by Mary Ellen Michna, IWPA Publicity Chair
IWPA: Hear Us Roar!
by Mary Ellen Michna, IWPA
Publicity Chair
The coming year holds much excitement and achievement for IWPA members, and we plan to shout our message loud and clear to the communications industry.
As publicity chair, I hope to continue in the fine tradition of Cecilia Green, who without the title, added that job to her responsibilities.
We plan to widen the scope of our media contacts by developing a public relations plan that will increase awareness of IWPA and its talented membership across the many facets of the communications industry and throughout Illinois.
I believe the major strength of the IWPA is in the camaraderie of other professionals, particularly among freelance writers and journalists who provide so much support to our newspapers, magazines and other media. It is also in the opportunity to enter a respected contest, locally and nationally, and to be recognized by one’s peers. It is in the educational opportunities offered at each meeting. And it is in our commitment to mentoring young journalists through our special student memberships and our high school journalism contest.
One of our major focuses will be the large and talented community of freelance writers and journalists, who often work in isolation from their peers and may not receive the same educational or contest opportunities that a staff member on the same publication might receive. We hope to establish both an e-mail and a traditional mailing list that includes the many editors and other employers of freelance talent, who we will invite to pass IWPA information along to their valued freelancers.
I hope to collect testimonials from different members and to use these testimonials in e-mail invitations to attend our meetings and enter our contest.
PenPoints is a perfect marketing tool that we hope to use in mailings
to prospective members. I will be working closely with Linda Heacox, membership
chair, and Jill Moline who has done such a great job on our newsletter. We hope
you will take the opportunity to contribute to PenPoints as we begin
to expand its scope and breadth.
We welcome your suggestions on how we can target new members, or perhaps you
would like to share your own testimonial on what IWPA has meant to you. Please
e-mail me at mmichna@aol.com.
Mary Ellen has been a journalist (editor, reporter, feature writer and photographer), both freelance and on staff, for 15 years. She’s worked for the Southtown Economist (freelance), The Star (staff), The Explorer (staff), and The Chicago Tribune/Tempo and Family section (freelance). Currently, she is doing publications for the Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart in Frankfort.