What Beyonce Can Teach Us About Work Ethic.

 

You can say a lot of things about Beyoncé, but one thing you can't deny is her crazy work ethic. Between touring the world, recording music/videos (and releasing albums without any warning), being a director, a producer, a wife, a mother, and holding other titles, I often wonder if Queen Bey ever has time to breathe! We can all definitely learn a few things from the creole princess.

"I'm proud of myself [...] for taking the risk" 
With the release of Bey's 5th album, we all got a glimpse into the life of Mrs. Carter, the wife and mother, who is embracing her sexy side. I doubt any of us thought we'd ever hear some of those lyrics come from the "Drunk in Love" singer, but she took that risk and it worked!

"It's all about sacrifices..."
Bey has mentioned multiple times about how much she's sacrificed to reach her goals and well, we see how well that turned out for her.

I’m proud of myself as a woman for taking the risk.”
Read more at http://singersroom.com/content/2013-12-23/Beyonce-Wraps-2013-Tour-Talks-Brave-New-Album-Taking-Risk-and-Owning-Your-Imperfections/#auX2ccYHj6EHHr1t.99

"I don't believe in, 'I need to sleep'" 
Of course Beyoncé doesn't believe in sleep, she's like a machine with how hard she goes on everything! Songwriter Makeba Riddick, who worked with Bey on her B'day album, told MTV News, "[Beyoncé] would tell us to be there at 11 o'clock in the morning and we would be there until, like, four or five in the morning. When we got there [at 11 a.m.], she was already there, working."  

"I strongly believe if you work hard, whatever you want, it will come to you." 
Paul Wall did an interview with The Breakfast Club a few months back, and he spoke about how Destiny's Child got booed during a performance in their hometown of Houston. Instead of crying and giving up, they worked even harder to become forces to be reckoned with!

"I love what I do" 
I've heard that if you love what you do, you'll never have to work a day in your life and after watching Beyonce's many performances you can tell that she really loves getting on stage and snatching your edges performing!

"Independence is not easy" 
It takes time, patience, and a lot of work to see your dreams come to fruition. It took Beyonce many, many years to become the unicorn amazing entertainer she is today. It definitely won't be easy, but it will totally be worth it!

Bey is the epitome of "dreams don't work unless you do" and honey, she's put in WORK! Now it's time that we all channel our inner Beyoncé and go forth and be great! Remember, we have the same hours in the day as Queen Bey, so let's make them count!

 (photo credit: Noisey.com)

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#MusicMonday- Katy Perry.

In today's 'LOL' news, Katy Perry released her latest music video to "Birthday", the fourth single from her album PRISM. The Dark Horse singer took a page out of the book of Eddie Murphy and went undercover as five different party entertainers. We see everything from car crashes to good old fashioned lap dances in the video (no one was injured during Perry's shenanigans, btw)! I must admit that I chuckled a little too hard in her scenes as "Ace the Animal Trainer". Those poor kids didn't know what to do!

If there was a TV show like this video, I'd definitely watch it! I'd also nominate Miss Perry to have some kind of involvement with the show because she nailed these characters. By the end of the video I guarentee you will either be singing or dancing to the song. The beat itself makes you forget what she's singing about because it's so carefree and fun.

Check out Katy's hilariously funny video below!



(photo credit: hypable.com)

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Feature Friday: Taylor Washington.

• Brea: Tell me about yourself

Taylor: My name is Taylor Washington. I am currently a junior at Howard University majoring in Public Relations and minoring in Sports Management. Like you're average #PRGirl, I spend every free second checking and updating social media, following blogs, and staying up to date with current news. (and behind closed doors, I am a reality TV junkie).

Hailing from the state where "Everything is bigger", I pride myself in saying "y'all", being a southern belle, screaming "Go Cowboys" on Sunday and being overly obsessed with TexMex, crawfish, and sweet tea. I love music, live shows, and Beyoncé.

• B: What do you love most about PR/Marketing?

T: I love that it allows me to embrace my creativity to the fullest. You have all these other industries that place people in a box with harsh restrictions and a How-To manual on what to do. With PR, I feel like I really get the chance to think outside the box and try things that have never been done before without any backlash. 

I love that PR is always changing, because with its constant evolution I am required to live a life far from complacent that also requires me to constantly grow with it, stay up to date on trends, and conduct research. I love that PR/Marketing allows me the opportunity to combine my social personality with my passion for writing, communications, and the entertainment industry into a career. And finally, I love that it allows me to be a storyteller for the voiceless and even help someone become whoever he or she wants to be to the public. 

• B: You’ve been very busy as an undergrad by interning at several companies, such as: The Chamber Group, The Huxley, BET, and most recent, The Recording Academy. Which one has presented a challenge to you and how did you overcome it?

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Extreme Makeover: Business Cards Edition.

Hopefully, everyone knows the importance of having a business card by now, but if you don’t, I need you to come out from under the rock you’re living in. Whether you’re employed or unemployed, business cards help promote your personal and professional brand. Let’s face it, we all want to move up that grand corporate ladder, and business cards, along with a few other things, can help you get there.

