Jason Feifer

For this podcast, the Confident Retirement, there's a twist: I was the one interviewed, not the one asking the questions. (I like it better the other way - but that was fun - thanks for inviting me on, Kristopher Flammang CRPC®AIF®BFA®) Oh - and I'm not retiring :) Some of the things we talked about: * My early journalism career change to being a juvenile probation office for three years; • Why and how the Business Observer has made a transtions to #digitalfirst — and why we keep the focus on that; and • The lessons I've learned from interviewing hundreds of entrepreneurs ands business owners Take a listen!

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Worth reading from NiemanLab: Readers prefer to click on a clear, simple headline — like this one By David Markowitz, Hillary Shulman and Todd Rogers In an era when people trust news less than ever, how can journalists break through and attract the attention of average people to provide information about their communities, the nation and the world? By not complicating things. Our research, published in Science Advances, shows that simple headlines significantly increase article engagement and clicks compared with headlines that use complex language. In our research, typical news readers preferred simple headlines over complex ones. But importantly, we found that those who actually write headlines — journalists themselves — did not. We first used data from The Washington Post and Upworthy to see how language features, such as word length and how common a word is, changed how many people clicked on an article’s headline. These datasets included over 31,000 randomized experiments — also known as A/B tests — that compared two or more headline versions of the same underlying article to determine which one generated the most clicks. Headlines with more common words — simple words like “job” instead of “occupation” — shorter headlines, and those communicated in a narrative style, with more pronouns compared with prepositions, received more clicks. For example, The Washington Post headline, “Meghan and Harry are talking to Oprah. Here’s why they shouldn’t say too much” outperformed the alternative headline, “Are Meghan and Harry spilling royal tea to Oprah? Don’t bet on it.” This example illustrates how sometimes a more straightforward headline can generate more interest. In follow-up laboratory experiments, we found that typical news readers focused more on simple rather than complex headlines because the writing was easier to understand. When journalists participated in the same experiments, they didn’t show any preference for simple headlines over complex ones. Put differently: Those who write the news appear to be less responsive to simple writing than regular audiences. Generations of communication consultants have advised that communicators follow the rather crass acronym KISS: Keep it Simple, Stupid. We suggest a modified version applied for journalists. Since KISJ isn’t all that simple, we propose: Keep It Simple, Staffers. Simplicity increases the number of people who click on a news story headline and improves reader recall of the material in the article. Most importantly, simplicity boosts reader engagement, such as how much attention they pay to the information.

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What's in a brand? There's the four Ps: product, price, promotion and place, sure. But there's something missing, yes? It's purpose!! ding ding. That was the subject of my conversation with Craig Dubitsky of happy® and Jen Zeszut of GOODLES. They gratefully shared their companies' purpose with me and the eager audience of #Inc5000 honorees at this year's Inc. 5000 conference & gala in Palm Desert, California last week. Just a brief on each: Happy, which was co-founded by the inimitable Robert Downey Jr., is aimed at helping people become better acquainted with what it means to be happy. Besides exploring the idea of what this is, the company works hand-in-glove with the NAMI SWMO (The National Alliance on Mental Illness). NAMI even has an equity stake in the company. Goodles, for it's part, works with different food banks to donate product. Apparently, mac and cheese is one of the most heavily requested food items. Then there's the unexpected social good the company does: Cancer patients have written in to the Goodles's CEO to let her know that her mac and cheese, which carries more nutrients than standard fare, has been a life raft. Other unexpected fans have similarly come out of the woodwork including members of the autism community. But here's the thing that should resonate with all business people--social do-gooders and more: "You're not going to get a great valuation because you do good. The thing that is going to turn heads is that we are going to build a legendary business with legendary business outcomes," says Zeszut. "The problem with so many companies is they count on just the impact part, but they forget that last piece. No one's paying attention until you have that legendary business outcome." And that's the power of purpose. Check out more from the conference at Inc.com https://lnkd.in/ey3RS7qG

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🚀 Embracing AI in copywriting kicks off a new era of co-creation. In FIR podcast 413, Shel Holtz, SCMP and I discuss the evolving landscape of copywriting and the impact of generative AI tools like ChatGPT. We consider real concerns that start with "AI won’t take your job" that blends into "Someone who knows how to use AI will take your job". Yet the flip side shows that opportunity awaits copywriters who are figuring out how to stay relevant, including improving the copy that AI tools generate. And that is a key element in our discussion: copywriters are transforming into "content curators" and "prompt engineers," leveraging AI to enhance their creativity and strategic thinking. While effective prompting will enable AI to easily handle tasks like researching, fact-checking and editing, it's important to see that crafting emotionally resonant stories still requires the critical human touch. I say that "AI won't replace copywriters, but copywriters who use AI will replace those who don't" is a realistic stance to consider. How do you see it? 🎧 Tune into FIR 413 and get the full story ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/dybFE2G7

