The Public Relations Blog

Keep your news contacts updated so your company can quickly earn media coverage.

A media list is a resource your company and PR team utilizes throughout a PR campaign to build relationships with contacts at specific outlets. A strategic media list will help the PR pro know who to share your company’s newsworthy information, such as the opening of a new location, new products, new hires, donations to nonprofits, and more. 

News releases focusing strictly on news value are more effective than press releases in today's media landscape.

In the world of public relations, there are two main types of releases organizations use to garner media attention: the press release and the news release. Though they may seem similar, news releases are more valued in today’s media landscape due to their higher news value and more journalistic style.

So what’s the difference?

To better the PR pro/journalist relationship, avoid these common mistakes.

Public relations professionals and journalists have a symbiotic yet strained relationship at times. As a PR veteran who worked with the media for over 15 years, I've encountered recurring habits among reporters that annoy even the most experienced PR pros. 

Though many journalists are a pleasure to work with, a few key etiquette tweaks could go a long way toward smoothing out communication.

In this episode, Kasey Klee, Marjorie Comer, and Bob Wiltfong join On Top of PR host Jason Mudd to discuss media relations best practices.

Tune in to learn more!

Marketers need to be more selective and creative when pitching ideas.

PR professionals have always tried to make their pitches more enticing by linking them to major news events. However, new data reveals this once-solid strategy is becoming increasingly ineffective in 2023. 

In this episode, Jason Mudd, CEO of Axia Public Relations and host of On Top of PR, discusses the intricacies of earned media coverage and PR strategies.

Tune in to learn more!

Transform your media relations with these four principles of communication.

The ability to effectively communicate and build relationships with journalists is paramount in PR. The 4 R’s of media relations — responsive, resourceful, rapid, and respect — serve as a guiding principle for PR professionals to foster positive relationships with the media. 

Manage your responses more effectively with these pointers.

Reporters use a variety of ways to reach companies and their spokespeople. Some rely solely on relationships they’ve made for their story sources. Others take to social media to pose a question and let the public help direct them to sources, or they may utilize media relations query tools. These tools allow reporters to pose questions and get a variety of responses from sources, as well as search for spokespeople who may have knowledge that applies to a story they’re working on. Public relations professionals use resources like these, so here are our top five tips for responding to reporters’ queries. 

In this episode, guest Bob Wiltfong joins host Jason Mudd to discuss how you can build and maintain media relationships. They describe how to use newsjacking to your advantage in creating the right pitch as well as the importance of leveraging local news on behalf of your brand. 

Tune in to learn more!

Positive media attention can make or break a company. It can increase brand recognition, attract new customers, and generate revenue. But earning that media coverage can be difficult. So, what’s the key to success? Knowing when to pitch the right story to the appropriate contacts at the appropriate outlet at the right time. Let’s dive into what a "done for you" story pitch is and how it can help your company garner positive media attention.