Rave reviews for our PR writing courses

What graduates say about NOT Your Father’s News Release

Find out what public relations industry experts have to say about our PR writing workshops and public Master Classes. After polishing their writing styles and practicing on case studies and other writing tasks, here’s what they thought:

“This is the best writing class I’ve attended in my 25-year PR career.”

— Mark Alden, PR manager, National Semiconductor

“Enlightening. Provides guidance, structure, suggestions, and overall a better understanding on writing for the reader.”

– Lori Araujo, communications specialist, Mission Support Alliance

“Great – a must! Highly recommend.”

– Jo Banner, communications manager, New Orleans Plantation Country

“Great workshop! So glad I attended. Real takeaways. Ann is a fantastic presenter and so engaging.”

— Sarah Broome, public relations specialist, Microchip

“I learned more in an hour than I learned in my last semester in college (earlier this year) as a public relations major.”

— Avery Budman, BBYO

“Every press release I’ve ever written needs to be completely rewritten!”

— Jennifer Cole, public affairs specialist, USDA NRCS

“Excellent! I expected to learn but didn’t realize how much I’d learn.”

— Vicki Cunningham, manager, creative and corporate communications, Ritchie Bros.

“Excellent session. I learned a great deal about structuring a press release to get the desired results.”

— Allison Damiano, account executive, Page Group

“I learned very progressive, cutting-edge techniques and strategies that are 100% applicable.”

— Katherine W. Doe, marketing specialist, Federal Credit Union

“Lots of speakers say ‘do this’; Ann helps you do what she suggests.”

— Jody Donohue, commercial marketing manager, Commerce Bank

“I was familiar with Ann through her PRSA columns. I wanted to see if a workshop with her was as idea packed as the columns and tips. Expectation exceeded!”

— Beth Felice, communications director, Diocese of Missouri

“Ann presents ideas in a way that solidify the concepts in my mind. Thank you!”

— Kris Hay, communications coordinator, University of Puget Sound Career & Employment Services

“Puts me one step ahead of everyone else writing press releases and trying to get media coverage.”

— Katie Haney, McMurry, Inc.

“I LOVED it! Ann is dynamic, informed and creative!”

— Hanna Herrin, account coordinator, Maxwell PR

“This is the best and most practical training I’ve ever had. I’ll use all of her tips on a daily basis.”

— Daphne Siefert Herron, senior communications officer, Indiana University, Office of Vice President for IT.

“Every PR pro should take this!”

— Najeema Holas-Huggins, communications manager, Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation

“My manager came in to my office and said, ‘Wow, who wrote the release you just sent me? It was great!’ Overall I have seen an improvement in my writing skills daily.”

— Tricia Hummel, City of Naperville

“Comprehensive learning experience packed with relevant facts and information to back up best practices.”

– Adam Jacobs, associate account executive, CMD

“Without question, the best workshop I’ve ever taken.”

— Sarah Julian, director of communications, Oklahoma Public School Resource Center

“It was great. I enjoyed sharing our writing and getting feedback from our peers.”

— Elisa Lagos, communication associate, World Education Services.

“The release I worked on in Ann’s Master Class got 68.5% more page views and 19% more coverage vs. our top competitors than average. It got picked up by two targeted industry publications and resulted in a follow-up interview with our metro daily.”

— Loren LeVasseur, public relations supervisor, Coverys

“Ann’s approach helped me showcase the story angle our readers want to read. Best of all, senior management was thrilled with the new style.”

— Loren LeVasseur, public relations supervisor, Coverys

“It was great. I learned a lot and had a good time learning how to edit and rewrite my press releases.”

— Laura Lundberg, account executive, CMD

“It was awesome. Best conference I’ve ever attended.”

— Ian Malinski, corporate communications lead, Ritchie Bros.

“Great step-by-step instructions on how to do it right.”

— Stacy Mayo, assistant account executive, Rhea + Kaiser

“Ann’s workshop is a fun, informative way to drastically improve my work.”

– Bill Pearson, public relations specialist, Navy Federal Credit Union

“Today my boss told me that she thinks I’m a ‘wonderful’ writer. (I feel like a million bucks.)”

— Victoria Rochkind, copywriter, communications, Affinity Health Plan

“Fantastic! Reinforced some of our best practices, and identified so many more that we can put to action immediately.”

— Kelsey Ruthman, account manager, Osborn Barr

“A+. It gave me a chance to reflect on my writing and take away lessons learned to my company.”

– Katie Schur, senior account executive, Aria Marketing

“My releases are tighter and much more attention grabbing. I’ve received compliments from even the biggest critics. I learned more from Ann’s workshop than from all the books I’ve read. This is down-and-dirty information that tells you all you need to know to write a great release. No fluffy stuff — just the tools you need to get the job done.”

— Kim Schwalje, public relations specialist, National Comprehensive Cancer Network

“Since I attended Ann’s PR writing class and started implementing her tips, every press release I’ve written has been picked up by the media. That’s what I call ROI!”

— Stephanie Sobotik, senior manager, global marketing communications at Freescale Semiconductor

“Ann has shaken up my perceptions about what PR writing should look like.”

— Deb Stenberg, communication director, Federal Way Public Schools

“I truly believe that one tip I learned from Ann has enhanced the interest of the media at least threefold, as we received better media coverage than expected at several events.”

— Carl Walton, U.S. Postal Service

“Wonderful. Best I’ve ever attended.”

— Mark Zelermyer, vice president, director of corporate communications, Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston.