NEWS

News, Insights & Opinions
Newcastle PR team creating front-page news
Newcastle PR team creating front-page news
|Podium
Podium has worked with its public relations client, Thompson & Co Solicitors, to help generate the front-page story in today's Sunderland Echo. The story focuses on Thompson & Co's role in helping secure justice for the family of a woman who had suffered a serious stroke that went undetected by medical staff. Though this is a tragic story, it is something that is worth highlighting as part of a PR campaign because of the need to ensure that mistakes are not repeated. As is so frequently the case with clinical... Read more...
Copywriting: Make Your Copy Sparkle!
Copywriting: Make Your Copy Sparkle!
|Podium
‘Make your intro sparkle!’ was the frequently-repeated, usually shouted, mantra of the man who taught me how to write. He was (and is) Mike Lockley, a fairly cynical but thoroughly likeable former national tabloid journalist, who can still be found upsetting people with his newspaper columns in the Midlands. At the time, I was relatively fresh out of university and attending a day-release journalism course at Wolverhampton College. The lessons were difficult: I’d gone from spending 2,500 words on an essay to no more than a tenth of that on... Read more...
Podium secures SEO work with leading North East law firm
Podium secures SEO work with leading North East law firm
|Podium
Podium has secured another new client, this time working with North East firm DMA Law to provide Search Engine optimisation (SEO) for its website. The arrangement will see Podium providing technical website set-up and optimisation to improve the flow of web traffic to the site and to increase its profile in Google searches. DMA Law specialises in a number of practice areas, including family law, wills and probate, conveyancing, life planning, criminal defence and dispute resolution. It has offices in Darlington, Sunderland, Peterlee, Pity Me and Hartlepool. Podium MD Andy... Read more...
Ad campaign shows success of integrated marketing approach
Ad campaign shows success of integrated marketing approach
|Podium
We have been seeing some good early results following the launch of our ad campaign for Newcastle Clinic. The adverts, which have been showing across the ITV Borders region in April, as well as across the Tyne-Tees region on the online ITV Player, are generating leads and interest and helping to drive both phone enquiries and traffic to the website.   The advert focuses on the key product messages, that Newcastle Clinic is home to the region's only open-sided MRI scanner, which makes it perfect for people suffering from claustrophobia... Read more...
How long does SEO take?
How long does SEO take?
|Podium
It’s a question we hear a lot in the Podium Office – how long does SEO take? The answer is one that we find most difficult to explain – we can’t tell you! And any SEO company that promises you results within a month would best be avoided. SEO is made up of many different factors that include:- How much information is on your site How relevant the information is on your site How much competition there is How well the site has been setup both on the page content... Read more...
Podium appointed to handle PR for Thompson and Co
Podium appointed to handle PR for Thompson and Co
|Podium
Podium Newcastle has been appointed to provide PR and media relations to Sunderland law firm Thompson and Co. Thompson and Co has been running for over 15 years and specialises... Read more...
Search starts here – Podium SEO Newcastle
Search starts here – Podium SEO Newcastle
|Podium
The SEO, PR and marketing specialists at Podium can now be found at Dobson House, part of Regent Centre in Gosforth. With a growing client list and new staff on board, the time was right to strengthen our foothold in Newcastle. We now work with 20 clients across the North of England and have a proven track record in boosting online search results via SEO, content delivery, PR and marketing. We specialise in making businesses more visible, improving communications with customers and potential customers by delivering first-class SEO and content.... Read more...
Podium in the press
Podium in the press
|Podium
Podium picked up some Newcastle press coverage in the Journal today following the announcement of Steve Maybury's arrival. It's important for any growing business to work on its public profile... Read more...
Podium marks sponsorship with ‘modern wonder’ ad
Podium marks sponsorship with ‘modern wonder’ ad
|Podium
Podium took an inventive approach when tasked with the creation of an advert to mark Newcastle Clinic’s sponsorship of an Indian-themed charity fundraising event. Newcastle Clinic was sponsoring the Firecracker... Read more...
