Leslie Lawrence was the founder of a marketing and advertising agency in Western Mass before she retired to volunteer and help others in her community in Dartmouth, Massachusetts. A colleague connected me to Leslie because she had written—and taken the photographs for—her pictorial memoir, I’m a lucky woman: A Photographic Memoir of a Breast Cancer Survivor, which tells the story of Leslie’s journey with breast cancer.

Leslie was already in the design phase of her book, which is raw, honest, and innovative. (I highly recommend it.) So, my role in working with her was to develop a website to market the book and create a PR strategy. I enlisted the help of my longtime editorial assistant and right-hand woman, Shannon Grossman, to help with the back end of the site, and I focused on creating content and drafting a press release and media kit. Leslie launched her book in the fall at a reading in Springfield, Massachusetts, that was as well-attended by the media as it was by those interested in hearing her message. I knew from her book that Leslie was bright and full of hope and gratitude, and those traits spilled forth in her excellent presentation. What follows is a conversation my colleague Lynn Moynahan had with Leslie. Her book is available here.

What inspired you to write a memoir?

I never had any intention of writing a book. I’m not a writer by trade, but I am a shutterbug with a passion for taking photos. I was coming up on my five- year cancer free milestone and started looking through all the photos I had taken throughout my breast cancer journey. It was at that moment that I realized my photos had inherently chronicled my first-hand experience from my breast cancer diagnosis up to my five-year cancer-free milestone.

I initially wrote the book for myself. I culled through all the photos to select those that were most representative of my experience and wrote short paragraphs to accompany them. It was after sharing snippets of what I had written with others that I came to realize that my body of work could be helpful and hopeful for other women going through a similar journey. The book evolved from there.

What is your goal in publishing?

My primary goal is to provide hope and comfort to those recently diagnosed with breast cancer and show family and friends what to expect and how to interact with their loved one going through it.  

My memoir is dedicated to my mother, Isabel Lawrence, who was a breast cancer survivor herself. Back in 1972, she agreed to share her breast cancer story with her surgeon’s patients to help them face their illness with hope. She was an inspiration to many, especially to me. I’m hoping my memoir will help other breast cancer patients as well. 

How would you describe your book?

You hear and read a lot about breast cancer but until you’ve gone through it, you really don’t know what to expect. My book is a photographic memoir that chronicles my firsthand experience as a breast cancer survivor from diagnosis to my five-year cancer-free milestone.

What role did the photos play in writing your book?

They drove the bus! It’s the photographs that tell the story. They provide an inside look at life after a cancer diagnosis. You can see it in my eyes. The fear, uncertainty but you also see and read about laugh out loud moments, sheer joy and most important relief when I reached my five-year cancer free milestone.

What was the most challenging aspect of writing about your breast cancer journey, and how did you navigate it?

I cried more writing it than I did going through my experience. I’ve been a controlling person all my life. I had to give up control after my diagnosis. I was stoic.  I faced my breast cancer head on. The whole experience of writing about it was cathartic. I had to take it in small doses. I would usually write a passage to accompany one of the photos later in the evening and let it sit on my computer overnight. There were numerous times I was brought to tears reliving the memories. In the morning, I had a fresh start to edit and refine without the intense emotion. 

What do you hope people will take away from reading your book?

The power of positive thinking in getting through not only a bad situation but life itself, the impact from small gestures of kindness and the importance of real friends. 

What suggestions do you have for someone writing their memoir or who wants to write it but doesn’t know where to start?

Start small. Think about an event in your life that had a profound effect on you. Try writing a paragraph or two about why it was significant, the way you felt when it happened, and why you think it would be of interest to others. Build on it one event, one paragraph at a time. Get your ideas out there. There will be plenty of time to organize, edit and refine. It’s the ideas that will fuel your writing … tell your story from your heart.

What would you like readers of Janice’s blog to know about you and your book?

Because I knew very little about creating a website and always had the jitters thinking about communicating with the press, I sought Janice out for her expertise in both arenas. It was a pleasure and comfort to work with her. She is professional and easy going. She’s a fabulous writer herself and was brilliant in drafting the copy for my website and directing her associate to pull it all together with an exceptionally well-designed website. My favorite line of hers is “A Cancer Story Like No Other.” That headline captured the essence of my book, and I will be forever grateful to her for coming up with it. 

She is also a whizbang at public relations, not only writing press releases, but knowing who to send them to, and following up so that on the day of my first book talk, her public relations plan garnered articles in two local newspapers and drew two local TV stations to the event. A PR coup for sure.

The post A conversation with Author Leslie Lawrence appeared first on Beetle Press.

I am thrilled that the new website is live!

If you are reading this blog, you are on the site, and I hope you take a few detours, click around, and see what’s new.

