Earlier this month, Ellen Petry Leanse appealed for women to stop using the word ‘just’ during conversations at work. In an article for Business Insider that quickly went viral, she claimed the word is childish and dilutes the impact of what you are saying. She wrote ‘A few years back I noticed something: the frequency with…
Now, I’m a big fan of having a high impact, great looking website with a few bells and whistles that will really make you stand out from the crowd. But I also know this truth about websites: they are never, ever finished. And as such, it’s really important to understand that what you see as the finishing line…
My clients often ask me about social media and their website. Should they have one, or the other, or both? If they’re on social media, do they really need a website? And if they have a website, do they have to do social media too? It all takes time etc….. (yes I know!) I’m not even…
A few days ago, I wrote a blog post about how to make press coverage about more than press coverage. You can read the blog post in full, but in summary, I was saying showcasing press articles featuring you on your website effectively closes the feedback loop. Anyone who missed the original press coverage gets…
I’ve just finished working on this website for the sports presenter Richard Kaufman www.richardkaufman.co.uk. Like everyone I work with, he’s keen to get more opportunities and stand out from the crowd. In his case, these opportunities would both be in presenting jobs, and also in sports event hosting, which is a huge and lucrative market to…
Today, I’m at a photoshoot for Lizzie King, otherwise known as @vitalovebaby on Instagram (well, when I say ‘at’ at photoshoot, I mean the photoshoot is happening in my kitchen, as completely incidentally, I rent out my house as a location house and location kitchen for all sorts of editorial shoots and filming for television commercials,…
We are only 8 days into July and I’ve already published 8 blog posts. And if you’re wondering what is going on (because obviously this isn’t normal), well I’m taking part in Sarah Arrow’s 30 day blogging challenge which is FORCING – yes, I am not joking, this terrifying woman is literally sitting in the…
I’ve loved working on a new website for television and radio presenter Andrea Catherwood, which has just gone live at www.andreacatherwood.com. I also art-directed the photoshoot for a fantastic set of exclusive photos for her website. When on screen and hosting events, Andrea often has a very serious and corporate look, so the aim was to…
There is an interesting article in today’s Sunday Times Style magazine about blogging and the monetisation of blogs. For an ordinary person, this involves building a strong personal brand and a following, and then getting paid for sponsored posts. Once the reach and audience is there, beauty and fashion bloggers can command huge fees because…
Ever since I set up my first business in 2008, I have become obsessed with successful people and what makes them tick. Once I’d made the transition from journalist to small business owner, I wanted to be better and better at what I did, and looked to successful people to learn about how they think,…
A media strategy has always been about speaking, via mass communication, to new and interested audiences about your services and news. A decade or so ago, it involved looking across the media, by which I mean largely newspapers and magazines, tv and radio, thinking about which publications your target audience were likely to read or which shows…
When you’re building your personal profile, whether that’s for your own services, personal brand or even your small business, it’s natural you want media coverage. And without doubt, media coverage can bring you more clients, more followers, make you stand out from the crowd and enable you to reach thousands of people who otherwise wouldn’t…
I’ve loved working with fashion consultant Sara Simmonds on her website at www.sarasimmonds.com There is no doubt Sara has had a hugely successful career to date, working for brands such as Harvey Nichols and Zara, and developing products such as River Island’s Molly jeans and the rest of its denim collection that have helped turn…
Ever since I sold my online news agency in 2014, and started thinking how I could bring together my particular combination of expertise in digital, websites, journalism and publicity, I have become obsessed with the potential that well-known individuals have to use the internet and their websites (coupled with editorial skills) to not only engage with…
Earlier this year, I had a great time working with ITV’s Mary Nightingale building her a new website. She has around 12,000 people googling her per month, but with no official website, they were being directed to various old news articles from the Daily Mail and Telegraph, and a load of old photos. We launched…
For the past month or so, I’ve been working with the musician and presenter Cerys Matthews (in fact, the new website and e-commerce store that I’ve built for her has just gone live here www.cerysmatthews.co.uk) And what has been amazing about working with someone like Cerys is realising just how incredibly talented and hardworking she is. Who…