Everyone has heard about KFC’s major Oprah goof where so many people requested a free two-piece meal of the fast food company’s new grilled chicken, it simply wasn’t able to meet demand. Local news outlets aired footage of people being turned away from stores. (Read more…)

I was so happy when the bubble in Beanie Babies burst years ago. I had cousins who literally had plastic tubs of the critters with hard plastic tag protectors. Now as the father of two young children, a more expensive and more frustrating craze has taken ahold in our household: Webkinz. (Read more…)

At the turn of the decade, you couldn’t open a newspaper without reading a story about some high-flying dot-com or tech company. The coverage of these companies bled from the business pages to the feature sections to the front-page. And when the dot-com bust came, the coverage faded back in the opposite direction — the downfall of a tech company went from the front-page to a small mention in the business section. Coverage of the technology sector has stabilized, but it has also shrunk. Some newspapers eliminated entire sections or supplements. The media is still a bottom-line business; fewer ads mean less editorial space. Which makes public relations for tech companies that much more difficult. (Read more…)

It’s once again time to dip into the PR Fuel mailbag for another batch of reader queries. How much do I charge for public relations services? Can a newswire service refuse to distribute my press release? Come find out the answers to these puzzlers from the world of public relations. (Read more…)

No one wants to be the person known for “crying wolf.” Yet that’s precisely the reputation many public relations consultants develop after sending out countless press releases with little newsworthy content. These public relations spammers risk losing credibility with editors and reporters. When they finally do have an earth shattering press release, it may end up filling a waste paper basket rather than newspaper column inches. So when is your press release really newsworthy? Here’s are a few simple steps to ensure you’re getting as much good publicity as possible out of your press release. (Read more…)

A press release is undoubtedly important when it comes to drumming up publicity for your business. But should it be the *most* important part of your public relations strategy? A press release may not even be the best way for your company or clients to get publicity for a new product or an important announcement. The following four ideas may actually be more effective than a traditional press release. (Read more…)

How do you polish a tarnished image? For celebrities, a tearful interview or two will go a long way to help sway the court of public opinion. But for a company or organization, a tarnished image requires a lot more public relations polish than an appearance on Larry King. (Read more…)

It’s easy to still get excited when the Caller ID flashes the name of a newspaper, magazine, or television network. Media opportunities are, after all, the whole point of public relations. Those in the public relations industry can easily fall in love with the attention that comes from an audience, but you still have to be careful when accepting an invitation for a media interview or television/radio appearance. Many public relations consultants refuse to believe it, but not all media opportunities are golden. (Read more…)

So it’s time to put together a public relations/publicity strategy for your business or organization. The task can seem overwhelming. But if you break the job of public relations planning down into smaller steps, you’ll soon have it together. Here’s one way to put together an effective public relations strategy. (Read more…)

The public relations industry and the media have always enjoyed a curious relationship. Those in the public relations industry will tell you that the media can’t do its job without PR flacks. Media folk, meanwhile, will suggest that public relations departments are little more than mouthpieces for people who would still speak to the media if the public relations industry never existed. And both viewpoints are correct–to a point. (Read more…)