Good Things Consulting
Communication in service of Good Things*
Hi, I'm Amanda. I'm Good Things Consulting. Partner with me to communicate more effectively.
*What Are Good Things?
Good Things have one or more of the following qualities: they are produced with love; they evoke joy; and they are created with the intention of making the world a better place.
Good Things include but are not limited to: health and wellness; public and indie media; and arts and culture.
GO TO: Services & Pricing | My Background
See also: Testimonials
Services & Pricing
Blog Coaching | Blog Editing | Blogging | Twitter Coaching | Copywriting
Blog Coaching
I've developed, written, ghost-written, edited and marketed blogs for major media outlets, not-so-major media outlets, nonprofits, artists, start-ups and small businesses. I've also been blogging myself since 2005. I know what it takes to make a blog pop, and will help you get a clear picture of how your blog can help you meet your goals, what kinds of content to create, blogging best practices, and how to schedule and promote content.
- 1-hour coaching session, including a personalized checklist of next steps: $200
- 1-hour coaching session with checklist + 1 follow-up session: $300
- 6-pack of coaching sessions: $1,000
- Your Blog Game Plan: $1,500
A 6-pack is a good idea if you want someone to periodically check in on how you're doing and offer pointed, strategic advice. The Game Plan is a short but comprehensive document that articulates your blog's goals; describes a content strategy, including sample posts, as well as a marketing plan; and includes an editorial and promotional calendar. In addition, the Game Plan includes advice on key metrics and how to assess your blog's success.
Blog Editing
You have a solid blog strategy -- you just need someone to review drafts of blog posts, fix any glaring errors and recommend improvements (or just make changes). I specialize in making sure every post has a strong hook and holds the reader's attention, and is as succinct as possible. Please contact me for pricing.
Blogging
If you're looking for someone to blog for you about media, culture, health, nutrition, motherhood, work/life balance, "having it all" or a related topic, I'd love to talk. Please contact me to discuss.
Twitter Coaching
Cultivating an effective Twitter presence is an art. If you do it well, you earn credibility and loyalty, forging strong relationships that can boost you personally and professionally.
To use myself as an example of the potential benefits of a strong Twitter presence, I've been on Twitter since it was born, and I've used it to find artistic collaborators, make friends, attract clients, spread the word about key projects, and learn a tremendous amount. I encounter ideas and people on Twitter that I don't find elsewhere, and derive great inspiration and a huge amount of useful information. I can help you do the same, harnessing this incredible tool to yield relationships and information that you need.
- 1-hour coaching session, including a personalized checklist of next steps: $200
- 1-hour coaching session with checklist + 1 follow-up session: $300
- Customized Twitter intelligence report: $650
For a customized report, I'll put myself in your shoes and do intensive research on key allies to befriend, conversations to join, and tactics to employ to earn goodwill among target communities. This is market research customized to a platform that specializes in niche networks and information dissemination. As I compile the report, I'll send you links I come across that I think will be of interest, to get your real-time feedback on which kinds of information are most valuable.
Copywriting
Sometimes you just need someone to write it better than you can, whether "it" is the About page of your website, your e-newsletter, a post introducing your new blog, or pretty much anything else under the sun. I'm fast and can adopt the voice necessary for your project in a heartbeat, from zippy and casual to sophisticated, journalistic and more. Please contact me for pricing.
My Background
I'm the former editorial director of PBS.org. I grew up at PBS -- I started as an editor and worked my way up over the course of over six years. I loved working with documentary filmmakers to figure out how to best tell their stories online. During my tenure, PBS.org was the number one dot-org, according to Nielsen NetRatings. We also won a whole bunch of awards. It was a grand time.
I left in 2006 because I wanted to carve out more time to tell my own stories. I founded Creative DC, a blog that Washington Business Journal called "provocative." I also founded Good Things Consulting, and continued working with public media orgs and other nonprofits to tell their stories online, while writing and performing stories of my own in my spare time -- including a one-woman show, Brushstrokes, that premiered at the DC Arts Center.
I've given talks on digital storytelling for the National Film Board of Canada, the National Press Club and other venues. In addition, I've given talks on how to apply the concepts of improv to life and work at venues such as Etsy and SXSW (for more on these improv talks, see the website for my side business, Think Improv, which I founded and run with my husband, Jordan -- we were voted SXSW audience favorites!).
I've been privileged to work with some wonderful clients over the years, including:
- Public media companies like NPR, MediaShift and P.O.V.
- Nonprofits like March of Dimes, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and the Paley Center for Media
- Start-ups like Clean Plates
- Communications firms like Ogilvy, Aggregate and TBWA/Chiat/Day, as well as
- A range of artists and small business owners.
When I moved to NYC in 2009, I closed up shop at Creative DC and began the Just Me blog here on amandahirsch.com. In addition to writing for my own blogs, I've written for blogs like MediaShift, P.O.V. and the Journal of Cultural Conversation.
I currently live in Brooklyn. Here's my LinkedIn profile.