Beetle Press, a PR business specializing in marketing and media strategy, was recently awarded national certification as a Women’s Business Enterprise by the Center for Women and Enterprise, a regional certifying partner of the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). 

WBENC certification is the gold standard for women-owned businesses in the United States.

“I’m excited about this endorsement as it demonstrates that Beetle Press and its services are pre-vetted and legitimate, and that helps foster trust,” said owner Janice Beetle, adding, “Trust is important to me—and it’s sure important to my clients.”

Founded in Northampton in 1998, Beetle Press offers marketing and public relations strategy as well as writing and editing services. In the Pioneer Valley, it currently serves Laplante Construction, Florence Bank, Thornes Marketplace, Keiter and the Western Mass Economic Development Council.

The WBENC standard of certification implemented by the Center for Women and Enterprise is a meticulous process, including an in-depth review of the business and a site inspection. The certification process is designed to confirm the business is at least 51 percent owned, operated, and controlled by a woman or women, and that the business has appropriate structure and strategic business planning and implementation in place. 

WBENC was founded in 1997 to develop a nationwide standard for women-owned business certification. Since then, the organization has grown to become the largest third-party certifier of majority women owned businesses, and leading authority on advancing economic opportunities and providing tools and resources that small businesses need to thrive in today’s economy.

For more information about Beetle Press, visit beetlepress.com.

For more information about WBENC, visit wbenc.org.

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I’m very proud to tell you I have succeeded in certifying Beetle Press as a woman-owned business with the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council. 

WBENC certification is the gold standard for women-owned business certification in the United States and comes after a most exacting process that took me five months to slog through. 

The certification process included an in-depth review of the business, a long list of requirements and a site inspection, and it is designed to confirm the business is at least 51 percent owned, operated, and controlled by a woman or women, and that the business has appropriate structure and strategic business planning and implementation in place. 

Beetle Press is in its 27th year, and it’s always been woman-owned, and my colleagues who offer assistance—Shannon Grossman, my right-hand partner chief among them—are women as well! 

With the WBENC behind us, we are that much stronger. 

The award of national certification came via the Center for Women and Enterprise, a regional certifying partner of the WBENC. 

I’m excited about the endorsement as it demonstrates that Beetle Press and its services are pre-vetted and legitimate, and that helps foster trust, which is important to me—and my clients.

Founded in Northampton in 1998 Beetle Press offers public relations, media consulting, writing and editing services to colleges and universities, nonprofit and for-profit organizations, banks, retailers, and government organizations. 

While I live in Laconia, New Hampshire, now, my client base remains mainly in Western Massachusetts, where I serve Florence Bank, Thornes Marketplace, Laplante Construction, Keiter and the Western Mass Economic Development Council.

In the Lakes Region, my clients have included Plymouth State University, Patrick’s Pub, The Laconia Daily Sun, and the Greater Lakes Region Children’s Auction.

WBENC was founded in 1997 to develop a nationwide standard for women-owned business certification. Since then, the organization has grown to become the largest third-party certifier of majority women owned businesses, and leading authority on advancing economic opportunities and providing tools and resources that small businesses need to thrive in today’s economy.

I’m proud to be associated with such a well-respected professional organization—of women.

For more information about WBENC, visit wbenc.org.

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I have been so busy over the past year. Work has just kept on coming, and I have welcomed it with open arms.

In the past few months, though, I’ve been excited because the deadlines began to ease up. I caught up on some me time. Took a few vacations. Cleaned my closets. Reorganized my house. Repotted some plants. All that stuff. You know.

Then, I carved out some time to reflect on my 25th anniversary of launching Beetle Press. Way back in 1998.

I had a 25th anniversary logo created months ago, and I printed it on t-shirts for my husband and myself, but that was about it. I didn’t have the time or the mental bandwidth for more. I was determined to create a little 25th anniversary marketing campaign.

I sat down to dig out some memorabilia and start doing some planning to celebrate 25 years as a business owner.

I found my first Beetle Press business card with its clip art of a ladybug on a leaf. I found my first newsletters, which were printed and mailed back then, and I read through lots of thank you notes from Westfield State University interns I’ve had over the past few decades.

One of them said, “Thank you for letting me see all of the hard work, frustration, and amazing end results that go into running a business. I will be taking what I have learned at Beetle Press with me as I continue my journey through life.”

It took me back to read this note and all the others and put faces to names and remember projects and services from so long ago.

I read some of the great feedback I received from clients, people I’d interviewed for stories and readers of local publications I wrote for. I remembered assignments long forgotten.

