Social Networking Guilt: Five Reasons Why Email Newsletters Still Matter

Over the past few years, the trend has moved from newsletters to blogs to Twitter. It’s hard for companies to stay on top of what they’re supposed to be doing. If you open a business magazine or visit any marketing website, you will experience “social marketing guilt.” Everyone seems to be hyping the next big thing you should be doing. Trade publications show your competitors tweeting or having thousands of “friends” on Facebook. (Read more…)

Six Consecutive Press Release Failures. Why Bother?

I have seen press releases generate tens of millions of dollars in publicity $399 at a time. If you don’t believe me, just visit: http://www.ereleases.com/testimonials/

Why didn’t your press release do the same? The likely answer is that you gave up, perhaps even after a single press release. (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…)

Everything Journalists Want to Know About Their Public Relations Contacts

Since entering the world of public relations, my workday has changed drastically from the time when I was a professional journalist. Becoming a public relations consultant has altered how I deal with the media and how I deal with internal public relations at my company. (Read more…)

Does Your Public Relations Team Understand Its Value?

I take a lot of pride in the publicity that I generate on behalf of my company. And, yes, I still get giddy when we hit a public relations home run, because I know exactly how the publicity that I generate benefits my company. I know my role. But too many public relations professionals are unaware of just how they fit into their company’s business strategy. (Read more…)

Ask Mickie: Newspapers No Longer Accept Press Releases

Nina writes:

I was told at a recent marketing seminar that newspapers will no longer accept press releases due to space constraints. Comment? (Read more…)

When the Public Relations/Journalism Relationship Goes Very Wrong

I received a very strange voicemail message from a journalist today, laced with hints of blackmail and future slander. Cool and calm, the journalist was sincere, threatening, filled with an inflated sense of self-importance, and sometimes downright strange. (Read more…)

Public Relations Basics: There Is No Magic Press Release Bullet

The “magic bullet” theory of public relations — that one press release is all you need grab the attention of journalists — is easily debunked. A single press release will rarely, if ever, do the trick. (Read more…)