8 Types of Annoying PR People

I’m a PR guy, and I know a number of other PR guys and gals who I respect more than I can even put into words. But let’s face it. Our industry is plagued with some pretty annoying people. These are the types of PR guys who waste journalists’ time, overcharge their clueless clients, and use ridiculous PR speak, li… Read more

10 Things Journalists and PRs Hate About Each Other

If you’ve been in the industry for any amount of time at all, you know that some PRs and journalists get along as well as cats and dogs. This isn’t always the case, but the truth is most journalists and PRs have at least a few pet peeves concerning each another.

That’s why we’ve come up with this list of 10 things j… Read more

A Closer Look at Embargoed Press Releases: What You Should Know Before Using Them

What is an Embargoed Press Release?

calendarAn embargoed press release is a news announcement or statement that is distributed to media outlets in advance of its intended publication date, with the understanding that the information should not be made public until a specified time.

Key points about embargoed p… Read more

How PR Professionals Get Stories Placed in Magazines

Stack of old magazineExposure in magazines can be a great way to garner publicity for your organization, though lately there are fewer and fewer of them. Because of this, it’s important that a PR professional use all of her savvy when pitching a story to a magazine. Follow these tips to keep your pitch out of the “ci… Read more

Just the Facts: Ensuring Accuracy in Your Press Releases

Hit the targetWhen you’re writing a press release, you’re in a constant battle to create an interesting story that grabs journalists’ attention without using marketing hype or exaggerated claims. To be effective, a press release needs to be unbiased and completely accurate. If a journalist get… Read more

Are Multimedia News Releases the Future of PR?

multimedia

Multimedia News Release

A multimedia news release (MNR) is a dynamic communication tool that combines various media elements such as text, images, audio, video, logos, related documents, and social media integration within an interactive HTML framework. The addition of these elements helps to commRead more

5 Ways to Determine Whether Your Story is Newsworthy

Man Reading NewspaperYou slaved for hours crafting the most informative, beautifully written, and concise press release to ever cross an editor’s desk.

But you wait, and wait, and still receive no calls from journalists or bloggers. You follow up with the newsroom and editors give you the brush off.

You followed all th… Read more

Public Relations at the Local Level

communityWhen people think public relations, they think of slick PR pros courting journalists or holding press conferences in front of national media. But the truth is that most businesses and organizations are relatively small, relatively localized entities. … Read more

When (Not) to Hold a Press Conference

Press Conferences – The Reality

Microphones At Press ConferenceIf television and the movies are to be believed, press conferences are the backbone of the public relations industry.  Every time a character in a movie does something important, he or she is often seen standing in front of microphones from the likes of the BBC and CNN … Read more

The Fine Art of Follow Up in Public Relations

What’s the difference between getting your press release covered by national news and getting it tossed in the circular file? What about the difference between attracting 100 reporters to your press conference and attracting zero? It isn’t newsworthiness (though that matters) or timel… Read more