Deirdre Breakenridge, Owner of Pure Performance Communications
By Cheval John
November 8th, 2017
Today’s episode of What’s The Word? features Deirdre Breakenridge, founder of Pure Performance Communications.
Deirdre has written many books on public relations and social media.
Her recent book “Answers for Modern Communicators: A Guide to Effective Business Communication” deals with how professionals and college students can be successful communicators in a business environment.
She is also the host of #prstudchat, a twitter chat which speaks about how college students can learn more about the public relations field and how they can prepare themselves once they graduate from college.
In this episode, you will hear:
-Deirdre’s process in writing her first book
-The importance of live streaming
-On why she started the podcast, “Women Worldwide”
-On hosting “The PR Influencer Show” on Nasdaq
This episode was recorded on Facebook Live via Blue Jeans Network before airing on BlogTalkRadio.
Snippet on Vallano Media TV
Full Episode on BlogTalkRadio
Website: www.deirdrebreakenridge.com
Twitter: @dbreakenridge
Quotes from Deirdre on:
PUBLIC RELATIONS
Public relations has changed so much because of social media and the way businesses have to be more flexible.
People would go online at any time and if they wanted something, we had to be there.
If you are going to support a business, you have to be ten steps ahead and to understand and listen and know where the pain points are in the market and with the customers to be able to help that business.
NEW MEDIA
I knew we had to embrace new media.
It was a different way of communication and how we approached, not just traditional journalists, but different types of media and where people wanted to receive their news.
In 2003, I had a huge wake-up call.
My team went in to pitch a CEO and his team on a tech product and we were probably a little over-confident.
We thought we knew exactly where we could get the message out through what channels.
After we pitched on how we were going to launch this load balancer product, he kind of looked at me and said, “Okay, that was good, but where’s all the new stuff that’s really going to excite our end users? Where are they going to embrace things?”
What he was saying was why aren’t you talking about blogs.
I had written about that in my second book, which is really ironic that I was writing about blogs, but not pitching that.
I went back to my agency that day and said, “No matter how ahead we think we are, we are not.”
“We are now going to start opening up technology for our public relations professionals. They need to be hands-on in the back end of websites and content management systems.”
“I want public relations people to upload news releases and photos. I want them hands-on with technology.”
They thought I was crazy.
That was the start of “We have to be flexible, we have to move, there’s new things out there.”
Public relations people have to embrace and move forward.
BRANDS BEING MEDIA COMPANIES
They are content machines and they are not just sharing content for the sake of getting their messages across.
They are educating and becoming thought leaders.
They are having other people come in, be correspondents and share news and information and do interviews.
It is a whole new dynamic.
I was sitting with a financial services company recently.
They now have an in-house studio for video production because they are thought leaders in their space and they are going to be doing interviews.
We see this a lot more.
That is the kind of storytelling and brand journalism you want to bring to the table to be a media company.
LIVE STREAMING
I think it is a great opportunity.
It is almost the no bull crap way of getting out some really good transparent information.
You are talking to a person who grew up in the agency world where we would not put out anything.
This is a new way of being able to tell stories and to share who you are and what you do.
To give a piece of yourself as an entrepreneur and to show your passion through a live stream is really important.
If you enjoy this episode, you can share via the social media icons below.
Also, who would you like to be a guest on the show?
How I Record My Podcast Using Blue Jeans Network
by Cheval John
A couple of months ago, I had written a post about how I convert my live stream shows to a podcast.
Though it showed the step by step process of turning a live stream to a podcast, you were probably wondering how I did a two-person live stream on Facebook Live in the first place.
The video below will show how I simulcast my podcast recording, What’s The Word? using Blue Jeans Network.
I want to let you know there are other video platforms like Zoom Webinar, Wirecast, and even Crowdcast.io that allows you to simulcast to Facebook Live and YouTube.
I chose Blue Jeans Network because their platform is very simple to use and it fits me.
Without further ado, here is the video
In closing, I want to let you know that later this week will be the 300th episode of What’s The Word?
The guest of honor is Heather Havenwood, author, speaker and entrepreneur.
The episode was recorded on Blue Jeans Network and you will hear the entire interview on BlogTalkRadio
Here is a snippet of the interview with Ms. Havenwood
Pros and Cons of BeLive.TV and Blue Jeans Network
By Cheval John
It is safe to say that live video is the way most businesses and sports organizations will use to interact with future customers.
According to a report by Cision, 80% of all internet activity will have a video component to it by 2020.
That means that if you are not using video for your business, you will be left in the dust by your competition.
And live streaming is leading the way with live video.
Platforms like Meerkat and Periscope (both owned by Twitter) and Blab has brought the live streaming revolution to our daily lives.
When Facebook, the world largest social media platform with over 1 billion users, entered the live streaming game last year with Facebook Live, it created challenges for these platforms.
As an indirect result, Twitter shut down Meerkat and is in the process of integrating Periscope to their social media platform.
The owners of Blab shut down their platform abruptly in the summer time though they had a substantial user base.
It is apparent that Facebook Live is dominating live stream and is looking to continue it innovation to keep their user base on their platform.
As a result, live streaming platforms are being very creative in complimenting Facebook Live.
The platforms which are integrating their software with Facebook Live are Huzza.io, BeLive.TV and Blue Jeans Network
Huzza.io was founded in April 2015 as a way for musicians to get their music out to a niche audience.
Overtime, they expanded their services for live streamers and podcasters.
They were able to integrate their platform to Facebook Live which was a great option for people who wanted to use Facebook Live from their computers.
