One of the questions I get asked frequently is “where should I post my open communication and PR role?”
So I sat down and made a round-up list of some of our favorites.
Plus, we’ve included other paid and free options that we’ve either a) heard good things about or b) our clients have had good first-hand success with.
Read MoreTo succeed in communications, your audience must be at the center of everything you do! But getting in front of your target audience isn’t always that easy. That’s why as part of your campaign or announcement, you need to reach not just your audience, but the people who influence your target audience. That’s where making community connections comes into play.
Read MoreShould I throw my cap? I don’t want to lose it, so maybe a gentle toss. Which hand do I accept my diploma with? I wonder where we’re going out to dinner after the ceremony?
These were all questions I had during my high school graduation. And with all of this running through my brain, I couldn’t, for the life of me, tell you who my graduation speaker was or what they said.
So how can you, as a superintendent (or the PIO writing this speech!), use your time at the podium to cut through the noise and make a difference as these graduates embark on the next phase of life? I’m sharing my top 3 tips to help you write a graduation speech that resonates with teens.
Read MoreReaching families without internet access isn’t a new challenge for communicators. As of last year, one in five households in America were unable to get online at home.
But in April, millions more families across the country are poised to lose their online access as the Affordable Connectivity Program funding runs out.
This could make reaching kids and families in your district or community more challenging. So today, I want to take a moment and share what we’ve learned about reaching and supporting offline families.
Read MoreWhen we see threats to our public schools – such as continuing declines in student enrollment, and politicians pushing for privatization and school voucher programs – we want to help.
That’s why we created our free downloadable guide: How to (Re)+Build Your District’s Numbers: Your Planning Guide to Personalize Communications.
Read MoreWhoof, it's a busy hiring market for communications and public relations peeps right now.
If you're seeing turnover in your communications department, you're not alone. I'm getting calls left and right asking if we serve as interim communications director.
I'm also getting asked for advice on how to handle departures, including what interview questions to ask candidates for communications roles. We’re sharing our recommended interview questions to help you through the process here!
Read MoreAs leaders in the child and family advocacy space, the words we use matter. How we talk about families and children matter. When we use language based on assumptions – so, for example, in the case of mom and dad – we are unintentionally prescribing relationships that may not exist for all families in our community. Here’s your guide to inclusive family language.
Read MoreA reporter reaches out to request an interview, and it’s…just not the right fit. You have to say no to the reporter’s request, and that could be for a million different reasons, such as: You don’t have the expertise. You don’t have the bandwidth. Your team can’t agree on what to say. The reporter hasn’t been friendly to your work in the past. So…how do you handle this delicate situation without burning bridges? Well, here’s what our team has learned from working with the media for many years.
Read MoreIn 2023, we fought politicians working to dismantle public education. We battled funding cuts that impact kids and families. We’ve had our hearts broken daily from escalating violence in Israel-Palestine, Sudan and Ukraine. We demanded paid family leave for all. We struggled to re-envision child care in America. We supported leaders who are exhausted and overwhelmed. Through it all, we’ve remained dedicated to dismantling structural oppression for children and their families.
Read MoreIn the child and family-focused work that we do, it can be hard to get real photographs of real people to use in your materials. But it’s definitely worth it. So with a little intention, a dash of project planning, and a can-do attitude, here are four steps you can take to get great photos for your organization.
Read MoreSmart communicators are moving away from press releases and using pitches — short emails tailored to specific reporters about specific topics. But we know writing the perfect pitch — and building personal relationships with journalists — can be tricky, so we’ve created a pitching checklist just for you! Download this free resource today and pitch with confidence, knowing that you’re following the best media relations practices possible.
Read MoreHave you ever received a draft of a written or designed document – and your heart sank because it isn’t quite right? We’ve all been there. Here are a few tips to get your creative project back on track!
Read MorePumpkin spice lattes may be taking over our world, but we're already thinking about the spring and making 2024 the best year yet. That's why – by popular demand – we're opening our training opportunities for 2024! Our trainings have been called “an excellent investment." Also: “polished and downright perfect." Here’s a (sampling of) what we’re offering starting in January.
Read MoreWe’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: simple writing is…weirdly hard? That’s why we *just* updated one of our most popular resources – Writing for Your Community: How to Ensure Your Messaging is Easy to Understand – with fresh new data and updated best practices!
Read MoreThat exciting first date. A job interview for the perfect position. Your key communications materials. Can you guess what all of these have in common? The answer: first impressions really, really matter for all of them. You’re on your own with the first part of this list – but at Forthright, what we CAN do is to help ensure your communications materials get that first impression rose. Below, we’re sharing our favorite questions to ask while conducting a communications audit.
Read MoreLook, I get it. It’s absolutely not easy being a solo communications shop – you’re the one who writes the tweets AND dreams up the strategic communications plan. You’re over there photographing an event AND coordinating the reporter interviews. If you’re the only communicator in your organization, you deserve a round of applause. Today, I’m sharing four tips for solo communicators based on what we’ve learned through our work across more than 30+ one-person comms shops.
Read MorePeople hate change.
It makes us feel uncertain, uncomfortable and like things are out of our control. And that’s not just coming from me – that’s directly from Dr. Joseph Ciarrochi, author of “What Makes You Stronger: How to Thrive in the Face of Change.”
And this fact is really, really important for our work – because to best serve kids and families, we often have to lead innovation – also known to your families and team as change.
Here at Forthright, we’ve done a lot of research and work around tricky topics. We’ve included a few key takeaways from our most recent research project – school redistricting – below.
Read MoreWhether you’re watching, selling, teaching or learning, video remains a critical communications tool. As a matter of fact, 92 percent of marketers say video leads to a positive ROI. And your video options are virtually limitless. That’s why today, we’re breaking down two video types – animated and live action – to help you choose which one is right for your next big campaign!
Read MoreMaybe you just joined a new district or organization and want to do a communications audit. Perhaps you’re considering a big change that affects students. Or you simply want to build better communication with the families you serve through your nonprofit or foundation. No matter the reason, there’s one critical piece to all successful communications work: listening. Today, we’re sharing tips for before, during and after your listening sessions.
Read MoreWhen our team kicks off our work on a communications campaign, we focus first on the objective we’re trying to achieve. What’s our goal? But quickly afterwards, we ask the important question: who can make our goal a reality And that’s when we start our search for likely AND unlikely allies. We’re sharing what unlikely allies are — and how you can find them — here.
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