Hacks And Flacks

Blogging is a crowded world, and it's getting harder than ever to drive organic traffic from social and search to a website. So it's no surprise that newsletters and podcasts are gaining in popularity as publishers and businesses look for ways to reach consistent audiences. In this episode of Hacks and Flacks, we talk to Tyler Morin, co-founder of The Water Coolest, a daily email newsletter and podcast that covers financial news. We ask Tyler about making the move from blogging to running a newsletter and podcast, and why it's important today to distribute content in a way that fits into your audience's life. Tyler also talks about the grind of the side hustle, and his journey building The Water Coolest around a full-time day job. LINKS: Subscribe to The Water Coolest Follow March Communications on Twitter:@MarchComms Visit our blog: MarchComms.com/blog Subscribe to Hacks and Flacks on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, or Google Play today. The show’s music is provided by Job Creators. Check them out at JobCreato

Local TV news can be a great venue to tell a company's local story if you know how to reach the right person with the right pitch. In this episode of Hacks and Flacks, we speak to Marshall Hook, assignment editor at WHDH-TV Channel 7 in Boston, to learn the best ways PR professionals can pitch local broadcast media. Marshall offers a primer on the dynamics and structure of a broadcast TV newsroom, explains how stories are typically evaluated for air, and deconstructs the TV broadcast so you can figure out where in the nightly news show your story might have a fit. He also explains the best time to pitch a local station, the criteria for what makes a good story for television, and his PR pet peeves. LINKS: Follow Hacks and Flacks on Twitter: @hacksflacks Follow Hacks and Flacks on Instagram:@hacksflacks Follow our Facebook Fan Page: Hacks and Flacks Podcast Follow March Communications on Twitter:@MarchComms Visit the M+PR Nonsense blog: MarchComms.com/blog Subscribe to Hacks and Flacks on iTunes, Stitcher o

In an interview with March Managing Director Cheryl Gale, Laura Tomasetti, CEO and founder of 360PR+, covers her path to becoming one of PR's top leaders, from her beginnings in ad copywriting, to her stops at agencies in Washington, D.C., and Boston, to her in-house experience at Hasbro. They also talk about why PR is growing in importance as CEOs because more conscious and concerned about their own reputation, and the reputations of their brands. And they discuss the value of relationship building in communication, the intersections between content, digital, social, advertising and PR, and the skills they look for when recruiting for comms talent. LINKS: Follow Laura and 360PR+ on Twitter: @Laura360 and @360PRPlus Follow Hacks and Flacks on Twitter: @hacksflacks Follow Hacks and Flacks on Instagram:@hacksflacks Follow our Facebook Fan Page: Hacks and Flacks Podcast Follow March Communications on Twitter:@MarchComms Visit the M+PR Nonsense blog: MarchComms.com/blog Subscribe to Hacks and Flacks on iTunes,

March 8 is International's Women Day, and in recognition, we recorded a fun and insightful roundtable chat between March Director of Digital Services Caroline Black, Managing Director Cheryl Gale and Executive Vice President Jodi Petrie. They talk about navigating their careers in PR, covering the challenge of juggling work and life responsibilities, the journey to find confidence in the workplace, and the importance for young women to make sure their voices are heard. They also touch on creativity, authenticity, meditation and, most importantly, cocktails. LINKS: Follow Hacks and Flacks on Twitter: @hacksflacks Follow Hacks and Flacks on Instagram:@hacksflacks Follow our Facebook Fan Page: Hacks and Flacks Podcast Follow March Communications on Twitter:@MarchComms Visit the M+PR Nonsense blog: MarchComms.com/blog Subscribe to Hacks and Flacks on iTunes, Stitcher or Google Play today. The show’s music is provided by Job Creators. Check them out at JobCreatorsBand.com!

CES 2018 is history, and March Senior Account Executive Alex Jafarzadeh has a full report from Las Vegas. He tells us why this year's event was the "voice-controlled CES" and why, of all the major technology players in that space, Google was the biggest winner at the show. We also talk about brands that made the wrong kind of impact and thus found themselves caught up in the sometimes-cynical coverage that surrounds CES every year. Alex offers advice for businesses that are thinking about showcasing at next year's event, explaining that the best comms strategy can ensure you leave the right impression on attending media and potential partners, while also helping you avoid sideways glances and social media mockery. LINKS: Follow Hacks and Flacks on Twitter: @hacksflacks Follow Hacks and Flacks on Instagram:@hacksflacks Follow our Facebook Fan Page: Hacks and Flacks Podcast Follow March Communications on Twitter:@MarchComms Visit the M+PR Nonsense blog: MarchComms.com/blog Subscribe to Hacks and Flacks on iT

