After interviewing a homeless man some time ago, for instance, Rob clearly saw that the man was a skilled worker, but because he spoke very little English, it was difficult for him to find a job. Rob helped push for the creation of a Spanish-language navigator position in Jamestown, New York, to help those who were primarily Spanish-speaking get connected with different job training assistance programs, temp agencies and other social services.

“It was just one of those things that we worked really hard on, and, in the end, it made an impact and is something that still helps people hundreds of miles away from where I currently am today,” Rob says.

Now, Rob is the assistant managing editor at The Republican, in charge of the photography department and implementing the best digital practices regarding the online news efforts.

Since his hiring in 2010, Rob has also covered crime and politics for the daily paper in Springfield, Massachusetts. He’s met many influential politicians, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren. When the White House asked him to be the press pool reporter for a fundraising event in Springfield for President Obama’s re-election campaign, he also met First Lady Michelle Obama.

Rob receives dozens of press releases every week—including ours—and he agrees with us that press releases are an efficient way to let a newspaper know what is happening in your business or organization.

“Newsrooms are changing and people are looking to do more with fewer people,” he says. “Write your press release like a good piece of journalism, and you’re much more likely to have someone pick it up and do something with it.”

Rob outlined these reasons for sending a press release: A noteworthy hiring, a landmark anniversary, a unique movement that sets a business apart from its competitors and community philanthropy.

When constructing and sending out a press release, Rob offers the following advice:

Make a personal connection. Take the time to connect with the people in the news market that you are trying to reach. This makes your press release more than just a random message from a stranger in the editor’s inbox.

Meaningful subject line. Give the editor a reason to open the email instead of just deleting it. Make it clear why your message matters.

No frilly language. Don’t use over-the-top, self-flattering language about yourself or your company. Instead, be clear and to the point, and your press release will speak for itself on the importance of what you are promoting.

Include critical information. Be sure to include the who, what, when, where, why, and how of your news. Nothing is worse than receiving a press release for an event that doesn’t include a date or location.

Consider the media outlet. Different media outlets have different needs when it comes to press releases. Print and online news organizations plan further out for publications, while television wants to know what is going on that day. It is important to know your audience and how your efforts will best serve them.

Note: In the photo, Rob reports for The Republican and CBS 3 Springfield at a President Obama event in 2013. Photo by Michael S. Gordon/The Republican.

The post An Editor’s View on Press Releases appeared first on Beetle Press.

Keeping a site current can be as simple as maintaining a blog and adding new posts on a consistent basis. Or, if you are a retail shop, make sure information you have on your site about your products and services matches, and is as current, as what is in your store and on your shelves. You wouldn’t let your stock go untouched for months, right?

We practice what we preach here at Beetle Press and recently updated all of the messaging on our website. We also maintain a weekly blog that offers news and information to readers.

Here are five reasons for updating your business’ website on a regular basis:

1. It shows that your company is active. Viewers want to see that your company is engaged. There is nothing worse than going to a website and seeing that the last time the owners added content was a couple years ago. Having a consistently updated news page or blog is a great way to show new and returning guests that your business is hard-working and significant in your field and community. A website that is well-used also tells your customers that you care about your image.
2. It keeps visitors coming back. Internet users are famous for having a short attention span; with so much new content being added to the digital world daily, yesterday’s news can feel like it happened a year ago. By consistently adding fresh content to your website, visitors will come back on a regular basis to see what’s new with your company. This way you can hold customers’ attention, ensuring that they will continue using your services and recommending your business to friends, family members or even their followers on social media.
3. You’ll stay on Google’s radar. If you update and add content to your website on a regular basis, search engines will move your site up in their search rankings. This means that when people search for content, your website will be more likely to appear on the first page of results, so more customers will be connected to your company.
4. You’ll increase traffic. Content management systems allow you to view statistics on how often people are visiting your business’ website. Use this tool to your advantage by playing with what format and information on your website increases customer traffic. By tweaking parts of your website a bit at a time you can experiment with what viewers find attractive and informative. It’s an ongoing process, though.
5. You can also increase viewing diversity. If you stay up to date in terms of how your customers can view your site, you’ll be sure that people will find you on their cell phones and tablets as well as on their laptops and PCS. People surf the Internet on more than just their computers in this day and age.

These are just a few advantages of keeping your business’ website active and fresh. Don’t let your website stagnate, even if you are in love with your current site’s look and content it is important to be innovative and continue refining and updating what you have.

Make these changes a bit at a time. It is hardly ever wise to completely restructure your website in one go as it can confuse your viewers who are accustomed to your format. Always be user friendly, and be diligent in showing the online world what your company is all about and what to expect from you in future.

The post For Best Results, Keep Your Site Fresh appeared first on Beetle Press.

As the night managing editor at the Daily Hampshire Gazette, Stan oversees the newsroom in the evening, directing reporters and editing stories. Being the business editor as well, he is also responsible for selecting stories that will be featured in the Business section of the paper from week to week, assigning those stories to reporters, then editing the finished product.

