Photo of the week: spent an evening in New Hope, PA for work hosting media for dinner and a spooky ghost tour.

Start your week right! Every Sunday I post my favorite links from around the web and share my goals for the upcoming week.

Links

On Email Marketing:

Why Email Newsletters Won’t Die: As email marketing is one of the newest initiatives I’ve taken on in my business/blog, I was especially interested in this Wired post by Ryan Tate about the current “email renaissance” and why email newsletters won’t die.

On Freelancing:

How to Successfully Transition From Free Work to a Paid Position: Working for free is important to build your portfolio, but once you’re established, it’s time to move to paid gigs. Carrie Smith from Careful Cents explains how to make that transition smoothly.

On Social Media:

LinkedIn Beefs Up Platform: But Will You Spend More Time There?: PR pro Arik Hanson outlines some of LinkedIn’s latest updates in this blog post for Communications Conversations. I had no idea about the “notes” feature and can’t wait to start using it as my personal CRM.

A Facebook Update In Real Life: This HILARIOUS video, produced by Extremely Decent Films, brings Facebook’s constantly changing interface to life. Just watch it; I promise you will laugh.

On Marketing:

Host a Successful Webinar with These 16 Steps: Gini Dietrich’s Spin Sucks blog is my absolute go-to website for all things PR, marketing and social media. This post, written by Gini, provides a detailed outline on the steps necessary to host a successful webinar. Webinars are part of my plan for the blog in the near future, so I’m definitely bookmarking this post.

Readers Get Gutsy:

Leave The Lame and Dive Into Your Future: I’m thrilled to share a link to Olle Lindholm’s personal “Get Gutsy” story about his adventure scuba diving on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. If you’re interested in having your own gutsy story profiled here on the weekly roundup, just reach out!

This Week On Jessica Lawlor.com:

Reflections From the Real World: Advice for New College Grads: Congrats new grads! After you turn your tassel, check out this post with advice for the class of 2013.

Where I’ve Been Freelancing and Featured Lately: Ramping up my freelancing is one of my main goals to grow my blog and business. Every few weeks, I compile all of my recent pieces to share where I’ve been freelancing and featured lately.

Goals

• Learn as much as possible at the PRSA Travel and Tourism Conference in Memphis, Tennessee this week. I’m so excited to attend this PR conference and am sure I’ll come back with tons of notes and ideas.
• Explore Memphis as much as I can during downtime at the conference. I already have a list of must-try restaurants…if you have anything to add to the list, leave your suggestions in the comments!
• Go for a run or two while I’m in Memphis; I love running as a way to explore new places, so hopefully I’ll be able to start a few mornings with a run through the city.

Have any links or goals you’d like to share? Leave them in the comments!

The post Start Your Week Right Sunday: Links and Goals appeared first on Jessica Lawlor.

I’ve never been more thrilled to be called a geek! When Eric Smith, an author and the co-founder of the awesome website, Geekadelphia, reached out asking if I’d like to be featured as the site’s ‘Geek of the Week’ I jumped at the opportunity. Geekadelphia interviews me about my full-time job in tourism, this blog, running and getting gutsy.

Geek of the Week: Jessica Lawlor

That said, this week’s Geek of the Week spotlights Jessica Lawlor. A graduate of Temple University, this social media loving, public relations pro can be found at Bucks County’s tourism office, Visit Bucks County. There, she handles marketing and communications, and in her free time, blogs away and runs marathons.

We caught up with Jess to talk about Visit Bucks, her blog, and her e-newsletter.

Click on over to Geekadelphia to read the entire interview.

 
As a regular contributor for Brazen Careerist’s blog, Brazen Life, I love the opportunity to share the tips and tricks I’ve learned in the first few years of my career. There are certain skills you just don’t learn in school- things you pick up on the job, but skills that most definitely need to be mastered in the early part of your career. I explore five of these imperative skills in this latest post for Brazen Life.

5 Career Skills Every 20-Something Should Master

As a young professional in the workplace, you’ll inevitably encounter certain situations in your career: bad bosses, catty colleagues, work-life balance issues, considering new job opportunities. Navigating the real world isn’t easy, but with more experience and a couple of stumbles and falls along the way, the lessons you learn begin to stick.

As you prepare to enter the next stage of your career, you should have certain skills mastered by now. Not quite there yet? We’ve got a list of the top five career-related tasks you should know how to do and quick tips to brush up on those skills.

Head over to Brazen Careerist to read the full post.

When I was brainstorming ideas for my latest Muck Rack post, I kept thinking about some of the terribly untargeted pitches that land in my inbox, especially after I stopped reviewing books on my blog. More than a year later, I still receive pitches from PR people who clearly haven’t updated their media list in months (not good). In my latest post for Muck Rack, I share five ways to pitch bloggers to ensure your email doesn’t get deleted.

 Tips for pitching bloggers: 5 easy ways to ensure your email doesn’t get deleted

Media relations is an ever-changing industry and with the popularity of blogging and social media, anyone can act as a journalist. While this definitely complicates the media landscape, it also gives public relations professionals a new and exciting world of opportunity when it comes to achieving results for their companies or clients. In addition to reaching out to the same A-list publications and journalists, communicators are able to include bloggers and social media influencers in their outreach to connect with new audiences.

As both a PR professional who regularly communicates with the media in my full-time job and an avid blogger on the side, I have a unique view of media relations when it comes to pitching bloggers. Because let’s face it: I’ve been on the receiving end of some pretty poorly-written pitches. Here are five simple tips for pitching bloggers.

Check out the full post on the Muck Rack Blog.

The post Where I’ve Been Freelancing and Featured Lately: Geekadelphia, Brazen Careerist and Muck Rack appeared first on Jessica Lawlor.

All smiles on graduation day at Temple University  on May 13, 2010.

Three years ago today, I walked across the stage at Temple University in my cap and gown, happily accepted my hard-earned diploma and closed one chapter of my life for an exciting new one.

Some days I feel like I graduated from college yesterday, and other days, it feels like an entire lifetime ago.

On that beautiful May day at Temple University, I had no idea what my future would hold. I didn’t yet have a job offer, but I was optimistic and confident that my hard work would pay off.

I was sad to leave an amazing four years at Temple and incredible people behind, but excited to begin the next part of my life-one that I knew would be full of new challenges, opportunities and experiences.

So much has happened in three short years:

• I’ve held two awesome jobs- one in healthcare PR and my current job, in travel/tourism PR.
• I’ve taken on leadership roles in area public relations organizations like PPRA.
• I’ve had the opportunity to travel, both for work and for fun, to places like Jamaica, Punta Cana, Texas, Arizona, Illinois and Florida.
• I’ve overcome my fear of public speaking and now speak regularly to classes, organizations and even a room of more than 100 people at a conference.
• I underwent a complete transformation to reclaim my health, losing 30 lbs and becoming a runner.
• I started taking freelance writing/PR as a side gig seriously.
• I launched this blog and an e-newsletter.

As students all over the country walk across the stage this week to accept their diplomas, I’d like to offer a bit of advice for new college grads as they prepare to enter the real world:

Don’t panic. If you don’t have a job offer yet, take a deep breath and calm down. It’s not uncommon to not have a job yet, especially in this economy. Use your newly-found free time to perfect your resume and cover letter, complete informational interviews and attend networking events relevant to your industry. If you still can’t find full-time work, consider taking an internship while you continue searching, pursue freelance gigs or accept a position as a contractor (hint: sometimes these kinds of opportunities turn into full-time jobs!)

Learn to step back and listen. One of my biggest challenges coming out of college was accepting my place as a small fish in a big pond. As a student leader in college, it was difficult to go from leading meetings, planning events and having complete control over an organization to settling into my place as the low woman on the totem pole at work. But remember, everyone has to start somewhere. Similarly, it’s important to observe and listen, especially when you’re new to a job. Having an opinion is great, but learning to soak in all the information you can and sharing your ideas when you have something thoughtful to say will help you go a long way at work.

Be confident. While it’s important to know when to speak and when to listen, don’t let your age and lack of experience deter you from doing the best job that you can. Strike a balance between being respectful and a good listener and taking initiative and sharing your thoughts and ideas. After all; you were hired for a reason. Be confident in your skills and abilities, but remember that you have a long way to go in your career and soak up every opportunity you can to learn from those in your industry.

Maintain your friendships. One of the rudest awakenings for me after graduating from college was the immense effort it takes to maintain friendships. In college, I took for granted how lucky I was to live in such close proximity to all my my closest friends. When we graduated and moved to different corners of the country, I was struck by how lonely I was and how challenging it was to keep in touch. Understand that you’ll likely need to make a bigger effort to schedule get-togethers and times to catch up. Also, recognize that sometimes friendships change or dwindle after college- and that’s okay too. There’s always an opportunity to make new friends, even though it may seem more challenging.

Get healthy. If you harbored any unhealthy habits in college (late-night pizza, anyone?), the first few years out of college are a prime time to reclaim your health. Perhaps you’ve always wanted to run a 5K- now’s the perfect time to begin working on that goal. Need to start eating healthier? Create a meal plan each week and pack your lunches for work accordingly.

Pursue your passion on the side. Let’s face it. Not everyone loves their first job- and that’s okay. But even if you do enjoy your job, consider taking matters into your own hands and start pursuing something on the side that gets you out of bed each morning. Whether it’s starting a blog, writing a novel or launching a business, these newly-found skills may help you land your next job and give you something to get excited about!

Begin saving money. Ugh. I know. Thinking about money can be really stressful. If you’re anything like me, you may be coming out of college with thousands of dollars of student loan debt. The first few years out of school are the perfect time for you to begin getting your finances in order and prepare for a successful future. Begin by paying back your student loans, establishing credit and taking advantage of your work’s 401K program or similar savings program for retirement.

Have fun! Listen, the real world can seem scary, but it’s not as bad as everyone makes it out to be. Think about it this way: you now have a bit more money and free time to actually enjoy the city you live in and take advantage of experiences you may not have been able to pursue as a broke college student. Indulge in post-work happy hours, purchase that blazer you’ve had your eye on for months and plan a getaway with your friends. What I love most about the real world is that after work and on the weekends, that free time is purely mine to pursue whatever it is I most want to do.

See? Being an adult really isn’t so bad after all….congrats grads! And welcome to the real world!

What advice would you share with college grads as they prepare to enter the real world? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!

The post Reflections from the Real World: Advice for New College Grads appeared first on Jessica Lawlor.

Photo of the week: Running through Temple University during the Broad Street Run.

Start your week right! Every Sunday I post my favorite links from around the web and share my goals for the upcoming week.

Links

On Careers:

A Boss’s Open Letter to Workers Who Want to Quit: If you’ve ever quit a job, you know that it’s no easy task, but there’s certainly a graceful way to resign with your network intact. Todd Defren, CEO at Shift Communications shares eight tips on how to leave the perfect “last impression” when you accept a new position in this post for Aol Jobs.

Coffee Meetings: Planning a networking meeting over coffee? Len Kendall breaks down the etiquette of this important career staple to ensure that your next coffee meeting is productive and free of awkwardness in this piece for Medium.

On Blogging:

How to Build a Stronger Blog Community Using Comments: Allison Boyer from NMX shares how she increased page views, emails from readers, subscribers and sponsors through replying to comments on her blog.

On Life:

The Success Trap and Regrets of the Dying: The wonderful Gini Dietrich beautifully writes about a topic many of us can relate to: comparing ourselves to others and wondering why we’re not as successful as they are.

What It Takes To Succeed: Continuing on the topic of success, one of my amazing mentors, Ron Vitale, writes this fantastic piece about what it takes to be successful and the tools he’s used to find sweet success.