Inbound 2017, the annual marketing conference here in Boston, has officially wrapped up. March sent several team members to the show, including Content Manager Andrew Grzywacz, who wrote a blog post (http://bit.ly/2xLoEN0) summarizing his top content takeaways from the show. Now Andrew's on Hacks and Flacks to share more thoughts from the event, including the science behind how stories stick in the human mind, tips on sourcing content ideas from Reddit, and insight into the future of podcasting. LINKS: Read Andrew's Inbound '17 recap: http://bit.ly/2xLoEN0  Follow Hacks and Flacks on Twitter: @hacksflacks Follow Hacks and Flacks on Instagram:@hacksflacks Follow our Facebook Fan Page: Hacks and Flacks Podcast Follow March Communications on Twitter:@MarchComms Visit the M+PR Nonsense blog: MarchComms.com/blog Subscribe to Hacks and Flacks on iTunes, Stitcher or Podbay today. The show’s music is provided by Job Creators. Check them out at JobCreatorsBand.com!

Two years after helping to launch Hacks and Flacks with our first interview, media watcher Sam Whitmore of mediasurvey.com is back again to talk about the big topics in media and marketing. Major media brands are making big bets on video content, but Sam explains why he thinks vertical publications in tech and other industries likely won't be able to follow suit with similar initiatives. We also discuss: the future of Facebook Live the art form of content distribution versus the over-focus on content production the new ways publications view and seek contributed content from brands the increase in tech reporters being asked to report on politics, government structures, and policy and the effect on all of the above on tech PR professionals and content marketers. LINKS: Subscribe to Sam Whitmore's Media Survey: mediasurvey.com Follow Sam on Twitter: @samwhitmore Follow Hacks and Flacks on Twitter: @hacksflacks Follow Hacks and Flacks on Instagram:@hacksflacks Follow our Facebook Fan Page: Hacks and Flacks Po

TUGG Boston helps early stage, experimental nonprofits in the city earn funding and build their networks through multiple events and resources. Its annual Tugg Makes Boston fundraiser distributes more than $200,000 in funding to local organizations looking to solve challenges in their communities. On this episode of Hacks and Flacks, we speak to TUGG Executive Director Elizabeth Dobrska, covering the resources TUGG offers to help its portfolio companies hone their message, and the biggest developmental challenge facing most nonprofits (hint: it's not fundraising). We also talk about the potential for marketing innovation in the nonprofit sector, and the importance for founders to build genuine, long-term relationships with the media. LINKS: Get involved in TUGG's Tech Gives Back on October 19, 2017 techgivesback.org Learn about Pledge 1% Boston pledge1boston.squarespace.com Learn more about TUGG Boston: tugg.org Follow Hacks and Flacks on Twitter: @hacksflacks Follow Hacks and Flacks on Instagram:@hacksflack

Recruitment and hiring are cornerstones of any growing business. Whether you're developing an agency from the ground up or looking to bring fresh talent into an established organization, it's important to find people with the right skills and attitude to push your business forward.  In building our agency, March co-founder Cheryl Gale and Vice President Liz Swenton Hosman have frequently tweaked their recruitment approach and philosophy in order to find and attract the right talent. In this episode of Hacks and Flacks, they share their perspectives on recruiting and hiring for a PR agency, along with tips for first-time agencies looking to build their team, and advice for aspiring PR and marketing pros hoping to get hired.  LINKS: Connect with Cheryl on LinkedIn to get her thoughts on developing a PR agency: linkedin.com/in/cagale/ Connect with Liz on LinkedIn to learn about opportunities at March: linkedin.com/in/lizswenton/ Follow Hacks and Flacks on Twitter: @hacksflacks Follow Hacks and Flacks on Instagr

Michelle Cove has turned a career as a media maker into an opportunity to address that industry's most harmful effects. She's founder and executive director of MEDIAGIRLS, a nonprofit that gives young girls the tools to filter and think critically about the harmful sexist and biased messages communicated in today's media.  In this week's Hacks and Flacks, Marina Askari and Manny Veiga talk to Michelle about her journey from filmmaker to startup founder, chat about the communications strategies she's learned on to grow MEDIAGIRLS and build the program, and ask for her thoughts whether brands, the media and the general public are finally making progress in the effort to curb harmful messages. LINKS: MEDIAGIRLS: mediagirls.org Follow Hacks and Flacks on Twitter: @hacksflacks Follow Hacks and Flacks on Instagram:@hacksflacks Follow our Facebook Fan Page: Hacks and Flacks Podcast Follow March Communications on Twitter:@MarchComms Visit the M+PR Nonsense blog: MarchComms.com/blog Subscribe to Hacks and Flacks on

