The Public Relations Blog

Let’s get SMARTER about PR

By now, you’ve probably heard about S.M.A.R.T. objectives (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely) and using them for PR. We blogged about SMART objectives and how to be a SMART communications pro frequently.

There’s a movement to add ER to SMART objectives and push for SMARTER objectives, and we love it! 

How inbound marketing is best for your customers… and your company.

The Inbound marketing approach to doing business is based on building conversations and relationships with the people you want to attract the most. It allows you to talk with, not at, your most valuable audience. Most importantly, Inbound is a technique that meets your customers in their comfort zone and on their own terms and sites. 

People are always growing and changing, which means your company should be too. Inbound is about drawing customers to you, not spamming mailboxes with marketing materials. In today’s fast-paced world, you have to stand out from the crowd and offer something new, relevant, and personalized to get the attention you desire.

This is a better way of doing business.

Use these three tips to get back to normal.

This is a story about COVID-19 and its impact on business and PR. Read Media Relations during COVID-19 and four communication actions your company can do during COVID-19 for more information.

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly slowed down the economy, putting a dent in your company and your public relations plans. However, now that lockdowns are starting to rescind, you need to begin thinking about how your company will get back to business and how your public relations plans will go forward.

As things start to open up again, consider these three points as you plan for things to return to how they used to be.

In memory of George Floyd...

We've created the George Floyd Business Mentor Program, an absolutely free program that's open to 50 black men who want to succeed in life, business, and personal finance.

The definition of vanity metrics, and why they don’t really matter.

What we usually think of as vanity metrics are numbers like impressions, advertising value “equivalents” (AVEs), mentions, likes, shares, re-tweets, clicks, page views, downloads, etc. Although some vanity metrics may be important for historical benchmarking or baseline purposes, they shouldn’t be relied on for real intelligence. 

Vanity metrics are good for feeling “warm and fuzzy” and bad for action. In other words, vanity metrics are numbers that feel important yet are fundamentally superficial, or worse, deceptive. They are numbers for numbers’ sake.

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.