The PR Fuel Mailbag: Employee Blackmail, Public Relations Disasters, and More Fun

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. A… Read more

Goodbye Newspapers, You Arrogant Monopolistic Dinosaurs

It’s no secret eReleases works with newspapers. Many of our subscribing journalists are from newspapers. Many of our customers have received print in local and nationwide newspapers alike. I like newspapers. I still subscribe to my local newspaper, the Baltimore Sun, as well as to the Wall Stree… Read more

Public Relations Tips: How to Deal With Journalists’ Egos

I recently received an interesting email from a PR Fuel reader that serves as an interesting public relations talking-point: “I recently emailed a press release to a newspaper writer and then followed up with a call. The writer said she doesn’t pick up email but was interested because of the … Read more

What It Takes to Be a PR Person

PR is an intense and difficult job that can be rewarding and disappointing. It can be exciting, and mind-numbingly boring. PR, more often than not, is misunderstood by people outside of the industry.

Increasingly, the lines between PR, marketing and advertising are becoming more blurred, taking the in… Read more

Embargoed Press Releases

Sometimes a public relations rep sends a journalist a press release that is “under embargo.” This means the reporter can’t publish a word regarding the contents of the press release until after a certain date and time. But in this day and age, journalists and public relations profess… Read more

Make Sure Your Press Release Contains “Just the Facts”

A press release is not an advertisement. A press release is a subtle piece of advertorial: a combination of advertising and editorial content. The point of advertising is to bring a product, service, or cause to the attention of a consumer, voter, volunteer, or contributor. It involves matching the righ… Read more

Build a Stronger Relationship Between PR and Journalism

It’s become a public relations mantra: build relationships with reporters. But journalists don’t want relationships. They deal with dozens of contacts and demanding deadlines each day; they don’t have the time or energy to “do lunch,” especially with public relati… Read more

Public Relations Basics: Dealing with Difficult Clients

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 … Read more

Nine Mistakes to Avoid in Public Relations

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 professio… Read more

In Public Relations, It’s a Fine Line Between Gift and Bribe

There is nothing wrong with giving gifts–unless you work in public relations and your recipient is a journalist. There is a very fine line between a token of appreciation and a bribe. It is a line that once crossed can cause problems not easily rectified, problems that go beyond a public relations sn… Read more