Media Outlets in Edmonton Invite Citizen Journalists to Contribute to Ongoing News Stories
Strategic communications is becoming increasingly important for arts and community organizations with limited budgets, time and resources. There are many media outlets and even more communication tools to choose from to make effective use of any of them without a strategic communications plan. Last year, Sun Media launched their UR portal and invited readers to submit stories, photos and videos. At about the same time, CTV launched their MyNews portal and were joined soon thereafter by iNews 880 (CHQT) with the iNews portal and weekly newspapers such as the St. Albert Gazette began to encourage their listeners and readers to upload their own news stories. More recently Metro Edmonton launched their LiveWire initiative to invite people to contribute their news based on ongoing news stories they are developing for publication. On September 29, 2011, the Edmonton Journal is launching their online community newsroom. They are hoping to “make it as easy as possible for the arts and community organizations and their readers to contribute newsworthy events in a meaningful and relevant way on the special area on their website that will have tools for easily sharing stories, photos and videos.” Read more 
Pitch Your Story to the Media Workshop | April 20 | Edmonton
This workshop presents a step-by-step roadmap on how to successfully pitch your great story idea to the media over the phone in 30 seconds or in 300 words by email. You’ll be able to follow up with a warm call instead of a cold one. You’ll also learn how to pitch your story idea to browsers, bloggers and online journalists which is where you’ll get the most buzz for your brand. Best of all, you’ll leave the workshop at least 10 great ideas and with a list of the top 10 reporters, editors and online journalists most likely be to be interested in your story. See more and register.
Savvy Social Media Relations Workshop | May 25 | Edmonton
Whether you’re a team of one or a team of many, social media is now an essential communications tool. In today’s social media world, every customer is a reporter and every employee is a potential marketer. Social media offers individuals and organizations an unrivalled opportunity to speak directly to the people most likely to be interested in what you have to say. They also make it easy to conduct market research and track awareness of your issue, product or service. The challenge is that with so many social media tools to choose from, how do you choose the right tools? And with limited time to work with, where do you start? See more and register.
CPRS Webinar: On The House or How a NonProfit Organization Used a Blog to Increase Media Coverage
Webinar: On The House
Presenter: Michelle Clausius APR, Associate Director of Development and Communications, Covenant House Vancouver
Date: Monday, May 16, 2011 @ 2 p.m. ET
Cost: CPRS Member $65 + HST / Non-Member $85 + HST Read more
Marilyn
Jones is a corporate and social media advocate for individuals, small businesses
and nonprofit organizations in Alberta. She lives in Edmonton, Alberta,
Canada and is the proprietor of RiverCity Productions. You can contact her
by phone at 780-695-5675 or by email at marilyn@mediamag.ca.