Heal Magazine to Launch in May

Surviving cancer is lifelong process. The creators of Cure magazine are launching Heal, a publication dedicated to healing of the mind, body, and soul after surviving cancer. After treatment is over, survivorship begins.

The goal of Heal magazine is to create a forum for survivors to share experiences and provide encouragement, support, and inspiration. The Heal online community will be the voice for these survivors and their families.

As part of my class assignment I began researching Heal and looking for other online communities that cater to cancer survivors.

Other Sites and Communities to See:

The Cancer Blog is a great example of a blogging community created as an outlet for people whose lives have been touched by cancer. Blog topics are numerous and wide-ranging. I like this blog because of the personal element. Real people tell about their real experiences. I think the format of this forum is easy to use and encourages a sense of community for cancer patients.

The web page for the American Cancer society focuses on providing emotional support, day-to-day help, and information.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has a specific page dedicated to cancer survivorship with lots of great information. This site would be a great place to draw Heal readership.

All of these sites contain elements related to the vision of Heal’s internet forum. The success of the Cancer Blog is due to the participation and communication of its readers. Encouraging reader’s to blog their experiences is a great way to unite the Heal community and begin the flow of information will that will benefit readers the most.

Topics like patient testimonials, stories of family members and friends, and offering advice to readers will help Heal grow into a promising online community that will benefit survivors by providing an outlet to address these concerns and contact other people fighting the same battles.

To visit Heal Magazine go to: http://healtoday.com/

How To: Media Relation Strategies

Professional relationships are a crucial part of any successful businesses. For PR professionals the most important relationship is that with the media. Strong relationships with the media help to insure frequent press and ink for clients. In this case, the cliche, "It's not what you know its who you know," is quite true. So, I have composed the following suggestions for developing media relationships.

The first step to developing media contacts is learning the who’s who. Begin by reading everything: newspapers, magazines, blogs. By familiarizing yourself with journalists and reporters you now have the necessary background information to approach them. Find out what is specific to individual reporters and be relevent. Know their beat. Provide them with pieces that only relate to their area of expertise and find out ways you can help each other. Provide an interesting piece on a slow news day or give a business reporter a lead on a company you know your friend is starting.

Once you have done your research and you know who's who, start networking. Establishing relationships before you need them is vital. It will be a lot easier to work with a reporter you have a history with than asking a stranger to do you a favor later on. Go to events in your area for journalists and other professionals in PR. There are several organizations that cater to this industry and all you have to do is sign up.

Check out the Public Relations Society of America for more ideas, local meetings, and even job opportunities.
http://www.prsa.org/

Once establishing contacts with the media it is important to maintain them. Your relationship with the media counts. How much it counts is up to you. While it is true a good press release speaks for itself, journalists have the pull to give your story a push into becoming news. Good bonding with journalists can save PR accounts in crisis situations.

Once in the door, you have to fight to keep yourself there. It is important to show that you are adaptable and capable of working in the media-PR scene. The abilitiy to produce, write and execute materials for the media is crucial to getting ink. Demonstrating these strenths while upholding journalists standards will prove you as a reliable and reusable source. This process ensures name recognition for you and coverage for you client.

With today’s technological advancements it’s easy for an email or press release to become just another piece of junk mail. Making a phone call or asking for face time is the best way to strengthen a developing relationship. Start by showing you know your stuff. Tell the reporter you are familiar with their work. Compliment their pieces. Flattery goes a long way. Emails get your point across, but won't get you remembered. That human element of communication is still the best way to get your name out there and to be remembered.

There are more strategies available at:

http://www.1888pressrelease.com/articles/tips-to-how-to-build-a-strong-relationship-with-the-media.html

http://indiapr.blogspot.com/2006/05/media-relations-content-or.html

To Blog or Not To Blog

If you have found this blog, then you are probably already familiar with the rapidly growing phenomenon of blogging. Originally perceived as a trivial outlet for gossipy teenagers and self-righteous activists, blogs are rapidly developing into so much more.

Blogging has taken over the internet under the guise of such popular names as MySpace and YouTube. Its intense popularity has skeptics taking another look at this form of social media and reevaluating it as a useful public relations tool.

Many benefits accompany blogging. The most obvious are the promotional benefits. Blogs are content specific and updated regularly, so they tend to develop a basis of loyal readers. Because of this, blogs are a great way for PR professionals to continually reach a targeted market.

Because blogs are constantly updated they are always fresh and new. Readers depend on the content of blogs for the trendiest and most updated information. Utilizing blogs as PR tool allows you to also be relevant, and up to date. Time is of the essence when it comes to dealing with the media and public relations, and blogging can provide PR professionals with that edge.

Furthermore, blogging allows for two way communication. Most blogs encourage input from readers and post their comments on the site. This valuable feedback is honest and real, directly from the public. The information is truthful and reliable with no politically correct editing of PR spins. This feedback provides access into the minds of consumers and helps businesses tailor to their market. It also provides a human element to the online community and can give a fresh face to businesses. In this sense, blogging allows for interaction between clients and businesses that could be utilized by PR professionals.

Furthermore, blogging platforms allow for the transfer of fresh information directly to a website, providing a continual supply of new material. Because of these regular additions of fresh keyword rich content to the site you gain favor with the search engines. Showing up on common searches are a great source for advertising and generating awareness. A smart PR professional knows this and recognizes blogging as a new advancement in public relations.

So, what originated as communication source of choice for cheeky teenagers and activists, blogging is now a legitimate PR tool. Blogging has great PR benefits. This form of social media has proven it has staying power and will continue to be a valuable tool in communications to businesses and ranting teenagers and extremists alike.