Give TV Producers Lead Time

Even for the best publicists, booking a client onto a talk show on a day’s notice is a rarity. Just as great visuals are important when pitching TV producers for an interview, so too is providing leeway to consider your proposal. Giving the producer — and yourself — enough lead time to sc… Read more

Closing Out Your Press Release with a Bang

Many words have been typed about the beginning of a press release. And it’s true; making a first impression is vital to making it into a newspaper or magazine or anywhere else. If you don’t knock their socks off right away they’ll simply move on to the next press release.

But the ending of the press release can … Read more

A Bad Press Release Doesn’t Get Better By Sending It Over And Over Again

What Annoys Reporters Most About Press Releases

When asked the question, “What annoys you about press releases?” Yahoo! Finance’s Rick Newman said, “The ones sent to me 2, 3 4 times, as if I’ll be more likely to respond; sending irrelevant material multiple times doesn’t make it any more relevant.”

Look, … Read more

HARO Isn’t Your Only Tool For Finding Journalist Requests

If you’ve spent any time on our blog at all, you know how much we love HARO. It’s one of our favorite free PR tools. You just sign up, and 3 times a day, you get an email containing a huge list of queries from reporters looking for sources for their stories. It’s an easy way to find media opportunities and potentia… Read more

Writing Contributed Articles for PR? It’s Not About You.

The days of sitting back and waiting for the media to come interview you or cover your company are long gone. These days, one of the best ways to get your name out there is by writing contributed articles to targeted publications your audience reads. That’s right, you need to be the content creator. Dwindlin… Read more

How to Properly Research a Reporter before You Pitch Them

I’ve always believed that the better you know a reporter, the more effectively you can pitch them. When you truly understand a reporter’s interests, his or her audience, how he or she likes to be pitched, and other important details, you’re better equipped to create a personalized pitch they’ll notice an… Read more

No Money? 6 Cheap Alternatives to Sending a Press Release

I’ll be perfectly honest with you. Sending a press release the right way costs money. If you can’t write very well, you’ll need to pay someone to write your press release for you. But even if you do write your own press releases, you’ll still need to get them in the hands of the right reporters, and that costs mo… Read more

What NOT to do when a Reporter Rejects Your Pitch

Rejection isn’t something that most of us handle well. From the time we were kids and a little boy or girl we had a crush on shot us down, we’ve never gotten used to the painful sting and disappointment of rejection. And the fact is that any kind of rejection sucks. It’s not just in love. Rejection in your busine… Read more

The 3 Goals of Every Email You Send to a Reporter

Every time you write and send an email to a reporter, there’s a purpose behind it. Every email has certain things that you want it to achieve. And how effectively you’re able to achieve those things determines how successful your PR efforts will be.

From my experience, there are 3 main goals you have every ti… Read more

Writing a Great Subject Line for Your Pitch

You have an awesome pitch, and now it’s time to send it by email to the reporter of your choosing. And while you probably thought composing the pitch was the hardest part, the truth is that you still have one of the largest challenges ahead — getting the reporter to open your email. How can you guarantee that th… Read more