Entire sites I wrote for clients and myself
At the end of 2015, McKinney launched a new website, all of which I wrote with feedback from and approval of the CEO and CCO. This was my favorite piece of work to write about.
As a freelancer on a multiyear contract (2016 - 2018), I wrote every page of the website and at least 50 pages behind a paywall in The Social Locker Room. It is the first of its kind, helping parents teach kids to use social media positively.
In 2018, I built a new website for my podcast about reading called "The Spine" using Wordpress. I also built the site you're on now with GoDaddy's GoCentral. If you need a simple site written and built, I can do both.
Articles for major publications written by me for others
On June 12, 2018, the founder and president of The Social Institute published this article. The author and I worked collaboratively through many drafts before it was accepted.
This article was published on June 11, 2018. Very little collaboration was needed for this piece, as I had been writing as the author, the founder and president of The Social Institute, for many months. It's one of many we published there.
Just before Christmas in 2017, this article appeared in The Washington Post. I helped generate both the POV and the content. Not surprisingly, it started conversations on social media and in the comments section.
On November 17, 2017, the first article in a column called "Ask Laura" on North Carolina's WRAL website. We covered everything from getting middle schoolers to put their phones down to helping kids focus when homework calls for WiFi.
On October 13, 2017, the article – authored by The Social Institute's founder and president — was published on The TODAY Show's website. Of her two articles there, both of which I ghostwrote, this is the most popular.
McKinney's CCO gave a presentation to students at VCU a few months before this article was published on October 10, 2016. I wrote it using notes taken during that presentation.
The chief strategy officer at McKinney and I worked closely to write this piece, which was published on October 7, 2015. The final draft was approved by the CCO, who contributed his own ideas as well.
Published on June 11, 2013, in UX Magazine, the article made the magazine's top 10 list of most popular articles of year. It is a good example of my writing about something I didn't know much about.
Posts I wrote for brands and myself
I was asked to submit a blog post about my experience at SXSW in 2015 to the Effie Awards blog. This is one of the few times I wrote as myself!
In 2017, I developed a new marketing strategy for Pulse Health & Wellness, which included regular blog posts. This example — which explained why their offering is important and unique — is one of the first I wrote for them.
This is the most popular blog post on The Social Institute's site in 2018, partly because the URL contains why-fortnite-is-addicting, which is great for SEO.
The second most popular blog post on The Social Institute's website in 2018, and one that we reused for a WRAL.com column four months later. Over 100 readers shared it on Facebook.
Examples of press releases I wrote
This start-of-the-year piece is a great example of using a press release for SEO purposes (loading it with keywords and phrases) and as a way for future website visitors to trace our history. See all TSI press releases here.
I wrote many press releases while a content editor at McKinney. This is one example from 2014. My favorite release about a campaign for Sennheiser is no longer on the site, but it generated this Fast Company article.
Weekly or bimonthly newsletters I created and wrote
Every other week, The Social Institute sent a newsletter to over 1,500 parents and teachers. This is one example from 2018. I designed and wrote each one, tweaking the look and content using insights from MailChimp's analytics.
In 2016, I worked with McKinney's director of social media to create a weekly newsletter showcasing the best uses of social media marketing. We called it Socializ'd. Though we gained over 1,000 subscribers in the first 90 days, the agency no longer publishes it. Here is an example from 2016.
Platforms I managed for brands
Personal sites I've created and managed
Using GoDaddy's GoCentral, I created the website you're on right now. Though template is simple and doesn't allow for any modification, I was able to build an attractive, effective website for my business.
Because I started with a robust template in Wordpress, I was able to modify the colors, fonts, menus, and more. Users can sign up to receive a newsletter, make donations, and even subscribe to special content.