PR@ctical {Issue 14}
4 tools I love, webcam hack, subject line reminder
It’s that time again…let’s get PR@ctical.
5 Seemingly Basic Tools That Make My Content Life Easier
I do what I can to make workflow and process easier for everyone in my life, including you. Click the link below and it will give you four links I encourage you to bookmark and save.
Creating content, even for personal use, can be cumbersome. Here’s a group of links that:
Easy to find, copy and paste emoji
Create line breaks in Instagram, SMS and anywhere formatting is an issue
Make a social image FAST (like super fast) when Canva or Photoshop aren’t an option
Populate a calendar (basic, but I LOVE THIS for planning one-off moments)
🔗 https://linkmix.co/1508567
iPhone Webcam Hack for Video Content
If you do a lot of video content, here’s a hack that will save you about $1,500 worth of equipment (and it’s the best I’ve tried). 👇
📹 Epocam Pro (newly acquired by Corsair/Elgato) turns your iPhone into your webcam or extra webcam (wired or wireless)
Works on ➡️ macOS and Windows (download a driver and iTunes)
Android only? There’s DroidCamX, Webcam, and IP Phone Camera
h/t @ShellyPalmer
Emails are headlines, change my mind.
Email only works if someone opens what you send. Makes sense. When you’re pitching yourself or a story to the media, most people need to ENTIRELY rethink their approach.
Your email subject lines should be one of the following
Headline-worthy (something this writer would actually use)
Explanatory (PITCH: story concept)
Exploratory (suggest a story line or source that isn’t self-serving)
If you think your subject lines might sound a little spammy (because marketers and PRs can tend to fall this way), do a headline and subject line workshop — like a college-student level exercise!
Want to write better headlines and subject lines? Here is my arsenal:
Subjectline.com (ugly site, I know, but it works)
Formatted Email Subject Lines (Chrome plug-in from CloudHQ)
—> And here’s a trick for how I manage all of these tools. If you’re a Chrome user, install Toby for Tabs. Create “Collections” for various functions on your job (e.g. email marketing, journalists, writing, etc…) and save link bundles to each. That way you don’t have to remember anything and every time you open a new tab everything is there in one place. Ta-dah!
Thank you so much for being here. I hope these PR@ctical tips make a difference.
Best,
Sarah
p.s. A few reports I’m reading this week: Conviva’s Q3 State of Streaming, AudienceProject App and Social Media Usage,
SO GOOD. Thank you!