Who says a press release is the only way to court the media? Story proposals can sometimes be more effective when approaching your personal “A list” of journalists, presenting customized pitches that match their sensibilities and the news beat they cover. Read More
Facing a potentially damaging newspaper investigation, a Fortune 500 company fully expected to be forced to relocate one of its primary facilities. The story turned out to be just as bad as everybody had feared. But the outcome did not. The community rallied in support of the company, vilifying the newspaper in letters to the editor, public meetings, and canceled subscriptions. The facility is still in its original location today. So how did this company survive a public relations crisis that threatened to turn into something far more serious? Read More
While today’s small businesses and small public relations firms have a number of economical means to reach national and international media–e-mail, on-line press kits, and press release delivery services, such as eReleases–the pitch will still need to be as good as the product to achieve results. Assuming merit exists for media coverage halfway across the world, crafting a press release around a hometown perspective can detract from a its news value. Even for editors in surrounding towns and cities, success stories about your immediate business community will be of little interest. Read More
Of all the subsets of public relations, community relations is perhaps the most perplexing. That’s because the term encompasses so many different types of activities. When budgeting for public relations, how should you decide where to focus your community relations dollars and energies? By going back to the basic steps of planning any public relations effort. Read More
An in-depth feature article can be a priceless source of publicity for any organization or industry. But such an article rarely results from the standard one- to two-page press release drafted by most public relations firms. And who has the time to write an in-depth article when there’s only a small chance it will be published? So how can a public relations company get this kind of premium exposure for its clients? A query letter may be the answer. Read More
Television interviews with great visuals instantly grab viewers’ attention. Yet many public relations firms fail to plan their visual content before approaching TV producers. In a multi-media world, public relations isn’t just about text-based press releases or well-written speeches; audio-visual elements are increasingly becoming standard public relations tools. Read More
As a web site consultant who focuses on the public relations role corporate web sites play, I’ve created the following quick tips for anyone to evaluate the public relations success of their web site. As you read this article, open your browser and see how your web site measures up. Read More
You’re trying to improve job recruiting and retention. You’re worried about local backlash over your expansion plans. You’re about to launch a new product or service. The next step is finding out what your audience is thinking. If you try to guess, you could waste a lot of time and money. Regardless of your company’s size or your available public relations resources, you don’t need to fly completely blind. Here are four four tips to improve your results when researching public opinion. Read More
Public relations professionals take note: Crisis management is not the mastery of spin, but preventing a PR nightmare. Read the following tips from communications consultant Allan Bonner, a specialist in crisis management and media training, and then ask yourself whether or not your company or PR firm is prepared for the crisis the just might be around the corner. Read More
Everything is on sale. That was the big message public relations and advertising departments were desperate to get across last week and earlier this week, as retailers tried to pry money out of the wallets of cash-strapped consumers. The message was received, to a certain extent. Read More