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: Mastering the Media Interview

How to Shine in Media Interviews

Your press release did its job. A reporter calls and wants to talk about your business. Now what? You need to build a relationship with the reporter, and the primary way you’re going to do so is through  a media interview.

Reporters interviews to gather information an… Read more

The PR Fuel Mailbag: Press Releases as Email Attachments, Expert Quotes, and Loudmouth CEOs

Q: I need to send out a press release that includes graphics. But many public relations pros say not to send out press releases as an attachment. What should I do?

A: I’m going to stick with my gut and suggest that you don’t send out the release as an attachment. The reasoning here is simple: 1.) Em… Read more

PR Media Coverage

It’s easy for public relations firms to overestimate the impact of media coverage. Unless you land your client on the cover of Time or the front page of the New York Times, it can be disheartening to see how little impact a single piece of media coverage brings. My own history with media coverage is an e… Read more

Public Relations Role Models: What You Can Learn From Pro Athletes

By now we all know it’s rarely worthwhile to hold up professional athletes as role models. While athletes still rank as popular heroes for kids, we’ve definitely seen a shift in the past decade to more traditional role models — teachers, doctors, etc. But one arena where it is worth loo… Read more

How to Stand Out in a Crowded Public Relations Industry

High energy prices, troubled industries, flatlining online advertising growth, and geopolitical concerns are just some of the headwinds the U.S. economy faces these days. One would think that these issues would also impact spending on public relations, but that does not appear to be the case. Good new… Read more

Turning the Tables: A Journalist Talks Public Relations

A while back, a friend who works in the public relations industry cornered me with a few questions. The following discussion about public relations and the media takes a little peek into how the two intertwined industries relate to each other.

Q: Would you ever consider moving to the dark side of public rel… Read more

Managing Public Relations Through the Strategic Press Leak

My forte as a journalist was reporting bad news. Whistleblowers, inside sources, gossip–I loved it all. I got a tip, tracked it down, and then the newspaper splashed a big, nasty headline on my story. Sometimes, even my editors would have been surprised about how I got my scoops.

The strategic press … Read more

Corporate Mottos and the PR Power of SIM

A corporate motto that says — in as few words as possible — a lot about your product or service is key to strategic image management (SIM). SIM demands that you choose a motto that telegraphs your values and prompts people to respond positively to whatever you sell. (And ultimately, to buy it.)… Read more

Public Relations Basics: There Is No Magic Press Release Bullet

The “magic bullet” theory of public relations — that one press release is all you need to grab the attention of journalists — is easily debunked. A single press release will rarely, if ever, do the trick. To quote a journalist friend, “familiarity breeds credibility.&#… Read more