Operation Mockingbird: How Much Can the Government Influence the Media?
In the early years of the Cold War, a secret American project called “Operation Mockingbird” began. This was a program intent on buying the influence of all major media outlets by recruiting and paying off news organizations and journalists. These men and women of the advertising world basically became … Read more
Dealing With the Media During a Crisis
Oh man. You just off the phone with your boss and are seriously flipping out. She told you one of the company’s warehouses went up in flames and the cause is a little suspect. There might even be some foul play involved. Worse, several employees were hurt in the fire, though thankfully none were killed.
Even a… Read more
5 Reasons You Should Always Follow Up On Your Pitches
Some media members have PR people believing they live by the motto: “Don’t call us, we’ll call you.” That’s why you might think that when you don’t get a response on that press release you sent out it must mean that no one is interested. Maybe that is the case, but maybe it’s not. The only way to know for sure is to … Read more
3 Ways to Get Media Coverage without Writing a Press Release
When you want media coverage, what do you do? You probably write a press release, send it out to a carefully culled list of reporters, and follow up with these reporters in hopes of getting your story covered in at least some of your target publications. While this is a popular way to score coverage, it is just … Read more
Pick Up the Phone to Make Your Pitch
Press releases. We write them in an attempt to capture the interest of overworked journalists. If we do a good enough job (and with a little luck), they’ll pick up the story and run with it.
But is a written press release the only way to go about it? Is there anything we can do to supplement our PR efforts? You bet… Read more
PR Ethics Concerns: Pay for Play Journalism
Everybody wants to get on the good side of the media, but what lengths will some people go to be on the right side of the fence? One insidious trend has been causing major waves in the journalism world for quite a while now. It’s called “pay for play,” and it has many people crying foul.
What is it?
Pay for Play Jou… Read more
How to Evaluate a Press Release Writer
PR graduates who know how to pump out a press release are a dime a dozen. However, you’re looking for GOOD press releases and don’t want to get something that looks like it was done via a form. How do you filter out the rest and hire the best? Let’s take a look at some ways you can evaluate your potential press rele… Read more
How to Write Perfect Email Pitches
Ah, the perfect email pitch. If such a thing exists, it’s extremely hard to nail down. And even a “perfect pitch” would need to be altered depending on who you’re sending it to, so it’ll never be the same.
With so much to think about, how do you even begin? Like most things, it’s best to start at the beginning. Wi… Read more
The Wrong Way to Give Product Samples to the Media
You naturally want to give your product out to whoever will take it and put in a good word for you. But have you stopped to consider what the best way is to go about it? Shipping out your brand new miracle product is a great way to get some publicity, but you may find yourself getting burned if you don’t do it right.… Read more
When to Tweet a Reporter (And When Not To)
How do you tell when to talk to a reporter on Twitter and when not to? Like emailing them or calling them on the phone, there are certain things to consider first. You don’t want to come off as desperate or annoying, and this can happen even if you’re trying to come off as their friend.
It’s not as complicated as i… Read more