The site was built by Lennie Appelquist of Cider House Design in Easthampton, Massachusetts, and the graphic elements developed by him and his team are innovative and dynamic. Lennie, with the help of his wife and business partner, Elizabeth, helped me create a tighter focus on my three key service lines: book development, crafting press releases, and writing content for blogs, websites, and magazines. Since the launch of the new site, Lennie has also been responsive and nimble at troubleshooting the minor issues that cropped up; he even made phone calls to my web host to intervene on my behalf, as the problems all revolved around the host, and I don’t speak that language.

I’ll walk you through some of my favorite aspects of the new site:

• Lennie encouraged me to build a site that is centered around me and my experience because, as he said, “You are Beetle Press.” It took some time, but I embraced this logic because it reflects reality. Photography by Judith Kelliher and Craig Fear make this point on the homepage, as does the written content, which better tells the story of my background, experience, and service offerings.
• The site has a continuous page design, so visitors have the option of scrolling to find what they want, or clicking on the tabs in the main navigation.
• My colleagues are introduced well, and the testimonials are easy to find and peruse.
• One new feature allows visitors an easy way to sign up for my newsletter and when they do, they can receive my informative white paper, “What is news? And how to share it.” Free. There is some great information in this giveaway. Scroll down to the bottom of any page to sign up, so you can check it out!
• I offer four tiers of help with press releases, and the site provides a clear and simple way for visitors to view each tier.
• The blog and client press releases tabs are livelier and easier to navigate.

Let me know if I can answer any questions that come up as you take a look around.

And be in touch if I can help you with a project.

The post Check Out the New and Improved Site appeared first on Beetle Press.

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.

The post Putting on a New Web Face appeared first on Beetle Press.

I always thought that I would be a high school English teacher after I finished college.

I’m a senior at Westfield State University, and one semester shy of graduation, I decided that teaching—with the core competency requirements in this day and age—wouldn’t be satisfying. I want to teach people something special, because they want to learn rather than because they have to.

I have always liked to write, and I realized that I can educate through my writing, reaching people of all ages with my words and help them through good times or bad. So, I changed my major to English, rather than education.

As I deepen my journey as a writer, I want to try different writing styles and explore the various careers in which I could use my degree. That’s what led me into my current internship at Beetle Press, where I’ll write press releases and blogs, copy edit client manuscripts, and raise awareness about the company through social media —all while keeping my studies organized and on track.

My favorite genre to write about is creative nonfiction. I’ve written short stories that I could expand into a novel one day and journal entries that could become a memoir.

I am also very passionate about my work in the Westfield State University English honor society, Sigma Tau Delta. My role in the honor society is to help raise money for our annual convention each spring.

Members also like to help others in the wider community in various way. For instance, we are collecting items to donate to refugee families in the Westfield area.

We also use our English skills to assist others; we tutor English majors at the university, helping them with midterm and final papers. In this way, Sigma members develop relationships through their writing skills, and we encourage others to grow as well.

After graduation, I’d like to work for a book publishing company or focus on my own writing project. In my spare time, I’d also like to find a way to continue to be helpful in the community, outside of my honor society group. It’s important to me to be kind, caring and compassionate and to spread goodwill to everyone I meet.

My support system is my family. My mother is always finding new ways to help encourage me, even when I’m uncertain of my direction, and she assures me that I’ll know it when I find the right path.

My two sisters, Samantha, 19, and Cameron, 8, both help me develop as a writer, too. Samantha passes on writing tips from her teachers. (She’s an engineering major and doesn’t realize that I may already know these things.) And Cameron asks me to read my writing to her, even if it is just my homework, after she has curled up with her favorite blanket.

I hope one day, I can read my own book to her, even if she’s already heard all the stories a million times.

The post Teaching with Words appeared first on Beetle Press.

I have loved to write since I was in fourth grade, and my teacher put a picture on the board and asked us to write about it. He said he would display the best pieces, and mine was one of them. He told me privately that I had talent, and he began to allow me 40 minutes of class time to write. Once my stories were completed, my teacher invited me to read them to the class.

I had only recently been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder and put on an individual education plan at that time, but my teacher didn’t dismiss me. He helped  me identify my superpower.

I left fourth grade inspired, confident and passionate about writing. So, I never stopped. It is what I know I want to do.

I am a junior at Westfield State University, majoring in English with a concentration in writing. I mostly write creatively—short fiction stories, novels. However, I wanted to branch out of my comfort zone and look at professional writing, so I connected with Janice at Beetle Press to express interest in an internship that will give me experience in PR, blogging and other writing styles.

After graduation in 2018, I see myself living in an apartment in a city, working for a publishing company, editing manuscripts by day, and writing my own novels by night.

In the five months I will spend working with Janice at Beetle Press, I will write press releases for clients, pen blogs for beetlepress.com, help manage Janice’s various social media efforts, and copyedit and provide feedback on several authors’ manuscripts, and perhaps even one of Janice’s own books.

I am excited with the opportunity to grow as a writer, and I think it’s incredible that I will have my hands in work produced for business people and nonprofit organizations as well as for creative writers. That is a broad scope of real-world knowledge to glean in one semester, and I can take it with me.

