Important Do’s and Don’ts When You’ve Made a Connection With a Reporter

Even the most carefully crafted news release, eagerly received by a reporter will not guarantee effective coverage for your cause, product or service. It can take time, patience and the careful nurturing of relationships to get to the point where the reporter picks up the phone or shoots off an email to say, “yes, I’d like to talk to YOU.” It is this point where the rubber, as they say, meets the road. (Read more…)

Oprah-Worthy? How to Get on the Oprah Winfrey Show

The Oprah Winfrey Show
(noun)
1. (also known as Oprah) the highest-rated and longest-running daytime U.S. syndicated talk show. It is hosted and produced by Oprah Winfrey through her company Harpo Productions, Inc.
2. maker of dreams; the holy grail of public relations professionals, authors, entrepreneurs, and individuals seeking exposure for their products, books or services.

One of the most frequent questions we get at eReleases is, “Can you get us on Oprah?” (Read more…)

Holiday PR: Get Your Gift-Related Pitches Out Early

Journalists always know the holidays are upon them when they begin to receive pitches geared towards holiday-themed gift guides and such. Every year the holiday season seems to extend itself, so if you work in the public relations industry it’s best to start circulating your holiday-related pitches early in order to get the jump on the competition. The following tips should help public relations pros make the most of the hectic months before the holidays finally arrive. (Read more…)

Public Relations Basics: When It Comes to Holiday Press Releases, Sooner is Better

It’s no secret that the fourth quarter is the most important time of the year for companies marketing to consumers. Holiday shopping can make or break many businesses; many analysts wait to see how a company weathered the holidays before determining its financial outlook. However, booming holiday business doesn’t just happen. It takes hard work through triangulated marketing, advertising, and public relations efforts. Unfortunately, many companies fail to address their public relations campaigns until it’s too late in the holiday season, missing what is probably the most cost effective way to promote their product or service. (Read more…)

Name-Dropping Celebrities in PR … or Why Oprah May or May Not Approve This Message

I tweeted about this earlier today (http://twitter.com/ereleases) and it bears a longer message about using celebrities in your PR efforts. Over the past couple of years, the newswire has been cracking down on clients that name-drop celebrities. (Read more…)

The News Conference: Controlling Your Message

You have some important issues you want the public to know about. You are so concerned about it that you call a news conference. (Read more…)

PR Quotes: How Being Controversial, Despite Being Wrong, Attracts Media Coverage

I follow the television industry. It’s a medium I devote about five minutes a day trying to follow largely by headlines and RSS feeds. Today I saw this headline and had to dig deeper: Big Media Sites Like Hulu “Anti-Consumer, Anti-Media Employees, Anti-America”? (Read more…)

Make Room for the Press on Your Website

If you’re not archiving press releases on your company’s website, you might be missing out on valuable press coverage. Reporters increasingly rely on the Internet to conduct research on the issues and industries they cover. When they reach your site, it is important that they can quickly access information to include in an article in progress, or find ideas for a new one. (Read more…)

The PR Fuel Mailbag: the Cost of Public Relations, Press Release Don’ts, and 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…)

Press Opportunities Are Not Always Golden

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…)