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…)

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…)

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…)

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…)

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 And that was only the start of Anderson’s tirade against public relations professionals who keep sloppy, out-of-date lists of press contacts.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…)

PR Fuel readers — including several public relations professionals — have written in with their suggestions for the best books about public relations. We got enough responses to fill a corporate library, books chockfull of tips for PR vets and newbies alike. (Read more…)

Consistency in public relations is important. Public relations consultants and corporate executives are often told to “stay on message” and not to stray from a script. Companies and organizations put an enormous amount of time and energy into hammering home a consistent key messages, be it through public statements, advertising, or simple branding. (Read more…)

In my career as a journalist, I’ve dealt with hundreds, possibly thousands, of people who work in the  public relations industry in one capacity or another. Unfortunately, not many of those public relations professionals stick out in my mind. There is one PR rep who I’ve had the pleasure to know for the past few years, engaging in regular and long discussions about public relations, the media, and other issues of interest to PR Fuel readers. (Read more…)

A successful public relations strategy depends on well-planned objectives. However, it takes more than just good public relations skills to plan good objectives. Here are some tips for setting effective public relations and marketing objectives. (Read more…)

It’s time for another dip into the PR Fuel mailbag. This time we answer some questions from PR Fuel readers, including public relations professionals, who are dealing with some serious issues: a threatening ex-employee, a shaky merger, a recalcitrant journalist, and a strange resume request. All this, plus some public relations web sites to add to your browser’s bookmarks. (Read more…)