When I am not working with Janice, I am the fiction editor for Westfield State’s literary magazine, Persona. I have been on the staff since freshman year, helping to produce the creative publication. I’m originally from Mansfield, a small town 40 minutes from Boston.

I have an interesting family. My dad, Rick, works as a certified mental health counselor at Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge and has his own private practice in Watertown. My mom, Devon, is a nutritionist and will soon work in my dad’s practice. My older sister, Jenna, is going for her PhD in microbiology at University of California Berkeley. I also have two cats and a black lab at home.

A fun fact about me: I wrote a 100-plus-page novel with a local published author in my senior year of high school for my senior project and only had six months to write it. I designed a cover for the piece, and put it together in a binder. I am currently working on getting my short stories published and then maybe I’ll go back to that novel and edit it!

The post Growth of a Writer appeared first on Beetle Press.

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.

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.

Dillon earned a bachelor’s degree in public relations from Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont, in May. While in college, she served as a PR intern for a mission-driven nonprofit that provides respite for cancer patients by giving them a therapeutic sail on Lake Champlain. Through this experience, Dillon realized her passion for standing behind a cause and has since worked to promote various nonprofits.

Janice Beetle of Easthampton is the principal of Beetle Press, and she said that Dillon is a key Beetle Press partner, handling the development of press releases and overseeing internal writing and web projects as well.

Beetle Press was established in 1998 by Beetle, a former journalist. It offers writing and editing services and has a specialty in helping businesses and organizations connect with the media.

For more information visit www.beetlepress.com.

The post Beetle Press Expands Team appeared first on Beetle Press.

Currently a senior at Westfield State University, Michael is majoring in English with a focus on writing. He grew up in Natick, Massachusetts, watching and playing football, lacrosse and baseball. His family has been a constant support and has shared his interests. “My dad is crazy about sports,” he says. As he got older, Michael says he did more watching than playing. “I was always better at watching than playing.”

At Beetle Press, Michael will be a player, helping Janice with PR for a client that’s focused around sports travel opportunities, and he will also write blogs and press releases.

After growing up in New England , Michael wanted a change of scenery and decided to attend the University of Tampa in Florida for his freshman year of college. However, it proved to be too expensive to continue attending. “The process of coming home every break was a big hassle, with distance and financially,” he says.

One good thing that came out of Michael’s University of Tampa experience was a journalism class that he found inspirational. “The professor was really great,” he says, noting it prompted him to change his original major from education to English. When he returned to Massachusetts, Michael attended a semester at a community college before joining Westfield State in the spring of 2013.

During his time at Westfield State, Michael has had a role on the campus sports radio show and has written sports articles for the campus paper, Westfield Voice. This year, he continues to write and edit articles for the paper.

Michael’s goal is to eventually be involved with sports journalism and possibly public relations. He is especially interested in online journalism. “It’s not so stuffy,” he says. “There are so many sports blogs out there: Grantland, Uproxx, SB Nation, Barstool Sports. I like them because they sound like they’re actually talking to you. That’s how I want to write.”

Outside of school and his internship, Michael still plays various sports when he can. He is also really interested in music and learning the guitar.

The post Michael Barry has a Passion for Sportswriting appeared first on Beetle Press.

A May graduate of Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont, Ruby has returned to her childhood home of Easthampton, Massachusetts, to pursue a career in public relations, and Janice is very pleased that Ruby will be spending part of her time working with Beetle Press.

As a student, Ruby held different sales and marketing positions, including work with nonprofit organizations. She decided to focus on PR after a meeting with her undergraduate advisor; Ruby wanted a career in which she could express her compassion through her work and showcase her skills and expertise. She says, “My advisor, Nancy Kerr, possessed a pure passion and enthusiasm on the subject of PR, and the more she talked about the opportunities that would be open to me and what I could accomplish for businesses and organizations, the more I thought that it was the route for me.”

During Ruby’s time at Champlain, she got the chance to study abroad in Dublin, Ireland. One of her courses in Dublin was Writing in the City, in which the class would explore the many intricacies of the city and write about it.

Ruby says the professor would take the class to amazing places and hidden gems around Dublin, tell them stories about the history and then give them a chance to reflect and write anything that came to them. “This was such a time of growth in my life as well as in my writing,” she says.

This summer, Ruby was connected to Beetle Press via her father, Brian Dillon, a local accountant and a client. Janice wrote a press release for Brian when his business relocated to Easthampton, and it was picked up by multiple print publications. Ruby was interested enough in Beetle Press to learn more. She and Janice sat down to chat, and there was an immediate connection.

Ruby has now written several successful press releases of her own. She loves having the opportunity to work with local businesses and nonprofit organizations, helping them to raise awareness. She’s excited too, to see her work in local print publications.

Outside of work, Ruby enjoys reading, photography and spending time with friends and family. After she studied abroad in Dublin, she caught the travel bug, and, since then, she has had a burning desire to experience different cultures, cuisine and to see many areas of the world-writing about all her experiences along the way.

The post Ruby Dillon a New Member of the PR Team appeared first on Beetle Press.