This Week on JessicaLawlor.com: 

Broad Street Run Race Recap: A 10-Mile Adventure Through The Heart of Philadelphia: Broad Street Run: conquered, new personal record set, and all! Here’s my experience running this iconic Philadelphia race, from start to finish.

Goals

• Get back into a 5-day a week fitness routine. After completing the Broad Street Run, I took it VERY easy last week with some elliptical and a Zumba class, but this week, I want to get back into running and start working on speed.
• Send out my second Get Gutsy e-newsletter! (Hint: it’s coming out tomorrow morning!) If you haven’t subscribed yet, you can check out the first one here and decide if it’s for you. If you’d like to receive a free email two times a month filled with inspiration, ideas and action items to get out of your comfort zone, subscribe here.

Have any links or goals you’d like to share? Leave them in the comments!

The post Start Your Week Right Sunday: Links and Goals appeared first on Jessica Lawlor.

Happy little runner after completing the Broad Street Run four minutes faster than in 2012.

Broad Street Run, round two: CONQUERED.

Before I break down my 2013 race experience, I want to start by thanking and praising the city of Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Police Department and the team behind the Independence Blue Cross Broad Street Run for an incredibly safe and well-organized race.

In light of what happened in Boston, not once did I feel nervous (and that says a lot coming from this overly-anxious worrywart). An increased police presence was definitely felt throughout the race, but never in a negative or scary way- just in a calm and controlled manner.

Actually, the race was a beautiful tribute to Boston from start to finish with thousands of runners sporting red socks, From Philly to Boston, with love stickers given to every runner at the Race Expo and “Sweet Caroline” playing at the start.

Oh, and SPOILER ALERT: I PR’d and beat my time from last year!

Why Broad Street?

I first learned of the Broad Street Run in 2011 when I spotted the finish line from my car on I-95 and vowed to myself that the following year, I would complete the race. In that year, through running, I completely transformed my body, mind and attitude.

When I made the decision to train for the Broad Street Run, I set out to become a better runner, but in the process became a better person.

Training for and completing the Broad Street Run reminds me of just how far I’ve come and how far I know I’m able to go if I set my mind to it.

Training

Here’s the thing about training this time around for the Broad Street Run…there wasn’t much of a plan.

Before my first Broad Street Run in 2012 and the Philadelphia Half Marathon, I did meticulous research and created detailed calendars both online and on paper for training. Not this time.

Around the middle of March, I realized that it was probably time I put some sort of plan together. I loosely followed last year’s plan (at least when it came to long runs), but slacked a bit on my mid-week runs and strength training. In any case, I completed long runs each week from about 5 miles up until 9 miles.

Despite not training as hard as I did last year, when race day came, I felt ready. I had done this before and knew that I was capable of finishing strong.

Broad Street Run Race Expo

Ready for this? There was ZERO wait time to get in to the Race Expo at Lincoln Financial Field.

The Broad Street Run is a well-oiled machine; the organizers know how to manage 40,000 people and I was in and out of the Expo in no time at all. I got my bib, picked up my t-shirt and browsed the different vendors- I ended up buying a new sparkly pink Sweaty Bands headband to wear for the race.

Got my bib! Ready to rock the yellow corral.

Race Eve

The night before the race, my friend Melissa and I went out for a delicious Italian meal, perfect for carb-loading. Together, we devoured an entire loaf of bread (if running 10 miles isn’t an excuse to over-indulge in carbs, I don’t know what is) and I ate pasta and chicken.

When I came home, I finalized my playlist, laid out my race day outfit and got in bed around 10:30 p.m.

Broad Street Run ready…jelly beans for fuel.

Race Day

My dad was nice enough to drive me to the start line at Broad and Olney, allowing me to skip public transportation and sleep a little later (Thanks Dad!). Even though I tried NOT to get to the race too early, I still managed to make it to the start at about 7:15 a.m., more than an hour before the race actually began.

I was able to meet up with a few friends and we hit the porta-potty area- like a good little racer, I remembered my TP, but didn’t even need it- yet again, the Broad Street Run organizers were prepared for the masses of people and all the bathrooms were well-stocked and surprisingly clean.

Race day essentials- toilet paper, water and snacks.

My ONLY complaint about the entire Broad Street Run came right before the race was set to begin. As we attempted to make our way to our corral, all of a sudden, no one was moving. Everyone was stuck at a complete standstill, packed like sardines. I’m not sure exactly what happened, but we weren’t able to move for about a half hour, until the race began and some of the faster corrals started the race. Luckily, I was in a later corral, so after the crowd let up, I had no problem making my way to the yellow corral in time to start.

And We’re Off…Running the Broad Street Run

The race began with a pride-filled Star Spangled Banner, a brief speech from Mayor Michael Nutter and an extra special message from Boston’s Mayor, Thomas Menino. He thanked the city of Philadelphia and all the Broad Street Run participants for their support and then the familiar tune of Sweet Caroline blasted from the speakers and the first corral was off!

Like I expected, I didn’t cross the start line until about 9:05 a.m., 35 minutes after the race officially began.

The first half of the race travels through North Philadelphia; it’s not the most scenic part of the race, but the local support makes it completely worth it. That’s one of the best things about the Broad Street Run. It truly brings people from all walks of life together to celebrate a special occasion that touches almost every major neighborhood in the city of Philadelphia.

I started out a little faster than I probably should have out of excitement and hit the three mile mark in 32:42. From there, my momentum only grew because I knew we were quickly approaching my alma mater, Temple University, and also the spot where my family was spectating.

Temple Runs Broad Street.

Running through Temple was one of the most special parts of the race for me. Temple’s Alumni Relations team organized an amazing group of alumni, students, cheerleaders, football players and the marching band to cheer on runners, as they passed through campus. After high-fiving the entire Temple University Football Team, I continued running and spotted my family.

Waving to my family as I passed by at Temple.

After running through Temple, I continued on to another exciting and energizing part of the race- running toward City Hall. This year, I made sure to take my friend Amanda’s advice to have fun and stop for a photo with the iconic building in the background, even if it meant stopping for a minute. I’m glad I did.

Philadelphia’s City Hall- an awe-inspiring view of the city.

After City Hall is where things began to go downhill (both figuratively and literally). Mentally, I knew how far I still had to go and physically, I knew I had gone out way too fast in the beginning. I began to slow down to a run/walk and felt pretty discouraged. I popped a few jelly beans (my running fuel of choice), guzzled some water and mustered up the strength to continue.

Even through my frustration, I tried to soak in the moment and enjoy the thousands of spectators, funny signs and amazing volunteers who came out to support the runners.

With my goal of beating my previous time of 1:57:32 in mind, I tried to psych myself up to pick up the pace. I carefully watched my Garmin watch doing mental calculations (leave it to me to discover my math skills after becoming a runner) and figured out that I could definitely safely beat my time, but I still wanted to finish the race strong.

As I approached the stadium area of South Philadelphia, I gave it my all and picked up the pace. When I hit the Navy Yard entrance, I knew I still had .25 to go and continued running. I high-fived Mayor Nutter and finally crossed the finish line!

Sweet success! Achieved my goal of beating my previous Broad Street Run time.

I glanced down at my watch and saw that I beat my time goal; immediately, my eyes welled up as they do after every big race I complete, a mixture of pure joy, exhaustion and pride. I was handed a medal which I promptly placed around my neck and headed in to the finishing area, knowing that I had accomplished my goal and beat my previous time by more than four minutes.

What’s Next?

My second 10-miler is in the books!

So, what’s next in my ever-changing and evolving running journey?

One of my major running goals for 2013 is to run a sub-30 minute 5K, so now I’m turning my attention and efforts toward getting speedier! I have my eye on a few different 5Ks over the next few months and know that achieving this goal will be a challenge, but it’s definitely do-able.

I’m also excited to jump back into regular Zumba classes and focus on strength training.

And of course, I look forward to conquering the Broad Street Run again in 2014; I hope to make this iconic and special race a tradition!

Have you ever completed the Broad Street Run or a similar large race? Share your story in the comments below!

I sent out my first Get Gutsy e-newsletter last week. If you haven’t subscribed yet, you can check out the first one here and decide if it’s for you. If you’d like to receive a free email two times a month filled with inspiration, ideas and action items to get out of your comfort zone, subscribe here.

The post Broad Street Run Race Recap: A 10-Mile Adventure Through The Heart of Philadelphia appeared first on Jessica Lawlor.

Photo of the week: I was honored to be featured as Geekadelphia’s ‘Geek of the Week.’

Start your week right! Every Sunday I post my favorite links from around the web and share my goals for the upcoming week.

Links

On Careers:

How to Answer “Where Do You See Yourself in Five Years?”: That dreaded interview question…Careers expert Alison Green gives job candidates a different way to think of answering this question in this U.S. News Money article.

5 Ways to Say No Without Making People Hate You: Ah, yes. The art of saying, “NO.”  Kelly Gurnett shares five awesome tips to say no politely and professionally in this post for Brazen Life.

On Freelance Writing:

How to Get Published on The Huffington Post: My good blog friend Cat Alford from Budget Blonde shares her story of exactly how she published a guest post for The Huffington Post. If you’ve ever wanted to pitch a big-name blog, check out Cat’s fantastic tips.

On Productivity:

Stop Trying To Balance Your Life: Paul Angone’s posts are always right on point. This one, featured on Life After College, seriously speaks to me, especially the reasons WHY we tend to overcommit to things and how can better prioritize our time.

On Life:

Geek of the Week: Jessica Lawlor: Hey, look! I’m a geek. At least, according to Geekadelphia, an awesome website here in Philly devoted to all things tech and geeky. Geekadelphia interviews me about my full-time job in tourism, this blog, running and getting gutsy.

I’m Still Here: Back Online After a Year Without the Internet: I can barely go a day without the Internet, let alone even fathom an entire year! After a year-long experiment where he went without Internet, Paul Miller from The Verge is back online. This fascinating article explores his experience and lessons learned.

10 Rules for Feeling More Confident: Ashley from Your Super Awesome Life shares 10 practical rules to feel more confident in order to achieve your dreams. The key, she says, is trusting yourself.

This Week on JessicaLawlor.com:

Broad Street Run (Take 2!): 10 Tips for Runners: As I prepare for my second Broad Street Run, I share my top 10 tips and secrets for those participating in this iconic race.

Monthly Check-In: Goodbye April, Hello May: Each month, I share three things I accomplished in the previous month and preview three things I’m excited about for the upcoming month. Here’s my latest monthly check-in.

Goals

• After (hopefully) rocking the Broad Street Run, I’d like to take this week to rest and relax and give my body a break for a few days. Then, eventually, I want to get back into both Zumba and strength training, along with speedwork to beat my goal of a sub-30 minute 5K by the end of 2013! 
• Make some decisions this week about a few great freelance opportunities that have come my way- I know my time is limited, so I want to make decisions that are going to help propel my business goals forward.

Have any links or goals you’d like to share? Leave them in the comments!

The post Start Your Week Right Sunday: Links and Goals appeared first on Jessica Lawlor.

April in Review: Attending a live taping of the Rachael Ray Show, seeing Maroon 5 in concert and running a 5K at my alma mater, Temple University.

Spring is off to a great start! April was an awesome month filled with lots of fun activities and from the looks of it, May is shaping up to be even more exciting!

Each month, I share three things I accomplished in the previous month and preview three things I’m excited about or hoping to accomplish in the month ahead. It’s fun to look back and forward, and as an added bonus, these monthly check-ins keep me accountable to reach my goals.