Then, I stumbled on the newspaper coverage of Beetle Press’ 20th anniversary. I sent out a press release back then, and it was picked up in the Daily Hampshire Gazette, the Springfield Republican and BusinessWest.

Oops, I realized as I read. All the clips were dated 2018. That means 2024 is actually my 26th anniversary.

Right. I had that logo made in September 2023, thinking I’d create a little anniversary campaign and then, wham, I began some interim work for a local newspaper in New Hampshire that was woefully short of staff. Time got away from me until the middle of March, when that paper was in much better shape and no longer needed my help.

I’d forgotten we were in a whole new year. My 26th year, to be precise.

That’s fine. Over the remaining months in 2024, I’ll be posting on social media to celebrate the 26th anniversary of Beetle Press.

Because I love my work. I’m privileged to still be able to do it 26 years after I got started, and I’m thankful for the clients I am working with now who bring me new things to research and explore.

Happy 26th, Beetle Press, and thank you to each of you who follow my work.

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LACONIA—Janice Beetle, a longtime writer and editor from Western Massachusetts, has expanded her services into the Lakes Region of New Hampshire.

Beetle, who lives both in Easthampton, Massachusetts, and Laconia, runs two businesses, Beetle Press and Janice Beetle Books LLC. She is offering her services through both organizations in this region.

Through Beetle Press, Beetle offers a range of writing, editing, and digital marketing services.

A former journalist, she writes and distributes press releases to local media and also does media consulting. 

The scope of the other services she offers is broad; she writes and edits articles for publications that include newspapers, alumni magazines, campaign reports, and annual reports. She also partners with marketing directors and organization leaders, serving as an extension of their marketing teams. 

Beetle helps her clients identify and develop the stories that help them raise awareness and develop volunteer bases and fundraising efforts. She tells client stories across multiple channels, which include PR, blogs, and messaging on social media.

Beetle’s clients in this region include the Laconia Daily Sun, Plymouth State University, and Patrick’s Pub & Eatery, owned by her brothers Jeffrey and Allan Beetle.

Beetle Press was founded in 1998. In Western Mass, Beetle’s clients include Smith College School of Social Work, Westfield State University, United Way of Hampshire County, Florence Bank, Thornes Marketplace, and Glenmeadow, a retirement community.

Janice Beetle Books is a newer business, founded this spring, and it focuses on book development. “People come to me with an idea for a book that they are passionate about,” Beetle said. “They need help with some part of the work—whether it’s developing the idea, writing or editing the manuscript, or navigating the publishing process.”

“It’s very exciting to help people bring a long-held desire from book idea to bookshelf,” she added.

Beetle also offers writing coaching services for creative writers.

The following are recent clients and their book titles: Jim Ricci, author of Hand, Horse and Motor: The Development of the Lawn Mower Industry in the United States; Tom Zink, author of Seasoned: A Memoir of Grief and Grace; and Peter Cichon, who co-wrote Flight of Integrity with Beetle. All titles are available on JaniceBeetleBooks.com.

Flight of Integrity is a novel that fictionalizes a turn for the worst in Cichon’s career. It will be published by Off the Common Books in Amherst, Massachusetts, in September. Beetle will read from the book in the fall at venues in the region.

She would be pleased to be invited to read and discuss the book development process by community groups, book groups, or women’s groups. Contact Beetle at Janice@BeetlePress.com.

Learn more about Beetle Press at BeetlePress.com.

Learn more about Janice Beetle Books at JaniceBeetleBooks.com.

Beetle holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Westfield State College. 

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The beginning of the fall semester signaled another beginning for Beetle Press in that two new interns came on board in September. They are Colleen Looby, a senior at Westfield State University, and Nicholas “Nick” St. Pierre, also a senior at my alma mater.

I interviewed both students in the summer. What I usually look for in the interviews is not skill or experience but hutzpah, and I felt they both had it. Nick had a lot of energy and excitement about all facets of the work—from the creative writing and editing pieces to developing press releases and blogs. Colleen had a quiet confidence and a deep interest in several manuscripts I am working on.

Let me introduce Colleen and Nick to you.

Meet Colleen

Colleen is a communication major and writing minor at Westfield State. This is her second internship, having worked last summer as a marketing intern at Building Engines in Boston, where she learned much about the world of software creation.

The Beetle Press internship interested Colleen because she loves to write and hopes to one day develop a series of books. So far, in addition to various broad-scope tasks, she has helped to copyedit a manuscript that is now in the design phase, contribute to social media posts for Beetle Press and JaniceBeetle.com, and she has written a press release for TEDxEasthamptonWomen.

