Tag: creative writing

“Out-of-Office” Outdated?

Clairemont InternBlog, Professional Development, Public Relations, , , ,

When prepping for PTO, your mind is fixated on your much-anticipated, well-deserved time away, not on your out-of-office (“OOO”) email message.

However, take a moment to consider your OOO response. The tone, content and very existence of OOO messages have been thrown into the hot seat recently, as professionals debate what makes the ideal OOO message, if one at all. Here, we present the varying viewpoints. With which OOO response do you recommend?

The Traditional OOO: Direct, Short and Helpful

Supporters of the classic OOO message stand by its professional, succinct nature. CEO of officebroker.com Chris Meredith proffered 10 tips to crafting the effective, tried-and-true OOO email. The traditional OOO message doesn’t detail why you’re away, nor is it rude, funny or too friendly. It provides alternate contact details and correctly states when you’ll be back. Short, sweet and to the point.

The Revolutionized OOO: Clever and FunnySpice up your OOO message with a picture of baby sloths.

Visionary employees threw a curveball in the OOO email conversation and seized the email’s potential to “show your personality, generate leads and entertain your audience.” Content writers for Yesware and Travel and Leisure illustrate original approaches to the message, such as using it as a marketing opportunity (“I’m not here, but in the meantime, check out …”). Employees can exercise their rhyming skills in a poem or hone their sarcastic humor using witty jokes. Heck, even include a GIF or photo of adorable animals for good measure. Although unorthodox, the messages showcase creativity and appear more personalized to recipients.

The Outdated OOO?

Still, other professionals disagree with OOO emails altogether, deeming them unnecessary and unrealistic. The Huffington Post notes that even when physically An honest OOO email response by an overthinker.out of the office, employees likely have access to and check their email. Investment News criticizes OOO messages as a “terrible client touch point.” In order to maintain strong relationships with their clients, employees should remain available in the wake of immediate crises (and in PR, that’s one of our raisons d’être).

With such contrasting positions on OOO messages, it’s clear that no consensus has been reached on the issue. Ideally, the OOO email should strike a balance between (1) fulfilling your job duties even when off the clock, such as in the event of emergencies, and (2) allowing yourself to enjoy the vacation. Perhaps replacing the “out of office” expression with “currently unplugged from technology” may reflect a more realistic scenario.

What’s been your go-to OOO response? Before your next vacation, take some time to reassess in which camp you stand. Doing so will ensure that your clients and coworkers are appeased when you’re not there.

Written by Clairemont Intern Elizabeth Comtois, a senior at UNC-Chapel Hill. 

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Listen to Your Mother!

Tracy LathanBlog, Oh Momma Monday,

Becoming a mother has changed the way I react to everything. Holidays, birthdays, commercials – everything seems to tug at the heartstrings a bit more. So, when Dana invited me to a show called Listen to Your Mother (LTYM), I was in for it big time.

LTYM is a national program with local shows held across the country featuring writers and mothers that share personal stories about the humor and the heartbreak that go along with motherhood. Needless to say, it was an emotional roller coaster for this hormonal, new mom, but I walked away feeling moved, connected and incredibly blessed to be on this journey. Luckily, I was not the only person in the audience who was deeply touched that night. They decided to continue the show in 2014, and Dana was selected to be one of the cast members. She shared an inspirational story about her grandmother and the entire Clairemont team was there for support!

In celebration of Mother’s Day, the 2016 Raleigh-Durham show will be held this Wednesday, May 4th at 7:30 p.m. at Jones Auditorium on the campus of Meredith College. If you are interested in attending, tickets are $20.00 and can be purchased here…we guarantee you will leave feeling inspired! KeAnne Hoeg and Marty Long are co-producers of the show, which will feature 13 local writers. The 2016 cast includes:

NaShonda Cooke

Katie Gailes

Kati Gardner

KeAnne Hoeg, Co-Producer

Liz Hollar

Stephanie Levin

Stacey Libbert

Marty Long, Director & Co-Producer

Caroline Maclaga

Beth O’Connell

Lindsay Onofrio

Martie Sirois

Tandra Wilkerson

If we haven’t convinced you yet, LTYM:RDU also donates a minimum of 10 percent of ticket proceeds to the Women’s Center of Wake County, a multi-services resource center that addresses the challenging issues of poverty and homelessness for single women and women with families.

And to all of our Oh Momma Monday readers out there…Happy Mother’s Day week! Hope your little ones make the day extra special.

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Social Media = Blogger’s Heaven

Jasmin SessomsBlog, Fashion, Social Media + Influencer Engagement, , , , , , , , ,

Fashion and lifestyle bloggers are a big deal in our industry. Since hitting the scene about a decade ago, they have become the voice of social media and influence their followers’ opinions. At Clairemont, we love tapping into the trendiest blogger circles in town and inviting them to check out our clients through fun and engaging events.

One of the bloggers that our Clairemont team admires is Essense Heel, of EssenseHeel.com. I interviewed her to find out how she keeps her likes and engagement on Instagram high and her Snapchat stories viewed.

Essense is a fashion and style influencer from Raleigh, N.C. She received her training as a wardrobe stylist from celebrity stylist Shun Melson by successfully completing Fashun 101 in 2014. In addition to styling, Essense is a closet coach, blogger, socialite and brand ambassador. Essense is on “the list” and receives the most exclusive invites to all the fashion social events in N.C., which lead her to be co-founder of The Where to be Society.

What is your brand’s overall purpose?

The overall purpose of my brand is to share my style expertise with personal styling tips and look book ideas for the different seasons. The fashion world is of course a greatly opinionated and diverse industry where self-expression is rife and there are tons of fashion rule books to swear by. However you get to tell the story of who you ARE through your own sense of fashion and style. No one can tell your story like you. I encourage my clients to be bold, be beautiful and be themselves.

Which social channels do you use?

My main social channels are Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram. I recently started using Snapchat to give my followers an inside look at my daily routine as a stylist and VIP events that I attend around North Carolina.

What is your brand’s voice? 

The essence of Essense. My fashion posts are to inspire women to dress how they want to be addressed. I want women to believe that fashions fade, but style is eternal.

What is the tone of your social media updates?

I like to remain personal and humble. I want my followers to know that I believe in what I do, and to always keep in mind that looking good is not about the size on the tag, but more about dressing yourself in a way that makes you feel confident and shows off your best features.

Want to learn more about our blogger friends? Read about our PDQ blogger campaign here!

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The Beauty of Raleigh PR: Day 28 – #prjobtips

Jasmin SessomsBlog, Entry-Level PR Job, Raleigh PR Agency, , , ,

On my 28th day in the PR world, I decided to list a few of the things that I have learned.

Top 9 PR tips I have learned from working at Clairemont:


1) Use social media as tools. Gaining more followers for our clients is a daily task for me and social media has the power to gain meaningful exposure for our clients.

2) Use links, keywords, and SEO to optimize blog posts. It is important to add in a quick tag or keyword to our posts. Hopefully, this will help to maximize the visibility of Clairemont’s blog.

3) Save your drafts, every single time. In order to avoid losing a hard day’s work, I try to save every few minutes. Saving my work ensures that the files will be around in case of a freak accident.

4) Develop an eye for details. Proofreading is the most important thing to do before hitting the send button. In order to avoid miscommunication or utter embarrassment, I often ask a colleague to help me.

5) Brush up on your phone communications skills. Everyday I have the opportunity to talk to potential clients and vendors for events. A positive tone and clear enunciation is key during a conversation.

6) Read the newspaper, every day. At Clairemont, we receive the paper daily. I think that reading up on current events and watching the news regularly are essential when working in PR to stay in the know and to help come up with creative ideas for clients.

7) Be enthusiastic about putting in additional time at work. Sometimes, PR can call for a little extra time out what many would consider normal office hours. Working in this 24/7  field requires a flexible attitude and the realization that oftentimes projects come to life outside of the office.

8) Teamwork matters, so love your colleagues. The best part about Clairemont has to be the positive collaboration of the team. Since I am in a room full of so much diverse experience and backgrounds, I get the opportunity to soak in so much information.

9) Be proactive with your client work. I have learned from my colleagues that it is important to anticipate client needs. I watch as they make sure every detail is ironed out for our clients,  ask “what might be next?” and plan accordingly.

What are some of the things you learned at your first job?

Editor’s Note: Clairemont enthusiastically welcomes Jasmin Sessoms to our team! Follow this former beauty queen’s journey as she documents her first 30 days in a Raleigh PR agency.

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The Beauty of Raleigh PR: Day 25 – Creativity

Jasmin SessomsBlog, Entry-Level PR Job, The Clairemont Team, ,

Its 4 p.m. in the office, you have been working for seven hours and the dreaded afternoon slump hits. When you are lacking a little inspiration at work, what do you do? Whether we are planning an event, pitching media or writing a client strategy, we have all experienced creative blocks.

At Clairemont, we have a few tricks we would love to share with you to stimulate your creativity.

5 Sources of Clairemont-spiration

  1. News: Reading the paper, watching a few minutes of TV news, flipping through a magazine and checking out updates on social media are wonderful ways to get ideas. Sometimes you get the best ideas from the most unexpected places.
  2. Fresh Air: Need a change of scenery? Clairemont is located in the heart of downtown Raleigh. We love pausing our tasks to take a quick, refreshing walk. In general, changing your environment — whether it is sitting at a different desk or walking across town — it helps to change up your thinking.
  3. Billy: Dogs in the work place help to reduce stress and tension. Billy, our CMO (Chief Motivational Officer), is a regular fixture around the office, always on the lookout for a neck scratch, a walk or a little playtime. The point is, sometimes, your brain just needs a break.
  4. Treats: Let’s face it; for those who partake, caffeine simply puts a little pep in our steps. The morning brew helps me start my day (and afternoon and evening). Sometimes we have a sweet tooth and other times we crave salty snacks. For team brainstorm sessions, we find having our favorite treats make it feel more like a party than work. And THAT makes the creativity flow!
  5. The Craziest (or Worst) Idea Ever: Sometimes you just have to go to extremes. When you can’t seem to nail the best idea ever, see what you can come up with as the craziest idea ever…or give yourself permission to think up the worst idea ever. In the process, you just might find a notion that will lead you to be wildly successful.

When these things don’t work, we dance it out until inspiration hits! What do you do to get your brain functioning after being stuck in a rut?

Editor’s Note: Clairemont enthusiastically welcomes Jasmin Sessoms to our team! Follow this former beauty queen’s journey as she documents her first 30 days in a Raleigh PR agency.

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