I hope you’ll join in and share your three things in the comments section! I’ve also been thrilled to see that other bloggers enjoy my monthly check-ins and have adopted the format for their own blogs- this is AWESOME! If you write a similar monthly check-in/look ahead post, please feel free to utilize this format (I’d appreciate a brief shout-out) and be sure to leave a link in the comments below so we can all support you in your goals for the coming month!

In April, I…

1. Saw Maroon 5 perform live in Philadelphia. Seeing Maroon 5 was the perfect way to kick off my summer of concerts (Train, Gavin DeGraw and John Mayer coming up next). Neon Trees and Owl City opened for Maroon 5 and I really enjoyed both of them, as well. Obviously, the highlight of the night was Maroon 5…they are FANTASTIC live; Adam Levine has so much energy and they put on a great show with a solid mix of old favorites and newer tracks. I can’t wait to see them again!

2. Ran a 5K at my alma mater, Temple University. In an epic weekend of running madness, I completed a 9 mile training run on Saturday and then ran my fastest-ever 5K on Sunday. Best of all? The race was at one of my favorite places on earth, Temple University, as part of Alumni Weekend. It was so fun for me to run throughout campus- it was especially meaningful because as much as I loved Temple, I had a very unhealthy lifestyle in college, so it was great to come back as a new person to do something I never could have done three years ago. And, the fact that I PR’d my 5K time was the icing on the cake! While I was there, I also finally got my photo with the #TUBigChairs (see above). SO awesome.

3. Sent out my first e-newsletter! As I promised last month, after surpassing 100 email subscribers, I finally sent out my first e-newsletter. If you haven’t signed up for the newsletter yet, you can read the web version of the first one here. I was completely blown away by the amazing response to the first e-newsletter- I received so many positive emails and many of you opted to share your big, scary goals with me. Let’s just say that AMAZING and inspiring things are happening in this little community of ours. Be sure to subscribe, so you don’t miss future emails filled with ideas, inspiration and action items to reach your goals.

In May, I will…

1. Complete the Broad Street Run. This weekend, I will complete my second Broad Street Run. This race is my absolute favorite. Not only is it a great course through the entire city of Philadelphia, it’s also a huge social event- I know dozens of people racing this weekend and although 40,000 runners is quite a lot, last year, I somehow managed to spot most of my friends either before or after the race. I’m looking forward to attempting to beat my time from last year- stay tuned! If you’re racing this weekend, be sure to check out my post with 10 tips for Broad Street Run newbies.

2. Travel to Memphis, Tennessee for the PRSA Travel and Tourism Conference. I’m really excited for the opportunity to travel to Memphis this month for a tourism PR conference for work. Attending conferences is always so inspirational and I come home with lots of new ideas and a renewed passion for the communications industry. As an added bonus, one of my best friends who lives two hours away also happens to be attending this same conference for her job, so I’m pumped to be able to spend some time with her! I’m looking forward to checking out Tennessee, as I’ve never been before. Any must-see’s while I’m there or amazing restaurants I need to check out?

3. Continue freelancing and developing my e-newsletter strategy. Since returning to blogging in October, I’ve been working hard and have been lucky enough to freelance for many well-known websites and blogs. As I continue to build my portfolio, more exciting writing opportunities have come my way, so I’d like to spend time this month brainstorming and writing posts for these freelance assignments, while still keeping the content here on JessicaLawlor.com strong. Also, now that I’ve kicked off my e-newsletter initiative, I’d like to come up with a solid strategy and content calendar to continue to grow this exciting new venture.

April Posts You May Have Missed

Land That Job: Top 6 Tips for Internship and Job Seekers

A Coward’s Guide to Kickstarting Your Courage- Guest Post by Karen Vitale

5 Easy Ways to Overcome the Fear of Public Speaking

Q&A: Authorpreneur Dana Sitar’s Secrets for Publishing and Promoting an Ebook

I Am A Runner (And You Likely Are Too)

Broad Street Run (Take 2!) 10 Tips for Runners

What did you accomplish in April and what are you looking forward to accomplishing in May? Share your three things in the comments below!

I sent out my first Get Gutsy e-newsletter this week. If you haven’t subscribed yet, you can check out the first one here and decide if it’s for you. If you’d like to receive a free email two times a month filled with inspiration, ideas and action items to get out of your comfort zone, subscribe here.

The post Monthly Check-In: Goodbye April, Hello May appeared first on Jessica Lawlor.

I’m doing the Broad Street Run for the girl who could barely make it through the mandatory mile run in high school.

I’m doing the Broad Street Run for the girl who dreaded clothing store fitting rooms, unhappy with what she saw in the mirror.

But most importantly, I’m doing the Broad Street Run because now, I CAN.  I’m doing this run for the incredible sense of pride and accomplishment I know I’ll feel when I cross that finish line on May 6 and am rewarded with that sweet finisher medal around my neck.

On Sunday, I’ll complete my second Broad Street Run. But this year, I’m a little wiser, a little faster and a lot more prepared. I have 11 more races under my belt, one of them a half marathon. I am ready.

If you’re participating in the race this weekend, you received an email yesterday with your corral assignment, along with tons of information about race day. It can definitely be overwhelming! Let me help break it down for you.

Here are the top 10 tips I wish I knew last year as I was preparing to participate in my first Broad Street Run. Good luck, runners!

10 Tips for Broad Street Run Newbies

1. Get to the race early, but not too early. The race begins at 8:30 a.m. Last year, I arrived at the starting line at about 6:30 a.m. Major fail. Way too early. As a first-time Broad Street Run participant, I was super nervous about the transportation situation (taking the subway from the Center City area to Olney) and seriously overestimated how long it would take. The truth is, this race is a well-oiled machine. There are PLENTY of subways to get all racers to the starting line. While that doesn’t mean you can wait until the last minute and expect to make it to the start on time, there’s no reason to get to Olney at the crack of dawn.

2. Don’t forget your race day essentials. Want bargaining power in the porta-potty line? Bring your own roll of toilet paper and you’ll be everyone’s best friend. While there are tons of facilities available near the start, there are also 40,000 runners, so TP runs out fast. As my very smart friend Gia taught me, bring your own and you’ll find yourself moving your way up in the line and making plenty of new friends along the way.

3. No matter the weather forecast, bring a throwaway sweatshirt. Even though the weather is slated to be nice (73 and sunny!), it WILL be cold when you get to the start line. You’ll want to keep your muscles warm, especially when preparing to run 10 miles. Bring an old sweatshirt that you don’t mind throwing away prior to the race starting. Clothes-Pin, a Philadelphia non-profit, will be collecting all discarded clothing prior to the race, so it goes to a great cause!

4. Consider bringing a snack to eat before the race. With the race beginning at 8:30 a.m. and most runners leaving their homes at least an hour and a half prior to that time, you may have long digested your breakfast before toeing the start line. Last year, I brought a Trader Joe’s peanut butter bar to eat about a half hour before the race to give me that little bit of extra fuel, since I had eaten my standard pre-race breakfast more than two hours earlier. Worked like a charm.

5. Know that you won’t start running at exactly 8:30 a.m. Unless you’re in the first corral (if so, congratulations speedy!) you won’t be starting the race at 8:30 a.m. Like most major races, Broad Street divides runners into corrals based on speed. This year there are eight corrals (here’s a corral map). From my experience last year, the time between each corral starting was around 5-7 minutes. I was in the last corral and crossed the start line around 9:05 a.m. about 35-40 minutes after the official start of the race.

6. Be sure to pinpoint exactly where your cheer squad will be ahead of time. The best part about the Broad Street Run are the thousands of people who come out to spectate. The crowds are very thick, especially near City Hall, South Philly and the Navy Yard, so it may be difficult to spot your friends and family. Pick a location before the race or have your cheer squad text you their exact location so you don’t miss them as you run by. My family spectates at Temple University- it’s about 4 miles into the race- the crowds have thinned out at this point and it’s easier to spot people while running.

7. Stay hydrated. There are SEVERAL water and gatorade stations (10, in fact!) so you don’t need to worry about getting dehydrated. HOWEVER, if you’re comfortable carrying your own water bottle and run with one regularly when you train, as I do, you may want to consider bringing your own. The water stations are great, but they get VERY crowded and most people stop to walk, as they go through them. The water station areas are littered with discarded cups and at the stations with Gatorade, the ground can get very slippery and sticky. If you have a specific time goal for the Broad Street Run, bringing your own water bottle may allow you to stay far to the other side of the road during water stops, so you can keep running, without interruption.

8. Don’t be discouraged, but when you get to the Navy Yard entrance, you still have a ways to go. Getting to the Navy Yard entrance is SUPER exciting. The crowds pick up, the finish line photographers begin snapping pictures and your adrenaline is through the roof. However, know that once you hit that spot, although it SEEMS as though you’ve reached the finish line, there is still .25 miles left in the race. This obviously isn’t a long distance (especially after running 9 miles, you rockstar, you) but mentally prepare yourself to know that you have a little bit of running left to go before the finish.

9. Pick a meeting spot at the Navy Yard. Last year, I wasn’t prepared for the sheer craziness of the finish line. I’d actually never been to the Navy Yard, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. After finishing and receiving my medal, I pulled out my phone to call my friend who I had come to the race with, but quickly learned that due to the number of people in the area, service was extremely spotty. I wasn’t able to get a phone call or text message through, but after a couple of attempts, I was able to email my friend. If you can, pick a meeting spot in the area ahead of time to make it easier to reconnect with your group. Check out the Broad Street Run finish area map here to help pick a spot.

10. Prepare to walk another mile from the Navy Yard to your car or the subway. If you park at the stadiums or plan to take the subway back to Center City, know that the Navy Yard is about a mile walk from both of those locations. Believe me, you’ll be so pumped to have finished the race that you may not even notice the distance, but it’s best to know ahead of time so you aren’t surprised that there’s a bit of a walk.

Looking for even more Broad Street Run tips? Jen Miller wrote a great piece for Philly.com and Philly Mag’s blog, Be Well Philly, has lots of posts about the race.

Are you participating in the Broad Street Run this weekend? If so, good luck! Share your tips in the comments below.

Yesterday I sent out my first Get Gutsy e-newsletter. If you haven’t subscribed yet, you can check out the first one here and decide if it’s for you. If you’d like to receive a free email two times a month filled with inspiration, ideas and action items to get out of your comfort zone, subscribe here.

The post Broad Street Run (Take Two!): 10 Tips For Runners appeared first on Jessica Lawlor.

Photo of the week: a lone yellow tulip in a sea of red, spotted on my run.

Start your week right! Every Sunday I post my favorite links from around the web and share my goals for the upcoming week.

Links

On Social Media:

Instagram’s Envy Effect: Don’t lie…everyone has experienced social media envy at one time or another. This Relevant Magazine article by Shauna Niequist explores the ways social media sites like Instagram can make us feel worse about our own lives and talks about the importance of stepping away from the screen every once in awhile.

5 Tips for Networking in LinkedIn Groups: Is LinkedIn part of your social media strategy? If not, maybe it should be! Brittany Berger explains best practices for networking in LinkedIn groups to build your personal brand and share expertise.

On Entrepreneurship: 

Entrepreneurship: One Year and Counting: Big congrats to Melissa Anzman from Loosen Your White Collar! She’s celebrating one year of being a solopreneur. Check out some of her biggest lessons learned in this useful post.

7 Vital Steps to Take Before Becoming Your Own Boss: Carrie Smith from Careful Cents is just a few days away from becoming her own boss, as she prepares for her last day at her full-time job on April 30. This post explores the eight steps she suggestions people take before making their own leap.