Unlike a resume, business cards are used just for your contact information. As far as the basics, you should include your name, phone number and e-mail. Depending on your employment status, the information mentioned before would be work related in addition to your company name, your title and work address. Although this probably goes without saying, add your top two or three most active social media accounts to your card as well.

Listing your online portfolio would be another great addition to your business card also. If you haven’t already, I suggest that you create an about.me profile or use sites like Weebly or Wix so people can view your work.

Not only is the information you provide on your cards important, but the design element is also important. Here are a few tips to help your business card stand out from the rest.

Use Vibrant Colors - What is more eye catching than seeing spots of color on something? You could have the color incorporated into your logo, or have your name in a different color or font from the other text. Be aware that too many colors or fonts can look too busy. As long as you stick to 1 or 2 different colors and fonts you shouldn’t have anything to worry about.

Be Different - The majority of business cards that I’ve seen are horizontal cards. Just to be different, why not order vertical cards? I mean, who said that business cards should only be printed one way?

Read the other tips on Polished PR where this post was originally posted.

(photo credit: Moo.com)

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#MusicMonday- Iggy Azalea.

Iggy Azalea, Rita Ora and.....Katy Perry? Yes, Katy Perry, have teamed up on Iggy's 5th single from her debut album, The New Classic. On "Black Widow" Iggy raps about a failed relationship and Rita is right there on the chorus backing her up. So where does the Dark Horse singer come in on all of this? Well it seems that she co-wrote the track! Seriously, how cool is that? I see you Katy!

Today our favorite Australian rapper has finally released her long awaited debut album and I couldn't be more happy for her. I had first heard of Iggy back in 2011, thanks to one of my friends who randomly found a video of hers on Youtube. That friend was obviously on to something because the next thing I knew, the blonde haired bombshell was on the cover of XXL Top 10 Freshmen class issue and signed to T.I.'s label Hustle Gang. So after many years of hard work, its all lead up to this moment.  Go get 'em, girl!

Make sure you guys pick up Iggy's debut album, The New Classic! But in the meantime listen to "Black Widow" after the jump:

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Feature Friday- Alanna and Natalie of Belle and Bold PR.

San Antonio natives, Alanna D'Antonio and Natalie Saldaña, are the ladies behind the boutique firm Belle and Bold Public Relations. These 20-something PR owners, have been featured as Women in PR's Publicist of the Day and since starting their firm in 2013 they have quite the growing clientele.

In this interview, the B+B PR duo talk Women in PR, career goals and even Adele!

• Brea: How did you two meet?

Alanna: We first met when I was a freshman in high school and Natalie was a junior. We were originally partnered up as freshman/junior “buddies” based on a school-wide personality test. We both went to a small private Catholic school that wanted the freshman students to have a junior “buddy” so you have someone you can reach out to for help etc.

Natalie: We kept in touch over Facebook with the annual “Happy Birthday” post. It wasn't until last Spring that I reached out to Alanna when I had started doing freelance PR and saw she was as well. We met up for coffee, caught up on what’s been going on over the past few years and decided to collaborate on a client Alanna had. 

• B: What do you like most about PR?

Alanna: When we first meet with a client and they list all of their dreams for their business and knowing we are going to help them come to fruition. We both grew up in this industry and it’s a rewarding feeling when you can turn your passion into your business.

Natalie: We truly do it for the client and feel that public relations is one of the best outlets a business can utilize. There is nothing better than word of mouth!

• B: What inspired you to start your firm, Belle and Bold PR?

Alanna: It happened on accident from our clients we were freelancing on referring us to more and more clients. It was a ripple effect and we decided to take a leap of faith and capitalized on the momentum we had going. We call ourselves “accidental” entrepreneurs because we both had

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Updates.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin Been gone for a minute, but I'm back with... a few updates on the blog. Lol (I hope you got the Lil Kim reference) Between packing/driving/ to and from Atlanta, job hunting and making the move for this blog I've been pretty MIA and I apologize. 

• As you can see I've moved from Tumblr to Blogger! 

                                           

Its taken me about a week to tweak different things within the layout and design and I've even learned a few tips about HTML/CSS!! I really wish I had known how customizable Blogger was in my blog "planning" process, but I know now and that's all that matters. (Blog post coming soon)

• Because I've moved to Blogger, I have a new  Bloglovin link so follow away, my pretties. (Link at the beginning of post)
• All She Wrote picks back up tomorrow for Feature Friday with the Belle and Bold PR duo!!!

Thanks for being patient ya'll! #Youdabesttt

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Subject Lines Matter.

                    

Am I the only one who waits until the last minute to write in the subject line for an email?  Even when I know what the email is about, I stress about finding the perfect way to write a subject line that sounds interesting enough that the recipient will open the email. Since graduating, I’ve contacted many professionals via email for internships/jobs, advice, informational interviews, etc. and I’ll be the first to tell you that the subject line life is rough.

Thanks to the world wide web I’ve found the tips below to be pretty helpful.

Subject line should say why you’re sending the email. (Cenedella)
“Over-achieving Operating Executive – John Smith” is much more effective than “Responding to job post”.

