Public Relations News

May 15, 2009
Perception Versus Reality in Public Relations

When many people think of Cleveland, the term “vacation destination” does not immediately come to mind. Cleveland is where I spent my recent vacation, however, and it’s where I thought a lot about public relations. It had been almost ten years since I’d been to Cleveland; all I remembered was a rundown city filled with half-empty factories and decaying housing. But what I saw on my trip was a city moving forward–and dealing with the very real public relations problem of perception versus reality. (Read more…)
May 13, 2009
Public Relations and Journalism: More Similar Than You Might Think

There’s an old joke among journalists: “It’s okay. If I lose my job, I’ll just become a public relations flak.” Believe me, every journalist has thought about it more than once, especially when freelance writing wasn’t paying the bills. After all, what company or public relations firm wouldn’t want a former journalist on the payroll communicating to the media? This point was driven home when I recently attempted to email a journalist friend. To my surprise, I couldn’t track him down. And guess where he turned up. (Read more…)
May 12, 2009
The Public Relations Balancing Act: Access Vs. Privacy

For public relations professionals, preserving a client’s privacy can be difficult when you’re also trying to cater to the needs of your press contacts. Recently, my employer changed its guidelines regarding how much access clients will have to our products. (Read more…)
Public Relations Basics: Speak Slowly and Carry a Big Stick

One of the joys of writing PR Fuel is that it helps me think through my own public relations failings. By putting ideas down on paper — OK, a computer screen — I’ve helped improve my own public relations skills immensely. That’s part of why I’ve come up with a set of rules for dealing with reporters during phone interviews. Hopefully, I can follow them. (Read more…)
May 8, 2009
Beware of Public Relations “Swag”

When it was released in 2005, the Dreamworks film “Just Like Heaven” got mixed reviews but did pretty well at the box office, debuting at No. 1 with a first week haul of more than $16.4 million. Dreamworks’ budget for the movie, however, was called into question; the public relations strategy behind the movie was the reason why. (Read more…)
May 7, 2009
The PR Fuel Mailbag: Size Matters, Press Release Confusion, Finding a PR Firm, and More

The PR Fuel mailbag once again runneth over. I’ve taken some of the more interesting letters I’ve received over the past few months and answered readers’ questions about the world of public relations. Newbies and vets alike should find the following Q&A helpful in navigating the day-to-day world of PR. (Read more…)
May 6, 2009
Provincialism Should Be a Dirty Word in Public Relations

New York is typically considered one of the most cosmopolitan places in the world when it can often be one of the most provincial. My friend Mike grew up in Brooklyn; from the bedroom of his house you can see the Empire State Building. Last week he asked me how to get to City Hall in Manhattan, which is at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge. Provincialism can work against public relations efforts because it shines a light on attitudes and ideas that may be foreign to others or that play into stereotypes. A recent story in the Wall Street Journal provided an interesting example. (Read more…)
May 5, 2009
Can Public Relations Pros Prevent Blogs from “Brand Hijacking”?

The purpose of a personal blog is to provide a forum where its writer can complain, praise, and pontificate. A lone personal blog is one of perhaps millions out there, but like everything else out there on the internet, what’s written on even a personal blog has a sense of permanence. As anyone with a website knows, drawing traffic to a new property is a difficult proposition. Most people who read my personal blog seem to be one-time visitors. (Read more…)
Everything the Public Relations Industry Wants to Know About Journalists

…but might be afraid to ask. Consider the following list a series of tips and tricks for dealing with intractable or just plain obnoxious journalists. Heeding them may make the public relations process that much easier. (Read more…)
May 4, 2009
The PR Fuel Mailbag: Dealing with Clients, Analysts, and Journalists

Once again it’s time to dip into the PR Fuel mailbag and answer some reader questions. This time around we look at how to climb the public relations ladder, corrections, unethical journalists, and more. (Read more…)