On Life:

Go Skydiving: My friend and fellow PR pro, Niki Ianni, is making serious progress on her #213in2013 project. Last week, she fulfilled a life-long dream and went skydiving. I love this post not only because Niki’s getting gutsy in big ways, but also because of how eloquently it’s written; I could read anything this girl writes and be completely engrossed in her story!

This Week on JessicaLawlor.com:

I Am A Runner (And You Likely Are Too): Even though I’ve been running for more than two years, I’ve only recently taken to identifying myself as a “runner.” Find out what made me change my mind.

Goals

• ROCK the Broad Street Run! The race is on Sunday and I’ve been training hard for the past few weeks. Last year, I ran the race in 1:57, so this year, I’d love to simply beat that time and finish the race with a big smile on my face. 
• Create an amazing playlist for the race…music definitely keeps me going when I’m running, so I need almost two hours of upbeat, fun songs to motivate me on race day. Leave your song suggestions in the comments!

Have any links or goals you’d like to share? Leave them in the comments!

The post Start Your Week Right Sunday: Links and Goals appeared first on Jessica Lawlor.

You see, even though I ran 4-5 times a week, completed my first 5K and went on to run more than 20 races over the past two years, one of which was a half marathon, I still had trouble defining myself as a true runner.

I’d call myself a “newbie runner.” In fact, that’s what my Twitter bio still says. When friends asked questions about my running progress, I’d say, “Oh, I’m really slow.” I thought that real runners were more experienced, speedy and confident than I’d ever be.

But now I know differently.

I am a runner.

And you likely are too.

A runner isn’t someone who finishes a race first. A runner isn’t someone who has fancy running clothes and an expensive GPS watch, although those things are nice. You don’t have to run the entire time to consider yourself a runner; walk breaks are great! You don’t even have to participate in races to be a runner.

You simply need to have the motivation and drive to get outside and put one foot in front of the other, no matter how slowly you go.

But being a runner is more than just a physical activity; it’s a way of life…a true community.

When I started running on a nearby trail a couple of years ago, I was amazed at how every runner who passed by smiled, nodded or said hello to me. More than just amazed, I was a little taken aback. Who were these friendly people, full of endorphins and happy to encourage someone they had never even seen before? I quickly learned: they are runners.

Go to any race, whether it’s a marathon in a big city or a community 5K in a small neighborhood. There will undoubtedly be people on the sidelines and at the finish line, cheering on their loved ones and perfect strangers, alike. Those are the spectators. They, too, are an important part of the running community.

The terrible events in Boston last week have shown the world the true meaning of being a runner.

You’ve likely heard the heroic stories; after the bombings, marathoners continued running past the finish line straight to the hospital to donate blood. Others ran toward the explosion site to help the injured. Runners in cities all over the country organized group runs (more than 2,000 participated in Philadelphia) in support of Boston. Thousands of runners are frantically searching for red socks to wear on May 5 at the Broad Street Run.

While I’m extremely saddened by what happened in Boston and incredibly angry that someone would attack the community I’ve fallen in love with over the past few years, I’m still hopeful.

And more than ever, I know now.

I am a runner.

When did you begin to define yourself as a runner? Share your story in the comments below.

The post I Am A Runner (And You Likely Are Too) appeared first on Jessica Lawlor.

Links

On Careers:

Daring Advice on Jobs and Life from 20-Somethings: Brazen’s New Ebook: I’m a published author! Brazen Careerist, a site I frequently write for, published an ebook filled with career advice for 20-somethings this week. Two of my articles are included in the book!

On PR:

Quick Tips for Crisis Management: In light of the terrible tragedy at the Boston Marathon on Monday, PR professional Lauren Cox put together a great post with tips for preparing for and reacting to potential crises. Lauren has spent the past few months working on major events (including the Philadelphia Marathon) for the city, so I was especially interested in her perspective on this.

On Social Media:

How to Contact Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Other Social Networks: Have you ever tried to find the contact information for a specific social network? It’s extremely difficult to actually get through to either a contact form or a real person. Kristi Hines of Kikolani breaks down the most popular social networks and shares links to forms for specific issues.

Get Started With Google+: I KNOW that I need to pay more attention to Google+ although I’ve definitely been putting it off. This comprehensive tutorial, put together by the one and only Chris Brogan, breaks down the social network and shares best practices for using it effectively.

On Life:

Why Being Jealous Sucks + How to Get Rid of That Evil Green Monster: There’s no denying it; jealousy affects everyone. Ashley from Your Super Awesome Life shares tips for how to get over being jealous in her latest video diary. I LOVE these tips and can’t wait to start using them.

How to Schedule Your Day for Peak Creative Performance: Amber Rae (a new-to-me blogger with an AWESOME site) shares how to schedule your day around when you work best in this article for Fast Company.

This Week on JessicaLawlor.com:

5 Easy Ways to Overcome the Fear of Public Speaking: Public speaking can be downright SCARY, but if you follow these five tips, I promise you’ll feel more comfortable speaking to a group, large or small.

Q&A: Authorpreneur Dana Sitar’s Secrets for Publishing and Promoting an Ebook: If you’ve ever thought about publishing an ebook, read this interview. Dana Sitar reveals her top tips for writing, publishing and promoting an ebook successfully.

Goals

• Send out my first enewsletter! I promised myself once I surpassed 100 subscribers, I had to give myself a deadline of getting it out within that same month. April is quickly coming to a close, so I only have a few days left to get my act together and get gutsy enough to click send. Subscribe here to make sure you get the first newsletter I send out. 
• Get back into strength training. With two weeks left before the Broad Street Run, I’ve been doing TONS of cardio (a 9 mile training run yesterday and a 5K race today!) but I’ve definitely been neglecting strength. I know how important strength is to ensuring I run a strong race on May 5, so I want to focus on that this week.

Have any links or goals you’d like to share? Leave them in the comments!

The post Start Your Week Right Sunday: Links and Goals appeared first on Jessica Lawlor.

Today I’m thrilled to welcome “authorpreneur” Dana Sitar to the blog for a Q&A about all things ebook publishing and promotion.

When Dana launched her ebook, A Writer’s Bucker List, a few months ago, I was super impressed with the strategic way she promoted the book. From guest posts to a blog hop to a “launch team” on Facebook, she covered all angles and made a huge splash online to spread the word about the book.

On a personal note, I LOVED A Writer’s Bucket List. It’s easy to read, full of wisdom, fun illustrations, inspiration and more. I highly recommend it to writers of all experience levels.

This week, Dana announced the launch of the book for Kindle and to celebrate, I asked her to share some of her lessons learned and tips for those looking to publish their own ebooks. She shares some serious gems in the Q&A below….read on!

1. You launched your newest ebook, A Writer’s Bucket List, in February. Give us your 140-character Twitter pitch for the book.

Wanna be a writer, but you’re not sure where to start? A Writer’s Bucket List is 99 tasks from the writer’s life to get you going! Free at writersbucketlist.com

2. I was super impressed when I read your post about publishing and launching the book for less than $150. What are your top three tips for keeping costs down when publishing an ebook?

• Learn as much as you can about all aspects of publishing, and be willing to wear multiple hats. You have to know how to be a designer, marketer, manager, event organizer, and more. If you only want to write, you’ll have to pay people to fill all these other roles, or appeal to a traditional publisher to do it for you.
• Get free stuff! Information, tutorials, software, and training can come free or very cheap. Many self-publishers go into the process expecting to pay thousands of dollars, so they just shell it out. Start with the assumption that you won’t spend money, and you’ll find affordable options. A few places to start: Free ebooks from bloggers (you have to grab Pat Flynn’s eBooks the Smart Way) and free webinars (my favorites are from Alexis Grant and Firepole Marketing). You can even rent Photoshop and other Adobe software to use when you need it!
• Know who you know. Leverage your existing network to fill in holes for skills you don’t have. I crowdsourced editing and beta feedback from DIY Writers, and I took advantage of my boyfriend’s design and video-editing skills to help with promo materials. Don’t be afraid to ask for favors, as long as you’re willing and able to repay them.

3. Let’s talk about promotion. One of your major strategies for spreading the word about the book was writing guests posts and Q&As for relevant websites and blogs. Why is guest posting so important when launching a book or product?

This was by far the most important and most effective piece of my Launch Week promotion. I knew going into publishing this book that I needed to tap into other people’s audiences to make it successful, because mine is just not big enough (yet!)

Guest posting on targeted, influential blogs is key to any platform-building. It gets you in front of new readers who see you as an expert. It helps you network with influencers in your niche by offering something of quality for their readers. And it forces you to hone in on exactly what value you or your product offers readers, because you have to figure out how to portray that value to various audiences who don’t already know and trust you.

4. Tell us about your social media strategy before, during and after the launch. 

For the month of January, I focused on growing my blog readership and engagement, and my newsletter list. I started using Twitter more strategically to get attention and engage with people by asking questions, sharing retweetable content, and @replying to posts by readers and the bloggers I wanted to notice me.

During Launch Week, I had a Twitter bonanza I emailed every supportive person in my network with info and tweetables. Tweets don’t sell books well, but they’re good for other things:

• They allowed me to identify and personally thank supporters, which I couldn’t do if they shared the book through Facebook or email.
• Tons of @mentions streaming in throughout the day fueled me with the positive attention I needed to keep active during an exhausting launch week.
• Tweeting is an easy way for someone to support you. Even if they don’t spend much effort, once someone has supported you or your product, they feel more invested, more interested in seeing what you do next, and more likely to stick around for more from you.

After the launch, I went into community-management mode, and I’m still there (probably always will be). I’m still focused on growing, but now there’s also a layer of maintaining and nurturing the relationships I built with readers and influencers before and during launch week. (I’m using the Facebook group and Twitter lists heavily for that, and I’m working on a whole post about that strategy.)

5. You formed a “launch team” when you were preparing to launch the book. How cool! Can you share a bit about the strategy behind that and how it worked?

My launch team was inspired by and the strategy largely lifted from Jeff Goins’ recent launch for his book Wrecked, which, I believe, was inspired by Michael Hyatt’s explosive launch of Platform. I had no idea what to expect when I decided to try it, and I was blown away by the response from readers and everything I learned from my launch team.

The basics of what I offered launch team members and what I asked of everyone are in the articles linked above. The basic concept is that you pull a tribe together around the book, brainstorm promo ideas, and garner reviews and word-of-mouth for when the book launches.

6. What is one thing you wish you knew before the launch that you know now about publishing and promoting an ebook?

A little bit of laser-targeted promotion is much more important than a lot of noise all over the place. Both sort of serve their own purpose, but targeted promotion is what will sell books. I’m taking this approach this week with the Kindle promotion, rather than expending a lot of energy on a gigantic launch. For the first launch week, I could have likely written about half the guest posts and just sent a round of emails and sold the same number of books I did with a dozen guest posts, social media promotion, a blog tour, etc.

7. I LOVE your e-newsletter. Tell us a bit more about that, what subscribers can expect from it and how it helped you launch your book.

Thank you! (And I’m excited to see yours). The newsletter is for kind of “insider” updates from DIY Writing. You’ll get weekly updates on blog posts (but not full posts rewritten in the email), plus an additional tip or two on the week’s topic, and be the first to see special offers and opportunities, like joining the launch team or editing the book. Plus, everyone who subscribes now gets a free copy of A Writer’s Bucket List!

I hired editors and farmed beta readers entirely from my email list. Most people who joined the launch team and the blog hop came from there, too. I used my access to readers through the email list to build buzz for the book leading up to and during launch week by sharing regular updates and revealing info about the book (like the cover) early to them.

8. You have a ton of useful and free resources available for download on your website (publicity checklist, goal setting worksheet, contacts spreadsheet). Why give away all this for free?