In February of this year, they sold their company to KickStarter.com and the platform will be shut down on March 1st.
I will add a note that the people from Huzza.io was much more professional in letting their users know that they will not be around anymore because it will give their users time to upload all of their live video recordings to YouTube.
The team from Huzza.io also allowed us to look for alternative live streaming platforms to continue creating our live video broadcasts.
Now, I will focus more on the pros and cons of BeLive.TV and Blue Jeans Network as I have tried both of the live streaming platforms.
Pros of BeLive.TV
The platform is free to use
Your live stream shows goes straight to your facebook page
You can record your show at a certain time
You can do a one on one interview with a guest if you have an interview type of show
The comments from Facebook will appear on their platform
Cons of BeLive.TV:
The platform does not have a way to download a stand alone video
Your live stream will only be for facebook live
If you want to put your video on other platforms like YouTube, it will be impossible due to the fact that Facebook and YouTube are competitors
They are currently in beta
Update: BeLive.Tv is now giving a 14-day free trial of their platform. Afterwards, you will have to pay a yearly subscription of:
$144 for Lite
$240 for Standard
Pros of Blue Jeans Network:
You can post your live show on different social media platforms in addition to Facebook Live
You can record at a certain time
Once the recording is over, you can still continue your Facebook Live stream if you want to continue the conversation with your audience
You can upload the stand alone video of your live stream to YouTube
You can also convert your livestream shows into a podcast
Cons of Blue Jeans Network:
The platform is not free to use
Depending on the price selections, you will be allowed to have from 25 to about 500 people in one room for your shows
The comments from Facebook will not appear on their platform
Update: The leadership team from Blue Jeans Network recently dropped the starting price to $12.49 a month which includes allow anyone to simulcast to Facebook Live. Now the meeting room can hold up to 50 people for the standard “me” option.
Live streaming is here for a very long time and Facebook will continue to be dominant in that space.
If you are only focusing on growing your Facebook Page and don’t have the budget to invest in a live streaming platform, BeLive.TV is the choice for you.
However, if you are looking to diversify your social media presence with live video, then Blue Jeans Network will fit your business.
For me, Blue Jeans Network is the platform of choice because of the features that it has to simulcast on Facebook Live and turn them into podcasts.
In a future post, I will share with you on how you can convert your live streaming shows to a podcast format.
Did I miss any live streaming platforms that integrates with Facebook Live? What are your thoughts about live streaming?
You can leave your comments below.
Danielle Watson: Host of “The Danielle Daily”
By Cheval John
The first time I interviewed Danielle Watson on What’s The Word?, she had created a business called “The Purse Process” which launched her into “fame” and gave her the opportunity to become a TEDx Speaker
She had made appearances on podcasts like Entrepreneur On Fire.
Since then, she reinvented herself as the host of “The Danielle Daily” and became a new author.
She returned to chat about her new book, “Dear Self, I Love You! Keep Going!: 365 Inspiring Notes from My Bittersweet Year of Heartbreak and Healing.”
In this episode, you will hear:
How Danielle came up with the idea for the book
How Facebook Live led her to start “The Danielle Daily” show
How businesses can use livestreaming to build a loyal customer base
Her answer to the question, “If she had an opportunity to spend one day with someone she admires past or present”
Links:
Website: www.danielle-watson.com
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/thedanielledaily
Who would you like to be a guest on What’s The Word?
You can leave your comment below
Upcoming Livestreaming Recording That Will Be Simulcast on Facebook Live:
January 17th: Annett Bone 3 p.m. central time
Your Job Security Is Creating Work For Yourself
By Cheval John
When ESPN laid off 100 on-air talent and journalist a couple days ago, people had to wonder if there are safe in their work.
One could argue ESPN is doing what any business needs to do in order to save their network.
Which ever side you choose, one thing is certain: no one is safe at their work anymore.
This is a wake up call to people that they need to build their network and communities on social media.
The ones who’s still employed with ESPN, are under tremendous pressure to raise the bar in their programming in order to help the network get back their subscribers.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of ESPN, John Skipper, understands they must focus their efforts on digital because most of the audience are consuming shows, news, sporting events and entertainment on mobile devices.
“Our objective in all we do is to best serve fans and their changing consumption habits while still maintaining an unparalleled and diverse talent roster that resonates with fans across all our platforms, Skipper said in a statement. “We will continue to foster creativity and investment in the products and resources necessary to embrace the opportunities that lie ahead.”
So how can ESPN overcome their disastrous loss of subscribers in order to restore their status as the “worldwide leader in sports?”
1. They need to listen to what their audience wants
Most of the audience wants sports reporting and less noise.
2. They need to return to their roots of what made them a unique brand.
When they started out in 1979, ESPN showed sports programming that led to them being known as the worldwide leader in sports.
Now most of the shows are all talk radio and debate shows that is only fueling the noise.
3. They need to be more innovative.
As I mentioned before, most consumers are now watching their news and sports on mobile devices.
They are also watching shows on YouTube and Facebook Live that are interested to them.
So ESPN can do this one thing below:
Have a once a week question and answer on Facebook Live with their CEO interacting with their fans
This will encourage their employees to do the same.
I mean, the employees are the ones who are replaceable in the first place.
So if they are allowed to build their personal brand, they will be prepared whenever they receive the notice of losing their work.
We shall see if ESPN can reinvent themselves and rise from the ashes in the near future.
As for everyone else that is reading this post, your job security is creating work for yourself as an entrepreneur.
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