In the Media

Key takeaways from industry leaders

For businesses committed to sustainable practices, creating actionable impact strategies is a top priority. Executing those strategies is another matter entirely. In a complex landscape of regulatory shifts, stakeholder expectations, and the stark effects of climate change, how can business leaders rise to the challenge and honor their commitments to sustainability?

Finding the human angle and defining success with a tech-forward, product-led philosophy

AI is undoubtedly the hottest tech topic of our current era. Right now, the companies that make generative AI models and the organizations that rely on them are all jockeying for mindshare, attempting to capture the limelight as they position themselves as thought leaders. It all but feels inevitable that AI will transition from tech innovation into table stakes within a matter of years — so how can you command the narrative when developing or implementing AI solutions is no longer a competitive differentiator?

By: Hannah Klaassen and Katherine Oliveri

As the federal market continues to modernize its technology, it’s turning to public sector partners to do so. This has opened up new opportunities for technology vendors both big and small. 

Empowering employees in the fight against misinformation

Corporate and organizational leaders are tasked with leading their businesses through tumultuous times, and there are fewer times more turbulent than the run-up to a highly divisive presidential election. Emotions often run high during election season, making it challenging to navigate the environment with your composure and strategy intact.

As the IPO market seems to be thawing for tech companies, it’s time for communications leaders to dust off their strategies for pre- and post-public offering. We recently spoke with tech communications leaders who have been through the IPO process for a panel conversation on best practices and lessons learned from their experiences, hosted by Axios senior business reporter Hope King. 

The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is the crème de la crème of advertising industry events, bringing together top brands to showcase and discuss new trends, products, and innovation. This year’s festival was no exception, catalyzing key industry conversations for the rest of 2024.

Highwire recently hosted a panel to discuss the nuances of IPO communications and marketing strategies. I was honored to participate alongside this esteemed group:

Every company has stories to tell. Whether about why it was founded, what led it to some breakthrough innovation, or how it was able to overcome some immense challenge, stories help companies connect with their customers and prospects in profound ways. 

Dan Tyre is indefatigable. The HubSpot executive has so much joie de vivre and speaks with such enthusiasm that he feels obliged to remind you that he is 61, lest you mistake him for a much younger man. He sprinkles his conversations with exclamations of “Boom” and “Yessss!”, and every so often he’ll throw his hands above his head as if he can’t believe how much fun he’s having.

I started my career in Public Relations during the dot.com boom of the 1990’s, when a single headline in Business Week or Forbes Magazine was enough to catapult a company from seemingly out of nowhere to a valuation worth a billion dollars or more. This was years before Blogger and LiveJournal arrived on the scene and gave companies a way to speak directly to their prospects and customers, so the only way for a business to get its message across was through the press. 

Businesses are cranking out a tremendous amount of content these days. But the more content you publish, the greater the risk that inconsistencies in voice, usage and style could confuse readers — and even tarnish your brand.

That’s why many companies develop a content style guide: a document that lays out all of the organization’s standards and policies for any published content. But content style guides do more than just keep contributors all on the same page; they are also invaluable planning tools to ensure that all content serves its intended purpose and accurately expresses the brand. 

Let’s look at a few of the essential questions your company’s content style guide should answer: 

It’s been a difficult start to the year in newsrooms across all industries, with layoffs impacting hundreds of talented reporters and editors.

Good writing skills are crucial for just about any job these days. Whether you're crafting a research report, a blog post or an email to your boss explaining why you deserve a promotion, the ability to communicate effectively through writing opens doors to new opportunities and enhances your career prospects. In this blog post, we will explore eight valuable tips to help you become a better writer and master the art of effective communication.

Definitive Healthcare, a healthcare commercial intelligence company, faced an opportunity to become a strategic media resource and showcase its value within the healthcare industry. 

In almost a month, leading retailers, brands, analysts, reporters, investors and more will gather in Las Vegas, Nevada for Shoptalk. As one of the premier events in the retail sector, having a well thought out communications plan is key to making an impact and standing out amongst the noise. 

The pressure is palpable. You feel it in your chest, squeezing your lungs until you can barely breathe, causing that voice in your head to doubt yourself, to question everything you have learned to this point, to question, even, whether you’re cut out for the role that you’re in. 

And that’s just writing the intro to a normal blog post. Imagine the pressure of writing the intro for a blog post about writing intros to blog posts! 

Debilitating. 

And yet, you have to begin somewhere. And like most beginnings, it must serve a point: to grab the attention and interest of your readers. It’s often been said that the point of every line of copy is to get readers to move onto the next line. And if that is true, then the opening paragraph must capture their imagination so that they want to keep reading. 

