing a press release is easy if you know what you’re doing.

While typically short and to-the-point, a well-written press release can lead to a feature story in a publication, which means free publicity, said Lorrie Delk Walker, president of Lorrie Walker Communications, Inc., a Lakeland public relations firm that specializes in quality editing and writing services and provides individualized public relations campaigns for small businesses.

Keeping this idea in mind, Walker, a press release writer, has four tips to writing a publishable press release that can be remembered with this acronym: SNAP.

When writing a press release, keep it Short, Newsworthy, written according to the AP Stylebook, and to the Point.

“A press release is not an article,” Walker said. “It’s simply meant to offer enough information that may entice a reporter to write an article on the topic.”

Rather than telling a story, a press release offers the facts quickly and efficiently. Walker suggests including only the most important information, which should answer the “Five W’s” – who, what, when, where and why/how.

As a rule, Walker tries to hold press releases to one page, but that isn’t always possible, she said.

“You can’t be so stingy with your words that you forget to include the basics,” Walker said. “It is important for a reader to understand the facts if you want them to spread the story. On the other hand, they don’t want to read a book on the subject, either.”

Often, the answers to the “Why?” and “How?” contain the information that will prompt a publication to cover the news or event in the press release, so it’s important to address those questions, Walker said.

Before working on a press release, consider if the news is truly newsworthy. Does the general public care about the announcement? Will they benefit from it? Walker also suggests researching to see if similar news items have appeared in past publications. This is a pretty good indicator as to whether the press release should be considered newsworthy.

It is important to write press releases according to the Associated Press Stylebook, which is widely used by publications.

“Let’s face it- the newspaper industry continues to lay off reporters,” Walker said. “Fewer reporters are doing more of the work and if you want to stand a chance at having your news item considered for publication, it’s a good idea to write it according to AP Style.”

If a press release doesn’t rise to the level of sending a reporter to cover the story, that doesn’t mean it isn’t newsworthy. Sometimes publications will publish a brief that notifies the public of the news or event.

“When the release is written according to AP Style, that means a reporter or editor has to spend less time cleaning up your writing and can just forward it for publication if space allows,” she said.

Lastly, get to the point. The main difference between an article and a press release is the sharing of a detailed story compared to specific facts, said Walker. A press release is designed to be the foundation of a good article, but not the article itself.

If a writer has difficulty adding enough information to the press release, it is possible that the situation is not yet newsworthy, she said.

Still worried about writing a press release? Hire a professional to do it for you, Walker said. A professional press release writer can help determine whether the topic is newsworthy and can write it in a fashion that is sure to be noticed by editors and reporters.

I received one this morning that I thought I would share. Here it is, verbatim:

Job Description:

This is a project for 20 articles at $4.50 per article or less. Your bid MUST be OVER the $50 minimum bid allowed at Elance.

I mention this because Elance keeps canceling this project “because it is under the minimum”……..however this is not the case.

For those who do not understand this, get out your calculators. 20 articles x $4.50 is $90.

Please do not waste your time and mine if (a) your bid is for more than the per article price I have listed or (b) you are not a native English speaker or (c) you cannot supply examples of your work.

I am looking for reliable, accurate SEO team writers to assist in bulk article projects (each article 600-700 words each, any and every subject) that I have undertaken and others that are in the pipeline.

These are easy articles requiring nothing more than a bit of internet research, and may possibly lead to ongoing work if we suit each other.

I will require 2 samples initially, which I am happy to pay for as part of the project (unlike many buyers I do not except you to write samples for nothing!)

Let’s break this down: if you, the writer, accept this job and bid the highest amount she is willing to accept, and write the shortest article she is will to accept, you will be paid a maximum of .0075 cents per word for your article.

What saddens me is that there are writers out there who will bid on this job and very likely be awarded it. Why someone is willing to write an article of 600-700 words for a paltry $4.50 is beyond me. It’s bad business for this woman seeking these writers and for the writers themselves for a few reasons:

1) If you don’t feel as though your writing is worth more than .0075 cents per word, you should consider getting into a different profession. Seriously.

2) If you, as a writer, are willing to work for this Third-World wage, you make it difficult for other writers to earn what they are worth. You dilute the pay scale. The more of these low-paying jobs get accepted, the more people offering these deplorable wages believe they can get away with it.

3) Let’s say this tired phrase together: you get what you pay for. Do not expect “reliable, accurate” writers when you don’t expect to pay them a reasonable rate.

As a writer of articles and press releases in Lakeland, Florida, I can tell you that through the years I wrote for some fairly low wages. But even 16 years ago, I didn’t write for .0075 cents per article.

To those companies in need of article and press release writers, please understand that the caliber of writers you attract has a direct correlation to the wage you are willing to pay for them. If you want quality writing, you need to hire an experienced writer. Experienced writers don’t work for free- or even .0075 cents per word.

If you are in need of professional writers, contact us at Lorrie Walker Communications, Inc. We can help.