We're living in the era of fake news, or at least, the fear of fake news. Stories that would have once been reserved for salacious supermarket tabloids are now being shared like wildfire across social media and discussed seriously on the nightly news. It's bad for readers (who do you trust?) bad for media (how do you prove your credibility?) and bad for businesses, who don't want to get caught up in a phony but potentially damaging story. Even a fake story could be a massive PR risk. In this week's Hacks and Flacks, March VP Meredith L. Eaton and Content Manager Andrew Grzywacz break down the fake news phenomenon. Meredith shares crisis communication tips for brands that need to react to a damaging fake story, and we discuss the budding cottage industry of fake news publishers. LINKS: Meredith L. Eaton: The Rise of Fake News. Does PR Need to Worry? Wall Street Journal: You’re the Victim of Fake News, Now What? Wall Street Journal: Caution Required When Responding to Fake News Follow Hacks and Flacks on Twitt

When you're trying to start a business, it can be tough to figure out your next step. Daquan Oliver, founder and executive director at WeThrive, learned this from a young age, and now he works to develop entrepreneurial skills in students from middle school on up.   In this episode of Hacks and Flacks, Daquan shares a few lessons in social entrepreneurship. Having successfully built a national collective of undergrad mentors for youth in under-resourced communities, Daquan describes how informal mentorships have given him the support system to build his company. He also explains why he chose to avoid media outreach at a certain point in WeThrive's development, how press coverage gave him a boost at the right time, and how a few simple marketing and tech tools helped his business scale in a way that eludes many other nonprofit organizations.  LINKS: Learn more about WeThrive Follow Hacks and Flacks on Twitter: @hacksflacks Follow Hacks and Flacks on Instagram:@hacksflacks Follow our Facebook Fan Page: Hacks a

Companies like to talk a lot about their fancy gadgets and whiz-bang whirligigs (good word), but are customers actually listening? In most cases, probably not. So, how should brands re-think marketing and PR to grab the interest and attention of the right buyers, and drive them to take an action? We ask Jodi Petrie, Executive Vice President at March and the head of our new Consumer Innovation shop, for her perspective. Jodi offers thoughts on the current state of tech communications, and suggests a better way forward for brands in this space.   LINKS: Learn more about March Consumer Innovation Shop Follow Hacks and Flacks on Twitter: @hacksflacks Follow Hacks and Flacks on Instagram:@hacksflacks Follow our Facebook Fan Page: Hacks and Flacks Podcast Follow March Communications on Twitter:@MarchComms Visit the M+PR Nonsense blog: MarchComms.com/blog Subscribe to Hacks and Flacks on iTunes, Stitcher orPodbay today. The show’s music is provided by Job Creators. Check them out at JobCreatorsBand.com!

January was a busy month for the tech world, and for March Communications. We sent team members out to major tech events this month, and in this episode of Hacks and Flacks, three of them report back what they heard and saw while on the road. Courtney Allen, James Gerber and Alex Jafarzadeh check in after trips to the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and the National Retail Federation (NRF) Retail's Big Show. They evaluate how the biggest innovators in artificial intelligence, virtual reality, robotics and more are succeeding or failing to connect with their target buyers. Which of these trends are overhyped and which are underrated? We also pay our respects to the dearly departed 3D TV trend and ask: how can companies avoid seeing their product end up in the graveyard of gimmicky tech? SHOW LINKS: CNET: "Shambling corpse of 3D TV finally falls down dead" Follow Hacks and Flacks on Twitter: @hacksflacks Follow Hacks and Flacks on Instagram:@hacksflacks Follow our Facebook Fan Page: Hacks and Flacks Podcast F

Rica Elysee is a builder. Based on her personal experiences with family and friends, she saw the need for a community for women that care about a natural hair lifestyle, which is why she created BostonNaturals. Now she's built a business in BeautyLynk, an on-demand marketplace for people to find beauty professionals for at-home appointments. Through both experiences, she found that staying true to herself and her own personal journey helped her build grassroots communities, whether it was women who want to embrace their own definition of natural beauty, or customers who need someone to help them craft their style. In this episode of Hacks and Flacks, Marina Askari and Manny Veiga talk to Rica about her journey. We talk about why authenticity is so important to how companies - startups and large enterprises - grow, gain customers, gain media coverage and more. We also ask about the local startup resources - like MassChallenge - that helped her build her business. LINKS: Visit BeautyLynk: BeautyLynk Learn mor

