Entrepreneurs and businesses, interest clubs and civic groups, authors and even proud parents - they all have a message they want the press to help share.

They may be interested in contributing an article or column. They may have a great story they'd like a reporter to tell. Or, they have a product or book that can help readers solve their problems.

As media outlets devoted to providing news and information to their readers, the press -- newspapers, magazines and their online counterparts -- want to help! But, too often, the people interested in getting print coverage thwart their own efforts by making simple mistakes.

Here are some things to consider before sending that email:

• Pay attention to deadlines: Newspapers are generally daily or weekly; magazines may publish weekly, monthly, quarterly or annually. Both plan their feature content ahead of time. For papers that may be from a few days to two or three weeks ahead of publication. Magazines may be working on their May issue in February. Either way, working in advance is vital. If you're hoping to time your story idea or article to coincide with a season or special event, consider when you'd like to see it published and work backward from that date. It also helps to comb the publication's website for information on deadlines and policies regarding unsolicited material.

• Read the publication: Once you understand what sort of content the publication uses, in what format and in which sections, you can tailor and target your pitch. Say you, as the owner of a children's art gallery, want to provide back-to-school tips for helping inspire creativity. You can A) Send an article full of tips to the main editor listed on the website, or B) Read a few issues of the newspaper or magazine and find out if and when it publishes a parenting page or an arts page, and who the editor is. (You can also see if it uses a question-and-answer format, bulleted tips, or longer articles.)

• Pay attention to the news: Knowing today's issues, trends and breaking news can help you make your pitch timely and current? Most publications look for a "news hook" - a way to give a piece context because it relates to something happening now. There have been lots of news features on the Mormon religion, for instance, since Mitt Romney began campaigning for the GOP presidential nomination. Romney being Mormon gives publications a reason to write about that religion. He's a great news hook. Does your business offer solutions for people to help beat the recession? If it's in the news and you can speak to it, don't hesitate to get your pitch together and send it off today.

• Be concise: Often, a few sentences describing your story angle and how it relates to a timely topic is enough. Avoid burying the important information in a long narrative or in glowing paragraphs about how wonderful your idea, product, book or company is. Instead, present the information in a way that respects your contact's time. Brief is best.

• Make the important information easy to find: If editors have to search for dates, your contact information, or local relevance, they may give up - even if they're initially interested in your pitch. Think of the information you would need if you were considering writing a story or publishing what has been provided. The vital information should be present and clearly visible.

Even if you don't make these common mistakes, catching the interest of an editor can be difficult. Remember to paste your pitch into the body of your email - don't send it as an attachment, which may get it flagged as junk mail. Follow up with a polite phone call ("Just wanted to make sure you received my email regarding an article I can write for you"). Getting print coverage is possible, so don't give up!

About Marsha Friedman

Marsha Friedman is a 22-year veteran of the public relations industry. She is the CEO of EMSI Public Relations (www.emsincorporated.com), a national firm that provides PR strategy and publicity services to corporations, entertainers, authors and professional firms. Marsha is the author of Celebritize Yourself: The 3-Step Method to Increase Your Visibility and Explode Your Business and she can also be heard weekly on her Blog Talk Radio Show, EMSI's PR Insider every Thursday at 3:00 PM EST.

918studio to release Schaefer's In Search of Lode September 1

LECLAIRE, IOWA ? August 27, 2012 ? In Search of Lode, a collection of poetry by Nancy Ann Schaefer, will be released by 918studio on September 1. The chapbook is Schaefer's first collection of poetry. Cover and interior design for the collection was by Sarah Throne-Ploehn of Rivertown Creative.

Schaefer will read from her collection at a chapbook launch party and book signing to be held from 1-3 p.m. on Saturday, September 15, at the Midwest Writing Center. The event will be held in the third floor conference room of the Bucktown Center of the Arts at 225 East 2^nd Street, Davenport. The public is invited and refreshments will be available.

Schaefer is a poet and Quad Cities area college professor, and teaches sociology and liberal arts at Western Illinois University's new Riverfront campus. She was twice a finalist for the Max J. Molleston Award in the Mississippi Valley Poetry Contest, and is a member of the Quint City Poets and the Rockford Writers' Guild. Her poems have appeared in a number of anthologies and journals including The Rockford Review, Numinous, Off Channel, Avocet, Outloud, In Other Words: Mérida, Struggle, and Women's Voices Journal.

Local poet, Ellen Tsagaris, had early praise for Lode: "With In Search of Lode, Nancy Ann Schaefer shows us that poetry is indeed a universal language by offering verses in English, Spanish, and Dutch that cross the United States but traverse the world. She makes the common and simple sublime, and the sublime simple to understand with verse that is lyrical yet familiar, as if the lode were the depths of our communal heart
songs."

Milliken University English chair and award-winning poet, Stephen Frech, said Schaefer mines "mineral and personal depths...[to] recover 'artifacts of concord [...] tangible reminders of our conjoined / past.' In Search of Lode beautifully reclaims the ironies of finding the pure and infinite in things "preserved like ants in amber?forever young."

In Search of Lode is available for purchase at the Midwest Writing Center and on Amazon.com.

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For more about 918studio, visit

www.918studio.net or email 918studio@windstream.net

For more about Rivertown Creative & Co, visit

www.rivertowncreative.com

For more about the Midwest Writing Center, visit

DES MOINES, IA (08/15/2012)(readMedia)-- Ribbons were awarded in the FFA Photography competition judged prior to the start of the 2012 Iowa State Fair.