Colleen became interested in being an editor in high school. “I thought this internship would help me learn how to bring a manuscript to life and could also expose me to talking with different people and listening to more of their stories,” she says.

One new learning for Colleen has been interviewing people for blogs and press releases. “It can be a little nerve-wracking when you’re not used to it,” she says, adding, “Although, it’s more likely that the person on the other end of the phone is a lot more nervous.”

Colleen’s dream career is to be an editor at a book publishing company. Once she graduates, she would be interested in a writing job and is considering journalism (my roots) as well.

Meet Nick

Nick originally pursued the idea of teaching English at the secondary level, but his experiences early on in his college career persuaded him to follow a different road.

Focusing now on becoming a better writer—creatively and professionally—Nick has narrowed the concentration of his degree to writing.  Following this path is what led him to become one of my interns.

Nick has experience with business and technical writing, but he says that “the work I’ll be doing for Beetle Press is going to provide me with some serious experience in the professional writing world.”  He also is helping to ready a client manuscript for publication, and he has done several research projects for Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech, and written several press releases and blogs based on interviews he conducted.

Nick learned about the Beetle Press internship from Michael Filas, one of Nick’s Westfield State professors. Nick expressed an interest in developing his skills in the realms of public relations and freelance writing, and Michael suggested interning at Beetle Press as the perfect opportunity.

Nick hopes he will gain a variety of knowledge and skills that will prove useful later in his career as a writer, and he knows Beetle Press is the place to cultivate such tools.  “I am extremely grateful for this opportunity to grow as a writer,” he says.

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In honor of the 20th anniversary of Beetle Press, I’ll write a few flash-back blogs this year. This one takes us back to May 1998, my first month in business. It was about that time that Rich Cooper came to me for marketing help.

Rich owns State Street Fruit Store, Deli, Wines and Spirits in Northampton, and Cooper’s Corner in Florence; Cooper’s was so close to the house I owned back in the 1990s that it was my go-to market. I never quite made it to the grocery store.

Rich was also a friend and neighbor. We spent many mornings waiting with our children for the school bus to arrive and take them to Leeds Elementary.

Back then, State Street had been around for over 70 years, but Rich was interested in adding an extra layer of promotion by launching a printed newsletter he could mail to customers. So, he gave me a call and asked me to design this new communication tool and write the monthly content.

“I’d heard from someone that Janice was a good writer and had a good reputation for doing business and promotional writing,” Rich told my intern, Gabby Freel, in the first interview she’d ever conducted.

State Street was becoming the premier location for wine connoisseurs, and Rich wanted the newsletter to trumpet that fact. It offered information on fine wines as well as on foods available at State Street with which to pair them.

“We were somewhat new to the fine wine business,” Rich told Gabby. “We wanted to get the word out and be able to not only tell people about us but more importantly educate people about wines. We thought if we could become the local wine experts, we could become the go-to place to buy wines.”

Some of the process for creating a newsletter was the same then.

Rich would give me information about wines he wanted to feature each month and connect me to staff members I could interview. “They would just kind of ramble on about wines, and Janice would ‘un-geek’ it, putting it into terms that a lay-person would understand.

“She was very easy to work with,” Rich said.

After I wrote the content, and Rich approved it, I’d design the piece, which was printed and mailed and also kept at the State Street counter for customers to pick up as they checked out. And therein lies the difference between then and now.

I still write—and sometimes design—many newsletters for clients, but nothing is ever printed. Showing a client a first or revised draft doesn’t require a time-consuming trip to the print shop and then to the client’s location. Instead, I email a PDF.

When the newsletter has been approved, it goes out to the client’s database via email. The client doesn’t have the cost of printing and mailing. (And I don’t have to pick up and fold all the printed versions!)

As you may well know, State Street has become the place to go for fine wines in the Valley, and, wisely, Rich continues to promote it in various ways. He now oversees his own electronic newsletter.

“We’re doing a monthly wine special that we send out through social media and through Constant Contact to an email marketing list, and we’re doing it in-house and in conjunction with some of our suppliers. So, we’re writing it all ourselves but using the suppliers for background information on any of the wines or the beers or the liquors that we’re featuring.”

Find State Street on Facebook to read about wines and specialty foods.

I’m proud of clients like Rich who know the value of marketing and work, on their own, to produce a newsletter. It’s a fine tool for raising awareness and positioning a business as an industry leader.

Rich gave me some kudos via Gabby as well. He said, “Congratulations to Janice for 20 years. She’s obviously doing something right to survive and grow in this time.”

State Street has been around since the 1920s, so, right back at you Rich!