Author Dana Sitar

Good question! The altruistic reasoning is that I just enjoy producing these guides and want to share the information with my readers — and that’s true. I have a small budget for books myself, and I’m happy to share something of value with readers who aren’t able to spend a lot of money on a fledgling career or hobby.

The PR reasoning — just as true — is that when you’re generous with your audience, they’ll be generous back, and they’ll be loyal to your work. Win them over with something of high quality and value, and they’ll want to stick around to see what’s next. That means you’ll build an audience willing to buy books in the future, join an e-course, attend webinars, hire you for coaching, etc. I’d rather not nickel-and-dime my readers for small ebooks when I can instead gain their trust and form a connection that means I’ll be the first person they turn to when they decide they want to spend money on their writing career.

Thanks so much for sharing your wisdom on ebook publishing and promotion, Dana!

The post Q&A: Authorpreneur Dana Sitar’s Secrets for Publishing and Promoting an Ebook appeared first on Jessica Lawlor.

Speaking to Temple PRSSA about Tourism PR and social media.

You’ve likely heard the statistic before; in many surveys, people rate the fear of public speaking above the fear of death.

In college, I dreaded my required public speaking class so much that I pushed it off to senior year, until I finally took the course surrounded by a classroom full of freshmen.

In my never-ending quest to get gutsy, I’m turning my fear of public speaking into one of my strong suits; in fact, it’s now one of my favorite things to do!

Since graduating from college in 2010, I’ve made it a goal of mine to seek out public speaking opportunities. I’ve spoken at various colleges including Villanova University, the University of Delaware and my alma mater, Temple University. I’ve been a part of social media panels for the Philadelphia Public Relations Association, as well as for work. And in November, in perhaps my most nerve-wracking public speaking experience to date, I presented at the Social Media and Tourism Symposium, to a room of more than 100 colleagues.

Yes, public speaking can be scary, but it can also be extremely rewarding. Here are five easy ways to overcome the fear of public speaking.

1. Get the audience involved from the beginning. The first few minutes of a presentation are often the scariest; those are the moments you might be the most shaky, short of breath and sweaty-palmed. To combat these feelings and to get comfortable before speaking to a group, I like to use the first five minutes to get to know my audience. If the group is small enough (under 30-40 people) I actually ask each person to quickly go around the room and introduce themselves. This gives me the chance to get comfortable standing in front of the room, breathe for a few minutes while they talk and learn more about the audience to better tailor the presentation. If the group is larger and personal introductions aren’t possible, ask pointed questions (i.e. if it’s a student group: “How many freshmen are in the room? Sophomores?”). Asking these questions and gaging a response still gives the speaker a moment to pause to reflect, allowing them to get oriented and ready for a successful presentation.

2. Encourage the audience to interact and ask questions. Many of the presentations I’ve done have been quite informal. At the beginning of each presentation, I encourage the audience to interrupt me at any time to ask questions. I explain upfront that I want this to be a casual environment and one where audience members can feel comfortable jumping in with questions or comments. Some presenters may not like the audience raising their hand and asking a question in the middle of a presentation because it interrupts their flow, but I personally love it because it means the audience is listening and wants to participate. I’d much rather have my flow interrupted for a moment than speak for 45 minutes straight to a room full of people who are disengaged and maybe even bored.

3. Ask the audience questions. Similarly, I like to put the pressure back on my audience by asking them questions and waiting for an answer during a presentation. In a presentation I did last month to a college class about social media, as I introduced each social network, I asked the students to explain to me how they personally use the site. I was then able to connect their experiences to how social media sites can be used for business. I really enjoy asking questions to my audience because it gives me a moment to pause and breathe, but more importantly, an audience member might bring up a point I hadn’t previously thought of, or bring something else to the table that adds to the quality of the discussion.

4. Use a presentation. This may seem like the most simple tip of all, but I recommend using some kind of presentation software; I prefer PowerPoint, but I’ve heard great things about SlideShare. My PowerPoint slides are usually very simple; they contain a few words and lots of visuals, but having a presentation keeps me focused. Each slide is a cue and reminds me of what logically comes next and keeps my thoughts organized. Plus, the physical act of having a home-base near the podium or computer to click to the next slide is a nice little crutch to again pause and re-orient if I get taken off track or get nervous. Of course, this technique may not be for everyone; I’ve been to many presentations where the presenter speaks freely for an hour and does a great job, but to tame nerves and lessen the stress of the situation, I personally find that leaning on a presentation helps immensely.

5. Demonstrate a skill. In a few recent presentations about social media, after I explain each site, I actually log on to my company’s Facebook or Hootsuite account to show specific examples of posts that worked well or techniques we use on a specific social network. I really love doing these kinds of demonstrations because I find that I’m most comfortable when I’m actively showing the nitty-gritty of how to do something. Additionally, I think the audience appreciates seeing HOW something is done, rather than just learning the WHAT or WHY. Quick tip: if you do demonstrate specific websites in a presentation, be sure to pull the sites up before you get started; this will prevent you from nervously fumbling and typing in the wrong URL.

What about you? How have you overcome the fear of public speaking? Share tips in the comments below.

The post 5 Easy Ways to Overcome The Fear of Public Speaking appeared first on Jessica Lawlor.

Links

On PR:

Dear College Professor: Stop Wasting Our Time and Give Your Students a Meaningful Assignment: Remember that assignment in a college PR class to interview a public relations professional? President of Buchanan PR, Anne Buchanan, explains to professors why this assignment does not benefit the student, and actually wastes the time of the professional being interviewed. I LOVE her idea for an alternative assignment.

On Careers:

Taking This Job Advice Too Literally Could Kill Your Career: You know those bits of career advice you hear over and over again: “Dress for the job you want, not the job you have” or “Follow your dreams.” Erin Palmer debunks these bits of advice and explains why you shouldn’t listen to them in this Brazen Careerist post.

On Blogging:

12 Types of Blog Posts You Need to Stop Writing: Allison Boyer, managing editor at the New Media Expo (NMX) blog, hits the nail on the head in this post about the type of blog posts you need to stop writing. I especially agree with reason #6.

On Social Media:

12 Most Invigorating Twitter Chats for Go-Getters: I LOVE Twitter chats, so I was pumped to see Dana Sitar’s roundup of 12 awesome chats for go-getters in a guest post for 12 Most. What’s your favorite Twitter chat?

On Inspiration:

Your Crazy Idea: Look no further than this post for inspiration to tackle your next big idea. Matt Cheuvront from Life Without Pants encourages readers to pursue their crazy ideas that they just can’t shake…it’s often their best ones.

This Week on JessicaLawlor.com:

Land That Job: Top 6 Tips for Internship and Job Seekers: After reviewing one too many poorly written resume and cover letter this week at work, I channeled my frustration into a useful post with tips for those looking for an internship or job.

A Coward’s Guide to Kickstarting Your Courage- Guest Post by Karen Vitale: Guest blogger, Karen Vitale, shares her top three tips for overcoming what’s standing between you and getting gutsy.

Goals

• Figure out how to do a 9-mile training run AND run a 5K race in the same weekend. Normally when I’m training for a big race, I try to avoid smaller races that don’t fit into my training plan, but I couldn’t pass up this 5K race at my alma mater as part of Alumni Weekend, so I’m trying to fit my long run in on Saturday and muster up enough energy to do the race on Sunday.
• Read every night before bed. After returning home from Punta Cana and publishing this post about disconnecting, I did a really great job turning off my computer and phone and reading before bed. This past week, I’ve slipped a bit and find myself checking in before closing my eyes.

Have any links or goals you’d like to share? Leave them in the comments!

The post Start Your Week Right Sunday: Links and Goals appeared first on Jessica Lawlor.

Confession: In my natural state, I’m about as far from gutsy as it gets.

That comes from decades spent cultivating a perfectionistic streak a mile wide. Because nothing gets in the way of getting gutsy like fear of not getting it just right.

It is a point of much contention in my household. In the time we’ve been married, my husband has self-published a short story collection and two YA novels, and now he’s working on the third book in his series.

I, on the other hand, have a very extensive plan about my own book series, which is so complex, I’ve actually mapped out details about the accompanying licensing rights and retail locations. But actual words…flawed, messy, maybe-not-as-great-as-I’d-like-them-to-be words? Not so much.

Despite this personal shortage of guts, I’ve managed to make my living in creative fields for more than 15 years. Which means I can get gutsy when I have to, even if it doesn’t come naturally.

Here are three real-world tips from a die-hard scaredy-cat about how to overcome what’s standing between you and getting gutsy.

1. Start every day with a mistake. A long time ago I worked with a mentor who was trying to lure me out of my stifling perfectionistic cocoon. I confessed that mistakes scared the crap out of me because they were like evidence that you were not as great as you were pretending to be. He challenged me to start each day with a stone in my pocket. As soon as I made a mistake, I should take the stone out of my pocket. I never made it past 9 a.m. without screwing something up.

As silly as it seems, the physical act of getting rid of that stone each day was freeing. And it underlined the fact that mistakes are going to happen one way or another, so why waste all that time and energy fighting against them? Learn from them and move on.

My favorite take-away from this exercise is that it helps me help my kids (who can be perfectionists-in-training, when the mood strikes them). Whenever they flip out, frustrated over some mistake or another, I tell them, “I made 50 mistakes before breakfast this morning. If you’re not making mistakes, you’re not trying. Let’s make MORE mistakes next time.”

2. Own your imperfection. A couple of years ago, I started running. This took a lot of guts on my part, because I’d never been much of an athlete, or what one would call coordinated, or even remotely physically fit.

I ran my first 5K on New Year’s Day in 2010 and nearly threw up in the first quarter mile. (Not because I was hungover) It wasn’t even a physical thing brought on from running. I felt nauseous because there was a crowd of people watching, and (the horror!) they could all hear me gasping for breath!

So began my love-hate relationship with running. I am not a graceful runner. I don’t bound like a gazelle. I kind of gallop/trundle. I walk almost as much as I run. I spent about a year berating myself for not being the kind of runner they feature on the cover of Runner’s World (whom I’m convinced are genetically altered. Or cyborgs.)

But somewhere along the way, I decided that I liked the end result of running, even if I didn’t love the actual process. So I gave myself permission to get to that end any which way I could…no matter how ugly, sweaty, uncoordinated or embarrassing.

Two amazing things happened. 1) When I stopped focusing all my attention on me, I noticed there were quite a few runners who didn’t look like Runner’s World contenders either. There were waddlers, shufflers, jugglers, strollers—and why the hell did it even matter, anyway? We were all getting where we wanted to go. 2) When I shifted my focus to the total mileage I was racking up, instead of every tortured step along the way, I found myself actually WANTING to run more.

So, yes, I’m a sucker for reverse psychology. I can live with that.

3. Try Speed Failing. Left to my own devices, I can spend a ridiculous amount of time inventing things to be afraid of, building them up to boogeyman proportions, then hiding from them. As you can imagine, this is pretty much a full-time job. Which really puts a damper on actual productivity.

To snap myself out of this state, I use my own brand of DIY exposure therapy. I make a list of small to medium-risk tasks I’ve been avoiding, then establish a finite time period- sometimes even just 15 minutes will do it. The goal is to squeeze as many tasks into that window as I can.

The point is not so much to succeed at any of the tasks (hey, but if I do…Yahtzee!), but to get a few good fails out of the way so I can rob them of their powers of intimidation. I find that helps shrink the boogeymen down to size.

So I can spend more time getting gutsy and less time procrastinating.

Karen Vitale is a writer, product developer, creative consultant and cubicle-escapee who tries to make sense of all that at karenvitale.com.

