The Public Relations Blog

Eleven tips to assist your tax prep in obtaining coverage

There’s more than one way to release company news. If you’re starting out in the public relations industry or you work for a company that wants to earn media coverage, it’s important to know the best way to share news. Here, Axia Public Relations describes the difference between distributing news and pitching it.

Journalists want evergreen content; pitch stories that stay relevant

Evergreen is a term in journalism and public relations that means the content isn’t time sensitive. It’s news your company shares that doesn’t have a shelf life and won’t go stale. Evergreen stories are perpetually relevant and always interesting to readers. It’s not breaking news or specific to a season or holiday. 

The concept of content marketing is not foreign, but now there’s a new term on the block: “inbound marketing.” So what’s the difference? Is there a difference? Once you answer this question, you can take your business to the next level by creating content that appeals more to your potential customers and provides a customer journey that fosters long-term relationships.

Getting media coverage for your company can seem daunting, especially for a newbie or someone who doesn’t understand how the news media works. It’s possible to earn media coverage without writing a news release; you just need to make sure you’re pitching your company the right way. Here’s a list of 21 mistakes you might be making when you pitch your company to the news media.

This is one story in our series about COVID-19. Read 8 ways your PR agency can assist you during COVID-19 for more.

The business landscape, disrupted by COVID-19, has transformed almost overnight and triggered talks of recession. As many companies look to reduce spending, keep in mind it’s been proven over time that increasing (or maintaining) your overall marketing spend during a recession can result in long-term gains. No marketing strategy would be complete without public relations, and especially during challenging times, PR must be an integral part of that plan. 

Although it may be tempting to hit pause on your PR program, now is not the time. It’s time to be even more strategic. Speed is the most important commodity in times of crisis. Don’t wait and risk missing the opportunity. 

Webcam video interviews are on the rise; be memorable in a good way

In-person interviews are almost always best; however, in times of breaking news, national interviews, or during a pandemic, when you can't be in the studio or have the cameraperson come to you, a webcam or livestream interview is a great option. 

Webcam video interviews are on the rise, especially as more people work from home. We’ve all seen an interview where something has gone wrong, such as the person not wearing pants or someone else walking into the live shot, like this man's children. While these moments make for entertaining content, they certainly aren’t the goal of a serious interview.

This is one story in our series about COVID-19. Read 8 ways your PR agency can assist you during COVID-19 for more.

Even as the media's primary focus is on the coronavirus pandemic, journalists are looking for non-COVID-19 stories. For example, a London features and deputy news editor put out a call for "non-CV stories" and then replied with this:

This is a story about determining ROI for public relations efforts. There is also a story about learning the fundamentals of measuring PR ROI as well.

When most people think about public relations, they tend to think PR is earned media coverage. (Even though PR is more than earned media coverage.)

And what is earned media anyway?

Traditionally, measuring a PR campaign and its outcomes were challenging. You may have even been told that public relations can't be measured. When it was measured, it was often assigned "publicity value," "advertising value equivalency," or some other arbitrary number. It doesn't have to be.

The industry is evolving quickly, making PR increasingly measurable through attribution technology.

This is one story in our series about COVID-19. Read 8 ways your PR agency can assist you during COVID-19 and Don't think you need a PR agency right now? Think again for more.

It’s difficult to determine the best course of action for communications during this unusual time. You want to be as sensitive as possible to people’s distress and anguish, and you want to stay engaged, operating from a place of care and concern for your employees, your customers, and your community. Here are some things to consider to maintain a proper level of internal and external communications while waiting for this crisis to pass.