Growing Your Business And Getting PR Just By Naming Your Business

As I claim my shed as my studio office for here and Katie James, Inc. projects (and I mean really claim, more so than in before at the start of the pandemic), it occurs to me as I hang my Katie James tin shingle made by the artist Tin Fish in Maine, that this sign is where Tin Shingle got its name.

Back when Sabina and I had to rename our company because a big magazine who is all about entrepreneurship came after us when our name was ‘Preneur (it’s not your fault, @heyfeifer it’s corporate). That cease and disuse letter was the best thing to happen to us, because it made us rethink and commit to what we really offered creators.

Business owners are creators. It’s a more fun word to say sometimes than “business owner.” We realized we are really only about getting the word out. Yes, we taught how to do that in different ways: PR, Website Design and Content, and Social. But that education plus our special sauce of empowerment was what made Tin Shingle what it is.

Sabina and I each went on our own now, and you can see Tin Shingle’s latest video TuneUp about that back in our Member Center on the Tin Shingle website. But that’s the story of how this sign I had made for my fist, core, and namesake business, Katie James, Inc., influenced this, my second business, Tin Shingle. Both my children.

Ok. Carry on! Let’s get some PR and grow your business. Join Tin Shingle today to get into the groove! >

Ready To Download! :: 2022 Content Planner Template For Editorial Branding

Your brilliance must be organized in order for you to execute those content ideas you know will help build your brand, nurture your customers to increase loyalty, and increase sales.

Time is of the essence. When you publish an article on your business News section or blog, or when you post an Instagram or TikTok, is crucial to staying in the rhythm of your people so that they can support you and/or buy what you sell.

Tin Shingle designed this simplified Editorial Content Planner that lets you plot out your ideas by date. It is a planner that lets you see when you intend to publish a blog post, send a newsletter, and post a social. All across an Excel-based grid that you can upload to Google Drive and share with your team and yourself when on the go on your phone.

PLUS, it has those awareness holidays throughout the year that TV and social love to create content around.

HOW THE EDITORIAL CALENDAR WORKS
Created as an Excel document with 12 tabs - a tab for each month - every single day of the year visible to you very easily. Daily ideas are also included for each month, so you know when to plan for large holidays and tiny ones (ex: Make Up Your Mind Day).

FREE or $75: This Editorial Content Planner is free for Members of Tin Shingle. Activate your membership today to download this and all of our exclusively produced Templates.

FREE: If you are not a member, but purchased this template in the past, you are able to download this year's - and every year's - for free. Go here now to download the 2022 version.

INCLUDED WITH THIS 2022 EDITORIAL CONTENT PLANNER TEMPLATE

• Organization: Article Assignment Slots for 12 Months, 365 Days Broken Down Into Weeks
  Every single day of the year is organized into 12 monthly tabs for your viewing and organizational pleasure.

• Content Ideas: Over 250 Hot Topics & National Days for Instant Ideas for Fresh Content

• Social Media + Newsletter Options: Dedicated columns to call out when you are sending a special newsletter to your customer base or subscriber list, and when you need to publish a social media post, and not necessarily publish an article to your news or blog section.

• Who Does What: Tracking Who is Writing, Who is Making the Art, and Who is Posting the Article, and Socializing

• Forever Access: Always have free access to next year's Editorial Planner Template

• Free for All Access Tin Shingle Members: If you are an All-Access Pass Member of Tin Shingle, you automatically have free access to this Template. Just hit that Download button when you are logged in!

WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE

Including The Deaf Community In Your Instagram Posts - Turning On Captions In "Stories"

Businesses are becoming more and more comfortable with posting videos on Instagram, allowing their platform to reach users globally. What you may have noticed is that now viewers are reading captions in the videos, rather than listening to them, or while listening to them. This is a huge inclusionary step for the Deaf community, who otherwise could not access all of the content in the same way.

When you’re posting videos to Instagram, it is essential that you add captions to your videos, and here’s why…

Video Captions For Accessibility

First, accessibility! Some viewers may be Deaf or Hard of Hearing, and missing out on what you are saying. Mashable reported in 2019 how Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez used Captions, and how Deaf activist Nyle DiMarco tweeted his appreciation.