The post A Coward’s Guide to Kickstarting Your Courage- Guest Post by Karen Vitale appeared first on Jessica Lawlor.

The tweet that sparked a debate on Twitter about cover letters and inspired this post.

There’s no doubt about it; applying for internships and jobs can be challenging. Career advice ranges from person to person and industry to industry. Ask 10 people the same career-related question and get 10 very different answers. It’s enough to drive any job seeker crazy.

One of my favorite parts of my full-time job working in communications at a tourism office is managing our internship program. After completing multiple internships in college, I understand the value of those experiences and strive to be a mentor to my interns and provide them with the opportunity to get the most they can out of their time with our organization.

It’s mid-April and it’s peak application season for those seeking summer internships. Every day, I receive multiple resumes and cover letters, some excellent, but most very, very poorly written.

Let’s get this out of the way first…I’m not a career expert and I don’t claim to be. With nearly six years experience applying for internships and jobs and a year and a half managing an internship program, these are the things I wish candidates knew when applying for a job.

Here are six simple tips for job seekers applying for their next opportunity.

1. Fully read and understand the job description. Read the job description once…and then read it again and again. Before you apply for a position, make sure that it meets all of your requirements and that you meet all of the company’s requirements. Recently, I’ve scheduled intern interviews with a few candidates only to have them cancel because they didn’t realize it was a non-paid internship (which is clearly stated on the description). Not carefully reading a job description wastes the employer’s time, but your time, as well.

2. Address a cover letter properly. Every time I receive a cover letter that says, “To whom it may concern,” I actually cringe. Who is teaching internship and job seekers that this is good advice? My full name is on the job description, and even if it wasn’t, my name is included in my email address. If a name is NOT included, I recommend job seekers do two things: the first is figure out the proper hiring manager’s name through either LinkedIn, website research or simply calling the company and asking the best name to address a cover letter to. If all else fails, I recommend addressing the cover letter to the department i.e. Communications Department at XYZ Company. And when you do have the hiring manager’s name? Use Mr. or Ms. and the person’s last name (i.e. Ms. Lawlor). Simple and professional. Here are a few more tips on writing the all-important cover letter.

3. Save your resume and cover letter’s file name correctly. When you send a resume and cover letter to a potential employer, save the documents with a file name that is both professional and descriptive. I’ve received countless resumes with the file name “Resume.” Think about the employer and make it easy for them to find YOUR resume and YOUR cover letter. When I go through resumes and cover letters at work, I save them into a prospective intern file on our server so all members of the team can review. Make our lives easier and save your resume and cover letter with your name and what the document is (example: Jessica Lawlor_Resume) so that when I save your files, I can easily access them. Oh, and PLEASE turn your resume and cover letter into a PDF.

4. Have multiple eyes review your resume. Resumes are tough. It’s a skill that’s glossed over in most college curriculums even though it’s of the utmost importance. Do not rely on the Internet alone to help you format and create content for your resume. Be sure to have multiple eyes review the document before sending it off to a potential employer. I’d recommend taking it to a college career center, asking a professor to look over it and even sharing it with your peers for their feedback. Here’s another idea: put a call out on Twitter- most professionals are happy to help. When I was job searching, many of my Twitter followers graciously offered their advice on my resume. Most people are more than happy to help if you ask in the right way- I know I would be. 

5. Remove these things from your resume. I’ve seen some weird things on resumes lately. One candidate shared their marathon time…perhaps this might be a fit if he was applying for a company dealing with physical fitness (although even that’s a stretch) but for a communications internship in a tourism office? I don’t think so. Similarly, Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint should not be listed in the skills section of your resume; it’s understood now that you bring knowledge of those programs to the table. Lesser known softwares like Microsoft Publisher or InDesign? Yes. Absolutely. Another thing I don’t like to see on resumes are the courses you’ve taken in school- if you really have no other experiences to share, include those, but for the most part, if you’re studying public relations, I know that it’s required for you to take courses like PR Writing, PR Campaigns, etc. These don’t set you apart from other candidates.

6. Follow up after an interview. If I could only give job seekers ONE piece of advice, it would be this: follow up after an interview. Plain and simple. There are a lot of questions around when to send a follow up and how to send a follow up, but the important thing to know here is just to do it. My rule of thumb is: send an emailed thank you note within 24 hours of the interview and mail a hard copy thank you note the day after your interview, so that it arrives a few days later as a reminder of what a stellar candidate you are. Here’s a great post from the HR Bartender with specific tips for what to say in your post-interview follow up. Believe me when I say, there are companies out there that absolutely will not consider hiring a candidate if they do not follow up after an interview. When you leave an interview, you may think it’s the employer’s job to take the next step, but know that the ball is very much in your court.

Like this post? Click here to tweet it.

Do you have additional tips for job seekers? Share them in the comments below!

PS- Looking for more awesome tips for finding your dream job or internship? I’d recommend my two favorite career-related blogs. The first is Brazen Careerist, a blog written by multiple young professionals from all different industries (full disclosure: I write for Brazen from time to time). The second is Ask A Manager, written by Alison Green, who answers questions from job seekers throughout the week and provides insanely useful, actionable advice.

The post Land That Job: Top 6 Tips for Internship and Job Seekers appeared first on Jessica Lawlor.

Links

On Blogging:

Moving From Feedburner to Feedblitz: With Google Reader shutting down, many bloggers are nervous that Feedburner may be next. Katy Widrick decided to make the move now (as opposed to waiting until the announcement, which many people believe is inevitably coming) and details how to make the transition seamlessly to Feedblitz.

On Careers:

Why You Should Never Stop Job Hunting: Wise advice from Adam Britten of The Digital Careerist on why even if you have a job you love, you should always be keeping your eyes and ears open for your next career opportunity.

Practical Tactical Thursday: Communication Channels: With all the different communication channels available, Melissa Anzman of Loosen Your White Collar breaks down how each should be used when it comes to the job hunt and following up with a recruiter or HR manager.

On Social Media:

6 Facebook Enhancements You May Have Missed Since Jan. 1: If you work in social media, you know that Facebook is constantly changing. It can be challenging to keep up with. Thankfully, Arik Hanson has put together this awesome list of some of Facebook’s most recent changes and what it means for brands.

On Life:

Scale and Non-Scale Victories: My amazing friend Meg from Write Meg is on a mission to become healthier and happier and I’ve been LOVING her posts lately about her journey. Since I went through my own healthy living transformation recently, I couldn’t be more excited for Meg and can’t wait to see what happens next.

This Week on JessicaLawlor.com:

Monthly Check-In: Goodbye March, Hello April: Every month, I take a look at the previous month and outline my goals for the month ahead. March was a fantastic month, and I’m looking forward to a productive April!

Goals

• Catch up on freelancing/guest posting. I have a pretty long list of post ideas for both my blog, along with guest posts and I plan to sit down this week, sans social media, to write, write, write.
• Stick to my workout schedule during the week. I’ve been doing a good job keeping up with my long runs on the weekends for Broad Street Run training, but I’ve been slacking a bit when it comes to my week-day shorter runs.
• Pack my lunch four out of the five work days this week-better for both my budget and waistline.

Have any links or goals you’d like to share? Leave them in the comments!

The post Start Your Week Right Sunday: Links and Goals appeared first on Jessica Lawlor.

March in Review: Punta Cana, 25th birthday celebration, lots of public speaking and quality time with my Goddaughter!

Between my 25th birthday and vacation in Punta Cana, March proved infinitely better a month than February. In fact, it was a pretty incredible month and a fabulous way to start my 25th year!

Each month, I share three things I accomplished in the previous month and preview three things I’m excited about or hoping to accomplish in the month ahead. It’s fun to look back and forward, and as an added bonus, these monthly check-ins keep me accountable to reach my goals.

I hope you’ll join in and share your three things in the comments section! I’ve also been thrilled to see that other bloggers like Stephany from Stephany Writes enjoy my monthly wrap-ups and have adopted the format for their own blogs- this is AWESOME! If you write a similar monthly check-in/look ahead post, please feel free to utilize this format (I’d appreciate a brief shout-out) and be sure to leave a link in the comments below so we can all check out your recap and support you in your goals for the coming month!

In March, I…

1. Celebrated my 25th birthday! I’ll be completely honest, turning 25 freaked me out just a little bit; I’m not sure if it’s because I’m now a quarter century old, or that so many people lament the infamous quarter-life crisis, or just the fact that I’ve officially exited my “early twenties,” but the number definitely gives me a much-needed reality check. I guess I’m officially a grown-up now. However, spending my birthday on a beautiful beach in Punta Cana was the perfect way to escape reality and disconnect. Having an entire resort of people sing happy birthday in Spanish to you also helps!

2. Traveled to a new destination- the Dominican Republic. My mom was kind enough to take me on a long weekend to Punta Cana to celebrate my 25th birthday. Five days in paradise was the perfect amount of time to unplug, bond with my mom, catch up on reading and soak up the tropical sun. While I was there, I had the opportunity to try something I’ve never done before- barefoot running! I ditched my sneaks for my first-ever run in the sand, right along the water’s edge. It was definitely more challenging than running on the road, but the view made it completely worthwhile.

3. Honed my public speaking skills by teaching two classes and presenting to an organization at Temple University. My love for my alma mater is abundantly clear, so when I was invited to speak to three different groups on campus, I jumped at the opportunity. When I was in college, I really appreciated classes and organizations that brought in professionals who actually worked in the field I was interested in, so I’m always honored when I’m asked to share my experiences with students. For the most part, for each of my presentations, I spoke about my career, social media, tourism PR and personal branding, but tailored each presentation to better fit the group I was speaking to at the moment. From a small, but engaged class of 13 people to a larger class of 60 to an organization full of public relations majors, I thoroughly enjoyed each presentation and can’t wait to seek out more opportunities to get of my comfort zone through public speaking.

In April, I will…

1. See one of my favorite bands perform live. Little known fact: I am obsessed with Maroon 5. I saw them perform for the first time in 2005 when I was a junior in high school at the Liacouras Center before they hit it really big and have loved them ever since. I’ve seen them live a few more times since then, and can’t wait to attend their show in Philadelphia this month. I’ve deemed this spring/summer my “epic summer of concerts” because I’m going to have the opportunity to see ALL of my favorite bands perform: Maroon 5, Gavin DeGraw, Train and John Mayer. There’s nothing better than live music!

2. Attend a taping of the Rachael Ray Show. Interesting story. Three years ago, my mom was watching the Rachael Ray Show and learned about how you could apply online for tickets to a taping. She asked me to sign us up, so I did. A few weeks ago, I received an email that we had finally been selected and were asked to attend a taping in April. Literally, when I got the email, I thought it was spam because I didn’t even remember applying, since I filled out the online form so long ago. In any case, we’re thrilled and can’t wait to head to New York City for the taping! I’m crossing my fingers that an awesome celebrity happens to be interviewed on the show the day we go.

3. Finally kick off my e-newsletter initiative. I’ve talked about it here on the blog before, but haven’t yet tackled the goal of sending out my first e-newsletter. The reason? I’m really nervous! But that’s what getting gutsy is all about, right? Taking chances. I know that developing an e-newsletter list and continuing to nurture the community I’m building will only help me in the long run. I vowed to myself that when I hit 100 subscribers, I’d send out my first email. I surpassed that number (woo!) about a week ago, so if you’ve already subscribed to my list (thank you!) you’ll be receiving your first email full of exclusive content very soon. And if you’re not yet subscribed, it’s not too late! Subscribe here!

