Dealing with Picky Journalists and Editors

Getting your press release or news story into a newspaper, on TV, or even a journalist’s blog can be an uphill battle. It makes it that much worse when the journalist or editor is super picky. After the fifth round of third degree questioning, and a brutal fact checking, it can seem like they just don’t like YO… Read more

Why Being Adaptable is Crucial to Success in PR

Humans are a funny bunch. Just when you think you have them figured out, they do something completely unexpected. It’s one of the reasons why running a business can be difficult – just when you have a solid plan, your customers throw several monkey wrenches in the gears.

A friend of mine owns a pet grooming bu… Read more

The Pros and Cons of Giving An Exclusive

Exclusive! The very word can send waves of excitement through the most hard-nosed reporter. Something about getting a scoop nobody else has, knowing something nobody else knows, possibly before it blows up and you can claim you were there FIRST – what a rush.< But there’s an unforeseen dark side to giving out an exclusive news story, one you may not have accounted for. While it can excite and titillate the masses, you may end up isolating yourself a little too much. G+

For an example of something “exclusive” gon… 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

How to Thank a Reporter Who Covered Your Press Release

You wake up one day and check your local newspaper. Lo and behold, right there on the first page, is a news story based on your press release! After all these many years a friendly reporter did you a solid and covered your announcement. So how do you go about thanking them? Send them flowers? Take them to a fancy … Read more

Just the Facts: Ensuring Accuracy in Your Press Releases

When 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

How to Use Feature Stories as a Public Relations Tool

What is a Feature Story?

In journalism terms, a feature story is an “evergreen” story, meaning that its significance won’t fade over time. While the exploits of the latest celebutant have a limited shelf life, evergreen feature stories can run at any time.  … Read more

PR Defensive Playbook: When Crisis Strikes, Will You Be Ready?

For most of us, the word “crisis” brings to mind something on the scale of Hurricane Katrina or September 11th. For businesses and the public relations professionals who advise them, a crisis can be anything from a disgruntled customer or former employee to a product recall, nasty blog post … Read more

Is a Press Release Your Best Public Relations Bet?

A press release is undoubtedly important when it comes to drumming up publicity for your business. But should it be the *most* important part of your public relations strategy? A press release may not even be the best way for your company or clients to get publicity for a new product or an important announce… Read more

Public Relations Basics: Preparing for a Media Interview

Recently, I was transcribing a very casual media interview; it was an amiable chat, even when the questions got tough. Listening to the tape, I was struck by my constant “um’s” and “ah’s.” I came to the interview well-prepared, and I still sometimes sounded as if I … Read more