Coordinated PR Is The Key

A coordinated public relations attack can be a thing of beauty. When all the pistons are firing, and the planets align, PR can pour down like rain in a drought-stricken area. But the key to a coordinated PR attack is coordinating the people behind it. (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…)

Good PR Sense: Keeping Calm When the Media Makes a Mistake

When I was a journalist, I once wrote a negative news story about a major company, and unfortunately there was a slight problem. I was given a quote by the company, which addressed the issue at hand in a very roundabout way. I included the quote in my story, but it was subsequently eliminated during editing. (Read more…)

Turning Down a Press Opportunity Isn’t PR Suicide

Many public relations professionals may find it hard to believe, but it’s okay to turn down a press opportunity. And I’m not talking about opportunities where you may get sandbagged by a reporter. I’m talking about a press opportunity that looks good, at least on the surface. (Read more…)

Taking Your Public Relations Strategy National

It’s not difficult for a company with a small public relations department to attraction attention from local media. You might not think that same small company –- or even a small company without an in-house public relations department –- could also also attract attention from regional, national, and even international media outlets. But it’s easier than you might have assumed. The following tips can help you –- or your outside public relations firm — launch your company into the national spotlight. (Read more…)

Public Relations and Blogs: Controlling the Message

An era when data can be sent and received outside of traditional media outlets–via blogs, email, instant messaging, text messaging, camera phones, etc.–has created an atmosphere where truth is the prize. Those in the public relations industry must delicately balance the public’s right to know and a client’s right to direct its own message. And yes, there are ways to walk this internet-era tightrope successfully. (Read more…)

Story Proposals: Customizing A Press Release For Reporters

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…)

Public Relations Basics: Taking the Mystery Out of Community Relations

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…)

Four Media Outlets Offering Unexpected Public Relations Opportunities

Clients often have lofty expectations, pushing for “big hits” instead of a steady stream of solid media exposure. In doing so, they may miss out on important public relations opportunities by ignoring the possibility that a magazine with a circulation of 30,000 can do as much for them as an article in a national newspaper. With this mind, here are four media opportunities–two specific media outlets and two types of media outlets–that I believe should be on the pitch list of anyone who works in public relations. (Read more…)

Gossip at Your Own Risk

Another week, and another fun journalism scandal. This one, however, contains an interesting public relations element.

Late last week, news broke that Jared Paul Stern, a freelancer for the New York Post’s infamous Page Six gossip column, has been accused of trying to extort money from billionaire Ron Burkle. According to press reports, Stern promised Burkle “protection” from scurrilous gossip items in exchange for cold, hard cash. (Read more…)