As you know, Ashley and I recently swapped blog posts. Well, I realized that I never shared my post with all of you!

When you get a moment, I’d love for you to check out the post I wrote for Ashley’s Going Like Mad blog. Titled “Landing Your Dream Job,” this post was 110 percent inspired by a recent conversation I had with my gal Megan about life and career changes.

Landing Your Dream Job

I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

- L

As previously mentioned last week, this next post comes from Ashley Erickson of Going Like Mad. Please join me in welcoming Ashley to my blog. Ashley’s post gives a behind-the-scenes glimpse into her life, passions and the day-to-day experiences she has as an editor.

First, here’s a little bit about this lovely lady.

Ashley currently lives in Austin, Texas, but was raised in Southern California (which helps her appreciate the low cost of living in Texas even more).  She is currently the Texas regional editor for Competitor magazine and also works for a software company.  Social media addict to the core, her most memorable blogging accomplishment was being featured on the cover of opensalon.com.  On her blog, she talks about all things editorial and her struggle with the treadmill as she trains for her first 5K and eventual marathon finish.  Find her on Twitter where she shares her adventures around town with her hideous ankles (her words, not mine).

Now, ladies and gentleman… I give you. Ashley.

- – - – -

Living by the Editorial Calendar
Ashley Erickson

I find my inspiration in my friends, family and in some of my favorite writers.  But, that still leaves one more form of inspiration: my planner.

I have been living by the editorial calendar since college.  I started as an intern for the San Diegan, a local San Diego publication that I spent 30 some hours at a week while taking classes full-time.  Balancing classes and fact checking and proofing took some getting used to, but with an annual publication time is not completely of the essence.  Then I moved on to a literary agency, where I was able to take my work home (willingly) and got to edit a 350-page manuscript (the only one I’ve ever edited).  That took a lot more time to tackle than the 100-word posts I was used to checking over, but the sense of accomplishment after still is with me.  My last internship was with Competitor, where I went in for 10 hours or so a week in the mornings before classes (that I may or may not have skipped more than once).  So, I did have a little bit extra to manage during the typical frantic schedule of a college student, but I got through.

Now, things are a bit different.  I have a full-time job at a software company alongside of my contract position as Texas regional editor of Competitor (i.e., the rags to riches/intern to editor tale).  My life is all about balancing editorial with my full-time work with my full-time boyfriend.  I cram them all into one calendar and voila.

It is all about organization.  First, I start with the issue of the month.  The issue is planned out on a spreadsheet and I literally highlight each article in whatever colors I am feeling that month (usually yellow means: YAY IT’S WRITTEN and red is: UGH AFKJDAKJ$@O#IU).  After I plan and re-plan and write and re-write, my full-time is next.  Luckily I just got the job at the software company and now have a more flexible life.  Because then there comes my boyfriend who it is pretty guaranteed I am with when I am not doing the other two schedules.

Schedules and to-do lists may seem silly sometimes, but they work.  Crossing items off of your list can bring more accomplishment than originally thought.  The first step, though, is to get a planner that you’ll want to use–that you will be excited to write in and look at.  If you are a writer, you will probably inevitably turn toward getting a Moleskin one (which I was unable to find at my time of purchase, which I still resent Barnes & Noble for).  The most important step is to carry it with you everywhere–because you can do much more with a planner than just write down your schedule.  You can write down your thoughts and random musings, keep track of names and phone numbers and even keep memorable quotes.

Let it be your inspiration as you live your own calendar.  I live the editorial calendar and the sales consultant calendar and the girlfriend calendar and I try to do it with style.  With my pink planner by my side.

Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve loved to write.

Whether poetry, creative writing, short stories or essays, writing has always been something I was good at–and enjoyed. And 20-something years later, I started this little thing called a blog. A place where I have the freedom to write about any and every little thing I want–and no one, not even YOU, can stop me.

It’s certainly been an incredible year of learning. I’ll be the first to admit that I didn’t have a clue what I was doing or getting myself into when I first started this journey. I secured my URL, found a place to host the site and did my best to make it personal. But it still didn’t seem like me.

After a little more research, some help from my buddy John, lunch dates with Liz and inspirational Skype chats with Jamie, I had the extra push to make lauriesteiner.com truly my own.

I kept telling myself–I CAN DO THIS.

And well, 365 days later, this little website has undergone a few redesigns and much random babbling. For some people, writing is therapy. For others, it’s a way to document awkward moments, share funny stories, post pics of fabulous fashion or be an inspirational guide for those in the crazy career world.

For me, this place has been a written collection of my professional and personal life–a place that after one year, finally feels like home. Here, there aren’t any rules–just reality. And so far, I’ve loved every minute of being here.

I hope you’ve found the content to be interesting, helpful, insightful, funny and most of all, worthy of a few return visits every once in a while. I welcome your suggestions, comments and even your criticism. Know that your feedback helps me along this journey.

Cupcakes and cheer

So let’s raise our glasses and make a toast, blow out the candle and celebrate! Here’s to one hell-of-a year here at lauriesteiner.com.

And lastly, thank you. Thank you to my followers, readers, friends, family and fellow bloggers who have made this place what it is today. I truly hope you’ll join me in continuing the conversation for the next 365 days.

Let’s do something fabulous.