This may sound obvious, but please, do not send e-mails to the HR department at, say, Amazon with the subject line, or document name, “Application for Amazon job”.  They know you’re applying to Amazon, and this makes it easy for your email to get lost or ignored.

Putting your name in your subject line will help the hiring manager, who’s already strapped for time, stay organized. And providing a theme – with just a tiny bit of self-promotion, will remind them why it’s important to read your email.

Keep it short. (Business Insider)
A typical inbox reveals about 60 characters of an email’s subject line, while a mobile phone shows just 25 to 30 characters. With such limited space, eliminate any unnecessary words like “hello” and “thanks,” and get right to the point in about six to eight words. 

Avoid CAPITAL letters (AWAI)
Wherever you use them, writing in all caps is usually considered shouting. Plus, they make the text harder to read.

Avoid misleading the recipient (PRDaily)
Want to lose the trust of your recipients immediately and permanently? Lie to them. Your subject line should always match the content of the email. If you’re misleading in your subject line, your recipients will feel duped, killing any chances of them responding to your offer or pitch. Be clear and honest.

If an email subject line doesn’t sound remotely appealing, you may end up sending follow up emails for a few weeks or so. I’m sure no one wants to be the annoying emailer, so hopefully these tips will help you get fast responses.

Do you have any tips for writing a subject line? Leave them in the comments below, I’d love to hear your thoughts.



(photo credit: Inbox Marketer)

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#MusicMonday- Tiffany Evans.

Little Miss Tiffany Evans is now a grown woman, ya’ll! I swear she was just 12 like, yesterday. Last month the 20-something began installments to her #TiffanyTuesdays series which will include unreleased tracks from the singer. I’m sure she’s giving fans everywhere a new favorite day of the week.

In her latest installment “Give Me Wings”, she sings about a love who “healed her from the inside out” and “brought her back to life”. Could this song be a ode to her husband? Either way its such a beautiful song and Miss Tiffany’s voice is, well, phenomenal. But hasn’t it always been?

If you haven’t already, check out her previous #TiffanyTuesdays tracks “Footprints" and "Thank God U Lied" but in the meantime press play and listen to "Give Me Wings" below!





(photo credit: Rated RnB)

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Feature Friday: Susset Cabrera of Peacock Public Relations.

Susset Cabrera is a public relations professional and blogger behind Miami Beats and Sazon, which features local events, charities and more around the Miami area.

Founded by Susset in May 2010, Peacock Public Relations is a full-service public relations, marketing, events and social media company headquartered in South Florida. The company has established a diverse clientele including professionals and institutions from the retail, music, fashion and entertainment industries.

• Brea: You have a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. What attracted you to Public Relations?

Susset: Right after graduating from the School of Business at the University of Miami, I ran into my advisor from The Miami Hurricane Student Newspaper (I had worked at the newspaper since freshman year in college). This professor asked me what my plans were “now that I had finally graduated” and I told him I wanted to pursue an MBA. But, he suggested I look into a masters degree in public relations since I was always very social throughout my college years. I personally didn’t know much about the field because they didn’t offer PR classes at the business school. However, once he explained the functions of PR to me, I felt like I had been a publicist without even knowing it. During my time at the newspaper, I pitched my friend’s band to the music editor and they ended up running a full page cover story on their new work. It was definitely one of those “aha” moments for me!

• B: PR students often hear that there is no need to pursue a master’s degree in PR. What made you want to attain your degree in that field?

S: Well, I had the opportunity to pursue a graduate degree and I wanted to focus on a specific industry rather than go for an MBA which is pretty general. Once I learned about PR and it resonated with my interests, I decided that I needed to learn as much about the field as possible. My graduate degree has definitely molded me into an expert in my field and I’m proud of the hard work I had to go through to finally obtain my second advanced degree.

• B: Did you experience any post grad hardships and how did you overcome them?

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2014 Power Plug PR Conference Recap.

Last weekend, I attended the Power Plug PR Conference hosted by The Garner Circle. It was a two day conference where speakers gave insight to aspiring publicists on making it in the world of PR.

As attendees trickled into the Georgia State University auditorium, eager to hand out freshly printed business cards, the conference kicked off with an introduction from Nicole Garner of The Garner Circle. Like all fun things, time quickly went by as we heard from featured panelist including: Tanika Gray Valbrun of CNN, Anje Collins of Women in PR/The Luxe PR Group, Davida Selby of Edelman, Angela Watts of 10 Squared PR, Janee Bolden of Bossip and more. 

There was a lot of great information shared, from do’s and don’ts of what to send to the media as a publicist to tips on digital storytelling. The panelists definitely covered a wide range of topics and I was happy to be in attendance.

Aside from hearing seasoned PR professionals speak, what I loved about the conference was the positive atmosphere from those attending. I also appreciated each and every one of the panelists who gave honest and encouraging messages to us. It was great to be in an environment where everyone wanted each other to be great, especially given the competitiveness within PR.

Like most conferences, we were encouraged to use a hashtag to tweet about the event. Check out a few of my favorite moments from the conference, via Twitter, below.

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