We checked in with Licensed Clinical Psychologist Jamiee Arnoff of BFF Therapy, who specializes in teens and young adults, including those in the Deaf community, to learn her perspective on this important and inclusive move. “I'm so glad that this is being talked about and that accessibility is highlighted. In terms of how captions impact the population, it is all about inclusivity. Captions allow for Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals to engage in the content without issue, encouraging dialogue on the topic from the entire audience. It definitely does not go unnoticed when someone includes captions in their posts, taking the extra step to ensure the information provided is accessible.”

How To Turn Video Captioning On - It’s easy!

Finding the settings to turn your Captions on is a little tricky.

THE STEPS:
Go to Settings. This is behind the 3 bars in the top right of your screen..

Click “Account”

Click “Captions” and toggle on “Auto-Generated Captions”

You’re not done yet. You will need to set the Auto-Generated Captions for each IGTV Video.

That’s right - your video needs to be an IGTV Video right now, which means you’ll need to select that type of post when you’re posting.

The IGTV VIdeo needs to be at least 1 minute long.

When you’re posting the IGTV Video, before you post, scroll down to the Advance Settings tab. Click that, and make sure the Auto-Generated Caption is clicked on.

This guy, Alec Wilcock, made a super easy video about it to show you, which we have posted below.

PS: Dr. Jaimee gave additional guidance on how to speak to and about the Deaf Community. Her points center on capitalizing the D in Deaf, as well as the term “hearing impraired” that you may be used to, but is time for retirement. Dr. Jaimee says: “The term ‘hearing impaired,’ can be replaced with "Deaf or Hard of Hearing,’ as many Deaf individuals do not view themselves as having an impairment, and there is some long-standing resentments about the negative, medical tone of the word, being that it was coined by hearing people. There is also significant cultural meaning behind using a lowercase or capital (d) when writing out the word deaf (we know it terms of the "little d" and "big D" discussion).”

Thank you, Dr. Jaimee, for helping us speak to and about a community!

How Tin Shingle's TuneUp Office Hours Is Helping Author Winifred Tataw

During a Wednesday Tin Shingle TuneUp Office Hour, which is open to members from 1-2 pm, I, Katie, got to meet Winnie @winsbooks! Professionally as an author, she is Winifred Tataw, and both her names are part of what we discussed SEO-wise. Winnie is a writer in the Young Adult Fantasy genre, and her book is available on her website.

Part of why Winnie joined Tin Shingle was to improve SEO on her website. “I’ve downloaded 30 SEO apps, and it’s not happening,” she told me on a call before she joined. The simple truth is that those apps won’t help! I haven’t seen everyone, but what has always helped since the dawn of SEO 20 years ago (which is when I started), is creative writing with keywords in mind, and linking out to other related web pages is the perfect combo.

First off, we discussed where Winnie had to put her name on different pages (because her website won’t rank well for her own name if it’s not mentioned anywhere...a common problem of speaking in 1st person...and having her author name on blog articles isn’t weighted enough for Google). We discussed her Author Spotlights, a service she created to spotlight other writers of color who are Black, Brown, Indigenous, and otherwise unrecognized. Being the month of Ramadan, she has been surprised to not see the author highlights of Muslim authors right now.

Winnie interviews the author and does a full feature on the book. While this is in a section called “Services,” she doesn’t charge for this, unlike others in her field. We discussed how she is creating pure publicity for these authors, and while that is a gift/service for them, in the publishing world, it is called something else: publicity ☺️💜

She is going to rename that section to Author Spotlights and feature recent interviews on its home page. Tin Shingle is adding Winnie to our Media Contacts Idea Center, and tagging her as #BlackMedia for others looking to find opportunities. Winnie is Tin Shingle’s youngest member: she is in her 3rd year at The College of Charleston! Which is where I went also! It is an honor having a student trust Tin Shingle enough with her investment. Her eye is on the prize(s).

How To Design Your Instagram Story Highlights (Circles) To Make Them POP!

Using Instagram to get the word out about your business is key! It helps to build a personal connection with people through sharing images of your brands uniqueness, plus, there are millions of users! Instagram Story Highlights (Circles), specifically, are extremely valuable because it allows you (and your business) to showcase important content that you want your customers to see! Think of them as a really good movie trailer… where you just can’t wait to see more!

Canva - The DIY Graphic Design App - Made Designs Templates For You!

Using the Canva app for graphic design can help to create beautiful designs for your business. Canva is an app for the phone or laptop that is like a graphic design program/platform that enables anybody to be an amazing designer - even if you aren’t a designer. Canva has all of the tools necessary - templates, elements, styles, text, etc. Find what works for you and your biz. It’s easy once you get the hang of it!

