PR Tip - Magazine Collaboration

Time for a new PR tip and what better than something I am actively participating in right now?!

Be friends with people who make magazines! And that doesn't mean just to pitch your stories! I think one of the coolest things about being in public relations is the ability to be a resource for the media regarding all the stuff you know about. For instance, I have my clients, yes, but I also know lots about Vermont music and Vermont travel and tourism - for these areas I have even created other blogs - Vermont Music and Vermont Vibes. With my blog knowledge, I write an article in the Green Living Journal and I write a column in the Healthy Hippie Magazine based on my Vermont Vibes blog. I share music knowledge with State of Mind Music Magazine and Burlington knowledge with Best of Burlington Magazine.

I don't do this for specific clients at all - how shady! I do this first because it is fun and second because it positions myself and Rachel Carter PR as a resource for the media, for the public, and for potential clients!

This is a great tool for anyone running their own business. Discover what it is you are an "expert" on and find media outlets who could benefit from your information and find a way to work together. It's one of my favorite aspects of work and is one of the most fun! Check me out having fun in my working glory at a recent event at Nectars!

My New Website!

Extra Extra - Read All About It!!

I have just updated my Rachel Carter PR website at www.rachelcarterpr.com. Please check it out! I first created the website in May of 2007, after starting my public relations consulting business at the very end of 2006. In July I registered my company name, Rachel Carter PR, with the State of Vermont and since then have been on the road to really creating a public relations agency in Vermont. My services have expended and become more clarified - both to myself and the different audiences I work with.

I am specifically carving a niche for myself working with Vermont clients, both with in and out of state promotions. I also have varied services for small to large businesses so I can work with start up companies and local businesses helping them get their story out as well as implementing public relations components for medium and larger sized companies.

And, it will continue to change as I move forward in running my Vermont public relations firm. Grow? Not sure about that, I am not looking to be a boss - I love actually doing what I do too much!

Check it out and please feel free to send me feedback or post comments - www.rachelcarterpr.com.

RachelCarterPR's Best of 2007

2007 was my first full year of running my own public relations agency in Vermont and I couldn't have done it without the help of quite a few others. As a way of offering some thanks and giving my favorite of kudos to others, I have invented my own Best of 2007 list of recipients!

Here goes:

~ Best Computer Doctor: All Systems Repair - They are simply the best. The work they do is great and their customer service can't be beat. I don't think I could have gone on at times without them. Viruses, infiltrations, dirtiness, and all else that plagues my sweet little laptop - All Systems Repair keeps my home office in operation. And, they are fair. Check them out in Winooski at www.allsyst.com.

~ Best Place for a Business Lunch: New Moon Cafe - Located in Downtown Burlington, New Moon Cafe is another new business of 2007 and definitely a fantastic place for any kind of lunch. I have been using if for all of my lunch meetings and love it! It's healthy "fast food" - so yum, so classy, so much to rave about - check them out on Cherry Street and at www.newmoonvt.com.

~ Best Car Service: Shearer - I love Shearer and no they don't pay me to say it. I have complete brand loyalty to Pontiacs (thanks to my dad) and currently drive a Vibe (see my Vermont Vibes blog for more on that). But, regardless of my Vibe, the customer service, oil changes, people, autobody shop, etc. at Shearer are exceptional. A few weeks ago my wipers weren't working so I stopped by, the service guys fixed them up and sprayed all the ick off my car. While they were helping me and my beloved car, I took notice of a sign of all their services and the cost comparison with all other nearby services. In only two out of seven or eight options was Shearer the lowest, and the honesty and helpfulness was some of the best marketing I have seen around! Anyway, Shearer takes care of me, my cars, and my contact with the road. Check them out on Shelburne Road in South Burlington and my friends in the service department at www.shearerpontiac.com!

~ Best Banking: Key Bank - They support the women business owners, treat me like a person (unlike my previous bank), helped me deal with my 401K (meaning they also offer financial planning - convenient), and Jeannie Lynch is simply remarkable. In my opinion all motivated women should bank with Key bank - check out the Key For Women program.

~ Best Place to Find My Equilibrium: Vermont State Parks - When I need peace, when I need to realign with the forces, and when I need to clear my head and reconnect with reality, I go to a state park. A snowshoe in the winter, a nature walk in the summer, a paddle in the fall, or a history exploration in the spring. I go by myself, bring some healthy snacks, a camera, and a journal and breathe. Sometimes I even sing. It feels good. I have never once left a state park without feeling more connected with my perspective on life. Everyone should sojourn to a state park for a few hours, solo. www.vtstateparks.com

~ Best Work Music: VPR Classical - I have always found classical music enjoyable and have also noticed my office managing cats really like it. I tried listening to regular VPR for a wile, but would get distracted by the different programs and discussions (not in a bad way, I would just focus on my work less and the radio more). But VPR Classical is purrfect (I had to). The music offers a calming and soothing backdrop to the sometimes heightened stresses that come with PR, and the occasional news keeps me in touch with the world. Who says radio is dead? Tune in with VPR at www.vpr.net.

~ Best Office Supplies: Recycle North and when they don't have it, Staples does. Recycle North is a great place to go to check first for what you may need and then go to Staples - you can save good money that way and get groovier office supplies. www.recyclenorth.org and www.staples.com.

~ Best Networking: Women Business Owner's Network (WBON) Events - They win. I go to a LOT of networking events and the best advice and most business comes from the WBON, bottoms down. If you are a woman business owner you should join - no ifs, ans, or buts. www.wbon.org

I have already started compiling kudos for the Best of 2008 - good luck!

The New Year Check In

Happy New Year! I am glad to be back to some more consistent blogging in 2008. That is not a resolution, just a fact - the holidays sure are crazy - even when you make focused efforts to keep them low key. I got to relax with family in the Berkshires - where I am originally from and enjoy some craziness with college friends and moe.rons in New York City - fabulous!

My New Year's resolutions every year are the same - not any resolution, just a re-focused effort to continue on my life path which is helping people think out of the box and see, feel, and experience things they may have not otherwise without my energy and presence. I've been doing this my whole life, it was just in the past several years that I fully recognized that as my path. And last year that path was able to culminate into complete direction with starting my own public relations business, RachelCarterPR, because now my personal and professional life are in sync and that creates a much more powerful energy than I could create with the two often bashing heads.

In the PR business of work and play, the New Year marks a great time to check in with not only yourself, but with those around you - especially your friends in the media. As I see it, people are people regardless of what they do for work and everyone goes through the New Year process of reflection and forward thinking. I find it's a great time to reconnect with media folks, see where they're at for the New Year, let them know what you're up to, see how you might be able to work together, and just send some overall cheer their way! If you are handling some of your own PR and reading this blog, take some time to reconnect with folks - you may be surprised to see who else has been thinking about you too!

Peace and Prosperity to All in 2008 and Beyond!