The post A Look Back at Year One appeared first on Beetle Press.

EASTHAMPTON—Janice Beetle, principal of Beetle Press, a public relations and communications firm, recently announced she will celebrate 20 years in business in 2018.

Beetle established the business in 1998 after working as a journalist for 15 years, first as a beat reporter for the Springfield Republican and then as a writer and editor at the Daily Hampshire Gazette. That training has helped her assist clients in connecting with the media via press releases.

Beetle works with a diverse range of clients from the nonprofit and private sectors. She writes for and edits print pieces such as magazines and annual reports. She creates editorial calendars that include print and online media channels, and she supports digital marketing efforts for clients, writing blogs, enewsletters, and website content.

In 2013, Beetle introduced book development to her roster of services, and has since helped launch many authors’ publications.

To mark the 20th anniversary for the business, Alison Winkler, a graphic designer native to Northampton who now lives in Brooklyn, N.Y., adapted the original Beetle Press logo design by Lisa Stowe of Florence, creating an anniversary version.

For a number of years, Beetle promoted her business as a “one-stop shop,” offering writing, editing and graphic design services. Today, Beetle has returned to her roots, focusing on writing, editing and PR services. When clients need more comprehensive services, she partners with colleagues Ruth Griggs, a marketing strategist, and Maureen Scanlon, a graphic designer, in a collaborative called The Creative.

Beetle holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Westfield State College. Since 2003, she has mentored dozens of interns from Westfield State and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. She now employs four former interns on a freelance basis: Shelby Ashline, a graduate of UMass; Shannon Grossman and Ashley Pond, graduates of Westfield State; and David Kennedy, a current Westfield State student.

Clients of Beetle Press include Westfield State University, Glenmeadow, Florence Bank, Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech, Sports Travel and Tours, and the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art.

For more information visit www.beetlepress.com.

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It’s official. Today is the second day of the 20th anniversary year for Beetle Press! It’s kind of amazing to me, and I’m excited to spend some time reminiscing in 2018 as well as working hard at moving forward!

I launched Beetle Press in 1998 after working as a journalist for 15 years, first as a beat reporter for the Springfield Republican and then as a writer and editor at the Daily Hampshire Gazette. That training well informs the work I do with clients in connecting them with the media via press releases. It informs almost everything I do, actually.

Working as a journalist taught me to excel as an interviewer and to read people and understand what they are trying to communicate. It also gave me great skills in storytelling and editing.

I use those talents now with a diverse range of clients from the nonprofit and private sectors. I write for—and edit—print pieces such as magazines and annual reports. I create editorial calendars that include print and online media channels, and I support digital marketing efforts for clients, writing blogs, enewsletters, and website content.

In 2013, I introduced book development to my roster of services after working on several books for clients, and I’ve since helped launch many authors’ publications.

To mark the 20th anniversary for the business, Alison Winkler, a graphic designer native to Northampton who now lives in Brooklyn, N.Y., adapted the original Beetle Press logo design by Lisa Stowe of Florence, creating an anniversary version. Ali is my dear friend’s daughter and my younger daughter’s dear friend! I’ve known her since she was born. It was a pleasure to work with Ali as a professional; her approach and her results impress me!

For many years, I promoted Beetle Press as a “one-stop shop,” offering writing, editing and graphic design services. Since meeting my colleagues in The Creative, though, I have been able to return to my roots and focus on writing, editing, and PR services. When clients need more comprehensive services, I partner with Ruth Griggs, a marketing strategist, and Maureen Scanlon, a graphic designer. I thoroughly enjoy working with these wise and wonderful women.

I have a bachelor’s degree in English and a minor in journalism from Westfield State College, earned in 1985. (It is only thanks to my journalism professor that my writing career was launched at all! Read that story here.)

I am still connected to what is now known as Westfield State University. I’m the editor of the University’s alumni magazine, and have been since 2002. And since 2003, I’ve mentored dozens of interns from Westfield State as well as the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

I also employ four former interns on a freelance basis: Shelby Ashline, a graduate of UMass; Shannon Grossman and Ashley Pond, graduates of Westfield State; and David Kennedy, a current Westfield State student.

Current clients of Beetle Press include Glenmeadow, Florence Bank, Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech, Sports Travel and Tours, and the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art.

In some subsequent blogs this year, I will tell you about some of my earlier clients, as well as how the PR and communications industry has changed in 20 years!

I put out a monthly newsletter, highlighting stories about my clients and offering resources and tips as well. You can subscribe on my website by scrolling down to the footer! If you sign up, you’ll get a free white paper on how to connect with the media!