See below for screenshots of the step-by-step process.

Best Practice For Designing Highlights (Circles At The Top Of Your Instagram Page)

To really make the Circle Highlights stand out for a smooth flow on your Instsagram page, you’ll want to make sure circle images ‘flow,’ meaning, are cohesive with one another. This helps people see your page as a unit, instead of bouncing around a bunch of unrelated visual markers.

Ok. Now you’re ready to design your own Highlight circles!

Step 1: Search Instagram Story Highlight

Use Canva’s search box to search for exactly what you looking for (shown below). Use the keyword term “instagram highlight.”

Canva’s ready-to-use Highlight templates will show up in the search results. You may be presented with several selections. Look below to see.

Step 2: Customize To Your Liking!

Pick one of those templates, and then plug and play. Add different colors or fonts, move shapes around, whatever you want! Canva has an abundance of free tools to use. Use the tool bar located to the left to upload some of your own images/photos, browse different elements, add funky text!

Canva allows you to choose colors and fonts that fit in with your business theme! You can create from scratch, or you can choose a template and then change things around to fit with what you want.

Step 3: Download Your Design

Once you create a design, download it, and then head on over to Instagram to edit your Highlight cover with your new beautiful design images!

Step 4: Where To Find The Place To Upload Your New Highlight Circle Design In Instagram

Inside of Instagram, you will find…

You’re all done!

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Now It’s Time To Add Your Custom Designed Circle Highlight To Your Instagram

Here at Tin Shingle, we elected to use a soft color of pink. That goes with our branding, and the flowers we tend to use elsewhere on our website. It’s easy on the eyes, and does indicate that Tin Shingle has a feminine approach, even though our platform is gender neutral.

STEP 1: Access The Edit Point

Hold down the Highlight you want to edit and click or tap ‘Edit Highlight.’

STEP 2: Select The Cover Art

Next, you’re going to click or tap ‘Edit Cover.’

STEP 3: Grab The Image From Your Phone

Swipe all the way to the left until you see a white outlined graphic with an image placeholder. Choose the photo image that you downloaded from canva.

STEP 4: VOILA! All Done!

Your Story Highlights are poppin’!

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“Help! Just Do It For Me!”

Sure! The team at Tin Shingle would be happy to take care of this for you, and design the branding of your Highlight circles! We can either walk you through it or be your sounding board when you book a Private Session. Or, we can do it for you in our Highlight Circle Design Package. For that, we’ll take a deep dive into your existing branding, and design a selection pack. We will upload it for you as well.

If you are designing them on your own, and want feedback from the Tin Shingle Community, simply activate your Tin Shingle Membership and create a conversation in our Community Forum!

Dear Media: Please Publish Nothing That Kanye West Says. You Know Why. Remember It.

For The Media:

Dear Media: Please publish nothing that Kanye West says. You will aid him in splitting the vote and keeping Trump in. Please. The amount of air time that you gave a Trump during his first election got him elected. It was actually your fault. Please don’t repeat your mistake. Report on anything else. There is so much to report on!

For Everyone Else:

Tin Shingle has never been into dreaming of PR from celebrity PR from the Kardashians. No no. You must ignore this now. For regular people: for your social media: nothing. No stories about Kayne West. No spreading the word of caution.

If they get no spread from us, he doesn’t exist. Focus your energy on Kamala. And how to vote. Because that sh*t is getting crazy.

Amazon Joins Other Retailers In Removing Washington Redskins Merchandise

Photo Credit: Dicks Sporting Goods

Major retailers, including, Dicks Sporting Goods, Nike, Walmart, Target and now Amazon, have stopped selling Washington Redskins merchandise nationwide. This came after the football teams announcement on Friday, July 2, shared that FedEx, sponsor of the team's stadium in Landover, Maryland, formally asked the team to change its name. The team is undergoing a name evaluation due to the consideration of it being a racial slur disparaging to Native Americans.

Walmart said in a statement on Twitter that they would “discontinuing the sale of items that referenced the team’s name and logo”. On Wednesday, Amazon joined in and sent a note to sellers that they were required to discontinue the team’s merchandise from the site, a spokesperson confirmed to CBS News.

On Wednesday, Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson, asked the retailer to remove any additional merchandise featuring offensive slurs and images, including Cleveland Indians merchandise. The MLB team recently said it would also consider a possible name change.

