What Can APR Accreditation Do for You?

Anybody can hang out a shingle and call themselves a public relations professional, but the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) and friends allows PR pros to prove their skill with the Accreditation in Public Relations (APR). In today’s extraordinarily tight job market, APR accreditation allows PR pros to prove to potential employers, clients and partners that they knows their stuff. Not to mention, the APR is the public relations industry’s only post-graduate certification program. (Read more…)

The Top 5 Intangible Skills PR Pros Need

We often talk about the hard skills that public relations professionals need to possess – the ability to write a press release, regurgitate AP style, and contact a journalist to get a story placed. But what are the top 5 intangible, hard to define skills that make a PR pro great? (Read more…)

When (Not) to Hold a Press Conference

If television and the movies are to be believed, press conferences are the backbone of the public relations industry.  Every time a character in a movie makes good, he or she is often seen standing in front of microphones from the likes of the BBC and CNN while dodging rapid fire questions from reporters.  But the operative phrase there is “in the movies.” (Read more…)

Public Service Announcements (PSAs) as a PR Tool

If you watch TV, listen to the radio or read a newspaper, you have seen and heard a public service announcement (PSA). (The phrase “the more you know” should ring a bell.) (Read more…)

PR Defensive Playbook: When Crisis Strikes, Will You Be Ready?

For most of us, the word “crisis” brings to mind something on the scale of Hurricane Katrina or September 11th. For businesses and the public relations professionals who advise them, a crisis can be anything from a disgruntled customer or former employee to a product recall, nasty blog post or negative publicity in a news story. (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…)

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…)

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…)

PR Web Detective

During the last week of 2006, when things were slow on Wall Street, I spent some time surfing around the web, playing public relations detective for my company. I was on the lookout for two things: 1.) people or companies infringing on our copyrighted material, and 2.) people writing things (good or bad) about my company. What I found should send public relations professionals to their search engine of choice immediately, just in case they think no one is writing about (or stealing from) their company or clients. (Read more…)

Public Relations Basics: Keep Your List of Press Contacts Updated

A few years ago, Wired magazine editor-in-chief caused a ruckus when he announced he was banning public relations consultants from his email inbox. “I get more than 300 emails a day and my problem isn’t spam, it’s PR people,” Anderson wrote. “Lazy flacks send press releases to the Editor in Chief of Wired because they can’t be bothered to find out who on my staff, if anyone, might actually be interested in what they’re pitching.” And that was only the start of Anderson’s tirade against public relations professionals who keep sloppy, out-of-date lists of press contacts. (Read more…)