- L

I’ve always loved to write. From a young age I’ve had a journal or a diary and have always been a big fan of post-its and to-do lists. I was a very serious little list-maker (oh who am I kidding…) I am a very serious list-maker. Again, I love to write and words are my thing.

So when college was quickly approaching–and I had no idea where I wanted to go or what I wanted to do–I was certain of one thing and one thing only: I wanted to write. I thought I was pretty good at it and it came easily to me. Sure, I sat through the business school orientation just to “see” if I would be interested–you know, to humor the parents. But no thanks; my calling was to journalism.

I remember sitting in my very first journalism class, feeling extreme nervousness and excitement all rolled into one and thinking to myself: “Uh oh, what have I gotten myself into?” I was sitting in a very uncomfortable, stuffy lecture hall filled with about 200+ students. The seats and desks were all wooden. There had to have been at least 100 freshmen who had sat in that exact same seat before me. I vividly remember that first class–I didn’t love it. In fact, all I recall is that the chairs were outrageously uncomfortable, the class was beyond boring and I didn’t do very well. Journalism as I had envisioned it was not even remotely close to this class. I wondered if maybe it really wasn’t my “thing” as much as I had thought… great. Now what?

Well, the next summer I was accepted into the journalism school. I guess I’ll try this again. Maybe it could be my “thing” after all. So I picked up my first set of classes as an official journalism student (which I’ll admit, felt both awesome and scary at the same time) and after some not-so-great press releases, media advisories, lessons and writing sessions (and some tears, I would suspect), I really started to get the hang of it. Journalism was becoming second nature.

As with anything, all it took was loads and loads of practice. And the very first thing I had to master was writing the dreaded press release.

So here are my top 10 hints for writing a press release.

10. Keep it concise. There’s really nothing worse than reading a press release that goes on and on for pages upon pages. Superfluous details are just that: superfluous. No need to sugarcoat anything or fluff things up with pretty words. Stick to the point.

9. Get to the point quickly. Bottom line: If I don’t know what your press release is about in the first few sentences, I’m already gone. What are you trying to say? What is it that you’re announcing? What is it that I need to know? Get to the point and get to it fast.

8. Remember your audience. If you wouldn’t say it to your boss, colleague, kids or grandma, then you should probably refrain from typing it in a press release. Remember, you want them to care about what you’re saying–not laugh, sigh, roll their eyes or delete your press release altogether.

7. Never assume. Although you may know what a particular acronym stands for or what a specific phrase means, never assume that the reader or journalist you sent the press release to knows exactly what you’re referring to. Spell acronyms out on first reference. Be clear without going into a deep explanation.

6. Be professional. Sending a press release in size 16 font makes you seem unprofessional. Double check your hyperlinks, make sure all attachments and images open correctly and don’t e-mail a press release with a huge file size. If I suddenly stop receiving e-mails because you clog up my inbox, I’ll simply press delete.

5. Incorporate social media. Whether you stick to hyperlinks, embed videos or link to podcasts, try to incorporate social media into your press release. You can pretty much say goodbye to the traditional press release as we once knew it. Learn more about the modern press release and how to use it here.

4. Don’t forget the boilerplate. An essential part of your press materials–and more specifically, your press release–the boilerplate provides a nice background on your company or organization. In PR lingo, a boilerplate is a statement placed at the end of a press release that covers the basic five W’s (who, what, when, where and why) of your business, products and services, letting the press and public know what your company or organization is all about.

3. Include your contact info. What good is sending over information without including who sent it? Sure having a contact name is a good start, but what if I need more information? What if I want to request high-resolution images, an interview or want to develop a story out of it? Don’t leave the journalist hanging or having to search for your contact info. It’s really not a good idea. So, include your name, company or organization, phone number, e-mail and a link to your Web site. If you want to include your address, go for it, but please do not make your contact information 10 lines long. No one wants to start reading your content in the middle of the page.

2. Do your homework. If I receive an e-mail from you that says “Dear Lori” with a press release attached, I don’t read any further. My name’s Laurie, not Lori. Make sure you know who you are sending your press releases to. What is their official title? Where is their office? Doing your homework will help you to forge relationships and establish raport with journalists. Trust me, you wouldn’t believe how many people address me as “Lori.” No thanks.

1. Make sure it’s newsworthy. Last–but certainly not least–newsworthiness is the most important thing to remember when writing a press release. Here’s an example. Today I received an e-mail with a press release and attached images of a company holiday gingerbread house-making party. Sure, the pics were cute and I wished I had a little gumdrop-covered gingerbread house sitting right in front of me to eat, but sorry, I don’t cover that news. I never have and I probably never will. Where’s the news? What’s actually happening? What is so important that you took the time to write about it and why should I be reading it?

If you’re like me and are sitting in your journalism class wondering if you’re in the right room, test these out and see what happens. I’ve been working in PR for a while now and the truth of the matter is, I still have a lot to learn. That’s the beauty of PR and writing–it always keeps you on your toes.

To my fellow PR professionals, what are your hints for writing a press release? And if you’re a journalist, what are your press release pet peeves?

- L

I’m very excited to announce that a few of my writing samples are now up and ready for your perusal. While there are certainly more to come, please take a look and check back regularly to see more examples of my writing.

Happy Monday!

- L