The Public Relations Blog

The right connections will open doors for your company, but the substance remains most crucial in earning media coverage.

It's common for public relations firms to emphasize their close connections with journalists as a top selling point. The idea is that leveraging personal rapport can make it easier to pitch stories and gain coverage for clients. 

However, many experts argue that while relationships matter, their actual influence is limited. Bottomline, reporters decide what to cover based on newsworthiness, which poses an important question: Are strong media relationships vital for earning coverage, or are their power overstated?

Craft better stories and connections through shared interests, listening, and adapting.

The process of sales is commonly compared to the journey of dating. The goals are similar: make a meaningful connection, demonstrate value, and build loyalty to lead to a longer-term relationship. The courtship activities involved in PR outreach parallel these dating rituals. 

Your company can harness the benefits of AI while mitigating risk.

Since the explosive growth of artificial intelligence, AI is already transforming public relations workflows. According to The State of AI in PR, presented by Muck Rack, 61% of PR professionals currently use AI tools or plan to explore them. Companies that invest in PR agency services should understand the opportunities and risks of AI.

1. What the EU AI Act Means for Corporate Communication
2. How Reddit Went from Unmoderated Mess to a Hot Social Platform
3. 60-Second Close: Moving from Chaos to Directed PR Strategy

Google Autocomplete is one of the best tools your company can use to drive traffic and perfect SEO strategy.

Google's autocomplete feature has become an invaluable part of the search experience, providing predicted search queries as users type. But it also presents unique SEO opportunities for brands. 

In this complete guide, you’ll learn what Autocomplete is, how it works, why it matters for SEO, and how you can optimize for it.

Reach niche audiences more effectively but risk visibility using tier-two wire services.

Editor’s note: This article was produced using automated technology and then edited and verified for accuracy by a member of Axia Public Relations’ editorial team.

News release wire services are useful for companies to distribute their news to wider audiences. Tier-two services have less reach than well-known and widely used tier-one services such as PR Newswire and Business Wire; however, tier-two services have acute advantages specific to the outreach they can offer.

Classify media tiers, identify interest, select quality options, and stay informed about competitors to prioritize media outlets.

Earning media coverage is essential to a successful PR campaign, and it’s important to remember not all media outlets are created equal when earning coverage. For example, an outlet you may be excited to earn coverage with may not be exciting to the client.

Knowing how to categorize and prioritize media outlets as you build relationships to earn media coverage is essential in maximizing your efforts and securing coverage that matters to your executives.

Editor’s note: This article was produced using automated technology and then edited and verified for accuracy by a member of Axia Public Relations’ editorial team. 

News releases are an important tool for businesses to communicate their news to the public while increasing visibility and credibility and driving traffic and leads. However, one of the challenges of news release distribution is getting the release in front of the right audience. 

This is where commercial newswires come in. Commercial newswires are third-party platforms that distribute news releases to a network of journalists, bloggers, and media outlets. However, consider the pros and cons of using a commercial newswire for news release distribution.

In this episode, Holly Bishop joins On Top of PR host Jason Mudd to discuss why your company's social media isn’t working. She and Jason go into depth about how to avoid burnout for social media professionals, how to improve social media content, and why community engagement is so important.

Tune in to learn more!

Make sure your spokesperson is armed with these media training tips before they take on the mic.

Going on the record with a reporter can be intimidating. Are there any “gotcha” questions, and how should you answer them? Can you ask for interview questions ahead of time? How do you discuss something you don’t want to appear in print? 

Even the most seasoned spokesperson is constantly learning how to approach the media landscape to avoid saying the wrong thing and going viral.