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🥳 Today I was named to the Qwoted Top 100 PRs for Q3 2024. The list is based on how quickly you respond to reporters, the number of positive interactions and conversations and hit rate of pitches to replies from media on the platform. I was nowhere near the top of the 100 - and I'm not surprised. My mostly B2B and technology clients are only relevant to a small portion of Qwoted opportunities. It's a small part of my overall approach to media outreach. Frankly, I was shocked to be listed at all. There are 135,000 users on Qwoted. It seems impossible that *I* and my super niche clients are pitching more often than 99% of other users. So tell me: why are 134,900 PR people letting opportunities simply pass them by every day? I'm having multiple conversations a month with tech companies who are paying hefty five-figure monthly retainers to PR agencies and consultants who don't bring them new ideas and opportunities, who aren't proactive and who don't land any media coverage. I would venture to guess that many of these agencies don't even know what Qwoted is, let alone pay the extremely reasonable sum for a subscription. Today's media landscape is tougher than ever, I won't deny that. But why are so many PR people ignoring opportunities that are right in front of them? 🤯

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My newest writing advice article is up! Let's talk about Comparison Titles. When you are pitching your book for publication—whether querying, pitching, or even advertising for indie-publishing sales—knowing what your comparison titles are is essential! What is a comp title? How do you find one? Let’s learn! https://lnkd.in/eUHVqqDz #writingadvice #selfpublishing #indiepublishing

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Have an outline prepared before recording your podcast episode. Never-ever just jump behind the mic and "wing it." Not having an outline makes it more likely you'll: - miss important key points around the topic - get side-tracked - lose your train of thought - rant about something potentially unrelated ...just to name a few. All of the above will negatively affect audience retention. Get all my best tips about creating an outline for your episodes in this YT short:

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🎙 "I wrote a book... Now what? - Bonus episode with Jordan Ring (link in comments) In this episode, we get into ✅ Next steps and checklists for publishing and marketing. 📚 Self vs. Traditional publishing. 💪 Jordan's "squad publishing" approach. 🚩 Vanity publishing and how to avoid it. 👻 Ghostwriting myths busted. #ghostwriting #podcast #selfpublishing #hybridpublishing

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Want more media coverage? Why not make it EASIER for a reporter to contact you? Too often, I see reporters posting about how difficult it is to contact someone they want to interview to include in a story. Why not make it simple for them to get in touch with you by including your email address (and, if you're comfortable, a phone number) on your site and perhaps in your social media bios? Even better, if you have a "press" or "news" area on your site, you can include contact information, bios, logos, headshots and any other assets a reporter might need in order to feature you in a piece. The easier you can make for a reporter to include you, the more likely it is that they'll do just that - especially if they're in a time crunch. #PRTips #publicrelations #PRconsultant #mediarelations

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Is your writing too long-winded? Here is the second of seven ways to cut big articles down to size (or to write more concisely in the first place.) ***Keep cutting ideas*** Yesterday, I spoke about the idea of cutting entire sections — assuming your text is 15 to 20 percent long than it needs be. If you’re still more than 15 percent over, after doing that, you have two options: ✅ Delete another point. Or two. ✅ Vastly tighten your introduction and conclusion. And here’s a fresh take for bloggers: Consider turning your single article into a two-, three- or four-part series. If you have that much to say, and if the topic is rich enough, you’ll be doing your readers a favour by giving the topic the space it deserves. ✍️ How do you keep your writing short and to the point? ♻️ Share if this hits home

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More and more, I'm seeing journalists post on LinkedIn with advice for PR professionals. I think this is great. It's a way for editors and reporters to vent their thoughts about how they're getting pitched without sending a mean email to a PR who sends them a bad pitch on a stressful day. As an editor, I was often frustrated with the quality of pitches I received. So I complained to my colleagues. Journalists love to do this. But it wasn't really a productive thing. I wish LinkedIn had been a more robust professional network at the time. This is much better. And while it's obvious that Shaun was a bit frustrated, it's good that he asked kindly. It's even better that he gave a specific example of what is not helpful. I also thought it was funny that this was about cybersecurity, because that was always the example I gave when explaining how so many pitches I got sounded the same. "Cybersecurity is a huge problem for the world; here's how our company is helping solve it." Now they're just throwing in AI.

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Content is important. But storytelling is critical. Here’s how to incorporate them: 📍 Get personal 📍 Touch their emotion 📍 Show transformation Stories can strengthen your content. 💪 Here are the secret ways to do it: 👉 Catch them with hooks 👉 Talk about one major problem 👉 Describe how was it solved 👉 Share sparkling insights 👉 Show how life became better 👉 Bonus: Use descriptive writing You can’t force people to incorporate stories. But you can write great stories to inspire them. 💡   Want to know how to use stories in your content? Let's connect, shall we?