If some content is good, more is better, right? Marketers know that's not always the case, especially in today's content marketing environment, where the sheer volume of content available for buyers to read can be overwhelming. When there's too much content out there, you have to change your own content creation strategy to get noticed. In the final Hacks and Flacks of 2016, we talk with Joe Flynn, Managing Editor at Sales Engine Media, about that exact challenge. A veteran B2B content marketer, Joe tells us how his own content strategy has changed to reflect the current state of SEO, social media and content consumption habits. LINKS: Visit Sales Engine Media: salesenginemedia.com Follow Hacks and Flacks on Twitter: @hacksflacks Follow Hacks and Flacks on Instagram:@hacksflacks Follow our Facebook Fan Page: Hacks and Flacks Podcast Follow March Communications on Twitter:@MarchComms Visit the M+PR Nonsense blog: MarchComms.com/blog Subscribe to Hacks and Flacks on iTunes, Stitcher orPodbay today. The show’

Most tech businesses abide by that old rule of thumb: never discuss politics and religion in polite company. However, this year we've seen many prominent individuals and companies thrust into the political spotlight, whether they wanted to be there or not. How have they responded? And as tech becomes more intertwined with our everyday life, should we expect to see more companies comment on social and political issues that are typically outside their depth? In this episode of Hacks and Flacks (which, it's important to note, was recorded before the 2016 presidential election) Manny Veiga and Andrew Grzywacz discuss the communications responses of some of the biggest names in technology - Facebook, Airbnb, and even figures like Peter Thiel or Sheryl Sandberg - when faced with political issues. We also muse on the issues (data security, personal privacy) that could force B2B enterprises to wade into these murky waters. LINKS: Follow Hacks and Flacks on Twitter: @hacksflacks Follow Hacks and Flacks on Instagram:@

Bloomberg is a brand of contrasts. It's simultaneously one of the biggest names in news, while also flying under the radar for those of us who don't keep up on the latest in business or investment. The Bloomberg Boston office is inconspicuously tucked away on two upper floors of a Downtown Crossing high-rise, but within that space, reporters are creating stories that are read and heard by a huge international audience. In this episode of Hacks and Flacks we talk to Anne Mostue, radio anchor and reporter at Bloomberg Boston, to help PR professionals get a better sense for this dichotomy. After transitioning from the world of public radio, Anne now spends each afternoon on Bloomberg's airwaves, covering the latest in finance for an audience of movers and shakers. She describes the types of news that's important to her audience, the differences between Bloomberg and her past stops in journalism, plus the best ways for PR professionals to pitch her. LINKS: Follow Anne Mostue on Twitter: @AnneMostue Follow Hacks

What's one buzzword that's just about run out of steam in the world of healthcare? "Solutions." Boston Business Journal reporter Jessica Bartlett hears it often enough, and that's because she's regularly pitched by PR professionals working on behalf of the region's many healthcare businesses. Off the back of a recent Pub Club of New England speed pitching session, Jessica joins Hacks and Flacks this week for a discussion about media outreach and reporting. She offers a glimpse into the dynamics and expectations of Boston Business Journal's readership, and insight into the story ideas - and headline opportunities - that catch her eye as a healthcare reporter covering one of the nation's top markets for that industry. LINKS: Follow Jessica Bartlett on Twitter: @BOSBIZJess Follow Hacks and Flacks on Twitter: @hacksflacks Follow Hacks and Flacks on Instagram:@hacksflacks Follow our Facebook Fan Page: Hacks and Flacks Podcast Follow March Communications on Twitter:@MarchComms Visit the M+PR Nonsense blog: MarchCo

When you're hyper-focused on results, it's easy to view PR and marketing as a purely numbers-driven game. However, the creative arts - writing, photography, video and more - play a central role in contributing to those numbers by helping companies tell their stories and reach their desired audience. On this week's Hacks and Flacks, we talk to two people who understand the art and science of visual mediums. When she's not working as a biomedical engineer for Boston's MC10, photographer Ellora Sen-Gupta can most likely be found snapping photos and contributing to creative projects as part of Boston's budding Instagram photography community, including @PortraitMeet. March Director of Video Services Brendan Reilly is also a member of that group, and in this episode, he and Ellora talk about their techniques for applying creativity to corporate visual content, tips on how to get the best out of subjects who aren't comfortable in front of the camera, and why companies can't afford to cut corners on skill or technic