Everything is on sale. That was the big message public relations and advertising departments were desperate to get across last week and earlier this week, as retailers tried to pry money out of the wallets of cash-strapped consumers. The message was received, to a certain extent. Read More
Election season is over, the economy is in the dumps, and winter is creeping in. As such, here are some random musings on the current state of public relations and a few tips for PR professionals. Read More
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
Even seasoned public relations pros sometimes need to be reminded how to get the best results when they send out a press release. Whether you’re a press release newbie or have sent out hundreds of releases during your career, the following tips should serve as a reminder of what to do—and maybe more importantly, what not to do. Read More
There’s really nothing funnier than a PR person freaking out. If you’re a journalist, that is. Public relations folk and journalists are very similar. Where journalists and PR people freak out is where the difference between the two beasts really becomes noticeable. Journalists freak out at editors for any number of reasons (think unreasonable deadlines or expectations). People in the public relations industry tend to freak out, well, a lot. Read More
In the promotion of your business through public relations, there are a number of “fatal” mistakes you can make that will kill or distort your coverage. Of these, there are “Seven Deadly Sins of Public Relations” that will ruin your chances of success, and probably lead to bad press. Read More
You received the call you’ve been waiting for. A radio producer has scheduled an interview to discuss your book, service, product, or issue that you want to promote. You know that discussing your topic on local, national, or even international radio is a great way to share your news. You know that radio hosts worldwide have a constant need for interesting guests, and there’s no reason you can’t share the airwaves with them. Read More
OK — you’ve found the story. You’ve lined up a positive quote from within your company — and maybe (if you’re playing in the big leagues) a favorable comment from a professional business analyst. You have the facts, the figures, and the human interest that transforms facts into stories and news. Now what? Read More
It is the worst nightmare of anyone involved in event planning: The event turns into a disaster. Such was the case last week in London, where British Airways (“BA”) and BAA, which operates Heathrow Airport, opened Terminal 5. Read More
Dumbstruck. That’s how I felt after reading Jeffrey Goldberg’s article in the April 2nd edition of The New Yorker entitled “Selling Wal-Mart.”
“The Edelman team assigned to Wal-Mart, I learned, is divided into three groups: ‘promote,’ ‘response,’ and ‘pressure.’ The Jobs and Opportunity Zones notion came from the promotions team. The response-team members – veterans of political campaigns – are supposed to quickly counter criticism in the press or on the Web. The pressure group works on opposition research, focussing on the unions and the press,” Goldberg wrote. Read More