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https://lnkd.in/ect5e6Tb Fascinating application of AI to consumer marketing - even ring shopping! Joann S. Lublin Kay Jewelers The George Washington University - College of Professional Studies WSJ: How will artificial intelligence expand Signet’s e-commerce sales? DROSOS: AI is becoming increasingly important in how we do business because it’s personalizing everything. 

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There's so much talk about using AI to generate content, especially now that tools like ChatGPT make it look so easy. But is that coming at a cost to the reader experience? I'm a huge fan of (properly using) AI. It's been great at summarizing meetings. I use it sometimes to generate headline ideas or to generate a first draft of social media copy. I'm legitimately amazed at how fast this technology is developing. But as someone who has been "generating content" for newspapers, websites, blogs and social media since MySpace was the dominant social platform, I see far too many companies rushing to adopt AI for content generation without question. It seems so easy — because it is. Upload some reputable, trustworthy data sources (at least, please tell me you're doing this), click a couple buttons and you've got a story ready to go! Unfortunately, going this route ignores a lot of success factors. - Is it going to rank on Google? (No — the algorithm wants human experience and expertise that AI can't magically generate.) - Is it something that will add value for your customers? (People don't really want to read awkward AI copy, and will just bounce.) - Is it going to read well? (Unless you're also a robot ... no.) Instead, use AI to *assist* human writers. It's great at summarizing interviews, gathering key data points and helping you brainstorm. It can generate a first draft that gives you a structure to work with, if you're stuck. AI is a wonderful tool as an assistant, but it's not a long-term content strategy. While the technology changes over time, one thing doesn't — people want to trust that the article they're reading will help them out. Seeing how often people add "Reddit" on the end of their Google searches just confirms this. If you really want to stand out among your competitors and get long-lasting results, don't use AI as a content generator. Use it to help your human writers and editors do their job better.

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Tune in for an electrifying new episode of "Coffee with a Journalist" that you absolutely cannot miss. This week’s guest? Emilia David, Senior AI Reporter at VentureBeat. 🤖 From the buzzing vibe of UNGA’s AI talks to decoding inbox strategies and even touching on Taylor Swift tours—this episode is a blend of tech brilliance and sheer fun! 🔍 Highlights: 1️⃣ Emilia's secret sauce for staying ahead in the AI race (Hint: It involves internal Slack channels and a lot of reading!). 2️⃣ The ins and outs of Venture Beat’s laser-focused coverage on enterprise AI. 3️⃣ A deep dive into Emilia's email management (Inbox Zero, anyone?). 4️⃣ Amelia’s take on the AI landscape—Are we heading toward a transformative boom or just riding the hype wave? You gotta listen to find out! So grab your coffee and tune in to get your fill of AI insights and PR insights. 🎧 Listen to the full episode here: https://hubs.ly/Q02_2DJY0

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***There is no correlation between an agency’s relationship with a reporter and the ability to get a correction made to an article. Different publications have different guidelines, but they all follow the same code; once you share information with them, they have the right to publish it. Intuit is the latest, but there have been others like it in the past, and unfortunately, there will be more. We’ve spent a lot of time focused on this craft and following are a few takeaways: —-> Quality Media Coverage Takes Time. The best stories result from several productive conversations and thought leader interviews. ⏲️ —-> Media Training Matters. Everyone can benefit from media training - even us - because giving a good interview is hard! ‼️ —-> Corrections Aren’t Guaranteed. Facts are facts, and sometimes, the media gets them wrong. If factually incorrect, it can often be corrected. But, it doesn’t always mean we provided the wrong information. 🤷🏻‍♀️ —-> Approval is Essential and Final. If we ask if the content is approved so we can share it with the media and we get the green light, it’s go time!💨 —-> Less is More. Heed our counsel when we suggest backing off. Often, the more pressure you apply, the less desirable the result will be. 🫣 #MediaRelations is always fun but not always easy! Remember to maintain a partnership with your team, agency partner, and the media. We’re all working towards the same goal! #Media #PRTips #Communications #MediaTraining #PR #MakingMoments

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The disinformation swirling about the LA fires (see a summary @truth_incommon on Instagram) should be enough to convince us that the polluting of our information ecosystem is a massive issue. But now we have the world's most powerful people discrediting professional fact-checking and displaying unbridled partisanship. It's unethical behavior for any leader, but especially so for people who run communications channels that are themselves all-powerful and almost ubiquitous globally. Regular people want to be able to do what fact-checkers are trained to do: Separate fact from fiction. That job just got significantly harder.

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