How a Cosmopolitan magazine article changed my life

In March of 2011, I responded to a media query I received via HARO – also known as Help A Reporter Out. I had been subscribed to HARO a few years and used it mostly for work. 

The query was from an editor who was seeking sources for an article for Cosmopolitan magazine. The publication sought young women who were bullied, growing up. The editor passed my information along to the reporter assigned to the story. 

After a few back and forth emails, the reporter asked if I was free for a phone interview in the next few days. After completing the phone interview and going through the fact-checking process, the article was published in May of 2011.

The article ran just under a year after I had launched Empowered Flower Girl. It helped us get our first 250 followers on Facebook and Twitter. It also helped us secure additional media coverage and boosted our credibility in the community as a new social enterprise. 

People were just getting to know us, so having a national publication like Cosmopolitan magazine feature you is definitely something that could help your reputation. 

It was a great experience for me starting out. As someone who works in communications and media relations, I know the value and importance of sharing your story, and the difference that it can make in the lives of others who read it. 

I encourage people, especially nonprofit founders, social entrepreneurs and others who are making or aspire to make a difference, to not be shy about sharing their experiences and expertise. 

I’ve helped numerous clients get the recognition they deserve, through publicity and awards, which also translates to funding and increased enrollment in your programs. So if you are looking for additional help in getting the word out about your organization or initiative, let’s talk.

Later this spring we will be launching our Unknown to Renowned workshop. If you’d like to get on the mailing list to receive additional information, sign up here and follow our social media accounts at @empoweredflowergirl.

Life through the Eyes of Girls

While in New Orleans last month for the International Bullying Prevention Conference, I had an opportunity to connect with Nola.com reporter Diana Samuels. She is one of the journalists engaged in an amazing multi-media initiative called the Southern Girls Project.

Louisiana’s Nola.com – along with Alabama’s Al.com – have partnered to tell the stories of girls growing up in the south. The project launched earlier this year and features everyday girls who share their hopes, dreams, challenges, concerns and ideas.

After reading about several of the girls – mostly middle and high school students – I was intrigued. The multi-media element of the project is powerful. You get a glimpse into the unscripted life of girls.

Girls in the south are like most American girls. They go to school, they’re on social media, have celebrity crushes and think about their future. But they also face unique challenges, including higher rates of poverty and obesity.

But what I love about the Southern Girls Project is that girls have a platform to not only share their stories, they have opportunities to share their solutions to the social and environmental issues that impact them.

In my opinion, every media outlet throughout every region of the country should give youth a voice.

Learn more about the Southern Girls Project at al.com/southerngirlsproject.

Get Noticed: No-cost tools to promote your program

For many do gooders (especially social entrepreneurs, nonprofit directors and coaches), modesty and meekness are exalted virtues. But for those of you who want to expand your impact in the community and ultimately the world – silence isn’t golden.

There is no glory in your program being a best kept secret. After all, keeping secrets is rude.

Over the years, my company Empowered Flower Girl has garnered the attention of news writers and producers, bloggers and other journalists.

Why? Because we make a conscious effort to reach out to them.

I suggest you do the same to promote your program, especially if you offer services or products that make a difference for people.

But I’m not a PR person, you say.

Even if you have no clue how to contact a reporter, you can still gain coverage for your program or even your expertise.

How, you ask? HARO (Help A Reporter Out). I recommend anyone who runs a program – and doesn’t yet have a marketing and media relations team – to sign up for HARO. It’s FREE.

You’ll get daily inquiries from reporters and producers from a variety of media outlets.

Still not convinced you have what it takes? Contact me and ask about Empowered Flower Girl’s Unknown to Renowned media and community outreach program.

Rasheda Kamaria is a mentor turned social entrepreneur on a mission to transform the way young people relate to one another. She is a communications professional and founder/chief empowering officer for Empowered Flower Girl. A survivor of bullying, Rasheda was featured in the May 2011 issue of Cosmopolitan magazine in the article “Being Bullied Changed My Life.” Visit empoweredflowergirl.com.

Hope for Detroit showcases inspiring Detroiters

I was honored to be invited last month to appear on the Hope for Detroit show, hosted by Eddie P. and produced by Work Life Entertainment. The community news program is filmed in the Detroit Trade Market and highlights Detroiters on a mission to transform the community and those who give back through their profession and passion.

Check out the interview:

HOPE FOR DETROIT WITH RASHEDA WILLIAMS from Work Life Entertainment on Vimeo.

New online magazine, ColorBlind, profiles Empowered Flower Girl CEO

Empowered Flower Girl’s Chief Empowering Officer Rasheda Kamaria Williams is profiled in a recent ColorBlind magazine feature story.

ColorBlind, a new online magazine devoted to celebrating and recognizing the beauty and strength of minority teen girls and women, published the article May 9, 2013.

Editor Veronica Grandison spoke with Williams about her experiences as a mentor.

Excerpt:

(Williams) found her calling as a mentor for Alternatives for Girls, a Detroit based organization that provides services for homeless and high-risk girls and young women. She is currently mentoring a 12 year- old girl from the organization and has been mentoring her since she was nine.

 The idea of starting Empowered Flower Girls sprang from parents asking Williams for advice on how to deal with their children being bullied. She also wanted to help out her mentees and nieces, who were struggling with bullying.

 View the full article here