PR Consulting

Need help crafting a story that gets noticed and amplified? Maybe you just want the public to hear your side of the story?

"As an international company, building a presence in Canada, we were glad to have Proper Propaganda pave the way. The team is enthusiastic, articulate, and very effective." (Danny Dankner, CEO, Applied Cognitive Engineering)

Exposure for Startups

Whether you're bootstrapping or have funding, generating earned media is critical for your startup.

"Proper Propaganda got our tech startup superb visibility in the some of the world's best media outlets. They are a responsive, flexible agency with great media connections." Corey Velan, Co-Founder, FixMeStick
Content Marketing

Every organization is now a media outlet. Good content drives business.

“Wightman differs from many hip and trendy digital marketers. Intrinsic benefit isn't enough. (He is) a true, No Bullshit kinda guy." Jason Falls, author, The No Bullshit Guide to Social Media Marketing
Cause Marketing

You’re making a difference. But, in a crowded field with rampant donor fatigue you need a compelling story that drives fundraising.

"Proper Propaganda makes things happen. They're creative, flexible and persistent." Patrick Connor, former Managing Director, the Ride to Conquer Cancer
Digital Marketing

From the social web to search engines, the digital space is where your constituents go. Your digital presence has never been more important.

"It is clear that Wightman is both thoughtful and passionate about digital strategy.” The Globe and Mail
Speaking

Tired of speakers that induce narcolepsy and spit clichés? Book Jackson.

"Jackson is such a passionate, dynamic speaker. He will not disappoint.” D’Arcy Ryan, Concordia University

Latest from the blog:

9 things you must know about listicles

by Jackson Wightman on May 19, 2013 · 0 comments

The internet has made it so you and I can’t handle a bunch of things. Chief among these are large blocks of text.

On the web, we want pictures, videos, anything that is quick, easy and can be digested without a taxing amount of focus. You’d think a medium that prioritizes this kind of content would be the last place we’d go for substantive knowledge, but it is, for most of us most of the time, the first.

Our intolerance for fat chunks of words has been a boon for infographics, photo slideshows and listicles. It’s about the latter that I want to talk today.

Here, in listicle format, are 9 things you should know about listicles:

  1. Science has shown that listicles are the literary equivalent of a $20 bag of crack rock.
  2. The top 3 posts on this site are listicles.
  3. The first known listicle was first created in the Philistine Pentapolis circa 1100 BC. It was titled 25 Reasons to Hate Reading.
  4. This relic now sits in the editor’s office at Cosmo.
  5. The word listicle is a portmanteau of list and article. Saying the word portmanTOE at a party may impress (but it also may get you punched in the face).
  6. Listicles are an excellent way to write if you’re not good at writing.
  7. There have been more listicles written regarding tips for PR/marketing than on any other subject in the history of humanity.
  8. Most PR and marketing still sucks.
  9. In Sentinelese, the language of the most isolated tribe on Earth, the word “listicle” means “candy ass.”

Happy listicle writing my friends!

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Happy Cinco de Mayo

by Jackson Wightman on May 5, 2013 · 0 comments

image via condoradventuresinc.com

Cinco de Mayo has roots in a  Little Guy (Mexico) saying “screw you” to a bunch of Big Guys (Spain, England and France over debt, and then whupping the French on the battlefield.

Everyone loves an unlikely victory, especially at Proper Propaganda.

Happy Cinco de Mayo and here’s to Little Guys with gumption and cojones.

 

 

 

 

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6 things your clients (probably) want from you

March 22, 2013

Lots of client work thus far in 2013. It has me thinking that many PR pros (including me) are slightly deluded. This is because as a profession, at an aggregate level, we have a weak grasp of business fundamentals, and are beholden to silly metrics re the impact of our labours. In short, collectively, we [...]

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5 trends that need to die in 2013

January 16, 2013

The title of this post is pretty self explanatory so I won’t waste time on some flowery introduction. Here are 5 annoying trends that need to die – and quick! Apple worship. I love Apple products. You probably do, too. But let’s face it, if the company were a person you might not want to [...]

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5 Reasons Every PR Student Should Blog

January 13, 2013

Organizations should be forgiven for struggling with the question of whether to blog or not. Face it, not every company needs a blog as, done wrong, regular blogging can be a low ROI pain in the butt. However, current students of PR are making a serious mistake if they’re not blogging. Bold statement, I know. [...]

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4 ways earned media can help any business in 2013

January 8, 2013

Where I live, many people returned to work yesterday. Some started last week, but because of the way the Holidays fell this year a lot of people decided to take extra time off. If you’re just back at it, don’t be too dismayed by the “Holiday Brain” you might be experiencing. I started working last [...]

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3 skills that will give today’s PR students an edge

December 27, 2012

Before Christmas, I met with a few of the fine people who teach courses in McGill University’s PR certificate program. We talked about a variety of things, including me making a few guest appearances in some of their classes. Very exciting stuff, as I love speaking and will, I am sure, learn a lot from [...]

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Santa Claus Launches Sugar Plum Bombing Campaign Against MakePR’s Offices

December 14, 2012

Editor’s note: the above was the headline of a press release I really wanted to send out over the web. Alas, the good folks at PRWeb would not let me on the grounds that it was nonsense. I get their position but I had fun writing it, and there’s merit to using lighter releases in [...]

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Two days left to save $100 bucks on my online DIY PR course, MakePR

November 29, 2012

I know some of you are PR pros. Some aren’t. In either case, I am proud to say that MakePR, the online course I created to help startups and small businesses do their own PR is now ready to go. If you’re a small biz owner and have been thinking about the things favourable media [...]

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7 things you must know about today’s media environment

November 20, 2012

If you’re a startup or small business that’s decided to go the DIY route with your PR, you need to understand the realities of today’s media universe. While there’s some truth in oft-heard platitudes like “The media world is undergoing massive change,” there’s a bit more to it. Here are 7 things any startup or [...]

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