“If I was down to my last dollar, I’d spend it on public relations.”
– Bill Gates, Microsoft Founder
Is your company or organization suffering from PR bankruptcy? Have you created or maintained goodwill with the media by proactively distributing at least one press release a quarter over the past few years? Read More
Why would a Los Angeles-based retailer hire a New York-based boutique public relations firm to handle the launch of new stores in a southern city? Hiring a local public relations firm would have made more sense, especially if the retailer in question did not already enjoy a national presence. Expanding a business to a new region can be an exhilarating, exhausting, and scary process. Hiring a local public relations firm when expanding into a new region makes sense for a number of reasons, including: Read More
Congratulations! Your start-up company’s ready to announce its first product. Or maybe you’re handling a competitive announcement from one division of a huge corporation. Or maybe you’re somewhere between big business and entrepreneurship. Whatever the size of your organization, you’ve moved into the public relations stage. Let’s assume everything is ready: press list, press release, booth reserved at key trade shows. You’re good to go, right? Wrong. Because unless you and your staff are prepared for the series of media interviews that are (hopefully) about to ensue, you could be setting yourself up for disaster. Read More
You may not think of a letter to the editor as a way to extend your public relations budget, but a well-crafted letter in a widely read publication can be a powerful (and free) way to promote your company. Writing an effective letter to the editor will be that much easier if you use the following tips. Read More
Good communicators don’t just wing it. They take the time to prepare, developing key messages. Effective communication depends on clarity, and clarity requires developing key messages and using them consistently. The discipline is deceptively simple, but once mastered, key messages will make every communication process more effective, whether during speeches, presentations, or media interviews. Read More
“Off the record” is gray area for journalists and public relations professionals alike. As a reporter, if someone tells me they’re going to talk to me “off the record,” I normally take that to mean they’re willing to give me information, but don’t want that informaiton attributed to them. (I usually ask if I can use the information. If I’m told no, I will reply, “Than why did you tell me in the first place?”) How can folks in the public relations industry know what they’re getting into when they decide to “go off the record” in a media interview? Read More
By now most organizations — non-profit or for-profit, large or small — have added a web presence to their public relations efforts. It’s not enough, however, just to have a web site. Leaving it dangling out there in cyberspace like a forlorn little planet in a faraway galaxy is a mistake that’s far too common, even among those in the public relations game. Your web site can’t work for you unless you first work for it. The following tips will help you promote your web site easily and effectively. Read More
If you perform public relations functions for the entertainment industry, retail industry, or the arts, you may not realize that you have a city full of goodwill ambassadors that are ready to spread the word for you. Hotel concierges at business-class and upscale establishments stand ready to serve guests at a moment’s notice. And to do this effectively, they work hard at establishing an extensive network of informational resources, including public relations firms. With a minimal amount of effort, you can become part of that network. Read More
Over the years, I’ve made friends with many people who work in the public relations industry. We’ll often talk on the phone about the PR business, exchanging stories and ideas. Recently I’ve had conversations with a number of these public relations pals, and all of them had a singular complaint: My clients are stupid. Read More
Public relations is a difficult field. Your job is essentially to get journalists to do half of your work. There is an enormous amount of pressure on a public relations consultant, especially when things aren’t going well for your client or employer. Diana Turowski is a public relations professional from Chicago and has worked with the Chicago Association of Realtors. She recently sent me a great email, a list of things she refuses to do when asked by a superior or client. Her list (with my commentary) serves as an excellent checklist for public relations professionals on what not to do during your next PR campaign. Read More