As we find ourselves in the Thanksgiving week, many of us spend time thinking about the things for which we feel grateful or thankful.

So this is a great time to not only think about those things, but to actually express our thanks to the people who directly or indirectly secured those good things.

I am grateful for the wonderful friends I have; my family (near and far); the many people who help me move forward every day in life and business; the fact that, in this scary economy, I have clients, consultees and subscribers – I thank you all. For all the editors, bloggers, writers, reporters and producers who have featured my clients (and me, too!) over the year – I thank you so much and appreciate all the press – it has made a big difference to my clients and to me.

One of the things that magazine editors, newspaper reporters and bloggers have mentioned in the past is that they don’t often get thanked (or even contacted) for writing a story about a particular person, product, business or service. Now – let me be clear; a journalist is never writing about you in hopes of being thanked; that’s not it, exactly. It’s more that they are often writing in a sort of vacuum – the story comes out and much of the time, they don’t know if the subject has even seen it or liked it. Also, the editor can get an attachment to or interest in the person or thing about which they are writing; they very much would like to know if their story had a positive impact on the product or person – did sales increase? Did the person get a bunch of new clients? Did the store have a successful opening? Did the charity hit their fundraising goal? Most of the time, they want to know.

Throughout the year, it’s important to keep your name or your business in the mind of your target media members. One nice way to do that is to thank them. I do think you need to send a thank you at the time the press appears (a handwritten note is always great; for a big story, flowers or other treats are great, too); if you already have information about how the story has had a positive impact, definitely include that.

But another nice thing you can do is contact them again at this time of the year to thank them for the impact their story has made on your business. Sending a personalized Holiday card is good too – writing “Thank you so much for the story you wrote in May about the launch of my new tote bags – my website sales increased 50% for the month!” is a nice way to send a second thank you and to send your good holiday wishes at the same time. Good for you and nice for your journalist pals.

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

By Lizzy Shaw

I was just approached by someone who wanted a new bio written, as well as a “Company Story/About Us” page for their website. The client was confused by all the different bios and About Us pages he had seen all over the internet. Some were long. Some were short. Some were amusing. Some were dull as dirt. Some didn’t tell him what he needed to know about the company’s principals.

What I explained was, there isn’t a magic formula for writing a good bio or About Us page – each person is different and each company is different. What’s good for me isn’t necessarily good for you. When writing your own or someone else’s bio, it’s important to know what the marketing requirements are that need to be met in order to make sure that you’re communicating directly to the special wants, needs & goals of your target audience.

While a bio or About Us page needs to be relevant and interesting, it also needs to address the natural curiosity that people would have who are seeking out your business or service. So – what do they need to know about you?

For my own business, people who are seeking out a publicist don’t really care where I’m from (NY) or that I love the Yankees (Gods) or that my new favorite food is Kyo Chon fried chicken. They want to hit my Press Book page and see the wall of press I’ve gotten for my clients. They want to see those InStyles, Peoples, O Magazines and Daily Candys. That’s what they care about – and rightly so. So my About  page is short, sweet, a little amusing – it’s all it needs to be.

If someone is looking for a doctor, lawyer, tax accountant or someone else who has your life in their hands – literally or figuratively – then that bio or About Us page needs to have all the degrees, certifications, commendations, awards, fellowships, chairs, etc that a potential client needs to see in order to feel safe in those hands. The writing needs to walk a fine line that gives the dry, reassuring facts but has an interesting, involving style that keeps you going till the end, gives the information you need and the confidence to pursue engaging that professional’s services.

What’s your favorite bio or About Us online? Comment with the link so we can all see it!