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Media training 101 for small businesses

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Great news: you just scored a big press interview to promote your business. The story will expose your brand to the perfect new audience and drive meaningful traffic to your website. So…don't blow it. Yes, just as quickly as the excitement for the opportunity arrived, the realization that you now have to do an interview sets in. I get it—press interviews can absolutely be intimidating. The resulting coverage represents a significant opportunity to acquire new customers, drive sales, or raise awareness, and you want to be sure to represent your brand well and really compel the audience to check out your company. On top of that, you have to contend with adrenaline and nerves in the moment. You may be thinking, "So many other business owners are so polished and articulate in their interviews. How am I going to pull that off?" Deep breath. A successful interview is usually the result of good media training: preparation and practice in advance of an interview. I've tr...

Google Assistant: Zapier app of the day

We've all had those days where you wish you had your own personal assistant to manage your work and home life. Not everyone can hire their own assistant, but you don't have to with Google Assistant . It's like having your own personal helper—without the awkward feeling that comes with asking a person to do your bidding. This virtual voice assistant from Google connects with your favorite apps and games, so you can shuffle your favorite Spotify playlist, ask it to stream Netflix through Chromecast, and much more. Instead of looking up what the weather will be like today, just ask Google Assistant and you'll get an answer. You can also ask for local information that you'd usually type in a Google search, such as where the nearest ATM is or your pharmacy's phone number. You can also connect Google Assistant to your smart home devices, so you can control your lights, thermostat, refrigerator, and other smart appliances with the sound of your voice. And yes, you ...

How to quickly find links to your Zoom meetings

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Admit it: you've been late to a meeting because you couldn't find the Zoom link. It's a terrible feeling, knowing that everyone else is already in the call while you're fumbling through your calendar. Here are a few ways to surface Zoom links from your calendar, so you aren't always the person desperately DMing every single one of your coworkers asking how to get into the meeting. Want more Zoom knowledge? Check out our top ten tricks and tips for Zoom , or learn when you should mute yourself during a video call . Connect the Zoom app to your calendar The Zoom desktop app can show your upcoming meetings, but only if the meetings are created using the app. You can change this by connecting Zoom to your calendar—that way, all appointments will show up in the Meetings tab in Zoom, complete with a helpful Join button. To set this up, sign in to Zoom in your browser, and head to the profile page in the settings . Look for the Connect to Calendar and Contact Servi...

4 advanced features for Slack power users

I've been using Slack as my main form of work communication for over two years. And still, every day, I discover a new feature that gives me from The Zapier Blog https://ift.tt/2MQpMFE

Find things faster in Google Drive with these 3 features

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Google Drive's search is powerful for obvious reasons. But just like with Google's web search, if there are enough relevant results, it can take some serious wading to find what you're looking for. Instead, I often end up browsing in Drive to get to the right file or folder. Of course, it's easy to get stuck in browsing limbo if you don't have the right setup. So, here are three tricks for organizing your Google Drive to find what you need when you need it. If you're a G Suite user, you can save time by connecting your Google apps to all the other tools you use. Here are some ways to power up your Google apps with automation . Add a file to multiple folders in Google Drive Everyone has their own organizational system. And if one of my writers prefers to store their documents in their personal folder, it means extra clicks for me to find it. You can't store a file in more than one place in Google Drive, but you can access a file from more than one folde...

Stripe: Zapier app of the day

You have everything you need for your business: one-of-a-kind products, an awesome website, and a solid marketing plan. But how will you—you know—actually take money from your customers? After all, you're not a banking whiz. That's where Stripe comes in. Stripe is a developer-friendly way to accept payments online and in mobile apps. The app powers commerce for thousands of companies of all sizes, processing billions of dollars annually for businesses. Whether you're creating a subscription service, an on-demand marketplace, an eCommerce store, or a crowdfunding platform, Stripe's meticulously-designed functionality helps you create the best possible payment experience. With Stripe, you can process payments from a website or app, and even collect money due from invoices. You can accept not only credit card payments, but also those from ACH bank transfers, popular European payment gateways, and mobile payment solutions. Setting up payment processing on a website can ...

How a Canadian volunteer group organized a massive mask-sewing effort with Zapier

Zapier allowed us to expand so rapidly. It was like magic! — Lee-Anne Moore-Thibert, founder of Canada Sews As COVID-19 cases started cropping up in North America, Lee-Anne Moore-Thibert found herself coordinating a massive volunteer effort to sew personal protective equipment for health workers in need around Canada. Work at her paralegal practice stopped when the courts closed, and she joined with a group of friends to help meet requests for masks from health workers in need. Now, she's working with others to manage 8,000 volunteers helping to provide supplemental PPE to health care workers and people in other essential jobs. Eliminate the risk for human errors Simba Tipton, who's organized large-scale events like EGLX —the largest gaming convention in Canada—came on board to help with logistics. A Zapier power-user, he quickly saw how automation could help Canada Sews. "I started using Zapier to create better workflows for my team," says Simba. "I just ...

3 ways to automate your payments with Stripe

Stripe is a payment platform that powers commerce for thousands of companies of all sizes, processing billions of dollars for businesses each year. Whether you're creating a subscription service, an on-demand marketplace, an eCommerce store, or a crowdfunding platform, Stripe helps you create the best possible payment experience. When you connect Stripe to your other apps using Zapier, you can automate common payment-related processes. Here are a few of the most popular ways that Zapier users automate Stripe. Zapier's automated workflows are called Zaps. We've included some pre-made workflows—called Zap templates—throughout this piece to get you started. Just click on the Use this Zap button, and we'll guide you through customizing it. It only takes a few minutes. You can read more about setting up Zaps here . Create customers in your CRM from new Stripe transactions If you use a customer relationship management (CRM) app as a hub for your sales or support activity...