Rebranding of both teams has been a topic of discussion for years, and recent protests have sparked the renewed interest. "We have been talking to the NFL and sharing our concerns regarding the name of the Washington team," Nike told CBS News on Thursday. "We are pleased to see the team taking a first step towards change."

PepsiCo and Bank of America also encouraged the change.

Is The Facebook Ad Boycott Still Happening? And Should It Be Forever?

During the past week, more than 500 companies, like The North Face and Rei, joined the campaign of boycotting Facebook ads with the intent of placing pressure on Facebook to take a stronger stance against hate speech.

The current boycott is like nothing Facebook has experienced before. The Anti-Defamation League launched a #StopHateForProfit campaign asking companies to stop their advertising. “Let’s send Facebook a powerful message: Your profits will never be worth promoting hate, bigotry, racism, antisemitism and violence,” the campaign’s site reads. Hundreds of companies joined in. “When we re-engage will depend on Facebook’s response,” Levi Strauss CMO Jen Sey wrote in a blog post.

This began in June after advocacy groups and others began pushing for Facebook to refrain from sharing hateful content such as ads featuring nazi symbols from President Donald Trump and white nationalist content from Red Ice TV. More specifically, calls were spurred by posts from President Trump responding to the demonstrations against police brutality and the death of George Floyd, including one in which he suggested the “THUGS” protesting should be shot.

Owner & Co-Founder, Katie James, shared that,

“Facebook Ads have long been censored. The reason that they state is that the content is too controversial or divisive. In my experience, this has been for an inter-faith group meeting after a church received white supremacy flyers posted onto their church in October 2017, and most recently, an article about Beacon’s Mayor giving his decision about moving a memorial bench. Both were declined to be paid.

So for Facebook to say that they are not into censorship is false. They do censor. And they should censor. All media publications should and do censor. One cannot possibly publish everything, so natural censorship happens all of the time when left on the cutting room floor. But to not censor hate speech of the president of the United States is bias and wrong. Clearly they support it, if they will not censor it.”

Tin Shingle has always advocated not to put all of your eggs into one basket. Right now, Facebook is not only controlling the levers with which you can reach people, but it is developing the feeling of a bad taste in your mouth. They’ve had that stigma for years, but their recent lack of censorship added to the amount of frustration that people unleash on that platform, leaves it all gross. Do you really want your brand to be there?

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg told employees: "My guess is that all of these advertisers will be back on the platform soon enough," according to The Information.

Even Celebrities Need PR. Lady Gaga’s New Line Of Makeup, Haus Laboratories

Even celebrities need to launch and market their products. Here on Allure magazine’s annual Best Of issue, Lady Gaga stars on the cover - in her new makeup line, Haus Laboratories. As you’ll see in the article, there are already spin-off words for it, like #hauswarming gift, which provides ideas and inspiration behind some of the makeup products developed.

Landing the cover of a magazine is a milestone moment, of course. But when it is done to coincide with and promote your makeup line Haus Labs, that’s a double get!

This cover is a simple reminder that everyone needs to fight for creative, huge, and not-so-obvious ways of getting press.

Getting The Scoop On Big Print Publications From A Print Veteran Publisher

Had the privilege of meeting a real life magazine publisher, Beth McDonough, formerly with the designer favorite magazine, Traditional Home. We talked shop, which for me is giddy because I’m just a babe in the magazine world. Actually I’m not even in the magazine world, as I’m a veteran of digital. As a blogger, I knew how to out-rank web pages of glossy magazines. Thanks to their overly tight controls of how they tried to keep users on their websites, I understood how Google worked, and why Google wanted the more links off the page as possible - a signal of a truly helpful web page.

Today, as corporate print magazines reduce their print schedules, and require consumers to go to the store to pick up from the shelf, I’m still mind boggled as to why that is a good idea. Sounds like veteran print magazine extremely talented editorial staff also don’t see it as a good idea. And the profit sheets of these big corporate publication mergers also don’t see it as a good idea.

Thoughtfulness of a good reading and connecting experience is not factored into the big picture strategies coming from the C Suite, and as readers, we can tell. I’m so lucky to live in the same place as this veteran publisher, and that I could speak to her in real life at one of our local cafes, Ella’s Bellas. Print lives. Advertisers do want to see their branding in print. I am more hopeful than ever at the rise of niche media like mine here at Tin Shingle and at A Little Beacon Blog. The independent publications are going to do well if they know how to bottle this Advertiser enthusiasm.