When is best to comment on the Budget?
When is best to comment on the Budget?
|Podium
Timing is everything. It can be a knack – comedy timing, for example, is sometimes natural, sometimes rehearsed, but it’s not something everyone gets right. Timing plays a huge part in PR. Of course, great ideas, well-written content, properly thought-out campaigns and relationships with journalists are all more important, but sometimes (whisper it) good luck and decent timing can help. Take the Budget 2014. I’ve been working in PR for 12 years and, every year, I’ve had clients on my books who want to comment on the Chancellor’s annual shuffling... Read more...
Podium appoints experienced PR professional
Podium appoints experienced PR professional
|Podium
We are delighted to welcome Steve Maybury to the Podium team. Steve is an experienced PR and communications professional and joins us as account director. Steve is a former journalist... Read more...
The Launch of our new website
The Launch of our new website
|Podium
Since our launch in April 2012, we have moved on a long way and are now delighted to be working with some great clients across a wide range of industries.... Read more...
Smile Through Sport Branding
Smile Through Sport Branding
|Podium
We were thrilled when Paralympian Stephen Miller and his wife and business partner, Rachel Miller approached us to help them launch their new business, Smile Through Sport. Stephen and Rachel had some creative ideas that they wanted us to explore for their new brand which demonstrated the unique way that Stephen throws the club. We took their ideas and developed a series of creative routes with their final logo shown below. Smile Through Sport utliises a winning gold colour, a striking athletic font and an image of Stephen throwing the... Read more...
The Great North Ostrich…
The Great North Ostrich…
|Podium
The 15th of September will now always bring back haunting memories. Not because of the Great North Run itself, but because of the Ostrich that made life so uncomfortable... The challenge started just five weeks ago, when I received a call from one of our clients Percy Hedley to say they had a few places left for the GNR and did we fancy running for them. Having done the run many times before, the answer was of course yes. Having done the run many times before in fancy dress, immediate... Read more...
Ranking number 1 in Google
Ranking number 1 in Google
|Podium
Simply put, SEO is about getting our clients on page 1 of Google Organic Search Rankings. The best way we can showcase our work in this area is for you to try it yourself. The list below is just a small selection of some of the search terms we have been working on for our clients. All of the search terms rank on Google page 1 and are between position 1 and 6.   “Camouflage Cream” – Veil Cover Cream – Rank 4 “Car Claim Durham” – Wanstalls Solicitors –... Read more...
Your Body, Your MRI, Your Choice
Your Body, Your MRI, Your Choice
|Podium
Newcastle Clinic is a private clinic based in Newcastle. The clinic has the only open MRI scanner within the North East and offers patients a highly relaxing and comfortable MRI scan compared to a traditional MRI scanner. When referred for an MRI scan, many people are not aware that there are different kinds of scanners available. An MRI scan doesn’t have to be a scary and claustrophobic experience and Newcastle Clinic wanted a campaign to highlight this. They wanted a completely new approach to their marketing and a campaign that... Read more...
Cover story and double page spread in Womans Weekly
Cover story and double page spread in Womans Weekly
|Podium
This editorial article was featured in Womans Weekly 18th June 2013 (out 11th June) featuring Heather Carabines recovery from cancer and how Veil Cover Cream enabled her to face a better future. The story was featured as editorial content within the magazine but our good relationships with the magazine ensured the contact details and website were clearly shown at the end of the article. With an audience of over 630,000 weekly readers it delivered a huge increase in web traffic and a large increase in orders for their trial size... Read more...
5 Steps to Maintain Domain Equity when Launching New Website
5 Steps to Maintain Domain Equity when Launching New Website
|Podium
Launching a new website is an exciting process. It’s a process that refreshes the image of the company, encourages more traffic and delivers a return on investment. But what happens when it’s done wrong? I noticed earlier in the week that two companies who I had been monitoring as part of market research had announced a merger. Their method of doing this has been to remove two very highly ranking websites and simply re-direct both home pages to a single holding page with no content on a new domain. They... Read more...