The team here at Highwire has written thousands of introductions between us, and here we’ve compiled some of our tried and trusted practices (with examples) in order to help you write introductions you can be proud of. Let’s dive in! ƒv

Generative A.I. is transforming marketing and PR worldwide. The use of A.I. supports marketing and PR professionals in generating content quickly and easily, leading to improved efficiency, customization and creativity. eBay's CMO says they use it to support personalized subject lines for emails and for banner ad copy, with plans to expand.

Executive visibility impacts nearly every aspect of business, including employee retention and talent attraction, customer trust and loyalty, investor assurance and more. LinkedIn reports that roughly 56% of business professionals say their purchase choices are swayed by the social media presence of CEO. Furthermore, of those who follow a company's top executi​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ve online, 66% are more likely to give a brand endorsement. 

Neil Patel, a renowned digital marketer and entrepreneur, emphasizes that roughly 75% of web surfers rarely browse beyond the first page, highlighting the importance of high search rankings. With many websites vying for these top-tier spots, a key question arises: How can you optimize your content for first-page rankings? This is where recent advancements in artificial intelligence (A.I.) technology come in.

Good storytelling is at the heart of every great novel, play or movie. Why not marketing campaigns as well?

An effective Request for Proposal (RFP) can be an essential step for organizations aiming to hire a Public Relations (PR) agency that aligns with their communication needs and goals. By outlining clear expectations and criteria, an RFP ensures both parties understand the project's scope and deliverables. Having participated in hundreds of RFPs, we’ve identified the ingredients we believe are essential components of any RFP.

Want to craft messages that resonate with your audience? Consider journalistic writing.

At Highwire, we understand the value of writing that compels attention, engages emotion, and inspires action. 

That's why we recommend that marketing writers occasionally put their marketing caps to one side and try on a journalist's hat. You don't need to have an old-fashioned fedora with a card that says PRESS in it to create writing that commands attention and evokes strong reactions.

If you're crafting copy aimed at elevating the profile and credibility of a brand or executive, try thinking more like a journalist. This strategy could help you become a better marketing storyteller. 

Here is how (and why) to shift out of marketing mode and take advantage of a more journalistic approach to writing. 

White-water rafting in the morning, rubbing shoulders with NBA champ Andre Iguodala in the evening, networking with top tech CEOs in between — who wouldn't want to be on the "Silicon Slopes" of Park City, Utah for a summer tech conference? FORTUNE combines these attractions with a top-tier agenda to draw an elite crowd of executives, entrepreneurs, reporters and influencers to its annual Brainstorm Tech conference. 

Earnings. Whether the company misses, meets or beats expectations, communications shape how analysts and media report on your numbers. You can generate excitement, proactively answer questions and instill investor confidence with a compelling earnings release narrative and smart media strategy. It’s especially important to hit the mark during times of economic uncertainty. Here’s how to make your earnings release resonate.

Trendjacking is a PR and marketing tactic that capitalizes on breaking news, current events or cultural moments; i.e., topics that are popular and already trending. Think generative AI, ransomware, sustainability, etc. This type of timely content leverages existing audience interest to amplify a brand's unique point of view, align with the trend and create go-to experts. 

The ESG journey has taken many turns over the last year, from a nice-to-have to a corporate strategy influencer to a political hot-button issue.  Despite a growing number of bills restricting ESG business practices – there are currently at least 99 bills being discussed within Congress – up from 39 in 2022, many leaders still view ESG goals and reporting as a priority for their organization. Therefore, it’s imperative that organizations - especially those in tech -  understand how to tell an authentic ESG story. Let’s dive in.

It’s what you say and  how you say it.

CEO communications, like activity on social media, can make consumers and customers feel more connected to a brand, but some messages can have the opposite effect. These are the posts of communications’ experts nightmares. 

Congressman Maxwell Frost is 26 years old. During a speech to fellow Democrats, he called a popular political event held in South Carolina “the Coachella of the South.” As he recalled to MSNBC host Jen Psaki recently, half of the crowd had no idea what he was talking about.

When choosing and working with a marketing and PR agency, bigger is not always better.

Many companies struggle when trying to choose the marketing and PR agency best suited to their needs. There are any number of choices, all with their own pros and cons. For some brands a global presence and reach might be deemed most important. For others, it may be industry experience and expertise. There is no one size fits all approach. With that in mind, using independent PR and marketing agencies can offer several benefits to a business. This blog will explore those benefits, their importance and the value they bring to brands. 

There are endless ways brands can connect with customers, and for every one of those communications channels, there is a host of vendors and agencies to help you reach them. Juggling multiple agency partners while trying to keep up with business demands leaves marketers feeling fatigued and overwhelmed. We see this struggle all the time.