The Public Relations Blog

Young Americans are embracing neighborhood updates from friends, family, and online forums.

While television and newspapers have long been Americans' go-to sources for local news, new data shows that interpersonal channels like word-of-mouth and social media are growing in importance. A 2024 Pew Research Center report finds that these tech-enabled pathways now rival traditional outlets' roles in local news dissemination.

Data shows that straightforward email subject lines outperform the clever ones for open and click-through rates.

The subject line of your email can either make or break the perfect email pitch, and whether or not your message is opened. With millions of pitches sent to journalists daily, standing out is crucial. But should your subject line be clever enough to grab attention or straightforward enough to clearly convey your pitch?

To improve your company's SEO, leverage media placements to build credible backlinks, anchor text, and website authority.

As a PR professional, you may not consider yourself a search engine optimization expert. By understanding some basics, however, you can leverage your media relations skills to help boost your brand’s SEO — driving more qualified traffic to your site and positioning you as an authority in your space.

Understanding the optimal timing for pitches will help you pitch like a pro.

Crafting the perfect media pitch takes time and effort. You've identified relevant media targets, created personalized pitches, and included critical information and compelling angles. But what about timing? When you hit “send” can be just as important to your pitch's success. 

Targeting only 1-50 recipients per pitch can maximize your open and clickthrough rates.

When it comes to media pitching, many PR pros wonder how many journalists they should email to get maximal engagement with their pitch. New data from an analysis of over 14 million pitches provides a clear answer: Pitching to a highly targeted list of 1-50 journalists yields significantly higher open and clickthrough rates than pitching to larger groups does.

Shouting doesn’t make you stand out — the content of the subject line does.

When crafting the perfect email pitch, your subject line is key to getting recipients to open your message. With writers putting so much thought into creating compelling, effective subject lines, many ask: Should you capitalize words for emphasis? The short answer is that it doesn't really matter.

Harnessing the psychology of social validation.

Social proof refers to the psychological phenomenon where people look to the behavior and actions of others to help guide their own behavior and attitudes.

In public relations, building social proof can be key to driving interest, establishing credibility, and prompting action from target audiences. When it comes to influencing public perception and attitudes, social proof is one of the most potent tools available. 

There are 10 elements of news and newsworthiness, but two outshine the rest.

When it comes to determining whether a story is considered newsworthy, there are many factors journalists and editors evaluate. However, at the core, many argue that newsworthiness ultimately comes down to just two key elements: geography/proximity and subject matter relevance.

The press release will need a compelling narrative to secure valuable press attention.

You did it — your hard work has paid off and your company won a prestigious award! This recognition is an accomplishment worth celebrating, and with some strategic planning you can use the company’s achievement to generate significant buzz and boost reputation. The press release is a powerful tool to achieve this.

Follow these seven tips to craft a compelling press release that will make news outlets excited to cover your achievement. 

Use these strategies to slice, dice, and personalize your company’s media segments.

Pitching journalists can seem chance-oriented, like throwing spaghetti against a wall to see what sticks. To boost your opportunity for success, you need an organized system for keeping track of media contacts and targeting pitches. The key is to segment your lists into smaller groups with shared interests. Here are smart ways to slice and dice your lists for better pitching results.