March Posts You May Have Missed

Social Media Marketing Done Right: How FatCow Won My Heart (And Business) For Life

Three Lessons Learned From Five Days Unplugged

Google Reader Alternative: How To Use Feedly To Keep Up With Blogs

Niche Blogging vs. General Blogging: Why a Multi-Passionate Approach Can Help Grow Your Blog

What did you accomplish in March and what are you looking forward to accomplishing in April? Share your three things in the comments below!

The post Monthly Check-In: Goodbye March, Hello April appeared first on Jessica Lawlor.

Links

On Social Media:

Hashtags Considered #Harmful: When I saw Alexis Grant share this post on Twitter, I knew I had to read it. After all, I use hashtags often on Twitter! Daniel Victor, social media editor for the New York Times offers an interesting perspective in this Nieman Journalism Lab piece on why perhaps using a hashtag actually isn’t helping more people find your content.

Google Glass: Why It Won’t Go Mainstream Until 2023: Have you seen Google’s awesome promotional Glass videos? While Glass is currently in the process of being rolled out, communications professional Arik Hanson outlines the reasons he doesn’t think Glass will catch on until years from now.

On Careers:

Not Getting Hired: The Fall Out and Recovery: Melissa Anzman of Loosen Your White Collar guest posts for Life After College with this great piece on how to pick yourself up after being rejected from your dream job.

Why I Decided To Quit My Job (and Think You Should Too): Wow! Carrie Smith from Careful Cents announces she’s quitting her day job and taking the leap to full-time freelancing. Be sure to subscribe to her blog now so you can see all her future posts about this major transition.

On Freelancing/Entrepreneurship:

How to Get Testimonials for Your Business or Blog Using Twitter for Social Proof: Kristi Hines of Kikolani explains how you can use positive tweets on your website to bulk up your recommendations/testimonials page. I need to do this ASAP! I favorite tweets all the time, but hadn’t yet figured out a way to use them.

This Week on JessicaLawlor.com: 

Niche Blogging vs. General Blogging: How a Multi-Passionate Approach Can Help Grow Your Blog: If you’re struggling with choosing or sticking to a topic for your blog, my latest post explains why I think it’s okay to blog about whatever you want, without sticking to a specific niche.

Goals

• Rock my presentation to Temple University’s Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) chapter this week. This speaking engagement is especially important to me because I was a member of this organization and served as president for my senior year. I hope I can do as great a job as all the speakers I heard from throughout my three years in the organization.
• Enjoy the Maroon 5 concert in Philadelphia on Thursday night. I’m calling this summer my epic summer of concerts because I’m seeing ALL of my favorite musicians (Maroon 5, Gavin DeGraw, Train and John Mayer). My first concert is this week and I can’t wait to see Maroon 5 live again!
• Downsize my purse. Remember at the beginning of the year when I vowed to use the word ‘simplify’ to guide my 2013? I finally purchased a new purse (MUCH smaller than my current bag) in an attempt to downsize all the “stuff.”

Have any links or goals you’d like to share? Leave them in the comments!

The post Start Your Week Right Sunday: Links and Goals appeared first on Jessica Lawlor.

Do I need to pick a specific topic to blog about?

Blogging experts often advise new bloggers to find a niche to build an audience and grow their blog.

I beg to disagree.

But I haven’t always felt this way. From my anonymous lifestyle blog in college to my book review blog that I ran from 2009 until early 2012, I’ve always found a niche; a community of bloggers who wrote on similar topics. I wrote content that fit into the neat little category I selected for myself and my blog.

It worked for the most part.

Other lifestyle bloggers regularly read and commented on my blog. Fellow book reviewers and authors frequented the pages of my book blog. There’s nothing wrong with niche blogging, but I knew it wasn’t for me. I still wasn’t happy with my blog.

You see…I felt cornered. I buried myself deep inside my niche and struggled to find my way out. The people who read my book review blog were interested in just that: book reviews. They weren’t interested in my running journey or my career in public relations. On the off chance that I did write about those topics, the posts weren’t as well-received as what my readers had come to expect from me.

When I sat down this past summer to rebrand my website and blog, I took a lot of what I’ve learned over the past five years of blogging into consideration. Perhaps I had just outgrown my niche and needed to find a new one.

I dabbled with the idea of a blog solely about my fitness journey (but the thought of taking pictures of all my meals and detailing every single one of my workouts bored me to death). I considered writing a blog about public relations and social media (but there’s already tons of those out there and I didn’t want to get lost in a sea of voices). I thought about blogging about my life as a young professional in the Philadelphia area (but figured that I won’t be a young professional forever and want this blog around for the long haul).

Ultimately, I decided….the hell with it.

I don’t want to have a niche blog.

I’m a multi-passionate person with many interests and I wanted my blog to reflect me as a person. I wanted to build a brand around my name and personality, not a specific interest or area of expertise.

So I set out to a build a blog where I can talk about whatever I want under the umbrella of forcing yourself out of your comfort zone to live a life that makes you truly happy. I’ve blogged about running a half marathon, getting over my fear of public speaking, my experience with awesome brands, writing and more. And you know what? It’s working.

Five months later, I’m extremely happy with my somewhat unconventional blogging approach.

One of my main worries when making a decision to blog about whatever I want was losing my audience and website traffic that I had spent years growing. I had built a name for myself as a book blogger and had a loyal following of fellow book lovers. Could I rebrand myself and continue growing my audience?

Yes.

I compared traffic to my website from the past five months to my traffic at the height of my book blogging and my numbers are virtually the same.

Of course, in the beginning, it was frustrating. I saw my subscriber numbers drop and my traffic waned a little. I knew that people who followed me for my book reviews might not be interested in my new approach. But that’s okay!

With hard work, consistent posting and promotion, my blog’s traffic is right back where I want it and continues to grow each month:

• I’ve started an e-newsletter and just surpassed 100 subscribers (subscribe here if you’d like to join the list).
• My Twitter following has grown by nearly 500 people since switching my approach.
• I’ve been interviewed on a few different blogs including Venturesome and Your Super Awesome Life.
• My writing has been featured on major blogs including Brazen Careerist, Muck Rack and DIY Writing.

But most importantly, the people who have joined my new community are exactly the kind of people I want reading my content and want to engage with. I’ve opened the door to so many different kinds of opportunities and allow myself the freedom to explore any topic I desire. I’m no longer stuck in a corner, confined to one specific topic.

I know that I’ve set myself up for long-term success and growth when it comes to growing my blog and building my personal brand.

I’ve found my niche. And guess what? It isn’t a niche at all.

Do you blog within a specific niche or do you take a more general approach to growing your blog? Share in the comments below.

The post Niche Blogging vs. General Blogging: Why a Multi-Passionate Approach Can Help Grow Your Blog appeared first on Jessica Lawlor.

Links

On Blogging:

All the Whys and Hows Behind My Site Redesign: Thinking of redesigning your website or blog? Check out Alexis Grant’s awesomely redesigned website and learn exactly what went into the process to launch a new site.

On Careers:

The Problem with Gen Y (and 3 Challenges Without Shortcuts): Interesting guest post by Brendon Weyi on Marian Schembari’s blog about members of Gen Y always looking for the “quick fix.” Do you agree or disagree?

How to Effectively Tweet Your Way to a New Gig: Whether you’re looking to switch careers or just seeking a new freelance assignment, Carrie Smith of Careful Cents explains how you can use Twitter to land that gig.

On Writing:

Ron Vitale’s Cautionary Tale Against Setting Aside Your Dream of Writing a Novel: After Dana Sitar published my guest post “Why I Gave Up My Dream of Writing a Novel (For Now)” one of my mentors, Ron Vitale, let me know that he’d be writing a rebuttal to my post. Here’s his take on why you SHOULDN’T set aside your dreams.

On PR/Marketing:

Top PR, Marketing Women to Follow On Twitter: Looking for new PR/marketing pros to follow on Twitter? Look no further than this fabulous list compiled by Erica Moss for JobZook. I’m super honored to be included on this list among the names of so many women I admire and respect in the industry.

On Life:

9 New Ways to Practice Gratitude: Molly Mahar from Stratejoy explains nine easy ways to practice gratitude and be thankful for the little moments. A good reminder for all!

Goals

• Rock my two speaking engagements at Temple University this week. I’m teaching two classes this week: a media and society class and a social media innovation course. I’m excited to get back on campus!
• Successfully complete the 10K race I’m registered for next weekend. I’ve been in a major running slump lately, and with the Broad Street Run fast approaching, I’m doing everything I can to reinvigorate my love for running.
• Finally sign in to Mailchimp to create a template for my e-newsletter and get ready to send out my first communication to my subscriber list. I’m nearly at 100 subscribers and I promised myself once I hit that milestone, I’d get started. Want to help make sure I reach this goal? Subscribe here!

Have any links or goals you’d like to share? Leave them in the comments!

The post Start Your Week Right Sunday: Links and Goals appeared first on Jessica Lawlor.

I was super excited and extremely honored when I saw earlier this week that I’d been included on JobZook’s list of “Top PR, Marketing Women To Follow On Twitter.” It’s an amazing honor to be included among women in the industry whom I’ve admired for years. Check out the list and be sure to follow the incredible women who are making strides in marketing and public relations.

Top PR, Marketing Women To Follow On Twitter

While not someone I’ve had the pleasure of meeting in real life, Jessica has always been someone who’s impressed me with her solid personal brand and desire to educate others. She is a fantastic writer, and her blog is partially dedicated to content that encourages people to “get gutsy.” Currently, handles B2B PR, content creation and e-communications for Bucks County tourism, and enjoys running and travel.

Head over to JobZook to check out the full list.

I’ve long admired Dana Sitar’s blog DIY Writing, and I’ve even had the honor of hosting her here on my blog twice! When she offered me the chance to write a guest post for her blog, I was thrilled. Dana challenged me to write a post around the topic of “what’s holding you back?” I knew what I wanted to write about immediately.

Why Jessica Lawlor Gave Up Her Dream Of Writing a Novel (For Now)

To say I’ve always loved to write would be an understatement. As soon as I could hold a pencil, my imagination went wild and I spent hours upon hours in dream worlds, putting words down on paper. From journal entries and short stories in elementary school to blog posts and published bylines in my twenties, I’ve long dreamed of making a career writing.

So naturally, it has always been a major goal of mine to write and publish a book. “I want to be an author,” was always my go-to answer when someone asked what I wanted to be when I grew up. And, prior to rebranding my website in October, my blog was solely dedicated to book reviews and documenting my experience writing a novel.

But I have a dirty, little confession to make.

I haven’t written a word of my novel in more than three years.

Be sure to check out the full post on Dana’s blog here to learn WHY I gave up my dream of writing a novel.

When my friend and fellow PR professional Rachel Esterline reached out to see if I’d be interested in being featured in her ’13 in 2013′ interview series, I jumped at the opportunity. Rachel is conducting interviews in a number of categories, and I was the first person featured in the professionals under 30 category. Read a snippet below and be sure to click over to Rachel’s blog to read the full post.

13 in 2013: Jessica Lawlor

1. Who are you?

I’m Jessica Lawlor, a public relations professional, blogger and freelance writer in the Philadelphia area. In addition to my full-time job and freelancing for a variety of websites, I blog about getting gutsy - forcing yourself out of your comfort zone in order to live a life that makes you truly happy. Oh, and I recently ran my first half marathon!

Click over to Venturesome for the full interview.

The post Where I’ve Been Freelancing and Featured Lately: JobZook, DIY Writing and Venturesome appeared first on Jessica Lawlor.

After all, according to the Trends section of my personal Google Reader, I’ve used the service since October 2008 to read more than 100,000 blog posts. That’s four and a half years of relying on a website for a much-needed content management tool- especially for an avid reader and blogger.