In his current positon, Stan is on the receiving end of many press releases from Beetle Press—and other businesses and nonprofits across Hampshire County. For this reason, we think he’s an invaluable resource on what editors look for in press releases, and he was kind enough to spell it out for us.

Stan is a skilled editor and writer as he has had vast experience in many different roles during his 40 years at the Gazette. He started out as a reporter, covering news on education, social services, mental health and politics. Over the years he has been an editor for all different sections of the paper, such as general news, the website, sports section, business column and overall content.

“I’ve done a lot of different things in the newsroom and that’s been positive to keep me fresh,” Stan says.

One of the most memorable days in his career was working during the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 as he had to process and react to that event as both a human being with deep emotions and an objective news reporter. Even though the Pioneer Valley is removed distance-wise from where the attacks happened, the paper still had to plan its local coverage while also dealing with the national crisis on the website.

Journalism has changed tremendously since the Internet was born. Readers now have a variety of media through which they can receive news instantaneously. One effect of this is that, with the digital publishing of news, sometimes the usual checks and edits aren’t done with the same level of thoroughness and precision. This because editors are moving more quickly to accommodate consumers who rely on quick minute-by-minute updates.

Stan agrees with us that press releases are an important tool for business owners and organization leaders to call attention to the good work that they are doing. He looks for releases that highlight:

• A new business
• A business that’s expanding
• A shift in marketing strategy
• An alteration in product
• A change in or adding to members of a staff

When constructing a press release for your business, Stan advises keeping the following things in mind:

Clarity. Be clear about what is the news, what’s new, what’s different, why does your press release deserve space in the paper. Your intent should be immediate, the first thing that you learn about as you read.

Be Concise. Writing a few sentences is better than a few pages. There is not always time for the editor to read your entire release so only report on the essentials; don’t give a history of your business.

Media. Press releases can be delivered electronically by email, which gives you the advantage of being able to provide a link to your business’ website for the editor to reference if they want more information about your company.

Timing. If a press release is calling attention to a future event, it is better for the editor to receive it a month ahead of time rather than a week ahead of time. The more time that you allow the editor, the more time they have to work with you on coverage possibilities.

Contact Information. Be sure to provide the names and contact information for key people in your business that can field phone calls and set up possible interviews and photo shoots or provide more information about your company.

Persistence. If you haven’t heard back from an editor, follow-up with an email or phone call. This gets the attention of the editor and helps ensure that your press release hasn’t been forgotten at the bottom of a pile of work that the editor hasn’t had time to address. Don’t give up!

We help many clients with press releases. We’d be happy to help you as well. Contact Janice to suggest your press release idea. Or if you’re the DIY type, read our blog on sending press releases.

The post What This Gazette Editor is Looking for in Your Press Releases appeared first on Beetle Press.

A lover of fantasy, my early stories centered around sentient animals going on grand adventures—such as a rabbit who got an elf shoe stuck on his head and a mouse who was mistakenly recruited into a rat war against cats.

Most of my stories stayed in my head, as I was a slow writer and new to the art of expressing myself on paper. I also had some trouble focusing at first, often getting started on writing one story but soon abandoning it for the next project. Encouraged by my older sister, in my senior year of high school, I finally finished a story of my own creation, a narrative from the perspective of a ghost child haunting his old house.

Once at Westfield State University, where I am now a senior, I was unsure about what I wanted to pursue as a major to set me up for my future career. Tormented by the stereotypical image of the starving fiction author, I decided to study to become a high school English teacher, majoring in English Literature with a concentration in secondary education. This felt more practical to me and would still allow me to immerse myself in reading and writing.

Only recently, I came to the realization that teaching was not for me. I decided that I could make a bigger impact by distributing literature and informational texts that could widen and inspire people’s views of the world and their views of themselves as individuals.

I decided to drop the secondary education concentration from my major and promptly signed up for an internship with Beetle Press in order to gain writing experience in various genres. I am currently writing blogs and managing the editorial calendar, and I also have my hands in many other projects, including writing press releases.

Storytelling is a passion for me. I feel that stories are a safe medium, through which one can gain insight into the minds of others and explore new experiences and emotions. Stories also evoke empathy from the reader and stimulate greater understanding and exposure to new ideas.

I believe that every individual has valuable stories to tell, and would love to get involved in helping authors get their stories into the public eye. For the future, I would like to work in publishing and distribution and also become a successful creative writer myself.

I am pleased that with my new concentration, I can tell others’ stories, as well as my own.

My creative pursuits also extend into music. I serve as a music director at Westfield State’s radio station WSKB 89.5FM, sorting through the various music that is sent to the station and deciding which songs will be added to the rotation.

I also have my own radio show, featuring good music and commentary about tea, books, and movies. I also participate in the English honors society, Sigma Tau Delta, through which students collaborate and further develop their skills as writers and readers through attending conferences and hosting literary events.

In my free time, I enjoy singing and teaching myself to play the guitar. I also consume vast quantities of Let’s Plays (recorded footage of videogame play-throughs with commentary from the game player), short comedy sketches, and video blogs (a.k.a. vlogs) on YouTube.

The post Intern Sees the Value in Storytelling to ‘Widen and Inspire’ Viewpoints appeared first on Beetle Press.