The Public Relations Blog

Learn more about what to look for to make smart decisions concerning PR expertise

So, you want to increase your positive news coverage, improve your reputation and be sure that you’re ready for any crisis. It sounds like you’re ready to get assistance from a PR firm. But not so fast: Deciding to hire a PR agency can be a big step.

However, before any work can begin, a contract has to be approved and signed. This part of the process can be scary, but it doesn’t have to be when you know the facts.

Give your news maximum reach with newswires

When you’re ready to hire a PR firm, it’s often for increased news exposure or earned media coverage.

Many PR terms and phrases are tossed around, sometimes incorrectly, and it can easily get confusing. It’s important to understand the purpose and differences between various newswires and how they can help you achieve your goals.

While this is all fine and dandy, for most companies, the bottom line is ... well, the bottom line. You need to know what various services cost and what you’re getting for your money. Being able to distinguish between PR tools or press release syndication services, including Business Wire, Cision PR Newswire, Cision PR Web, GlobeNewswire, and other news distribution services, will ensure you’re speaking the same language when it comes to purchasing PR agency services.

Earlier this year, the New York Times published an article about The Council of Public Relations Firms, which lists more than 100 PR agencies as its members. The association met in an effort to not only redefine its own image, but attempt to redefine public relations in this new digitally-focused age. What concerns me as a 20-year veteran of the communications and public relations profession is the fact that our industry--as evidenced by the article--is amid an identity crisis.

Practice unique creativity to attract attention

Take a close look at your efforts to reach your audiences this past year – did you make the cut? There is one surefire way for you to attract consumers’ ever-important attention. Remarkable creativity will speak to your audiences and make your business stand out.

Facts about ROI and the benefit of hiring outside PR help

Many companies are either unaware of or unappreciative of the value of a good PR firm. Businesses in every industry – large and small – can benefit from outside PR assistance.

PR work isn’t just something that you pull down from the shelf and dust off only during a crisis or the occasional promotional campaign. To realize the true benefits of PR, you may find it more beneficial to hire a PR firm instead of trying to go it alone with just your in-house operation or, worse, going without.

SANFORD, Fla. – After a competitive search, Rebounderz Franchise and Development selected Axia Public Relations as its agency of record for public relations to build its reputation and attract new franchisees to the growing brand.

Learn the true benefits of PR for saving money and increasing profits

Super Bowl ads cost an astonishing $4 million for a 30-second spot. All that, and you still have to hope that most of your target audience isn’t using the bathroom when the commercial airs.

For a lot less money, you could hire a good PR firm to analyze customer behavior, help build relationships with customers and get your message to your target audiences throughout the entire year. When you learn all the true benefits of PR over advertising, you may find that you can use it to better maximize your budget and increase both customer engagement and brand recognition for your company.

Historically, headline-seeking journalists have struggled with reaching live spokespersons for interviews and with extracting necessary facts from press releases shared in newsrooms. Happily, though, times have changed, spurred on by the burgeoning digital realm and the creation of the online newsroom.

Big and small businesses alike can turn website real estate into useful bits and bytes for the press. Downloadable videos, news releases, photographs/executive headshots, biographies, movie trailers, application reviews and the like appear with ease online for immediate viewing and download. It is this website subsection that we refer to as the online newsroom.

If you ignore the gay market, you may be doing so at your company’s peril

There once was a time when companies didn’t go out of their way to attract African Americans or teenagers. To ignore these markets today seems almost unthinkable.

Today, some companies have come under fire for creating policies and crafting campaigns that appear hostile to the gay community. Now more than ever, it’s crucial to ensure that your messages are inclusive and that the gay market feels welcome doing business with your company. You can adopt these strategies immediately to make sure you’re not unknowingly excluding any prospective gay customers.

Learn how AP style relates to your company’s success

You want to give your CEO recognition by citing his title every time his name is mentioned in an article or press release but your PR advisor nixes it. Her only reason: “It’s not AP style.” If you aren’t a journalist or PR professional, most likely you have no idea what AP style is or why it has the power to stop you from writing as you please.