I’ve got something to say about Christmas cards.

Basically, I think fewer of you are sending them, and I’m worried.

I base this on the fact that it feels like I’ve just gotten fewer Christmas cards so far this year than I normally do.

Sadly, it’s a PR call we get too often. Something bad has happened—a school shooting, the death of a colleague, a major incident or tragedy—and our clients want to know how to respond. Very often, folks wish to put out a statement, or post their viewpoints on social media. And equally often, our advice is to wait.

Leadership from Big Brothers Big Sisters – Michigan Capital Region will have the opportunity to attend Leadership Lansing, the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce’s leadership initiative, at no cost this year thanks to a contribution from Resch Strategies.

Spending more time working from home over the last 18 months has had its benefits. No doubt, a lot of the changes and restrictions of pandemic life have been frustrating and exhausting, but some of the upsides of a more relaxed working environment at home have been welcome.

Anyone who has worked in or around the Capitol knows the challenges of trying to unveil a big initiative while navigating the political machine. You’ve got the legislative calendar, budget proposal, budget completion, State of the State address, Consensus Revenue Estimating Conferences, election deadlines, ballot initiatives - and this is just working around what’s planned. A reporter on the Capitol or statewide beat will tell you that when a routine week of coverage is planned, it ends up being anything but.

There is a lot of content on the internet. I can lose hours at a time just swiping on my phone. (Thanks, TikTok). With this sea of content for people to choose from, it can be a battle just to get viewers to your Facebook page, website, e-newsletter, etc. Once someone lands where you want them to, you need to grab their attention within seconds in order to ensure that they continue interacting with your content.

This can be hard. Graphics can help.

Resch Strategies, a statewide public relations and public affairs firm, today announced the addition of Anna Heaton to their lineup of public relations professionals, welcoming the former gubernatorial press secretary as vice president of the 12-year old firm.

On Tuesday, June 1, 2021 - for the first time in 442 days – the entire Resch Strategies team was back together under one roof. It wasn’t a planned thing. No one said, “Ok, it’s June 1. Let’s all go back today.” (I guess that would have been my job to do.) It was a podcast day, which does seem to bring folks in, but no. No plan. No official return. No government edict. Just a happy little coincidence.

Zoom meetings. Moving from one crisis to the next. Rolling out of bed directly into the office chair. Working from home sounded great 14 months ago, but global pandemics have a way of defying expectations.

If you’re considering starting podcast, there’s a lot to do and figure out before hitting “record” for the first time.

When it comes to your various social channels, it’s one thing to post the occasional article and funny meme - and you may get decent engagement that way - but it’s much more impactful if you do a little bit of work upfront and determine who YOU are as a brand.

PR isn’t just about pushing out content, it’s about sharing the right content at the right time and being ready for what’s ahead. Finding the right match to help you tell your story can take your efforts to the next level.

One of the biggest professional fears of any PR person is to hold a news conference and have not a single reporter show up.  Bad fear; a worst reality. We recently facilitated a news conference and EVERYONE showed up.  If anyone ever questioned the interest in high school sports, let me provide your answer:  People are interested in high school sports!

This year, we’ve begun to face some hard truths about social media. While we know its value in keeping us united during tough times (hello, pandemic!), we also can see its ability to divide. Its addictive nature. Its limitations as an instrument of public discourse.