How to Get Better Media Coverage for Your Release

Anyone familiar with marketing their business will recognize that frustrating moment when they wish someone would pay attention to their press release. Sometimes the lack of attention is attributed to something as simple as not having an attention grabbing headline or focusing on the wrong media outl… Read more

Dealing With Limited Resources

My company, for example, has exactly one person dealing with PR issues – me.

I do all the pitching, handle all of the inbound media requests, prepare all of the press releases, train all of our editors and analysts on how to speak to the media – and I actually do about 95% of the interviews myself. … Read more

Did an Upstart Texas Brewery Just Pull Off 2014’s Best Publicity Stunt?

If you enjoy having a beer now and again, you’ve probably noticed that more and more craft beers have been crowding store shelves in recent years. Long gone are the days when Budweiser and Miller were among your only choices for a nice, cold beverage. These days, the craft beer scene has taken off, and small, … Read more

Turning a Press Release Into a Viral Video

Whether a press release gets printed by all the media outlets you wanted it to or completely tanks, there’s always a sense that there’s nothing else you can do with it. Its purpose has been used up and aside from plopping it up on your website’s “news” page, there’s no reason to keep it around.

Except there’s a… Read more

The Role of the Media in PR

The relationship between public relations and the media has always been a symbiotic one, with both parties receiving help from the other in various ways. While it doesn’t always seem equal if you’re a PR pro trying to get a story in a major media outlet, you would without a doubt be worse off without access to … Read more

How to Hold a Great Press Conference

As I’ve already discussed on this blog, many press conferences are unwarranted. The truth is that many of you reading this right now have never hosted a press conference before. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Press conferences are not the backbone of public relations, and in most cases, there are fa… Read more

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

Why Evergreen Content Makes for Great Press Releases

When you think of press release topics, you probably think of time-sensitive news stories that have a very short shelf life. And while a lot of news is fleeting, it doesn’t always have to be this way. There is another type of news content that works great for press releases. I’m talking about evergreen conte… Read more

Why You Need to Target Freelance Journalists with Your Press Releases

Whenever we talk about building up media lists for sending out your press releases, it can be easy to overlook some of the hardworking, influential journalists who can get you the coverage you so covet.

I’m talking about freelancers.

Freelance journalists sell stories to papers, magazines, and online p… Read more