Complete results follow:

Black and White/Toned

1) Marshal Wilz, Eddyville

2) Amanda Ratliff, Eddyville

3) Matthew Noland, Adair

4) Caitlin Reed, Fremont

5) Tayler Foster, Riverside

Color

1) Katrina Van Ringelestein, Fremont

2) Alaina Martensen, Onslow

3) Morgan Diedrich, DeWitt

4) Amanda Ratliff, Eddyville

5) Anna Brooks, Blue Grass

Animals, Birds and Wildlife

1) Alexandra Cleverley, Newton

2) Sierra Kaufman, Chelsea

3) Hannah Fisher, Coggon

4) Lynn Koenigsfeld, Reinbeck

5) Alex Foust, Bernard

Still Life Compositions

1) Shelby McKinney, Lytton

2) Felicia Summers, Olin

3) Maria Finan, Knoxville

4) Maria Finan, Knoxville

5) Christina Dittmer, Lacona

Iowa Landscape

1) Hannah Fisher, Coggon

2) Allie Renner, Independence

3) Courtney Hughs, Knoxville

4) Travis George, Slater

5) Cynthanee Heeren, Anamosa

Landscape Outside Iowa

1) Eli Joslyn, Muscatine

2) Abby Pothoven, Knoxville

3) Joe Gast, Story City

4) Kristen Lowe, Dysart

5) Greigh Olson, Sumner

Plants

1) Bridget Bouska, Waucoma

2) Anna Krug, Newhall

3) Mandalyn Martin, Moulton

4) Mandalyn Martin, Moulton

5) Quinn Ruth, Adair

FFA

1) Christina Dittmer, Lacona

2) Sarah Doese, Fairbank

3) Savannah Wilz, Eddyville

4) Hannah Fisher, Coggon

5) Kayleigh Koch, Hawkeye

Supervised Agricultural Experience

1) Levi Collins, Knoxville

2) Hunter Wilz, Eddyville

3) Matthew Noland, Adair

4) Lane Vanderhart, Knoxville

5) Sean Owens, Oskaloosa

Agricultural Photo Essay

1) Dakota Nelson, Anamosa

2) Mckenna Davenport, Adair

3) Danielle Delange, Albia

4) Katrina Van Ringelestein, Fremont

5) Bret Cunningham, Dike

Contemporary/Creative

1) Macy Lanser, Lynnville

2) Alexandra Cleverley, Newton

3) Gabi Martens, Wyoming

4) Cassie Rosauer, Walker

5) Benjamin Zelle, Waverly

Theme Class

1) Alison Schrage, Waverly

2) Brittany Shaw, Newton

3) Kelcey Loges, Farmington

4) Austin Henningsen, Griswold

5) Alexandra Cleverley, Newton

State Advisor's Choice: Katherine Newhouse, State Center

State Executive Secretary/Treasurer's Choice: Emma Christensen, Shenandoah

Best of Show Grand Champion: Alison Schrage, Waverly

Best of Show Reserve Champion: Hannah Fisher, Coggon

"Nothing Compares" to the 2012 Iowa State Fair, August 9-19. The Fairgrounds are located at East 30th and East University Avenue, just 10 minutes east of downtown Des Moines, and are open 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. each day of the Fair. Exhibit hours may vary. For more information, call 800/545-FAIR or visit iowastatefair.org.

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CHICAGO - August 14, 2012. Lt. Governor Sheila Simon today announced that Kati Phillips will serve as her new chief of staff effective August 15. Phillips has served as the deputy chief of staff for communications in Simon's office since January 2011 and will continue to fulfill that role. She replaces DK Hirner who plans to work in Missouri.

As chief of staff and communications director, Phillips will work as a senior policy advisor, manage office operations and execute the administration's internal and external communications. She replaces DK Hirner who resigned after successfully re-establishing the office that had been vacant since 2009.

"Kati Phillips shares my commitment to transparency and accountability, and she will serve taxpayers well in this expanded role," Simon said. "I thank DK Hirner for her leadership in starting the office from scratch, and look forward to working with Kati to move our office and state forward."

Phillips formerly served as deputy director of communications for State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias. Prior to entering public service, she was an education and news reporter at the Daily Southtown and Star Newspapers in the south suburbs of Chicago and Elmira Star-Gazette in upstate New York. Her watchdog coverage of school districts in Calumet Park and Sauk Village received local and national awards. Born and raised in Bloomington-Normal, Phillips graduated from the University of Iowa and resides in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago.

"I appreciate this opportunity to serve as chief of staff and maintain continuity in our leadership," Phillips said. "I have great respect for Lt. Governor Simon and am excited to pursue meaningful education and ethics reforms that will make a difference for Illinois students and taxpayers."

Among her accomplishments as chief of staff, Hirner lists the Lt. Governor's Complete College tour of the state's 48 community colleges and the resulting policy report, "Focus on the Finish." As a result of Simon's attention to education reform, Illinois was chosen by the Lumina Foundation to participate in its Postsecondary Productivity Strategy Labs, a network that is providing guidance on performance funding for community colleges and universities and higher education affordability and completion issues.

"Now that the office is fully operational and positioned to make a difference in the education of Illinois children, I feel my work in the Illinois Lt. Governor's office is complete," said Hirner, who previously served as the chief of staff and policy director for former Missouri Lt. Governor Mel Carnahan and deputy chief of staff for former Missouri Governor Bob Holden. "I plan to put my experience to good use in helping my friend of 33 years, Mary Still, in her run for the Missouri Senate. It has been a pleasure serving Illinois, and I wish Lt. Governor Simon and her staff all the best and continued success in the remainder of her term."