The post Celebrating 20 Years in Business appeared first on Beetle Press.

Dark-humored and boisterous, my new intern Abigail “Abby” Taylor has always seen the value in the written word. That means she will fit right in!

A junior at Westfield State University, Abby has taken pen to paper about nature while sitting on her front porch since the age of 10 in West Springfield, Massachusetts, and she has used writing as a creative and therapeutic tool as well.

Abby grew up with the “Brady Bunch” of three older siblings and two parents. Her house is a caucus full of Democrats, her brother working for a New Hampshire senator and sister Jess working for U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren. There are two politicians, two teachers, and one caregiver in the family for Abby to emulate. While her mother begs her daily to become a nurse, Abby couldn’t drift from writing if she wanted to, and her father and sister keep her lust for school and education burning.

When junior year rolled around in high school, Abby took a philosophy class with a teacher she will never forget. A septuagenarian who was committed to teaching indefinitely, he inspired Abby to strengthen her work ethic. This mentor conditioned his students to have thoughtful discussions in class, and that transformed Abby’s learning experience and drive for English studies.

Although Abby’s siblings are everything to her, their vast success has daunted her. Writing allowed her to overcome this hurdle of anxiety. Scripting her darkest feelings turned into a creative process that was therapeutic when she suffered a depressive episode during her senior year of high school.

In her internship at Beetle Press this fall, Abby hopes to take her writing foundation and build on it, learning how writing can be used in the work place to raise awareness for organizations and tell their rich stories. She also hopes to deepen her knowledge of the creative writing process.

Abby’s dad says she has the soul of a writer, which means worlds to her, since he was a sports columnist before he became a teacher. Abby and her father identify as the “thinkers” of the family—the philosophical intellectuals.

So, at Westfield State, where she is majoring in English with a concentration in writing, Abby is taking ethnic and gender studies classes, and writing classes in fiction and poetry. In creative writing last year, she realized her niche for poetry. She wants to write poetry that contributes to the conversation of our nation’s well-being, evoking feeling that can be put into action.

Abby also has a deep interest in music and considered an internship with the WSKB radio station on her campus. After an interview with me, she decided she enjoyed the at-home work environment of my office and could see herself grinding words away at my dining table—the intern station here. Also, in a meeting with her internship coordinator at school, Professor George Layng told Abby that working with me would expand both her business and creative writing capabilities. On board she came!

Abby hopes her internship will help her advance her skills so that she can write about issues she cares about, such as the current political climate, the human experience, and turning mundane observation into graphic imagery.

She will be doing research, writing press releases, helping with social media and contributing to other projects. I hope Abby can also help me grow my audience on JaniceBeetle.com and help me finalize a manuscript I have been working on for too many years.

Abby will graduate in May 2019. She hopes to eventually write for a magazine or possibly enter the PR industry. I can see already that, even though she is quiet—like I was at her age—Abby is intelligent, learns quick, and has a real depth of spirit. I believe her father is correct. Abby has a writer’s soul, and I hope to help her dig deeper—to write and operate from a profound place in all her work.

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I’ve been busy with challenging client projects this summer, but I have also made time to redevelop my website.

That’s because I’m a big believer in the idea that websites shouldn’t be allowed to stagnate. As a business grows and develops, so too must its website.

In the spring, I noticed my current site has some growing pains. I no longer do much teaching and consulting, for instance, yet those services are still prominently highlighted.

I wanted a tighter focus on my three key service lines: book development, crafting press releases, and writing content for blogs, websites, and magazines.

I reached out to Elizabeth and Lennie Appelquist of Cider House Design in Easthampton, Massachusetts, and they listened to my thoughts and had innovative ideas for a site rebuild. Lennie also helped me embrace the fact that I am the center of my business and my site should reflect that.

We met together for a Discovery session in May and have been collaborating and sharing ideas since. I expect the new site will soon be live.

I am very impressed with the work I’ve seen thus far from Cider House. The draft site is graphically powerful, and it has features that make navigation clear and simple.

I also appreciate the photography by Judith Kelliher and Craig Fear and am pleased with the content I developed. I think it tells a stronger story about who I am and what I do.

Follow me on Facebook so you can take a look when the site goes live!

And consider taking a closer look at your own website. Does it feature the services and aspects of your work that you most want to grow? Is it fresh and inviting? Intuitive in terms of navigation?

Studies show that visitors can spend as few as three seconds on a website before navigating away.

Elizabeth, Lennie, and I can help you turn those three seconds into a long, lingering, informative read that could translate into an email in your inbox or a phone call.

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