Areas of Expertise
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Lightbulb leverages writing, editing, media relations and social media to communicate messages with the audience in mind – short and to the point, easily digestible but not “dumbed down” – and applies creative thinking to foster “win-win-win” scenarios for clients, partners and the public.
Lightbulb serves clients in the Phoenix area and throughout the nation. Founder Stuart J. Robinson spent 15 years in the news business, including 12 in the Washington press corps. More than seven years covering Congress made him expert at explaining complex issues in simple terms.
After moving to Arizona in 2005, Stu spent seven years working in media relations, public information and social media for city and state government. He is a savvy judge of news value, knowing what is likely to interest reporters and their editors.
Stu has edited copy for numerous platforms – newspapers, magazines, trade publications and online portals – and has written for publications such as The Business Journal, Scottsdale Magazine, Congressional Quarterly’s Politics in America and Insight magazine.
In Arizona, he drafted Peoria’s first social media policy and created Facebook and Twitter content for the city. He also handled writing, editing, media relations and social media for the state’s Independent Redistricting Commission.
A native of Toledo, Ohio, Stu graduated from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and served for 12 years on Northwestern’s national alumni board. He is a pop-culture aficionado who blogs about entertainment and social media.
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If you would like to discuss our services in more detail, please email us at info@lightbulbcommunications.com.
“Good writing grabs a reader’s attention and makes its points efficiently.”
An article is useless if the audience stops reading because it’s too long or too complicated. Individuals today are bombarded by messages 24/7: telephone calls, email, texts, social media, TV screen crawls and more. Good writing needs to grab a reader’s attention amid this cacophony and make its points efficiently and memorably before the consumer moves on to something else.
Lightbulb specializes in the following:
“Stuart Robinson’s writing is outstanding – given his education and experience in journalism, this is not surprising.”
If you would like to discuss our services in more detail, please email us at info@lightbulbcommunications.com.
No matter how adept the author, any piece of writing benefits from a fresh set of eyes. A writer is invested in his or her topic. After conceiving and creating a work, he or she is unable to view it as a first-time reader will. It’s a “forest for the trees” thing. An editor without the creative baggage can approach the work from the audience’s perspective and ensure that the message is received correctly.
Whether the project is a few paragraphs of marketing copy or a lengthy book manuscript, a seasoned editor can help it communicate its message with the audience in mind.
There are several levels of editing.
Proofreading involves finding and fixing grammatical, spelling and typographical errors. This makes the product more professional, easier to digest and more credible. Poorly composed, mistake-filled copy insults the reader. Many simply will quit and turn their attention elsewhere.
Polishing integrates style, flow and word economy. A consistent style – referring to the same things the same way throughout – lessens the chance of distraction or confusion. A composition flows well when it is organized in a logical manner and transitions smoothly from one point to the next. Because readers have limited attention spans, efficient copy is easier for them to digest.
Content editing tackles areas such as accuracy, clarity and point of view. The importance of accuracy is obvious. A writer presumably knows his or her topic, but factual errors will undermine the audience’s trust. Clarity enables recipients to get the message quickly and easily. Similarly, an author may approach a topic with different concerns than the readers he or she is targeting. A good editor makes sure an item conveys its points in a way that engages the audience.
“Last year, I was in need of some honest feedback for a book I wrote. I’m so glad I chose Stu Robinson. When Stu reads your work, it’s not just a minor skim with superficial notes. He gives amazing feedback that can up your manuscript into a polished, finished piece. He’s got a great eye, a great sense of story and doesn’t sugarcoat.”
If you would like to discuss our services in more detail, please email us at info@lightbulbcommunications.com.
The challenge in media relations is to entice reporters and editors to include a client, product or message in news coverage for free. That involves persuading journalists that the topic is worth covering because their readers or viewers will be interested. The key is tailoring the idea to create a “win-win-win” scenario in which the journalist gets a good story, the client receives free publicity and the media relations practitioner earns his or her keep.
“The challenge is to entice reporters and editors to include a client, product or message in news coverage for free. That involves casting the topic in a way that will be relevant to their readers or viewers.”
It’s not simply a matter of spin, however. A good media relations person knows journalists, their interests and their various media platforms. Presenting something to the right reporter at the right publication in the right format puts that message on the path of least resistance. An industry-specific pitch, for example, might be better received by the trade media rather than the mass media.
Lightbulb Communications has media contacts from multi-platform national outlets to community newspapers. In Phoenix, Lightbulb’s knowledge of the West Valley offers clients a competitive advantage in that region. Lightbulb’s Stu Robinson also forged media contacts in northern, southern and eastern Arizona through his work for the state’s Independent Redistricting Commission.
Buyer Beware.
No credible media relations practitioner can guarantee media coverage. A topic won’t resonate if it’s too narrow, of parochial interest to the client or simply not “news.” A person who wants a message published or aired verbatim should buy an ad.
“Stu Robinson has, over the years, been instrumental in getting our press releases published and picked up by a host of relevant trade and general business magazines. He’s often suggested topics for either news releases or guest columns that have earned me publication in key trade magazines.”
“The [2009 Green Your Ride] event was a huge success for the city and a very creative way to publicize not only National Public Works Week, but also the city’s substantial efforts in improving sustainable operations and service delivery. …The extensive media coverage of the event has certainly helped put Peoria’s sustainability efforts in the public eye and has improved the city’s reputation in general.”
“Stu Robinson was a big help to me. … His ability to anticipate journalists’ needs and provide timely information to members of the public enabled commissioners, counsel and the rest of the staff to focus on the tasks at hand. I appreciated his advice whenever the commission found itself in the news.”
If you would like to discuss our services in more detail, please email us at info@lightbulbcommunications.com.
The social media realm is wide-ranging and ever-changing. It’s easy to become distracted by the shifting mosaic of platforms. Learning how to use new ones and keeping current on existing platforms could be a full-time job.
But social media is about more than knowing how to post. The value is in knowing what to post, and where. That’s not something that can be delegated easily. In order to be successful, whoever handles social media for a business or organization must be enthusiastic and willing to “take ownership” of the role. It’s not enough to post a set number of times per day, whether the topics are worth it or not. That’s because managing social media is not a task, it’s an ongoing relationship with the audience.
A social media manager should:
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Social media users can tell when they are receiving the attention they deserve. So launching a Facebook page or Twitter feed isn’t a simple “add on” that can be relegated to the margins. A decision to engage via social media is a commitment akin to being open during posted business hours. If nobody is there, users will go elsewhere.
“Stuart Robinson is a very savvy social networker. In Peoria, he ran our Twitter and Facebook programs for two years and built those from emerging curiosities into important elements of a full-spectrum communications program. He understands the difference between communicating to an audience and communicating with people. That important subtlety is critical to successful online engagement, and Stuart definitely gets it.”
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Tel: (602) 516-0439 | Email: info@lightbulbcommunications.com
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