Chaos ensued on Twitter, as people all over the world learned the news. Almost instantly, websites and blogs began publishing posts about Google Reader alternatives. Perhaps the quickest website to post was CNET with this fantastic post listing five worthy alternatives.

That’s where I first heard of Feedly, an RSS service that has quickly emerged as the frontrunner for those looking for a new RSS tool. With a little bit of reluctance, I set out to test the site.

How to Use Feedly

Feedly was founded in 2008 and touts itself as “the better way to organize, read and share the content of your favorite sites.”

When you click over to Feedly, it should prompt you to log in using your Google Reader information. Currently, Feedly automatically syncs all your Google Reader subscriptions to Feedly (more information on that on Feedly’s blog here).

You may be having the same worry that I had when I realized you had to log in to the site using Google Reader credentials; what happens as of July 1 when Reader is shut down? Feedly has assured users that they are working on a fix to make it a completely seamless process, as long as you log in before July 1.

Here’s one of my first views upon clicking into Feedly. The “Latest” page, showing previews off all the latest posts from my subscriptions, in what Feedly calls their “Magazine Style” view.

Feedly Magazine Style View

Magazine View is pretty, but one of my favorite things about Google Reader was how simple and clean it was. It was extremely easy to navigate. Thankfully, Feedly has created multiple different ways to view posts, including this simple “Titles” view.

Feedly Titles Style View

You’ll see that all of my categories perfectly transferred over from Google Reader (very important to me since I’ve spent hours organizing the blogs I read) and you can simply read posts by category. Here’s an example of my “Entrepreneurship” category.

Entrepreneurship Category on Feedly

Here’s what it looks like when you click in to read a post from a given category. Very similar to Google Reader.

Reading a Post on Feedly

See all those little tabs underneath the title of the post? One of my favorite things about Feedly is you can tweet, post to Facebook, +1 and share posts on all kinds of social media sites directly from the feed. I love this integration and see myself using it often in the future.

Feedly’s Social Media Integration

Google Reader’s “starred items” feature was my absolute favorite part of the service. I can’t even tell you how many posts I have starred. I was nervous that they wouldn’t transfer over to Feedly, but thankfully, they did. Those posts appear under the “Saved” category on the left hand side, and to save a post while reading, users need to just click the “save for later” button.

Feedly’s “Save For Later” Function

Feedly also has a mobile app which is extremely easy to use (and it’s REALLY pretty!). The only issue I’ve had with the app so far is that a few of my “save for later” posts on the web version aren’t syncing over to the mobile version. I reached out to Feedly’s CEO on Twitter and he got back to me quickly letting me know that there’s a refresh bug in the mobile version, which will be fixed in the update they are currently working on to go live in the next week or so.

Feedly Mobile Version

Overall, I am really enjoying Feedly, so far. With 100,000 new users flocking to the site, Feedly’s developers are only going to be spending the time between now and July 1 making the site even more friendly for Google Reader fans. If you haven’t followed them on Twitter, be sure to do so. They are actively answering questions from new users and embracing ex-Google Reader fanatics wholeheartedly.

My Plan

Google Reader will not officially be eliminated until July 1, 2013. Between now and then, I plan to continue using a combination of Google Reader and Feedly.

I also understand that over the next four months, many companies will set out to build a service almost identical to that of Google Reader. I’m going to keep an eye on what’s trending when it comes to RSS services and test out other alternatives before settling on one for good, although Feedly seems to be gaining the most attention, as of right now.

Plus, I’m going to (reluctantly) keep my fingers crossed that the Google Reader petition with more than 100,000 signatures does its job, and Google somehow changes its mind and keeps Reader around for years to come.

What You Need To Do

• Download your Google Reader data (subscriptions and all!) using Google Takeout. This way all of your subscriptions will be saved to your computer so that if you need to upload them to a new RSS service, you will be able to do so seamlessly.
• Begin testing out another RSS service to figure out which one suits you before July 1. The resources listed below should help you learn about other sites people are trying out.
• Subscribe to your favorite blogs via email, so that you’ll never miss a post. If you’d like to receive my posts via email, just click here to subscribe.

Other Google Reader Alternative Resources

Since the announcement, I’ve read several awesome blog posts about Google Reader shutting down and alternatives to the RSS service. If you’re looking for more information, be sure to check out the posts below. If you know of other great posts with Google Reader alternatives, please share in the comments, as I’ll be updating this list:

Google Reader, please don’t go- I need you to do my job via Paid Content

Tips for Google Reader users migrating to Feedly via Feedly

Google Reader Alternatives: 3 Web-Based RSS Readers to Manage Your Subscriptions via Kikolani

RIP Google Reader: There Are Other Options For You via Spin Sucks

BlogLovin’ vs. Feedly: Which RSS Reader Reigns Supreme via Nosh On It

Have you checked out Feedly yet? If so, what did you think? Do you have other suggestions for RSS readers to check out?

The post Google Reader Alternative: How to Use Feedly to Keep Up With Blogs appeared first on Jessica Lawlor.

Links

On Blogging:

RIP Google Reader: There Are Other Options For You: The big blogging/social media news this week was that Google announced they are eliminating Google Reader as of July 1, 2013. Gini Dietrich of Spin Sucks explains why and highlights a few RSS alternatives. (PS- Stay tuned…tomorrow I’ll be publishing a detailed post about how to use Feedly, one of the popular RSS services emerging after the Google Reader announcement).

How To Get More Content For Your Blog: If you’re struggling to find interesting topics to blog about, check out this awesome post by Kristi Hines for ProBlogger with detailed ideas for developing more content for your blog.

On Careers:

How To Take Advantage of Every Opportunity In Your Job Search: Putting The Odds Ever In Your Favor: Adam Britten explains the six moments internship and job seekers need to pay attention to during their search. Love the Hunger Games references!

On PR:

15 Changes I’ve Seen In 15 Years: One of my mentors Anne Buchanan, owner of Buchanan PR, recently celebrated the 15th anniversary of her successful PR firm. In this useful post, she outlines changes she’s seen in the public relations industry over the years.

On Launching a Digital Product:

How I Published and Launched My Latest Ebook for Under $150: Dana Sitar, the fabulous blogger behind DIY Writing, breaks down exactly how she published and launched her ebook “A Writer’s Bucket List” with an investment of just $150.

On Writing:

How To Organize The Writing Samples On Your Writer Website: Do you have lots of great writing samples, but are not sure how to organize them in your online portfolio? Bree Brouwer breaks down your options in this guest post for The Renegade Writer.

Why Jessica Lawlor Gave Up Her Dream Of Writing a Novel (For Now): I’m over on Dana Sitar’s blog DIY writing explaining why I’m putting my dream of writing a novel on hold and why it’s okay for you to put your dreams aside, too.

Just For Fun:

Life Before and After Cellphones: I literally laughed out loud at this silly Mashable comic strip (by Angela Liao) outlining life before and after cellphones.

Goals

• Finally, finally, finally sit down and develop my Broad Street Run training plan. The race is officially less than two months away, and I haven’t started seriously training yet. If I want to PR the race this year, I need to get to work this week.
• Get my inbox under control. Between the event I planned for work in February, family issues taking the forefront and being away in Punta Cana, I need to spend time cleaning up my inbox.
• Write my next few freelance articles for Brazen Careerist.

Have any links or goals you’d like to share? Leave them in the comments!

The post Start Your Week Right Sunday: Links and Goals appeared first on Jessica Lawlor.

It’s easy to unplug when this is your daily view.

Last week, I traveled to Punta Cana with my mom to celebrate my 25th birthday.

For the first time, I was completely disconnected from the Internet- email, blogging, social media. My only connection back home was via text message (and every sent message cost 50 cents, so I wasn’t texting regularly).

Being so connected on a daily basis both personally and for my job, I felt a little pang when I reluctantly flipped the “cellular data” section of my iPhone to off.

The dangers of being connected 24/7 are widely discussed online. There are studies reporting that being connected doesn’t make us more productive, anecdotal experiments linking being constantly plugged in with not doing your best work and countless blog posts outlining ways to disconnect.

In the end, spending five days unplugged turned out to be a fantastic experiment and has encouraged me to make some changes in my daily life to spend more time offline.

Here are three things I learned from spending five days completely unplugged.

1. Disconnecting allows you to actually live in a moment, rather than simply capturing it. How many times have you been on vacation, at a concert or out with friends that you’ve spent precious time trying to snap the perfect picture and then immediately Instagramming it, tweeting it and posting it to Facebook? GUILTY. Sometimes I feel like I spend more time sharing and showing off the moment I’m in that I’m not truly living it. When I was on vacation, I of course took photos, but after I took the photo, I was back to enjoying the moment. It was actually really nice and a little bit of a relief to simply be and not worry about how many people liked my Instagram photo or replied to a tweet.

2. When you unplug, you have time to pursue other hobbies and interests. I read two and a half books and caught up on three magazines (AND even completed a crossword puzzle) when I was away. Prior to vacation, I couldn’t even tell you the last time I completed a book, let alone spent time leisurely flipping through a magazine. Being on vacation reminded me of how much I love reading (I used to have a book blog for goodness sake!) and why I need to make my offline hobbies and interests a priority in my everyday life.

3. Unplugging forces you to have real human interaction. While I was in Punta Cana, I traveled with my mom and although we spend lots of time together on a regular basis, being on vacation completely unplugged allowed us lots of time to talk, catch up and connect, sans interruptions. It’s easy in your daily life to be out and about with your smartphone glued to your hand and FEEL like you’re connecting because you’re constantly on social media, but the truth is, nothing beats real human interaction and face to face communication.

After spending five days unplugged, here are three small changes I plan to implement in my life in an effort to disconnect.

1. Turning email off when I go to sleep. I sleep with my phone at my bedside, next to my head (terrible, I know). Because I use my phone as my alarm, I keep the sound on. When I finally put the phone down and settle into bed, cozy under the covers, inevitably, I hear the annoying little email beep on my phone, and like a magnetic pull, I HAVE to check it. This obviously pulls me out of my relaxing pre-sleep mode and suddenly I’m awake and restarting the entire process again. To solve this problem, I plan to turn my email off (it’s super easy to do on the iPhone) before bed so that I can get a good night’s sleep. I’ll turn my email back on in the morning when I’m out of bed and ready to start the day.

2. No more blog reading/social media during dinner. On nights that we don’t eat together as a family, I’m completely guilty of setting up shop at my kitchen table with my computer and mindlessly eating dinner while refreshing Twitter and reading blogs. I want to stop doing this and spend that time either just eating (crazy!) or perhaps reading a book or magazine, if I have to be doing something else.

3. Reading before bed. Instead of checking Twitter and Instagram for the hundredth time and playing 10 games of Scramble With Friends, I want to spend those last 20-30 minutes before bed reading. Even though I no longer review books, I still love to read and there are so many unread books on my shelf. I think spending time reading before bed will be more relaxing than staying connected to social media and allow for a better night’s sleep.

These changes are certainly going to take time to implement into my life. After years of constant connection and because I obviously still love social media, I’m never going to go cold turkey and completely unplug. However, by introducing these small changes into my everyday routine, I’ll be a much happier and more productive person, both at work and in my personal life. I’ll be sure to check back in a month or so to let you know how the experiment is going.

Have you ever completely unplugged? Do you have any suggestions for unplugging on a more regular basis? Share in the comments below!

Since Google Reader announced yesterday that the service will be eliminated on July 1, 2013, please be sure to subscribe to this blog via another RSS service (I’m currently testing out Feedly) or via email so you never miss a post.

The post Three Lessons Learned From Five Days Unplugged appeared first on Jessica Lawlor.